Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train
Chapter 314: Axe!

The two vehicles rumbled along the edge of the railway across the Gobi Desert, wheels crunching gravel and sand. The vibrations of the engines made the dry grass and rocks along the way tremble.

Eventually, the cars turned off the path and drove up a slope, stopping beneath a massive wind-eroded rock. The group disembarked and walked to the edge of a sand-swept cliff. From this vantage point, a town came into view—isolated in the vast desert plain. Akesai sat alone at the center of the Gobi, slightly larger than Luobu, intersected by a national highway and the northern rail line. Yet the whole town was swallowed by sand, its colors blending perfectly with the landscape.

There were no high-rises—mostly old, low western-style buildings. Even the more modern roads and streets were now deserted and half-buried under yellow sand.

They each pulled out electronic binoculars and peered toward Akesai. The place looked barren, but there were clearly several convoys camped inside. Lin Xian adjusted his scope to scan the outskirts of the town. Along the national highway, more survivor convoys were slowly trickling in and gathering near an abandoned gas station. This didn’t match what Lin Xian had heard on the radio earlier.

“Didn’t they say other convoys and armed personnel were banned from entering?” Ning Jing said sharply, eyes fixed through her binoculars. “Looks like no one’s listening.”

“A Bai?” Lin Xian asked.

A Bai shook his head—nothing unusual spotted.

“These look like regular convoys,” Qian Dele commented. “But all gathering here… maybe there’s some connection to the Desert Bandits’ alliance.”

“You mean out of fear?” Monica asked.

Qian Dele shrugged, “Not necessarily fear. Maybe they just don’t want trouble. This place is crawling with zombies and high spirit resonance levels. Once night falls, weird entities are bound to show up. And past Akesai is a stretch of thousands of kilometers of uninhabited wasteland. If we’re gonna move, best do it while the sun’s up. Survivors are just trying to minimize risk. The bandits know that.”

Monica lowered her binoculars, expression unreadable. “With this many large convoys gathered, none of them seem particularly worried about the bandits.”

Lin Xian glanced at KIKI, who was tapping away at her mobile terminal. “How’s it looking?”

She grinned, “Bingo. This Iron Command Token works just like the Phoenix Token—it picks up local data packets. There’s a lot of similar signal activity around Akesai.” She tapped again. “But nothing inside the town itself. Looks like the bandits don’t dare mess with Akesai directly.”

Lin Xian nodded, “Typical bandit behavior. Good for hit-and-runs or harassing small squads. But this place has ten convoys with at least a thousand or two survivors. They’d have to be brain-dead to try anything here.”

Ning Jing frowned, “Then how does the Fu Lu Shou convoy still have the guts to charge tolls here?”

“Seeing is believing,” Lin Xian said, eyes narrowing as he conjured a several-meter-high signal antenna behind him. “But if they’re daring enough to pull that stunt in front of all these people, there’s gotta be a reason.”

He pressed his communicator, adjusting it to sync with the Joint Train’s signal.

“Testing. Mr. Chen, can you hear me?”

Crackle “Lin Xian, I hear you.”

“Brother Shi?”

“Yeah, Lin. What’s up?”

With the connection established via the signal posts he’d planted along the way, Lin Xian gave his orders. “Brother Shi, Mr. Chen, have the Joint Train move another hundred miles forward. Like we discussed earlier, organize ten assault squads. I’ll send you coordinates soon—disperse and proceed as planned.”

“Got it!”

Ning Jing stood up and turned to the others. “Your ride’s coming. Let’s go. Time to catch up with this old acquaintance outside the town.”

“Heard there’s no bar even in this wasteland,” Akesai muttered with mild disappointment. “Not as much freedom as those days outside the polar night.”

Monica walked to the car, just about to get in when she turned to Ning Jing. “Hold up a sec.”

She activated her power armor, stepped out, stripped off her inner suit, then changed into a desert-proof windbreaker, added sunglasses and a dust scarf. Ning Jing blinked in surprise—this guy even kept a casual outfit tucked into his armor?

The two off-road vehicles roared back to life, charging toward Fu Lu Shou Town through wind and sand. Scattered zombies lunged toward them as they sped through the heat haze.

Whirr!

Two silver blades spun outward, flying low across the horizon like buzz saws, cleanly slicing apart all the zombies approaching from both sides.

In the passenger seat, KIKI’s eyes gleamed with psychic energy. A faint smirk tugged at her lips. “Not bad at all.”

