Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 251: Longshan Dilemma

At the rear section of Dragon Mountain No. 1, the carriage doors swung open, and seven or eight fully armed personnel rushed out in unison. In the snow, the people KIKI had dragged out at gunpoint struggled to their feet. The woman who had been fighting Shu Qin on the train roof also halted her attacks.

The three of them stood in a standoff, their gazes locked onto the approaching group. Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman in the lead—she seemed incredibly familiar.

"Hold your fire—this is a misunderstanding."

The woman was clad in a thick white down jacket and wore a high-tech thermal mask. Tall and poised, she carried an air of authority. She sternly ordered her subordinates to stand down before turning to Lin Xian. "Captain Lin, I’m Ning Jing from Dragon Mountain No. 1. We met before at Yubei Spaceport."

Everyone was bundled in cold-weather gear and helmets, making it difficult to recognize faces at a glance. But as soon as Lin Xian heard her name, he remembered—this was the woman who had been following behind Shi Diyuan at the spaceport. Ning Jing, the deputy train commander of Dragon Mountain No. 1, had proven herself to be quite formidable in the battle at the spaceport.

Phew...

Lin Xian exhaled inside his thermal mask. Then, raising a hand, he gestured to Shu Qin on the roof and KIKI beside him. The two withdrew their attacks. KIKI tossed the young man she was holding back into the snow and remarked, "Oh, I remember you. But these two guys look unfamiliar. I thought your train had been hijacked."

"They’re our new teammates," Ning Jing explained to Lin Xian. "I failed to receive your response signal earlier, and by the time we realized, fighting had already broken out."

She turned to the girl on the train and the young man in the snow. "A’Bai, Xiao Qing. Is everyone okay?"

The girl named Xiao Qing remained silent, giving only a slight shake of her head. Meanwhile, the young man, still half-buried in snow, hurriedly adjusted his sunglasses and stammered, "Jing-jie, I’m fine… I’m totally fine..."

"This guy’s eyes can shoot laser beams. Your new teammates are pretty impressive," KIKI commented, clapping her hands.

Shu Qin, still standing on the train, observed Xiao Qing carefully. The girl wasn’t using a powered exosuit, yet her physical enhancements were already at a highly advanced level. In their brief exchange, she had even managed to put some pressure on Shu Qin. However, Shu Qin also realized that Xiao Qing wasn’t fully proficient in combat yet—her lack of experience with exosuit maneuvering had somewhat hindered her abilities.

Lin Xian swept his gaze over them and got straight to the point. "What happened to you guys?"

The rear carriages were empty. The responder hadn't picked up. And from Ning Jing’s heavy expression, it was obvious something had gone wrong aboard Dragon Mountain No. 1.

Ning Jing glanced toward the distant Infinite Train. For some reason, a hint of relief flickered across her face.

"Captain Lin, if it’s convenient, let’s talk inside. It’s too cold out here."

"Alright." Lin Xian nodded.

Seeing his agreement, Ning Jing turned to Xiao Qing and the young man. "You two, get inside as well. They’re allies."

The tension dissolved, and Lin Xian, KIKI, and Shu Qin followed Ning Jing into the rear carriages of Dragon Mountain No. 1. Inside, the temperature wasn’t high—Lin Xian’s exosuit system displayed only 12 to 13 degrees Celsius—but compared to the frigid -50 degrees outside, it felt downright cozy.

Lin Xian removed his thermal mask and surveyed the carriage. It was eerily empty. What was once a packed living carriage was now devoid of people, with a lingering coldness in the air.

"You’ve been stuck here for days?" Lin Xian immediately asked.

"Almost two days," Ning Jing replied, leading them to the lounge area of a living carriage. Several members of Dragon Mountain No. 1 quickly brought over insulated thermoses filled with hot water.

"It’s not that we don’t want to leave, but we underestimated the scale of the blizzard. When we arrived here two days ago, the snow wasn’t this bad."

The middle-aged man standing beside Ning Jing, Lu Yong—another familiar face to Lin Xian—spoke up. "Right now, we’re completely immobilized. The tracks are iced over, and the train is too large and heavy to gain any traction. The biggest issue is that one of our drive motor units has failed, and we’ve been trying to repair it for the past two days."

"What? You’re stuck?" KIKI was surprised. She and Lin Xian had initially assumed Dragon Mountain No. 1 had suffered some major attack or disaster—who would’ve thought it was just an issue with getting the train moving?

