Chapter 251: Silent Hunt

Kiki frowned slightly: "What if we can't kill them all?"

"We can only try to reduce the mark's level." Lin Xian's gaze shifted, his voice low: "The other survivors must be facing the same problem—they don't have Hell Black Chrysanthemums, so they can only defend passively. Under these conditions, the death rate must be high!"

Lin Xian hadn't expected that upon entering the snowfield, the first challenge thrown at him would be nearly impossible to eliminate.

Kiki was right—even with ample time, he couldn't guarantee killing every pursuing snow wraith. The Infinite Train could never fully clear its marks, meaning they'd remain exposed in the blizzard.

But after careful thought, there was no better option. The train couldn't stop. The monsters beneath the snow couldn't be wiped out. The snowfield stretched endlessly like an ocean, and with each layer of snow piling up, who knew what worse things might emerge?

"Do it this way!"

Lin Xian acted instantly, pressing his earpiece: "Everyone, cease fire. Firebro, return. Chen Laoshi, accelerate!"

"We hold our ground for now. If these things are merely following, they won't directly harm us—and our defenses are thick enough to resist easy breach. My plan is to find a less open terrain before nightfall and clear it thoroughly, trying to reduce our mark level before darkness falls."

"These things are so vile—they hide under the snow and still manage to mark us…" Shasha said, furious.

"Hyenas are exactly this kind of pack predator," Ding Junyi said. "Their individual strength may not match tigers, wolves, or leopards, but through overwhelming numbers, they encircle and slowly wear down prey. Once the prey bleeds, death is inevitable—surrounded, exhausted, consumed."

Hearing Ding Junyi's words, everyone felt an inescapable sense of dread. The train was surrounded by monsters, helpless—like prey marked for certain death, tagged by these snow wraiths, destined to be swarmed and devoured the moment darkness came.

Lin Xian raised his voice to rally them: "But we can be certain these things won't attack before nightfall. And since we can monitor our mark levels, we still hold some initiative—we can at least choose what level of mark to enter the night with."

"I have a suggestion."

Ding Junyi, hearing the train had fallen silent, pointed to the Hell Black Chrysanthemum and said to Lin Xian: "Fire before the mark reaches level five. Level five might be beyond our capacity to handle. For safety's sake, don't risk it."

Lin Xian looked at the crimson-hued plague plant, its glow shifting, and nodded.

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

He turned to the others: "Do it. Everyone stay alert. When we hit level four, we fire again. I'm worried that if the snow gets thicker, it'll be harder to lower the mark later."

The worst-case scenario: if the marks grow faster than we can erase them, tonight the Infinite Train could face a level-five "Dark Hunt."

If that happens, everyone can only pray they don't encounter a creature like Atmospheric Mica in this blizzard.

The snow wraiths' pursuit had everyone on edge. Many stared grimly at the deepening snow outside, the intensifying storm, and beneath the snow,

Ssshhhh~

More and more snow wraiths!

Inside the carriages, the atmosphere grew crushing. The train kept moving, each passing second like a countdown ticking toward the Infinite Train's doom.

The entire train now felt like a pressure cooker slowly building steam—so heavy, it was hard to breathe.

Lin Xian hurried to Car 12. All he could do now was frantically produce ammunition—especially for the Roarer K23 electric rotary machine gun, the Rain A1 grenade launcher, and the large-caliber rounds needed for the 1130 and T8-Z Vulcan military assault variants.

Against pack predators, heavy firepower remained the best solution.

At this moment, most of the materials in his decomposition space had been converted into ammunition components, and under his dual-machine manufacturing ability, they were being forged into rounds in a steady rush.

Other crew members were frantically hauling box after box of ammo out of Car 12, arming every firing point: grenade launchers, 12. mm autocannon rounds, 30mm tungsten-core armor-piercing shells—pouring out from Lin Xian's hands like they were limitless.

Meanwhile, he silently prayed that Da Ying's three convoys had listened to his theory about Dark Marks and taken precautions.

"They took the detour through the western side of Yunzhou Mountains—the storm there shouldn't be this severe…"

Lin Xian thought to himself.

Chen Sixuan, responsible for monitoring road conditions and driving, had also learned the situation. Her face was grim as she stared ahead at the deepening snow, the massive storm vortex above, black and heavy as if ready to swallow the world—suffocating.

"Before Dalaite Town, we must pass through Wuliya Sita Mountain. The elevation isn't high—only a few hundred meters. The terrain here…"

Chen Sixuan drove on, flipping through her pre-planned route notes.

