Chapter 358: Right Here! (120,000 Bonus Chapter + Double Update, Requesting Monthly Votes)

Uhh~

With a sound of the system shutting down, all remaining defensive weapons in the mysterious laboratory went offline; automatic cannons lowered their muzzles, electromagnetic cannons retracted and lost power, and swarms of drone bees fell like rain.

At this moment, on Lin Xian's and Qian Suxun's holographic panels, Grace was transmitting real-time calculations of the key opportunity based on the Fish-Lion Colossus's angle.

【Based on your position and distance, the optimal activation time is 23 seconds from now.】

【This window remains within the frontal observation range of the Colossus's left side; remain vigilant.】

Grace's voice came through as Lin Xian and Kiki clearly watched the hovering Colossus in the surveillance feed slowly rotating; the area swept by its front surface twisted violently with darkness and mist, and thin streaks of crimson spread across decaying man-made structures—buildings, streets, power towers, signal poles—while fine frost began to condense, and every metal surface vibrated at a microscopic level!

15 seconds: the Colossus began sweeping toward the unfinished factory complex where Lin Xian and the others stood; even through hundreds of meters and a wall, Lin Xian and his team instantly felt a profound, bone-chilling terror that ignored all barriers, piercing straight through their bodies—darkness invasion forces relentlessly drained their body heat and mental sanity, heart rates spiked, and brainwaves erupted with abnormal resistance frequencies.

10 seconds

5 seconds

Lin Xian gripped the steering wheel tightly, eyes locked on the screen; beside him, Kiki had already raised both hands, her psionic energy surging wildly.

3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second!

The moment has come!

Boom!

Kiki shoved forward with all her strength—the wall over three meters high shattered and split apart; streetlights and barbed wire ahead were flattened under her power, clearing a path for Lin Xian. Simultaneously, Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan simultaneously activated the transport vehicles; high-energy motors burst with torque, and the two vehicles shot violently out of the darkness, racing toward the sewage treatment plant's main gate!

To the southeast, north, and west, Chen Sixuan, Xiang Ningjing, Bai Xiaoqing, Qian Dele, Mo Nika, Lu Tianye, Lan Zhijie were all locked in fierce combat; around the sewage plant, psychic energy flared continuously. In the darkness, the towering humanoid creature's face was indiscernible, yet merely appearing before Chen Sixuan and the others sent a wave of terrifying dread.

On Lin Xian's side, speed pushed to its limit, he smashed through the steel gate reduced to shreds by bullet storms and charged straight in, smashing through shattered robots and barricades until he burst into the office building.

As soon as they entered, a foul, moldy stench hit their noses. Under the car's headlights, the factory office building was pitch-black; rain dripped from rusted pipes, echoing hollowly on concrete steps. Lin Xian, Qian Suxun, and the other five stepped out of the vehicle. Though they'd evaded the Colossus's surveillance, all of them now felt an oppressive, eerie presence hovering above them—the concentration of darkness invasion here was far greater than elsewhere.

Shizhi strained to unleash her purification ability, helping suppress the intense darkness invasion around them.

"This way!"

Lin Xian didn't waste words; he followed Grace's guidance straight to the center of the factory. Originally a pile of collapsed, rotting control cabinets, the floor had now split open on both sides, revealing a circular elevator. Grace stood inside, arms folded behind her, and spoke to Lin Xian:

【The research institute's system has been taken over by me. No biological targets detected yet.】

"No Red Men? No clones?"

Uhh~

At this moment, the group stepped onto the platform, and the elevator began descending slowly.

【This research institute is divided into multiple research zones with several secret exits, each connecting to the underground parking lot of Baicheng's commercial street, Yuxiu Park, and Baicheng's rail station. Currently, Dancer-1 and ACS are still scanning below.】

Grace turned to Qian Suxun: 【Infiltration mission complete. I am now transferring command of ACS and the assault mechs back to you.】

Qian Suxun smiled faintly: "Thanks for your hard work."

Lin Xian nodded to him briefly. These three heavy mechs had played a crucial role—if not for them drawing fire, they never would've broken through such a dense barrage. Against heavy machine cannons, needle missiles, and electromagnetic cannons, their armed power suits were utterly incapable of resistance.

Qian Suxun reclaimed control of ACS; instantly, through the returned data, his expression changed.