"And where’s Shi Diyuan?" Lin Xian asked, getting to the crucial point.

"He led a team northeast to a place called Trakama Ice Valley," Ning Jing replied. "Two days ago, we intercepted a high-frequency distress signal from Phoenix. Old Shi immediately decided to lead a team for a rescue mission, while the rest of us were supposed to wait here for six hours. The plan was that if they didn’t return in time, we would proceed to Xilan City and wait for further updates."

"But the extreme cold vortex hit too fast, cutting off all communications. We also suffered multiple attacks from Snow Wraiths. The lead traction locomotive malfunctioned, and with the ice and deep snow... well—"

Ning Jing sighed. "We ended up completely stranded."

"He took a team out for a rescue mission?" Shu Qin was puzzled. "Did they go by train?"

"No." Lu Yong explained, "Our No. 2 and No. 3 power locomotives were modified with Triangle Track high-magnetic all-terrain drive modules. Captain Shi took the backup energy locomotive, traction locomotives, and three heavy firepower weapon station vehicles."

Hearing this, Lin Xian recalled Shi Diyuan’s bold nature from their time at the spaceport. This was exactly the kind of thing he’d expect from the guy—a man of action when disaster struck.

"You modified them for all-terrain driving?" KIKI was shocked. "Where did you even get that upgrade?"

"That’s not the focus right now," Lin Xian interrupted, turning back to Ning Jing with urgency. "How long have they been missing?"

Ning Jing shook her head. "We lost contact as soon as they left. Normally, our communication devices cover about 20 kilometers. Beyond that, we have no way of knowing. The extreme cold vortex disrupted radio frequencies, so we stuck to our original plan—waiting six hours."

"But the blizzard hit too fast. The Snow Wraiths kept attacking. We couldn’t even leave if we wanted to."

"Two days ago, I sent a search team northeast, but the snow was too heavy. Out there, even without encountering Snow Wraiths, it’s nearly impossible to navigate. I feared further casualties, so I pulled them back."

"For safety, I relocated all passengers to the front carriages, where heating is concentrated, and our combat personnel can provide better protection."

"Oh, so that’s why this part of the train is empty," KIKI noted. "But doesn’t that leave the rear carriages vulnerable to eerie entity attacks?"

"We have patrolling guards stationed here." Ning Jing looked at them. "You should know those creatures can sense human presence. They only attack occupied carriages. They ignore empty ones."

"That makes sense..." KIKI had been about to mention something about markers, but on second thought, she realized Ning Jing was right. Regardless of markers, eerie entities wouldn’t waste effort attacking abandoned sections.

Ning Jing then looked at Lin Xian. Seeing him deep in thought, she took the initiative to speak.

"I was planning to detach twenty carriages and try to break free from the snow while sending a scouting team to Xilan City for help. But now that you’re here…"

She knew Lin Xian’s capabilities. Under these circumstances, his arrival was practically divine intervention.

From Lin Xian’s perspective, sacrificing excess carriage weight to gain momentum for a charge was a sound decision.

Dragon Mountain No. 1 had 68 carriages and over a thousand passengers—essentially a mobile fortress. If it remained trapped in the snow, it would become a frozen metal coffin. This was exactly the kind of crisis Lin Xian had been wary of.

"Do you have precise coordinates?" Lin Xian asked.

"Yes." Ning Jing nodded. "Trakama Ice Valley is about 80 li from here. But the blizzard and signal interference make it almost impossible to navigate off-track. Plus, there are the Snow Wraiths..."

"That’s why Old Shi’s plan was to take the all-terrain train—just to be safe."

Lin Xian’s expression turned serious. "If Phoenix was the one sending the distress signal, then the situation must be beyond what normal survivors could handle. Shi-ge is one hell of a guy."

He wasn’t being sarcastic—if he were in Shi Diyuan’s shoes, he wouldn’t have had many better options either.

With the deep snow covering everything, the vehicles onboard were practically useless. The only ones with actual mobility were KIKI and the Fire God Mecha—but it wasn’t like they could just have KIKI fly across the endless frozen wasteland to search for people.

"I don’t know the exact situation either," Ning Jing admitted.

