Doomsday: I Build an Infinite Train.

Chapter 380 The Light of Human Evolution
"Qin Feng, who is that?"

"never heard of that."

"A person who just appeared on the list of the Light of Human Evolution." Jiang Yun opened an interface and showed it to everyone: "According to the calculation of the peak of superpowers, this person has reached the Angel level. It is said that he once fought an A-level monster. Now he is the focus of the Federation's attention."

“Strangely, there was no prior information about this person,” Ren Huiyan added, arms crossed.
“It’s not normal to have no news. We’re in the apocalypse now. Even the official Phoenix Society is out of touch with information, let alone a convoy,” Ning Jing said.

Jiang Yun shrugged: "But how could someone with angelic-level superpowers, especially mechanical ones, remain silent for so long?"

He looked at Lin Xian as he spoke: "Team Leader Lin's name is now well-known in both the Federation and the Phoenix Society. Most of the caravans in Dawn City have heard of what your team has done, so this is what we find a bit strange."

"And he also got his hands on the Silver Star."

Jian Xuwei's expression darkened slightly: "The Silver Star has been docked at the Star City Rail Station and detained by Wen Dong. How did it end up in his hands?"

“That’s the most crucial point,” KIKI said at this moment. “It means that this person’s identity is not simple. He may have a background in the federal government, or he may have paid some price to get it from the Wen family.”

“Buying the Silver Star will come at a price.” Jiang Yun said seriously, “Chairman Jian, this train has been constantly updated and iterated, consuming a lot of resources. Now, it can do everything except fly. The Federation knows the value of this train, and not only the Federation, but many other train fleets know it too.”

“So this recruitment plan looks very tempting,” Monica said with a slight smile.

"Yes."

Jiang Yun said, "Mechanical superpowers have become incredibly legendary, considered to possess the power of [civilization creation], and are among the top superpowers. This recruitment plan was launched in less than 6 hours, and the number of applicants has exceeded 10, which shows how popular it is."

"10?!" KIKI exclaimed in surprise. "The Silver Star can't possibly hold that many people."

“No, that’s not the case. The recruitment threshold for this team is ridiculously high. Ordinary team members are required to be at least Vajra level. Only Berserker and Destruction level members can bring a small number of family members. Moreover, it’s not just about the peak of the ability. This team also selects the type of ability. They even held a large-scale underground recruitment event for ability battles in the Galag Black Market,” Jiang Yun said.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the group changed slightly.

Lu Xingchen, however, narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing about the battle of superpowers, seemingly intrigued.

“Then it’s certain that this matter is related to the Federation,” Jian Xuwei said in a deep voice.

“I think so too.” Jiang Yun smiled. “The situation is tense right now. The Federation is already worried about the large convoys being evacuated. The fact that Qin Feng’s recruitment event could be held right under the noses of the city defense guard battalion and the night patrol team is definitely not simple.”

At this moment, Monica's smiling gaze fell on Lin Xian, and she spoke.
"What do you think, my captain?"

All eyes immediately fell on Lin Xian.

Lin Xian remained calm as he gazed out the window at the vibrant cityscape of Night City, a mechanical metropolis. He said indifferently, "Strictly speaking, apart from the Silver Star, this matter has nothing to do with us. We have more important things to do in the city. Of course, if we have the opportunity, we should also try to take back the Silver Star. Besides that, I wonder if holding such a large recruitment event at this time could indicate that... someone within the Federation also wants to evacuate."

“I understand what you mean.” Jian Xuwei’s eyes narrowed slightly: “You think this might also be a way for the Federation to recruit manpower.”

"Otherwise, the Federation wouldn't stand idly by while an uncontrolled convoy is so openly recruiting powerful superhumans."

KIKI picked up her mobile device, accessed the Dawn City intranet, and opened the Human Evolution Light Ranking. She found it was like an entertainment channel, with rankings based on peak ability levels, popularity rankings, and even biographies and battle records for the top 10. The intranet survivors also gave star ratings for these people's combat power, leadership, and ability potential.

"Wow, wow~ Look!"

KIKI spoke as she used her fingers to project the leaderboard interface using a holographic projection.

NO.1 "Starfall" - Yu Huai'an

Peak: 11200 Angel level (highest in history)
Superpower: Gravity Manipulation

Three-dimensional index: Combat strength | Potential ☆ | Leadership ☆

Record:

Single-handedly slaying the A-rank monster "Echo".