"It's much bigger down here than we expected."

"Each batch brings in one or two thousand clones—it's not going to be small," Lin Xian said, then turned to Lu Xingchen, who had been unusually quiet: "How are you holding up?"

"Ah… I'm fine."

Lu Xingchen nodded at him: "I've spent the last two days in darkness—I'm getting used to it."

When the elevator reached the lowest level, the first thing that met their eyes was a massive hangar. At the far end sat a medium-sized transport ship identical to the one they'd encountered before; the rest were automated vehicles. Most of the space was empty, with automated transport rails running along the floor, extending past yellow hazard markings to the hangar's end.

As they reached the hangar's end, the airlock door slid open under Grace's control—and all five of them froze in breathless shock!

Corpses Storage!

Hundreds of massive transparent growth chambers stretched from floor to ceiling, densely arranged like giant oil tanks in a factory. Each chamber held hundreds or thousands of corpses—men and women, mostly aged 20 to 40, all wearing identical Deep Red World work uniforms, their brains implanted with neural interfaces, but all memory units erased. Thick white mycelia spread like spiderwebs; some chambers, long abandoned, were entirely overrun by fungal growth, while others were empty, shattered glass scattered on the floor, leaving behind dried brown trails. The few specimens closest to the entrance were liquefying—their skin melting like wax, revealing dark red muscle tissue beneath.

"These must be the clones who died from 'normal attrition,'" Qian Suxun said calmly. "The Deep Red World must have other purposes for preserving these bodies—otherwise, why store them separately?"

The footage returned to the bunker's central control room; Yueyue Jinji's voice came through.

"Corpses have their uses. The researchers who came in were themselves test subjects."

"Huh?" Kiki frowned. "Even clones have independent consciousness—they're not robots. Would they really be that obedient and fanatical?"

Seeing these images, Shizhi, who had been walking behind them, shrank her neck, silent, moving forward while occasionally using her purification power to assist others, refusing to look too closely.

"There must be individuals who show signs of cowardice, but the Deep Red World surely has countermeasures," Qian Suxun said.

"For example, the memory cores implanted are always the latest, most fanatical versions of individuals who've been thoroughly brainwashed—this reduces the likelihood of clone rebellion or cowardice, much like genetic selection. They simply copy the consciousness profiles of their most devoted researchers. They can even classify and sequence them: if a clone's rebellion probability rises, the original is also punished. For them, managing these is as simple as managing software."

Kiki shook her head: "Hard to imagine—if my consciousness became a mass-replicable program, would I still be me? Is digital life even life?"

At this, Qian Suxun looked at her with keen interest, as if about to say something.

At that moment, Yueyue Jinji's calm voice came through: "The programmability of digital life is fundamentally the same as the programming of human DNA—reducing errors, eliminating genetic diseases, replicating superior thought patterns, just as you replicate superior scientists, athletes, artists. What's the difference? Philosophical debates about the essence of life are meaningless—it's simply that human civilization hasn't reached this stage yet. Advanced civilizations always simplify their social structures. Entropy and chaos are the beginning of destruction. Of course… now isn't the time to discuss this."

"I've already confirmed via ACS that the transport ship can be activated normally. You may use it to evacuate afterward," Yueyue Jinji returned to the topic.

Lin Xian remained silent. He knew the people of Jijing were loyal supporters of digital life—but the issue Kiki had just raised was precisely why Yueyue Jinji's digital life project had been halted before the apocalypse: the ethical essence of life.

But he had no time now to debate this with Yueyue Jinji. The group pressed forward quickly. A door opened; Dancer-1 stood in the center, waiting for Grace and Lin Xian's team. The two robots then led the way, scouting ahead.

Qian Suxun was right—the underground sewage plant was entirely automated. There were no living quarters. Each lab received precise energy blocks and water via automated transport channels. Labs were fully sealed; personnel communicated only via holographic links. No private space, no personal movement paths. Each experimental zone was isolated. The place had a strange, sterile cleanliness—like a prison filled with lab equipment.

"Decentralized labs—my automated lab differs only in that it's manned versus unmanned. They've blocked all communication outside work."

In the bunker's main control room, Yueyue Zhen watched the feed and analyzed: "If we disregard humanitarian concerns, they've essentially built a preliminary intermediate-civilization production model…"

"If they don't treat other survivors as clone expendables," Lin Xian replied coldly.

