"Starfleet?!?!"
"It’s the Phoenix’s support from Xilan City!!" KIKI cried out in shock.
"That’s right! The 7th Investigation Corps is stationed in Xilan City—we’re saved!!" Hearing the voices coming through the communicator, Captain Sun shouted in excitent.
Finally, everyone realized what had happened. Lin Xian had used his Gravity Lens not only to repel the Eerie Tide but also to act as a beacon for Phoenix’s incoming Starfleet forces. Instead of relying on a signal obstructed by the storm, he had lit up a ‘flare’ in the sky, guiding the reinforcents straight to their location.
"Looks like Brother Lin must have detected the Phoenix’s signal and ca up with this move!" Shi Diyuan said, beaming. "Damn, that was a stroke of genius!"
Qian Dele looked at Lin Xian with admiration and nodded. "Old Shi, I believe you now. This pretty boy is definitely sothing special."
"Quick! Get Captain Lin treated! It’s almost nightfall—we need to tend to the wounded and reorganize the train imdiately!" Ning Jing ordered decisively. After such a brutal battle, their entire defensive line had nearly collapsed. Now that they had a mont to breathe, their top priority was stabilizing the situation.
"Got it, move!"
"Shu Qin, Miao Lu—help the wounded! Luo Chang, check the train’s condition!" Chen Sixuan imdiately began organizing their response.
KIKI wasted no ti—she used her psychic power to lift Lin Xian and flew straight toward the train cars.
The Infinite Train, Dragon Mountain No. 1, the Emperor Project team, and five convoys of hundreds of survivors—
They had all been on the brink of destruction.
Now, for the first ti in what felt like an eternity, they could breathe again.
The news that Phoenix’s reinforcents had arrived sent waves of relief through everyone. So even broke down in tears from sheer joy.
The convoy teams swiftly got to work—treating the injured, assessing losses, restocking weapons and ammunition—preparing for whatever dangers the night would bring.
Phoenix’s Fleet Arrives
Above them, the sky trembled with the roar of war machines.
Warhawk-class aerial gunships, Lightning-2 aerospace fighters, and H50 bombers streaked across the sky in tight formation.
At the center of this massive fleet was a 30,000-ton Dreadnought-class aerial carrier, escorted by a full combat air wing, cutting through the storm with a deafening roar.
On the ground, the earth rumbled as Phoenix’s chanized divisions pushed in from the east, advancing toward the North Line railway.
This force—the Phoenix Starfleet Corps sent to reinforce Trakamar Ice Canyon—had picked up Lin Xian’s signal relay, a network of electronic beacons spanning over a hundred kiloters. This network had successfully guided them to the correct location despite the storm.
Lin Xian hadn’t originally expected these beacons to be useful. He had assud Phoenix’s reinforcents would struggle to find them in the dark blizzard, and that even the flying Ability User sent for help might not have made it to Xilan City.
But against all odds, his contingency plan had worked.
The only problem?
The beacons were no longer aligned with their current position.
By the ti Lin Xian had detected the search signals from Phoenix’s patrol craft, he hadn’t even had ti to respond before the signals disappeared.
That’s when he ca up with his last-minute plan—using the Gravity Lens as a flare beacon.
Nightfall Looms
As darkness fell, the injured on the Infinite Train were being treated, while Dragon Mountain No.1 also struggled to recover.
On the roof of the train, A’Bai, exhausted from the chase, had barely managed to recover so of his strength. He now used his abilities to observe the storm ahead.
No one dared to lower their guard—the dangers of nightfall were ever-present.
Suddenly, A’Bai’s expression changed.
Through the raging blizzard, he caught a glimpse of sothing monstrous.
A colossal entity, covered in countless writhing limbs, swayed eerily in the storm. It stood like a massive sea urchin on the snowfields, its glowing red eyes flashing for just a mont before vanishing into the storm.
Lin Xian’s Vision
anwhile, on the Infinite Train, everyone remained busy.
Xiao Yuan and the other wounded were stabilized.
Shu Qin and Chen Sixuan worked frantically to recharge exosuits and power armor.
But their ammunition was nearly depleted.
Only the electromagnetic railgun still had operational rounds left—everything else was almost gone.
