[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train":3,"chapter-apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-chapter-401":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Apocalypse: I Built an Infinite Train",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2262165,4414,"Chapter 401: Vanguard (10,000!)","apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-chapter-401",401,"\u003Cp>Under the blazing sun, the Twin Towers of Dawn City gleamed brilliantly, the vast steel metropolis standing like a mechanical heart at the center of the Yunjiang Plain—this was the capital of Longguo, the inland hub, the crown of civilization, and the last watch over the last survivors of the Asia-Pacific Continent since the Awakening Day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering hundred-meter city wall resembled the spine of a giant, its surface scarred with bullet holes and claw marks; last night’s bloody battle had carved fresh wounds into the metal, while soldiers manipulated mechs and drones to clear the grotesque corpses along the wall and collect blood essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soldiers of the Iron Guard Corps trudged through blood-mud, silently searching for survivors; a mech kicked open a monster’s skull, revealing the face of a young girl beneath—her eyes still open, clutching a crumpled entry permit, though it had been useless since the Council’s dissolution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fucking hell!” The soldier stomped his mech’s foot down, crushing the grotesque’s skull into pulp, muttering curses under his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the construction of Wall One and Wall Two, Dawn City had never faced an assault of this scale; with the Federation Council dissolved, panic and chaos erupted, and the outer districts flooded in disorder as night fell prematurely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The midnight assaults from Star Abysses 5, 7, and 8 caught millions of survivors off guard; the Night Patrol and City Defense Units broke and fled; 130,000 Garrison troops fought through the night, finally holding the line with high walls and overwhelming firepower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uhh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian landed on the deck of the Tianzhen Ship via a flyer and, under the escort of guards, arrived at Ye Lan’s office, where the transparent window panel offered a nearly overhead view of the entire Dawn City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the devastation beyond Wall One and the lingering smoke, his calm expression rippling with inner turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Lin Xian noticed a potted green plant on the desk, its small stalk bearing a few crimson cherry tomatoes; he reached out, plucked one, rubbed it on his sleeve, and popped it into his mouth—tart, sweet, juicy, refreshing, and utterly tempting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They call it cherry tomato. Self-pollinating. One of the few varieties discovered that can still grow and bloom in soil tainted by the Dark.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice came from behind; Lin Xian turned and saw Ye Lan standing beside the bookshelf, retrieving a volume from the top shelf—he hadn’t even noticed her enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tasty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan took the book, turned, and regarded Lin Xian calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re much younger than your file suggested.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her first time meeting the young man—his gaze sharp, posture upright, his walk carrying an air of caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not bad.” Lin Xian felt awkward—he’d thought he was alone, and now he’d been caught stealing food… Seeing Ye Lan’s expression, he knew she didn’t care; his eyes swept the office, noting its simplicity: mostly books, a desk, and a single simple bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan walked over and placed the book on the desk; Lin Xian glanced at it—Humanity’s Stars Shine Bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Phoenix Assembly has reconstituted the Federation Cabinet; several high-ranking officials who colluded with Zhou Mingyuan to persecute survivors have been arrested for crimes against humanity. Preliminary estimates by the Nightwalkers indicate over thirty thousand casualties from last night’s assault—mostly ordinary people in the outer districts who were swallowed by the Dark before they could reach the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it because of the Dark Mark?” Lin Xian frowned. “Dawn City’s outer districts held out for so long—how could they suddenly suffer such a massive assault?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s precisely what we’re trying to find out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan sighed. “Star Abyss 5: Dark Shi  Cells, Mycelial Consciousness Network. Our struggle against the Dark has been silent and reactive. If we regard the Dark as a civilization’s invasion, then the war between humanity and the Dark Civilization has already begun. We face this enemy for the first time—only with equal information can we seize the initiative.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at Lin Xian. “Chu Zhaonan understood this too. In his desperate last stand, he chose to open the gates and let the outer district survivors flee inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Last night, the Deep Red World launched a sabotage operation using Red Men and infiltrators—countless vehicles were destroyed, leaving large numbers stranded and unable to evacuate. That’s exactly what the Deep Red World wanted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian gazed out at the sprawling outer districts of Dawn City. “Professor Ye, with so many people—can they be evacuated in time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we can’t evacuate them all at once, we must do it in batches—racing against time,” Ye Lan said. “The Garrison and Iron Guard will remain stationed in Dawn City until every last person is evacuated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian clenched his fist slightly—this situation was just like at the Airport.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If needed, my convoy can assist with the evacuation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan looked at Lin Xian. “I called you here to discuss the Lunar Project.