Doomsday Mechanic: My Train Can Be Modified Infinitely

While having lunch in the temporary dining area of ​​the fifth carriage, Li Ruijun approached Wang Zhengyang with a worried expression.

"Dr. Wang, Rajish will definitely verify it. What if Zhang Yiqiang finds out we're using his name without his consent..."

"He won't know." Wang Zhengyang calmly ate the beef and potato stew that Li Xiaowei had made. "A nobody like Rajish can't even get a chance to see Zhang Yiqiang. At most, he can find Zhang Yiqiang's underlings, and those people—first, they wouldn't dare bother their boss with such a trivial matter; second, even if they did ask, Zhang Yiqiang would just think that someone was using his name to do things, and as long as it doesn't affect his interests, he wouldn't bother with it."

"But what if..."

"There's no 'what if'," Wang Zhengyang put down his chopsticks. "Our time is running out. Once the transformation is complete... the world will have changed. Until then, these little things don't matter."

Li Ruijun was stunned. He didn't understand what "the world has changed" meant, but Wang Zhengyang's tone made him feel a strange sense of unease.

The renovations continued in the afternoon.

Wang Zhengyang arrived at the tenth carriage, the multi-functional reserved compartment—the rooftop weapon platform. The four lifting platforms on the roof had already been installed; the hydraulic struts were as thick as an adult's thigh, and the lifting rails were polished to a mirror shine. No one knew they were lifting platforms for heavy machine guns. Inside the carriage, the floor of the firing positions had been specially reinforced, and the control console had a reserved interface for the fire control system.

He walked to the open space in the middle of the carriage, where a special mounting base was reserved. A mechanical affinity seeped into the floor, reading the structure of the base—it was prepared for anti-aircraft weapons, perhaps twin 23mm anti-aircraft guns, or a more advanced close-in weapon system.

The vehicle also needs four heavy machine gun positions at the rear and four at the front. Adding these four, the entire vehicle will have twelve heavy machine gun firing positions, forming a 360-degree crossfire network. If we also add anti-aircraft weapons and sniper positions…

That's enough. At least in the early stages of the apocalypse, it's enough.

Wang Zhengyang walked towards the second carriage—the future command center and private cabins. The basic frame of the panoramic control console had already been welded, and the mounting slots for the twelve screens were precisely arranged. He walked to the rear half of the carriage, looking at the empty private space.

This room is approximately fifty square meters and has a separate bathroom. The walls have been soundproofed, and electrical and data interfaces are pre-installed in the floor.

Furniture… After the apocalypse, go “take” it from the warehouse district. High-end mattresses, solid wood desks, genuine leather sofas—those warehouses in wealthy areas have plenty. Buying now would be too conspicuous and a waste of money.

His fingers brushed across the wall. Mechanical affinity sensed the composite armor layer inside the wall—an eight-millimeter steel plate sandwiching five centimeters of blast-resistant filler material, then covered with another eight-millimeter steel plate. This wall could stop ordinary rifle bullets and offered some protection against heavy machine guns.

It's safe. But that's not enough.

In the end times, it will never be enough.

Dinner was held in the temporary dining area of ​​the fifth carriage. Li Xiaowei had prepared braised pork ribs and stir-fried vegetables, filling the entire carriage with their aroma. The workers sat together, the atmosphere more relaxed than usual—the main difficulties had been overcome, and what remained was more of the delicate work.

After the workers finished their meal and left, only Wang Zhengyang and Lin Luo'er remained in the carriage. Lin Luo'er ate her rice in small bites, occasionally glancing up at Wang Zhengyang. The afternoon's conversation still echoed in her mind—those unspoken questions, those vague premonitions…

"Dr. Wang," she suddenly said softly, "where will you go after this project is really over?"

"That same question again." Wang Zhengyang put down his chopsticks and looked into her eyes: "Why do you keep asking this?"

Lin Luo'er blushed and lowered her head: "I...I just wanted to know. Because I feel that you don't seem like the kind of person who would just settle down anywhere. You seem...like you have a bigger goal."

Very perceptive, Wang Zhengyang thought to himself. This girl's intuition is sometimes frighteningly accurate.

“What if I said,” he said softly, so that only the two of them could hear, “that this project will never truly end? What if I said that what we’re doing now is just the beginning of a much larger plan?”

Lin Luo'er looked up, her eyes sparkling under the light: "Then I'll follow this plan. As long as... as long as you let me."

These words were spoken softly, but with great conviction.

Wang Zhengyang looked at her, at the unwavering trust in her clear eyes. In his past life, during the apocalypse ten years prior, he had witnessed too much betrayal, too much scheming, too many people willing to sell out anyone for a bite to eat. But Lin Luo'er was different—she was innocent, but not foolish; she was kind, but not weak.

She was the kind of person he wanted to protect.

"Lin Luo'er," he said, his voice a little hoarse.

"Um?"

"Close your eyes."

Lin Luo'er paused for a moment, then obediently closed her eyes. She could feel Wang Zhengyang approaching, smell the faint metallic and engine oil scent on him, and feel the warmth of his breath.

Then, a gentle kiss landed on her lips.

It was light, brief, but so real that it made Lin Luo'er tremble all over. She opened her eyes and saw Wang Zhengyang's face so close to hers, and saw a rare hint of tenderness in his eyes.

"Dr. Wang..." Her voice trembled.

"When no one's around, call me Zhengyang," Wang Zhengyang said, gently stroking her cheek with his fingers.

Lin Luo'er's face turned bright red. She nodded and said very softly, "Um... Zhengyang."

The way she called him that carried a strange intimacy. Something seemed to melt away the coldness in Wang Zhengyang's heart.

But he quickly composed himself. Now was not the time. There were too many other things to do.

"Let's eat," he said. "We have work to do tomorrow."

Lin Luo'er nodded and continued eating with her head down. But her heart was pounding, and the warmth of that kiss still lingered on her lips.

Night had fallen. Wang Zhengyang stood alone on the roof of the Longyuan train, gazing at the Berlin night sky. The city's light pollution had sparsed the stars, but a few still stubbornly shone.

Mechanical affinity flowed smoothly within him. His 0.49% ability allowed him to clearly perceive every detail of the train beneath his feet: the seams of the armor, the stress on the structure, the routing of the pipes, the connections of the wiring…

That's not enough. We need to go even stronger.

He closed his eyes, focusing his consciousness on the energy core within his body. There, the source of mechanical affinity was slowly rotating, each rotation strengthening his body and enhancing his senses. He was just one opportunity away from his next breakthrough.

Perhaps at the moment the transformation is completed.

Perhaps in the first real-world application.

But in any case, he must be prepared.

There are nineteen days left until the end of the world.

There are fourteen days left until the Longyuan ship's refit is completed.

The Longyuan will carry the last embers of human civilization toward an unknown dawn.