Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 216: Doomsday Monopoly

"Stop!"

On the platform, the crowd erupted into a heated argument, each person voicing their own opinion. The unprecedented bargain had them bickering and even starting to bid against each other.

Just as the debate was reaching its peak, Lin Xian directly called for a halt.

At that moment, everyone fell silent.

Standing in the center, Lin Xian swept his gaze around and said loudly, "The stock isn't limited to what's here. We have more on the train, so there's no need to argue. We're all just trying to survive."

Lin Xian wasn’t here to run an auction, and these were just ordinary survivors—he had no intention of squeezing them for extra profit.

All these conditions were thanks to his Mechanical Heart, and he wasn’t looking for a one-time deal. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that KIKI’s idea was ahead of its time—if Infinite Train could establish a reputation, they might eventually develop into a hub for weapons and resources. If that happened, securing the supplies they needed would become much easier, and their team’s survival would be greatly ensured.

"Seriously?"

Cao Hong raised a skeptical brow, glancing at the weapon crates in front of Lin Xian before shifting his gaze toward the train behind him. His expression immediately turned complicated.

Infinite Train was on a whole other level—its entire structure clad in heavy armor, stretching hundreds of meters with over a dozen carriages. It was several times larger than his Night Phantom. He instinctively wanted to talk tough, but quickly thought better of it.

"What? You don’t believe me?"

Lin Xian shot him a glance before turning to the middle-aged man from earlier.

"You can take the vehicle-mounted autocannon and that light machine gun. I have more than one set. But I’ll only accept canned food or biscuits in exchange."

"No problem!"

Cao Hong immediately agreed and waved at a female subordinate.

"Hurry, bring the goods to trade for the guns!"

The female members of Night Phantom instantly perked up. A group of them rushed to open one of the storage carriages of their green train. As the doors slid open with a clang, rows of neatly stacked survival supplies were revealed inside.

Lin Xian noticed that among the goods were dozens of boxes of canned food with military-style packaging.

This detail caught his attention because the middle-aged man's van also had cans with the same packaging.

"Where did you get military rations?" Lin Xian asked as his gaze swept over the supplies.

"Oh, these?" The middle-aged man, Liao Ming, casually replied, "We bought them from Fortune-Longevity Convoy. Most survivors around here trade with them, but their prices are a bit higher than yours."

"How much higher?" KIKI’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

"Not too bad. They have a lot of supplies, practically everything you could need. Most of it’s standard government-issue survival gear."

Cao Hong, the burly leader of Night Phantom, added in a serious tone, "But weapons and ammo have always been expensive. That’s why so many people rushed over after hearing your radio broadcast—to see if your prices were really that good."

Liao Ming picked up an automatic rifle, pulled back the bolt, checked it over, and nodded in approval.

"This gun is in great condition. At first, I thought you guys were running a scam or selling broken junk."

"Every gun can be inspected on the spot," Lin Xian stated. "Guaranteed quality. But stock is limited. Food, canned goods, biscuits, and medicine take priority. If those don’t work, we can trade for Eerie Blood Crystals."

"No problem."

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes and said to Chen Sixuan, "Ms. Chen, let’s proceed with the exchanges as planned."

"Got it."

Chen Sixuan nodded and turned to the crowd.

"Anyone looking to buy guns, come to me. I’ll register you one by one."

Survivors from various convoys surged forward, eager to trade.

"Hey, hey, hey! We’re locals! We go first!"

Cao Hong shoved his way to the front, afraid of missing out.

"Move it, ladies! Grab the good stuff before it’s gone!"

Others quickly followed suit.

"We want three sets of guns. Also, can you repair this detector?"

"We need two sets—one shotgun, one light machine gun, and some ammo..."

"How much for your Level-1 and Level-2 water purifiers?"

Beyond food, medicine, and Eerie Blood Crystals, Lin Xian intended to clear out his stockpile of spare weapons. Some of the larger convoys even eyed the Roarer K23 Electric Gatling Gun in Luo Ye’s hands, and Lin Xian planned to fetch more from the train.

These heavy weapons could be exchanged for a wealth of supplies. The only downside? The massive amount of ammo they required.

As the transactions heated up, Chen Sixuan, KIKI, and Shu Qin busied themselves with managing the trades. Luo Ye, Lü Chang, and Miao Lu were helping carry weapons and ammunition.

BZZT—

A sudden roar of engines shattered the bustling atmosphere.

Out of caution, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and turned toward the commotion.

Outside the platform, a dozen camouflage-painted off-road vehicles and a large transport truck smashed through the barbed-wire gate meant to keep zombies out, barreling onto the station.

Seeing the aggressive arrival, survivors quickly retreated to their vehicles.

SHNK SHNK SHNK—

Dozens of heavily armed individuals jumped out of the vehicles in unison, some standing atop their cars behind mounted autocannons.

THUD.

From the leading armored vehicle, two figures stepped out.

The first was a wiry man wearing a checkered shirt under a deep red suit, his face obscured by oversized sunglasses. His expression was cocky and unruly.

The moment he got out, he pushed up his shades, craned his neck, and strutted toward Lin Xian with an air of arrogance. His armed subordinates followed, exuding a dangerous aura.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

"You guys are the ones on the radio, offering a gun for a box of biscuits, right?"

His gaze locked onto Lin Xian with scrutiny, his chin slightly raised in irritation.

"Yeah."

Sensing the hostility, Lin Xian’s face turned cold.

"Then you’re the boss of this convoy?"

"That’s me."

"What do you want?"

KIKI crossed her arms and stepped beside Lin Xian.

"If you’re here to buy something, get in line!"

