Chapter 206: Battle Results

Tap-tap-tap!!

The pseudo-humans on the platform had also been cleared out; Da Lou Shasha Shuqin led her team out of the platform, and everyone on the Infinite Train went mad, firing at the burning monster, every one of them gritting their teeth, venting the exhaustion and terror from their nights of fleeing, as if determined to fire every single bullet until none remained.

Fire and bullets rained down for four or five minutes straight; all the machine gun barrels turned red-hot. At last, the frequency of the parasite's tentacles writhing within the flames and smoke gradually diminished, until they fell completely silent.

Tap-tap~click~

Only after the last bullet was fired did the slope outside the platform fall still, leaving only the giant parasite burning in the flames, crackling and popping.

Whoosh~whoosh~

Everyone stood staring at the charred unknown creature, eyes wide, breathing heavily.

"Is it dead?"

Someone asked.

"It should be dead."

Whoosh~

A column of black smoke shot straight upward. Lin Xian saw it and thought, Trouble. But in the next instant, the smoke veered sharply and flew toward the rear of the crowd.

Ding Junyi stood there, before her lay the Hell Black Chrysanthemum she had carried over.

As the surging black mist flooded in, the crimson within the chrysanthemum's core vanished instantly, replaced by a glow of white light.

"My hypothesis was correct," Ding Junyi adjusted her glasses, revealing a rare surge of excitement.

Lin Xian watched this, closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, and said softly.

"We made it."

The moment he spoke, every face broke into ecstatic joy.

"Yay!!" Shasha jumped straight up.

"Great!" Shuqin cheered, high-fiving Da Lou.

Lu Chang, Miao Lu, and others erupted in cheers.

"I can't believe we took down such a huge monster!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Captain Lin is awesome!"

Chen Sixuan's face was pale, her chest heaving. She stared at the burning giant monster and the excited expressions of her teammates; the firelight illuminated every face, each person shouting with pure, heartfelt joy.

Lin Xian, still breathing hard, looked at Kiki in the air and Lu Xingchen emerging from the flames, and finally smiled.

"I couldn't have done this alone—it was all thanks to you all, and to Brother Hu, descending like a god!"

"Just a small thing, just a small thing," Lu Xingchen walked through the roaring cheers, his expression still calm and unshaken. "My robe is slightly soiled today—I still need to improve."

"Wow, Brother Lu was absolutely legendary today!"

"So amazing!" Female team members gathered around him, cheering in admiration.

"This guy~"

Kiki landed beside Lin Xian, glancing at Lu Xingchen with a deadpan look. "He totally stole the spotlight today—I bet he's bursting with pride inside, yet he's acting all calm and aloof? 'Slightly soiled robe'? Where's his robe?"

Lin Xian smiled, unconcerned. "You know what? I think he's showing off too."

"Look."

Kiki raised a hand, and a jet-black bead flew out from the roaring flames, landing in Lin Xian's palm.

Lin Xian's expression changed. "This is… blood essence?" "It's a Level 3 blood essence," Ding Junyi walked over. "The Federation's database has records of this. Level 3 blood essence is extremely valuable—worth as much as an entire company!"

"Whoa, that's insane!" Kiki exclaimed.

Lin Xian weighed the bead in his hand, eyes gleaming. "After all the cost we paid, recovering something this valuable is only fair—but how to unlock its value depends entirely on Director Ding."

He handed it directly to Ding Junyi.

Ding Junyi took it, adjusted her glasses, and studied the bead. "Phoenix Society and the Federation have likely made some progress studying blood essence. My suggestion: we trade our research data and conclusions on the Dark Mark for their latest findings. That way, I can accelerate results on my end."

"Trade?" Chen Sixuan approached, frowning slightly. "With the Federation?"

"It's purely an exchange of interests—irrelevant to which organization," Ding Junyi explained.

"Forget trading," Lin Xian cut in. "Our conclusion still needs confirmation after tonight's nightfall. If confirmed, we'll directly share the Dark Mark research data with Phoenix Society. They may already have theories—but if we alert other survivors a day earlier, it might save lives."

Ding Junyi looked at Lin Xian, paused, then nodded. "Fine. I'll follow your decision. I'll keep studying this blood essence. If you ever need to trade, I recommend using Level 1 and Level 2 essences first. This Level 3 essence is fundamentally different—it'll greatly aid my research."

"No problem," Lin Xian nodded.

!

His gaze swept the gloomy sky. Over half of Rain Town was already ablaze. The parasite had become a massive charred lump. The battlefield around the platform was horrific—corpses of pseudo-humans lay everywhere.

Lin Xian walked over and asked Shuqin: "Any casualties?"

Shuqin shook her head, excitement in her eyes. "Some injuries, but none serious. No one died."

Lin Xian nodded, exhaling in relief. Against such a massive parasite, avoiding any loss was beyond his expectations.

He turned to Ding Junyi. "Director Ding, thank you. Your judgment was right."

Ding Junyi gave a slight nod. "Thank you."

Though we expended massive ammunition and supplies, we eliminated the monster without a single casualty. As expected, this may have cleared the entire team's Dark Mark. And even more importantly, Lin Xian realized—this battle had drastically shifted the team's morale. Confidence had soared. Truly, the gains were immense!

Lin Xian checked the time: still over an hour until nightfall. To be safe, he ordered the team not to waste a second.

"Everyone, quickly clean up the battlefield and return to the train. We're leaving Rain Town under cover of night."

"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison, immediately springing into action.

Lin Xian also had Da Lou bring the howling K23 electric rotary machine gun aboard, to boost the train's firepower.

The only issue was ammunition supply—the more heavy weapons on board, the greater the manufacturing pressure on Lin Xian.

At Lin Xian's command, everyone returned to the Infinite Train. The moment all were aboard, he activated the Hetero Cube.

【Ding! Non-mechanical force detection in progress.】

【Detection successful. No fear risk detected inside the train. Dark-side intrusion blocked.】

"Phew~"

Lin Xian exhaled. After the brutal battle and the parasite's spewed parasites, he'd feared another pseudo-human invasion like last night.

"Thank goodness for the Hetero Cube—and the Hell Black Chrysanthemum. Both were crucial."

One blocked dark infection and detected intrusions; the other, though mysterious, had already proven its ability to sense the Dark Mark—more than worth its weight in gold.

In a way, the Hell Black Chrysanthemum's function was like a superior version of the Soul-Scanning Device.

(End of Chapter)