Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 219: Team Exploration

“Who was that?”

After the armored vehicle drove away, KIKI walked up to Lin Xian, curiosity written all over her face.

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, “A group called the SIID Foundation. Seems like they’re the backers behind the ‘Special Item Investigation Department’ mentioned in the intel you gave me earlier.”

“Huh?” KIKI frowned. “Are they with the Federation?”

Lin Xian shook his head. “According to her, they’re a neutral organization. They probably took notice of us when we were at the Climbing Elevator.”

“They noticed your Mechanical Ability, didn’t they?” KIKI glanced at Lin Xian, blinking knowingly.

“She’s throwing you an olive branch, trying to recruit you?”

“Recruit…” Lin Xian chuckled. “Are we bandits or something that need recruiting?”

“By the way,” Lin Xian asked, “do you know of any large-scale laboratories or military bases near Stone Mortar Lake?”

Hearing the question, KIKI furrowed her brows. “As far as military bases go, based on the intel I gathered before, there shouldn’t be any. If there’s a newly established one or a highly classified one, I wouldn’t know. As for large labs, I’ve never heard of any. Those kinds of places should be marked on civilian maps, right?”

“Not necessarily.”

Crack!

Lin Xian crushed a tiny metal bracket in his left hand and swallowed it. The bracket extended a few meters from the ground, resembling a makeshift metal arm.

“Eh? What did you just do?” KIKI noticed the small action and immediately asked.

“Nothing.” Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Just planted a communicator on that vehicle.”

KIKI’s eyes widened. “You’re trying to use the communicator as a tracking beacon? But that thing loses signal over long distances, and with the Dark Tides interfering, tracking isn’t even an option.”

“There’s always a way to make do. Who said I was tracking them?”

Lin Xian turned to look at KIKI. “Just confirm which direction the vehicle leaves the city. Besides, it’s better to be prepared than not. If they try to track us in the future, we’ll know in advance.”

That Hua Xiaoling claimed her group was neutral, but Lin Xian knew that no faction was truly impartial—everyone operated on some kind of interest. So, staying cautious was the smart move.

But then again, if they wanted to collaborate, why not choose the Phoenix? With the coming darkness, even well-funded private research labs could barely guarantee their own safety, let alone anyone else’s.

“Oh, you—” KIKI gave him a scrutinizing look. “You’re getting craftier, like an old fox.”

Lin Xian frowned at her and scoffed, “Didn’t I learn that from you? In the apocalypse, everyone needs to be on guard.”

KIKI rolled her eyes. “Ha! Now you’re blaming me? Typical man.”

Back on the train, Chen Sixuan finished taking inventory of the supplies they had just traded for in Car No. 7. Seeing Lin Xian enter, she smiled happily.

“Lin Xian, we got a lot of supplies this time. I did some quick math—enough to feed our thirty-plus people three meals a day for a whole month.”

Most of the weapons in Car No. 5 had been traded away, exchanged for a substantial haul of resources. Chen Sixuan let out a deep breath. “If not for that Fortune-Longevity Convoy, things wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as they did.”

“Hey, Chen-jie,” KIKI grinned as she walked over. “They bought so many weapons from us—doesn’t that make things even smoother?”

Lin Xian was a little surprised by the numbers. This was his first time using his Ability to earn supplies, and the results exceeded his expectations.

Shasha hugged a jar of pickled cucumbers from the trade and giggled. “That idiot probably has no idea that Lin-ge is a walking weapons factory. Even if he brought all his wealth, it wouldn’t be enough to buy everything.”

“Exactly.” KIKI glanced at the shelves stacked with supplies, then wrapped an arm around Lin Xian’s shoulder in excitement. “I told you, with Lin Xian’s Ability, we’ll never have to worry about food again!”

“You think I’m a beast of burden?”

Lin Xian gave her a sideways glance. “Listen, genius. Crafting things takes time, energy, and materials. And it’s not like low-end weapons sell that well anymore. Keeping a train full of people fed isn’t as easy as you think.”

If that Fortune-Longevity Convoy had come looking for high-powered weapons, Lin Xian wouldn’t have been able to mass-produce them so quickly—it would’ve been a hassle.

KIKI chuckled. “Hehe, my bad. You’re not a beast of burden. You’re a stud.”

“KIKI-jiejie, what’s a stud?” Shasha asked curiously.

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“A stud is—mmmph!”

Just as KIKI was about to explain, Lin Xian slapped a hand over her mouth. “You don’t even know what that means. Don’t teach bad things to kids.”

KIKI pried his hand away and, with a straight face, told Shasha, “A stud is a hardworking horse that sows seeds—just like your Lin-ge.”

“Oh, then Lin-ge is really hardworking.” Shasha nodded.

Chen Sixuan’s face turned red, while Lin Xian was speechless. He had no idea where this girl kept picking up these ridiculous terms.

Just then, KIKI suddenly leaned in close and whispered in Lin Xian’s ear, “Especially some people—so diligent at night~”

“Oh? Sounds like you have too much free time at night.” Lin Xian smirked. “Maybe you should start helping out.”

“I would never!” KIKI’s face turned crimson as she quickly backed away, glaring at him.

“Lin Xian.”

Chen Sixuan interrupted before KIKI could start more nonsense. “What’s the plan next? Are we sending out teams to explore?”

“Yes.”

Lin Xian’s playful expression faded as he became serious. “We need to wait for updates from Parma Grasslands before heading out through Hengshan Pass. In the meantime, we have to gather as many supplies as possible.”

A train was like a mobile city. The crew didn’t just need food and water—daily necessities like furniture, clothing, cups, toothbrushes, and even toilet paper were all crucial.

For Lin Xian, mechanical components were especially valuable. Whether for Devouring, Scanning blueprints, or Manufacturing, the more, the better.

Chen Sixuan nodded. “I suggest we split up like we did at Yu Chi—small teams scouting along different routes. That way, we can also assess threats and possible exit points.”

“Agreed.”

Lin Xian approved of her plan.

“KIKI.” At that moment, KIKI was checking the mobile terminal, using the train’s onboard system to track the communicator Lin Xian had planted. “They headed south, but the signal only covers a 10-kilometer range. Can’t say for sure if they left the city.”

Lin Xian nodded. “That’s close enough to count as leaving. Knowing the direction is enough. Set the communicator’s serial number as a proximity alert—if they get near us, we’ll know.”

“That’s easy.”

With that settled, Lin Xian gathered the team in Car No. 2’s command center to discuss their scouting plans.

Since it was just past noon, they had enough time. Lin Xian planned to divide into three teams:

Main Rail Route – Along the main track, where several large shopping centers were located.North Rail Route – Leading to an industrial area.South Route – More remote, with residential areas that might yield supplies.

“I’ll go to the shopping centers!” KIKI shot her hand up excitedly. “I haven’t been shopping in ages. I’m bringing back a haul!”

“You’re not going.” Lin Xian looked at her. “You’re coming with me to Clearwater Town—Stone Mortar Lake is in that direction. We’ll check out where that foundation’s people went.”

“Oh~” KIKI’s eyes lit up. “You wanna check out that crashed transport ship?”

“Exactly.”

With teams set, everyone geared up and headed out.

As they rode off, the leader of the Night Phantom convoy, Cao Hong, leaned against his window and called out,

“You guys already scored so much—why bother scavenging? This city’s been picked clean a hundred times over.”

Lin Xian ignored him and sped off.

KIKI rolled her eyes before revving her engine and following.

Cao Hong muttered something under his breath, then turned his gaze toward the Infinite Train before shutting his window.