Large-scale extermination of a horde of bizarre creatures in the Qilian Mountains (over 5000 individuals).

Character tags: #Invincible superpowers #Leadership qualities #Composure
Identity: Leader of the Wanderers' League

……

NO.2 "Iron Curtain" - Mo Qi
Peak value: 10800 Angel level

Identity: Pure physical combat practitioner (no superpowers)
Three-dimensional index: Combat strength | Potential | Leadership
Record:

During the S-level battle in Dawn City, it directly shattered part of the Gray Mist Walker's tough bone tissue.

Leading the "Iron Dome" convoy, they broke through the bizarre polar night tide in Shenli City with zero casualties.
Character tags: #HumanLimits #DisciplineDreamKiller #AntiSuperpowersPerson

……

NO.3 "Mechanical Commander" - Qin Feng
Peak value: 10150 Angel level

Superpower: [Mechanical Superpower]

Three-dimensional index: Combat strength ☆ | Potential | Leadership ☆

Record: None available

"Humanity is on the verge of extinction due to the polar night, and they're still creating entertainment-oriented things like 'rankings' and 'popularity charts.'" Ning Jing said seriously, "What's the point?"

"You can't think of it that way."

Qian Dele said calmly, "It seems absurd, but it is actually a distorted manifestation of the survival instinct of civilization. Whenever there is a crisis, the subconscious of mankind hopes that a strong leader will appear to lead people out of the disaster, which is very logical."

“Yes,” Jian Xuwei said. “Dawn City is never short of recruitment events. Various car convoys expand their teams and accumulate resources here. As long as they haven’t entered the underground city, they are basically prepared to escape the darkness. So it’s very normal for the survivors to be fanatical about these powerful superhumans. Underground boxing rings, superhuman exchanges, mechanical modifications, weapons sales, you name it, they have it here.”

"Are these people's peak abilities the same as the Phoenix Society's standards? Isn't reaching Angel level too fast?"

“You can’t look at it that way. Some people have just acquired superpowers and their peak level has already surpassed that of ordinary people. For example, Yu Huai’an from the Wanderers’ Alliance. He awakened his superpower on the first day of the Apocalypse and reached the berserk level. He was one of the first testers of the Angel Project at that time.” Jiang Yun said, “Then now the concentration of the Dark Invasion is constantly increasing. The downside is that the mutations are increasing, but the upside is that the evolution of the surviving superpowered individuals is accelerating.”

"And it's also related to killing S-rank beings," Jian Xuwei added. "After that great battle, many ability users' stats skyrocketed. Didn't you notice that in Xilan City?"

"I noticed it, but I just haven't had time to pay attention to it."

Lin Xian sighed slightly. After leaving Xilan City, they first encountered danger in Yijin, then went to Aksai, and before they could settle down, they were drawn into the No. 5 Star Abyss and fought a series of battles.

He was well aware that the Hellish Black Chrysanthemum's frenzied transformation accelerated the evolution of the Infinite's members. Lin Xian's mechanical source points were converted at a rate of 1000 each time, so it was easy to imagine that this kind of improvement was enormous for others. Even the children in the vehicle and the women in charge of logistics were no longer as physically weak as they were in the early days of the apocalypse.

However, since they were facing either corpse drivers or abyssal demons, Lin Xian hadn't really noticed how much KIKI, Huo Ge, and the others' abilities had improved.

Thinking of this, Lin Xian raised his hand, and a light screen appeared, revealing a Spirit Power Peak Detector that had been manufactured using the construction sequence. He immediately activated it, and with the roar of the Mechanical Heart, his peak ability value instantly soared to 3650.
3650. According to Lin Xian's limit coefficient, this value will reach 7300, which means that his superpower has reached the destruction level, which is three times that of when he was in Xilan City.

Lin Xian immediately handed the testing device to KIKI and the others for a retest. The results were astonishing. KIKI's peak ability had increased to 4800, while Lu Xingchen's was even more exaggerated, reaching 5300. If combined with the limit coefficient, Lu Xingchen's growth was close to angel level at 9010, surpassing KIKI's 7680.

"9010!" Lin Xian looked at Lu Xingchen in surprise: "Your progress is so fast?"