"Ironically, their technological progress has indeed outpaced ours," Qian Suxun sighed.

Lin Xian fell silent, choosing not to continue the discussion. Instead, he released 25 Lei Sun drones: "Grace, take control of the drones. Conduct a full sweep."

【Understood.】

Whoosh~

Under Grace's immense computational control, the 25 Lei Sun drones instantly shot off in all directions. Her quantum computer processed the 25 video feeds simultaneously and synthesized them into concise data for Lin Xian.

This was something Lin Xian couldn't do himself. If he built 100 or 1000 drones, he'd still need Grace as his assistant. For Lin Xian, Grace would become a vital tool for his mechanical ability—he had to take her more seriously.

"Brother Lin," Lu Xingchen said, "If there's no other way, why not destroy this place? If we cut power, won't the cleansing command…"

"No."

Before he finished, Kiki interrupted: "We don't know what the cleansing device is. What if it's a standalone unit activated by remote signal?"

Lu Xingchen fell silent.

At this point, the group reached what appeared to be a central hall—brightly lit, utterly silent, empty. On the holographic display, dozens of drones, processed through Grace's calculations, appeared before Lin Xian's eyes. Beneath the institute, besides the transport hangar and corpse chambers, there were hundreds of classified labs. Yet strangely, the vast underground base had no central control room—this puzzled Lin Xian.

"Grace, where's the system's master control?"

【Each classified lab zone has its own control room, but there is no central master control unit or integrated hub.】

"Strange…" Qian Suxun said. "The Deep Red World can't manage the entire facility with decentralized controls—it defies automated design logic. Unless they have a Zhenhong-3-class AI robot managing everything."

"You're right, but there's another possibility."

Yueyue Jinji spoke: "For a specialized research facility, to prevent enemy infiltration or data theft, they might install a hidden system entirely independent of all others. This system would sever all connections upon threat and operate via one-way control. It's commonly called…"

"The secret room."

Qian Suxun nodded: "That's likely. But this place is enormous."

He turned to Grace: "Zhenhong-3, can you find any clues from the consciousness data you retrieved earlier?"

【I've conducted a search. No such system detected.】

"The clones only know their own research areas. Aside from the Dark Shi Cell, their access to other data is limited—he's just one among thousands of researchers," Lin Xian said, glancing back at the endless corridors like prison cells: "This information has nothing to do with them."

"Then what do we do?" Kiki looked at the time. The tide had receded for 25 minutes already, and outside, Chen Sixuan, Xiang Ningjing, and the others were still fighting the anomalies. Their time was running out.

Lin Xian's gaze hardened. He stepped forward, voice low:

"Then we use the most basic method."

He stepped into the center of the central hall, pressed his palms downward, and activated his mechanical heart at maximum power—beginning mechanical scanning!

For Lin Xian, this drained immense energy, but now that he controlled remote scanning, his field expanded rapidly. The entire base's circuits, architecture, and structures began forming a holographic map centered on him, spreading outward at speed.

Pipes, wiring, rails, vents, data junctions, information terminals, lab instruments, lights, steel frameworks, elevators, corridors…

The full, unobstructed image of the Deep Red World's underground secret base unfolded in Lin Xian's mind.

This direct expansion instantly spiked his energy drain—he broke into a cold sweat. But there was no other option. He gritted his teeth and held on.

As his energy drained further, the overwhelming darkness invasion and fear began overwhelming his sanity. He felt as if plunged into an ice cave; even the bright lights dimmed. The bodies of his teammates twisted grotesquely before him, and countless terrifying, despairing visions surged violently.

Then, a surge of intense energy flooded his body, instantly dispelling most of the fear, filling him with warmth, and clearing his mind.

Shizhi!

Sensing Lin Xian's condition, the girl immediately acted, focusing all her purification energy onto him to aid his mechanical scan.

With this power boost, Lin Xian felt as if infused with the energy of a heteromorphic cube—his mechanical scan instantly accelerated. Then, he found it: a unique zone.

It lay beneath the multiple layers of secret labs: hundreds of cables connected to a sturdy 200-square-meter bunker. But the cables were dead. In one lab, a hidden elevator descended directly below.

"Found it!"

