Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train
Chapter 359: Black Candle Receptor

[Manufacture Successful. Mechanical Manufacturing Proficiency +20] Current Mechanical Manufacturing Level: LV.5 (2060/3000)

Clank, clank, clank—the alloy components locked together, mechanical units assembled. Right in front of Lin Xian, a Worker Ant-7 construction bot was completed. As the system booted up, the bot’s info screen lit up and began loading, its tracks turning as it rolled away to align neatly beside ten others.

“Fifty more of these, and I should hit Level 6 in Mechanical Manufacturing.”

Inside the 13th Armament Carriage, Lin Xian cranked up the power, pushing for a manufacturing breakthrough. These bots weren’t just for the upgrade—they’d be crucial in the future. Each one he built added to the productivity and combat capacity he could control. And under the combined boost of nuclear energy and his Superstring Reactor’s Phase Halo, that combat capacity was practically limitless.

He looked up. Above the carriage, forty Thunder Falcon 2000 Drones hovered in formation, responding precisely to Lin Xian’s commands. Their pulse-ray weapons charged slowly, exuding an overwhelming presence.

“Let’s throw in some more specialized units—like Thunder Abyss, Icefall 166... they’ll offer better tactical flexibility. Oh, and Iron Rain, Iron Curtain—perfect for physical offense and defense…”

“As for this ‘Destroyer’ model... forget it.”

He glanced at the blueprint library but decided against building it for now. The cost was too high. At this point, mass-producing functional drones made more sense than heavily armed ones. The more he had, the easier it would be for Grace to execute his vision—using these bots to remodel both the interior and exterior of the Infinite Train, and even take over some of the fabrication work entirely.

Since he needed to focus, Lin Xian gently moved the sleeping KIKI off him and laid her to rest on the side. After all, with that little rascal clinging to him, his mind couldn’t exactly stay on task.

This was prime time for upgrading and building—yet every few seconds she clung to him, he’d want to sneak in a kiss. It seriously dragged down his manufacturing efficiency!

“Let’s try building two different drones at once…”

Energized, Lin Xian began constructing with both hands simultaneously, his whole being immersed in the heartbeat of machinery. It felt like his soul had merged with the sea of components, flying through the air to shape themselves into form. Microprocessors, integrated circuits, ducted fans, micro turbojet engines, high-density battery arrays, laser radar…

The sheer complexity of the systems and mechanisms thrilled him. It reminded him of the first time he touched Unit 01 at Trakamar Ice Canyon—that shock of witnessing the raw power of human-made machinery. It was... romantic in an indescribable way.

Zzzt— Just then, a familiar voice crackled through the comms.

“Boss Lin~ Boss Lin~”

Every time Hu Lushou called him like that, Lin Xian felt like he was in an old film with a grinning pimp hollering from a street corner. He pressed the comm key and replied coldly:

“What?”

“I found you something good. Interested?”

“What is it?”

Ding ding~ An info alert popped up. Lin Xian glanced at the peacefully sleeping KIKI before tapping it open.

Hu Lushou’s grinning face appeared on a huge holographic screen, gold tooth flashing. He rubbed his hands together and pointed ahead.

“That little guy’s a beauty, huh?!”

Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed as the camera panned. Hu Lushou was standing in an aircraft bay beside a compact Dragon-Class Transport Ship.

Wen Dong took one look and immediately recognized it. It was the same model they saw back in Clearwater Town, though that one was clearly wrecked.

“He got his hands on a Federation transport ship?” Wen Dong frowned.

“Yup!” Hu Lushou replied earnestly, “Federation decommissioned, legit military-to-civilian conversion. Not some backyard knockoff! Full titanium-tungsten alloy frame, took hits from Abyssal Cannons and barely cracked. Sure, the inner plating’s a bit scratched up—but still a proper Federation-standard Dragon-Class MK-II Heavy Transport Ship. 11,000 tons, all real weight—not inflated! The cargo bay can fit eight football fields!”

“A decommissioned heavy transport? Did Dawn City lose its mind?” Wen Dong scoffed. “Enough with the nonsense. Lin, you really have time to listen to this?”

“Wait, wait, wait…” Hu Lushou scrambled, crowding closer to the camera with a sneaky grin. “Boss Lin, weren’t you looking for some mechanical vehicles to recover? This ship’s owner is quite the character—he wants to trade it for a spot in the underground city! I told him—man, you’re nuts! You think the Federation’s gonna let you barter with their own gear? You think you’re stupid, or they are? He didn’t say a word. I realized then—he probably wants to trade it for Eerie Blood Crystals. But stuff like this, only the Phoenix Society or top orgs would dare take it on—and who can afford it?”