Lin Xian frowned slightly, “Where’d you get those? I didn’t even see you bring them.”

“Roof rack,” KIKI said, pointing up. “Only brought two—testing them out.”

Lin Xian chuckled, “Nice move. Perfect for clearing out monster swarms.”

“Just don’t know if it’ll work on weird entities,” KIKI replied. “Guess we’ll find out.”

In the back seat, Monica smiled as she listened. “Captain Lin, why is everyone with you so damn skilled? Where’d you find these people?”

“Find them?” Lin Xian smiled at the memory. Back in Jiang City, he’d even posted ads trying to recruit people for the Infinite Train plan—didn’t get a single bite. Both Chen Sixuan and KIKI had joined completely by accident.

“I didn’t. Met them along the way.”

A glint flashed ahead. As the two off-roaders neared the outskirts of town, binoculars turned in their direction. Dried-out zombie corpses littered the fields. Some convoys had set up camp at gas stations and motels outside the town, while others had already entered and settled in the city’s side streets.

The vehicles rolled onto the cracked roads, drawing wary glances from armed sentries posted on rooftops and street corners. These convoys came from all over, each keeping to themselves. No interaction, just mutual observation. Veteran survivors could tell a lot from a vehicle’s build. Lin Xian’s cars weren’t heavy transports—they were scouts. Everyone could see that.

This kind of entry wasn’t uncommon. Cautious teams always sent scouts first before bringing in the main group. Akesai was a chaotic mix of travelers—nobody was throwing parties here.

Following Ning Jing’s vehicle through twists and turns, they finally reached the old market and found the Black Rose Bar. The street was crowded with vehicles. If not for the weathered sign covered in dust and the apocalypse-themed mods on every car, you’d think this was a lively pre-Doomsday strip.

Survivors armed to the teeth lounged around the parked vehicles—clearly from different teams. As Lin Xian and the others got out, they attracted a lot of stares. They were too young, too clean, and too good-looking to look like folks who’d been surviving months in the apocalypse.

“Is this a real bar or just a front?” Qian Dele muttered, eyeing the steady flow of people in and out. “Kinda feels weird…”

Monica tilted her head, eyes scanning beneath her sunglasses. “Yeah. I’m curious how things work here at night.”

“Only one way to find out,” Ning Jing said.

They headed to the door. Two burly men in power armor stepped forward and blocked the way. One of them pointed to Xiao Qing.

“No weapons inside.”

They were all Awakened, but Xiao Qing was visibly armed—with a gunblade. She looked at Ning Jing and said, “I’ll guard the car.”

Then turned and headed back.

“Fair enough,” Ning Jing nodded, and the guards let them through.

Inside, the scene shifted dramatically. The dusty, battered sign outside gave way to a surprisingly clean and tidied-up interior. A heady mix of alcohol and desert dust hit them immediately. Dim yellow lighting illuminated the bar. Booths and the bar counter were packed. The bartenders—two men in shades. The waitstaff—attractive women.

But by the look of them, it was clearly all an act. Everyone in here had a purpose, quietly sipping the limited drink selection.

Just as Lin Xian was puzzling over this strange setup, a tattooed waitress walked up. Her face said, “I’d rather be out killing zombies.”

“This way,” she said with a sigh.

She led them to a booth in the back and tossed a card onto the table. Three drink options were listed:

Whiskey, Rum, Brandy.

“We’re not here to drink,” Lin Xian said directly. “We’re here to see your boss.”

The waitress glanced around the bar and replied, “None of them are here to drink.”

“Then what’s this about?” KIKI asked.

Monica picked up the card, voice calm. “I’m guessing these drinks stand for something else. Supplies, intel, toll?”

The waitress gave her a look. “Correct.”

Ning Jing frowned. “You guys really charge tolls?”

“Up to you,” the waitress replied bluntly. “If you’re strong enough, you don’t need to bother.”

Qian Dele chuckled under his breath. “Knew it. Radio warnings were just scare tactics.”

Understanding dawned on Lin Xian. He reached out and pointed to “Whiskey.”

Tap.

The waitress tossed down a pen and gestured for Lin Xian to write on the card himself.

Lin Xian thought for a moment, then jotted down his request. The waitress picked it up, glanced at it—and immediately frowned. She shot him a baffled look.

"You sure about this?"

"I’m sure."

"...Alright, if you say so."

