Chapter 267

"Oh, I understand."

Kiki flew over and used telekinesis to pick up a test tube, examining it closely: "So drinking this boosts psychic abilities—finally, our blood essence has a use beyond bartering…"

"What's this?" She picked up the circular badge, placing it in her palm; it felt heavy. Turning it over, she found a data port and some kind of information device on the back.

"This is the Phoenix Mandate."

Zhou Wuer pulled out another one from his person, but his was different—silver-black in color.

"The Phoenix Mandate is a special badge issued to cooperative teams, called the Crimson Phoenix Mandate. Our internal personnel carry the Starry Phoenix Mandate, which can receive and decode information packets transmitted by our regional radio stations or branches. We call these 'Fire Scrolls,' containing valid information within 48 hours and the latest research on psychic abilities, Star Abyss survival, and strange entities. It can also transmit and receive distress signals at a special frequency, leaving behind your own Fire Scroll."

"In short, the Phoenix Mandate can directly link via one-way signal to Phoenix Society units within a certain range, and leave specific messages—for example, if you're in danger, you can broadcast your 'Fire Scroll packet' across all frequencies. This packet will be temporarily stored by nearby available devices, other survivors' broadcast equipment, and Phoenix Society information towers. Any other survivor team passing through or broadcasting in the area can then relay the information further, allowing distant Phoenix Society units to receive it…"

Zhou Wuer scratched his head: "Did I make that too complicated? Honestly, the biggest function is just as an identity marker—teams with a Phoenix Mandate are seen by all Phoenix Society branches as trustworthy partners, even peers."

"I understand," Lin Xian nodded.

Just after the blizzard chase battle, Lin Xian's electronic beacon had connected via transmission mode to the Infinite No. 100 kilometers away, and through automatic feedback, linked to the rescue team's signal.

The Phoenix Mandate is more advanced. He remembered Wei Ke Xue telling him before that Phoenix Society broadcasts contained certain 'codes' used as a communication method to coordinate different regional units. This communication came at high cost—Lin Xian had spent two Level One Blood Essences just broadcasting within a small area at Hengshan Pass. It was easy to imagine how difficult a global broadcast would be.

To reduce this cost, Phoenix Society's global broadcasts embed many such 'codes' within them. Lin Xian guessed that, based on decryption permissions, different departments or regions at different levels would receive different content.

If he'd had this device back at Hengshan Pass, he might have directly contacted nearby Phoenix Society operatives.

But now, after hearing Zhou Wuer's explanation, Lin Xian was deeply interested in the 'Fire Scroll packet'—accessing the latest Phoenix Society research was equivalent to syncing with official intelligence, an extremely valuable resource!

Information acquisition is key to survival. Some survivor teams even assigned dedicated personnel to collect regional and Phoenix Society global information 24/7. On Lin Xian's side, Kiki, Ding Junyi, and Chen Laoshi took turns handling this.

Even so, complete information collection couldn't be guaranteed. For instance, under the extreme cold vortex, they hadn't received any Phoenix Society radio signals for days.

"In short, the Crimson Phoenix Mandate is an identifier for our external cooperative teams and a way to organize and contact viable forces later. With this, you're officially recognized by the Phoenix Society as an allied group, representing goodwill. Of course, since you're merely a cooperative team, we won't issue direct orders—but if assistance is needed, the Phoenix Society will prioritize working with trusted teams, whether through contracts or collaboration. We'll always provide compensation, and you can also submit requests; as long as our field personnel can fulfill them, we'll do our best."

Lin Xian nodded. At that moment, Kiki tossed the Phoenix Mandate to him. He caught it and said to Zhou Wuer: "This cooperation model is excellent. Thank you sincerely for your aid."

"Now, the second matter: our Nightwalkers are currently conducting large-scale psychic assessments and information collection in uncovered regions. Mutual benefit—we provide valuable information and evolutionary assistance to psychics, and in return, we gather extensive data on psychics and occasionally recruit. But for you, we'd like more detailed information," Zhou Wuer said.

