Chapter 303: Underground Tunnel (Dedicated to Xie Alliance Member 201804170858)

Lin Xian's first thought was that this voice message came from the woman named Chu Yan.

After all, Grace also wore Chu Yan's holographic face.

But the problem was, if time hadn't been distorted in his dream, Chu Yan should have been in Yubei City, buried under the eternal night after the nuclear blast—how could she possibly appear in the underground of Wanjin, thousands of miles away, leaving such a warning for the heavily secured AI—Grace?

Instantly, Lin Xian felt trapped in a vast shadow, leaving him uncertain.

From Lin Xian's cautious perspective, after learning the evacuation route, his first choice would inevitably be to flee at all costs—after all, trapped in eternal night, Wanjin City was crawling with dangerous mycelium, leaving him no means to fight back; as long as dawn hadn't come, Lin Xian simply couldn't relax.

But if the information Grace had just given him was true, there might be corpse drivers lurking near Wanjin City—meaning they absolutely couldn't risk leaving the city under these conditions; the best course was to hide deep in the underground tunnels and wait for the next mycelium active cycle before departing.

Lin Xian's uncertainty stemmed from his inability to judge the truth of these messages.

Ding Junyi noticed the gravity on Lin Xian's face and spoke: "You think this might be 'her' trap?"

Lin Xian looked at Grace, now powered down and rebooting, exhaled slowly, and nodded: "We're on the back foot."

"I know—the evacuation route was her suggestion, staying put was her suggestion, and now the entire train is stranded in the underground tunnel. If this is a trap, we'll lose every chance to escape."

Boom—boom—boom—

The rumble of the tracks grew closer, and Lin Xian's mind raced at full speed.

Finally, Lin Xian's gaze hardened—he stepped forward, seized Grace, and his power armor rapidly transmitted torque, lifting the seemingly petite but nearly half-ton humanoid robot. The mechanical core spun instantly, severing Grace's power lines, shutting her down, then he carried her toward the tunnel exit.

"We gamble once—everyone, silent rest underground!"

Ding Junyi gave Lin Xian a long look, then followed.

Whoosh!

The Combined Train, like a steel dragon, plunged deep underground along the secret freight station maintenance track, cutting through the spore fog, guided by Xiang Ningjing all the way into the underground tunnel. The massive disturbance stirred countless active mycelium, drawing swarms of human-mycelium toward them.

At the freight station, Kiki, alongside Ningjing and a group of psychics, held back the human-mycelium and head-mycelium at the tunnel entrance; sudden violent explosions echoed intermittently; soon, the entire freight station was engulfed in flames!

"Things are getting out of control!" Kiki shouted over the comm, watching the dense human-mycelium through the spore fog, her face tense.

"We don't have a choice—we must seal this entrance completely!"

Ningjing shouted, hurling a massive shipping container steel plate—whoo! The plate sliced through the air with violent force, chopping through countless human-mycelium like cutting vegetables; wet, rotting organs and slime sprayed everywhere, yet no blood—only colorful, plant-like masses.

The Combined Train was far too long; as more cars flooded in, the wind pressure in the underground tunnel roared continuously. It took over fifteen minutes for the 500+ cars to fully enter the tunnel. By then, the freight station was nearly reduced to rubble, the spore fog swirling with gales like a sandstorm.

"Hurry inside—seal the entrance!"

"Quick!"

Instantly, dozens of psychics surged into the underground tunnel.

Ningjing turned to Bai Bai: "Bai Bai, it's your turn."

Kiki worried: "With this much explosion, could it trigger a chain reaction?"

"No—it's outside the main district, and we must eliminate most of these hazards."

"Got it!" Kiki immediately raised a large telekinetic barrier: "Go ahead—I'll seal the path."

