Chapter 57: Jiang Yun (First Update, Requesting Monthly Votes)

"Is it really fixed?!" Xu Jin asked, immediately taking the precious clean water with a prepared cup. He brought it up to his nose to sniff, and his eyes lit up instantly.

"Clean, clear, and odorless. It's really usable!"

"Of course," Shu Qin said with excitement. "We've always used this water purifier. If you boil it before drinking, there won't be any problem at all."

"Great, great, great!"

Xu Jin nodded and immediately took out his walkie-talkie to summon his convoy members, preparing to start the trade.

"Thank you."

At this moment, Shu Qin gratefully handed over a large box of canned goods to Lin Xian. "You've been a huge help to me."

Lin Xian took the box directly and said, "Just a small favor. I heard you're also heading to Yubei City?"

"Yes," Shu Qin nodded. "Yubei City is a port city on the Ring Star Railway. I heard the Dachushan Tunnel is blocked, so many people here are planning to pass through there and then travel toward Star City."

Star City?

Lin Xian fell into a brief silence. As expected, the choice of most people was to run toward the major central cities of the Dragon Country first. Regardless of whether those cities had fallen, at least in such places, material resources were incomparable to those of smaller cities.

At this time, several other people with equipment repair needs also came over. Seeing that Lin Xian had fixed Shu Qin's water purifier, they eagerly sought his help as well.

However, Lin Xian did not completely solve all their problems. He only repaired an infrared detector set for a large vehicle fleet and scanned its blueprints.

He planned to integrate this device into the train's night sentry system, and in exchange, he received a box of antibiotics.

The words of Shu Qin and Xu Jin just now served as a reminder: medicine was also an extremely crucial asset during their escape.

As for the vehicle repairs and the drone from the other two convoys, Lin Xian expressed his inability to help.

Firstly, the vehicle repair involved a fractured steering rod and a blown engine. There was no way he could weld a steering rod back together in full view of everyone using just a screwdriver...

As for the drone, it was ordinary merchandise, far inferior to the one on Qian Yu's armored vehicle. Intentionally concealing his true capability, Lin Xian shook his head and refused after a brief inspection.

Being skilled in machinery meant one shouldn't show off too much. If he fixed the water purifier on one side and then managed a heavy vehicle's steering rod and a drone on the other, tomorrow people would be asking him to repair solid-fuel rocket engines.

It was always wise to leave some room for maneuver. In this camp of survivors, showing a moderate amount of goodwill was quite enough.

"Train Captain Lin."

Just as everyone was preparing to return to their camps to travel under the cover of night, Lin Xian and KIKI were also getting ready to leave. At that moment, Jiang Yun walked toward Lin Xian with a smile. At the same time, one of his subordinates ran over from outside, carrying two strange devices in his hands.

"Brother Yun."

"Show them to them," Jiang Yun said casually.

The subordinate stepped forward and handed the devices to Lin Xian.

One was a modified radio.

The other was a device resembling a clock.

"This is the Spirit Fluctuation Detector, and here are the blueprints."

Lin Xian took it and found that it was a hemispherical device made of copper, about the size of a palm, wrapped around with fine iron wires, with a filter at the bottom that needed to be connected to a portable power source.

"This thing is actually handcrafted. It feels quite difficult to make."

"Since there are blueprints, I'll take a photo," KIKI said, taking out her phone and snapping a picture of the detector's blueprint.

Lin Xian did not stop her. In fact, he had only studied it in his hands for a moment before his Mechanical Heart ability activated, completing the scan almost instantly.

However, he still needed to put on a show.

[Obtained Unknown Signal Detector Blueprint, Designation N01]

He took a glance; the difficulty was not high. The biggest issue was the filter, but as long as he had the opportunity to devour some household appliances and gather materials, it would be quite easy to build.

Another problem was that this detector required the use of those red beads.

Jiang Yun told him that using this detector consumed energy, meaning the energy contained within those red beads was limited and could not be used indefinitely—it was a consumable item.

Seeing KIKI take out her phone, the expression in Jiang Yun's eyes shifted slightly. Connecting it with the fact that Lin Xian and his group could drive a huge train forward, he seemed to have guessed something, but he kept it to himself and changed the subject.

"When the urban industrial system was intact, a device like this was utterly worthless. But now, all survivors are living on the edge, and they might not even have clean water to drink. Being able to cobble something like this together is already quite remarkable."

Lin Xian nodded and returned the detector to Jiang Yun.

"Thank you, I'll study it when I get back."

Jiang Yun nodded. "Good luck."

Looking at him, Lin Xian asked directly, "Captain Jiang, you initiated tonight's mutual aid bonfire. Why haven't I noticed you having any particularly urgent needs?"

"Are you also going to ask why I specifically invited you to participate?" Jiang Yun seemed to see right through Lin Xian's hint of doubt and asked with a smiling counter-question.

Lin Xian was slightly startled, smiled indifferently, and remained silent.

Whoosh~

At that moment, another gust of cold wind blew past.

