Chapter 248: Cold Dark Fundamental Particle

The night wind howled bitterly, and the vast expanse of the extreme cold vortex spread outward; many areas near Hengshan Pass began to drift with fine snowflakes.

After the fierce battle, the people in the camp gradually cleared the battlefield debris, and the once noisy vehicle formation slowly fell quiet.

The Wuxianhao's headlights blazed brightly.

"You little brat! Without my permission or Lin Gege's, you went out driving a mech—how dare you be so bold!" Inside Car 2, Kiki pinched Shasha's cheek, scolding her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Kiki-jie, I'm sorry~"

"It's fine—the swarm surrounded us completely; under these conditions, mechs were necessary for combat." Lin Xian spoke directly to Shasha: "Tonight I'll make minor modifications to the door of Car 11, so you won't have to climb out next time."

Shasha quickly escaped Kiki's grasp and nodded at Lin Xian: "Mm-hmm, I'll do whatever Lin Gege says."

At this moment, the team's core members were all in Car 2, and they began summarizing the battle situation.

"We've resolved the issue here tonight; staying put to regroup is relatively safer, but the extreme cold vortex is spreading rapidly—we can't linger too long."

"Aside from ammunition consumption, we didn't suffer any major losses," Chen Sixuan said, holding her logbook. "This area has been hit by swarm outbreaks; the track conditions are unclear. If we want to depart early, I suggest leaving before dawn, like the other convoys—so we can respond promptly to any problems."

"Mm." Lin Xian nodded. "It looks like several convoys need considerable time to restock. Tonight we must gather more ammunition—after passing Yuan Kou, we'll enter the Palma Grasslands, an open expanse where supplies will be nearly impossible to find."

Tonight he still had preparations to make; time didn't wait. Ding Junyi had moved the Hell Black Chrysanthemum over, and everyone now saw its red glow had completely faded, leaving only a faint, wispy fluorescent light drifting like air currents inside the car.

On the table beside it sat a silver box containing the new Blood Calamity Plant taken from the Great Eagle convoy.

Everyone's gaze turned to the strange plant; within its root core, what seemed like purple energy flowed, appearing profoundly mysterious.

Ding Junyi held it carefully, examined it, then said: "It does share some similarities with Plant No. 1. If this is a new calamity plant, it should have very distinctive properties."

"I hope it proves useful to us," Lin Xian said.

Chen Sixuan looked toward the camped convoys outside, her expression serious: "After this disaster, our markers have likely been wiped clean—but I wonder about them…"

"What? They don't believe us?" Kiki couldn't help asking.

Lin Xian shook his head, voice low: "We warned them. They'll think about it—but the problem remains: we have the Hell Black Chrysanthemum, they don't. This marker can't be visibly demonstrated. When real danger strikes, these people will still act on instinct."

Ding Junyi shrugged: "It's normal. Biological instinct is to seek benefit and avoid harm. Killing these monsters currently yields no clear reward—whereas fleeing offers higher returns. So when danger arises, people choose to run, not test whether force can overcome it. What's the point?"

Lin Xian's expression darkened slightly. Ding Junyi's words struck true: unless all survivors realized that fighting back and eliminating the strange entities was key to their own survival, this consensus could never be overturned.

"Let's leave it for now. These aren't our concerns. When we reach Xilan, we need to acquire vast supplies and intelligence from the Phoenix Society. As for the dark marker data, we only need to share it with them. Whether they accept it or not is beyond our control."

Ultimately, the team's primary goal was survival space. All Lin Xian could do was continuously relay this information to every survivor group they encountered. How many he could influence was no longer within his power to change.

Ding Junyi nodded and was about to take the Blood Calamity Plant for study when Lin Xian suddenly called out to her.

"Director Ding."

"Hmm?"

Lin Xian took a deep breath and asked: "I recall in string theory, gravity is the only fundamental force capable of crossing spatial dimensions, correct?"

At this, everyone turned to Lin Xian with strange expressions, puzzled by this sudden academic question.

Ding Junyi halted, looked at Lin Xian, and after a pause said:

"My academic focus is biology. String theory is a branch of theoretical physics. According to quantum gravity theory, all fundamental particles are viewed as vibrating strings existing in a curled nine- or ten-dimensional space, not our three-dimensional one. The graviton, as the carrier of gravity, is a closed string whose ends aren't fixed in our three-dimensional space but can move freely in extra dimensions—meaning gravity can indeed traverse higher dimensions."

She paused, adjusted her glasses, and added: "Are you suggesting the Dark Tides are actually a dimensional overlay from another dark-world dimension?"

