Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 317: Nighttime Preparations

The blueprint in the R&D Center made Lin Xian’s mind go boom—he never imagined the center would spit out something like this.

It was the latest model of an energy weapon just recently deployed by the Starfleet, and before Apocalypse Day, Lin Xian had eagerly discussed it online with a bunch of military enthusiasts. This weapon could cause terrifying thermal damage through high-temperature fusion and unleash an electromagnetic pulse capable of frying circuits with transient high voltage!

But right now, Lin Xian’s very first reaction was:

Can this thing even fit on a train?

He glanced at the specs. The main cannon was over 53 meters long, plus a particle accelerator the size of half a basketball court. Even if he ripped apart two carriages, there still wouldn’t be enough room…

And even if it did fit, there was the second problem: not enough energy density.

The Gemini 11R's nuclear thermal efficiency peaked at 290 megawatts, but to get this thing’s particle accelerator to critical mass, the whole train would probably have to shut down and go dark.

"R&D Center, are you seriously messing with me?"

Right now Lin Xian felt like ten thousand horses were stampeding through his head. Even with the blueprint, he didn’t know where to start.

Turn the train into a starship?

Yeah right. That’d be like building an entire feast just for a dab of vinegar.

The challenge sat squarely in front of him. Originally, he planned to upgrade the railgun with the new blueprints, then maybe squeeze in the 1130 model. Now he could only shelve that idea.

All the time and effort spent developing that blueprint... and for now, it was completely useless.

Even though the Zhenxing Cannon looked mighty and badass on paper, if he couldn't build it in this situation, it was nothing but a pretty piece of paper.

And the standard weapons? They didn’t seem to need upgrading for now either.

Just then, Lin Xian turned to see Shasha, wearing her goggles and studying the Arc Resonator. A thought struck him like lightning—

The Fire God!

【This blueprint is high-level. Current Mechanical Manufacturing Level: 5. Development time increased by 50%.】

【T8-Z Fire God Siege Variant (Blueprint) Estimated Development Time: 28 Days, 23 Hours.】

Lin Xian’s gaze sharpened at the pop-up notification.

If he could develop an even stronger heavy mech from this blueprint, even if it ended up overweight, the train should still be able to tow it.

After everything that happened at Xilan City, Lin Xian’s faith in mechs had skyrocketed.

Against massive disasters, sometimes a heavy-duty mech could be even more valuable than a whole squad of Ability Users.

Currently, though, only Shasha could pilot one.

Still, Lin Xian figured they could build a few more Fire Gods, and maybe even upgrade them into true battlefield wreckers.

Having made up his mind, he confirmed the development order.

Meanwhile, aboard Longshan-1.

Shi Diyuan, Ning Jing, and their key members were holding a meeting inside the conference carriage, all looking grim as they listened to the reports coming in from each car.

Luckily, there hadn’t been any firefights or battles tonight. Otherwise, under the crushing pressure of the Dark Invasion, Shi Diyuan had no confidence how many of their nearly one-thousand-strong group would survive.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and, not waiting for Lu Zhao to speak, voiced his concern first:

"Yeah, water's gonna be a big issue too. The populated zones are way too small. At best, you’ve got two or three days' worth of supply, and that’s assuming no accidents."

Lu Zhao's voice crackled from the communicator. Many key personnel had gathered in Car No. 2.

Earlier, Lu Zhao had gone over the situation with Shi Diyuan and the Fu Lu Shou Convoy members, discussing battle plans in depth.

Though they didn’t have the advantage in surprise, numbers, or firepower, this was the first time the Joint Train Army would be operating as a single force.

As for the desert raiders?

Intelligence suggested their numbers were over a thousand, but their heavy weapons and overall strength were lacking.

Lu Zhao firmly believed they needed to strike with everything they had to eliminate the threat before it could grow.

“The intel from Wu Dapeng’s convoy says that within a few hundred kilometers around Shashekou, the main raider force is made up of three groups.

One of them’s the Red Vulture Gang you ran into. Around two hundred people, divided into eight squads specializing in raids. Their leader, codename 'Red Eagle,' is an Ability User, though no one’s seen him fight yet."

"The biggest group is the Sand Scorpion Gang—over 400 strong. Their leader calls himself the 'Emperor of the Desert,' nickname Old Scorpion.

They’ve got artillery, heavy firepower, and a lot of Ability Users too. Easily the strongest faction."

"The third group’s the Earth Dragon Society—smallest in number, about a hundred-plus. But they’ve got tons of fast vehicles and operate like desert guerrillas. Their leader’s called the 'Bone Dragon.'"

"All together, around 800 raiders," Lu Zhao summed up. "But if we’re cautious, we should treat it like a thousand, not counting any hidden reserves."

At this, Qian Dele from the Joker Convoy chimed in:

"With that many people, there's no way we can wipe them all out."