Bai Bai nodded, stepped forward in the emergency, lifted his sunglasses—and instantly, dark red laser beams swept across the freight station ruins like windshield wipers, slicing through spreading mycelium and human-mycelium. The next instant, crimson explosions ignited within the human-mycelium like special energy pulses, annihilating giant rats drawn by the noise; the entire freight station erupted in thunderous explosions over a radius of several kilometers.

Boom—boom—boom!!

The earth trembled, sand rolled, and a powerful shockwave slammed forward!

Kiki and the rear guard group blocked the tunnel entrance, and the shockwave hurled them deep into the tunnel below; flying rocks and dust rose like a tsunami, instantly burying the entrance, triggering massive collapse. The group sprinted hundreds of meters inward before the ground-shaking tremors gradually subsided.

This secret track entrance was now completely buried, cutting off any possibility of human-mycelium infiltrating inward.

The massive disturbance shook Wanjin City; countless eerie howls echoed from alleyways and the eternal night wilderness beyond the city—Wanjin itself seemed to awaken at once; horrors from the dark, nameless creatures surged toward the freight station.

Meanwhile, the 15-kilometer-long Combined Train roared through the underground track, dozens of meters below.

"Open the spray systems on all cars—clear the spore fog clinging to the exteriors!"

"Deploy disinfectants!"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Command from Wuxianhao: everyone prepare to extinguish fires!"

"Extinguish fires?"

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh.

In the dim tunnel, Lu Xingchen crouched atop a maintenance scaffold, watching the approaching Longshan No. 1 locomotive, poised and ready.

"Hey, Luo, you're sure this will work?"

Huo Ge asked Luo Yang over the comm.

"Lu Ge, it'll work—these spores aren't highly flammable. I've had Chen's team and Shi Da'ge warn all convoys to prevent fires; only this way can we thoroughly clear the spore dust from the train's exterior, or we'll leave behind hidden dangers." Luo Yang spoke with full confidence over the comm.

"Good!"

"Ancient water gates, now I, the Divine Fire Immortal Lord, summon the Fire Gate to cleanse evil!"

Lu Xingchen, wearing a gas mask, chuckled softly, igniting a flame on his fingertip: "Pay attention—things are about to get hot."

"Divine—Fire Wall!"

Lu Xingchen clasped his hands and pushed forward—roaring flames surged toward the Combined Train, instantly turning the entire tunnel into a sea of fire.

He controlled the blaze solely to burn off the mycelium spores clinging to the train's exterior—the final step in multi-layered disinfection.

Instantly, every speeding car was swept by a wave of heat; spores on the exteriors ignited into tiny sparks like fire-sand, burned clean along the entire route.

Some exposed devices on certain cars caught fire, but were quickly extinguished by crew members with fire extinguishers or spray systems.

The steel dragon roared through the dark tunnel, disinfected by fire, finally reaching the area of the Zero Element Center.

Lin Xian, alongside Ding Junyi, stood on the platform with the powered-down Grace, watching the Combined Train roar past, carrying a hot, acrid wind—he spoke over the comm: "Stop before the subway transfer section—this distance is perfect. Rear car Ocean, Parrot, secure the rear and set up sentinel systems. Front car—Shi Da'ge, Ning Jie, Chen Laoshi—lead your teams to clear the subway lines; seal both north and south directions at least one kilometer out, assign watch shifts!"

"Other convoys—assign equipped crew to exit cars for final cleanup; all unrelated personnel must remain inside!"

"No problem!"

"Received, Lin Team!"

"Good, understood—I'll arrange it immediately."

At this moment, aboveground, Wanjin City, covered in mycelium, seethed with hidden currents; underground, over four thousand people aboard the Combined Train were urgently fortifying defenses; all equipped crew exited their cars to perform final exterior cleaning.

Standing on the platform, Lin Xian gazed at the endless, monstrous train stretching in both directions, and murmured:

"I never imagined so many trains would ever enter the underground together for refuge."

"What are you planning to do with this place?" Ding Junyi asked Lin Xian.

