Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train
Chapter 312: Desert Iron Alliance

Shi Deyuan’s voice came through the communicator, snapping Lin Xian out of his thoughts.

He immediately turned around. A mechanical gleam flashed in his eyes. Swish, swish, swish—in an instant, all the blackout blinds on the Infinite Train lifted at once. Outside the windows stretched a barren expanse of rocky desert, covered in yellow sand. The long, winding joint train moved steadily across the land. Through the window, a small town in the middle of this desolate no-man’s-land gradually came into view.

The scorching sun shimmered above the wasteland, creating visible waves of heat. The distant town looked like the desiccated corpse of a camel—telephone poles like exposed ribs leaning awkwardly in the dunes, frayed wires trembling slightly in the haze. Further off, clusters of greenhouses dotted the landscape, their black tarps tattered and torn, resembling orderly scars slashed into the earth.

The station was an old-school open-air platform. On its rusted metal roof, the three characters for “Luobu Station” looked like they belonged to another century. The only reason this tiny place even had a rail connection was because it was on the way to Quancheng, and it used to be known for its melons. But at times like this, you could forget about finding such rare fruits.

The joint train was so long that even before it reached the station, Longshan One started braking early. It had to slow down over a stretch of 500 meters before the entire train screeched to a stop.

Lin Xian and Shi Deyuan quickly decided: just send a few people from the front cars to check things out. No need to linger in a place like this. If there was no water to refill, they’d head out immediately and try to reach Akesai before nightfall.

Once the train stopped, Lin Xian gave the eager Huo Ge an assignment, then had Shu Qin lead Shang Lüchang and a few others. The group split up to scout the town—some from the air, others on foot. Longshan One’s group, led by Ning Jing, set out with Xiao Qing and A Bai.

With A Bai on board, Lin Xian didn’t need to bother Ding or Hell Black Chrysanthemum. He could finally enjoy the rare luxury of kicking back and letting his teammates handle the exploring.

He handed out more than ten comms posts to Shu Qin’s group, instructing them to plant one every two kilometers to avoid signal issues. KIKI also launched a drone to patrol the surrounding airspace.

Under the blistering sun, the automatic door of Car 5 slid open. Before Lu Xingchen and Shu Qin could step outside, a wave of hot, stifling air surged in. Wind whipped across the Gobi, flinging sand like razors. The very air reeked of grit.

The power armor wasn’t fully enclosed but had an attachable gas mask module. Lu Xingchen, not wanting the hassle, simply slapped on a reinforced windproof face shield. Then, with flames shooting from his fingers, he soared into the sky.

Shu Qin also suited up in power armor and jumped out with her squad, rifles at the ready.

Creak—

As boots hit the gravel and hard-packed sand, a gritty crunch echoed. From around the old platform and a few abandoned buildings, a handful of skeletal zombies staggered toward the train with hoarse groans.

Whoosh!

A spinning blade flashed through the air, slicing cleanly through the zombies’ heads. Lüchang retracted his electric blade and silently followed Shu Qin as they slipped deeper into the town.

From the rest of the train, some squads peered through scopes while others launched drones. Once the train came to a halt, the survivors quieted down, waiting for the scouting teams’ reports.

In Car 2, KIKI piloted her drone as Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan stood behind her. On the main monitor, the town of Luobu looked like a forgotten wasteland. Not even 100 days after Doomsday, the desert had already reclaimed much of the town. Dry weeds blanketed the ground, and tattered storefronts had doors barely hanging by a hinge, creaking in the breeze with an eerie wail.

Under the blazing sun, only the dried-out zombies remained—wandering aimlessly in faded, weather-beaten clothes.

The drone’s buzzing drew some of the zombies’ attention. They tilted their heads up, their milky white eyes scanning the sky.

“No water here, not even a busted-down car left to scavenge,” KIKI muttered as she nudged the joystick slowly.

That guy next to her scoffed, “We weren’t planning to stay here anyway. Once we finish the sweep, we’ll move out.”

Jin Xuechen turned to him, “By the way, before the polar night, didn’t a few squads suggest keeping the joint convoy together permanently? But you and Shi said you might change routes, so that idea got scrapped.”

“We’re all thinking of heading north to catch up with the Dawn Center, right?”