Originally, the best way to enter nightfall was to find open ground—easier to deal with strange entities and easier to escape.

But now, the opposite was true. Both sides were endless snowfields, beneath which lay countless snow wraiths. If they couldn't find a relatively narrow terrain to make a "gate defense," even firing every bullet would only attract more predators. Finding a strong defensive camp before nightfall became Chen Sixuan's most critical task.

In Car 5, Lu Xingchen, unable to unleash full slaughter, clenched his fists, watching Da Lou carefully preparing ammo, and said grimly:

"This feels just like the Master controlling fire—too much killing is bad, must leave room; not killing enough is worse, leaves lingering threats. These demonic creatures are a real headache."

"You get headaches too?"

Da Lou, head down, replied: "Finish your tea now. From now until night, this tension won't loosen a single bit."

"Relax, roommate!" Lu Xingchen sat cross-legged on his cushion, eyes closed, adopting the pose of a sage: "The Master always has room to spare. Snow wraiths and my divine fire are inherently incompatible. Today, watch how I unleash slaughter!"

Hoooo~

Above, a terrifying, colossal frigid vortex churned violently. The blizzard howled, winds whipping cobalt-blue ice crystals across the sky. At its center, wild spatial distortions seemed visible.

Snow roared over the train. As temperature and wind speed rose, visibility steadily dropped.

From the moment Lin Xian woke to running under sunlight on the snow, to now, buried under storm-driven black snow, the Infinite Train had traveled less than two hours—proof of the frigid vortex's terrifying speed of movement and expansion.

Creak, creak, creak~

Fog froze on the windows. Cold seeped through the carriage joints. Feeling the external temperature plummet, Lin Xian had no choice but to raise the train's internal temperature again.

"Lin Dui."

In Car 10, Shu Qin watched the snow layer outside, where snow wraiths now swarmed like fish, and said over comms: "The scale is growing. You were right—the deeper the snow, the more of these things appear."

Nearby, Lu Chang sighed worriedly: "I'm afraid something bigger is coming. That'd be trouble."

Lin Xian turned directly to Ding Junyi: "Director Ding."

"Mark has reached level two. At this growth rate, it'll hit level three in thirty minutes, level four within an hour." Ding Junyi reported calmly over comms.

"Good."

Lin Xian closed his eyes, thinking: "We act in one hour. Shu Qin, observe their movement patterns. When we fire, aim precisely."

"Received!"

Lin Xian checked the time—it was only 4 PM. Nightfall was still two and a half hours away, but they had to clear once after one hour. He'd decide the next timing based on this action's results.

He felt growing anxiety. Under this situation, not only did the entire train need sufficient firepower, but precise judgment was vital—any misstep could trigger greater disaster.

Right now, he only hoped the one-hour action would yield results. If not, they'd have to stop early and wait until the mark dropped.

And in such a scenario, ammunition became critical.

"Kiki, you and Firebro handle the next strike. Shasha, don't deploy your mech—prepare to activate the 1130 CIWS and rail electromagnetic cannon. Director Ding, report mark levels continuously—I'll adjust firepower based on changes."

"Understood."

"Got it!"

"Received!"

Lin Xian wouldn't unleash all firepower at once—he'd escalate gradually based on how effectively the snow wraiths and Dark Marks were suppressed. The 1130 fired too fast, mostly spraying rounds like artillery rain—using it on these snow wraiths was like cannoning mosquitoes. He didn't want to waste it from the start.

Time ticked by. Soon, the snowfields on both sides of the Infinite Train seemed to hum with a boiling sound.

It was the movement of countless snow wraiths beneath the snow!

In Car 3, Ding Junyi stared intently at the Hell Black Chrysanthemum's spectral changes on her mobile terminal, recording the time.

Finally, when the Hell Black Chrysanthemum reached level four, she spoke instantly over comms:

"Lin Xian, our Dark Mark has surpassed level four."

"Fire!" Lin Xian didn't hesitate. He stopped making ammo, stood, and rushed to Car 11, opening the auto-blast door.

TATATATAT! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The crew, ready for hours, opened fire immediately. Five Roarer K23 electric rotary machine guns and multiple M556 light machine guns roared. Da Lou and Lu Xingchen in Car 5 began clearing with full force.

In an instant, a torrent of metal poured into the boiling snowfields on both sides. Gunfire exploded, snow dust flew, and countless snow wraiths were shredded and pierced.

Above the roof, fire descended, incinerating snow wraiths that tried to leap out, enraged by gunfire. Soon, more surged from the deep snow, their bodies scorched by sunlight, screaming as they clung to the train's armor, their tail needles thrusting hard!