"What? What are you two talking about?" Kiki looked utterly confused; the others were equally baffled.

"I don't get it…" Shasha muttered under her breath.

Lin Xian knew Ding Junyi understood his meaning, but he couldn't find the words to explore it further, so he simply shook his head: "Nothing. Just some odd, random thoughts."

Lin Xian remembered watching a film called Interstellar, where the protagonist Cooper, inside a black hole, solved the gravitational equation by transmitting information via Morse code through gravity's ability to cross dimensions—information received by his daughter Murph, who used it to complete the equation, enabling humanity to build massive space stations and escape Earth's extinction.

Earlier, when he'd used the Gravity Lens ability in darkness, though only over a tiny area, he'd clearly seen two worlds—darkness and light twisted and interwoven like water ripples through the lens.

The most critical question: why had the world before dawn generated a black hole-like suction in the night, drawing in and shredding the red-headed monsters and countless black insects?

He couldn't understand the mechanism, but it seemed the strange entities hid beneath darkness, only emerging after the Dark Tides passed—perhaps a crucial determining factor lay here.

"Chen Laoshi," Lin Xian pushed his thoughts aside and said to Chen Sixuan: "Arrange a hearty dinner. Everyone's exhausted, and temperatures are dropping—we need to replenish energy urgently."

Chen Sixuan nodded: "Understood."

"By the way," Ding Junyi suddenly looked at the silver box on the table and asked Lin Xian: "This seems to be a specialized mobile cultivation chamber designed for plants—but it doesn't look like a Federation product. Did they say which organization it came from?"

Lin Xian shook his head: "Unclear. Uncle Wu said they found it in a wiped-out research convoy. They didn't know the convoy's affiliation—they originally intended to find the Phoenix Society for trade."

"Oh, right," Kiki flicked her finger, lifting the silver box to inspect it closely: "Looks high-end—not something a small group could make."

She turned it, then froze—beneath the box, she spotted a tiny emblem: a triangular symbol.

Everyone's gaze turned to it.

"What's this mark? I've never seen it before," Chen Sixuan said.

Shu Qin and Da Lou both shook their heads.

"Maybe like that Foundation—it's the emblem of some research group. Possibly connected to the Phoenix Society," Lin Xian said.

Nearby, Lu Xingchen glanced at it, his eyes narrowing slightly; his casual demeanor faded, and he remained silent.

"Zzzt…"

"Zzzt…"

"Phoenix Society Xilan Outpost broadcasting to the Yunjiang Plain region: Based on reports from survivor groups and monitoring teams, massive anomalous lifeforms have been detected within the extreme cold vortex's blizzard. Analysis of captured live specimens confirms these are four-legged strange entities, 1. –1. meters tall, covered in scale-spikes and tail spines over twice their body length. Samples confirm extreme toxicity. The Phoenix Society has officially named them Snow Wraiths. They primarily hide within snow layers, capable of limited daytime activity, but enter a berserk state at night…"

"Zzzt… Phoenix Society Global Broadcast: Dawn Center's current position: northern slope of Yun'an Ridge, coordinates 116. 913447°, 39. 053937°. Dawn Center will arrive at Tianqi in three days…"

"Phoenix Society Xilan Outpost broadcasting to the Yunjiang Plain region: Snow depth in the extreme cold vortex's core has exceeded two meters. Massive numbers of eyeless Class-B strange entities detected. Size: enormous. Survivors, beware!"

"Phoenix Society Global Broadcast: Nightwalker Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory has successfully isolated a unique energy particle from strange blood essence using underground xenon cold dark filtration. This particle has zero rest mass; when accelerated kinetically, it enters quantum excitation and decay states. Confirmed to match the magnetic signal of psychics' Soul-Fluctuation values. This energy particle has been officially named Cold Dark Fundamental Particle. Currently, specialized separation devices can extract this particle from strange blood essence and Dark Tide waves. Experiments by Nightwalker psychic volunteers confirm strong correlation between this particle and psychic energy, as well as biological gene evolution. The Phoenix Society is collaborating with Starhua Heavy Industry and Silent Industrial City to develop portable separation devices…"

"Phoenix Society Global Broadcast: 147 additional mobile support outposts will be deployed soon to assist, train, and support survivor teams, strengthening survival infrastructure. Nightwalker Organization advises: Do not ingest strange blood essence. Always wear protective gear when collecting it—avoid exposure to dark forces!"