Qian Dele nodded. “Yeah. After all we’ve been through, chasing down Phoenix Society’s splinter group makes more sense. Safer for us too.”

“Yeah, makes sense,” that guy agreed. “If we were sticking to one route, staying together wouldn’t be a problem. But combining into one group permanently... that’s a different story.”

KIKI glanced over. “There’s no way we could manage that many people, especially with some of these teams...”

Chen Sixuan raised a brow, puzzled. “What kind of teams?”

Lin Xian saw the look on KIKI’s face and chuckled, explaining to Chen Sixuan, “Longshan One’s crew ran background checks on all the other teams before forming this convoy. They did a thorough job.”

“Back in Yijin City, Ning told us the Ocean Squad used to be black market smugglers in Xilan. Their crew’s a total mess—mixed crowd, terrible management. First day in the city, they already caused trouble. And then there’s the Rose Squad. Eighty percent of the women on that team survived by selling their bodies during the apocalypse. The men? Basically pimps and hired muscle. Oh, and don’t forget the Hellbringers…”

“Hell... what now?” Chen Sixuan frowned.

KIKI’s expression darkened.

Lin Xian glanced at her odd reaction and said calmly, “Hey, they’re just a bunch of muscle-heads. Doesn’t mean anything.”

“I’m not overthinking!” KIKI scrunched her nose and shot a look at Sasa. “Hey Sasa, have you ever seen your brother wearing denim booty shorts?”

Bang!

Startled by that, Sasa’s hands slipped and her generator short-circuited in a burst of sparks. Her face froze in horror. “W-what the h*ll?!”

“See?” KIKI pointed. “Even she’s freaked out.”

Chen Sixuan couldn’t help but pull a weird face.

“So yeah,” Lin Xian said flatly. “That’s why we’re only traveling together—not merging. Once we hit Quancheng, they’ll all head north. Only us and Longshan One are going south to Jinhai.”

“What about the Queen Mo and Joker squads?” KIKI asked. “Didn’t that chick want to stick with you?”

Lin Xian sighed. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. If they want to tag along, it’s not a big deal.”

Qian Dele and Monica’s squads were strong, and both of them had impressive abilities. Lin Xian didn’t mind extra backup on the way to Jinhai.

“Captain Lin,”

Shu Qin’s voice came through the comms. “We’ve swept a few streets. Nothing noteworthy. Some signs of old camps, but nothing useful.”

On a deserted street half-buried in sand, tumbleweeds rolled by in the wind. Shu Qin stood at a corner, Lüchang watching from a nearby rooftop.

“There’s still a few streets and a big market. Give us about ten minutes.”

“Got it.”

Lin Xian pressed his comm: “Huo Ge, what’s your status?”

Whoosh—

High in the sky, Lu Xingchen relished the joy of soaring through the scorching daylight. With his speed, he could scan the whole town in minutes. The heat didn’t bother him at all. Honestly, he was having the time of his life.

“Brother Lin, nothing spotted yet. Expanding search radius.”

With a grin, he rocketed higher.

Meanwhile, northeast of Luobu, on a remote farm, over a dozen spiked, heavily-modified off-road vehicles had surrounded a makeshift convoy of a bus and some smaller cars. These brutal-looking rides were welded with steel spikes, red vulture emblems warped to mimic Phoenix Society’s logo, and weaponized fronts that looked like meat grinders stained with dried blood.

One of the trucks was converted into a cage, packed with dozens of prisoners. Judging by their gear, they weren’t from the same squad. Some wore metal masks and shackles—likely to restrain Awakened or enhanced types. Most were men, kids, or elderly women.

A few recent captives screamed and struggled, trying to break free. In front of a warehouse, a crowd of raiders were in the midst of a sick, frenzied party. Clad in studded jackets and freakish outfits, they cheered wildly. In the chaos, six or seven women—naked, bloodied, bruised—were bound to wooden crates, being brutally abused by turns.

Nearby, several corpses lay in fresh pools of blood. The scene was pure hell—an apocalyptic wasteland of humanity at its worst.

The raider leader, known as “Brother J,” led one of the Red Vultures’ sub-gangs. Unlike the others, he wore a clean white shirt, gold-rimmed glasses, and had slicked-back hair—like a well-groomed city professional.

