Doomsday: I Build an Infinite Train.

Chapter 362 Dawn City Arrives

6:30
Jin Hai, the underground construction base of the Federation Starport, was brightly lit. Giant robotic arms crisscrossed under the dome, working around the construction of a 300,000-ton stellar-class starship. Its size was equivalent to three Ford-class aircraft carriers. Even the Dreadnought-class space battleships looked tiny in front of it. Welding sparks poured down like a torrential rain, illuminating the holographic progress chart floating in the air—"021 Stellar-class Starship · Construction Progress 92%".

Suddenly, all the engineers' communicators lit up simultaneously.

"Federal Chairman's Authority Access - Clear the Channel."

The pneumatic door slid open with a hydraulic hum, and a tall man led a group of people into the starport. In an instant, the noise in the entire D7 starport area seemed to be reduced. He was wearing the dark blue uniform of the highest administrator of Dawn City and walked at the front of the crowd. His shoulder line was as straight as the armor-piercing blade of a ship's bow, and a dark silver blue star badge on his collar gleamed with a metallic chill under the cold light.

This person was none other than Chu Zhaonan, the former chairman of the Blue Star Federal Parliament and the city lord of Dawn City.

At 52, his resolute face carried a touch of scholarly wisdom and experience, with a sharp brow but a gentle gaze.

"The location of Silent City is currently confirmed to be 230 kilometers south of Luling. Vice Chairman Zhou has already departed from Dawn City by transport ship under the escort of the Seraphim team. Also accompanying him are Wen Dong from Linglong Group and Jian Xuwei, the head of Finger Group. They are taking the Jin Hai Clear Air Route and then turning north. They are expected to pass by here in 30 minutes."

As his secretary reported in a low voice, Chu Zhaonan stopped in front of a giant, silver-black star engine that was being deployed. His gaze swept over it, and he spoke loudly.
"The progress is a bit slow."

The chief engineer, standing nearby in the crowd, broke out in a cold sweat on the back of his neck: "The shipment of the radiation shielding material is delayed, Chairman."

"Notify Wen Hui's starship construction team to speed things up; there's been another unusual activity at Star Abyss No. 5."

"Okay, Chairman."

Then, surrounded by a group of people, Chu Zhaonan boarded a special armed transport ship preparing to fly back to Dawn City. Just as he sat down in the administration office, a middle-aged man with a mechanical prosthetic eye and wearing a suit asked him in a low voice...
"Chairman, Silent City is coming to Jinhai. Should we strengthen our defenses?"

This middle-aged man is named Luo Ming. He was the former head of the Angel Project and is now the head of the Seraphim, the superhuman department in Dawn City.

"Defend against whom?" Chu Zhaonan smiled gently: "Humans?"

"They came to cooperate, and they rescued many people along the way. We urgently need a batch of machinery and production capacity right now, so we can't wait to welcome them."

Hey.

The transport ship shuddered slightly, slowly taking off and rapidly flying towards Dawn City. Inside the administrative office, besides Seraphim Minister Luo Ming, there was also Councilor and head of the Underground City Committee, Xu Yan, a lean, elderly man with slightly gray hair wearing a suit. He glanced at the radar chart and began to speak.

"Vice Chairman Zhou intends to use starship construction orders to keep Silent City in the suburbs of Dawn City. In addition to providing production capacity, it can also protect the defense of Star Abyss No. 5 in the northwest direction. His consideration is quite thoughtful."

"That's his business." Chu Zhaonan lowered his eyes, a cold glint flashing across them, before calmly saying, "Such a heavy burden must be hard on Vice Chairman Zhou."

“I’m worried that Silent City and Dawn City will clash.” Xu Yan said bluntly: “Silent City has been involved in Star Abyss No. 5 this time, so they must have found out something, and the finger will be pointed at us.”

"Then point to it."

After saying this, Chu Zhaonan picked up his mobile terminal and kept flipping through various briefings. He said in a low voice, "News has come from Jinhe East China Sea. The Zhentian Ship of the Phoenix Society's Dawn Center has just appeared on the airspace radar. It must be because the situation in Star Abyss No. 5 has caused a chain reaction around the world."

"The Zhen Tian Ship? Ye Lan?" Xu Yan frowned slightly.