Lin Xian, still groggy, suddenly found himself dreaming again.
He saw himself back in Jiang City, standing on the rooftop of his apartnt complex.
The Floating Colossal Corpse that had once blocked out the sky was gone.
The massive clustered clouds had also disappeared.
The setting sun cast long shadows over a city that lay in ruins.
滴滴，滴滴——
The sound of his watch’s alarm pulled his attention.
He glanced at the ti.
18:40.
His face changed. "Sh*t!"
He ran down the stairs, his body moving instinctively. But when he reached the hallway, he found his shelter’s door was locked.
Frowning, he activated chanical Heart, easily bypassing the chanical lock and pushing the door open.
Inside—
No one.
The living room, kitchen, storage room, and bedroom—
Everything was exactly as he had left it when he fled Jiang City.
Yet… sothing was off.
He rembered that KIKI had blasted the door open when they left, but now—it was as if soone had reinstalled it.
Even stranger—
Soone had been here.
The kitchen and living room had opened cans of food.
Soone had even cooked a al recently.
Lin Xian suddenly realized—
This wasn’t a dream.
"By now, Jiang City should have been swallowed by the Polar Night. But the sky was bright just now… and these changes happened after I left. What the hell is going on…?"
Just then—
A sound.
From the bedroom.
Lin Xian’s heart pounded. He had checked the bedroom earlier—
It had been empty.
His head was heavy, but he forced himself to move and stepped toward the bedroom.
And then—
A shadow.
A woman.
Standing inside.
"Who are you?!"
Lin Xian activated chanical Heart, ready to fight.
But then—sothing even stranger happened.
The woman’s head snapped toward him, her eyes filled with fear.
Yet—
She didn’t seem to see him.
"Who’s talking?!"
Lin Xian froze.
He could now see her clearly—
She was young, maybe 26 or 27. Short, but strikingly beautiful.
Her short, wavy hair gave her a sharp, confident aura.
Then—
She raised her hand toward where Lin Xian stood.
A massive force suddenly warped space, distorting reality like ripples in water.
Lin Xian instinctively leaped back!
This wasn’t just any Ability User.
Her power was similar to his Gravity Lens!
Before he could react, the woman lunged forward and grabbed at the space where he had just stood.
Suddenly—
The entire space collapsed.
A crushing weight pulled him downward.
He felt an overwhelming loss of gravity—
【Non-chanical energy detected—converted into 600 chanical Source Points.】
【Current chanical Heart Level: LV.4 (4690/7000)】
With a loud gasp, Lin Xian shot up in bed.
"What the hell…?"
He was back in the Infinite Train.
Inside Carriage No.1.
Outside the window—darkness.
The storm roared, but inside, it was silent.
And then—
A voice.
"You’re awake?"
Lin Xian looked up—Chen Sixuan stood at the door, smiling.
SLAM!
Shi Diyuan slamd his hand on the table, his expression a tangled mix of frustration and exhaustion. He let out a deep sigh, "F*ing hell... this is really a goddamn catastrophe."**
"At least the Infinite Train provided a Comprehensive dical Pod—we managed to save a lot of our critically injured fighters. The other convoys, though… their situation is even worse," Ning Jing said.
"What about A’Bai? How is he?" Shi Diyuan asked.
Ning Jing shook her head. "Still unconscious. He overused his Ability—he’s been out cold since then."
"Boss, isn’t this whole situation way too weird?" Fat Cat said nervously. "Not a single damn thing has happened all night. I don’t like it."
"What’s there to be uneasy about?"
Lu Yong gestured outside. "The entire 7th Investigation Corps is out there protecting us. When’s the last ti we had this kind of treatnt?"
Ning Jing turned to Shi Diyuan. "Old Shi, don’t bla yourself too much. If it weren’t for your team supporting the Emperor Project, Xilan City wouldn’t have sent such a massive force to help us. If it had just been us facing that monster tide, we probably wouldn’t have lasted long enough to even reach Xilan City."
Dragon Mountain No.1 had broken down in the snowfields precisely because of the Snow Wraith Tide. Seeing the dark look on Shi Diyuan’s face, Ning Jing could only try to reassure him.