As soon as he spoke, Lin Xian retracted his scan, led the group down the elevator to the lowest experimental level, then arrived at a lab marked A1. He had Grace open the automatic door.

Immediately, Lin Xian rushed inside, activated his mechanical ability, and triggered a hidden switch. Instantly, the metal wall slowly opened, revealing a small elevator.

The elevator was tiny—just barely enough space for all of them. Out of caution, Lin Xian ordered Grace's Twin Stars to descend first, secure the master control room's system, then they'd follow.

As expected, after Grace completed the takeover, Lin Xian and the others rode the small elevator down—and found themselves in a control room filled with racks of control cabinets. But the weirdest part came next: amid all the cables and cabinets, there was a living area.

The living area sat right in the center of the control room, enclosed by a circular glass wall. Inside, besides several monitoring computers, there was a bed, a simple bathroom, shelves stocked with food supplies, and even a TV playing an old movie. On tables and floors lay scattered, filthy food wrappers, empty cans. On the bed lay a pale-skinned, 1: scale mechanical silicone doll, its genitalia rigidly upright toward the ceiling—clearly indicating the resident was male.

"Someone's here!"

"Grace," Lin Xian said immediately.

Instantly, the group scattered; their mech systems scanned—but found nothing.

Qian Suxun walked to the TV, touched the still-warm instant noodle bowl, and said grimly: "He's here. When we breached the upper levels, he noticed—and cut the main control room's connection to the upper labs."

Kiki scanned the room, but her power suit's radar detected nothing. Shizhi tried using her ability to search—but Qian Suxun stopped her: "Shizhi, this is a person. Don't waste your energy."

"Strange—this place isn't big, how could a living person just vanish? Could it be some kind of invisibility ability?" Hu Ge refused to believe it. He stepped outside and fired several thin flames at the shadowed corners behind the server racks.

Kiki watched his actions and couldn't help warning: "Hey, be careful—you burn those up and we'll never find the cleaning device."

No sooner had she spoken than a scream erupted from the shadow of a server rack directly in front of Lu Xingchen. In an instant, Lin Xian and the others rushed over. A dark figure, engulfed in flames, rolled out from the corner, crawling and writhing. But strangely—even as the man now lay before them—Lin Xian's power armor radar system still failed to detect his presence.

"What demon are you?!" Lu Xingchen was the first to speak. He hadn't expected his fire would actually drag a 'person' out of the darkness.

Kiki immediately used her telekinesis to restrain the man. The moment she lifted him, a pleading voice came from him.

"Don't… don't kill me, don't kill me! I'm useful! I have intel!!!"

"Kiki." Lin Xian felt the voice was oddly familiar. He stopped her. Kiki dragged the man out of the shadow. The lights on their power armors illuminated him—he was a fat man in his thirties, wearing a mechanical collar around his neck and casual clothes, clearly no combatant.

But when Lin Xian and Kiki saw his face, both froze, their eyes widening in unison.

"It's you!"

"Huh?? You know me??" The fat man's face twisted in terror. Seeing the armored figures before him, he felt his death was imminent.

Lin Xian shone his flashlight on the man's face and opened his power armor's visor, his expression filled with shock.

"You're still alive? What luck."

The flashlight's glare blinded the fat man for a long moment. When his pupils finally focused and he recognized Lin Xian's face, he went pale, mouth agape.

"It's… you guys!"

The man before them was none other than Zhou Lei—the same fat man who had betrayed Qian Yu in Beiwan and later stolen Lu Xingchen's RV in Yubei!

"Aren't you the guy who stole Hu Ge's RV and ran off? How are you still alive without making it to the skyway?" Kiki recognized him too, then realized: "No radar detection? So you're an ability user."

Lin Xian was equally stunned—he never expected to meet this man inside the underground main control room of the Crimson World.

Zhou Lei once allied with Qian Yu's Black Cobra convoy and Lin Xian and Daliu Shasha in Beiwan Town, planning to break through the Beiwan Mist. Later, he secretly colluded with Tang Hai and Feng Yuming, betrayed them at night, killed Qian Yu, seized half of his heavy convoy, and fled. Before he could expand his power, the Black Crow Quartet wiped him out. Yet he survived their merciless massacre through sheer talk, even rising to a minor leadership role. Then, when the Black Crow Quartet was crushed head-on by Lin Xian and Shu Qin's convoy in Yubei City, Zhou Lei stole Lu Xingchen's apocalypse RV at the critical moment—hence why Hu Ge joined the Infinite.