"Zzzt… Survivor shortwave band…"

"White Light Convoy warning all within 500 kilometers: Zzzt… We… are all dead… Location: 150 km northwest of Chixia Road. Warn everyone: Do not flee from Snow Wraiths—their numbers will only grow… Aaah!!"

"Zzzt… We are Flying Tiger Convoy, heading toward Yunzhou Mountains. Multiple convoys have suffered massive casualties. Snowwater is highly toxic—do not filter or drink it. Survivors, run toward snow-free areas!!" "Watchers Alliance: At coordinates 102. 571147°, 66. 545487°, near Sufeng Village and Yazehu Lake, a massive battle is underway between Phoenix Society and Interstellar Military forces. Suspected appearance of a terrifying Night Strange Entity. Advise all to avoid this area."

"A super giant has appeared in the blizzard!! It can fire laser cannons—unclear if it's a strange entity or artificial. Run, everyone!"

"…"

"These are messages from earlier today, including some from this morning—I've played back the recordings," Ding Junyi said, shutting off the radio. "I filtered out useless noise. From what we see, dark energy has now been definitively detected. The key now is analyzing commonalities among dark matter, lifeforms, and natural disasters. Once we crack this, humanity's discovery of the Star Abyss is merely a matter of time."

"Oh my god, so the grasslands toward Xilan have turned into snowfields—and they're dangerous?" Shasha asked.

"Looks like you were right," Chen Sixuan said to Lin Xian. "Some say don't run, but most still flee. Yet fleeing with the marker only makes things worse."

Shu Qin frowned: "Team Leader Lin, this Snow Wraith sounds like a large-scale collective organism, capable of daytime activity. It seems to trigger the dark marker's properties—that's very troublesome."

Lin Xian nodded: "But there's good news too."

Ding Junyi seemed energized. She said to Lin Xian: "Yes, it looks like the Phoenix Society is developing this separation device—likely to officially launch a project using blood essence to enhance psychic abilities and gene evolution. That means the Angel Project's framework for all psychic systems will soon be made public. If possible, I hope to obtain one of these separation devices from the Phoenix Society—and ideally, a paper on the Cold Dark Fundamental Particle."

Lin Xian nodded: "At last, we have some direction. If we can isolate this energy, humanity can finally begin truly harnessing blood essence and the power of night."

!

"Whoa, so blood essence is gonna get way more valuable, right?" Shasha exclaimed.

"Exactly," Kiki nodded. "But I'm more curious about manufacturing this device—it won't be simple. Even portable versions must be incredibly precise."

"Phoenix Society teamed up with Starhua Heavy Industry—shouldn't be a problem. But I've never heard of Silent Industrial City," Shu Qin asked.

"You haven't?" Kiki said mysteriously. "That's Silent City—the mobile offshore metropolis built by the former world's top Moonwatch Conglomerate. Supposedly, it has a complete industrial system and can even drive onto land. I was obsessed with it back then, but never got to visit. Looks like now it's become a survivor hub, partnering with the Phoenix Society."

"Drive onto land?" Lin Xian frowned. "You're not suggesting it's a mechanical city, are you?"

"Absolutely!" Kiki said seriously. "There were plenty of blueprints floating online before—some real, some fake—but it was clearly a giant ocean-going vessel. Without an industrial system, why would the Phoenix Society partner with it?"

Lin Xian glanced at Chen Sixuan and noticed her expression had grown grim.

"Chen Laoshi, what's wrong?"

Chen Sixuan, lost in thought, snapped back at Lin Xian's call and said: "I'm concerned about the blizzard issues they mentioned—poisonous snowwater can't be filtered, Snow Wraiths, snow disasters, massive battles, night strange entity zones… These are likely problems we'll face next."

Lin Xian nodded: "I noticed too. Today's information is overwhelming—good and bad. We must reach Xilan as soon as possible. Once we meet Phoenix Society members there, answers about psychic abilities and darkness should come. As for the problems on the road, our route is fixed—only one path. We could retreat toward the opposite direction of G5523 through Dazhu Mountains, but that leads to Star Abyss No. 3—impossible."

"No problem," Lu Xingchen said confidently. "Those monsters hide under snow—my method is to clear the snow. Then they'll have nowhere to hide."

"Good, good!" Kiki clapped enthusiastically. "Since you're so good at it, you'll be strapped to the front of the vehicle to plow snow—way more efficient than ice-breaking shields."

"Wait, no—"

"What's this super giant in the blizzard?" Shasha asked, surprised. "Another huge monster?"

"Sounds like it," Shu Qin shrugged. "Something like that? Probably S-class."