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian frowned. “The Lunar Project failed. Yurius himself at the Giant God Peak Launch Site is dead. He might have known something, but clearly didn’t want us to get it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you ever wondered why he didn’t want us to get it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because he’s a pervert, a piece of trash.” Lin Xian smirked coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Experimenting on human bodies, trying to build some ‘new civilization,’ burning vehicles, leaving these people here to die—I don’t think a pervert needs a reason.” Lin Xian, unable to control his emotions, sat down on the sofa. “Maybe they never got any information at all—maybe they were just playing us. Relying on this assumption might be utterly meaningless!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From last night’s abnormal assault, it’s clear that breaking the Celestial Veil and connecting to the Dark has affected the Star Abysses,” Ye Lan said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But why me?!” Lin Xian suddenly shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such an important mission—always about the survival of human civilization, the last hope for humanity—what does that have to do with me? Just because I’m a mechanical adept?!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan watched quietly as Lin Xian vented his rage; before his eyes, the young faces of the Lunar Project flashed again, and he saw once more the look in Chu Yan’s eyes as she died—his heart weighed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The office was silent; the air carried a faint, pleasant scent of books. Lin Xian took a deep breath, his agitation slowly subsiding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course they didn’t want us to get it. They’re running experiments—they’d be thrilled if we all died quickly, so their self-proclaimed ‘new civilization’ could… live freely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan observed Lin Xian’s expression and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We cannot treat our enemy as madmen, nor can we treat the Dark as mere disaster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian chewed on the words, his gaze tightening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Either Yurius knew nothing… or he was protecting this information—protecting their ‘god’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian exhaled heavily. “Alright, I know the Lunar Project’s direction was right—but now the outcome is set. What can we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked out the window at the sky, bitter smile on his lips. “I don’t know whether we should rejoice or sink deeper into despair if the Vanguard Project succeeds. I feel abandoned. But I’ve never understood—why did she tell me, at the end, not to abandon her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether to abandon or not depends on our own perspective,” Ye Lan said, then pressed a control button on her desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A door beside the office slid open; cold air surged out, and a cryogenic pod slowly floated forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian’s gaze snapped rigid—the figure inside the pod was Chu Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though lifeless, her blood had been thoroughly cleaned; she lay still within, as if asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a psychic adept, Chu Yan achieved extraordinary results in countless battles against the Deep Red World,” Ye Lan said, gazing at Chu Yan in the pod. “Before this mission, she spoke with me about the consciousness link she formed with you. She said it unsettled and frightened her—whether as an operative or as a woman, she couldn’t face it calmly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When we discussed the Lunar Project, she raised this doubt: we couldn’t determine the true target, or whether the target’s information held value. But now, the anomalies in all three Star Abysses confirm that consciousness linkage with the Dark has real effects. We must secure this information—it may be vital to the survival of human civilization.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian shrugged helplessly. “But what can we do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know,” Ye Lan said, her gaze serious, “Chu Yan could not simultaneously invade two minds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian froze, utterly confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean? She only invaded the real Yurius?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I trust Chu Yan. Her situational judgment was always precise. So I want to know—what did you communicate before she died? What did you see? Why did she make that choice?” Ye Lan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian shook his head, his expression grave, recalling as he spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We judged Yurius’s true body must be among them—he uploaded Deep Red No.3 to the internal network to seize control of Dawn City’s Galactic Heart, waiting for the Gray Mist Emissary’s launch port to open and take over the city’s central network. The root server system at Giant God Peak Launch Site required his biometric authentication. Chu Yan deduced Yurius was protecting Dark information, so she exploited this—we located the true body, completed iris recognition, captured Deep Red No.3, and retook control of the Galactic Heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So was Chu Yan’s choice random?” Ye Lan suddenly asked a question that puzzled Lin Xian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. The psychic energy fluctuations between the two Yuriuses were nearly identical. Chu Yan believed the other might have undergone some training—or…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian opened his mouth, then his expression changed—he remembered Chu Yan’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can detect differences in individual psychic energy fluctuations. Clones, due to time and training, develop variations—but these two seem to have undergone identical training—or neither is Yurius himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian suddenly felt confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If neither is Yurius himself, then yes—her choice was random.