“We don’t know if it’s Ye Lan or Li Heping right now,” said Luo Ming, the Seraphim Minister. “The Phoenix Society currently only has the 83rd Iron Guard Brigade stationed in Yongcheng Port in the south, which is responsible for guarding the construction of their Emperor Project Units 2 and 3. From the Dawn Center in the north, there is only one Zhentian Ship and the Enterprise from the North American United Front. They all traveled at night, which means they think the situation is somewhat out of control.”

“It should be Ye Lan.” Chu Zhaonan said with a somewhat solemn expression, “If it were Li Heping, given his temper, he would have at least brought five heavy interstellar fleets, and our outpost would have been destroyed long ago…”

After saying this, he stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked to the porthole, and said loudly.
"They're not here to start a war with us, but they've also informed Lu Tianye to make some preparations."

"Ye Lan... The Dawn Center Commander has come in person? And the North American United Front as well?"

Xu Yan's gaze sharpened slightly upon hearing this: "It seems that Zhou Mingyuan and Julius are getting their business bigger and bigger!"

Xu Yan's expression turned somewhat somber. They were naturally aware of the cooperation between Dawn City and the Crimson World. The Dawn City leadership group appeared stable and harmonious, but in reality, he, as the Speaker of the Council, was fully aware of the situation. At present, Chu Zhaonan was focusing all his energy on the Far Star Project. Apart from the Dawn Garrison, the Seraphim Division, and starship construction, all other affairs, large and small, were handled by Vice Chairman Zhou Mingyuan. Rather than saying it was a matter of factional discord, it was more accurate to say that Chu Zhaonan had lost interest in these management tasks under the doomsday.

Of course, Chu Zhaonan turned a blind eye to the cooperation with the Crimson World. His goal was very clear: the Far Star Project must succeed. Even if only one Far Star Starship escaped, it would be a victory for the survival of civilization. As for how many people died, who they cooperated with, and how many resources were exhausted, none of that mattered.

From this perspective, Chu Zhaonan is an absolute pragmatist. With the collapse of the Federation and the disastrous failure of countless underground city projects, he knew better than anyone that darkness could not be defeated. In his view, it was impossible to save tens of millions of people and protect Blue Star. However, preserving a single seed was a glimmer of hope!
That's why he focused on the Far Star Project, allowing Zhou Mingyuan, Wen Hui of Linglong Group, and others to secretly cooperate with the Crimson World, remaining unmoved by the high-pressure rule and extreme oppression of Dawn City, and sparing no effort just to succeed.

Inside the administration building, the atmosphere was silent and cold.

Chu Zhaonan closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and then changed the subject.
"Let's ignore them for now. How's the situation with the curtain-breaking team?"

"Progress is good; it seems the third test flight will take place tomorrow," responded Luo Ming, the Seraphim Minister.

"We need to speed things up. Tell Chu Jing that he must break through the Heavenly Curtain within 30 days, or we'll replace him."

cough~
Xu Yan coughed lightly and said in a conciliatory tone, "I heard that Colonel Chu Jing is already living in the research institute. If Luo Feng and the others hadn't stopped him, he was planning to personally become a test pilot."

"Really? This brat is getting more and more outrageous."

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhaonan's eyes flickered slightly, and his sharp tone softened as he looked at Xu Yan: "Old Xu, find a way to increase the supply of vegetable juice to them by one batch. I've said before, all resources should be tilted towards the Far Star Project."

"it is good."

Xu Yan nodded.

Chu Zhaonan turned to look at the two of them, his expression composed. The shadow of the lamplight slowly slid across his face, and he spoke in a low voice.
"I have a feeling that Zhou Mingyuan and his group have gone too far. Ye Lan's visit this time will be a warning first. We don't have much time left."

"Is it possible that Phoenix will declare war on us?" Luo Ming asked, frowning.
"It certainly wouldn't have happened before. With the world in chaos, the Phoenix Society was focused on mobilization and disaster relief in various regions, leaving no time for internal strife and purges. Now... I can only say don't underestimate Ye Lan and Li Heping; I know their methods better than anyone." Chu Zhaonan said calmly, his leather shoes clicking crisply in the administration hall. He then changed the subject:
"However, all their efforts have been in vain. Our underground city plan is unworkable, and their prediction of one year and 96 days is a joke. At the current rate of expansion of Star Abyss No. 5, it will probably take more than six months. If we want to continue the flame of human civilization, the only way is..."