But in one hand, he held a Gurkha knife, dragging a struggling middle-aged man toward a girl. She was the youngest of the captives, naked but untouched, as if saved just for him.

Tears streamed down her face as she watched him slash the man’s shoulder—blood sprayed like a fountain.

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Dad!!”

She screamed in hysteria, yanking so hard on her chains that barbed hooks shredded her hands and feet. The surrounding raiders grinned with twisted glee.

Brother J’s eyes gleamed with madness. He was turned on by her reaction. Unzipping his pants, he growled:

“Yes, yes, that’s it. Scream! Look at him and scream!”

“Let her go!” the man roared, blood pouring, pain forgotten.

Just then, from the rooftop of a truck, a glint of light flickered through binoculars. The lookout’s face changed, and he grabbed his radio:

“Boss, we’ve got a problem—something big just rolled into Luobu.”

Just as Brother J was getting into the mood, he heard a voice come through the walkie-talkie. His manic expression vanished instantly as he zipped up and barked at the others around him,

“Cut the crap!”

In the Western Gobi, you could never afford to let your guard down—especially when your scout had something to say. Every single bandit here understood that.

In the blink of an eye, whether they were still at it or mid-act, they all yanked up their pants, grabbed their guns, and in perfect sync began guarding the perimeter.

Brother J jumped back into the vehicle, grabbed the digital binoculars, and peered in the direction the scout had pointed out.

In an instant, his pupils contracted.

Far off near Rob Town, an armored doomsday train stretched endlessly across the horizon like a steel dragon. Blood and flesh clung to both sides of its carriages as if it had just burst out from hell. The sheer presence of it made Brother J's expression shift dramatically. He issued a direct order:

“Sh*t, that’s a major force from Xilan. Fall back, now!”

Just one look was enough. Brother J knew his convoy couldn’t afford to mess with this group. Since the enemy was stopping in Rob Town, they were definitely planning to investigate. Fortunately, they didn’t need the tracks. As long as they disappeared into the Gobi before being spotted, even a train couldn’t do much to them.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the bandits rushed into their vehicles. Modified metal engines roared to life. One of the bandits, climbing aboard, pulled out a Molotov, planning to torch the half-naked women they hadn’t finished with.

The guy in front of him—a bandit with a full beard—turned and slapped the sh*t out of him.

“J said we’re falling back. No noise, you f*ing idiot!”**

Just as the convoy was about to move, the scout seemed to spot something. He pointed at the sky, mouth wide open.

“Crap! It’s an Ability User!”

The words spread through the vehicles via the walkie-talkies instantly. Everyone cocked their guns, ready for combat.

“Take him down!”

“Run!”

In the skies above—it was Lu Xingchen, sweeping the area around Rob Town. Finding nothing in town, he expanded his search. From afar, he spotted the farm with the massive water tank and immediately dived toward it.

From the air, Lu Xingchen initially assumed the vehicles were part of a survivor convoy. He approached to negotiate, but the moment he saw the bodies littering the ground and the prisoner transport truck, his face turned cold as ice.

Da-da-da!

Gunfire rang out first from the ground as the bandit vehicles opened fire. Simultaneously, they revved up and kicked up dust, clearly preparing to flee.

“You dare to kill and loot right in front of me? Then today is the day you die!”

Boom!

As the convoy sped across the desert, dozens of rifles fired at the sky. But the next second—a giant fireball the size of a basketball court fell from the heavens, eclipsing the sun.

“Fire Fist!”

Buzzzzz!

Under the blazing sun, dozens of doomsday vehicles tore across the desert. Near the Infinite Train, on a patch of wasteland, more than a hundred people had gathered—captains and elite members from 22 different convoys.

Meanwhile, the top of the Joint Train was armed to the teeth: electromagnetic cannons, 1130 turrets, machine gun towers, and patrolling guards with weapons secured the area. Even approaching zombies were taken out in advance.

Lin Xian, Chen Sixuan, KIKI, Shi Diyuan from Dragon Mountain No. 1, Qian Dele from Joker Convoy, Monica from the Monica Queen, and Luo Yang and Li Yi, all stood together watching the convoy roll in.

Not long after, more people dispatched from Dragon Mountain No. 1, along with Shu Qin, Lü Chang, Ning Jing, and Xiao Qing, had brought over the vehicles from the Crimson Vulture Gang and the raided convoy, including the caged prisoner truck.

