Chapter 229: Collapse (Revised)

Han Dong glanced at Qiao Min; she was now bowing her head, her disheveled long hair obscuring her once delicate and beautiful face.

In that instant, he seemed to accept it, his pupils dilating helplessly as he watched the Black Swordbearer slowly approach.

No anger, no sorrow—only boundless despair.

The Black Swordbearer drew two sharp blades, one hand aiming at his No. 4 waist, the other at his No. 5 chest.

Then, he thrust through violently!

Outside the arena, several onlookers watched with intense tension, shaken by this scene of mutual slaughter, their own lives hanging in the balance.

Both fighters on the field must die for them to have any chance of survival.

Wang Anjian's face was grim beyond words; even he, who never stopped talking, fell silent.

Ding. Pusht!

The No. 5 hole was fake; the No. 4 hole pierced straight through his entire body!

Han Dong thrashed violently, eyes wide, blood froth continuously oozing from his nose and mouth—terrible beyond words…

"Perfect!"

Seeing Han Dong's horrific state, Qiao Min's eyes turned bloodshot as she shrieked in madness—if Han Dong died, then she would be saved.

The final blade would not pierce her body.

"He's dead, he's dead! I won! I can leave!!"

Qiao Min screamed in wild, tear-streaked jubilation.

The joy of victory and survival spread through her heart; in this moment, she felt utterly liberated.

But her armor did not open.

The red head slowly turned, wearing a sinister smile.

"Oh, don't rush, Mrs. Qiao. I think you're celebrating too soon. This is precisely when your long-held love is truly tested, isn't it?" The Hatter spoke with deep implication.

"What?!"

Qiao Min, confused, suddenly realized something—she turned her head shakily, and saw.

Han Dong… was still alive!

"The challenger has not died. The game continues." The red head's voice rang like a funeral bell from hell in Qiao Min's ears!

"It's your turn to choose."

The Black Swordbearer's cold voice echoed before Han Dong.

Qiao Min's pupils dilated, her heart freezing instantly.

She finally remembered something vital: even when pierced through the heart, a person does not die immediately—especially since Han Dong had only been pierced through the waist…

As long as he still breathed, he still had the right to choose??

"If the two had cooperated from the start, even if Han Dong died, he might have chosen to stab all remaining blades into himself to save Qiao Min."

In the observation room, Chen Jia, who had remained silent until now, spoke with grave solemnity.

Tan Meng and Wang Anjian turned to look at him.

All of them wore dark expressions. Chen Jia's words sounded naive, but even if the Hatter had hinted that blades could be planted in corpses, most would still immediately think of killing the other—not sacrificing themselves.

Yet now, everyone seemed to care only about these two…

Whether they could die together.

Lin Xian gazed at Han Dong and Qiao Min, sighing inwardly.

"From the moment Han Dong took the first blade for her, perhaps that man who loved her deeply truly could go this far."

"But now… it's too late."

…

Inside the room, Qiao Min, having grasped the truth, suddenly screamed at Han Dong like a madwoman:

"Husband… husband, I'm sorry, I was wrong, I'm in so much pain…"

"Forgive me! We can still win—choose my shoulder, we'll walk out alive, we'll get endless supplies!!"

"I'm sorry, I'm stupid, I didn't understand… Please! I love you—you're the man I've loved most in my life. Let's stop killing each other, okay!"

Pata. Pata~

Blood continuously oozed from Han Dong's nose and mouth; he bowed his head, his glasses fogged over.

His entire being radiated an aura of utter despair.

"I… choose… the woman's No. 5 position."

His hoarse voice sounded like it came from a broken bellows.

Thick with blood, cold, indifferent.

Qiao Min's pupils slowly widened, a chilling fear surging straight to her skull!

Her eyes filled with bloodshot veins as she screamed shrilly.

"No!!!"

Pusht!

A gleaming blade pierced straight through Qiao Min's chest!

No. 5 was real.

