Chapter 162: Corpse Crows

Jiazhou City is a peripheral city on the western edge of the Yunjiang Plain, near the Dazhu Highlands, and also a major transportation hub; from here, heading northeast leads to Xilan and Quancheng, while northeastward lies the Xidi Desert consumed by Star Abyss No. 5, and southeastward lies Star Abyss No. 7 of Haidong, with the orbital ring passing directly through the center between Star Abyss No. 5 and No. 7, crossing Jiazhou City, Hengshan Pass, Wei River, Longjiang, traversing the Palma Grassland into Jinhai and Xingcheng.

The Jiazhou City Orbital Ring Station is a large structure built on a hillside, offering a downward view over the entire city.

Since it hasn't been engulfed by the Dark Tide, the area remains clear and sunny, free from the blizzards and freezing temperatures of the Dazhu Highlands, with a comfortably mild temperature.

Shhh~

The "Infinity" slowly entered the platform; this was a passenger terminal, and normally it should have been overrun by zombies—but when Lin Xian and his group cautiously drove in, they found the platform completely empty, not even a single corpse in sight.

If not for the scattered luggage, vast pools of dried, congealed blood, and the buzzing flies, Lin Xian might have thought this place had never opened before the apocalypse.

"Strange—we're only a few hours late. How come none of the survivor convoys stopped here to rest? Why is there not a single person?" Chen Sixuan frowned.

Lin Xian also felt puzzled; he remembered Shu Qin's convoy was supposed to wait for them here, yet everything around them radiated an eerie oddness.

Too quiet.

"Where are Da'an and Lu Xingchen?"

"They kept watch all night—they're still asleep."

"Wake them up," Lin Xian said grimly. "Everyone, stay alert."

Something this abnormal must have a cause. For so many survivor convoys to be absent here was highly unusual.

Normally, this place was far enough from Star Abyss No. 3's polar night and had just endured the brutal night at the airport—it should have been a logical spot to rest.

"Jiangyun's group should have arrived several hours ahead of us; back then, it still wouldn't have been daylight here," Chen Sixuan analyzed. "Could they have encountered some strange entity?"

"Possible," Lin Xian nodded.

Click-click… click-click.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life. Lin Xian was surprised—this frequency was the same one used during the earlier airport towing operation. Could there still be survivors from the airport here?

"Captain Lin, Captain Lin, can you hear me?"

"Shu Qin?!" Chen Sixuan exclaimed.

Lin Xian immediately pressed the transmit button: "I hear you. Where are you?"

"Captain Lin! Be careful—don't open the doors or windows! This place has… click-click"

Caw~

Caw… caw…

Before Shu Qin could finish, a sharp birdcall suddenly rang out ahead of the vehicle. Thud—a black crow landed on the windshield, cawing incessantly while staring into the cabin.

Everyone held their breath. The crow's eyes were hollow, fleshy voids from which long, thin black tentacles sprouted, writhing like parasitic organisms.

As if sensing the people inside, the crow turned its head and suddenly slammed its beak hard against the windshield.

Thud!

The impact was powerful, producing a sharp, clear sound.

"This thing's been infected by the Night," Lin Xian frowned. Kiki stepped forward, raising her hand to clear it—but the crow suddenly went berserk, violently pecking at the window.

Thud-thud-thud!!

Like a machine, after a few pecks, its beak began to fracture; countless thin black tentacles burst from the shattered skull, clinging to the glass with a squeaking, scraping sound. Then, more crows began falling from the sky above the platform, a dense black swarm—some circling overhead, others perching on the roof. As the first crow kept striking, the entire flock descended onto the Infinity.

Thud-thud-thud-thud…

Suddenly, a drumming like rain began pounding the roof. Inside the cabin, everyone looked around nervously.

Lin Xian instantly shut all the blinds and turned off the ventilation system, turning the cabin into a roughly sealed environment.

"These things… so disgusting…"

Lin Xian turned to Ding Junyi: "Have you seen this before?"

Ding Junyi scanned the surroundings, hands in her pockets: "Never. There are too many variants infected by the Night. Our bio-lab receives new samples daily—each with unpredictable infectivity, aggression, and attack methods. But the fact that there isn't a single zombie here suggests some kind of biological outbreak."

Biological outbreak…

At the word, everyone's expressions shifted. What kind of biological outbreak could erase every zombie?

Click…

"Captain Lin."

!

Shu Qin's voice came again: "Can you hear me?"

"We hear you. Where are you?"

"We… click… we're hiding in a train maintenance warehouse… click…"

"Over there!" Chen Sixuan pointed instantly to a large black warehouse far down a platform spur, outside which stood a gantry crane and several rusted, abandoned old diesel locomotives.

The radio crackled on: "Last night, many survivor convoys were attacked by unknown creatures… click… the sky is full of them… click… any sound attracts them…"

"Sound?"

"Look!" Chen Sixuan pointed toward the city streets above, where a dark cloud drifted slowly: "That's not a storm cloud—it's all birds!"

"Holy shit, so many birds," Lu Xingchen said, rubbing his dark circles, staring out in shock.

"Looks like a swarm of mosquitoes," Sha Sha's face twisted in revulsion, her heart pounding at the sight.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!!

The dense drumming intensified. Lin Xian raised his hand, signaling everyone to be silent. He scanned the area and spotted an old metal water tower near the parked platform. He turned to Kiki, pointed to the cylindrical tank atop it, then mimed a rolling motion.

Kiki nodded immediately, understanding his intent.

She stepped forward, extending her mind to control the tank. Fortunately, the distance wasn't great; under her psychic force, the tank atop the tower began to tremble, its metal supports snapping one by one with loud bangs.

The noise instantly drew the attention of many crows—flocks of them took flight from the sky and rooftops.

Kiki confirmed it worked. She intensified her psychic grip, wrenching the metal tank free, then hurled it down the hillside.

(End of Chapter)