She relayed the distress signal they had received to Lin Xian. "When we first entered the Parma Grasslands, we saw a giant mecha being airlifted by multiple transport planes toward the southwestern interior during the blizzard. I suspect it was some kind of Phoenix weaponry test project. Then, two nights ago, there was a massive earthquake near Yaze Lake. Other survivors around Su Feng Village and Yaze Lake also witnessed it—some even claimed to have seen an S-Class Eerie Entity.

"That’s why Old Shi speculated that the distress signal might be related to that incident—because under normal circumstances, Phoenix wouldn’t send out an SOS so easily..."

"A giant mecha?" KIKI’s eyes widened as she immediately looked toward Lin Xian.

Lin Xian understood as well. It seemed Hu Lushou’s intelligence wasn’t wrong. The only issue was that Phoenix’s regional broadcast had previously reported an S-Class Eerie Entity appearing in Cloudwatch Swamp, which was in the southern part of Parma Grasslands, near the eastern Wei River. And now, another was sighted near Yaze Lake on the northern route.

This meant either that unknown entity was moving toward Xilan City—or that Parma Grasslands had more than one S-Class Eerie Entity.

"I think I get the picture," Lin Xian said, standing up. He looked at Ning Jing. "Take me to the damaged traction locomotive first."

The priority right now was to free Dragon Mountain No. 1—only then could Infinite Train continue moving. Given the current situation, both teams would have to work together to break through the snowfield and head for Xilan City.

Fortunately, everyone here was already acquainted. Ning Jing knew Lin Xian’s skills, so there was no need for unnecessary talk—she immediately led him forward through the train.

On the way, KIKI spoke quietly to Lin Xian. "What do you think?"

"If the repairs go smoothly and the weather doesn’t get worse before we leave, I want to take a look," Lin Xian replied honestly.

Shi Diyuan, Phoenix—whoever was involved, Lin Xian felt it was worth stepping in to help. But he also knew that Trakama Ice Valley was bound to be dangerous. Shi Diyuan had taken a heavily armed combat train, yet they still hadn’t returned. If Lin Xian went, it would be a lightweight expedition. Even with powerful ability users like KIKI, the harsh weather alone could render them ineffective.

So, he was conflicted.

KIKI understood him well. "Earlier, Ning Jing mentioned sending an advance team, which means they must have small all-terrain vehicles. And obviously, they also want to find Shi Diyuan. I think we can cooperate—send a small team to check out the ice valley. If things go south, we can always retreat. It’s still daylight, and if we travel light, our mobility should let us escape if needed."

Lin Xian glanced at KIKI and lowered his voice. "You little brat... you’re just curious about that giant mecha, aren’t you?"

KIKI crossed her arms. "You’re a mechanical ability user—something like that is practically a nuclear-level weapon for you. Don’t tell me you’re not curious?"

Lin Xian remained expressionless, but of course, he was interested. However, he always approached things from a practical standpoint. Right now, Infinite Train was stuck. The immediate priority was escaping before another blizzard struck. If they couldn’t even secure Infinite Train, then any other plans were just wishful thinking.

But since this also involved Phoenix and his old friend Shi Diyuan, if the logistics worked out, this was a risk worth taking.

One issue with such a long train was that moving from the rear carriages to the front took quite a bit of time. Infinite Train had 14 carriages, and even at a fast pace, getting from the front to the back took at least a couple of minutes.

Dragon Mountain No. 1 was even longer and more cramped. Though the corridors had been specially managed for efficiency, it still took nearly seven or eight minutes of fast walking to reach the front.

Along the way, Lin Xian, KIKI, and Shu Qin got a full view of the train’s internal facilities.

There were hive-like sleeping compartments in the living carriages—some double-decker carriages could accommodate over 80 people. They passed through storage and weapon carriages, a medical station, a radio broadcast center, an armory, and even an entertainment carriage. There was a dedicated manufacturing carriage outfitted with industrial lathes, bullet reloading presses, and 3D mechanical printers for fabricating essential parts.

Further ahead, they saw carriages repurposed as conference rooms and makeshift classrooms. There was even a psychological counseling carriage designed with customized internal scenery. One of the more intriguing sights was a functioning supermarket where passengers could barter their stored goods for much-needed supplies.

Lin Xian was quietly impressed. This train had practically become a self-sustaining mobile society.

As they passed the front living quarters, curious passengers peeked out from their compartments, whispering among themselves.

"New members again?"