In her final moments, Qiao Min's eyes were filled with terror—disbelief, hatred, regret, and agony twisted together until her pupils slowly dilated…

"Game over."

The red head slowly turned, expressionless—but everyone present

seemed to see a sinister smile curling at its lips.

The entire room fell silent.

Whoosh—the glass wall before them suddenly darkened, and the room's lights turned on.

Hua Xiaoling rose slowly, her gaze fixed on Lin Xian and Kiki.

"Well? Wasn't that experiment fascinating?"

Lin Xian held the emotionally shaken Kiki, staring coldly at Hua Xiaoling: "What's the point of this? What are you trying to prove?" Hua Xiaoling took a breath, her tone calm: "From a scientific standpoint, we designed this experiment to test the Night Evolution Theory: when humans are near death, their mental energy undergoes a threshold breakthrough, allowing their bodies to begin absorbing dark energy and undergoing genetic evolution. But this state lasts only briefly and is nearly impossible to observe under normal conditions, so we tested many methods."

"Direct death pressure on subjects proved too monotonous and induced numbness—so we used this death game. The results were excellent."

Hua Xiaoling told Lin Xian: "The remaining four will likely undergo significant physical evolution, and their survival capabilities after leaving will be greatly enhanced."

"From this perspective, isn't this also a form of help?"

Lin Xian frowned, his eyes cold as he stared at Hua Xiaoling: "You use this method to help humanity evolve?"

"Strictly speaking, we follow natural selection."

Hua Xiaoling walked to the glass wall and spoke softly: "Those who survived the flood learned to build dikes, understand water patterns, and remember disaster cycles. Those who survived earthquakes learned to reinforce foundations and observe animal behavior."

"And as humanity survived wave after wave of plagues and viruses, our bodies developed antibodies to fight them. This is how humans are—we always find a way to survive."

"Cross it, and civilization will rise again. Fail, and it's merely the extinction of a backward civilization."

Hua Xiaoling looked at Lin Xian: "Mr. Lin, don't you think the Dark Tide is just another plague virus to us?"

!

"So your neutrality means letting nature take its course?" Lin Xian replied.

"No."

Hua Xiaoling said directly: "The Salvationists, the Independents, the Descentists… Look, just like the first game—everyone agreed, everyone could have survived. But someone insisted on their own interpretation of survival, and that difference in ideology sparked conflict. Ha ha ha~~ Isn't it funny? At the brink of human extinction, society remains fractured like this. To a higher civilization, isn't ours backward and foolish?"

"Do you know why?"

"Greed, selfishness?" Lin Xian answered: "Just the usual stuff."

Hua Xiaoling shook her head: "Human nature is innate—it's not the root. What I want to tell you is that human society is driven by reason but shackled by emotion. In early civilization, this was an advantage—but now it's a limitation. A superior civilization doesn't need emotion at all. Take the second game: love, that emotion praised for centuries, that purest feeling—do you think it helps civilization survive?"

"Our mission is to preserve the progress of the Dark Tide. Under this natural selection, all outcomes will emerge. All survival ideologies will be tested. The irrational frameworks and positions within this civilization will be naturally eliminated. We decide who lives and who dies."

Vrrrm~

The glass wall suddenly lit up slowly. Lin Xian looked—and saw a vast research institute beyond it. Thousands of researchers stretched before him; equipment for psychic warfare gear, blood essence analyzers, massive genetic research machines filled the space—overwhelming in scale.

"Only those who survive will be the better genetic successors. Dark energy drives human evolution, triggering psychic abilities—these are the elite."

Hua Xiaoling looked at Lin Xian: "Mr. Lin, at the critical moment of the Ascending Elevator crisis, you stepped forward and used your mechanical psychic ability to carve out a new path. Our Foundation doesn't merely covet your mechanical ability—we believe only someone with your supreme will and high-level psychic power is worthy to be a builder of this new world, guiding the new civilization toward glorious evolution. That is our purpose."

"Sorry."