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Heavy metallic sounds rang out. The snow wraiths' tail stingers were shockingly powerful—they left deep dents in the thick armor plates.

Some pierced gaps in the armor grates, driving their stingers deep into the train's steel skin, embedding several inches.

WUM! WUM! WUM!

On the roof, Kiki, clad in cold-weather gear, flew from front to back, releasing shockwaves continuously, blasting every climbing snow wraith off—sending them tumbling into sunlight and fire, instantly charred.

These snow wraiths died like bees sacrificing themselves—thrusting one final sting before tumbling down, consumed by flames.

Soon, the train's steel plates were covered in dense, pitted dents from their stingers.

SHHHH!

Standing at Car 11's door, Lin Xian raised his hand and fired a 【Mechanical Cannon】, instantly piercing one large snow wraith preparing to leap—and taking out two more behind it.

BOOM! BOOM!

Grenade launchers exploded deep in the snow. Each blast was like a brilliant firework, shattering several snow wraiths lurking beneath.

Lin Xian's face grew grim. Almost every round hit a snow wraith—proof of how many lurked beneath the seemingly calm snow.

"Director Ding!"

"Down to level three." Ding Junyi checked the time: "Increase firepower!"

Lin Xian immediately called the weapons station: "Shasha, rail cannon!"

!

The rail electromagnetic cannon needed no ammo—it was designed for large strange entities, but now, no time for caution.

"Got it!"

Shasha didn't hesitate—she activated the rail electromagnetic cannon system.

WOOO!

The roof of Car 2 opened. The G3 rail electromagnetic cannon's main barrel slowly rose. Below, hyper-energy capacitors charged. A brilliant blue energy beam glowed along the rail track. The fire control system locked onto a dense cluster and fired.

WOOO, ZZZZT!

A deafening ionizing shock rang out. A blinding beam struck a dense group of snow wraiths just over a hundred meters away.

BOOM!

Snow erupted. The shockwave shattered the hurricane and blizzard. A multi-meter crater appeared instantly. Dozens of snow wraiths vanished without a trace. Green blood splattered everywhere.

The addition of heavy firepower intensified the suppression of the snow wraiths.

"Ah!!"

In car 5, Da Lou stood at the automatic door holding a Gatling gun, shouting as he sprayed bullets into the snow outside; a multi-meter-long ammunition belt hung behind him, the Gatling's barrel blasting intense heat as it ruthlessly mowed down these pack-hunting Guiyi creatures!

On the roof, Lu Xingchen and Kiki, two area-effect adepts, one focused on burning and suppressing the snow demons leaping out like locusts from the snow layers, while the other cleared snow demons aboard the train and used wide-range telekinetic waves to kill more buried beneath the snow.

"Drop to Level 2, three minutes!" Ding Junyi's voice came again through the communicator.

The Infinite's firepower swept across, turning the snow plains into oceans of corpses and green blood; its furious rate of fire kept blasting, nearly drowning out the howling blizzard.

Taptaptaptaptap!

Bangbangbang!

At this point, nearly all of Infinite's deployable firepower—aside from the 1130 CIWS and the Fire God mech—had been unleashed; what remained were the adepts' hidden cards.

Lin Xian dared not casually activate the Hetero-Cube, let alone waste it on these minor foes; the unknown giant creatures of the Palma Grasslands and Yazehu Lake hung like swords above his head—he must conserve his strength to supply Infinite's ammunition.

"Drop to Level 1, one minute!"

Finally, under the overwhelming firepower, the dark marks inflicted by the flood of snow demons dropped below Level 1 once more; though the Hell Black Chrysanthemum still glowed faintly red, Lin Xian ordered the entire team to cease fire.

Lin Xian checked the time: 17: 5. It had taken roughly twelve minutes.

He calculated quickly and said to Chen Sixuan: "Chen Laoshi, sunset should be around 18: 5. Adjust speed—we enter Wuliyastai Mountain at 18: 0."

Compared to Chen Laoshi's campsite calculations, the timing was perfect; to account for possible inaccuracies in sunset time, Lin Xian deliberately left ample time to clear the marks.

"Got it!"

In the cockpit, Chen Sixuan, now with clear orders, felt a fraction of the weight lift from her heart; she began accelerating Infinite.

Whooshwhooshwhoosh!

Infinite's ice-breaking shield violently plowed through the thick snow layers, flinging them to either side of the tracks; the super-heavy rail fortress's engine roared as it accelerated furiously, racing against time toward Wuliyastai Mountain.

