Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 148: Earthquake

"So, is Phoenix's headquarters now based in the sky?" Lin Xian asked.

Wei Kexue nodded. "Right now, Phoenix has three headquarters, all of which are constantly moving across the world.

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He shrugged and looked at Lin Xian. "The land-based mobile center operates similarly to your Infinite Train. Our track-bound convoys move along the Planetary Orbital Rail, but since we have all-terrain mobility, we don’t maintain every section of the tracks. If an area is too damaged or has terrain fractures, we simply detour."

"Currently, Dawn coordinates all emergency response teams in Dragon Nation, providing survivor aid in areas not yet covered by the Abysses, helping more people stay alive."

BEEP—Program Initiated.

Another PX-05 Engineering Robot successfully came online under Lin Xian's repair. It wobbled slightly before stabilizing, then soared up toward the ascent elevator passage, heading to its designated area for maintenance.

"Just as I expected," Lin Xian took a deep breath. "The top priority is ensuring the survival of as many people as possible. The Polar Night came too fast—the world collapsed before anyone could react."

"Yeah... I was just at work when it happened. By the time I got home, my wife and kid were gone..."

Wei Kexue tapped at his keyboard, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle. "After that, I just kept searching the zombie-infested streets, wondering if they had turned, if they were suffering less, if other zombies were bullying them or something..."

Lin Xian fell silent for a moment before speaking in a calm but firm tone.

"No one knows what tomorrow will bring. Now that the world is on the brink of destruction, the only path left for us... is forward."

"Exactly! Our abilities will grow stronger, and one day, the tables will turn—it won’t be us being hunted in the dark. We'll be the ones hunting them!" KIKI clenched her fists.

"I couldn't agree more."

Wei Kexue nodded. "It's only been a few months, but Phoenix has already made breakthroughs in both eerie invasion research and ability development. We constantly broadcast updates via radio to survivors worldwide.

Our philosophy is simple: the more people who grow stronger, the more who survive. And one day, we’ll stop running."

"From order to chaos, then from chaos back to order. Many convoys are now joining forces, improving survival rates. And as more people connect, information spreads faster."

Lin Xian focused on repairing another robot, his Mechanical Manufacturing experience growing with every success. This support mission was turning into a major gain for him.

He was already considering scanning the railgun blueprints, along with Iron Guard Brigade’s battle armor and mechs. After reaching Jiazhou City, he'd take the time to study and enhance them, arming both himself and his team.

"Right now, Phoenix’s Nightwalkers Division is led by former key personnel from the Angel Project. Their main focus is ability research, but they’re also actively recruiting ability users," Wei Kexue explained.

"Recruiting?" Lin Xian raised an eyebrow. "For research?"

"That’s just a small part of it," Wei Kexue replied. "The Nightwalkers train ability users, dispatching them for rescue missions and eerie item collection. Compared to the early Angel Project, our research has already made significant progress."

"Captain Lin, your ability is extraordinary—and so is this young lady's psychic power. The Nightwalkers need people like you." Wei Kexue adjusted his glasses. "Honestly, you could join us or at least partner with Phoenix.

We can offer a lot of support that you might find useful."

"You’re saying the Nightwalkers operate from your three headquarters?" KIKI asked.

"Correct. The closest one to you is Dawn Headquarters. After crossing the High-Altitude Corridor, you’d need about two days to catch up."

"Not that easy," Lin Xian mused.

"After Jiazhou City, we'd have to cross Hengshan Pass, the Wei River, and Longjiang. But to the northeast, we’ve got Abyss Zone No. 5 devouring West Gobi. To the southeast, there’s Abyss Zone No. 7 swallowing Haidong.

To bypass those, we’d have to take the Parma Grasslands route through Jinhai and Xingcheng.

If Dawn is taking the Yun’an Ridge path, that means they aren’t using the Transoceanic Rail, which would have taken them across the Northern Continental Shelf and through the Qiong’gu Strait."

Teaming up with Phoenix could provide huge advantages.

In this apocalyptic world, sticking together was the smartest move—only bandits and raiders thrived alone.

Even if Lin Xian didn’t join, forming an alliance was far better than running blindly through the dark.

But catching up to Dawn? That was another problem altogether...

"Exactly," Wei Kexue nodded. "There are too many people—we can't move them all onto the Transoceanic Rail. Ground migration is the only viable option."

Lin Xian asked, "With satellite communications down, how does Phoenix coordinate its scattered emergency teams globally?"

"There are several methods. It’s complicated, but in short:

Unmanned aerial drones provide fixed-path guidance.Teams pre-register location anchors before every mission.Relay points broadcast signals via saturation transmission.Courier networking—a.k.a. the Postman System.For large-scale orders, we use longwave radio with coded signals—but I can't share those details."

"Anchor points? Holy sh*t—that's like cyber-age signal beacons!" KIKI exclaimed.

"Then why don’t you just use the Dark Radio's blood crystal technology to amplify ground signal relays and extend transmission range?"

Wei Kexue's expression immediately darkened.

Lin Xian sighed, giving KIKI a look.

"Hey. Do you even hear yourself? Everything is mobile—why the hell would we build fixed signal stations?

And where are we supposed to find enough eerie blood crystals? Even if survivors don’t steal them, monsters will devour them the moment night falls!"

"...Oh. Yeah, that’s true..." KIKI scratched her head awkwardly.

Wei Kexue chuckled. "Information transfer is a huge problem, no doubt."

"After evacuating from here, will you return to Dawn HQ?" Lin Xian asked.

"No." Wei Kexue’s face turned serious. "Each emergency team has a one-time mission.

If we survive, we'll reroute north from Jiazhou City—we won’t follow the Eastern Planetary Rail."

BOOM!

Just as Lin Xian and Wei Kexue were finishing another robot repair, a deep tremor shook the entire airport.

The vibrations grew stronger, lasting several seconds before fading.

Outside, in the airport plaza, countless survivors felt the ground tremble, their heads spinning as dust clouds swirled up. Car windows rattled—then, chaos erupted.

"An earthquake?!"

"What the hell was that?!"

"What’s going on?!"

Aboard Infinite Train

Inside the research carriage, Ding Junyi sat by a Dark Radio, gathering Phoenix’s intel while studying the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum. As the tremors hit, she frowned sharply.

She immediately stood, rushing to the front carriage.

"Ms. Chen, this quake reminds me of the underground creature we encountered last night in Underground City No. 9.

I suggest we contact Lin Xian and the airport emergency team—immediately."

"I’m already trying."

Chen Sixuan was urgently calling the control tower via the responder, while simultaneously reaching Lin Xian on the radio.