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” Lin Xian contradicted himself, pressing his temples. “I forgot one thing—she said the target must be unconscious to allow thought theft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But that doesn’t make sense…” The more he thought, the stranger it felt. “Both Yuriuses at the time were…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thought theft is extremely dangerous. Even if you capture the target, you must act while they’re unconscious. A conscious person’s psychic energy is too strong—especially now, as human psychic energy keeps growing. All I can do is give you a headache. Only in dreams is my domain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian’s face darkened—if Chu Yan couldn’t steal thoughts from a conscious person, then her psychic attacks on both Yuriuses were feints—meant to expose weaknesses, so Lin Xian would know which one was the real target for iris recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the contradiction remained—if she didn’t steal thoughts, how did she die immediately after the target was killed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This doesn’t add up!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian stared at Chu Yan in the cryogenic pod, his expression urgent, muttering to himself: “Why? Why did you die?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps you overlooked something,” Ye Lan said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impossible—I watched her die with my own eyes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian paced back and forth, his eyes never leaving Chu Yan; her words echoed in his ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The most important goal of the Lunar Project is to obtain information—and I am the primary operational direction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Listen to me—I’ll control Yurius, you scan his iris immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if his brain dies, his neurons won’t instantly lose activity. Micro-electrical signals from all neural pathways—thoughts, memories, judgments, sensory perceptions—will persist for several minutes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… is the only… choice… Lin… don’t… abandon me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan’s final cry rang in Lin Xian’s ears like a bell. His lips dried, his body frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did I overlook?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did I overlook?!!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian stopped pacing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, Lin Xian’s pupils flared wide; the office scene twisted like a black hole, stretching and tearing light—memories reversed: the Vanguard Project launch before dawn, Dawn City’s weapons going offline, the city in panic, Chu Yan’s face blooming with blood-red flowers, the white hall filled with hundreds of floating Yurius clones, time rewinding further—to the thunderclap over Jinhai!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Junyi told him: “Humans can now extract Dark Energy from cold dark particles—this is essentially the energy conversion form of Dark invasion. You can think of it as a higher-purity cold dark reagent for human absorption. Wang Yue Zhenji’s formula calculates 18% as the current human body’s conversion limit—the same threshold as an adept’s evolutionary boundary. In principle, aside from forced human filtration, no material on Blue Planet can isolate or store this energy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yue Zhenji told him: “Judging from those implant suppressors and restraint devices, the Deep Red World designed them specifically for it—but this monster was already dead. Why would they install these things?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan told him: “So what we see as S-Class beings are like gods to the Deep Red World. To connect with such a god, to observe a completely alien lifeform and civilization, they wouldn’t let ordinary people or test subjects do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kiki told him: “I get it—just like the Red Men, they don’t just communicate with S-Class beings—they want to become S-Class themselves through this method?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His memory returned to ascending with Kiki, gazing down at the colossal implant corpse beneath Jinhai—its armor devoid of any power output, bearing only implant suppressors, restraint devices, and…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mycelial Brain-Interface Devices!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know what I overlooked,” Lin Xian said, his composure shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Veil-Breaker Device, as Vanguard Project Sequence One, was launched to revive or reconnect that S-Class operational brain. Their previous tests only connected half the brain. Yurius said this single attempt killed 145 clones. I’ve always wondered: why, whether the Deep Red World was fighting us for the Galactic Heart, the Dark information, or kidnapping the entire city, sabotaging vehicles—they never once threatened to destroy the Vanguard Project. Why was Chu Zhaonan so certain Yurius would let the Gray Mist Emissary launch successfully?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because… Yurius himself is aboard the Gray Mist Emissary!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on Chu Yan, whispering softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your only choice was because, after launch initiation, you detected Yurius’s psychic energy fluctuation rising into the sky—you didn’t invade the clone. You invaded the Gray Mist Emissary.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian took a long breath, sat back on the sofa, disbelief washing over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even half a brain connection could instantly kill 145 people. Now he understood—how such a powerful adept as Chu Yan could die in an instant. Before aiding him in the feint against Yurius, she had already accepted her fate—not death by the Red Man, but by the Gray Mist’s consumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, he looked up at Ye Lan and said with a complex expression: “You already thought of this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan said: “Chu Yan told me that if the operation failed and she couldn’t get information from Julius, she would use infiltrating the S-class operation brain as a backup plan. She wasn’t afraid of death—she only worried about how to transmit the information she obtained.