"We don't need to." Lin Xian’s voice rang out across Car No. 2:

"We just need to break their backbone. Smash their main force, seize their heavy weapons and supplies, and the survivors won't be able to cause any real trouble."

Shi Diyuan responded with a heavy grunt through the comms:

"Agreed. Once we crush their core, the stragglers won’t matter. Even if the Iron Alliance tries a counterattack, we’ll be long gone to Quancheng. No way a beaten gang can catch up!"

"Honestly, we shouldn't even treat the Iron Alliance like a real threat," Monica said leisurely from the cockpit of the Monica Queen.

Sipping her wine, she added with a slight smirk, "They’re nothing but a bunch of apocalypse thugs. Against railguns, they'll p*ss their pants before they even get close. We wipe out the main force, and plenty of others—like the Akesai Brotherhood—will be lining up to finish off the leftovers for us."

"But Lin, what if some of them manage to escape?" Luo Yang asked cautiously over the comms.

"They won't," Lin Xian said coldly, holding up the Iron Alliance token in his hand.

"Thanks to these tokens, we can track their movements and verify whether their leaders are still with them. We already scouted earlier—those raider groups have been circling around Akesai for days now, within a hundred to a hundred fifty kilometers."

"Even if they don't show up tomorrow, I’m organizing strike teams to wipe them out one by one."

Taking down the raiders would clear the way for the Joint Train Army and provide badly needed supplies for the journey across the no-man’s land.

And if they were lucky, they might even uncover some leads about the abducted Ability Users.

"Alright then, Lin," Shi Diyuan said, sounding pumped. "We’ll follow your plan. But Akesai’s wide open terrain worries me. If those guys hunker down in the town’s defenses, we'll be charging across bare desert under heavy fire."

"I’ve thought about that," Lin Xian said grimly aboard the Infinite Train.

"Which is why... I have a slightly crazy plan."

Crazy?

Every convoy leader on the frequency stiffened slightly at that word.

The next day, 8:30 AM.

The sky was still dark.

According to the calculations, sunrise wouldn't come until around 9:15, but inside Akesai City, countless survivor convoys had already turned on their headlights.

A roar of engines echoed as a flood of vehicles moved toward the east gate, heading eastward for a hundred miles.

After passing through Shashekou, they would enter the vast, barren Akesai No-Man’s Land.

In the darkness, the long lines of headlights stretched across the open wilderness like glowing ribbons, kicking up huge clouds of yellow dust as they moved slowly but steadily under the tense atmosphere.

Some convoys had allied in groups of three or five;others had stocked up on supplies and headed out together toward Shashekou.

By the time daylight was near, the city had become almost empty—only the Dawn Convoy and the Akesai Brotherhood's encampments scattered across the suburbs remained, their lights still on.

Outside the Black Rose Bar, hundreds of large trucks were parked neatly across the plaza.

The vehicles were well-equipped and heavily stocked.

Over a hundred members of the Fu Lu Shou Convoy stood in uniform, including an elite squad clad in Power Armor, all under the command of Sun Chang.

Inside the bar, Hu Lushou sat alone at the counter, wearing two bulletproof vests.

Staring at the empty bar, a complicated look flickered across his face.

He couldn’t help but mutter to his reflection in a glass:

"Hu Lushou, Hu Lushou... Your parents gave you this name hoping you'd live a blessed, prosperous, and long life.

So today, buddy, you gotta keep that lifespan going, right?"

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the basement door, a serious look flashing in his eyes.

Just then, the rumble of an engine sounded outside.

The bar’s door swung open, and Lu Zhao, leader of the Dawn Convoy, and Xie Guan of the Akesai Brotherhood, strode inside.

Seeing Hu Lushou sitting there alone, Lu Zhao immediately said,

"Boss Hu, most of the convoys have already left. Shouldn't we be heading out too?"

"Our people are ready as well," Xie Guan added seriously.

"Hmm... is it time already?"

Hu Lushou pulled out a gold pocket watch and glanced at it, then looked up:

"By the way, where’s Wu Dapeng?"

"I've been trying to call him on the comms, but no answer," Lu Zhao said.

"I saw their convoy still parked west of the city," Xie Guan added.

"Still sleeping or what?" Lu Zhao cursed under his breath.

"No response?" Hu Lushou’s face darkened. He quickly pressed the comm:

"Captain Wu? Captain Wu??"

"Something’s off," Lu Zhao said sharply.

"I'm sending people over to check it out. That old bastard's usually cautious as hell—something must be wrong."

He turned to Hu Lushou, visibly anxious:

"And you! You said you had some secret escape route. Why all the mystery? You scared the other convoys might catch on?"

Hu Lushou cleared his throat dramatically:

"It's not that mysterious... We’re planning to follow the North Line railway."