"Hey, how come you've surpassed me?" KIKI was immediately indignant. She picked up the detector again and ran it at full power, but the peak value never exceeded 4800.
Lu Xingchen was quite pleased with himself: "It seems that my diligent cultivation every day has indeed yielded fruitful results."

Jiang Yun, standing to the side, frowned and asked, "Did you use some kind of forbidden substance?"

“Uh…” Lu Xingchen nodded upon hearing this: “That’s true, will it have any impact?”

“Forbidden items will resonate with more Spirit Dispersion Value, which will have an impact, but no one will care about that; it will all be counted as part of your strength,” Ren Huiyan said at this moment.

"Fine, you win." KIKI pouted, not wanting to argue about it at this point.

Lu Xingchen smiled slightly: "Thank you for your kind words~"

At this time, Monica, Ning Jing, and the others also retested themselves using Lin Xian's detection device. In fact, Lin Xian only obtained the blueprint for this latest detection device after entering Silent City; before that, the people on the Joint Train had no opportunity to retest. The results came out quickly, and the fastest-growing person here was actually Monica, whose ability index reached 7400, even higher than Lin Xian's.

Next is Ning Jing, whose ability index as a pure gene evolver has reached 7200, and last is Qian Dele, with only 6600.

As for Shiori, although she is not good at fighting, her ability index has reached 6900. However, the girl is not surprised at all. According to her, she had a routine test with Shinji Mochizuki after leaving the Star Abyss, so she had already reached 6700 a week ago.

“According to this measurement, the strongest humans have evolved so far can only fight against A-level beings. Therefore, the enhancement of our superpowers has not changed our situation of being hunted by the darkness. Pessimistically speaking, there is no difference,” Lin Xian said. “However, for humans themselves, this increase in power is still very powerful.”

Jiang Yun nodded in agreement: "S-rank, world-class, Dark Invasion, Star Abyss, so far we don't even have absolute confidence in S-rank, which is why the Federation has been planning Operation Breaking the Curtain, and we don't have much time left."

After saying that, he checked the time and said to Lin Xian, "Captain Lin, the curfew will be lifted after dawn. Although there will be some trouble on the Federation side, at least it is safe in the city for the time being. There is no need to worry too much about the strange creatures and zombies. Of course, we cannot let our guard down completely. You can rest for a while. There are people from our alliance in various areas of the old city who are responsible for gathering information. I believe that this will be of great help to your operation."

Afterwards, Jiang Yun, Jian Xuwei, Ren Huiyan, and Lin Xian's team discussed some matters in the city and the actual situation of the Alliance convoy. Then, Lin Xian told the group to rest separately and take action after dawn.

It was 3 a.m., and a light rain was falling in Night City. Lin Xian was alone in a room covered with metal armor on the top floor, looking at the city view through the latticed windows.

Dawn City is vast, so vast that it stretches as far as the eye can see. It was once one of the three largest modern cities in the world, but now it is sealed off by two high walls, maintaining some basic activities of human society.

Lin Xian recalled what Ye Lan had told him earlier, and looking at the light rain outside the window, he felt a strange sense of reluctance.

Once upon a time, his Infinite Train Project defined Star City as an important safe haven. Even after leaving Jiang City, he once thought that Star City might be one of the last cities under official protection that had not fallen, and that coming here could bring a moment of peace.

Even though Dawn City became the last place of resistance for the Federation, Lin Xian subconsciously did not want to see this magnificent and dazzling city completely swallowed by darkness. It would give people a great sense of loss and unease. Even if he would embark on a journey later, all that would be left was the boundless ocean and the desperate escape during the countdown to the polar night.

Lin Xian then took out the Spirit Detection Device and activated it on its own, causing his peak ability level to reach 3650 once again.
But he remained unmoved and quietly activated the superstring reactor phase ring. Instantly, a reactor ring lit up behind Lin Xian, the blue aurora glow seemingly containing endless energy, and even the air trembled.

At this moment, the peak value of Lin Xian's supernatural ability on the spirit power detector on his finger instantly soared to 5000!

This means his ability index has reached 10000! He has entered the Angel level!

Lin Xian, however, was not surprised. With a thought, the second phase rainbow ring lit up, and his peak ability reached 7000! His ability index was 14000!

hum!
The third phase rainbow ring is lit, the peak power is 9000, and the power index is 18000!