"Now?"

"No, in Xilan City. You won't be leaving anytime soon, right?" Zhou Wuer asked.

Lin Xian nodded: "Depends. We'll likely move with the main group, and decide after crossing Star Abyss No. 5."

"By the way," Lin Xian brought up the real matter: "Actually, we sought out the Phoenix Society for something important."

Lin Xian looked at Ding Junyi. Since she was a Phoenix Society member, she was the perfect person to hand over the research data on the Dark Mark—saving them trouble.

Ding Junyi nodded and pulled out a miniature portable hard drive from her pocket, handing it to Zhou Wuer: "This contains research data on the behavioral patterns of dark entities attacking humans. Though lacking some specific parameter validation, I believe the Phoenix Society has already conducted deeper research in this area. It includes our practical data and should serve as useful reference."

The research on the Dark Mark currently lacked key issues Ding Junyi couldn't resolve—primarily the theory and capture methods of Cold Dark Base Particles. The Infinite No. lacked the equipment for particle-level measurement.

Because of this, she couldn't correlate changes with the Hell Black Chrysanthemum. Her experiments relied mainly on the Oscillation Value Meter.

Zhou Wuer and Peng Peng stared in astonishment—they hadn't expected a refugee train to be conducting research onboard.

Zhou Wuer took the hard drive with interest, nodding: "Wow, you guys are incredible—facing zombie monsters and still researching how to save humanity."

"Saving humanity? That's overstated," Lin Xian said bluntly. "We just happened to notice this pattern—and it's precisely this pattern that's kept us alive, instead of blindly running."

Zhou Wuer was curious: "Though I'm not involved in this field, could you share a bit more?"

Ding Junyi briefly explained her judgment on the Dark Mark. Zhou Wuer's eyes lit up immediately. He drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh~ I know this. Our Nightwalkers and Phoenix Society's research division have been studying this too. One of our projects is very similar to what you call the Dark Mark—we called it… forgot the name. Something more vivid, closer to the meaning. Now, many within the Phoenix Society support this judgment, but we still lack solid evidence."

He glanced at the hard drive: "Didn't expect you'd provide this. Good—I'll submit it immediately. We have a research team in Xilan City; they'll be very interested."

Everyone exhaled in relief. Chen Sixuan asked: "Many survivors currently support the 'pack hunting' effect, which worsens their refusal to cooperate and increases solo risk. If the Phoenix Society confirms this theory, how long before it's announced on the global radio?"

"Well…" Zhou Wuer smiled awkwardly. "That's beyond our courier's scope. But you know—the Phoenix Society is extremely cautious about any official announcement. The key issue is whether the research team can produce solid evidence. Until fully proven, the official stance won't guide—only rescue."

"Hey, don't you know other evil groups are already using the Dark Mark as bait bombs to kill people? The Phoenix Society is the biggest official organization—how can your research be slower than those villains?" Sha Sha blurted out, anxious. "Don't you realize how many survivors this info could save?"

"Evil groups?"

"An organization called the SIID Foundation Lab. They're far ahead in many Dark Tide studies. We encountered them at Hengshan Pass, but their lab was abandoned. From the traces they left, their research on psychic abilities and the Dark Tide far outpaces ours."

Ding Junyi had been head of the Federation's Underground City No. 9 Bio-Lab—her judgment carried high weight. She described the bait bomb dropped at Hengshan Pass, though no evidence tied it to the Foundation. Still, their use of the Phoenix Society emblem made Zhou Wuer frown deeply.

"Using the Phoenix Society emblem…"

Zhou Wuer turned to Lin Xian, frowning: "Where exactly was that lab?"

"About three kilometers north of Qingshui Town. It's probably submerged now," Lin Xian replied.