Inside the truck, dozens of disheveled people looked terrified. Faced with this overwhelming steel behemoth, many stared wide-eyed, swallowing nervously. The sudden turn of events had left them confused, unsure of their fate.

Clang, clang.

As the lead truck stopped, Shu Qin and Xiao Qing dragged out the last seven or eight surviving bandits, including the white-shirted Brother J. Their weapons had been confiscated, and iron chains now wrapped around their bodies.

On the bus, the survivors from the attacked convoy huddled together. Some of the assaulted women trembled under blankets, others lay unconscious or weeping, tended to by their companions.

Swoosh—

Descending from above, Fire Bro landed with a crash, stomping on Brother J’s back. The sheer force made him cough up blood violently.

“You fing bstards! Do you even know who I am?! Kill me, and all of you are dead!”**

Brother J, bleeding from the mouth, glared wildly at Lin Xian and the others. Even in chains, he still acted arrogant.

“Brother Lin, I’m sorry.”

Lu Xingchen exhaled and looked apologetically at Lin Xian.

“When I saw these inhuman scumbags hurting women, I lost control. I might’ve burned a few too many...”

“How many died?” Lin Xian glanced at the still-spitting Brother J and asked.

“They had about forty guys. These seven are all that’s left.”

Ning Jing yanked a bandit from the trunk and hurled him like a sandbag. He hit the ground hard, a cloud of dust and the sound of cracking bones following. He passed out without a scream.

She glanced at Xiao Qing, whose gun-blade was still dripping with blood.

“If I hadn’t stopped her, there wouldn’t be a single one left.”

Xiao Qing stared at the seven surviving bandits with an emotionless face. Had she not been stopped, she likely wouldn’t have spared a soul.

“Scum like you deserve death.”

Xiao Qing said coldly. Her rare archaic tone made Lin Xian glance at her—wasn’t this 2069? Could Fire Bro’s habits be contagious?

“F* this. Why keep these animals alive?”**

Shi Diyuan swept his gaze across the group and barked.

“There’s a reason.”

Qian Dele scrutinized the gear and vehicles.

“These rides are custom-modified for desert terrain. That means they’re not migrants—they’re desert bandits based in the Western Gobi.”

Shi Diyuan frowned and turned to Lin Xian:

“You planning to get something out of them?”

Before Lin Xian could answer, Brother J suddenly shouted,

“Kill me then! Go ahead! Let’s see if you can even make it out of this desert!”

“Shut up.”

KIKI, having heard everything over the comms, was already furious. With a snap of her fingers, she clamped his jaw shut with telekinesis. All of his teeth shattered instantly—he couldn’t even scream as blood gushed out.

Lin Xian nodded to Shu Qin, who stepped forward, kicked Brother J over, and used her gun to pop open his shirt buttons. On the left side of his chest was a dark-golden hexagonal device embedded over his heart.

“This the thing?”

“Yeah.” Shu Qin nodded.

“According to him, they’re part of a desert alliance called the Iron League, with over ten thousand members. They’re bound by mutual interests. That device is the Iron League Emblem—if his heart stops, all nearby Iron League convoys will launch an attack on us.”

“That’s right!” another bandit joined in defiantly.

“You mess with us, and you’ll never make it out of this desert. The Iron League will tear you apart!”

“Bullsh*t!”

Shi Diyuan glared.

“You think we’re idiots? That thing can send a signal like that?”

“It’s true!”

From the prisoner truck, a sunburned young man grabbed the bars and shouted in fear:

“These bandits work together to rob convoys heading to the Federation or Phoenix. That device sends out a localized signal packet, like a radio broadcast. If it goes unanswered every three hours, nearby Iron League convoys will converge here. Our troops were killed the same way!”

“Ours too!”

Another middle-aged man growled from inside the cage.

“They’re like starving wolves!”

“Makes sense now.”

Shi Diyuan sneered.

“No wonder you’re still so cocky on death’s doorstep. A ten-thousand-man alliance? You trying to scare us?”

“Signal packets...”

Qian Dele folded his arms thoughtfully.

“Sounds a lot like Phoenix’s Fire Log signal system.”

“But why would these bandits unite? That’s not normal.”

