Chapter 195: Clearance (Double Request for Monthly Votes! Thanks to the Patron Hao Shu Shu)

"You're right."

Lin Xian deeply agreed. After escaping the chemical plant, night had fallen, and the monster had indeed not followed. Moreover, Kiki had tried to pull up the lantern flower and found it deeply rooted beneath the chemical storage tank's deep pool; though its true size was unknown, Ding Junyi's description made it clearly match the characteristics of coral.

"Then what do we do next? If those people saw us return, they've definitely spotted us."

Kiki said: "Some troublemakers won't let us easily deal with the monster in the chemical plant."

"And we don't even know how many groups they have."

"All groups are the same," Lin Xian said calmly. "Anyone living in town is already on the same boat. With shared interests, our actions make us enemies with them all."

"Then what?" Kiki crossed her arms. "This town isn't big, but the enemy is hidden while we're exposed—we've got that giant monster, parasitic impostors, and now we must also watch out for these traitors. We'll barely be able to move."

Lin Xian's gaze turned cold: "Then let's find them first and eliminate them."

Time passed second by second. On the dark platform, it was now 8 p. . The silence felt like the calm before a storm—no impostors appeared, and everything settled.

The tension among the passengers on the train eased considerably. Seeing this, Lin Xian had Kiki launch the drone for reconnaissance. After scanning the surrounding freight platform, no human figures were detected.

In the distant town, scattered, flickering candlelights still glowed—serene yet eerie.

"Looks like our return was the right choice—at least for now, we're safe," Chen Sixuan sighed, sitting down on a bench in Car 2.

At this moment, Shu Qin, Kiki, Daliang, Shasha, and Lu Xingchen had all gathered here. Lin Xian updated everyone on the latest information and discussed their next steps.

"If we don't eliminate the monster in the chemical plant, our markers will only multiply as we flee, and we'll ultimately be consumed," Shu Qin frowned. "So the root is here."

Lu Xingchen clicked his tongue, arms crossed in a thoughtful pose: "Then it seems the townspeople are well aware of this, which is why they gave up fleeing."

Shasha shot back: "It's not that complicated—they're just a bunch of cowards afraid of death, colluding with night monsters. Disgusting."

Kiki nodded: "Exactly. We can't run anymore. Let's clean this place out and let them reap what they've sown."

"What's your plan, Lin Xian?" Chen Sixuan looked at him.

All eyes turned to him, waiting for his orders.

Choosing to return after the earlier crisis had granted them this quiet moment—not a reckless decision, because after hearing Director Ding's theory, everyone strongly approved.

"Kiki's right. The enemy is hidden while we're exposed, and we're not facing just one threat. But there's one thing we all share: it's dark now, so they're probably as powerless as we are. This gives us a full night to rest and plan."

After a full day of battle, the team's ammunition was heavily depleted, and Kiki, Lu Xingchen, and others needed rest. Fortunately, the situation had become clearer to Lin Xian—he no longer had to react blindly. He could let the team rest properly before acting.

"What plan?" everyone asked.

Lin Xian's gaze flickered: "Clearance."

"Our goal in returning was self-preservation. At dawn, we split into three teams: I'll lead the group to the chemical plant to plant remote explosives. Shu Qin and Huo Ge will form the first team to enter town and eliminate impostors. The third team stays on the train, guarding against a surprise attack on our train."

Chen Sixuan frowned slightly: "Are we really going to openly storm the town and kill those monsters? Isn't that too dangerous?"

"No big deal—I'll handle it," Lu Xingchen said without a hint of fear, calm and composed. "These demons masquerading as humans must be purified by my divine flame. If not, I'll burn the entire town down—what can heaven do to me?"

Lin Xian's gaze turned deep as he looked at Shu Qin: "Actually, killing the parasites isn't your primary objective—your main goal is to make noise, the louder the better, to draw their attention. If you encounter that group acting, retreat immediately to avoid casualties."

Lin Xian's gaze turned deep as he looked at Shu Qin: "Actually, killing impostors isn't the priority. Your main goal is to make noise—make as much as possible—to draw their attention. If you encounter those traitors, retreat immediately to avoid casualties."

"Distraction?" Lu Xingchen raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I suppose."

"Huh?" Shu Qin had just been planning how to deal with the impostors—then Lin Xian suddenly changed direction.

"Aren't we supposed to clear them out?"

Lin Xian said: "Catch the leader first. Even if we clear them out, we must wait until we've eliminated the big parasite, then deal with the small ones gradually."

Lin Xian didn't finish—he thought that if eliminating the big one would erase all markers, there'd be no need to clean up the small ones. Entering buildings was extremely risky; one misstep could cause heavy casualties, and killing them yielded no blood essence or other benefits—purely exhausting and pointless.

"If Ding Qing's group attacks you in town, it'll make our operation at the chemical plant much smoother—it means they don't know our goal is to kill the big parasite," Lin Xian explained.

"Normal people wouldn't think like that," Shasha said. "Who'd believe we came back just to hunt that big monster?"

Generally speaking, it sounds utterly absurd to escape only to turn back and fight monsters—after all, to survivors this is tantamount to suicide, offering no benefit whatsoever. Now, all survivors across the world are fleeing for their lives; only a tiny few have realized the existence of the 【Mark】.

Generally speaking, returning after barely escaping to fight a monster sounded utterly insane. To survivors, it was equivalent to suicide—with no benefit. All survivors worldwide were fleeing. Only a tiny few understood the existence of the markers.

"Not necessarily," Lin Xian said. "Even if they don't know we're here for the markers, that monster is the source of the town's isolation from the strange entities—it's their guardian deity. Do you think they won't act?"

"Oh right—those traitors," Shasha quickly picked up the term from Kiki and spat it out bitterly.

Chen Sixuan nodded, understanding Lin Xian's logic, but still worried: "Still, Lin Xian, those impostors aren't easy to handle. I'm worried about Shu Qin and the others..."

"I know. As long as they don't enter buildings, the impostors aren't that threatening—the biggest problem is disguise," Lin Xian said. He raised his hand, a flash of light, and produced a strange small device, handing it to Kiki: "This is a voiceprint detector, separated from the Sentry System. The simplest way to deal with impostors is to detect their heartbeat—it's completely different from humans'. Set up the sample data, and Shu Qin's team can identify them remotely."

Kiki's eyes lit up instantly as she took it: "Wow, brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? That female impostor's breathing and heartbeat were all messed up—this method means we don't need to risk close identification at all."

Shu Qin and the others heard this and their morale surged instantly: "Got it, Team Leader. I know what to do."

Lin Xian nodded: "One more thing: maintain constant communication. The big parasite has a special parasite that can briefly mimic our teammates using human bones. That could be tricky. For safety, keep talking—it'll help us respond effectively."

Though impostors posed a serious latent threat, all threats stemmed from disguise. Once you had a way to detect them, they became far less troublesome.

Lin Xian continuously weighed multiple scenarios.

Shu Qin nodded: "I understand."

(End of Chapter)