"Isn’t that the leader of Infinite Train? I saw him at the spaceport."

"Infinite Train? Are we seriously running into them again?"

"What are they here for?"

"No idea..."

As they neared the front, the temperature noticeably increased—not just from the heating system, but also from the sheer number of people packed into the space. Ning Jing had concentrated most of the firepower here to compensate for the difficulty of defending such a large group while stranded in the snowfield.

If they had been in motion, this wouldn’t have been necessary. But right now, they were not only immobilized, but they had also lost some of their combat power when Shi Diyuan took a squad and heavy weaponry to Trakama Ice Valley. Protecting over a thousand people was no easy task.

Finally, Ning Jing and Lu Yong led them into the front section. Apart from an intercontinental nuclear-powered locomotive, Dragon Mountain No. 1 had two electric traction locomotives similar to Lin Xian’s Huanxing 7F Electric Locomotive. These high-energy-consuming systems required careful power distribution across the train.

To conserve energy, Shi Diyuan had taken one of the small nuclear-powered locomotives, one traction electric locomotive, and three weapon station carriages, along with over sixty personnel.

The remaining power supply and traction engines should have been more than enough to drive Dragon Mountain No. 1 forward—if not for this unexpected malfunction.

"This is the one," Ning Jing said, leading Lin Xian into a large electric locomotive.

Beyond it lay the intercontinental nuclear-powered locomotive, the head of the train, which—like Infinite Train—had been reinforced with heavy armor plating, primarily for clearing zombie hordes and obstacles. In icy conditions, it doubled as a breakthrough ice shield.

Shi Diyuan had only modified Power Core No. 2 with a Triangle Track high-magnetic all-terrain drive module, but he had left Power Core No. 1—the intercontinental power unit—untouched. Lin Xian wasn’t sure why.

"I’ll take a look first. Hopefully, it’s not too bad."

Checking his watch, Lin Xian saw it was already nearing 1 PM. The daylight hours were getting shorter. He wasn’t sure if he could repair something this massive before nightfall, but there was no other choice. Dragon Mountain No. 1 was blocking the track—Infinite Train couldn’t just fly over it.

Without hesitation, Lin Xian activated Mechanical Heart and began scanning the electric locomotive.

Immediately, the intricate structures of the electric traction drive system, traction motors, and microcomputer network control system appeared before him in a projected light screen. As the scan expanded, a complete high-power electric locomotive blueprint was displayed.

After analyzing it, Lin Xian let out a breath. "It’s fixable. Give me 30 minutes."

Ning Jing visibly relaxed. "That’s a relief. Looks like we’re not doomed after all."

KIKI raised an eyebrow at her. "You have engineers, don’t you?"

"We do," Ning Jing replied helplessly. "They diagnosed the issue, but—"

"Two sets of asynchronous/permanent magnet synchronous motors failed. The active tilting mechanism is damaged," Lin Xian cut in first. "This requires modular replacement or a full remanufacture. In any other setting, it wouldn’t be a problem—but in these conditions, it’s impossible."

Unless you had Mechanical Heart.

"We tried yesterday. Three people died." Lu Yong sighed. "But strangely enough, since last night, not a single one of those snow beasts has appeared. I don’t know if they’ve all died off or what."

"You too?" KIKI was surprised. "Last night, we killed a bunch of them, but after that, nothing. Not even one. It’s really weird."

"Maybe they operate in packs and moved elsewhere," Shu Qin analyzed.

"Hopefully," Ning Jing replied. "But I’m more worried that this means something worse. When groups of these creatures suddenly disappear, it often signals the arrival of a higher-tier Eerie Entity—one that hasn’t shown itself yet."

Lin Xian frowned. "You mean… territory?"

He had already encountered this in Rain Town. There, the Inverted Ghosts lurking in the cinema and those Impostors had created a clear territorial boundary—external Eerie Entities didn’t step into that zone. At first, it seemed like the area was safe, but in reality, it concealed a far greater danger.

Lin Xian no longer believed in "good luck."

Ning Jing looked at him. "So, you’ve encountered large territorial Eerie Entities before. In my experience, this is never a good sign. Maybe Old Shi’s team ran into exactly this kind of trouble."

Lin Xian’s expression darkened. "Ning-jie, do you have any snow vehicles?"

"We have some spare all-terrain polar trucks. Why?" Ning Jing narrowed her eyes. "Are you thinking of—?"