Li Yi was confused.

“Yeah, something’s off.”

Luo Yang agreed.

“Lin Xian.”

Chen Sixuan whispered in his ear.

“The guy’s still acting tough. Could he really be holding onto something powerful?”

Lin Xian glanced at Brother J, who was now struggling to speak through bloody lips. He gave KIKI a signal.

“Mmm—mmgh!”

Freed from her psychic grip, Brother J was now filled with dread. These people were terrifying. Their methods were endless, and he—once a convoy leader—was powerless even against their underlings. The leaders looked even scarier.

Brother J knew he was doomed. Desperation kicked in, adrenaline surged, and he masked his fear with arrogant bravado. He struggled to his feet and spat blood as he mumbled,

“Don’t believe me? Fine, kill me then. That train of yours—it’s full of supplies, women, and treasure. Once the Iron League locks onto it, we’ll rip up your tracks and trap you like flies.”

“Heh heh heh... you’re probably low on water, right? Even the army won’t mess with us in these parts. Killing me just gifts the League a target. The rest of my Crimson Vultures? They’ll be living the good life! Hahaha!”

Everyone’s faces darkened.

Who would’ve thought this ragtag convoy would dare to threaten a force of over four thousand? But the more he spoke, the more plausible it sounded. If it was true, then these desert hyenas really were a formidable menace. They wouldn’t face you head-on—they’d chip away, rip up tracks, lure in monsters, and ambush you in the night.

The convoy leaders began exchanging uneasy glances. Killing this group was easy—but the consequences? Unclear. So, everyone turned to Lin Xian and Shi Diyuan for a decision.

“Oh really?”

Ning Jing’s voice was cold.

“We’ve got weapons for monsters. Not sure if your little League can handle it.”

“Tch, a pack of mutts dares to threaten the Infinite Train?”

Lu Xingchen ignited a flame in his palm.

“Even a hundred thousand of you can’t stop me from wiping you all out!”

“Fire Bro, that was awesome.”

Shasha shot him a thumbs-up.

“We’ve killed S-class eerie entities. You think we’re scared of desert scum?”

Daluo, gripping her Steel-Slaying Greatsword, silently stepped forward, her eyes locked on the bandits. Just one word from Lin Xian, and she’d send them straight to hell.

“Who’d have thought desert scum could pull off a whole alliance?”

Monica, fanning herself while standing beneath a parasol held by her aide, smiled coolly.

“But you made the wrong call messing with us. Our train can move without tracks. As for your Iron League... let’s see if they’ve got the balls for a real fight.”

Her confidence made Brother J’s twisted grin falter. He glanced around nervously. The Infinite Train, Monica Queen, their armor was top-tier. Mounted railguns, 1130 turrets, and Arc Pulse Resonators lit up ominously.

He couldn’t even understand the tech—but he could tell these weren’t normal trains.

So yeah, now he was panicking.

He knew his death wouldn’t mean much—just that he’d passed along a target. Whether the Iron League attacked or not had nothing to do with him anymore.

But showing fear would get him killed faster. Maybe if he looked confident, they’d keep him alive—better to live a little longer than die now.

“Brother Lin,”

Shi Diyuan stepped closer and said in a low voice,

“Monica’s right. These guys are playing the whole ‘little devils are harder to deal with than big ones’ game. But thinking a few words could shake us? That’s underestimating us.”

“Exactly.”

KIKI chimed in.

“Killing them would be doing them a favor.”

Lin Xian’s eyes flicked over the vehicles, the prisoner truck, then back to the bloodied Brother J.

He walked over, his gaze sharp and serious.

Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

Brother J blinked. A young man was approaching him. From the crowd’s reaction, he realized—this was the leader. This whole iron train was under his command.

A rich boy, probably. That’s what Brother J assumed.

If he was still alive, it meant this guy was scared.

The longer he lived, the more leverage he had.

Confidence crept back into his eyes.

Lin Xian looked him over and said,

“So you mean, as long as we don’t kill you, we won’t have any of these problems?”

Brother J hesitated, knowing this was exactly the dilemma. But he already had a plan.

“Heh, whatever. Lock me up, chop off my arms and legs, toss me in the wild—I don’t care. But if you lock me up, the signal gives you away. If you torture me, I’ll die anyway. I’m a dead man either way.”