Lin Xian assessed the newcomers. Their firepower was impressive—every one of them carried high-caliber weapons, and their vehicles were equipped with mounted autocannons.

Most notably, among them stood a woman.

She was tall—nearly 1.8 meters—with striking red cropped hair. Her sharp features, tight-fitting vest, and sun-kissed, muscular physique radiated strength.

If not for the bandages tightly binding her chest, most wouldn’t have realized she was a woman at all.

Most striking of all was her right arm—a massive, silver-black weapon-grade prosthetic limb, exuding an intimidating presence.

Among all the newcomers, she was the one who stood out the most.

"Here to buy?" The cocky man sneered. "Kid, do you even know who I am?"

"Nope."

From behind, Liao Ming murmured, "That’s Fortune-Longevity Convoy. Most of us have traded with them."

Upon hearing this, Cao Hong’s arrogance instantly vanished. He discreetly signaled his men to back away, trying to avoid trouble.

Many others reacted similarly, exchanging wary glances.

Clearly, Infinite Train's bargain pricing had pissed off a big player.

Lin Xian exchanged looks with Chen Sixuan—well, well, so they had met a competitor.

"Oh? So you guys just popped out of nowhere?"

The sunglasses-wearing man smirked, tapping his fingers against his suit jacket.

"Ever heard of Fortune-Longevity Convoy? Do you even know the rules? By offering prices this low, you’re screwing up the apocalypse market. Do you have any idea what kind of damage you're causing?"

Lin Xian's gaze swept over the group behind the man, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Survivors trading with each other—do we need your approval now?"

"Hey, hey!" The man raised a hand.

"Bartering between survivors is normal. Hell, you could trade a rifle for a single cracker, and no one would care. But the moment you broadcasted your prices on the radio, claiming you had stock and setting rates, that changed the game. That’s not just a simple trade—it’s undercutting the market. You get it now?"

"Wow, that’s ridiculous."

Chen Sixuan stepped forward, arms crossed.

"So what, we’re forced to sell at inflated prices?"

At her words, the sunglasses man’s expression darkened.

"Are you people really this dense?"

He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Today, you’re selling a Xinghuo-26 Tactical Rifle with 120 rounds for a box of biscuits. Tomorrow, how the hell am I supposed to sell my guns? How do my brothers put food on the table? Other survivor groups who could have traded for a full case of canned food will now only get half a case because of you. Tell me—how is this just ‘your business’?"

Lin Xian placed a hand on Chen Sixuan’s shoulder, his expression calm.

"So what you’re saying is—since we’re new here, we don’t have a lot of stock, so it’s fine to trade in private. But announcing our prices publicly? That’s what’s screwing with your market?"

"Exactly."

The sunglasses man tilted his head back, nose in the air.

"And what happens if we don’t stop?"

KIKI took a step forward, her eyes narrowing.

Immediately, the survivors from Infinite Train ceased their trading, their hands instinctively moving to their weapons. A tense silence fell over the station.

Those who had come to barter quickly backed away, sensing the imminent confrontation.

While they preferred Infinite Train's prices, many recognized Fortune-Longevity Convoy's overwhelming power and didn't dare to voice support.

CLACK.

In response, the armed fighters behind the sunglasses man raised their rifles, their vehicle-mounted autocannons swiveling into position.

The red-haired woman at his side remained silent, slowly clenching her mechanical right fist. The servos in her prosthetic arm whirred softly as electric currents crackled across its reinforced knuckles.

A faint blue light pulsed along the metal plating, building in intensity.

"No, no, no!"

Suddenly, the sunglasses man threw up his hands with an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head.

"You’ve got it all wrong. I’m a businessman, not a bandit!"

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He snapped his fingers.

SHUNK!

The transport truck’s rear doors swung open, revealing stacks upon stacks of supplies—food, medical kits, fuel, and ammo, all neatly arranged inside the massive cargo bay.

A collective gasp rippled through the survivors.

The sheer abundance was staggering.

Even among the more powerful convoys, few had ever seen this much wealth in one place.

The sunglasses man smirked, reveling in their astonishment.

He turned to Lin Xian, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"You set the price, right? Well, guess what? I’ll take all your stock—every last gun you’ve got, at your rate."

His smirk widened.

"Then, you pack up your shit and get lost."

The moment he spoke, the Infinite Train crew’s expressions darkened.

This wasn’t just a power move—he was blatantly trying to monopolize the entire arms trade in front of every convoy.

Even the surrounding survivors looked displeased.

Lin Xian almost laughed.

"So you're here for wholesale, huh?"

He nodded, rubbing his chin.

"Alright, got it. You’re a businessman with principles."

Then, Lin Xian tilted his head slightly.

"And may I ask who I’m doing business with?"

The sunglasses man grinned.

"Simple. My convoy’s name is my name. Call me Fortune-Longevity!"

Lin Xian raised a brow.

"You mean your surname is ‘Fortune’?"

Before the man could respond, Shasha peeked out from behind Lin Xian, blinking in surprise.

"Wait… You actually have the surname ‘Fortune’? That’s rare."

The sunglasses man’s expression stiffened.

"Mind your damn business about my name!"

Shasha tilted her head.

"But it's just weird… I mean, I’ve never met anyone with that surname before—"

"It’s Fortune as in ‘mountains and seas of fortune,’ with ‘road’ as in ‘a path,’ and ‘longevity’ as in ‘long life’!"

His voice rose sharply, his frustration apparent.

At that moment, the red-haired woman behind him sighed.

Her deep voice cut through the tension.

"His surname is Hu. Hu Lushou."

"Hulushou?"

Shasha frowned.

"That sounds… weird."

KIKI, standing beside her, slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle.