The next several days passed in a rhythm so steady it almost felt unreal.
Wake. Work. Test. Rest.
Repeat.
The cycles blurred together until time itself seemed to lose definition. Outside the reinforced windows of the Aetherwing, the city remained frozen in its slow collapse—glass towers leaning like tired giants, streets choked with rusted vehicles, silence pressing down where life once moved freely. The world had ended there.
Inside the train, something else was happening.
Order.
For the first time since the collapse, Fang Qiong wasn't reacting. She wasn't scrambling from one crisis to the next, patching holes as they appeared. She was building—deliberately, patiently, with intent guiding every decision.
She started with herself.
Refining the Self
Qiong approached her own enhancement with discipline bordering on obsession.
The reckless curiosity of her earliest upgrades was gone. Every attempt now followed preparation: observation, hypothesis, journaling, and only then execution. She treated her Core Heart less like a miracle and more like a tool—one that demanded respect.
Her heart was the foundation.
The Quad Heart had already changed her once, but sustained focus drew out another evolution. When it happened, she felt it before she understood it—a fifth rhythm slipping into sync with the others, subtle but unmistakable, like an extra sense unfolding behind her thoughts.
Quint Heart.
The new ability manifested quietly: E-Tier Skill — Appraisal.
At first glance, it seemed underwhelming.
It didn't unveil hidden abilities or reveal deep mechanics. It offered no overwhelming flood of data. Instead, it delivered something far more practical—surface truths.
Condition.Stability.General function.
She could glance at a tool and know if it was compromised. Observe a plant and sense its health. Study a structure and judge whether it would hold under stress.
In a world where uncertainty killed, that clarity was invaluable.
Next came her stamina regeneration.
Rather than forcing growth recklessly, she pushed herself through controlled exhaustion—carefully planned exertion followed by full recovery. Each cycle strengthened the feedback loop between effort and restoration.
When the enhancement settled, the difference was immediate.
Fatigue no longer clung to her muscles. Breath came easier. Endurance stretched further than it ever had before. Where exhaustion once demanded she stop, it now merely warned her to be mindful.
She tested it relentlessly—running obstacle courses through the training car, maintaining prolonged focus during fabrication, holding abilities active far beyond previous limits.
Her stamina no longer dictated her actions.
It supported them.
Protective Light followed.
What had once been a narrow, reactive defense matured into something flexible and responsive. She learned to shape it—widening its coverage, allowing it to linger briefly without constant focus, teaching it to respond smoothly instead of snapping into place.
The cumulative effect was unmistakable.
Not raw power.
Control.
For the first time in her life, Qiong wasn't defined by what she lacked. She was defined by what she could manage.
Transforming the Aetherwing
With her personal foundation secured, Qiong turned fully to the train.
The Aetherwing was no longer just transportation. It was shelter, workshop, sanctuary, and weapon—a physical extension of her intent. She broke its transformation into sections, treating each car as a domain with a clear function and purpose.
Living Car
Survival came first.
The sleeping quarters were refined to adapt automatically to her physical condition, adjusting support based on strain and fatigue. Rest became deeper, more efficient. She woke without stiffness or lingering exhaustion.
Water filtration systems were pushed to near-universal compatibility, capable of purifying almost any source she could reasonably acquire. Temperature regulation stabilized the interior regardless of outside extremes.
Emergency supplies were reorganized for speed and efficiency.
Nothing excessive.Nothing missing.
The Living Car became reliable—quietly indispensable.
Growing Car
Food security demanded patience.
The Growing Car received some of her most intricate upgrades. Plant beds and hydroponic channels were refined to minimize waste and maximize output. Climate controls simulated ideal growth conditions, while lighting followed carefully tuned cycles to conserve energy without starving the plants.
She focused heavily on seed resilience.
The crops she cultivated wouldn't be fast—but they would endure. Low light tolerance. Adaptability. Steady growth.
Watching green leaves push through the soil inside a dead city felt like defiance.
Research Car
Knowledge would determine her ceiling.
The Research Car became her laboratory and planning space. Reinforced workstations, precision tools, and a basic lab setup cobbled together from scavenged components and careful fabrication.
Appraisal shined here. Flaws were identified instantly. Degradation spotted before failure.
Mistakes became data.
Her journal thickened rapidly—diagrams, energy cost logs, notes on diminishing returns and synergy effects. Patterns emerged.
Intent mattered more than emotion.Focus mattered more than desire.
Half-hearted effort bred instability.Clarity bred consistency.
Storage Car
Efficiency was survival.
Storage compartments adjusted dynamically to their contents, eliminating wasted space without sacrificing accessibility. Items were categorized intuitively, retrieval time reduced to seconds.
Nothing shifted.Nothing rattled.
For the first time, Qiong knew exactly what she had—and exactly what she lacked.
Training Car
Strength demanded discipline.
The Training Car evolved into a controlled arena. Defensive structures allowed her to stress-test Protective Light. Obstacle courses challenged balance, speed, and endurance.
Combat dummies responded to force and impact, allowing her to train precision rather than brute strength.
Every session was logged.Every weakness noted.
She wasn't training to be a hero.
She was training to stay alive.
Relaxation Car
Burnout was a quieter killer than hunger or blades.
The Relaxation Car was tuned entirely for recovery. Lighting shifted gently through warm tones. Air filtration removed lingering odors and pollutants. Seating adapted to posture automatically.
Here, she let herself stop.
To breathe.To reset.
Fabrication Car
Creation was leverage.
Tools and machinery were refined for repair, modification, and improvisation. Materials could be reshaped with minimal waste, reinforced without excessive cost.
She practiced constantly—armor reinforcement, modular parts, replacements for systems she hadn't yet lost.
Each success built confidence.
Each failure sharpened understanding.
Patterns and Intent
Every upgrade demanded the same price.
Focus.Energy.Clear intent.
Rushed upgrades plateaued. Hesitation stalled progress. Only full commitment—mental and physical—produced stable, high-quality results.
Qiong adjusted her routines accordingly, alternating exertion with reflection. Her journal became a limiter as much as a guide, preventing reckless overextension.
Power wasn't infinite.
But it was sustainable.
Looking Forward
When she finally paused, the silence felt different.
The Aetherwing hummed softly—a living construct shaped by discipline rather than desperation. Outside, the city remained broken and unmoving.
Behind her lay loss.
Ahead lay uncertainty.
And possibility.
Qiong stood at the forward viewport, eyes tracing the road vanishing into the distance. Survival alone was no longer enough. To build something lasting—to move forward—she would need others.
Not passengers.
Companions.
The preparations were complete.
The journey could finally begin.