Zizzi~
The spirit-dissipating value detector in his hand emitted an overloaded whirring sound. The armored tin house also emitted a faint humming sound due to the extremely powerful energy fluctuations, as if a collapsing energy black hole had appeared inside, piercing and burning a large amount of invisible matter. Even the light tubes on the ceiling were constantly dislodging.

"Whoo~"

Lin Xian breathed a sigh of relief, shutting down his superstring reactor phase ring. The room returned to calm, and everything was as usual.

He put away the damaged Spirit Value Detector. Lin Xian had already guessed this result. The power source of his Mechanical Heart was now enhanced by the phase ring of the superstring reactor, and its magnitude was growing exponentially. If nothing unexpected happened, even without Gemini 11R, Lin Xian could still drive the Infinite along the 32-kilometer ring orbit indefinitely until the world was destroyed.

"Angel level... There are only 10 months left in the world. How far can humanity evolve?"

"Will we have a chance to fight back against the darkness, or will we only be able to flee to the distant stars?"

Lin Xian logged into Dawn City's intranet anonymously. Recruiting, rescuing, uniting, exchanging supplies, communicating about superpowers, power armor, armory, survival routes—besides these main survival activities, what was presented was undoubtedly a kind of extreme release of the dregs of humanity.

Various conspiracy theories abound, humanity is destined to lose, and religious worship is rampant. The federal government's control is clearly focused on only a few keywords that concern the interests of the higher-ups, perhaps also out of a need to relieve pressure. Even pornographic content is completely open and unrestricted.

From a certain perspective, Lin Xian also felt that this was a clever move by the Federation. Allowing these survivors with a foundation of military strength to vent their suppressed emotions on the intranet actually helped with management. Or perhaps they simply couldn't be bothered to manage it, after all, how much time was left in the world?
Lin Xian set an alarm for himself, but instead of sleeping, he adjusted the manufacturing sequence of the Black Star Forge.

Congratulations! Your Mechanical Manufacturing skill has been upgraded to LV.6!

As expected, with all five manufacturing lines operating at full capacity, Lin Xian's mechanical manufacturing proficiency increased rapidly, and he soon broke through the level. At this moment, the speed of the giant celestial body in the Black Star Forge seemed to have quietly increased a bit, and at the same time, a brand new manufacturing production line was opened up.

At this moment, Lin Xian already had more than a hundred drones in his Black Star Forge space, but that was not enough. To deal with a large number of strange entities, the number needed to be at least in the thousands.

Just as Lin Xian was immersed in his research in the Black Star Forge, a strange noise suddenly startled him awake. He immediately opened his eyes and heard dense artillery fire coming from the distant streets.

He rushed out of the room and onto the roof. The rain hadn't stopped all night, and it was already past 9 a.m., with less than an hour left until dawn. But every now and then, heavy roars of aircraft swept across the sky. He looked towards the direction outside the city and saw flames burning everywhere outside the No. 1 city wall. He could vaguely see a large number of cannons firing, and the defensive weapons on the base of the high wall were roaring!

"The E5 defense zone has been attacked by a horde of bizarre creatures. There are several A-level bizarre creatures, and the horde exceeds 100,000 in size. They have already invaded the outer city!"

The team members came out one by one, and Jiang Yun, having received the contact information, addressed them.

"Will they break through the No. 1 city wall?" Qian Dele asked.

"Probably not." Jiang Yun said in a deep voice, "This kind of attack is still within a controllable range. As long as an S-class attack occurs or the number of monsters increases significantly, it generally won't threaten the No. 1 city wall."

"What about those people outside the city?" KIKI asked at this moment.
"There is no way."

Jian Xuwei said, "In this situation, people in the outer city can either retreat towards the city wall or scatter and rely on the firepower of Dawn City for safety. There is no other way."

"Won't they open the city gates and let the people outside retreat in?" Ning Jing frowned.
Jiang Yun shook his head: "The strange tides are all phased. We have to clear all the dark markers first. Part of the garrison is stationed outside. Apart from the garrison in the outer city and the survivor convoy, the No. 1 city wall is basically the last line of defense. Even if a single breach is made, the No. 1 city wall will have been built in vain. The last S-level outbreak didn't even open the city wall, let alone this kind of attack."

“If it were me, I would rather rush to the center of Dawn day and night than stay in the outer city, which is simply a monster hunting ground with no way out,” Monica said with her arms crossed and her face serious.