Shi Diyuan waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it. Focus on treating the injured first. This isn’t our first large-scale battle—learn from it and upgrade our armor. We called this thing the Dragon Mountain Fortress—we can’t have it folding like wet paper."
Pushing Through the Storm
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The heavily armored locomotive of Dragon Mountain No.1 plowed through the deep snow, surging forward with unstoppable force.
anwhile, the Emperor Project convoy drove steadily within the protective escort of the reinforcents.
Inside one of the armored vehicles, Yu Yuheng had just finished speaking with Commander He of the 7th Investigation Corps over the comms. He imdiately turned to his team.
"We’ve made four copies of the research data. Once we reach Xilan City, the Nightwalkers' Courier Division will split up and relay them through different routes—bypassing the Extre Cold Vortex’s signal interference. The only issue left… is the Monunt Core."
He glanced at a large silver tal case inside the vehicle.
Inside that case lay the Core of Unit 01—Pangu.
In simple terms, it was the black box of the cha, containing a huge amount of combat data, teletry, and, most importantly, direct engagent records with an S-Class Eerie Entity.
Beyond just improving the Emperor Project’s superweapon program, its greatest value lay in unraveling the mysteries of S-Class Eerie Entities.
This data held potential breakthroughs in humanity’s understanding of the Abyss and the darkness beyond. In many ways, it was even more valuable than the cha itself.
"Captain Yu, getting the Core out is going to be a problem," one of his subordinates said. "The entire Yunjiang Plains is under a complete communications blackout. Our higher-ups don’t even know where we are, let alone how to extract the Core. We’ll have to wait for the Couriers to relay our coordinates before we can hand it off."
Yu Yuheng nodded. "This thing is more important than all of our lives combined. I’ve already coordinated with Commander He—Xilan City’s regional commander, Zhao Yu, has access to an intercontinental radio station. They’ll find a way to get it out."
The Infinite Train – Nearing Xilan City
"…krzzzt… This is a broadcast to all convoys: the aerial fleet has returned to base. We are approximately one hour from Xilan City."
Lin Xian’s communicator crackled with the voice of Commander He Zhen.
"The 7th Investigation Corps has split its forces. So units are escorting our trains, while the aerospace fleet has already returned. ETA to Xilan City: one hour."
"Lin Xian," Chen Sixuan called out, **"The reinforcents include a team from the Nightwalkers Organization—they’re onboard our train now. They seem really interested in you, Fire Bro, and KIKI’s Abilities."
"They’re already on our train?"
"Yeah, they specifically requested to board. They’re in Carriage 2—Information Center."
"I’ll go check it out."
The Nightwalkers Organization—**Phoenix’s elite Ability User group—**was finally making their move.
Lin Xian didn’t hesitate. He imdiately got up and headed toward Carriage 2 with Chen Sixuan.
Carriage 2 – eting the Nightwalkers
Inside the Information Center, most of the Infinite Train’s key personnel were already gathered.
Two strangers stood in the carriage—a man and a woman, both clad in uniform cold-weather gear. Over their suits, they wore black trench coats, woven from a mysterious hexagonal composite material that absorbed light, making them seem almost shadow-like.
"Lin Xian! You’re awake!"
KIKI floated up from her chair in excitent. Shu Qin, Luo, and Shasha also turned their gazes toward him.
Lu Xingchen had been dragged over to join the eting—but he was already asleep in his chair.
anwhile, Ding Junyi was already deep in conversation with the newcors.
As Lin Xian approached, the two Nightwalkers turned to face him.
Both were young.
The man looked around 27 or 28, with sharp features and an easygoing, confident deanor. His eyes flashed like electricity.
The woman seed around 22 or 23—short-haired, sleek, and radiating an edgy, rebellious energy. She was chewing gum and wearing a black lipstick tint that made her stand out even more.
The man stepped forward, extending a hand.
"Captain Lin, a pleasure to et you."
"I’m Zhou Wuer, Nightwalkers Division One—Courier Unit."
"This is Peng Peng, my partner."
Lin Xian shook his hand. "Courier Unit? So, you guys handle ssage delivery?"
"Exactly." Zhou Wuer nodded. "The Nightwalkers are split into three divisions: Couriers, Polar Night, and Starfire—each with different tasks.