It was the first time the waitress had seen such a bizarre supply request. Her gaze swept curiously across the group, then she went to the bar to whisper something, and disappeared through a side door.

Moments later, another server arrived with six glasses of chilled whiskey.

Monica picked one up with a smile, giving it a little swirl.

"Not bad. Looks pretty legit."

KIKI took a sip.

"Hmm, not bad at all. Looks like this guy’s got access to all kinds of supplies—even this much booze."

Ning Jing glanced around.

"Pretty crowded too..."

"Most folks who come through here know a thing or two about desert bandits," said Qian Dele, arms crossed and speaking calmly.

"Past Aksay is a huge no-man’s land. Even if our train doesn’t stop, it’ll take at least a full day and night to get to Quancheng. So people come here to gather info, team up, or just avoid charging blind into the wild."

"A’Bai," Lin Xian turned to the silent one at his side.

"Any sign of a Dark Mark?"

A’Bai put down his glass and nodded.

"Yeah. A lot."

"Now that we’ve got ways to detect Dark Marks, it’s not so easy to form alliances anymore," Ning Jing added.

"Everyone checks your convoy before teaming up—otherwise, they’re just asking for trouble."

Qian Dele nodded.

"If you’re not backed by a big convoy and you've got the Mark, you’re on your own."

"And not every convoy’s worth joining."

Lin Xian’s gaze shifted to Monica, who was already knocking back her drink faster than anyone else.

"Monica, think you can keep an eye on a few people for me?"

"Oh~" Monica looked intrigued.

"Tell me who. Let’s see if I already guessed right."

Lin Xian leaned in and whispered a few words. Monica’s eyes lit up.

"Bingo!"

"Captain Lin, what did you notice?" Ning Jing asked.

Lin Xian looked at her and spoke softly.

"Desert bandits."

Ning Jing immediately frowned.

---

In a secret underground chamber below the bar, the lights were bright, thick carpets covered the floor, and stacks of supplies filled the corners. An old electric fan hummed as Hu Lushou, dressed in a shirt and shorts, solemnly packed eerie blood crystals into a metal box.

"98, 99, 100..."

"D*mn it."

His golden teeth gleamed as he muttered and sealed the box. Even with so many Level-1 Eerie Blood Crystals, Hu didn’t look happy—instead, he seemed troubled.

And there were several other boxes just like that in the room.

He paced anxiously, repeatedly glancing at a strange communicator on a low table. Its light was still flashing red.

Clunk.

The heavy alloy door creaked open. This underground room had once been a small nuclear shelter—fitting, since Aksay had once been a nuclear test town, full of hidden weapons facilities.

The one entering now was none other than his lieutenant, Sun Chang.

Sun Chang’s mechanical arm had clearly undergone major upgrades—now armored in red components, looking far more powerful.

"Boss."

"Don’t talk to me. I’m stressed as hell."

Hu slumped onto a messy sofa with a brooding look.

"An old acquaintance just showed up."

Sun Chang walked over, her cold face impassive as she handed a card to Hu Lushou with her mechanical arm.

Hu blinked in confusion, then glanced at the card. His eyes fixed on it—then snapped wide open.

"A thousand Xinghuo-26 Tactical Rifles? Who the f*...?"**

Before he finished the curse, his face tightened. He looked up at Sun, then back at the card.

"Who gave this to you??"

"They’re right outside—three men, four women. Their Soul Wave Value is high—not peak, but... these seven alone could raze the whole bar."

Sun Chang’s voice remained flat.

Hu’s expression flickered wildly. He shouted,

"Quick, get them in here!"

Sun gave him a glance, turned, and walked out.

Hu Lushou scrambled around the room in a panic. He considered hiding the blood crystal boxes—but then gave up. Instead, he straightened his clothes, cleaned up the sofa, pulled out a premium bottle from his private stash, and fetched several glasses.

Soon, footsteps came down the stairs. Hu turned and saw Lin Xian and his group entering the underground room.

"Whoa, this place is huge!"

KIKI looked around in amazement.

The moment Hu heard her voice, he confirmed their identity.

"Captain Lin?"

Lin Xian removed his windproof mask and looked at Hu Lushou, half amused.

"Boss Hu, I gotta say—you really have no shame, doing business with bandits now?"

Zzzzz...

The blast-proof alloy door slowly shut. Inside the spacious bunker, Lin Xian, KIKI, Qian Dele, Monica, Ning Jing, and A’Bai were seated in the guest area. Hu Lushou hurriedly poured drinks for everyone, grinning wide.