He smirked as he stared at Lin Xian.

“And you guys? You’re f*ed either way.”**

Lin Xian paused, then said:

“Then I guess... I have no choice but to let you go?”

“Hahahahaha!!! Look at you! You choose, idol!”

Brother J was laughing maniacally, blood pouring from his mouth. His tied-up lackeys around him burst into laughter too.

Seeing how arrogant he was, the others looked grim.

Lin Xian swept his gaze across the group, paused as if weighing options, then turned to Brother J and said, “There’s no way we’re letting you go. What you brought up is a legit concern. Looks like we’ll have to lock you up first and figure things out later.”

Brother J’s expression twitched slightly, but he didn’t stop smiling. He knew damn well they wouldn’t let him go—but hey, he was still alive. That was a win in his book.

Whatever torment lay ahead, or whether he'd find a way to escape, that was a problem for later.

Looking at Lin Xian now, Brother J felt a little more at ease. Just as he thought—this guy didn’t have the guts. He couldn’t even play him, and he dared go up against the Iron Alliance?

Sooner or later, he’d be meat on the chopping board.

“Do what you want!” Brother J chuckled creepily, so smug it made people want to punch his face in.

But Lin Xian eyed his blood-stained white shirt with interest. “Not bad, huh? Wearing something flashy in a place like this hellhole. You must’ve lived pretty well before Apocalypse Day. Delicate skin too. I’ll have to make sure you get special treatment.”

“Huh?” Brother J’s face twisted.

Delicate skin? What the h**l did that mean?

Before he could ask, Lin Xian suddenly turned and called out, “Big Brother Dong.”

“Yo! Captain Lin!”

From the back of the crowd, a deep, magnetic voice answered. A second later, people started stepping aside. Especially the men—expressions shifting from surprised to horrified, then to gloating… and some just straight-up disgusted.

Step, step.

Four or five towering, muscular men strode in. Mid-30s to 40s, bodies like they lived at the gym—bulging muscles, each one built like a tank. The shortest was easily 6'1". The leader? A massive beast with a receding hairline, full beard, hairy chest under a tight tank top, and tattoo sleeves up both arms.

These guys weren’t just scary. Everyone knew the Hellbringers Convoy wasn’t to be messed with—and that every single one of them had a “thing” for men. Even most guys didn’t dare make eye contact with them.

“What… What are you doing?”

Brother J’s face went pale at the sight.

Lin Xian ignored him, looked straight at Big Brother Dong with a serious face. “These bastards raided our convoy. They r*ped women. I want to ask—how would your team deal with scum like that?”

Dong blinked, caught off guard. Why the hell was he being asked?

Still, instinct kicked in: “F***ers like that? Cut them down, no question. I hate nothing more than cowards who prey on women. Ptooey!”

“Yeah, just kill them already!”

“Slice ’em up!”

His guys chimed in immediately. Then Dong turned back, respectfully:

“But of course, we’ll do whatever you say, Captain Lin.”

Lin Xian nodded. “Well, I was thinking… we lock them up, give them a taste of their own medicine. But there are women and children on board—they won’t want to be anywhere near these punks. I heard your carriage’s a bit empty… maybe you guys could help us out?”

Dong blinked, then it clicked. He looked at the group of captives—eyes lighting up. He gulped.

“Say no more, Captain Lin. I get you.”

He looked at the bus, then gave Brother J a wicked grin.

“Don’t worry, Captain. You hand these delicate little… I mean, b**tards over to us, and we’ll take real good care of them. Bring them back to you good as new!”

He twisted his thick neck, bones cracking like a warning shot.

The other hulks all smiled—breathing a little heavier. Their eyes went from angry glares to gleeful stares, almost… appreciative.

“Wow, Captain Lin really trusts us!”

“I hate r*pists the most. I’m gonna— I mean, we’ll take care of them. Yeah.”

“Finally, something fun in this godforsaken place…”

“Alright, boys—grab ’em!”

Brother J and his gang shuddered. Their captors’ eyes were way too intense.

He turned to Lin Xian, furious.

“F***! Just kill me or let me go—don’t play mind games! That s*** doesn’t work on me!”

Lin Xian smiled and said nothing. He just nodded at Dong.