"As soon as the train is fixed, I want to go after Old Shi."

Lin Xian checked his watch. "Repairing this traction locomotive should take around thirty minutes. If both our trains push forward together, I’ll need to set up additional traction support between them. With ability users clearing a path, we should be able to get moving."

"If the blizzard doesn’t hit yet, we could quickly mobilize and reach Trakama Ice Valley within two hours. There’s a chance we could find some clues."

Ning Jing’s eyes lit up. "Good! I was thinking the same thing. I’ll take a team with you—better to have backup."

Lin Xian nodded and immediately started planning.

He used his communicator to contact Chen Sixuan, instructing her to have Fire Bro bring Infinite Train up to the front of Dragon Mountain No. 1 to prepare for the push forward. Infinite Train would be under Chen Sixuan’s command, while he and KIKI would go with Ning Jing’s team in an all-terrain polar truck to Trakama Ice Valley.

Preparation for Departure

Inside the dim, cold carriage, Lin Xian quickly got to work.

Using Mechanical Heart, he extended his scanning field, breaking down the locomotive's mechanical and electrical systems into detailed blueprints. The projection outlined all components: the traction motors, synchronous motor system, power transmission unit, and the train’s central control module.

One by one, Lin Xian identified the issues.

"The good news is, the key systems are intact," he muttered. "The main problem is the traction motors—they’re misaligned due to ice buildup and internal stress fractures. And your primary support pivot is jammed, causing the whole drivetrain to lock up."

"In short, we’re stuck," KIKI summarized, arms crossed.

"It’s not unfixable." Lin Xian cracked his knuckles. "I can repair the fractured components directly using mechanical devour and mechanical scan to reconstruct the missing parts. But I need tools."

Lu Yong hesitated. "What kind of tools?"

"Something for high-energy welding, metal reformation, and fine-precision component assembly," Lin Xian listed off. "A plasma welder, a micro-welding laser, and a mobile assembly kit."

"We have those in the manufacturing carriage," Ning Jing said immediately.

"Then let’s move."

Lin Xian and Ning Jing’s engineers worked at full speed.

With the tools provided, Lin Xian used mechanical devour to break down excess scrap metal from the train, restructuring the damaged traction motor components. Sparks flew as he wielded the plasma welder, sealing fractures in the pivot support system. His mechanical scan projected a real-time blueprint, allowing him to make micro-adjustments with absolute precision.

Time ticked by.

KIKI and Shu Qin stood guard, watching for any unusual movement outside. The wind had calmed slightly, but there was still a thick tension in the air.

"Done!" Lin Xian exhaled.

Ning Jing’s engineers stared in shock. "That should’ve taken at least six hours…"

Lin Xian wiped his hands. "I work fast."

With the traction motors realigned and the pivot support repaired, Lin Xian moved to the power relays, checking for any last-minute failures. After final recalibrations, he looked at Ning Jing.

"Start it up."

The train engineers nodded and powered up the locomotive. A deep mechanical hum resonated through the train as the motors cycled back to life. The once-dead engine roared, the traction drive stabilizing as electrical currents surged through the system.

"We’re good!" one of the engineers confirmed.

Ning Jing let out a breath of relief. "Perfect. Now we just need to get moving."

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Splitting the Teams

With Dragon Mountain No. 1 operational again, Lin Xian turned to the next step.

"Now we prepare for departure," he said. "But before that—Ning-jie, we need one of your all-terrain polar trucks."

Ning Jing immediately called for one of their modified heavy-duty snow crawlers—a Triangle Track APC, outfitted with extreme cold insulation and high-torque drives.

She selected four combat-ready team members, including Lu Yong, to accompany them. Lin Xian, KIKI, and Shu Qin would round out the scouting squad.

Their objective: locate Shi Diyuan’s team and identify what happened at Trakama Ice Valley.

The sky had started to darken.

"We move fast," Lin Xian said. "Two hours there and back. If we don’t find anything, we retreat immediately."

KIKI smirked. "Exciting. Let’s go."

Ning Jing gave Lin Xian a firm nod. "We’ll hold down the train while you’re gone. Stay alive out there."

With a final check of their gear, the expedition team climbed into the all-terrain truck.

The Triangle Track APC growled to life, its reinforced treads crushing through the snow as it began its treacherous journey toward Trakama Ice Valley.