"Polar Night investigates the Dark Tides and the Abyss.
Starfire provides security for survivor groups and high-value assets.
And we Couriers? We keep the world connected. That’s why we’re here—to et with you."
"How did you even find us?" KIKI asked.
"We didn’t," Peng Peng replied casually. "All the Couriers across Yunjiang Plains got the sa assignnt. We execute our tasks in a saturation deploynt—whoever finds you first makes contact."
Lin Xian nodded.
He had heard from Wei Kexue that Phoenix had three main global communication thods:
Drone Beacon Networks (similar to his signal relay towers).Encrypted Radio Codes via Nightwalker Couriers.Direct relay stations, using special energy sources like Dark Blood Crystals.
"Phoenix specifically asked for ?" Lin Xian asked. "Why?"
Zhou Wuer smiled. "To thank you for your help with the rescue op—and to offer collaboration."
"The Yubei City Support Team uploaded their mission logs. You—‘the chanical Ability User’—executed an insanely risky but brilliant ‘Traction Plan’ that saved thousands. Their team lead held you in very high regard."
Lin Xian’s brow lifted. "White Team Leader?"
"Yeah," Zhou Wuer nodded. "Though… her team doesn’t exist anymore."
Zhou Wuer spoke at length, “And then there’s the field of neuroscience. If telekinesis allows one to manipulate matter, then even if Cold Dark Fundantal Particles are energy-driven, what is their output chanism? A quantum entanglent channel? This could significantly advance neural decoding technology. Since you’ve already co into contact with the Emperor Project, you should be familiar with neural resonance piloting technology, right?”
“If we really start breaking it down, there’s so much more to consider.”
KIKI’s expression was one of amazent. “Damn, you guys are trying to pry open the secrets of physics using abilities?”
“Why not? Why does having abilities automatically an it’s all mysticism?” Zhou Wuer, like a true scholar, answered seriously. “Cold Dark Fundantal Particles were just discovered, proving they’re rely another form of material existence.”
Ding Junyi nodded in agreent. “I support that perspective. When humanity’s ancestors first discovered fire, they saw it as divine. But as science progressed, we learned that fire is simply high-temperature gas or plasma. So the idea that abilities could one day be scientifically explained isn’t impossible.”
Lin Xian glanced at Zhou Wuer with deep aning and said, “Using materialism to dissect idealism… The Phoenix Guild truly lives up to its na as the light of humanity.”
“Relax.” Zhou Wuer grinned, waving a hand. “We’re not going to dissect you. That’s the work of anti-human organizations.”
“Hey! But Lin-ge is our train captain! If you take him—and KIKI-jie—what are we supposed to do?” At that mont, Shasha posed the key question to Zhou Wuer.
As soon as she said it, Lu Xingchen, who had been dozing off, lazily opened his eyes, squinting in their direction.
“Joining the Phoenix Guild doesn’t an disbanding your team.” A confident woman nad Peng Peng chid in, explaining, “The Phoenix Guild is a global mobile organization. Even places like Phoenix City and Noah aren’t true safe havens capable of sheltering all survivors. That’s why we’re currently constructing the Dawn Defense Line in the polar regions and a space elevator as contingency plans. Our primary mission is global aid. So joining the Phoenix Guild doesn’t necessarily an you’ll be stationed at headquarters—you can operate anywhere. The idea is that a single spark can ignite a prairie fire. A Phoenix Guild or Nightwalker branch can exist within any region, within any survivor team.”
“Including Dragon Mountain No. 1 and six other convoys—they’re already our partners. Your rescue of the Emperor Project team has earned you official recognition from the Phoenix Guild. You’re classified as a trusted organization even in this post-collapse world. Unlike ordinary survivors, you’ve proven your combat capabilities and resilience, which makes you even more valuable.”
Zhou Wuer nodded and added, “Exactly. Right now, the enemy’s power is unmatched and unknown. In this scenario, we must first preserve the strength of the human race, gradually seek opportunities for survival, and rally the surviving global population. Searching for a one-ti, permanent solution is futile—there’s no absolute safe haven. That’s why the Phoenix Guild can be above or below—it can exist within major cities or among the people, scattered yet persistent, surviving no matter what.”