Zhou Wuer nodded: "Good. This is critical. I'll report it to headquarters—they'll likely send the Midnight Division to investigate. As far as I know, the largest Descent Faction is Crimson World, a major headache for Phoenix Society's global rescue ops. Our Qiluan Sky City's crash may have been connected to them…"

Zhou Wuer took a deep breath, tucked the hard drive away, and said to Lin Xian: "Our mission is complete. We'll leave now. If you get the chance, we'll meet again in Xilan City these next two days. If superiors or other branches need assistance, we hope you'll support them."

"Understood," Lin Xian nodded.

"Farewell."

Immediately, Zhou Wuer had Kiki open the roof hatch of Car No. 2. Peng Peng placed a hand on Zhou Wuer's shoulder. In the next instant, their special cloaks enveloped them, lifting them into the air with a sharp sonic boom as they streaked over the train.

"A flying psychic?" Shu Qin muttered.

"I heard before that courier teams are usually highly mobile psychics. Flight ability isn't surprising," Lin Xian said.

Chen Sixuan watched the closing hatch, her expression troubled: "I don't know why, but I feel the Dark Mark matter isn't as simple as we thought."

"All we can do is this much. Let the authorities handle the rest."

Lin Xian rubbed his temples. He'd provided what he could. He couldn't hand over the Hell Black Chrysanthemum too. The matter was settled in his mind. Now he cared more about the train's condition. "How are Xiao Yuan and the others?"

"No serious injuries," Shu Qin said. "Thankfully, our armor held up."

"Held up…"

Lin Xian was exhausted. The entire right-side armor plating of the Infinite No. was shattered, many grates had completely detached, and the high-manganese steel and hardened tungsten steel armor now looked as if it had endured an artillery bombardment—the carriage panels were scarred.

These armors were meant for zombie hordes—but the pressure from this snow spirit tide was incomparable…

"We've cleaned up the interior. We'll repair the external armor once we reach Xilan City," Chen Sixuan walked over, knowing Lin Xian was drained, offering comfort.

"Yeah, Big Brother Lin, it's not a big deal—we can still hold out," Da Lou added.

Lin Xian nodded, then picked up a Cold Dark reagent: "I forgot to ask—do you drink this directly?"

Looking at the pale green liquid, Lin Xian frowned deeply—a bad feeling crept over him.

"And how much does one dose improve you? No one said."

All they knew was its value: ten Level One Blood Essences. Ten were given to the Infinite No. totaling at least 100 Level One Blood Essences. Compared to other goods, it was extremely valuable—nearly equal to an entire medium-sized convoy's supplies.

!

Lin Xian knew the real treasure was the Phoenix Mandate—it meant entry into the Phoenix Society's whitelist in this lawless apocalypse. Direct communication with Phoenix Society members, mutual trust, cooperation—this gave the team far more survival options.

It also granted access to time-sensitive Fire Scroll packets—immensely beneficial for route planning, psychic understanding, and danger assessment.

In short, compared to blindly running and searching for Phoenix Society outposts, this gave them initiative.

"The Xilan City Phoenix Society branch has psychic detection devices—they can determine psychic levels by triggering peak Oscillation Values."

Ding Junyi said: "They already told me. Also, I know you're interested in the Cold Dark Base Particle separation device—but no civilian version exists yet. It'll take time. This reagent is primarily developed by the Phoenix Society. I heard Shuguang City has a similar version, but it's expensive."

"Detection device?" Lin Xian asked. "Just to measure psychic levels?"

"Yes. Part of the Nightwalkers' wide-scale experiments. Zhou Wuer just said—psychics need clear self-awareness, and the Phoenix Society needs more psychic data. So they're pushing these pilot programs to help psychics grow while collecting data and recruiting talent."

"So the Nightwalkers have preliminarily established a classification system for psychics—grading, rarity, and even effective methods to help them grow, increasing survivor survival rates."

Lin Xian held up the Crimson Phoenix Mandate: "So the Fire Scroll packet contains all this?"

"Right! I was curious—let's check!" Kiki's eyes lit up.

Lin Xian nodded and handed it to her. Kiki connected it to the information center's computer. Instantly, a special key auto-inputted, activating the Phoenix Mandate.

"This thing definitely needs radio connection," Kiki studied it.