“Then I thought of you, Boss Lin. You might just have the balls.”

Lin Xian paused. Wasn’t he supposed to ask Shinji Mochizuki for help? Could it be Shinji outsourced the job to this scoundrel?

But he quickly understood. Hu Lushou, upon entering Silent City, had acted like he’d signed a deal with a demon. He hauled out a bunch of junk from who-knows-where in Baicheng, claiming it was rare loot from the Abyss. With enough sweet talk to sell sand in a desert, he even auctioned off a Gatling gun—allegedly “enchanted with Starfield Magic.” One night, he made off with hundreds of blood crystals. More than he’d ever made in Aksai tolls.

Shinji likely tipped off Lin Xian about it. Probably considered Hu Lushou a semi-affiliated member of the Unified Train. So Shinji announced he’d punish Hu for speculative hype, slapped an 80% profiteering tax on him—and just like that, Hu was back to square one.

Lin Xian figured Shinji dumped the vehicle recovery job on Hu Lushou to avoid exposing ties between Silent City and himself—or Infinite Train. Whether to protect one from the other… that was anyone’s guess.

“Price?” Lin Xian asked directly.

Hu Lushou solemnly held up five fingers.

“50,000 Level-1 Blood Crystals. Honest deal! You won’t find it cheaper even on the black market. Comes with a 3-year warranty!”

“Goodbye.” Lin Xian said flatly.

“Wait!”

Hu Lushou cut him off frantically. “Boss Lin, I wasn’t finished. 50,000 Blood Crystals… I’ll cover it myself!”

“…Come again?” Lin Xian frowned.

With a dramatic thump to his chest—almost winding himself—Hu Lushou declared with heroic resolve, “I, Hu Lushou, believe in repaying kindness tenfold. This transport ship is my thank-you gift to you for saving my life, Boss Lin. Just a small token. No strings attached!”

Lin Xian couldn’t help but laugh. He got the message immediately.

“50,000?”

“Not one less.”

“For free?”

“Not a dime.”

“Thanks, then.” Lin Xian replied, playing along. He reached to end the call.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Hu Lushou panicked again. “Remember what I used to do?”

“Toll collector.”

“Yes! Yes… And…” Hu flailed toward the ship. “You forgot—I used to run every floor of this ship. I know it inside out—even how many stalls each deck has.”

Wen Dong’s eyes narrowed. Seemed like Lin Xian figured Shen Cheng was recovering the ship to expand his crew—and had just played along for the sake of appearances.

“Right. He managed the entire deck.” Shen Cheng replied seriously.

Lin Xian’s eyes lit up—but before he could respond, Shen Cheng followed up:

“Deck manager.”

The comms cut off.

Lin Xian stared at the now-empty screen, stunned.

Deck manager? Sounded big… and not so big?

“What the hell does that mean?” Hu Lushou asked Sun Chang beside him.

Sun Chang, quietly sorting a crate of blood crystals, replied with a dry tone, “Didn’t you say you knew where every toilet was on every floor? He meant you’re in charge of keeping them clean.”

“…The f***?!”

Meanwhile, back in Carriage 13, a cool voice rang in Lin Xian’s ear.

“That guy’s just trying to cozy up to you.”

He turned. KIKI had woken up, lying there with her head propped up on her hand, watching him.

“Five thousand Blood Crystals? Please. If he really had that much, Silent City would’ve made him mayor.”

“Still taking it?” she asked.

“Of course,” Lin Xian chuckled. “Who says no to free stuff? Sincere bootlicking doesn’t come around every day.”

A fully functional heavy transport—especially one this size—still held immense value, even in an apocalypse where the skies were deadlier than the ground. If luck held, it could even carry them all the way to Dawn Center—assuming the Federation didn’t seize or shoot it down first. Or worse, eerie entities. Or the Dark Mark.

“He’s trying to make me owe him big—so I’ll take him with us.”

“He’s up there in Silent City. You sure that’s his plan?” KIKI twirled her hair around a finger.

Lin Xian shook his head, eyes on his drones. “That guy’s not dumb. Shinji doesn’t like him, and he doesn’t dare bet everything on Dawn City. This is his backup plan.”

“Oh? Then why’d you move me off?”

“Hu Lushou…,” Lin Xian began—then stopped. He realized KIKI had changed the subject.

She was now sitting up, arms crossed, glaring. “Am I in your way?”