He walked to the table and slammed his hand on it, the sound sharp and piercing.

"Live to die!"

……

Silent City, the parking area for Spacecraft No. 3.

"NC-17, Flying Dutchman, docking complete."

The mechanical broadcast echoed under the dome. Lin Xian and KIKI stepped out of the airlock and saw a battered civilian airship entering the port. The two rows of ion thruster nozzles were still glowing dark red, and the armor plates were covered with all sorts of horrific wounds.

That was clearly not caused by the sharp teeth and claws of ordinary strange creatures on the ground, but by some kind of giant creature from the sky. A rift in it almost tore the entire airship in two, and the cold, icy rift in the torn metal was also carrying a strong dark invasion toxin, which was terrifying to behold.

"They managed to fly back, they're really lucky." KIKI looked at the huge crack and couldn't help but say, "It seems that the air is really much more terrifying than the ground."

"There's terrain and buildings on the ground to hide in, but there's nothing in the air." Lin Xian recalled the mountain-like atmospheric mica he had seen in Yubei. A single tentacle swept across and directly crushed and shattered skyscrapers. If they hadn't been lucky, the Infinite would have been flattened by the tentacle that night at Mount Daluo.

"So I thought, the satellites and space stations in the sky must no longer exist, and I don't know what happened to the Southern Heavenly Gate and the Moon-Gazing Planetary Ring," KIKI said.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xian said as he walked, "The Moon Ring is the largest platform in our Dragon Kingdom's lunar exploration program. It was built with the participation of more than 100 countries and has a diameter of over 300 kilometers. How can such a huge thing be suspended in the sky and not even be seen? Is it being blocked by something?"

Upon hearing this, KIKI couldn't help but frown: "What you're saying is a bit scary."

"I'm serious." Lin Xian said solemnly, "Except in the Star Abyss, the sky is visible everywhere else, but that giant celestial curtain can block out spacecraft. Don't you find that strange? What exactly is blocking out the entire Blue Star?"

"It's not some kind of cosmic monster, is it?" KIKI pouted. "Looks like we'll only know if we go through that giant screen."

Lin Xian nodded, said nothing more, and walked straight towards the berth area that Hu Lushou had mentioned.

Before even getting close, Lin Xian could already see a massive Dragon-class transport ship docked in its berth. The ship was largely intact, except for some damage to the armor and the cooling fins on both sides, as well as some rough repair work. Hu Lushou was standing nearby with Sun Chang and a group of his men. Hu Lushou was holding a small fan and looking at the 10,000-ton transport ship with a smile. When he saw Lin Xian approaching, his eyes lit up.

"Captain Lin!!"

Hu Lushou, grinning with his big gold teeth, came running over, and as soon as he reached Lin Xian, he said, "Oh, you've finally arrived. I thought you weren't interested in such a big thing."

“I’m very interested.” Lin Xian’s gaze swept over the transport ship. “I’ll dismantle it tonight, Mr. Hu. Thank you very much.”

"Teared...teared down???" Hu Lushou thought he misheard and pointed at the transport ship behind him, saying, "Why would you tear down such a big treasure? It's a flying machine!"

"I know," Lin Xian said with a smile, looking at Hu Lushou. "But you can still fall."

"Didn't you crash on the Dragon-class transport ship?" KIKI crossed her arms and looked at him with interest. "You want to ride it a second time?"

"Ah, this..." KIKI's words left Hu Lushou completely speechless.

“That makes sense, but this…” Hu Lushou looked a little distressed. You see, this transport ship was a treasure he had acquired by spending 500 blood essences. He could have loaded the entire convoy onto this ship and driven all the way to the center of Dawn or even the polar regions.

Of course, the premise is that he has to have the guts.

Hu Lushou was well aware that in the apocalypse, the bigger the flying vehicle, the more cumbersome it was, especially for ordinary survivors. The danger was comparable to riding a bicycle through a horde of zombies, or being a walking, talking monster. So, most survivors wouldn't dare to use such a vehicle for survival. Even if this transport ship had wheels, it would be better, but that was impossible. That's why Hu Lushou was able to get one at such a cheap price.