Lin Xian’s pupils contracted. He opened his mouth, then suddenly understood. “You an… even if I join the Phoenix Guild, I won’t have to take direct orders like you guys do? Our team would function as a mobile militia unit, coordinating with Phoenix Guild operations through guerrilla warfare!?”
“Exactly.”
Zhou Wuer and Peng Peng spoke in unison, then turned to look at Lin Xian in surprise—they hadn’t expected him to grasp the concept so quickly.
The rest of the group had priceless expressions. Lin Xian turned toward Chen Sixuan, feeling a sudden chill run down his spine.
Guerrilla warfare?
Both of them suddenly felt a sense of eerie familiarity. Why did this strategy sound so… historically significant?
“…Alright.”
Lin Xian nodded. He had more or less figured out how the Phoenix Guild operated. “If that’s the case, then joining the Phoenix Guild would give us an additional identity. But we’re barely surviving right now—what could we possibly contribute?”
“You’re really asking what’s in it for you, aren’t you?” Zhou Wuer smirked and winked at him, his expression screaming, Bro, I see right through you.
Lin Xian didn’t reply. While he appreciated the Phoenix Guild’s goodwill, there was no way he would blindly carry a banner for them.
Right now, he had just barely escaped death. He was already struggling to keep Infinite Train alive—how could he possibly start thinking about saving humanity?
To be honest, Lin Xian had always believed that in the apocalypse, self-interest was key to survival.
And yet, every ti life or death was on the line, he found himself doing sothing incredibly stupid.
He always told himself that these reckless actions were for his own survival—not because he wanted to be so kind of hero.
But the more stupid things he did, the harder it beca to convince himself of that.
“Of course, we’ve got sothing for you.”
Zhou Wuer snapped his fingers. A strange ripple spread out, and suddenly—a silver tal case appeared out of thin air behind him, landing with a thud on the floor.
Everyone stared, stunned.
“What kind of ability is this…?”
Peng Peng stepped forward, lifted the tal case onto the table, and began unlocking it with a click-clack-clack.
“First, let’s talk about the special gift the Phoenix Guild is offering you—as gratitude for Infinite Train’s efforts in assisting the evacuation of tens of thousands at Yubei Spaceport!”
Shhhh!
All eyes locked onto the case. As the lid lifted, inside were ten specially designed vials, each filled with a pale green liquid.
The mont the case opened, Lin Xian’s Eerie Cube issued a warning.
[WARNING: DETECTED DARK FEAR ENERGY INFILTRATION!]
Lin Xian frowned. Clearly, the liquid had sothing to do with the Dark Invasion forces—but since it was coming from the Phoenix Guild, he kept his thoughts to himself.
Inside the box, aside from the ten vials, there was also a crimson circular badge with the emblem of a phoenix. But Lin Xian imdiately noticed sothing unusual—beneath its surface, he sensed a precise chanical structure.
“What is this? It looks like sothing straight out of a bioweapons lab,” KIKI mused, her curiosity piqued.
Others leaned in closer, equally intrigued.
Zhou Wuer picked up one of the tal vials and addressed Lin Xian.
“This is called Cold Dark Serum—it’s made by extracting Eerie Blood Crystals using a Cold Dark Particle Separation Device. The result is a substance we call Cold Dark Energy, diluted in purified water at a 0.5% ratio. Drinking it increases an ability user's Soul Wave Value energy density—think of it as a drug that enhances abilities.”
“…Only 0.5%? Will that even work?” Shu Qin frowned.
Ding Junyi spoke up. “It must be because the energy density is too high—it needs to be diluted for the human body to handle it.”
Zhou Wuer nodded. “That’s right. You really are a top scientist from the Federation’s Bio-Lab.”
He shook the vial lightly. “Don’t underestimate it—each one of these contains the extracted energy of ten Level-1 Eerie Blood Crystals. You could trade this for an entire vehicle.”
“Ten Level-1 Eerie Blood Crystals?!”
“Holy crap… that’s a lot…”
“There are ten vials in here—so that ans this box contains the equivalent of 100 Blood Crystals?!” KIKI gasped.