"The railway?" Lu Zhao and Xie Guan both looked stunned.

"Why?" Lu Zhao demanded.

"Well, following the tracks does make some sense," Xie Guan began to analyze, talking faster and faster.

"You won’t get lost in the no-man’s land if you stick to the rails.

Sure, the Gobi terrain’s rough, but it's still better than wandering blindly.

And since not many train groups use the tracks now, the raiders probably won't have their eyes on it."

The more he analyzed, the more hyped he got, leaving Lu Zhao looking more and more skeptical.

"Sounds reasonable, sure.

But Boss Hu, after all your build-up about some hidden route, this is it?

Following railroad tracks?"

Following the railway did mean better direction, but...

It also meant no real roads.

The Gobi was vast and open, but wide-open didn't mean smooth driving.

Battered by rocks and sandstorms, the survivors' modified vehicles could handle rough terrain—but crossing thousands of kilometers of wilderness would definitely be slower than driving on a hardened highway.

"No, no, no,"

Hu Lushou said, coughing mysteriously.

"Following the tracks isn’t just about the route.

There's another big reason."

"What reason?"

BANG BANG BANG!

Before he could explain, sudden gunfire erupted somewhere in Akesai City.

Hu Lushou's face immediately twisted in frustration.

"Trouble's here..."

he muttered.

Lu Zhao and Xie Guan stiffened instantly at the gunshots.

Without hesitation, they bolted out of the Black Rose Bar.

Watching them go, Hu Lushou sighed helplessly:

"You’ll know the reason soon enough..."

Gunfire cracked sharply across the dark city, jarring the survivors still parked in the streets.

Lu Zhao had barely stepped outside when his comms exploded with a frantic shout:

"Boss Lu! Sh*t, Wu Dapeng’s convoy is firing at us!"

"WHAT?!"

Lu Zhao’s face twisted in shock. He slammed the comm button:

"Wu Dapeng, what the f**k are you doing?!"

No reply.

"It’s bad!"

Xie Guan, pressing his earpiece, yelled:

"Our scouts spotted a massive raider convoy coming from the north—paint schemes match the sand raiders!"

"Boss! Boss!"

Another urgent report from the Dawn Convoy’s observation post:

"Raiders sighted near the southern outskirts at Lame Hill!"

"F**k!"

Lu Zhao swore, scalp tingling.

How the hell did the raiders time this so perfectly?

Lu Zhao and Xie Guan kicked the bar’s door open again and shouted to Hu Lushou:

"Boss Hu! We’re surrounded—time to move!"

"No way to retreat,"

Sun Chang stepped into the bar calmly.

"There’s over a hundred raider vehicles pouring in from Shashekou.

Two smaller convoys tried to break out and got crushed immediately.

We’re boxed in—we have to defend the city!"

"Boxed in from all sides?"

Xie Guan blinked in disbelief.

"West side’s blocked too?"

"Wu Dapeng’s people fired on us. What does that tell you?"

Lu Zhao barked furiously.

"That b*stard sold us out! Now he’s blocking our escape!"

"He didn’t 'sell us out.'

He’s been a raider all along..."

Hu Lushou said bitterly, slapping his own face in regret.

"D*mn it! I've met all kinds of people, but I couldn’t spot a snake in my own camp!"

"Raiders don’t wear badges,"

Sun Chang said flatly.

"The Harbor Haven Convoy’s gear was clean and professional.

As long as they didn’t expose themselves, no one would’ve suspected a thing."

"Sh*t, what’s the point talking now? Grab your gear! We’re fighting our way out!"

Lu Zhao barked.

"We won’t make it,"

Xie Guan shook his head grimly.

"They’re ready for us.

If we try to break out, they’ll chase us down and bleed us dry in the no-man’s land."

"Then what do you suggest?!"

"Hold the city."

Sun Chang’s calm voice cut through the panic.

"Xie’s right.

In a city fight, we still have a chance.

Running would be suicide."

"Right,"

Xie Guan added urgently.

"At sunrise, maybe other convoys will spot the fight.

The raiders can’t camp here forever."

"You really think anyone’s coming to save us?"

Lu Zhao spat bitterly.

"Forget it. Just warn everyone! Wu Dapeng’s a f**king raider!"

Lu Zhao spun and dashed out of the bar, Xie Guan right behind him, both racing to rally their teams and fortify defensive positions.

"We’ve already set up defenses around the plaza, covering all high points and fire sectors,"

Sun Chang reported to Hu Lushou.

"Combined, the enemy forces probably number seven to eight hundred,"

she continued.

"Judging by the setup, Old Scorpion and Red Eagle themselves are probably here."

"I figured as much,"

Hu Lushou muttered, wringing his hands.

"Their Ability Users could be a serious problem,"

he warned Sun Chang grimly.

"Tell everyone: unless I personally give the order—no one opens fire!"