Doomsday: I Build a Space Fleet

Chapter 207 Tunneling Machine in Place

Upon arrival at the train station, the eight robots were first placed on the tracks next to the eight platforms.

After the track maintenance next to the platform was completed, the eight robots lowered the two tracks located at the front and rear of the train, turned the train around, and slowly drove onto the adjacent rails.

Once they reached the designated track, the eight small robots headed north along the railway.

Their first stop was Khuna Station, north of the city center.

However, the four heavy motorcycles that Lorraine was so eager to own were not here, but in a distribution and maintenance center located further north.

Because the signal generators equipped with these eight small robots have limited power, they cannot directly transmit information to an area 5 kilometers away.

In order to receive real-time testing information, Lorraine packed a set of batteries and an information relay system into the cabin of the verification machine.

In this way, the flagship can produce the rails that need to be replaced in a timely manner.

The next issue Lorraine needs to address is the safety of the train.

Because heavy gas turbines generate tremendous noise when running at full capacity, Lorraine had to equip these vehicles with the ability to disperse zombies.

Although there are barbed wire fences on both sides of the railway to separate it from the outside world, no one can guarantee that these barbed wire fences will still serve their original protective function after 15 years of wind and rain and neglect.

Thinking about this, Lorraine felt that she had one more problem to solve.

Lorraine shook his head and decisively put Bai Jin in charge of equipping these trains with weapons, while he and Ouyang Nian studied railway clearing vehicles.

During this time, Lorraine would occasionally look up at the data transmitted back by the verification machine, but each glance made him feel somewhat troubled.

The good news is that two of the eight tracks are 80% intact, but the bad news is that the other six tracks are almost unusable, either due to rotten sleepers or broken rails.

Fortunately, after the data was handed over to Cleveland, some solutions were found.

One of the simplest methods is to select a track close to a complete railway track, and dispatch a track maintenance vehicle equipped with engineering robots, maintenance units, and spare parts.

Along the way, they repaired and patched up the railway, removing parts in good condition from other rails and installing them on this one, while also dismantling rails in the surrounding area that were in very poor condition.

In general, it's better to build a new track than to repair these nearly useless rails.

After seeing Cleveland's solution, Lorraine stopped caring and simply let Cleveland follow her plan.

However, while modifying the train, Lorraine suddenly remembered a more critical issue: how to deal with the electric grid on the railway?

Based on the current situation, the power grid on the railway is most likely in a dilapidated state.

Although existing gas turbines can have their range extended by adding fuel tanks, they will eventually have to switch back to electric locomotives.

"Tsk, I can't possibly do infrastructure construction at the same time clearing out zombies, can I?"

Hearing Lorraine's complaint, Platinum looked up and poked Lorraine.

"Highly unlikely to be needed."

"Um?"

Seeing Lorraine's confused expression, Platinum told her what he knew.

"The railway and all the electrical facilities here have been repaired or renovated by Da Yan, so the quality of our infrastructure is still trustworthy."

Hearing this, Lorraine finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, while infrastructure construction can boost the economy and improve the domestic circulation, the problem is that this is the apocalypse, and he has a lot of robots under his command, so these things will significantly slow down his progress.

Just then, Platinum nudged Lorraine again.

"Can't we have the survivors do these things for us? What did you talk to them about the other day?"

Lorraine helplessly shrugged and explained the reason.

"Well, the people under Ethan's leadership are all native inhabitants. Just like us, they are born with a talent for farming. Moreover, their abilities are limited. Even after a period of learning, they are unable to complete these tasks efficiently."

"So if we want to repair the railway, it's best if we do it ourselves. Their main task now is to wear protective suits and enter the houses that are no longer inhabited by zombies to take inventory of supplies."

"In reality, what they can do is extremely limited."

Upon hearing this, Bai Jin and Ouyang Nian let out a long sigh.

"Don't overthink it. Once the railway is open and the vehicles are repaired, hurry up and transport these tools used to cut up the behemoths. The nuclear-powered furnaces inside these guys can most likely generate electricity using coal."

"Are the scan results from the coal mine in?"

Lorraine nodded. The result was better than expected. The two small war beasts did not burrow into the center of the mine, but instead fed 50 meters underground outside the mine. Moreover, there was a passage behind them that was similar in size to them.

The next question to consider is how to move the 203mm electromagnetic cannon to their side and directly smash the heads of these two behemoths.

There's not much they can do now; all that's left is to wait for the robots to complete the railway inspections and locomotive maintenance.

Before dusk, Lorraine and Ouyang Nian returned to the flagship's design room to study suitable drilling equipment.

The next day, Lorraine and Ouyang Nian woke up early, eating an energy bar as they walked. When they entered the flagship's garage, they saw a 5-meter-diameter blade plate lying flat on the ground.

Calculations show that a tunnel with a diameter of 5 meters is large enough for a heavy transport plane to tow a 203mm electromagnetic cannon through.

Having confirmed that railway maintenance was proceeding as scheduled, Lorraine and Ouyang Nian, aboard their flagship, led the Ocean Knight and a destroyer out of port and headed for the coal mine 106 kilometers away.

The journey to the coal mine, which was 106 kilometers away as the crow flies, left Lorraine adrift at sea for a full seven hours.

The port of Kauna, which they had previously arrived at, was located in a small bay, while the coal mine was located deep in the adjacent bay, with the two bays separated by a long, narrow peninsula.

By the time the two arrived at the port outside the coal mine, the sun had already set.

Without wasting any time, the two, escorted by six wolf-type mechs, slowly drove the small tunnel boring machine, 5 meters in diameter and capable of self-propelled movement, out of the dock and arrived next to the coal mine.

At this point, the landing site was still 3.2 kilometers away from the planned excavation point, and the tunnel boring machine would need to travel for another half an hour to reach the excavation location.

As the sun completely set and the moon rose high in the sky, the tunnel boring machine had just drilled a small pit with a 3% slope on the ground, enough to hide itself inside.