"Captain Lin! Wow, what a surprise. What brings you all the way out here?"

"We should be asking you that."

KIKI slammed the table and cut straight to the point.

"Spill it—what’s this about charging 'tolls' for the bandits?"

All eyes turned to Hu.

Sun Chang stood nearby, stone-faced.

Hu froze mid-pour, then laughed awkwardly.

"We’re all friends here, right? Alright, I’ll be honest..."

He cleared his throat, sat on the sofa, and said:

"The desert’s crawling with bandits. Lately they’ve even formed some infamous alliance—it’s chaos out there. Convoys getting robbed, people killed, women assaulted... you name it. So I, being a man of principle, decided to—"

"Cut the crap."

Sun Chang’s cold voice interrupted, giving her boss zero face.

Lin Xian smiled faintly and glanced at his watch.

"It’s almost nightfall. Don’t waste time. I just want to know how this toll system works—and if you have intel on the bandits, even better."

Hu’s expression darkened slightly.

"It’s not that complicated. When I got here, I ran into some desert bandits. I negotiated with them. I collect tolls for them—convoys that pay get a special signal transmitter. With that, the bandits along the way turn a blind eye. That’s all it is."

"So you partnered with bandits to save your own skin?"

Ning Jing’s voice was icy.

"That’s not fair!"

Hu shot to his feet.

"You don’t get it. Ever since I made that deal with the Iron League, attacks in the Western Gobi dropped by seventy percent. Seventy! I’m not saying I deserve a shrine, but a little gratitude wouldn’t kill you!"

Lin Xian chuckled softly and stood up.

"Shrine, huh? Sounds like the bandits already built you a temple—and you're about to get buried in it."

He turned to leave.

"Captain Lin! Save me!"

Before Lin Xian even finished speaking, Hu Lushou’s smug expression completely crumbled. With a loud thud, he dropped to his knees, immediately switching to a pleading face.

“Don’t go, don’t go! I’ll talk—I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

“D*mn, that was fast,” KIKI exclaimed, stunned.

The rest of the group looked equally surprised.

Only Hu Lushou’s assistant, Sun Chang, remained unfazed, clearly used to her boss dropping to his knees.

Once Lin Xian sat back down, Hu Lushou quickly stood up, his expression mixed.

“Captain Lin, I’m telling the truth. You might not believe me, but aside from making money and staying alive, I did all this to help small convoys find a way to survive.”

Lin Xian glanced at him. “Do you believe that?”

“Those are desert bandits. You think they keep their word?” Qian Dele scoffed. “Even if they did, five people for one eerie blood crystal? You’re profiting off disaster, man.”

Hu Lushou sighed. “Of course I know you can’t trust sand bandits.”

“Then why…”

He raised a hand to cut Qian Dele off.

He pushed aside a cup on the low table, revealing a map of Akesai underneath. He pointed at it.

“Because of Abyss Zone No. 5, Haiqu’s route is no longer viable. Akesai has become the main passage to Quancheng. I know one eerie blood crystal for every five people is steep, and that the bandits won’t behave even after collecting their cut. The so-called big gangs around here only act calm because they’re getting paid. The rest? Forget it. They talk about an alliance—pfft. Just a bunch of apocalypse thugs. What morals would they have?”

“But the point is, as long as enough convoys gather in Akesai—whether they paid or not—the bandits won’t dare make a move. There are too many people here now.”

He glanced at Lin Xian, a little sheepish. “And yeah… a lot of them paid the toll…”

Then he straightened up. “So any convoy in this area, paid or not, can do one thing.”

“What thing?” KIKI asked.

“Form an alliance!” Hu Lushou slapped the table, face serious. “Because bandits only prey on small and mid-sized convoys. The bigger ones? They stay away. If these smaller teams stick together, they’ll be much safer.”

“Oooh~” KIKI raised a brow. “So what you’re saying is, you offered a platform—on the surface collecting tolls, but really warning passing convoys about bandit threats and encouraging them to huddle together?”

“Exactly!” Hu Lushou clapped his hands, looking touched that someone finally understood his “good intentions.”

Lin Xian looked at him, expression neutral. “We’ve met some of those bandits. They’re doing kidnappings and raids, and they’re armed to the teeth. Someone’s backing them. If that’s the case, why would they cooperate with you?”