Peng Peng nodded. “This is an extrely hazardous substance. Even diluted, excessive consumption can cause discomfort—so we don’t recomnd taking too much at once.”
“So it’s been confird that consuming this can artificially enhance abilities?” Chen Sixuan asked.
“Well…” Zhou Wuer smacked his lips. “To be honest, this isn’t our first batch. The Nightwalkers have tested it on volunteers. But yes, this is now the official version.”
“Volunteers? Who?” KIKI inquired.
“The Nightwalker Organization—we tested it on ourselves.”
Zhou Wuer nodded. “Of course, we haven’t completely purified the Dark Invasion’s energy with current technology. There’s still so residual infiltration within the serum—it remains an unknown factor. However, the concentration of Dark Invasion energy in Eerie Blood Crystals is much lower than in the black night itself. After undergoing separation and dilution, the harmful effects on ability users are significantly reduced. Still, it’s not sothing to be careless about.”
He gave a wry smile. “For example, in the Nightwalker Organization, we frequently use Black Water to enhance abilities, but that also exposes us to the risk of corrosion. That’s why we’ve developed counterasures to neutralize or balance the infiltration within our bodies.”
“What kind of counterasures?”
Zhou Wuer pulled a sealed tal flask from his waist, flicked open the lid, and a straw popped out. He took a sip, then winced as if it tasted terrible.
“More sunlight. And…” He sighed, lifting the flask for everyone to see. “More vegetable juice.”
“…Vegetable juice?!”
The entire group reacted with shock and disbelief.
Zhou Wuer had clearly anticipated their reaction. He nodded with a resigned look.
“When I was a kid, my parents always nagged about eating my vegetables and getting plenty of sunlight to stay healthy. I never imagined that after the apocalypse, those sa things would help fight against the Dark Invasion…”
He sighed dramatically. “Unfortunately, in this barren world, where even the soil is corrupted by Black Water, fresh vegetables are rarer than Eerie Blood Crystals. Even if we wanted to eat more, we can’t. The Phoenix Guild has specialized doomsday cultivation facilities that maintain a small-scale production, but it’s nowhere near enough.”
“And to think—I used to hate bitter lon.” Zhou Wuer gave his flask a pitiful shake. “Now, in the Nightwalker Organization, we’re only rationed one bottle of bitter lon juice per week—and it’s never enough.”
Silence.
But then—everyone’s eyes slowly turned toward Lin Xian.
Especially Ding Junyi. The ever-serious scientist—who rarely displayed emotion—was now staring at Lin Xian with undisguised amazent.
She had already thought that Lin Xian’s plan to cultivate crops on the train was a brilliant foresight…
But now—this was a ga-changer.
Vegetables could counteract Dark Invasion energy?
Lin Xian himself was stunned. He had never expected that sothing as simple as eating vegetables and getting sunlight could actually resist and balance the Dark Invasion’s corruption.
If anyone else had told him this, he would have laughed it off as a joke.
But Zhou Wuer was dead serious—treating his vegetable juice like a precious treasure.
This had to be real.
Zhou Wuer, noticing the strange atmosphere, slowly retracted his flask and hesitantly asked, “Uh… Did I say sothing weird?”
“…So the Phoenix Guild considers vegetable juice as an antidote to Dark Invasion energy?” Ding Junyi’s tone was sharp and analytical.
Zhou Wuer nodded. “It’s not an instant cure, of course. The effects take ti, and the body itself needs to regulate the balance. We haven’t found solid scientific proof yet, so we haven’t officially announced it. The Phoenix Guild has only promoted it as a general health recomndation, mainly to avoid misinterpretation and misinformation. Still, word has been spreading among survivors.”
Ding Junyi’s mind raced.
Sunlight and vegetables.
Lin Xian had already prepared for both—without even knowing it.
His train had dedicated planting carriages.
He had already started experinting with energy exposure.
Ding Junyi had even been studying the differences in ability users’ reactions to sunlight—and the properties of Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum.
She had thought Lin Xian was just unusually perceptive.
Now—she was starting to believe there was sothing more to him.
‘This man is truly mysterious…’
Ding Junyi remained expressionless, but inside—her scientific curiosity burned hotter than ever.
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