Chapter 178: Rain Town (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Votes—Thank You!)

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Behind them, gunfire from the passenger cars roared like thunder, and the monsters' roars and assaults on the train's armored plating never ceased.

Lin Xian was frantic; ahead, the view gradually opened up, revealing a platform lined with many tank cars and the silhouette of an industrial town in the distance.

"Rain Town Station?"

Chen Sixuan nervously checked the train's navigation computer: "This branch line connects to the Ring Star Main Track—forward should lead us back to the rails."

"No."

Lin Xian stared ahead—on the tracks, an oil tanker car blocked the path of the Infinite.

He immediately sensed danger and slammed the brakes on the entire train.

Screech!

All iron wheels locked, sparks flew across the rails, the tracks glowed red, and everyone inside was thrown off-balance by inertia, screams erupting everywhere.

As the train halted, filth rained down from the roof; the stench of burning steel mixed with foul odor began to spread.

"What do we do?"

"Reverse! Break through!" Lin Xian gritted his teeth and prepared to reverse—reluctantly.

But then, a bizarre sight occurred: the attacks from the rear suddenly stopped, gunfire faded, and before anyone could react, Kiki spotted something through the surveillance system.

"Lin Xian, those monsters don't seem to have followed us."

"What's going on?"

"Shu Qin."

"Captain Lin, all the anomalous entities are gone," Shu Qin's voice came through the comm: "I checked—the rear cars are intact, no damage."

"The middle section is fine too," Da Lou added over the comm.

In Car 2, Kiki checked via the Sentinel System: though the exterior armor and roof were a mess, the armor's integrity remained unbroken—only gaps were stuffed with insect carcasses and flesh chunks.

Hearing Shu Qin's report, Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan exchanged glances; Lin Xian immediately ran to Car 2, and indeed, the Sentinel System showed no monsters outside the Infinite.

Hss~

Arriving at Car 5, Lin Xian opened the door—a strong stench hit him; remnants of monster limbs still hung from the ceiling, but outside, all was silent. He closed the door and told Kiki:

"Kid, send out the drones."

"Already thinking the same."

Kiki knew Lin Xian was cautious—she immediately launched two drones into the night to scan the entire train.

From the drone's view, the Infinite's exterior was a gruesome scene, but thankfully, no breaches had occurred inside.

When the drones raised their cameras higher, Lin Xian saw dozens of dark shapes vanishing rapidly into the old woods beside the tracks.

"What the hell is going on!?" Sha Sha, standing beside him, exclaimed in shock: "Brother Lin, those monsters can't seem to get in anymore."

Can't get in?

Lin Xian was baffled by this.

Kiki frowned slightly, pointing at the screen:

"Hey Lin Xian, doesn't this look like… some kind of barrier?"

"Rain Town isn't famous—it's full of chemical plants," Chen Sixuan said. "Could a chemical leak be keeping the monsters away?"

Lin Xian shook his head, stood up, and lifted the sunshade, staring at the empty freight platform outside—his expression grew grave.

"Something this odd must have a cause. Kiki, send the drones ahead to scout the track ahead—find out how long the blockage is. Everyone stays on board. We observe first."

"Shu Qin, anyone hurt in the back?"

"Captain Lin, everyone's safe, no injuries," Shu Qin replied. Lin Xian exhaled slightly. Night had just fallen, and a string of events had left him tense.

He'd been agonizing over how to escape the suffocating wave of anomalous entities—yet now they'd entered this ghostly town, and strangely, they were safe.

He'd never encountered anything like this.

It wasn't a steel wall, he thought—could something invisible be blocking those monsters?

Lin Xian walked from Car 1 to Car 12, inspecting each. Though the cars reeked of smoke and anxiety, everyone was unharmed; many in the living quarters were confused, some even relieved to have escaped.

"Whoa, if we'd stayed on the train tonight, we'd be dead—so many monsters."

"Yeah, terrifying…"

"Captain Lin, you okay?" In the living area, the girl Miao Lu stood up eagerly as Lin Xian approached.

Lin Xian asked: "When we entered the station, did those monsters just suddenly run off?"

Miao Lu shook her head: "I didn't pay attention—it was like, one moment they were there, the next they vanished, all quiet."

"Same here," Shu Qin added, walking over: "Weird. Never seen anything like this before."

!

Lin Xian nodded: "Alright, stay alert. That many monsters might come again—prepare mentally."

Anomalous entities had crawled over every car—not just Lin Xian, even Shu Qin and the others were caught off-guard. Without the thick armor, dozens aboard would've become monster food.

Lin Xian used his Mechanical Heart to inspect each car's condition and repaired loose fasteners along the way.

When he reached Car 3, Ding Junyi stopped him.

Ding Junyi, face serious, pointed at the Number One Blood Calamity Plant and took a deep breath: "I've been monitoring it continuously—just now, the Hell Black Chrysanthemum changed."

Lin Xian's heart skipped—he rushed over, frowning at the black chrysanthemum: "The red glow… has it dimmed?"

"Yes."

Ding Junyi nodded: "Moreover, during the fight, I saw a wisp of black smoke drawn into it—afterward, its red glow weakened significantly."

"Black smoke…" Lin Xian frowned: "We've seen this smoke whenever we killed anomalous entities."

"So we must've killed some during the battle," Ding Junyi said.

"What does that mean?" Lin Xian asked.

Ding Junyi crossed her arms: "The appearance of anomalous blood essence also coincides with that black smoke. Logically, the calamity plant can absorb this black smoke's energy."

"Makes sense," Lin Xian nodded, face darkening. "But we don't know what effect this has—or what it signifies."

"In the lab, we can't detect these changes," Ding Junyi said. "So now we know at least one trait. If you have time, kill more of them—or capture a few—so I can test how the black smoke affects the plant's changes, or its absorption range, etc. More trials mean faster results."

Lin Xian froze: "Huh?"

He thought he'd misheard, pointing at himself.

"Capture a few anomalous entities—you mean me?"

Ding Junyi tilted her head slightly, her gaze behind black-rimmed glasses utterly serious: "Yes. Scientifically, more controlled trials yield more accurate conclusions."

Is this woman serious?

"Forget capturing. If any monsters die near the train later, observe then," Lin Xian muttered, walking away. He understood her intent, but right now, he had no patience for lab talk.

Capture anomalous entities? Who'd do such a stupid thing? Impossible. Not in this lifetime.

Lin Xian seethed inwardly.

(End of Chapter)