Logically, only the tens of thousands who reached the skyway survived that night in Yubei City. Lin Xian simply couldn't fathom how this man had survived the chaos, the nuclear blast, and the Corpse Drivers in Yubei.

"Huh? What?"

Hearing Kiki's words, Lu Xingchen paused. What did this have to do with him?

He stared at the fat man's face—utterly unfamiliar, yet strangely recognizable.

Suddenly, his expression changed. He drew a sharp breath and roared:

"It's you, evil bastard!!!"

Lu Xingchen realized this was the man who stole his precious vehicle, leaving him with nothing to wear. The thought made him feel like he was about to vomit blood. He prepared to explode: "Heaven has eyes, fate turns—the Master swears today to…"

"Hu Ge!" Lin Xian immediately shouted to stop him.

Qian Suxun and Shizhi, standing nearby, watched with curiosity.

"Zhenshi, you didn't expect to find a living person here, huh? Heh, looks like he's one of Lin's 'old friends'…"

"Old friends? Hardly…"

Lin Xian wasted no time. He turned to Zhou Lei and spoke coldly:

"You have two minutes. If your intel is useless, I'll make sure you die thoroughly."

"I'll talk, I'll talk!"

Zhou Lei, terrified and shocked, saw it was Lin Xian and groaned inwardly—how could he keep running into this guy? With anyone else, he might have negotiated. But this man had seen him betray others too many times—he knew Zhou Lei's every trick. His last shred of hope vanished. He swallowed hard and said:

"Lin Team Leader, I'll tell you everything I know—can you spare my life?!"

"One minute fifty-eight seconds." Lin Xian glanced at his watch, voice icy—he had no interest in bargaining with such a man.

Zhou Lei's face turned ashen. He blurted out:

"The Crimson World and Dawn City's high-ups are colluding. They've built something to expand the No. 5 Star Abyss!"

He looked at Lin Xian's expressionless face and broke into a cold sweat. He continued:

"They're researching ability user evolution and cloning here. But that path is wrong—ability users can't be cloned. Instead, they've developed something that can implant and control zombies and human Gui. They plan to test it on strange bodies—B-class, A-class, giant bodies…"

Hearing this, Lin Xian raised his finger. The Xienengpao aimed at Zhou Lei's forehead, ready to charge.

Uuuu~

A chilling electric hum filled the air.

Lin Xian's action made Zhou Lei's pupils dilate. He screamed:

"Wait—wait! There's more! I can't move under Kiki's telekinesis, but look—over there, at that blue-glowing device in the center of the main control room! That's the latest data summary—a complete backup of all 930 labs' progress!"

"Whoa~"

Qian Suxun sneered: "So the Crimson World left all their research here and made you, of all people, the guardian?"

"No, no, no!!"

Zhou Lei hurried to explain: "These backup files sync with the outside every twelve hours—or they auto-destroy. Because… because the researchers sent in here don't know the latest progress. They must be verified here to access updated data. First, to prevent leaks. Second, only specific 'people' can leave—they need internal-external information checks. I'm here to monitor all clone batches and verify external transmissions…"

Lin Xian frowned: "Why do you know all this? And why are you here?"

"Right," Kiki added sharply. "Most people sent in here don't survive. Everything runs automatically. How have you lived this long?"

"I… I just said—they send in researchers who know nothing. All details—locations, experiments—must be unknown to them. After entry, they're screened for survival and psychological stability before being granted access to the latest research. I'm here because they need someone to supervise and isolate the clones, and… to ensure the system isn't breached."

Zhou Lei spoke without emotion, pouring it all out. Lin Xian and the others understood: Zhou Lei was the Crimson World's 【Double Insurance】, and also the AI's 【Circuit Learning】 subject. If the system was externally breached or interfered with by an ability, a living human could forcibly sever the main control center to protect the data—even if he died, the data auto-destroyed after twelve hours, leaving the Crimson World with no loose ends.

He also had another critical task: monitoring the clones. Though their brains were controlled via memory implants and mycelium, Crimson World's tech was still immature. Original consciousnesses often interfered, or researchers' minds spontaneously rebelled, resisted, cowered, or lied. But these awakened clones didn't know—there was a living man watching them.