Lin Xian turned toward the Zero Element Center's entrance: "First, empty the permanent storage—just in case. When we leave, we'll come back to clean this place up."

"Clean it up? You mean you want to strip it bare?"

"What else?"

Lin Xian said: "There are small nuclear reactors, all kinds of instruments—needed or not—massive quantities of precious metals, robotic arms, robots. Leaving them behind would be a waste."

"If that's the case, then the Crimson Society members here will definitely die." Ding Junyi said.

Lin Xian smiled, nodded: "They've got antennas for brains. Good riddance. I'm even planning to take their coffins… no, their survival pods. I'd feel like a saint if I left behind a single screw."

Come on—the Underground Research Lab of the Descent Sect, plus a bunch of elite members who'd gone mad, chasing immortality by trying to 'reverse parasitize' dark creatures—Lin Xian hadn't burned them alive mainly because he feared getting burned himself.

"Lin Xian!"

Wuxianhao and Longshan No. 1 were about a kilometer from the Zero Element Center; Kiki soon arrived with Chen Sixuan and others, followed by Longshan No. 1, Sunyang, Joker, and Mo Queen's teams—all converging.

Lin Xian raised his hand—whoo—whoo—whoo—twenty Lei Sun drones swiftly flew in, gathering behind him like a mechanical halo.

"Little girl, program these drones for patrol routes—I'll deploy them at the subway transfer point."

The subway transfer point was the only evacuation route; with over four thousand people resting underground, Lin Xian couldn't relax—he'd prepared multiple contingencies.

"No problem."

Kiki immediately pulled out a mobile terminal, then suddenly noticed the still-powered-down Grace beside Lin Xian, and exclaimed:

"Hey, you got this thing under control?"

Not yet—she rebooted herself, so I seized the chance to shut her down. I'll bring her back to the train. Once we're out, you'll overwrite her system—we'll have a new butler robot.

Kiki's eyes lit up: "Whoa, perfect! Finally, a smart AI robot—I can finally be free!"

At this moment, Chen Sixuan, Shu Qin, Sha Sha, and others also stared at the machine, which resembled a female sculpture, their faces filled with astonishment.

"Oh my god, what is this? A robot? So beautiful!" Sha Sha widened her eyes and walked over.

"Looks like you've found something extraordinary," Chen Sixuan said.

"How about you? Did you encounter anything strange?" Lin Xian asked.

"No," Shu Qin shook her head. "We kept quiet, just sealed all windows and gaps."

"A few convoys had incidents—spores infiltrated the cars, some got infected. Shi Da'ge already warned us—those cases must be abandoned and the cars sealed off," Chen Sixuan said.

"How many people?"

"About… a hundred and some," Chen Sixuan's voice grew heavier.

Lin Xian nodded: "As long as it hasn't spread, we're fine."

"Lin Team."

At this moment, Mo Nika and her team walked along the tunnel beside the tracks; Qian Dele and his group arrived too; Sunyang's Luo Yang and Li Yi followed behind, wearing large gas masks; Shi Di, bandaged, joined Ningjing and others gathering on the Zero Element Center platform.

"What's the situation? Are we staying underground?" Mo Nika had discarded her mink coat and now wore a red full-body combat suit—a lightweight armor that looked like high-end leather gear. Tall and slender, it accentuated her figure perfectly; the full-face mask completely blocked the spore fog—clearly a custom, expensive design.

"I hate being underground—it's moldy, damp, unmaintained. If it collapses, we'll all be buried alive," Qian Dele said, his voice muffled by his mask.

"At least we've got somewhere to be," Shi Di walked up from behind, voice booming: "Better than being surrounded by those half-dead, half-plant monsters that are even worse than explosives!"

"Lin Team," Ningjing asked: "Are we certain we're waiting for the next mycelium active cycle here?"

Lin Xian nodded, scanning the group.

"Plan changed—we'll rest underground for thirty hours. There are other developments—I'll relay them now."