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So she chose me,” Lin Xian said. Ye Lan looked at Lin Xian: “She said you only link with her consciousness when you’re on the brink of death. That might be a pattern.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian stood up, walked to the window, gazed at the blue sky, and gave a bitter smile: “There’s only one way to verify it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Lin Xian immediately turned, his gaze resolute: “There’s still an unfinished small starship at Xinggang—borrow one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Lan didn’t stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, he arrived at Xinggang, found an unfinished Ray-class starship at the construction dock—it was a 40,000-ton vessel, but only its main frame had been built. Lin Xian raised his hand and activated the Black Star Forge. A violent mechanical spatial gate opened and slowly swallowed the starship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian gritted his teeth. As his energy drained rapidly, he stared into the vast space of the Black Star Forge, his breathing growing heavier. He didn’t consider whether he could complete the transfer—or if it would even succeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All he felt now was a taut, urgent string—he had to see if that woman was still alive!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hydraulic pillars in the berth area hummed as Lin Xian directly transferred a massive starship into the Black Star Forge. After the mechanical gate closed, he was drenched in cold sweat, his vision darkened, and he slowly collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hum. Hum. Hum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hollow ringing echoed and reverberated inside his skull, as if he stood within an endless, vast, empty cosmic abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian tried to open his eyes but couldn’t. He only felt a muffled earthquake deep in his brain, a tremendous sense of separation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of adjustment, he finally sensed his own existence—and opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, his pupils contracted sharply!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was standing on the head inhibitor armor of the Gray Messenger. This S-class flesh augmentation, hundreds of meters tall, was now covered in a thin layer of white frost, floating motionless in pitch-black space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun’s light burned his eyes like a golden wheel. He raised his hand to shield them—but saw a figure, accompanied by countless fragments, drifting past him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian’s expression changed in shock. It was a young man in a starship uniform—already dead. Before his eyes, more dead crew members appeared. Around the Gray Messenger, space was filled with starship debris. Looking ahead, four 300,000-ton starship wrecks lay scattered across near-Earth orbit like toys crushed by a god.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bridge of the Star Shepherd had snapped in two, its exposed keel gleaming coldly like torn fishbones. The Ark’s fusion reactor had been completely pierced; melted armor had solidified into grotesque black nodules, like burnt hearts. The Star Cluster’s engine array had fully disintegrated—tens of thousands of thruster nozzles floated silently…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless hull sections, corpses, and broken structures drifted like the aftermath of an interstellar war. At the edge of the atmosphere, a bloody glow shimmered—the burning debris falling from orbit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian turned his body—and froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tens of thousands of corpses floated in the vacuum, like a strange deep snow. Many had died inside their cryo-pods. The youngest, a red-haired girl, looked no older than eighteen. Her braid had come loose; her hair drifted like jellyfish tentacles. These were all elite volunteers for the Vanguard Project—seeds of human civilization: young, vibrant, pioneers, and martyrs of exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unimaginable what had happened here just hours ago. Farther away, Lin Xian saw a completely disintegrated super-large starship—the Pioneer of Civilization. Its rear star propulsion section had been severed; its supply propulsion module was gone. The massive bow still pointed defiantly toward the distant star orbit—silent, lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian turned back. Blue Star hung below, its vast planetary home glowing blindingly blue in the sunlight. Storm clouds swirled over the Pacific. The continents’ outlines remained clear—he could even recognize former cities. But across the Asia-Pacific continental shelf, several black, hole-like “scars” now clung to the planet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The closest was Star Abyss No. 5—a black, tumor-like growth on the planet’s surface. Its dark curtain spread relentlessly, swallowing even the atmospheric clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Lin Xian’s first time seeing the full sight of a Star Abyss. The horrifying scene made his teeth chatter. At the same time, in the direction of the dark sky—a void, black and hollow—something seemed to gaze back from the darkness, as if encircling Blue Star entirely: cold, empty, like a cosmic abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Xian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian suddenly heard a voice—he hadn’t imagined it. That was Chu Yan’s voice!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned. On the same inhibitor armor of the Gray Messenger, a woman’s silhouette stood silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for not giving up on me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan looked at Lin Xian, her eyes brimming with emotion—but Lin Xian saw her consciousness was extremely unstable: pale, flickering, as if about to vanish at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, it was Professor Ye…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian gave a self-deprecating smile, thinking: I already put you in a body bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan shook her head: “Listen to me. Julius’s core consciousness uploaded through mycelium into the Gray Messenger’s operation brain. Though he initiated the link, he needed auxiliary control via the mainframe of Deep Red No. 3. That mainframe, like your Grace, is named ‘Viola.’ I’ve seized control of it directly through my psychic ability and stolen all his information—about connecting to the Dark, even the deepest secrets of the Deep Red Organization.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But at what cost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t matter!” Chu Yan told Lin Xian. “Listen carefully. Remember everything. Tell Professor Ye and General Xu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, I’m listening,” Lin Xian said, his gaze serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Deep Red Organization used mycelium to connect to S-class brains—but they didn’t obtain information. They received a signal. This signal is extremely complex. After analyzing it with Viola and Deep Red’s human experiment data, they discovered: this signal might be an emotion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emotion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! Emotion from the Star Abyss—or rather, will. There are two: first, fear. Second, confusion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fear of what?” Lin Xian asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no subject. This fear comes from human experiments. To the Deep Red, the Dark invasion is a force of fear—and this explains why humans undergo mutations after mental collapse. But the problem is: we can’t determine whether this fear is humans fearing the Dark—or the Dark fearing humans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian frowned: “Can the Dark fear humans?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t interpret it subjectively,” Chu Yan said, her gaze fixed on the massive Star Abyss below Blue Star. “From within the Star Abyss, if viewed through a civilizational lens, humans are just as incomprehensible and unrecognizable to the Dark creatures as they are to us. They don’t understand us. We don’t know how they exist or how they were born. It’s a relationship of mutual incomprehension and unprovable existence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan looked at Lin Xian: “Do you know the Rosetta Stone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When two completely alien civilizations lack translation, there are two ways to communicate: first, pictographic symbols—but that doesn’t work between us and the Dark. Second: behavioral logic chains. That’s how we discovered the Dark Markers. You know that, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan continued: “So if there’s only one signal, it has no reference value—because we can’t tell if it’s from human experiments or the Dark. It can’t form a logical coordinate system. But the key is the second signal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Confusion,” Lin Xian said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Deep Red noticed this. So they concluded: the signal’s source is from Dark life—or the Star Abyss. When we apply this signal to the changes in the Gray Messenger and the current Star Abysses No. 5, 7, and 8, this behavior strongly suggests the Star Abysses, through this consciousness link, have detected the existence of Dawn City—and this discovery isn’t just about Dark coordinates!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian frowned: “So last night’s Black Tide attack probably wasn’t just because of those carrying the Markers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly!” Chu Yan said sharply. “If it were only the Markers, Dawn City’s firepower could’ve cleared them long before. But all three Star Abysses launched a full-night Dark assault! This means the Star Abysses are confused—testing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian felt his scalp tighten: “So the Star Abysses’ expansion speed actually…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is unlimited,” Chu Yan said grimly. “There’s no one year, no four months. Once they confirm a coordinate point, they can cover the entire Blue Star in a single night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian’s eyes widened in shock: “No wonder Star Abyss No. 5 stirred—and all Star Abysses accelerated worldwide. Is this a coordinated relationship?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you ever experienced a power outage?” Chu Yan continued. “When your room is pitch black and you don’t know the layout, you can only feel your way with hands and feet—slowly. But if you turn on the lights—or already know the space—you move quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the monsters use Dark Markers to locate humans. No wonder after last night’s Black Tide attack, all three Star Abyss directions found massive S-class entities and Corpse Drivers.” Lin Xian looked helpless. “We’re done. We thought we had time to evacuate the city—but tonight, we might face total annihilation from Corpse Drivers and S-class beings…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Julius knew this. That’s why he wanted to turn Dawn City into a Trial Day experiment site. He needed to rapidly uncover the true mechanism of evolution. Becoming a Weird and Human Weird was his second choice. There’s another critical piece of information: the Deep Red Organization’s original goal wasn’t this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan told Lin Xian: “The Deep Red Organization was originally founded to pursue digital life and mechanical ascension. But later, it spiraled out of control, veering toward psychic powers, flesh augmentation, Chosen Ones, and Angels. The original founders were an organization called the SIID Foundation—a branch of the former global Lofei Conglomerate, which controlled vast portions of the Federation’s economic lifelines. You’ve probably heard of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian blinked: “I haven’t just heard of it… I’ve interacted with ‘them.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Xian, you must immediately inform Professor Ye and General Xu—there’s no time left!