Zhou Lei finished, his gaze fixed on Lin Xian's group, face strained:

"I know you won't believe me. Neither will the Crimson World. But they chose me because… I'm from Holy Revelation."

"You joined Holy Revelation?" Lin Xian asked.

"I didn't want to!" Zhou Lei looked miserable. "After I ran into you guys in Yubei, I got cornered by a giant sky jellyfish. Barely escaped. The jellyfish got burned to death—I grabbed a ride out of the city and hid in a warehouse at the city's edge. Then Yubei erupted in a night-long battle and a massive explosion. The warehouse collapsed. And then… I found a candle…"

"Then, out of nowhere, a group called Holy Revelation found me. They were… weird. Turns out the candle was a taboo object. When lit, I could hide in shadows—undetectable even by strange bodies. But if the candle burned out, I'd die… Later, they asked if I wanted to live. I said yes. Then they sent me here…"

Lin Xian was stunned: "So if the candle burns for a month, you live twelve months here?"

Zhou Lei nodded.

"What kind of candle burns for a month?"

Zhou Lei: …

"Bullshit, Lin Brother! Let the Master burn his candle early!" Hu Ge said without mercy.

"I'm not lying!!" Zhou Lei begged. "Holy Revelation told me I'll die the moment I leave the Abyss—my life's in their hands. And they wanted the taboo object's effect on me. That's why the Crimson World put me here. I know I'm just a pawn between them. Otherwise, how could I have survived this long? Lin Team Leader, you agree, right??!"

Qian Suxun narrowed his eyes: "That explains why radar can't detect him—and why he's lived this long in the Abyss. A taboo object, huh."

Zhou Lei's story sounded bizarre, but logically held. To Lin Xian, lying about this made no sense—he didn't care about the Crimson World's schemes, the research data, or why Zhou Lei was here. He only cared about the upcoming cleansing operation. Without that, all secrets and data meant nothing.

So Lin Xian said directly: "Since your job is so important, you must know where the Crimson World's cleaning device is."

"Cleaning device? What cleaning device?" Zhou Lei looked confused.

"Triggering strange body outbreaks to cleanse the entire city," Lin Xian said quickly. "Don't tell me you don't know."

Zhou Lei immediately reacted. He glanced at Qian Suxun and Shizhi beside Lin Xian: "They're from Silent City, aren't they? You're not here for the research data?"

"Don't change the subject."

Zhou Lei panicked: "I'm not changing the subject! There's no cleaning device here! Strange body outbreaks aren't aimed at you—we—sorry, the Crimson World has been watching Silent City for a long time, but that's not their main goal!!"

At Zhou Lei's words, Lin Xian's group exchanged glances. Even Wang Yue Zhenshi's gaze sharpened in the West Mountain Bunker's main control room.

Zhou Lei glanced at the control room clock and hurried on: "I don't know much, but every time space instability erupts here, it's not because of you. The Crimson World uses some device—or taboo object—to expand the Abyss, throwing lives into it like fuel. Many have died. Every time that device activates, every strange body in No. 5 Star Abyss goes berserk. Didn't you feel it two days ago? A whole night of fighting along the Buto Lake marshes—didn't you sense it?"

Lin Xian drew a sharp breath: "What did you say?!"

Buto Lake—that was exactly where the Allied Train's current frontline stood. He turned to Qian Suxun and Kiki, exchanging glances. All of them suddenly understood.

The so-called "cleansing operation" was precisely the Crimson World's use of the Fish-Tailed Lion Colossus to trigger abnormal Abyss expansion, causing internal tremors!

Qian Suxun frowned and spoke into his communicator:

"Zhenshi, the situation is worse than we thought."

"Oh! Now I get what you're after!" Zhou Lei saw their expressions and rushed on: "Whenever they prepare for expansion, I get a 'Silence' command here—cutting off the main control room from the upper labs. So if I get that command, you can hide here safely as long as you don't have a Dark Mark."

Lin Xian took a deep breath. His face darkened completely. Under these conditions, they couldn't stop the Abyss's outbreak.

It seemed Zhou Lei didn't know the Crimson World's research had triggered Bio-01. Nor did he realize this command might be his last.

Lin Xian checked the time. Forty minutes had passed. They had twenty minutes left.

"Xun, Lin."

