Chapter 192: Serving

Rainstorm.

Under the black night, Rain Town was cold and solitary; in the distance, a train sped away through the valley, its lights flickering, its fate uncertain.

On the town's streets, in dark alleys, by windows, countless motionless pseudo-humans stood.

They had no expressions, like mannequins in stores, endlessly sniffing the scents of the night.

Inside the cinema auditorium, rows of flesh-and-bone creatures sat crookedly, quietly rotting in the dark.

On the town's clock tower, Ding Qing watched the departing train, his expression grim.

"Big Brother Ding, they got away."

Beside him, a young man with binoculars named Luo Rui muttered irritably: "I told you we should've seized that train while their core team was at the chemical plant. Now it's too late."

Before Ding Qing could speak, Duan Min spoke coldly from the other side: "One's an electrokinesis user, the other's a telekinesis user—both are ruthless. Even the parasitic mimics at the plant couldn't stop them. You think you can raid their base?"

"Then what do we do? That thing's getting angrier by the minute. If we don't feed it blood soon, those pseudo-humans will come for us."

Duan Min's face darkened: "Blood food! Blood food! For these people's sake, we're becoming no different from the parasites!"

Luo Rui frowned: "Sis Duan, those people chose death out of greed—what's it to us? We warned them about the danger. They insisted on going. What's it to us?"

"Enough."

Ding Qing cut them off impatiently, his gaze darkening: "Once you're here, you're stuck. Even if they escape, the night will swallow them. This is humanity's final fate. Rui, at dawn, take a team and follow the tracks—there'll be plenty of corpses to recover."

Saying this, Ding Qing turned and walked downstairs.

From the clock tower down to the basement, beneath the cinema, lay an underground parking garage turned civil defense shelter.

It was now fully sealed off, dim electric lights flickering here and there. Dozens of ordinary survivors huddled in scattered groups—some asleep, some whispering, others cooking simple meals on portable stoves. Looking around, over a hundred people filled this modest space.

"Big Brother Ding, have you eaten? I made soup." The woman cooking rushed over warmly.

Ding Qing waved her off: "Sister Wang, no need."

"Is it safe outside today?" a survivor asked.

"Didn't the chemical plant just make a big noise? Will something happen?"

"I heard it's about to explode."

Along the way, people clustered around, talking all at once.

"No immediate problem," Ding Qing said. "Even if it explodes, it won't reach here. Don't worry."

"Um… Captain Ding…"

An old woman stepped forward, blocking his path. She stared at him anxiously: "Didn't I hear a trainload of people came? Are they all dead? My grandson says if they're dead, we'll have a month of safety—and plenty of food."

At these words, many turned to look—some hopeful, some conflicted, others silent and watching in secret.

"They're definitely dead!" Luo Rui shouted loudly, his face fierce: "Aunt Zhou, don't worry—I'll take the team out tomorrow and bring back everything. If there's a live one, I'll gun him down too."

His words drew some nods of agreement, but others looked troubled. One man spoke up: "Who were they? If they had a train, couldn't they have carried many of us away?" The implication was unspoken, but everyone understood.

"What, Brother Zhang? You think they'd take you with them?" Luo Rui sneered. "Think—those people could survive the night, so why come here? Last night, if I hadn't guided them in, every last one on that train would've been dead."

At his words, everyone's gaze dimmed. The atmosphere grew tense.

Many here had grown accustomed to living this way—waiting for other unlucky survivors to enter and become blood food for the great parasite, in exchange for daytime peace… and relatively safer nights.

Initially, everyone silently waited for the newcomers to die, but as the town's pseudo-humans multiplied and blood food became scarce, Ding Qing's Golden Steel convoy only arrived here later; yet after securing this safe haven, they lost the will to leave, and under Luo Rui's leadership, a small faction pushed further, causing many survivors to perish in Rain Town.

Ding Qing initially turned a blind eye. But later, Luo Rui began actively using the radio to lure fleeing groups into town, drawing in powerful caravans with strong abilities.

Like today's man and woman—Luo Rui had already set an ambush around the cinema. But Ding Qing realized they were no ordinary pair. Fearing exposure and retaliation, he and Duan Min acted personally, using parasites to lure the two ability users straight into the parasite's mouth.

Yet Lin Xian still escaped. This proved his caution was right—had Luo Rui moved, they would've been doomed.

But Luo Rui didn't see it that way. He'd killed so much he'd lost his mind, treating the strange entities and the great parasite as tools. He believed that if he properly "served" the monster, even during the Ultimate Night, this town would remain the only sanctuary… apart from the pseudo-humans.

"Rui."

!

Ding Qing cut him off coldly: "No more talk. Go on watch. You're on duty tonight."

Luo Rui scowled, reluctantly nodding: "Fine~"

Ding Qing then scanned the crowd: "Today's commotion was big. Everyone, keep quiet."

Many nodded in agreement. Most here were ordinary people with no combat ability. Only after Ding Qing's caravan arrived did this town gain a stable refuge—and they all respected him.

Back in his room, Duan Min noticed Ding Qing's grim expression. She reached out and grabbed his hand: "Husband, if Rui brings back that train… shouldn't we leave?"

"Leave? Where to?" Ding Qing sighed helplessly.

"We've become executioners of the night. Do we still have the courage to face it?"

…

On the tracks, the Infinite surged through the valley. More and more strange creatures emerged from the dark; the entire crew poured continuous firepower, fighting desperately to carve a bloody path through them.

In the living quarters, Shu Qin kicked a teammate aside, helping him dodge a claw that had snaked through a firing port. Then she darted over, snatched up the Remington M96, shoved it into the hole, and fired.

Bang!

The massive close-range firepower instantly melted the tentacle.

"Watch out!" Shu Qin shouted.

The male teammate scrambled up, sweating profusely: "Thanks, Sister Qin."

He immediately rejoined the fight.

Shu Qin's face was taut, her focus absolute as she resisted the surging tide outside. Since leaving Rain Town, the Infinite faced horrors far worse than the pseudo-humans—she was desperate.

Ever since crossing the Dazhu Plateau, the night here had granted them not a single breath of respite—it was unthinkable.

(End of Chapter)