Lin Xian looked at her and said, "It's not that simple. Those convoys are all weak forces. They can survive by relying on the firepower of the No. 1 city wall. Running outside is a gamble for them. These ordinary people don't dare to gamble."

“Yes, they didn’t have much of a choice,” Jian Xuwei said.

The distant firelight illuminated the rainy night sky. Lin Xian and his group could hear nothing but the deafening roar of artillery fire that came from a distance. But they could only imagine that the surrounding streets must be in a terrible state.

Lin Xian recalled the sight of the endless survivor convoy camps and dense crowds he had seen when he entered the city last night, and his gaze turned somber. When survivors gather in large numbers, death may become just a number.

About ten minutes later, the intense artillery fire subsided, and the raging flames were gradually enveloped by the drizzling rain. The No. 1 city wall remained intact. Lin Xian and his group did not even see a single strange creature appear, which showed that the defense of Dawn City's city wall was indeed quite solid.

"Lu Tianye's troops are over there. As long as it's not a specific monster, the casualties shouldn't be too high. The garrison has a pretty good level of trust among the survivors, better than the night patrol group."

Jiang Yun breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Lin Xian.
"It's almost dawn, what are your plans?"

"Let's go straight there; someone will meet us there."

Jian Xuwei then said to Lin Xian, "I will gather the Silver Star team and then meet up with you. If Chu Zhaonan's actions are imminent, we must be prepared to relocate at any time."

Lin Xian nodded: "Okay, we'll coordinate with Jin Hai. The initial plan is to go around Qingbo in Chan Guan and then through Shuguang City, but everything depends on the situation."

As he spoke, Lin Xian took out his communicator, set a signal frequency, and synchronized with everyone.

"01 is the Infinite Alliance channel, and all team coordination will be done through here. 02 is our internal channel, mainly used for communication within the Dawn City area."

At 10:15, the darkness that had been shrouding Night City receded like the tide, instantly transforming into a drizzly morning, and the patrol drones of the city's defense guard battalion disappeared from the sky.

The curfew has been lifted.

In the E5 defense sector, the hazy sunlight seeped through the gaps in the clouds, like diluted molten lead, pouring onto the hundred-meter-high steel walls of Dawn City. Above the massive, thick walls, a large number of base weapons were densely arranged. The muzzles of various weapons, including electromagnetic cannons, heavy artillery, howitzers, and pulse cannons, were soaked by the rain. The rainwater flowed down the grooves filled with monster claws and hideous cracks, converging at the bottom into a turbid stream, washing away the charred remains left by the monster horde attack.

Inside the city, the neon lights had not yet completely gone out.

Survivors from various neighborhoods poured out like beehives. Some convoys seemed to have been prepared in advance, setting off immediately at daybreak. Modified vehicles of all sizes and types began to emerge from the narrow streets, flooding the main roads toward the city's outskirts. However, there were quite a few convoys with this idea, and shortly after dawn, long queues and traffic jams had already formed on several main roads leading out of the city. Some small convoys on the roadside had people holding up various signs describing their convoys, hoping to join or follow them.

Lin Xian and Jiang Yun, along with several team members, boarded a modified off-road vehicle and drove towards the depths of the old city. Outside the window, they could clearly see a huge and magnificent city ring above the inner ring of the Twin Star Towers in the inner city. Originally, it was the city's high-speed maglev rail corridor and a landmark of the city. Even from near-Earth orbit, this azure city ring could be seen.

But after the Apocalypse, the Star City Ring was completely extinguished, one-third of the passage collapsed, leaving only a broken megastructure of the city, telling the story of the twilight of human technology.

More and more residents appeared on the road, and long queues formed in front of the vending machines that used blood essence coins. The coin slots were rusty, and occasionally a blood essence coin would get stuck, drawing a few curses. Street vendors set up rain shelters and sold synthetic protein blocks, filtered bottled water, and some collected, unexpired food supplies. Heat rose in the cold rain, mixed with the smell of damp concrete in the city.

Inside the watchtower on the city wall, the garrison soldier yawned and rubbed his red eyes. On his monitor, apart from the E5 defense sector, the surveillance footage outside the city in other areas was filled with static and noise. The radar and the spirit-sweeping value scanner did not detect any abnormalities.

Safety.

Daylight broke, and at least for today, Dawn City was still alive.

(End of this chapter)