"It fires laser cannons—could it be artificial?" Kiki quickly said. "Wasn't Hu Lushou telling us the Phoenix Society's running some Emperor Project in the Palma Grasslands?"

"Stop guessing."

Lin Xian rubbed his temples. "There's too much information. We just keep monitoring. No conclusions now—only take it one step at a time. Everyone, get some rest."

The Cold Dark Fundamental Particle and its separation device have emerged; the psychic system is on the verge of revelation. The Phoenix Society is uniting with industrial systems. Under the extreme cold vortex: snow disasters, Snow Wraiths, the giant shadow at Yazehu Lake…

Everything hangs like mist before them. All factions strive relentlessly. All survivors race against death.

Lin Xian knew further discussion now yielded nothing. Better to let everyone rest, preparing for tomorrow's journey.

The most immediate priority was the newly acquired Blood Calamity Plant. Lin Xian felt that with the Cold Dark Fundamental Particle's emergence, the mysteries of dark markers, invasion, psychic abilities, blood essence, and calamity plants would inevitably be gradually unraveled by humanity.

…

With the Level-3 Dark Marker removed, the entire Wuxianhao breathed easier. Chen Sixuan and Miao Lu organized food distribution, while Lin Xian manufactured a new batch of Roar K23 electric rotary machine guns and heavy weapons for distribution.

The entire train and vehicle camp, surrounded by piles of insect corpses, enjoyed a rare night of peace.

Under the night, Shasha and Da Lou, along with several Wuxianhao members, wearing gas masks, searched through the insect corpses for blood essence.

"Stinks! Stinks!"

Shasha held her rifle; even with the mask, the overwhelming stench of rot still reached her.

*Swoosh!

Da Lou slashed open the head of a large black beetle. Black mist spread—and a blood essence appeared on the ground.

"Hey, found one!" Shasha leapt over, snatched it up, wiped it with her glove, and saw the translucent red essence—her eyes brightened with delight. She carefully placed it into her waist pouch.

"Come on, let's go over there and search—I remember Brother Shao burned a giant red insect there; there must be blood essence."

Not only the Infinite No. convoy was searching for insect corpses; several other convoys were also patrolling and rummaging through the corpses near their own camps—partly to ensure no hidden survivors remained, but mostly because blood essence was a valuable equivalent, especially now that survivors had learned the Phoenix Society had unlocked its value, raising their enthusiasm even further.

On another side, Chen Sixuan, Miao Lu, Xiao Yuan, and others from the convoy began exchanging various useful supplies with personnel from several other convoys, while also sharing tips and small bits of intelligence on surviving in the apocalypse.

A bonfire rose at the center of the camp, and representatives from multiple groups began actively participating; when they learned that the Eagle Convoy and Running Far Camp had seriously injured personnel, Lin Xian instructed Chen Sixuan to move them onto the vehicles and treat them with the onboard full-spectrum life therapy pods.

This instantly caused a huge uproar throughout the entire camp!

For these convoy members, high-grade therapy pods were no less than a divine miracle; those previously injured, even children and women suffering from long-term illnesses, now felt the first glimmer of hope.

Many wounded were healed within a short time, and at the same time, Chen Sixuan exchanged for numerous useful survival supplies, greatly enriching the living cars of the train.

Under the apocalypse, this atmosphere of mutual support and solidarity was deeply infectious; before long, members of several convoys grew familiar with one another. Since they had to depart before dawn, everyone worked urgently: men and skilled personnel repaired vehicles and armor, teenage boys and girls strenuously helped carry supplies and clean windows, and the main guards used this precious time to train new recruits in firearms and first-aid skills, contributing to the team's strength.

…

【Wind Cannon — Mechanical Amplification】

【Mechanical Amplification Started: Wind Cannon 6: 4: 6】

【R&D Center】

【TRP Fourth-Generation Special Industrial Active Exoskeleton Power Armor (Blueprint): 3 Days 10 Hours】

Deep into the night, the exchange activities between the convoys had ended; each convoy began resting. Due to the rapid temperature drop, duty personnel donned thick cotton coats and patrolled around the camp.

In Car No. 12 of the Infinite No., Lin Xian stared at the amplification and R&D projects, and took a deep breath.

Before dawn tomorrow, his Wind Cannon would officially upgrade; he couldn't help feeling anticipation—his offensive capabilities would undergo a major leap. Not only would his basic skills improve, but the real-world application of the gravitational lens had far exceeded his expectations: it had critically wounded the red-light-headed monster at a crucial moment. He had originally thought it merely bent light as some kind of control skill, but now it seemed this ability had vast untapped potential!

(End of Chapter)