Eyes sharp, Dong and his men stormed forward, grabbed the captives, and started dragging them toward the train.

“Do you f***ing know who I am?!”

Brother J screamed as Dong approached.

Dong leaned in, voice low and wicked:

“Heard you like people calling you daddy. Don’t worry, baby—we’ll let you call it all you want.”

Brother J’s face froze in terror. He stopped struggling, eyes glassing over. Dong hoisted him up with one arm, over his shoulder. Still, J thrashed wildly, blood flying from his mouth as he screamed:

“Kill me! Just f***ing kill me!!!”

Everyone around had complex expressions. A few guys visibly cringed, imagining the fate that awaited those poor bastards.

Even Daluo shuffled to the side. Dude was built like a steel tower himself, but at least his tastes were… normal. If it were him, he’d just kill them. Quick and clean.

Nearby, Ning Jing and the others watched, satisfied… but concerned.

“Captain Lin, if you hand them over like that, they probably won’t survive.”

Lin Xian turned, calm as ever.

“I never said they had to survive. Didn’t Big Brother Dong say they’d come back intact?”

He looked over at the military bus and smirked.

“Guys like that—just killing them is too easy. If they love r*ping so much, let’s see how they like being on the receiving end first. That’s fair.”

“Wha–?!”

Everyone was stunned. Monica, intrigued, looked over.

“You’re not worried about the Iron Alliance coming after us?”

“What’s there to worry about?” Qian Dele sneered. “It’s all bluff. I say Lin did the right thing. No way we’re letting ourselves be played.”

Shi Diyuan crossed his arms.

“Exactly. If we run into more of them, so what? What, are we rats that run at the first sign of a cat? F*** that.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Lin Xian shook his head and raised his hand. In front of everyone, he activated his Mechanical Manufacturing skill.

In under a minute, tiny parts came flying out and assembled in the air—forming a gold hexagonal bio-signal tracker from J’s chest.

“It sounds fancy, but it’s really just a signal transmitter synced to a life form. Its most complex part is the unique identity code.”

Lu Xingchen’s eyes lit up.

“So you’re using this thing to trick them? That way we won’t trigger the death signal?”

“Ugh, you're so slow!”

Before he could finish, little Shasha rolled her eyes. “And here I thought you were cool earlier.”

“Huh? Did I guess wrong again?” Lu Xingchen scratched his head.

Chen Sixuan smiled.

“Think about it—if we carry this instead of him, it’s the same signal. But it’ll lead them away, and we can dodge the Iron Alliance entirely.”

KIKI added with a grin:

“Exactly. And we can track this Crimson Vulture crew’s movements too. Might even uncover their base—and their supplies. Turn defense into offense.”

Their analysis clicked with everyone.

The crowd stared at Lin Xian, eyes full of awe.

Lin looked back at the two women. Damn.

They knew him almost too well.

“Whoa, genius!”

“That could totally work!”

“Lin’s the man!”

“Bet that guy thought he had us fooled!”

“And we need resources anyway!”

“We should wipe out every convoy like this one. It’s what all survivors want!”

“Yeah!”

Shi Diyuan clapped his hands, laughing.

“Just what I needed—was dying to find water out here, and they bring it to us? Let’s be desert bandits for once, haha!”

Lin Xian nodded. His gaze swept across the desert.

“Nothing here but sand and corpses. Finding water’s damn near impossible. But desert raiders like them? They know where it is.

So we’ll let Big Brother Dong and the guys squeeze them for intel. I’ll backtrack their convoy’s path. We’ll find plenty.”

Some trouble can’t be avoided—might as well face it head-on.

And let’s face it: local scum like these knew the terrain better than any outsider.

Judging by their passengers, they were probably running a trafficking ring.

Any area they’ve touched? Already cleaned out. If we want resources, picking over these desert rats is the simplest way.

Lin Xian thought he was being very clear. But as soon as he finished…

Everyone looked at him like he was a f***ing psycho.

“Squeeze them?”

Seriously?

You played the helpless guy a minute ago, and now it turns out you never cared if that guy lived or died, never feared the Iron Alliance, and were just brainstorming the most existentially horrifying punishment possible?

And your solution… was to hand them off to a busload of very enthusiastic bodybuilders?

Even Satan would take notes from you.

Even the Eerie Entities would call you relatable.