Wang Yue Zhenshi's voice came through: "Quickly check the backup data. It must contain the full content."

Lin Xian and Qian Suxun exchanged glances and moved immediately.

"Code," Lin Xian pointed to the blue data rack and said to Zhou Lei.

Zhou Lei's eyes flickered with fear: "Lin Team Leader, you won't kill me after you get it, right?"

"Your life hangs on a candle. You've been living here day after day. Are you still afraid of death?" Lin Xian countered.

Zhou Lei's gaze dimmed. He understood the implication. His whole body slumped. He whispered: "Verification code: 5a6h0. After you get it… can you let me live a few more days in this hell?!" He burst into tears, sobbing: "This damn apocalypse has turned me into something less than human, less than a ghost—but I really want to live a few more days… Wuwuwu …"

On the other side, Lin Xian and Qian Suxun ignored his wailing. They successfully extracted the backup data. The ACS robot and Grace immediately Liandong, beginning to extract useful information.

【Taboo Object SIID-04: Fish-Tailed Lion Colossus】

【Discovery Location: Shicheng】

【Physical Characteristics: Three towering statues, 16 meters high, lion heads with fish tails, eyes emitting terrifying red light】

【Assessment Trait One: Direct visual observation causes massive fear energy to invade, instantly teleporting the observer to the observer's location.】

【Assessment Trait Two: Removing it from the Abyss and the Polar Night region triggers the Abyss's 【Black Edge】 phenomenon, causing abnormal expansion and anchoring transfers of all entities within the area—only occurring after Abyss stabilization.】

【Containment Condition: Death of the observer. No containment condition currently found.】

Soon, Grace extracted a file on Holy Revelation's cataloged taboo objects.

Meanwhile, Wang Yue Zhenshi also found a critical piece of information.

"Lin, it seems they've done this expansion before. Bad news: the Crimson World's next expansion target is Luling."

"Luling?" Kiki stared at Lin Xian in shock: "East?!"

If the disturbance erupted from the Luling direction, weren't we just running straight into the barrel of the gun by fleeing eastward along the track from Star Abyss?

Hearing this, Lin Xian's face darkened instantly—he felt like cursing.

At that moment, not only Lin Xian, but also Ning Jing, Qian Dele, Chen Sixuan, and the others fighting desperately outside the wastewater treatment plant all drew sharp breaths—the air filled with despair.

"I don't understand…" Huo Ge glared at Zhou Lei, fury burning in his eyes: "You claim the Crimson World conspired with Dawn City—then isn't this accelerated expansion of Star Abyss just Dawn City sealing its own death warrant?!"

"I—I—I don't know!" Zhou Lei replied with a helpless, tearful expression: "The Crimson World and Sacred Revelation have no sane people—you've dealt with them, you know—they're just monstrous things!"

"Lin," Qian Suxun sensed the group was losing composure; he looked at Lin Xian: "Time's running out. Let them descend below to hide from the anomalies. When the tide rises, they won't get another chance to shed the Dark Mark."

Lin Xian nodded and immediately shouted to his team outside:

"I'm sending Grace out to cover you—fall back, all of you."

The current situation had nothing to do with the Cleansing Directive—they could only wait for Star Abyss to erupt.

Soon, with Grace and Dancer No. 's assistance, Chen Sixuan and the others finally escaped safely, all gathering in the Crimson World's underground control room.

"Under these conditions, even if we used magnetic levitation to fly to Baicheng, what good would it do? Wolves in front, tigers behind, and a Star Abyss overlord above?!" Qian Dele, not wearing his power armor, was covered in dust and unidentifiable anomaly blood.

Mo Nika was also exhausted; with Shizhi's help, she had calmed somewhat and offered her thought: "Perhaps we can avoid this eruption and wait for another chance to escape?"

"Exactly," Chen Sixuan added: "The people of Silent City hid in the Xishan bunker for so long and stayed safe. As long as we don't have a mark, we won't be targeted."

Ning Jing nodded: "I agree."

Lin Xian turned to Qian Suxun: "The problem now isn't just about our Union Train and the Xishan bunker, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

Chen Sixuan and the others followed his gaze to Qian Suxun and saw that Qian Suxun, Tian Ye, and Lan all wore grim expressions.

At that moment, Mochi Shinji's voice came through the comm.

