In the dark of night, the Infinite Train rested silently on the tracks in the valley, like a mechanical behemoth.

Inside the third carriage, Lin Xian's eyes glowed faintly as he activated his Mechanical Repair skill, focusing on the rear ramp and side armor. Meanwhile, Chen Sixuan busied herself disinfecting the wounds on Lin Xian's hands and face using a first-aid kit they had scavenged from the Oasis Convoy.

"Hm?"

Lin Xian suddenly paused, his pupils filled with shock as he stared at the light screen in front of him.

His attributes and skill proficiencies had made a significant leap!

[Current Mechanical Heart Level: LV.1 – 310/500]

[Note: Leveling up the Mechanical Heart grants special skill rewards. At LV.3, LV.6, and LV.9, it unlocks a mysterious awakening.]

[Basic Attributes]

Strength: LV.1 – 47/50

Defense: LV.0 – 28/30

[Current Basic Skills]

[Special Skills]

"How did my attributes increase without devouring machinery?" Lin Xian muttered, perplexed.

After the battle, his Wind Cannon had jumped from 25 to 66 proficiency, while Ice Shield, which had previously gained 5 points after his fight with Liu Wei, had now increased by 12. While it made sense that fighting stronger enemies yielded more gains, the unexpected rise in his basic attributes puzzled him.

Previously, attribute increases were rewards gained exclusively through Mechanical Devour.

Yet tonight, his strength had risen by 14 points, speed by 7 points, and defense by 8 points—a gain equivalent to devouring four large freezers.

"What's going on?"

Both surprised and delighted, Lin Xian mulled over this anomaly. "I've killed so many zombies before, but they've never increased my attributes."

He sank into deep thought. "Could it be that killing these eerie entities grants ability enhancements?"

This seemed like the most plausible explanation. He recalled the black centipede on Grandpa Li, the white humanoid giant in the furniture store, and now the massive red insect. He hadn't been the one to kill the first two but had finally dealt the killing blow tonight.

Letting out a sigh, Lin Xian decided not to overthink it. Gains were better than nothing.

From his current attributes, both strength and defense were close to leveling up—a concrete improvement that significantly boosted his combat prowess.

Far away, hundreds of kilometers from the valley, the city of Jiang was plunged into Polar Night.

In the darkness, the city's streets and corners teemed with zombies and eerie entities. The radio waves had gone silent.

High above, within the enormous cloud cover, a colossal floating corpse trembled. The clouds dispersed, revealing its massive form, like a mountain blotting out the stars.

Suddenly, the zombies throughout the city grew agitated, and countless hidden creatures began howling. Black blood mist was forcibly drawn from their bodies, coalescing under a strange gravitational pull. As if the heavens had flipped, the zombies collapsed en masse, falling like grain in a harvested field.

A suffocating deathly aura enveloped the entire city.

Then, the continent-sized floating corpse slowly turned eastward and began to move.

After a night of repairs, Lin Xian had restored most of the damage to the third carriage. He patched the broken sections with steel plates, rendering the carriage functional once more.

Exhaustion had taken its toll, and when he finally opened his eyes again, it was to Chen Sixuan calling him awake.

"Lin Xian, Lin Xian!"

Opening his eyes, he saw Chen Sixuan's bright, excited gaze. "It's daylight!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pointing to his watch. "Look!"

Lin Xian focused his gaze, feeling the sunlight streaming through the window. His watch read 16:26—an hour and a half earlier than expected!

His eyes widened, and the grogginess vanished instantly. "How far did we travel last night?" he asked Chen Sixuan.

"Over 400 kilometers. If the odometer is accurate, we're only about 50 kilometers from Beiwang Town."

Lin Xian turned toward the nearby couch and noticed Kiki, already awake, sitting cross-legged with a cheerful grin. She waved at him.

"You're better now?" Lin Xian asked.

"Yep! After a good night's sleep, I feel great!" Kiki beamed, full of energy.

Lin Xian frowned and muttered, "I think I forgot to tie you up."

Kiki's face instantly darkened, and she tensed up. "Hey! I saved your life yesterday! You're still thinking of tying me up?"

"No need to tie you up," Lin Xian replied seriously. "Considering your performance last night, I'll let the food theft slide. But if you don't answer my questions honestly, I'll still throw you off the train."

Kiki's expression grew uneasy. She hesitated, her voice trembling slightly. "W-what questions?"

"You said your father is the owner of Linglong Corporation and a secondary investor in the Dawn Project. Is that true?"

Kiki tilted her head, confused. "Didn't you say you weren't interested in that?"

"Answer me!" Lin Xian demanded sharply. His stern demeanor made it clear he wasn't in the mood for games. Kiki's personality was unpredictable, and her newfound ability made her a potential threat. If Lin Xian didn't set boundaries now, she'd be impossible to manage.

Even Chen Sixuan, standing nearby, felt a pang of nervousness. She quietly reflected that she hadn't realized Lin Xian possessed such decisiveness and intensity. In moments like this, he seemed more like a commanding leader than her peer.

"It's true!" Kiki snapped, her tone annoyed. She thought to herself,This guy is insufferable.

"Where were you heading in the helicopter?"

"I don't really know," Kiki replied with a shrug. "I just know it was toward Mount Daluo."

Lin Xian studied her closely. Her tone didn't seem deceptive, so he pressed on.

"Do you know why the helicopter crashed?"

At this, Kiki's face paled slightly. She shook her head. "I don't remember much. It lost control all of a sudden, and... there seemed to be something in the sky."

Lin Xian's frown deepened.

As he suspected, the massive cloud formation over Jiang City harbored something truly terrifying. That oppressive presence was even more unsettling than the onset of the Polar Night.

"Alright, one last question."

Lin Xian exhaled, fixing Kiki with a scrutinizing gaze. "You're young, but you seem highly knowledgeable about advanced technology. Why is that?"

Kiki, who had been tense, relaxed slightly at the question. Her eyes lit up, and she smirked with confidence.

"You underestimate me! I'm well-versed in cutting-edge information systems. There's nowhere online I can't access. Before all this, I could even get my hands on the specs for the Starfleet's most advanced heavy integrated armor. Ever heard of the multi-aperture phased array radar? Or the experimental I-17 multi-leaf plasma cannon? Those are fun toys, but I know much more."

She continued, now gesturing toward the train with enthusiasm. "Take your 2028-model Whale 03E Heavy Gas Turbine Locomotive. It's been retired for nearly a decade and struggles with the turbulence and high-salinity windstorms of transoceanic railways. You've only driven it 1,000 kilometers, and you're far from the oceanic route. But food, water, air, information, defense, and medical supplies? Aside from the energy shortage, you're basically starting from scratch. Am I wrong?"

Chen Sixuan looked at Kiki in sheer disbelief. It was hard to imagine that this young girl could possess such extensive knowledge.