Simply put, there aren't many who dare to sell, and even fewer who dare to buy.

But it was still a 10,000-ton aircraft carrier. If he had known it was going to be dismantled, he would have just taken those 500 blood essences and gone directly to Lin Xian. At least it wouldn't have been a waste.

Lin Xian knew what Hu Lushou was thinking, but right now this big guy was much more useful to him than blood essence. He was worried about not having anything to devour and level up, so he directly said to Hu Lushou...
“Old Hu, I dismantled this thing to build a train, a flying train, which is safer than a transport ship. I know you want to come with us, no problem. I’m preparing to form an alliance, and your convoy can join, but on the condition that… you have to listen to me in everything.”

Upon hearing Lin Xian's words, Hu Lushou's eyes began to light up, and his large gold teeth almost popped out. As soon as Lin Xian finished speaking, he nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking at rice.

"OK, that's great! Of course, I'll follow your every command, Captain Lin, one hundred percent! Oh, Captain Lin, you have no idea! All your amazing skills along the way have completely won me over, Old Hu. Just now you were saying... fly..."

"A flying train," Sun Chang reminded her.

"Yes, yes, yes, a flying train!!" Hu Lushou exclaimed, his eyes wide. "If it were anyone else, I, Old Hu, wouldn't even give them a second glance. A flying train? What kind of international joke is this?"

"But these words came from your mouth, Captain Lin, so I, Hu Lushou, believe them one hundred percent! You just led the joint train with over five hundred carriages out of the Star Abyss. My goodness, that's awesome! I'm impressed, a hundred percent impressed. From today onwards, if you, Captain Lin, say go east, I will absolutely not go west. Is that alright with you?!"

Hu Lushou's endless flattery was so over-the-top that even KIKI couldn't stand it anymore. She gave him a disgusted look and said, "Hey, you really have to keep your word."

"Absolutely!"

"By the way," Hu Lushou said with a smile, leaning closer to Lin Xian, "Captain Lin, what exactly is this alliance you mentioned? Could you tell me if I can... be of any help in this alliance?"

"I haven't thought about it in detail yet. Just think of it as joining our Infinite Ones," Lin Xian said frankly. "As for what we'll be doing..."

As he spoke, he looked at Hu Lushou and his group of henchmen in black suits behind him, smiled at Hu Lushou, and said, "Then continue to use your talents."

After Lin Xian finished speaking, he started walking towards the transport ship, but stopped halfway. He turned back and scrutinized Sun Chang, whose mechanical arm was thicker than a thigh and who had a resolute and taciturn expression. Then he asked Hu Lushou...
"I've never asked you before, what's your relationship with Sun Chang?"

Hu Lushou was taken aback for a moment, then said seriously, "Didn't I say that she is my wife?"

“We’re divorced,” Sun Chang added.
"So what if we're divorced?!" Hu Lushou looked bewildered. "The world's about to end, and you still want to find someone else?"

Sun Chang glanced at him coldly, then crossed her arms mechanically and said indifferently.
"I'm not interested in men."

Lin Xian, KIKI: ...

Lin Xian was shocked. He had always thought that Sun Chang was just Hu Lushou's deputy, but he never expected that Sun Chang was actually his wife.

After all, it's hard to imagine that Hu Lushou, who is only 1.7 meters tall, would have a wife who is nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a tanned complexion, explosive muscles, and a pair of unparalleled mechanical arms. Sun Chang's presence in front of Lin Xian could even overwhelm a building...

Seeing the couple arguing back and forth, Lin Xian's eyes twitched slightly. He then turned around and walked onto the transport ship without saying anything, with KIKI following him.

"Wow, I never imagined that Sun Chang was actually Hu Lushou's wife. This is truly an eye-opener for me..." KIKI said from behind.

"No wonder Sun Chang is different from ordinary deputies, so that's why." Lin Xian smiled, recalling how Sun Chang had repeatedly refused to give Hu Lushou face, and now he understood.

"Lin Xian, are you planning to devour this transport ship right here in front of everyone?"

KIKI walked through the internal passageway of the transport ship and asked Lin Xian.

"Take it one step at a time, starting with the nuclear-powered engines," Lin Xian said to KIKI. "Tell Hu Lushou to pull up the maintenance partition in the berth area, and that's it. Just let them leave."