"You're right, Lin. The original plan won't work anymore."

Mochi Shinji stood in the main control room, watching Grace's constantly updating calculations; his tone was noticeably heavier than before.

The reason was easy to guess—he'd already told Lin Xian.

Silent City No. is currently inside the Luling Forest!

Lin Xian's mind was a chaotic mess; his gaze flickered as he glanced coldly at Zhou Lei, bound in the corner, then spoke to Mochi Shinji:

"Tell me your plan."

"I do have a new one," Mochi Shinji's voice replied: "Lin, keep your magnetic levitation plan unchanged. When you reach Wangshan Pass, besides the decoy operation, I'll release one of the four floating cities for you—enough to evacuate your thousands. Of course, only if time permits."

Hearing this, Lin Xian's heart sank; he looked up at Qian Suxun and the others: "You're not planning to evacuate, are you?"

"Looks like it."

Qian Suxun smiled faintly, as if indifferent to life or death; after hearing Mochi Shinji's plan, they all understood immediately.

"If No. City gets pulled in, we have to rescue our people."

Tian Ye clenched his fists, his expression fierce: "Exactly. If that's the case, evacuation makes no sense—we should charge into the depths of Star Abyss. With our strength, we might still save many."

Long Zhijie said nothing, silently affirming his stance. Shizhi, who had just finished purifying Ning Jing and the others, immediately stepped forward three paces and stood beside Qian Suxun, her small face tense yet resolute beneath her power armor's visor.

These words unleashed a heavy, solemn atmosphere. Ning Jing, Chen Sixuan, Qian Dele, and the others stared at Qian Suxun and his group in disbelief.

The situation had turned abruptly—the original evacuation plan had suddenly become this.

Meanwhile, Mochi Shinji had given Lin Xian a plan ensuring everyone's escape: one floating city—perhaps all members of the Union Train fleet could survive.

Seeing Qian Suxun's decision, one instantly felt Mochi Shinji's near-fated influence—what kind of man could make a group like Qian Suxun's choose death without hesitation? And Mochi Shinji's offer to Lin Xian under these circumstances stirred a surge of heroism within him!

22: 0. Five minutes until the tide.

"Lin Xian…" Chen Sixuan's voice came through; she looked at him, wanting to say something, but held back.

Lin Xian knew she wanted to ask about Mochi Shinji's plan—it was indeed a good one: abandon all trains, evacuate everyone into a small floating city, and escape during Silent City's decoy operation. They and Hu Lushou's few hundred would have a strong chance of survival.

"Lin," Qian Suxun said solemnly: "Follow this plan. After this tide, it'll be our last chance. You must complete the train leap and transfer personnel to the floating city within one hour. We'll also activate Silent City to prepare for battle."

Zhou Lei, bound in the corner, listened to their conversation, his eyes widening—he instantly realized the Fifth Star Abyss was about to undergo a major change. This time, surviving wouldn't be easy. With the control room lost, he had no value to the Crimson World; they might just snuff out his candle. His gaze darted as he scrambled for a way to survive…

All eyes fixed on Lin Xian; the control room was heavy with silence.

Lin Xian lowered his head, his mind flooded with chaotic thoughts.

Akse, Star Abyss, time dilation, Cleansing Plan, Fish-Tail Lion Colossus, abnormal expansion, Star Abyss Behemoth, flesh grafts…

Countless colossal problems pressed against his chest in this brief span, suffocating him.

Then Lin Xian slowly looked at Grace, his gaze sharpening. He gathered every thought, then slowly raised his brow.

Suddenly, he broke the silence and spoke softly to Mochi Shinji:

"Mochi Shinji, I appreciate your offer—but I've just thought of a plan you might find interesting. Want to hear it?"

"Oh?" Mochi Shinji, alone in the control room, chuckled in surprise.

"Another reckless, dangerous plan?"

"Yes."

"Even bolder than your magnetic levitation plan?"

"A hundred times crazier—and I might save all 100, 00 people in Silent City No. !"

Before Mochi Shinji could reply, Qian Suxun lost his composure, staring at Lin Xian in shock. Tian Ye exclaimed: "What?!"

Mochi Shinji's smile froze; his tone turned serious:

"Where do you want my Silent City to fly?"

Lin Xian's eyes narrowed.

"Right here!"

(End of Chapter)