noveldrama
Chapter 125: The Orbital Rail
Chapter 125: The Orbital Rail
"There’s a valley ahead. Once we pass through it, we should be able to see Yubei City. This section of track should merge with the main freight line before reaching Yubei Freight Terminal."
The Infinite Train plowed through the thick snow, picking up speed across the frozen wasteland.
"Let’s hope everything goes smoothly."
Though Lin Xian said this, everyone on the team knew that the situation in Yubei City was far from simple.
Countless survivors had gathered at the airport’s high-altitude corridor, along with remnants of the former Federation, the Iron Guard Battalion, the Airport Security Regiment, and Yubei City’s local survivors. Adding to the chaos, radio reports confirmed that the atmospheric jellyfish was also drifting toward the city…
"With this much snow, without a snowplow, regular convoys would struggle to move." Chen Sixuan observed.
"In these conditions, survivors either head to large city hubs and wait for the official evacuation or join large convoys—or do what we’re doing, running an apocalypse train. Small militias won’t last long unless they have powerful abilities." Lin Xian replied.
From the initial chaos of the Abyss catastrophe to now, time and survival instincts had forced survivors to organize. Whether through official evacuations or self-formed factions, humanity was beginning to transition from anarchy to order.
"If we can get past the high-altitude corridor, we should get some breathing room. But heading east from Xingcheng, we’ll reach the outskirts of Abyss Zone No. 4. The further we go, the faster night will fall. Crossing the Polar Night zone will bring a whole new set of unknown dangers."
CRASH!Snow splattered as the Infinite Train thundered across the valley, pushing through the frozen terrain. Buried beneath the snow, countless abandoned vehicles began to emerge.
"Lin-ge, Lin-ge! Those two people woke up!"
Shasha’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.
"Give them some bread and water. Nothing else." Lin Xian responded.
"Got it!"
Suddenly—
THUD!
The train collided with something, sending a deep, muffled shockwave through the steel frame.
"Lin Xian, look!"
Chen Sixuan pointed ahead, shouting.
Lin Xian lifted his gaze and saw a massive wreckage on the mountainside—a downed aerial gunship, its impact creating a deep trench in the snow. Flaming debris was scattered everywhere, with parts of the aircraft already coated in frost. Judging by the condition of the wreck, it must have crashed last night.
Others on the train noticed it too.
In Car 3, Ding Junyi stood by the window, her voice soft but heavy:
"Iron Guard Battalion."
Meanwhile, in Car 5, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen were devouring the bread that Shasha had given them. Xu Wen suddenly froze mid-bite, eyes widening.
"Teacher Zhao, look! It’s a military aircraft!"
They stared in shock at the wreckage. The crash had been devastating—only scattered remains of soldiers could be seen, most of them obliterated beyond recognition, leaving behind only bloodstains in the snow.
KIKI ran to the cockpit, looking out over the expanding battlefield—
Twisted wreckage lay everywhere.
Tanks, helicopters, gunships, aerial artillery platforms—charred ruins stretched across the snowy valley.
The number of corpses only grew.
"Iron Guard-3... the Destroyer... oh my god. Warhawk-class aerial gunship... TFV600 Heavy Dual-Barrel Tank... Lightning-2 aerospace fighter… What the hell did they fight here? That jellyfish?!" KIKI gasped.
"Most likely." Lin Xian’s expression darkened.
These were the primary combat units of the Federation’s Iron Guard Battalion. To see them in such a devastating state was beyond terrifying.
"Did they... all get wiped out?"
"Not entirely. Radio reports said Brigade 52 retreated toward Yubei City. It must be an absolute mess over there right now." Chen Sixuan said, concern in her voice.
"If there’s an Eerie airborne entity, then even the high-altitude corridor might not be safe anymore. But we don’t have a choice." Lin Xian replied.
With Daluo Mountain Tunnel blocked and the western route no longer an option, the only path forward was the climbing passage.
Suddenly—
WHOOOM!
A low-pitched humming roared through the sky.
Everyone looked up.
A small aircraft streaked past at high speed, heading toward Underground City No. 9.
"Is that from the former Federation or the Phoenix Union?"
"No idea." Lin Xian glanced at it but didn’t dwell on it.
Beneath Underground City No. 9, a Deep Abyss Behemoth still lay dormant. Whether it would emerge was anyone’s guess. Even if someone told Lin Xian there was a treasure trove down there, he wouldn’t risk going back.
As the train pushed forward, the landscape opened up.
Ahead, a massive trench cut across the valley floor, its irregular shape stretching into the distance.
Scattered within it were the remains of military convoys, shattered vehicles, and even an overturned military freight train, still burning.
At the edge of a deep crater, a massive severed tentacle lay sprawled across the ground, surrounded by unidentifiable fluids and human blood.
Lin Xian recognized it instantly.
"It really was that atmospheric jellyfish."
Chen Sixuan gulped, only now realizing the full scale of the battle.
"These convoys... never stood a chance."
That night had been pure chaos—if Lin Xian and Luo Ye hadn’t reinforced the roof armor beforehand, their train could have ended up just like that military freight train—ripped apart and derailed.
The Infinite Train pressed forward.
Through the misty cold air, the sky-high pillars of the high-altitude corridor began to emerge, stretching toward the snow-covered mountains of Daluo.
To penetrate the 4,500-kilometer-long plateau mountain range, the Federation spent over 30 years constructing the orbital freight railway.
All vehicles, trains, and cargo transports used a magnetic acceleration system, reaching speeds over 1,000 km/h to transport freight between mega-city hubs.
Yubei City’s No. 1 Spaceport was one of the most critical transport hubs, linking western and central Dragon Nation.
But this wasn’t the only high-altitude corridor—
Across Blue Planet, the 320,000-kilometer-long Orbital Rail Network interconnected land, ocean, and spaceports, spanning across:
- Asia-Pacific Continent
- Blue Oceanic Continent
- North America
- South America
- Africa
- Europe
- Arctic Continent
- Eastland Continent
- Republic Continent
And linking the Pacific, Black Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Western Ocean—it was humanity’s greatest infrastructure project.
But now—
The skyscraping structures cast ominous shadows over a silent city.
The Infinite Train merged onto the Y3365 Main Rail Line, heading toward Yubei Freight Terminal.
The highways leading into the city were completely jammed—
Bloodstains, severed limbs, abandoned luggage—all buried beneath the snow.
Just then—
A drone buzzed in from high altitude, scanning the train before swiftly retreating.
Lin Xian frowned. Something felt off.
Then—
A snowmobile sped toward the cockpit, cutting through the snowfield.
Everyone was tense.
Then, the rider removed her helmet, revealing a familiar face.
"Captain Lin, stop for a moment!"
Lin Xian recognized her immediately—
Shu Qin, the leader of the Bigfoot Convoy—the woman who had asked him to repair her water purifier.