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian looked at himself and shrugged helplessly: “You know I can only see you when I’m completely drained. I can’t control when I wake up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what do we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What can we do…” Lin Xian gave a bitter smile. “Even if the whole city learns this, even if we escape—according to this logic, once the Star Abysses confirm their coordinates, fleeing to the poles won’t matter. We might not even outrun their expansion speed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan froze, then stood silently, her expression sinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Xian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the world ends tonight, are you afraid?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was a little,” Lin Xian said, looking up at the starry cosmos with a defiant smile. “Now I’m not so afraid. I’ve lived a lifetime as a spacefarer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan admired his optimism and sighed helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Chu Yan’s state, Lin Xian sat down directly: “Since we can’t go back, let’s chat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example—have you really died?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan’s expression was complex: “My consciousness is currently invading Julius. I’m using his life force to survive. He’s preserved himself in a high-grade life pod. I’ll persist in this state for a short while—but when my psychic energy fades, I’ll vanish completely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian opened his mouth, then suddenly smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you laughing at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was going to say I didn’t know if there was another way to save you. But then I thought—tonight, the world might end. Maybe we won’t even outlive you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan smiled strangely. She looked at Lin Xian, her eyes shimmering. After a long pause, she spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Lin Xian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why thank me? You helped me seize the Galaxy Heart, saved the whole city, sacrificed yourself—what’s there to thank me for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for appearing in my consciousness, for completing this mission with me, and for being here, talking with me…” Chu Yan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian sighed deeply: “It’s a pity we’re both consciousness-bound. Otherwise, under these circumstances, a drink would’ve been perfect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan looked at the endless starship wreckage and the countless fallen Vanguard Project martyrs, then said to Lin Xian: “By the way, there’s another vital piece of information. After the Vanguard Fleet breached the Celestial Veil, I received a message from Captain Chu Jing of the Pioneer of Civilization, sent to Dawn City via the Shared Star channel. But at that moment, the area was engulfed by Dark Energy Storms—all transmissions were blocked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What message?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Pioneer of Civilization used the Dark Erosion Cell to activate its monitoring device while breaking through the Celestial Veil. It successfully captured data on how the Dark Erosion Cells absorb Dark invasion energy. If we use these cells to convert this Dark energy, we can purify water 100%—just like the Dark creatures. And if we use a similar energy-wave device to trigger this energy, we can completely shield humans from Dark invasion and solve the mutation crisis!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian’s eyes widened. That was exactly his Asymmetric Cube—but even stronger, because it could filter Dark invasion from water!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that device’s purpose was this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan said seriously to Lin Xian: “When the Vanguard Fleet encountered the Dark Energy Storm, the Pioneer of Civilization was the only ship capable of escaping the storm. But massive mutations broke out aboard it. So Chu Jing made the final decision: launch the last two supply propulsion modules to send the Natural Selection and the Deep Blue out of the storm zone—and prepare to turn the Pioneer of Civilization around…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He wanted to send the data back to Dawn City?!” Lin Xian asked in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Yan nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He wanted to leave humanity a chance to survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He refused to abandon humanity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Chu Yan told Lin Xian how, after invading Julius’s consciousness, she had broken through the invisible Celestial Veil as the lead ship of the Breakthrough Plan. From her description, Lin Xian felt as if he’d witnessed the epic, tragic scene: seven starships, carrying tens of thousands of people, human cryo-embryos, and civilization archives, raced full-speed toward the Celestial Veil—likely a death sentence. Within thirty minutes of encountering the Dark Energy Storm, all seven captains fought desperately to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an unimaginably brutal yet utterly resolute scene. Countless young lives vanished in the cold void of space. Lin Xian couldn’t imagine how Chu Jing, knowing he could survive, made the heart-wrenching decision to launch the supply modules and send the Natural Selection and the Deep Blue away—just as resolutely as he had led the Pioneer of Civilization at the front of the entire fleet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian stared at the distant stars—at the massive, shattered, once-proud “Farstar”-class starship, now floating silently in the vacuum, its bow still raised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a brilliant banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4930,"2026-06-19T18:20:07.351Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e6df2f2bf687282a03c7b51cce345b3de90c575cce3eaa8c719c0e7da58f16bd","apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-chapter-402","apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-chapter-400",541,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fapocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-cover.jpg"]