KIKI nodded, and then Lin Xian, just like before in Qingshui Town, went directly to the power room of the transport ship, jumped onto the nuclear-powered engine room, and began mechanically devouring.

"Last time we were limited by time and could only take down the nuclear reactor. This time we're going to destroy the engine, the propulsion array, and the entire transport ship!"

[Consuming progress 1%]

As the light screen opened before him, Lin Xian's face showed eagerness. Since acquiring the Mechanical Heart, this was the first time he had devoured such a large object. The largest he had ever swallowed before was a nuclear-powered locomotive, but that was only a few hundred tons.

This Dragon-class transport ship weighs over 10,000 tons, and even its main metal structure yields a large amount of material.

In berth 24, the Dragon-type transport ship is quietly docked. No one knows that the transport ship is gradually disintegrating and disappearing from the inside, becoming the upgrade fuel for Lin Xian's Mechanical Heart.

10:30
The dim sky suddenly brightened, and the once quiet city, with its colorful neon lights, was instantly bathed in sunlight, causing the various decks of the Silent City to come alive.

Rumble!
With the main bridge in control, the Silent City, mired in the muddy valley, began to rumble. Countless propulsion arrays on both sides of the No. 1 City spewed out powerful thrust. After reducing its overall weight, this huge mechanical floating city began to slowly move eastward with the force of an earthquake.

Ugh! Ugh!
As the enormous roar resounded, a large number of zombies began to roar out from the mountains, forests, roads, and villages along the way. However, faced with this massive, mobile city that resembled a mountain, the zombies were like flies on a map. Apart from being crushed into the mud by the tracks, they were left only to swarm around and roar and cry, posing absolutely no threat to the city.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people were busy working at the Silent City's communication tower, receiving messages, information packets, and approaching convoys and aircraft from all directions via dark radios and communicators. After obtaining entry permission, the convoys could speed up through the landing platform at the rear, and after being checked by the Silent City guards, they could enter the Silent City.

In a short time, many survivor convoys began to pour in. It seems that the news of Silent City leaving Star Abyss has spread throughout Luling and Jinhai overnight through various long and short waves, and a large number of survivors have begun to gather here.

At this moment, on the cloud deck, a large Federation transport ship slowly descended, escorted by several aerospace warships.

On the outside, Senju Shun and Amano Ran, along with a group of Silent City's mechanical guards, looked solemnly at the "Federal Dawn City" insignia on the transport ship and waited quietly.

"They're up to no good," Ran Amano said, facing the powerful cyclone.

Senju Shun, however, remained calm: "It doesn't matter. Before Shinji reveals the purpose of the Crimson World's collusion with them, a fight won't break out. Besides, people from the Phoenix Faction's Dawn Center have also arrived. It's still uncertain who will hold whom back."

"Xun, be polite."

At that moment, Shinji Mochizuki, dressed in a plain robe, slowly walked past him with a calm expression.

"Good~"

Shinji Mochizuki stood in front of the two, watching the people disembarking from the transport ship, and suddenly said to Shun Sensaku.
"Open the ACS live monitoring screen. People are coming from Shuguang City; there's someone who might be interested."

Qian Su Xun smiled upon hearing this.

"understood."

At that moment, Lin Xian, who was undergoing mechanical absorption in the engine room of the Dragon-type transport ship in berth area 24 on deck 3, suddenly received a message from Shinji Mochizuki through the search window.

He opened his eyes, and a holographic image appeared before him.

A high-spec transport ship opened its hatch, and several people of extraordinary status stepped out one after another. Lin Xian frowned slightly. The one in the lead was about fifty years old, with slightly graying temples, but his hair was neatly combed, as if he had deliberately preserved traces of his dignity. There were a few shallow smile lines at the corners of his eyes, as if he had habitually shown gentleness to people over the years. His lips were neither thin nor thick, and they were always slightly upturned. Even when he did not speak, he had a kind of elder-like kindness.

Lin Xian immediately felt that this person looked very familiar, but not because he knew him, but because he had only ever seen this person on television news.

A woman walked out from behind him, and Lin Xian's eyes immediately flickered. She was the only one he recognized in the group.

Jian Xuwei!

(End of this chapter)