Lin Xian replied directly: "I have no interest in building a new world. I'm just an ordinary man—I don't understand grand civilizational ideals."

"Your facility is so well-equipped—I'm more interested in… do you have fresh bread? I haven't eaten any in ages—I've forgotten what it tastes like."

Kiki lifted her head, staring at Lin Xian in shock, finally snapping out of the horror of the killing game. She looked at him and whispered: "Bread?"

Hua Xiaoling's expression flickered, then she fell silent, lips slightly curling—she said nothing, only stepped aside to clear the way.

Lin Xian pulled Kiki toward the door. Halfway there, he stopped, pulled out the business card Hua Xiaoling had given him, and casually tossed it to the floor before walking out.

Click. Click~

At the entrance, two armed guards blocked their path.

"Let them go."

She made no move to stop them, speaking plainly—the guards stepped aside. Moreover, Hua Xiaoling ordered institute staff to escort the two out.

Hua Xiaoling watched the retreating backs of Lin Xian and Kiki, her gaze drifting to the card at her feet. Her expression was neither pleased nor displeased; she spoke with deep implication:

"We will meet again."

…

Vrrrm—Lin Xian and Kiki rode their motorcycle out of the institute. Turning back, they saw the massive facility blur quickly under the reflective panels. The setting sun slanted low, trees tall, grass green—outside, it was clearly not night. Without getting close, no one would guess such a vast institute stood atop these woods.

Lin Xian rode only one motorcycle, letting Kiki sit behind him. He noticed her pale face and said: "Don't take it to heart. She claims neutrality, but in essence, she and the Descentists share the same stance."

"Lin Xian." Kiki wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her body against his back, savoring the warmth.

She whispered, so faint it was like a mosquito's hum: "If I ever take a sword blow for you, will you be sad?"

"No." Lin Xian replied without hesitation.

"Huh?" Kiki widened her eyes.

Lin Xian slammed the throttle: "I'll forge you a suit of armor impervious to blades and spears—no sword can pierce it."

"Pfft~"

Kiki rolled her eyes at him, though the shadows in her gaze had largely lifted. She called out, "Alright, let's get back. Let's see what Shasha and the others found today."

Lin Xian nodded, turned to glance at the sky dome hidden beneath the distant tree line, and spoke solemnly:

"I don't know what they found, but now I know someone definitely gained something here."

"Who?"

"Who else? That merchant who bought a ton of our guns."

Vrrrm~

The motorcycle sped along, hitting the main road, heading toward Hengshan Pass.

Hengshan Pass Station, Infinite Train.

Chen Sixuan held the inventory log and, with Miao Lu, meticulously counted supplies shelf by shelf in Car 7. To be safe, she had every food crate opened and inspected for damage, leaks, spoilage, or expiration, then neatly sorted and stacked by category.

"Keep meat and fruit cans separate. Dry goods like biscuits must also be kept apart from liquid-containing foods to prevent dampness."

"Xiao Yuan, Tao Tao, put all these glass-jarred foods in the middle shelves, add padding—otherwise, if the carriage is attacked, they'll shatter from the vibrations."

Chen Sixuan was thorough, and Miao Lu worked diligently beside her.

"Miao Lu, any word from the other teams?" Chen Sixuan asked.

Miao Lu checked her mobile terminal and communicator. "Not yet. It's still early—they'll probably wait until the last minute to return."

Chen Sixuan watched the slanting sunlight outside the window, took a breath, and said, "I hope they had a good haul today."

"Of course~" Miao Lu giggled. "It's broad daylight—no weird entities out there, just zombies. They shouldn't be a threat. But Hengshan Pass has been ransacked too many times; it's unlikely they'll find anything useful."

Chen Sixuan nodded. This was the Infinite Train's first time splitting into teams for a multi-person external exploration.

Previously, Lin Xian had gone alone. Now, with more hands, especially for routine city exploration missions, mobilizing everyone brought little pressure—and was perfect for relieving the tension of those who had been fleeing nonstop.

(End of Chapter)