Jiang Yun stood before Lin Xian, suddenly reaching out and grasping the air. The cold wind swirled like a surging current, instantly forming a massive stream of air in his palm. Then, he clapped his hands, and that powerful airflow vanished completely.

"Wow!" KIKI exclaimed in surprise. "You can catch the wind?"

"This ability has one advantage: you can run fast and go to many places," Jiang Yun said, glancing at KIKI and then at Lin Xian's slightly solemn gaze. Seeming to have no intention of hiding it, he spoke candidly, "I completely understand your mindset. Leading a train full of people on a desperate run for survival, maintaining defense and caution against everything, is a good thing. Staying alive in the apocalypse isn't easy."

"You asked me what my purpose was in initiating the mutual aid bonfire. Actually, it's very simple."

"From a rational standpoint, first of all, I really like trains. If my ability wasn't Wind Walker, I'd honestly love to build a mobile fortress just like you. So regardless of what kind of abilities you have, being able to break through the dark night with such methods—I admire both your courage and strength."

"From an emotional standpoint, in this apocalyptic world where life and death are uncertain and everyone looks out for themselves, having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy," Jiang Yun said frankly.

Lin Xian was surprised. "Just to get to know more survivors?"

"That's right. Living between life and death every day, useful information and assistance can often save you from the brink," Jiang Yun stated directly. "Perhaps this is what distinguishes us humans from those damn things."

Jiang Yun turned around, pulled the young subordinate next to him over, and ruffled his hair. "These kids following me all the way aren't always lucky enough to survive every time. Along the journey, we've received plenty of help as well."

"That's right, everyone helps each other through the tough times!" The subordinate looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, his eyes filled with a positive spirit.

Hearing this, Lin Xian's brow relaxed, and Jiang Yun's words touched him somewhat.

"Thank you. If I ever run into a bonfire initiated by you again, I will definitely attend."

Jiang Yun smiled and spread his hands. "See? Haven't I achieved my goal?"

With that, his gaze swept across, and he turned away, raising a hand in farewell.

"Good luck."

...

Having acquired the blueprint for the Spirit Fluctuation Detector, a bizarre blood essence, and gathering plenty of useful information, this trip was quite a rewarding harvest for Lin Xian and his group.

Just as he was about to leave, Jiang Yun's subordinate, who rode the mountain bike, suddenly rode up to his car window.

"Hey, Brother Yun asked me to remind you: when using the Dark Radio, do not tune the frequency to 1542!"

Hearing this, Lin Xian's expression turned slightly stern. "Is that the eerie radio you mentioned?"

"That's right, be careful yourselves."

With that, the young man rode off into the distance again.

"1542..." KIKI in the back seat wore a puzzled look. "It's just a radio. Could a monster actually crawl out of it?"

"Listen to advice and you'll live well," Lin Xian motioned for Dahua to start driving while saying, "There's no need to satisfy your curiosity about such things."

"I'm not curious at all, I'm scared of ghosts..."

KIKI shuddered. "Now that he's said that, I don't even dare to use the radio anymore."

"Let's head back first."

Lin Xian pondered. They would return and resume their journey first. Under the cover of night, he needed to devour everything that was meant to be devoured, and then find a way to gather materials to build the Spirit Fluctuation Detector.

Besides, since he currently possessed only a single bizarre blood essence, his primary objective was still to connect the radio; otherwise, he might miss a great deal of useful information.

Hum~ Hum~ Hum~

Across the open ground surrounding the abandoned factory, hundreds of vehicles successively started their engines and began driving away into the distance. Some parted ways at various intersections, while others, anxious about the dangers, grouped several convoys together and plunged swiftly into the darkness.

The noise stirred up some zombies in the suburban woods, and numerous roars began to echo through the dark night.

Jiang Yun's vehicle was a modified large-wheeled off-road truck, with his motorcycle secured to the rear.

In the driver's seat, Jiang Yun watched the tail lights of the Jeep carrying Lin Xian disappear into the distance, and said faintly, "It seems they, like us, intend to enter the Ring Star Passage from Yubei and cross the high-altitude corridor of the Wanyuan Canyon."

Ren Huiyan, wearing leather clothes, was sitting in the passenger seat and spoke up.

"The climbing passage lost power long ago, and survivors' vehicles can't ascend without traction, let alone a rail train that heavy."

Jiang Yun gave a light chuckle.

"Heh, Ping'ahu Lake has major anomaly entities haunting it, and the Dachushan Mountain Tunnel is completely blocked. To cross Wanyuan Canyon, one has no choice but to detour and climb over a thousand kilometers of Dachushan. Now, with the polar night closing in and the corpse-herders blocking the rear, I estimate there are quite a few people at Yubei City wanting to walk the Ring Star No. 1 high-altitude corridor section. Moreover, I have a feeling that Train Captain Lin definitely has a way to get up there."

"You're that certain?" Ren Huiyan asked.

Jiang Yun put on his sunglasses, the corners of his mouth curling up in absolute confidence.

"Five people driving three locomotive engines charging through the dark night—they are absolute badasses. Yes, I'm very optimistic about this guy!"

Immediately afterward, he stepped on the accelerator, roared the engine, and sped away with dashing style.