With that, Lin Xian led everyone into the Zero Element Center's control hall and recounted the previous events and the corpse driver information.

"Honestly, I'm not sure about this message—but underground, we're safe for now. As long as the route stays open, we can relocate immediately if trouble arises."

"Corpse Driver?" Qian Dele crossed his arms. "Every time I hear that name, it never bodes well."

Ningjing looked at her: "Have you seen one?"

Qian Dele shrugged. "I've never seen one myself, but when I escaped from Star Abyss 4, I encountered a massive anomaly tide—out of the dozen or so convoys I knew along the way, I was the only one who made it out. I really am a curse."

"I heard the Corpse Driver is the gatekeeper of the Eternal Night Tide," Mo Nika added. "Every Star Abyss has one. We're currently at the northwestern edge of Star Abyss 5—its appearance isn't surprising."

"Right!" Shi Di nodded, turning to Lin Xian. "Lin Brother, let's follow your plan. We only have one life—we'd better believe it exists than ignore it. Finding an escape route is better than our track-repairing idea. Worst case, we stay underground for a day—it won't kill us to wait."

"I agree," Luo Yang said. "We'll follow Lin Captain's orders."

Li Yi stood aside, her expression odd. "Then, Lin Captain, shouldn't we all stay on the trains?"

Lin Xian nodded. "This Crimson World has set up several secret permanent storage depots along the Yijin underground rail line. There's plenty of supplies. Combined with everything we've used up traveling from Xilan City, we can resupply now. We'll rest in this tunnel today. But for safety, each convoy must post watch personnel. Fungal mycelia have already seeped into shallower areas—avoid light where possible. Keep all carriages quiet. We may depart at any moment!"

"Good! Then let's spread the word to those dozen or so convoys. More people means harder coordination—big ships turn slowly. We must be extra cautious with so many." Shi Di said.

Immediately after, Lin Xian's orders were relayed, and each convoy began moving.

In the monitoring hall, Qian Dele, Mo Nika, and others gathered beside the glass wall, staring down at the hive pit, their faces filled with astonishment.

"Upload consciousness? Eternal life in a hallucination? Isn't that the digital life program long banned?" Qian Dele crossed his arms. "Uploading your mind into those disgusting fungal mycelia? Just thinking about it makes me sick."

Mo Nika smiled. "Such fools. Once infected by mycelia, even if they're still alive, they're neither human nor ghost. What's the point of living like that?"

"I heard that after connecting to the mycelia, you maintain a dopamine level over ten times higher than human happiness," Luo Yang chimed in. "These people really have guts. I wouldn't let those strange mycelia crawl into my brain."

"They probably just want to escape the reality of the apocalypse," Li Yi said, walking over, her belly prominent. "Eternal Night can't be outrun. If this lets them avoid the darkness, maybe it's a gamble worth taking." She'd witnessed countless human tragedies on the journey, seen people who weren't even touched by darkness yet chose death after their inner beliefs shattered.

Many people she knew died in the battle at Xilan Airport. Her husband, Liang Lei, still lay unconscious. If Wu Shu hadn't risked his life fighting, she'd now be a widow pregnant in the apocalypse. Compared to others, Li Yi's situation was far harder. After merging with Luo Yang's team, both had developed the idea of joining the Infinite.

Li Yi glanced at Lin Xian, who was busy organizing nearby. Her expression was complex. Luo Yang's team was fine—all young, energetic, sharp-minded, and strong. But her convoy? Its strongest fighter, Liang Lei, was missing, presumed dead. She was carrying over a dozen children on her train, and she herself was heavily pregnant—she felt like a burden. She couldn't summon the courage to speak to Lin Xian.

"Huh! " At that moment, Shasha leaned over curiously. "Why do these people's survival pods look like batteries?"

As soon as she spoke, everyone turned to look at the hive pit. Inside the concentric downward honeycomb cells, the oval survival pods flickered on and off like rows of neatly arranged battery cells, connected by mycelia that channeled energy.