Every second gained now meant more pressure relief; the cleaner the marks were cleared, the safer Infinite would be after nightfall.

Along the entire train's corridors, figures darted constantly; though the great battle had just ended, no one had time to rest—they immediately began rearming and preparing for the next "pressure release."

"Kiki, come to the cockpit."

"Why?"

Lin Xian brought Kiki to Infinite's cockpit; with the train accelerating, he needed Kiki to guard the tracks ahead for Chen Sixuan.

"Kid, use your ability to stabilize the train—if anything appears on the tracks ahead or any other issue arises, blow it all apart!"

"Got it," Kiki understood Lin Xian's intent, and beside her, Chen Sixuan added:

"The snow is already over 80 cm deep. At this rate, by tonight it might exceed 1. meters—or even deeper."

Her concern was that the train could be completely buried, rendering it immobile.

But the problem was, under current conditions, Infinite could not continue moving through the night—unless they wanted to die.

Lin Xian's face grew grave; he nodded: "Let's solve the immediate problem first."

"Hey, Lin Xian, where are you going?" Kiki asked.

Lin Xian turned and walked away: "I'm repairing the carriages pierced earlier."

The snow demons seemed small and easy to kill, but their numbers were overwhelming, their movements agile, and their tail spines could damage steel armor—truly a persistent nuisance.

This was only during daylight; once night fell, according to intelligence, they would enter a frenzy mode and become even more reckless. With Infinite's length and limited crew, a full-train encirclement could easily lead to being overwhelmed—once a carriage was breached, the losses wouldn't be trivial.

"The outer layer of the research carriages uses nitrided steel, boron carbide ceramic layers, and self-repairing gel interlayers—this is interstellar aerospace tech. You might consider upgrading your armor along these lines."

In car 4, Ding Junyi was monitoring whether the planted plants had been affected by infiltrating snow winds. Seeing Lin Xian repairing the external armor carriage by carriage, she spoke up.

"It's not that simple."

Lin Xian focused on his work and said: "These things look good but won't hold up against those monsters. We still need heavy armor for resistance. Internal upgrades mean nothing without strong external protection."

Ding Junyi adjusted her glasses: "As far as I know, the military's high-grade armor steel is mainly tungsten-titanium alloy Type I and II; for mechs, it's super-carbyne alloy and nanoceramic armor for infantry. You might find these materials interesting."

Lin Xian's interest sparked; he looked up at her: "Ding Director, your knowledge is broad. You're right—if we could use these materials as a base, Infinite's external armor protection would rise another level."

Lin Xian had no molecular scans of these materials yet, so the fabrication center couldn't convert them; even if he did, upgrading to such high-grade materials would be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and material-heavy—let alone using them to armor the entire train.

So now, alongside blueprints, mechanical manufacturing, and mechanical assimilation, the material issue had become critical.

Previously, Infinite only needed forged steel, titanium alloy, high-manganese steel, and hardened tungsten steel—all obtainable by assimilating cars, trains, or large mechanical objects. But tungsten-titanium alloy? He'd first acquired it by dismantling the damaged "Tiewei-3" military assault mech, using it for GK03 electric knives, ice-breaking shields, and other key components.

So to obtain such materials, he needed to assimilate something far more advanced—cars and trains could no longer solve major problems; they could only be converted into ammunition and weapon components.

Boom boom boom!

Amid the blizzard, Infinite sped forward, its wheels roaring against the icy rails; more snow demons gathered again in the snow plains, following the train's movement with a hissing, boiling sound beneath the snow.

After repairing internal damage in the carriages, Lin Xian began reinforcing and repairing the external armor, especially the firing ports. After the battle began and the automatic blast doors opened, the temperature inside the carriages plummeted; to retain heat, Lin Xian set the corridor gates between cars 3 and 4 to auto-close.

The rear living carriages, however, had no such protection; cold wind seeped through the firing ports, turning the living area into an icy wasteland. Many teammates' hands froze during firing; everyone now wore thick thermal maintenance gear and cold-weather suits, waiting for nightfall.

"Lin Xian, we're almost there!"

In the cockpit, Chen Sixuan gazed ahead at distant, rolling hills covered in snow; Wuliyastai Mountain was a ring-shaped range of hills, its highest peak no more than a few hundred meters. Before the Palma Grasslands were buried under snow, it had been a breathtakingly beautiful landscape—but now, only vast, towering snow dunes stretched before them.

(End of Chapter)