“……”

Crap. Lin Xian thought. He explained, “You fell asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Yeah, right.” KIKI huffed. “Liar.”

She got up and muttered to herself, “I didn’t even want to hug you. It’s uncomfortable.”

Lin Xian lowered his head. “Come on. I didn’t even react this time.”

As soon as he said it, he realized he just smacked himself in the face with that explanation.

KIKI bit her lip and gave him a sharp look. “What did you just say?!”

Lin Xian’s nerves flared—just as a voice cut in over the comms.

“Lin Xian! There’s a situation with Zhou Lei!”

It was Monica. Lin Xian and KIKI snapped to attention. A few minutes later, they arrived at the docking area of Monica Queen.

By the time they arrived, the entire crew of the Monica Queen was fully geared up, stationed on both sides of the train. Outside Car No. 1, several team members clad in Power Armor had pinned a man to the ground with stun-gun forks. Monica stood nearby, casually toying with a strange-looking device in her hand.

When Lin Xian approached, Monica tossed the device to him.

“Fascinating little machine. If I’m right, it’s what he used to track down Zhou Lei.”

Lin Xian caught it and glanced at the man on the ground. He looked to be in his thirties, pale and gaunt, with a sickly aura that screamed I've been surviving in the dark too long. He tried to lift his head at the sound of footsteps—but was immediately pinned back down by a Monica Queen guard, who zapped him with the stun fork. His whole body jerked violently before falling unconscious.

“You’re saying he’s one of those Holy Revelation freaks?” KIKI crossed her arms, frowning. “How’d he even get into Silent City without being detected?”

“Because, just like Zhou Lei...” Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the device, “...he can’t be picked up by radar shadow scans.”

As he spoke, he gestured to shift the searchlight on top of the Monica Queen away from the man. In the shadows cast by the surrounding guards, the man’s body suddenly shimmered and flickered—he was partially invisible, half-fading out of view.

“Exactly. But this guy’s clearly a rookie. His heart rate spiked the moment he got close,” Monica said flatly.

Lin Xian finished the scan and began dismantling the device. It resembled a Soul Wave Detector in structure. Inside, he found a single Blood Crystal acting as a Dark Detection Source, along with a tiny vacuum diode filled with black liquid—an ominous substance radiating an eerie vibe.

“This thing’s definitely some kind of tracker,” Lin Xian muttered. “But I don’t understand the mechanism yet. I already searched Zhou Lei—no tracking devices on him at all. So...”

“You think it might be the Black Candle?” KIKI asked boldly. “Could it be used to track his location?”

“It’s possible.”

Lin Xian looked at the unconscious man. “Which raises the question: if he and Zhou Lei are alike... does that mean the Black Candle can affect multiple people? Or are there several of them?”

“We can just ask him.” Monica turned toward the train guards. “He’s starting to stir. Looks like he’s nervous.”

She led Lin Xian and KIKI aboard the Monica Queen. In one of the carriages, Zhou Lei was locked inside a transparent isolation room. It wasn’t large—just a floating single bed and a basic toilet. The entire room was under 24/7 surveillance.

Until recently, Zhou Lei had stayed calm—he’d been monitored so long, he was numb to it. But ever since the man was captured, he’d grown visibly agitated, pacing the room nonstop.

When he saw Lin Xian and the others enter, he rushed to the glass, anxious.

“Captain Lin… is it them?! Did they find me?!”

“Do you recognize this?” Lin Xian held up the device.

Zhou Lei’s face drained of color. He stumbled back two steps, eyes wide in terror.

“Yes! Yes, it’s them—it’s the Holy Revelation! That thing... it’s used to detect Forbidden Items!”

“So we were right.” Lin Xian handed the device to KIKI, then looked at Zhou Lei. “So you brought trouble to us and Silent City, huh?”

“No, no—!” Zhou Lei’s eyes widened as he waved his hands. “I didn’t do anything, I swear on my life! Captain Lin, I can’t even take a dump without someone watching me from every angle—how the hell could I bring trouble?”

“Then why would they come after you?”

Lin Xian leaned back, voice cold. “Don’t tell me Holy Revelation and Crimson World deployed someone into Silent City just to rescue some useless, already-abandoned pawn.”

Lin Xian didn’t doubt that Holy Revelation or Crimson World might infiltrate Silent City. But the fact that their target was Zhou Lei? That made him suspicious. Zhou Lei had to be hiding something.

Zhou Lei quickly raised his hands.

“No way! They’d never come to rescue me!”