"Damn!"

Shi Di had just finished communicating with Lin Xian and now joined them.

"I heard people from Shuguang City built hibernation pods, sealing themselves inside to wake up a hundred years later, after the apocalypse ends."

"Dream on," Qian Dele sneered. "Unless you develop tech to block the darkness, hibernation pods in Eternal Night are just zombie incubators."

"Enough about this place."

At that moment, Lin Xian walked over and spoke to them.

"The commotion earlier was loud. Everyone, return to your carriages. The mycelia's active period ends in forty minutes—then countless strange entities will swarm in. Stay silent in your carriages. If it's safe, we'll send people first to retrieve supplies from the permanent depots. The rest of the time, rest and prepare the train. This underground is dangerous—if it collapses, none of us escape. But if no mycelia breaches us, the strange entities can't get in."

"Yes, let's move quickly," Chen Sixuan said.

As soon as Lin Xian spoke, everyone sprang into action. Lin Xian sealed the Lingsu Center's passage with a mechanical door, then returned to the Infinite with Chen Sixuan and others. Kiki had already configured all twenty Lei Sun drones, sending them into the darkness ahead toward the subway transfer point to patrol. Finally, everyone aboard the Infinite returned to their carriages.

"The underground tunnel is damp, and the mycelia have seeped in—everyone stay alert."

As soon as they boarded, Lin Xian said.

【Non-mechanical energy converted. 1000 mechanical source points acquired.】

At that moment, the holographic screen lit up again—the Hell Black Chrysanthemum had converted another 1000 mechanical source points for Lin Xian!

"This S-class is seriously rich—it gave me so much of a boost."

Seeing this, Lin Xian thought inwardly.

Xilan City had over forty thousand survivors. Even accounting for individual differences, they must have all received unprecedented boosts.

But the problem followed: such massive dark energy placed enormous strain on the body. As Lin Xian knew, many in the convoys hadn't yet recovered from the brutal battle—anxiety, worry, fear—all negative emotions were growing.

For this reason, Lin Xian specifically instructed each convoy: deep within Eternal Night, with darkness assault and mental strain, every member needed psychological counseling to build confidence. Otherwise, if any mutated, their former strength would become a curse, triggering chain infections. These 500+ underground train carriages would turn into 500 sealed cans.

Soon, under Lin Xian's orders, the combined train completed carriage cleanup and stationed guards at the front and rear, falling into complete silence as they waited for the mycelia's active period to end.

Inside Infinite Carriage 1, lights were off. The entire tunnel was dark. The combined train lay still as a buried steel dragon.

Above ground, the mycelia's active period was ending. The spore mist over Mancheng grew thicker. Mycelial carpets and glowing fungi swayed in the breeze across streets and buildings. In alley corners, countless human-fungal hybrids stood motionless, mycelial vines connecting them to the ground carpet, crimson energy flowing continuously.

In the center of Yijin City, the 468-meter TV observation tower, entirely wrapped in mycelial vines, stood at the center of Puzhong Square. Above it, a two-kilometer-wide fungal cap pulsed with countless wrinkles, emitting a soft rustling sound—like ten thousand monks chanting sutras, eerily beautiful.

At that moment, energy surged along the mycelial vines beneath the colossal cap. The entire fungal cap seemed to breathe—an ancient, ominous rhythm. The breath grew heavier. Then, suddenly, the cap began leaking a torrent of black viscous mist, cascading downward like a hole torn in the sky—black clouds fell to earth!

The viscous mist surged like waves, spreading from the city center, drowning streets, swallowing buildings, filling alleys. Soon, all of Yijin City was covered. Within this opaque, endless black fog, countless indescribable creatures emerged.

Eerie whispers echoed in the alleys. Piercing screams reverberated in the dark. Terror approached. The strange had arrived!

(End of Chapter)