Still within the city limits, Lin Xian slowed the train down to avoid drawing too much attention. The reduced speed also allowed him to better observe the tracks ahead and prevent the train from crashing into any obstacles.
As the train descended from the elevated rail line into the city tracks of Jiang, the surroundings began to open up. Zombies and small animals occasionally wandered along the rails, only to be crushed beneath the advancing mechanical beast.
Before long, the number of railway switches increased—a clear sign that they were approaching either a civilian station or a cargo terminal. As they moved closer, the area widened, revealing multiple tracks filled with idle trains resting along the railway branches.
Among them were locomotives and container trains. Their cargo holds had all been opened, with torn cardboard and shredded plastic scattered across the ground, a clear indication that they had been looted long ago.
There were also several tanker trains, flatbed trains, and even a few overturned tank cars. It was obvious that when the looting happened, chaos had reigned.
Ahead, the railway branch connected to a distant loading platform and a large lifting workshop. This was clearly the central cargo hub of Jiang City, located just before the civilian railway station.
Lin Xian gradually slowed the train before bringing it to a complete stop on a dual-track line that led toward the cargo station.
After studying the layout of the tracks, he stepped outside and pulled the switch lever to change the rails. Then he returned to the train and carefully guided it along the branch line until it finally stopped at Loading Platform No. 4.
"Take this walkie-talkie. It will work just like last time. We'll use it to stay in contact. And under no circumstances open the door—not for me, not for him. When I return, I'll open it myself."
He handed the device to Chen Sixuan while slinging his backpack over one shoulder and grabbing his short blade.
"As long as you don't open the door, it's completely safe inside. Nothing can get in. Use the time to plan a route and keep watch—especially on the girl."
I watched as she nodded, understanding his instructions. She clearly believed he could handle himself outside.
"Be careful out there you two," she replied, her voice filled with concern as her eyes remained fixed on Lin Xian.
He nodded in response.
A mechanical hiss sounded as the decompression door of the cabin began to open.
We exited through that door. Aside from the decompression hatch and the hydraulic rear door, every other entrance had been welded shut and reinforced with steel plates. Combined with the thick armor covering the train, ordinary zombies—or even desperate survivors—posed little threat.
Only something like the White Giant from the previous night could truly be dangerous.
As we stepped outside, a sharp gust of cold wind struck me, making me shiver slightly.
When I glanced at Lin Xian, I noticed goosebumps on his arms. He clearly felt the cold even more than I did.
Yet strangely, despite the freezing wind, the sun above burned fiercely.
"What kind of messed-up weather is this? It can't decide whether it wants to be hot or cold," he complained.
We began moving quickly along the tracks, carefully checking both the front and rear of each train we passed.
"Hey, that one looks intact," I said, pointing toward a cargo train.
At its head stood a massive silver locomotive with blue stripes. From what I could see, it showed no signs of damage or deformation.
"A Huanxing 7F locomotive. Sixty meters long. Aerodynamic body. Output of fifty-eight thousand eight hundred kilowatts. It's the standard freight locomotive used by the Huanxing Railway."
He recited the specifications from memory as he approached the enormous machine.
Placing a hand on its metallic body, he appeared to be scanning it.
Standing beside it, I realized it was easily larger than the Whale-03E heavy locomotive, though far less armored and durable.
"This is the one," he finally said.
"All the high-precision components inside are perfectly intact—like it's brand new. It also has traction motors and advanced kinetic energy recovery and storage systems. The temporary battery system alone makes it perfect for our train."
After confirming its condition, he prepared to detach it from the cargo wagons so we could begin the coupling process.
Just then, a faint sound reached our ears.
Both of us froze.
The sound seemed to come from one of the warehouses near the platform.
Lin Xian looked at me.
We silently agreed to investigate. If moving the electric locomotive created noise, it might attract whatever was inside anyway.
Better to confirm things first.
Carefully weaving through the trains to stay hidden, we eventually reached Warehouse No. 14, where the sound was coming from.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Help! Is anyone there?!"
A muffled voice echoed from inside the warehouse.
Peeking through the slightly opened entrance, all we could see was darkness and what appeared to be the silhouettes of two massive freezers. From this distance, it was impossible to make out anything else.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Help!!"
"My mother is dying! Please help us! We can't hold on anymore!"
Just as Lin Xian was about to step inside, I grabbed his shoulder.
"Are you sure? This is probably a trap. Who in their right mind would shout like that? That won't attract help—it'll attract zombies."
He paused for a moment, then nodded.
"You're right. We need to be cautious. But I still think we should check it out."
He continued quietly.
"Even if it's an ambush, it's better if it happens now. If we ignore them and start moving the train, they might come after us and catch us by surprise. This way, at least we control when it happens."
I nodded. His reasoning made sense.
My right hand rested against my thigh, already holding three shuriken, ready to throw as we stepped inside the warehouse.
As we moved deeper inside, we got a better look at the two massive freezers.
In Freezer No. 1, a woman around thirty years old was desperately holding onto another woman who looked to be around fifty. The older woman lay limp in her arms, appearing to be on the verge of death.
When the younger woman saw us, the frantic darkness in her eyes instantly turned into relief.
"Please help me open the door! My hand can't hold it anymore! Please!"
"I have a can of meat—I can give it to you!"
The moment those words left her mouth, something immediately felt wrong.
If someone had truly been trapped inside a freezer by others… how could they still have food?
Lin Xian and I exchanged a glance.
Without another word, we suddenly changed direction and sprinted toward the second freezer, which stood unlocked.
At the same moment, I threw my shuriken behind me without even looking.
A cry of pain echoed through the warehouse.
One of them had been hit.
Gunfire erupted in response.
But it wasn't just one gun anymore—there were three.
Even so, our zigzagging movements and high speed made it impossible for them to aim properly.
Bullets whizzed past us as we rushed toward the second freezer.
We slammed the heavy door shut behind us.
Normally, a freezer like this could easily be opened from the outside.
But no matter how hard the large tattooed man pulled, the door didn't move even a single centimeter.
Frustrated, he began firing directly at the metal door.
The bullets left only shallow dents.
Seeing it wouldn't work, he aimed at the glass viewing window and fired.
The thick pane barely cracked.
After all, to maintain proper thermal insulation, even the glass was two hundred millimeters thick.
This freezer was practically a steel fortress.
"Mother!" the tattooed man shouted angrily.
At that moment, the door of the first freezer opened.
The younger woman who had looked so miserable stepped out—perfectly fine.
Behind her followed the older woman who had supposedly been dying moments ago.
"Tch… Those two have sharp instincts. Otherwise we'd have caught them already," the tattooed man muttered, kicking the freezer door.
"You couldn't even kill two boys despite having guns? Are you useless?"
The older woman coldly reprimanded her son.
Soon, the group surrounded the freezer, their expressions grim and hostile.
"If you come out now and hand over your supplies, we'll let you go," said the man who had first attacked us, trying to suppress the anger on his face.
His left sleeve was torn, revealing a shallow cut where one of my shuriken had grazed him.
Meanwhile, inside the freezer, I looked at Lin Xian.
"See? A trap."
"So what's your plan for getting us out of here?"
We both stared at the heavy door, silently thinking about our next move.