“Then there’s got to be a reason,” Lin Xian said, glancing at his watch. “We’ve got their guy now. Maybe we only need one of you to talk.”

Zhou Lei turned pale. “Captain Lin, I swear I don’t know anything! Ever since they took me, I’ve barely seen any of them. But the guy who had the Black Candle? He’s called Old Ghost—a real creep who likes spying on women in the shadows. Other than that, all I know is what I overheard when I was monitoring some mentally unstable Replicants at the Baicheng Research Institute—”

“You mean the theory about Crimson World colluding with Dawn City officials?” KIKI raised a brow. “From mentally unstable replicants?”

“No!” Zhou Lei waved again. “I saw it with my own eyes. The night I was sent to the Abyss—in Jinhai! I was locked in a cage, about to be transferred onto a transport ship. Right before that, I saw another group disembark from another ship—one of them was Wen Dong, the former GM of Jinhai Urban Investments. I’d recognize that bastard even if he turned to ash. He’s from the Wen Family, second-in-command at Linglong Group. Everyone knows Linglong has pledged loyalty to Dawn City—hell, Wen Hui’s even a new Federal Council member. If Wen Dong was at a Crimson World base, that’s solid proof of collusion!”

“Wen Dong… that name sounds familiar.” Lin Xian frowned.

KIKI leaned in and whispered, “Tang Yun’s husband from the Zero Element Center in Yijin. Also... my second uncle.”

“Your whole family’s a bunch of loyal patriots, huh,” Lin Xian deadpanned.

“I disown them,” KIKI said coolly.

“So you’re saying Crimson World has a foothold in Jinhai?” Monica latched onto that detail.

Zhou Lei’s eyes widened.

“Not just a foothold—I think it’s their base of operations!”

“Why?” Lin Xian pressed.

“Captain Lin, think about it. I was sent into the Abyss from Jinhai. That place was a military base, and the Replicants were shipped there in waves. Jinhai sits right in front of Dawn City, guarding Abyss Zone No. 5. It’s also the Federation’s biggest production hub. If Crimson World can operate right under Dawn City’s nose, they must have support. And their base is probably right there—hidden in plain sight!”

“Sounds plausible,” KIKI nodded.

“Military airfield...” Monica tapped her wrist terminal. A holographic map lit up, dotted with several glowing markers. “There are a lot of them around Jinhai. Which one exactly?”

“That... I’m not sure,” Zhou Lei admitted.

“Then how do you even know it was in Jinhai?” Lin Xian asked sharply.

“Because after takeoff, I saw the Wangxing Tower from the air! That airport was less than ten minutes from Jinhai’s main city—I swear!”

“Damn, you’re thorough. You knew you weren’t getting out of the Abyss, but you still paid attention to landmarks?” Lin Xian looked at him curiously.

Zhou Lei gave a bitter smile. “In this world, guys like me have no powers and no resources. All I’ve got is being sneaky.”

Lin Xian didn’t answer. He turned and spoke softly with KIKI and Monica.

“What do you two think?”

“He knows a lot,” KIKI said cautiously. “Maybe too much.”

“Or maybe Crimson World thought he’d never escape the Abyss, so it didn’t matter what he saw,” Monica added. “If your mind’s not stable, you can’t enter the Abyss. That could explain how he managed to catch glimpses of the truth.”

Lin Xian shook his head. “That’s not what concerns me. I don’t care if he’s lying or not. Apart from Crimson World possibly being in Jinhai, what do Dawn City’s internal scandals have to do with us? I only want to know—why is Holy Revelation targeting him?”

“Messy business,” Monica said idly. “Let the guy we caught explain himself.”

“Oh, right. Wen Dong.” KIKI looked at the forbidden-item detector in her hand and turned to him. “Its detection range is similar to Soul Wave Detectors. At this crystal’s energy level, the radius should be over 3 kilometers.”

Wen Dong’s face changed. He hadn’t considered that.

Monica folded her arms. “Three clicks. Based on the docking distance, they must’ve spotted us the moment we returned to City No. 2. That means the guy’s been—”

“—inside Silent City all along!”

From inside the isolation room, Zhou Lei shouted in frustration:

“Captain Lin! Can you at least tell me who you caught? Did he say anything?!”

“Oh right,” Lin Xian said, exchanging a look with Monica.

She nodded and ordered her team to carry the man in.

As the doors opened and the unconscious man was brought in, Zhou Lei’s eyes locked onto his face—and instantly widened in horror.

“That’s him... that’s Old Ghost! He’s the one!!”