"It's clearly a sophisticated information device," Lin Xian observed.

After activation, the Phoenix Mandate quickly decrypted a data packet—but not from current radio waves. The Infinite No. was trapped in the blizzard; only short-range communicators worked. Long-range signals, even Dark Radios, were unreachable.

This data came from the 【temporary storage frequency】 before the Infinite No. entered the blizzard.

The content was simple: several activity directions of regional Phoenix Society units, including schedules and special events in Xilan City, Wei River, etc. There were also assistance requests—but since their time limits had expired, they were now only reference material.

The main reason was the blizzard. Otherwise, they'd have received real-time radio signals.

Then came the Fire Scroll packet. The Phoenix Mandate stored an official Phoenix Society information package. Unlike the radio broadcasts, this one was extremely detailed. Due to Dark Tide restrictions, radio broadcasts could only include brief text—this was critical. The Fire Scroll packet was like a 【post-apocalypse survival guide】, divided into three parts:

One: Maps

It included the 48-hour expansion rate changes, coverage areas, and disaster distributions caused by the thirteen Star Abysses, plus the latest survival maps, marking numerous safe zones—specifically those confirmed to have survived the night. Under certain conditions, these offered useful reference.

Two: Strange Entity Catalog

It named and numbered all observed strange entities. Most clearly observed ones had images or hand-drawn sketches; fewer were described in text. This catalog classified all dark entities into five threat levels: C, B, A, Special, and S.

For example, the atmospheric mica they encountered in Yubei City was No. 10—but the abyss monster from Underground City No. 9 wasn't listed.

Additionally, Lin Xian's group saw, for the first time, another entity—ranked above S-level:

World-Level Disaster!

The Phoenix Society had another term for it: Dark Invaders!

Four such World-Level Disasters had already been identified: Nos. 01 to 04. Among them was the floating colossal corpse Lin Xian and Kiki had seen in Jiang City!

"No. 2 Entity: Unknown Sky Colossus, humanoid, observed scale over 10, 00 meters, floating altitude 3, 00–4, 00 meters, disaster capability unknown. Current location: Ping'a Lake to Congshan region…"

Kiki stared at the screen, frowning.

"Oh my god—it's real, not a nightmare… And this monster is moving!"

"What manner of demon is this?" Lu Xingchen stood behind the group, his face pale: "How can such evil exist in this world!?"

"Ten thousand meters? That's far larger than the atmospheric mica," Shu Qin also frowned deeply.

As humans, seeing this, a profound sense of helplessness surged within them.

Lin Xian was stunned—he was shocked that the sky colossus's number matched exactly what he'd heard in his dream. It left him momentarily dazed.

What was going on? He'd assumed it was mental distortion from overusing his psychic ability. But now, seeing this official Phoenix Society catalog, he realized his two dreams were far from ordinary.

"No. 2 Entity: Moving! Moving! Direction: East! Direction: East!"

He clearly remembered the woman saying this, as if observing the movements of the floating giant corpse.

The question is, who was that woman?

Why did Lin Xian dream of her?

At this moment, Lin Xian's mind was flooded with questions; after a long while, he suppressed his wild thoughts and refocused his gaze on the current discussion.

"This thing had always been hidden within the massive cloud layer, right over Jiang City. I always sensed something was off, but I'd never seen its true form," Lin Xian said, glancing at Kiki—he had first seen the face of the floating giant corpse within Kiki's consciousness.

Kiki's face had darkened slightly; he muttered softly, "It's terrifying anyway—more terrifying than the atmospheric mica. I truly don't know how humans are supposed to face something like this."

"Oh my god~" Shasha's eyes widened in shock: "Just one look nearly killed me."

"And this doesn't even seem to be the largest…"

Entity 1: Unknown subterranean biological tissue discovered in Siberia Star Abyss No. 1, shaped as a giant crustal parasitic organism, disc-shaped, initial observed diameter of 65 kilometers, exhibits massive radiation response, hazard capability unknown.

(End of Chapter)