Hu Lushou chuckled. “Bandits aren’t dumb. No matter who they work with, it’s all about profit. Raids mean guns, bloodshed, risks. With me? No need to lift a finger, and they still get paid. If I were a bandit, I’d take the deal too.”

“And another thing.” He leaned in, lowering his voice.

“Those big convoys? They don’t even take the bandits seriously. Because the real threat in this region isn’t the bandits.”

“You mean the darkness?”

Hu Lushou nodded. “There’s a huge problem in the Western Gobi—sandstorms. Even during the day, those storms bring Eerie Entities. The most common? Sand Ants. You can’t kill them all. Even the Starfleet has to hide from them. Open wilderness? Total deathtrap. You can’t even avoid the Dark Mark. Some survivors from the wastelands said they saw some kind of terrifying atmospheric creature—it swallowed entire people and vehicles into the sky.”

He was getting more animated, and turned to Lin Xian again.

“And I’ve got intel—there’s a Forbidden Item in the wasteland!”

“A Forbidden Item?!”

Everyone, including Lin Xian and KIKI, exclaimed in shock.

“Yup,” Hu Lushou nodded mysteriously. “Because of that, the Angel Project sent people here. And another group showed up too—something called Holy Revelation. Super secretive.”

“I’ve heard of them,” Monica said with arms crossed. “They’re a splinter group from the Angel Project. The Descent Faction, right? Real shadowy. Don’t hear much about them.”

Lin Xian nodded. “I’ve heard the name too.”

Hu Lushou continued, “That’s why I say the bandits aren’t the biggest problem. At night, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got the Dark Mark or not—do not move. Even the baddest bandits crawl into a hole to hide.”

Lin Xian glanced at Ning Jing. They locked eyes—this intel was far more critical than any bandit threat.

“Looks like the wasteland between Akesai and Quancheng is the real problem,” Ning Jing said.

“Boss Hu, what can you tell us about these Sand Ants?” Lin Xian asked.

“Well…”

“They eat people.”

The usually quiet Sun Chang finally spoke.

“When they swarm, they consume everything like locusts. The only hope is to stay in the car. And it better be sealed tight. If they get in, nothing’s left—not even bones.”

“Yes! Exactly!” Hu Lushou nodded violently.

“And that’s not even the worst part. Deeper into the wasteland, there are Eerie Entities you can’t even imagine. Way scarier than the ones we saw at Hengshan Pass!”

Lin Xian exhaled slowly, then looked at him. “Thanks for the info, Boss Hu. So—what do you want from me?”

Hu Lushou, seeing Lin Xian was pleased, quickly made a troubled face.

“See, I collect a lot of blood crystals here. Every three days, the Sand Scorpion Gang and Crimson Vultures come to split the tolls. If I leave, won’t the small convoys here be left to fend for themselves—”

Lin Xian raised a hand to cut him off. “Spare me. You just want to save your own *ss.”

Caught mid-sob, Hu Lushou grinned sheepishly.

“Well yeah… Captain Lin, I’m stuck. I only took 20% of the profit, but if I bail, those bandits will tear me apart. So I contacted a few convoys—thinking…”

“Thinking you’d pull together a big group and make a break for it?” KIKI smirked.

Hu Lushou nodded.

“Well, bad news.” Monica chimed in politely. “We already asked around. Your plan’s been exposed. There are at least three bandit scouts outside, watching the bar. Even if the whole city bolts, they’re not letting you go.”

“Well, you are pretty plump,” Qian Dele added, eyeing the room full of rare supplies and blood crystals. “Gotta say, you’ve got guts. Doing something this risky, and living fat off it.”

“Captain Lin, please save me!”

Before anyone could react, Hu Lushou dropped to his knees again. Even Sun Chang sighed, closing her eyes.

“Captain Lin, what they want is info on the bandits.”

Hu Lushou froze mid-cry, looked up.

“Lin… Lin Xian, those bandit gangs? Easily five to six hundred strong. They’re armed. You guys can’t take them on.”

From what Hu Lushou knew, Lin Xian’s Infinite Train had big guns and powerful ability users, sure—but only around thirty people. No match for that many bandits.

“Exactly,” Lin Xian replied calmly. “Which is why someone as cautious as you has surely gathered intel on the bandits’ outposts, right?”

“You… what do you want? You’re not afraid they’ll team up?” Hu Lushou asked, confused.

Lin Xian shook his head and looked him in the eye, tone slow and heavy.

“I’m afraid they’ll run away.”