Chapter 53: Corpsman (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Lin Xian’s gaze swept over the vehicles; most had been daubed with some color, but it was impossible to tell whether it was paint or blood.

This human civilization always behaves this way—once order shatters, new order spontaneously emerges.

In the darkness, these fragile orders, like faint flickers of flame, quickly draw in the scattered groups of the apocalypse.

In an unknown environment, if you want to plunder others, you must also be ready to be plundered yourself; like the “Oasis” convoy, which set out from the city ready to ambush and rob, instantly branding themselves as bandits—these people are also destroyers of such order.

“With so many of you gathered together, aren’t you worried about those monsters?”

Lin Xian asked tentatively.

“Oh, you mean the Ling-Dampening Detector? That thing’s a hassle—it needs Red Bean power, and it’s consumable. The Federation Phoenix Council once publicly released a blueprint for a simplified harmonic detection device, which mentioned using this stuff for area scanning to improve survivors’ survival odds. Some mechanically skilled survivors built a few, and our Windchaser Convoy has one—we paid a heavy price for it.”

At these words, Kiki suddenly turned her big eyes toward Lin Xian and nudged him with her elbow.

“Hey hey~”

Lin Xian’s heart stirred slightly; he returned her glance—he understood her hint perfectly.

Mechanical manufacturing?

Wasn’t that his specialty? He didn’t even need to use his hands—he could raise precision to industrial levels with just materials and blueprints!

“So this thing can also be traded?”

“Of course it can!” the young man exclaimed, eyes wide. “These detectors are hot commodities right now—high demand, no supply. Where else are you going to find someone who can hand-craft one out here in the wilderness? Only in big cities or survivor hubs.”

“And now it’s not just about scarce supplies—it’s freezing cold. Energy, heating gear, water purifiers, radios, medicine—none of it isn’t hard currency. Drinking rainwater at night will kill you!”

“And the temperature keeps dropping. If this continues, we won’t die from zombies—we’ll freeze to death.”

The young man kept talking as he trudged through the snow, soon leading Lin Xian and Kiki to the factory gate.

“Here we are. Yun is over there—talk to him. I’ve got night watch duty.” He pointed inside.

The original workshop had become ruins; a pile of firewood burned brightly, casting an orange-red glow that made over a dozen shadows flicker and dance.

The dozen or so people, seeing Lin Xian and Kiki approach, turned their heads. They were scattered around the fire—some standing, some sitting on the ground, some on broken bricks and rubble, others holding bottles of alcohol.

Men and women, young and old—they all turned. Jiang Yun spotted Lin Xian and immediately smiled and waved.

“Over here. What’s your name?”

“Lin Xian. Kiki.”

“Hmm. Your convoy?”

From his tone, he seemed to be asking for the convoy’s name.

Lin Xian thought for a moment. “Infinite Convoy.”

Infinite Convoy… but they drove a train…

“OK.” Jiang Yun gestured for them to sit freely. “No strict rules here. If you need anything, speak up. If others want to trade with you, bring your own goods. Of course, competition’s fine—the item’s yours, you decide who to trade with. But gathering together isn’t easy. Besides getting to know each other, share recent experiences or intel—more vigilance, more experience. That way, if you meet again later, you’ll recognize each other.”

“For example, you’re heading along the Jiangyu Line into Yubei City. Some here take that route; others head toward Fengcheng or Xingcheng. All going east, but the paths aren’t the same.”

Lin Xian nodded.

“I heard you’re driving a train?”

No sooner had Jiang Yun spoken than a thirty-something woman with short hair turned to Lin Xian.

Lin Xian looked at her.

“Shu Qin, from Bigfoot Convoy.” She introduced herself first. “No ulterior motive—we took a southern detour from Dalaoshan to get here, and we’re also heading to Yubei. We just wanted to warn you: a few days ago, we saw Federation trains transporting heavy equipment toward Dalaoshan. Probably a strange zone or a major anomaly. You’ll likely pass through that stretch on the Jiangyu Line, so be careful.”

Lin Xian’s expression changed slightly. “I understand. Thank you.”

Shu Qin’s words lowered his guard toward this fire gathering—and increased his regard for her.

“Alright, let’s continue.” Jiang Yun looked seriously at Lin Xian. “We’ve already discussed some things. Since a new friend has arrived, I’ll repeat the key intel—it might help everyone survive. That’s one reason we risked gathering.” “Besides Bigfoot Convoy’s report, there are two other major ones. First: a strange 1542 radio frequency has appeared between Ping’ahu, Congshan, Beiwan, and Dalaoshan. Three convoys have picked it up at night—and people have gone missing. We suspect it’s connected to the strange zone Bigfoot mentioned.”

People missing?

“Is that radio the one you modified with red beans?” Kiki asked curiously.

Jiang Yun nodded. “Yes. I recommend you get one soon—otherwise, you’ll miss vital warnings from nearby convoys or official channels. If you want red beans, several convoys here have them. Later, just see what you can trade.”

“Second piece of intel.”

Jiang Yun took a deep breath and looked at Lin Xian. “A Corpsman has been spotted in the No. 3 Star Abyss Eternal Night Zone!”

At these words, the air seemed to drop a degree. The twelve convoy leaders, though already aware, still flinched slightly as Jiang Yun spoke.

“Corpsman?” Lin Xian frowned. For some reason, the name sent a chill down his spine.

“Yes.”

“But is it even human?” Kiki frowned.

!

Jiang Yun shook his head. “No one knows. All information comes from dark radio frequencies, and only from nearby zones.”

He pointed to a middle-aged man across from them.

“Our Windchaser Convoy and their Black Sword Rangers just escaped from the Eternal Night. We confirmed it—the radio broadcast contained the hellish wailing described by the Phoenix Council. That’s said to be the sign of a Corpsman’s presence…”

Wailing?!

Lin Xian’s heart jolted.

Now he remembered—when they killed the red centipede, near the black mist, he’d heard the same hellish wailing. He’d been startled then. Now, hearing Jiang Yun, it all came back.

“The Corpsman is said to be some malevolent entity born from the Star Abyss. It didn’t appear during the first Eternal Night, but since the second began, numerous reports have surfaced near the Star Abyss. One heavily armed Taitiewei brigade, equipped with drones, armor, and kinetic weapons, attempted to scout the Star Abyss—and was wiped out. Only the dark-frequency radio transmitted countless hellish wails. Some survivors claim it’s a humanoid creature, but that’s unverified. Still, the rumor spread, and now the Phoenix Council calls it the Corpsman…”

“Whoa, so even mechs don’t work?” Kiki gasped.

“Little sister, if they did, do you think we’d be running?” A bearded man chuckled bitterly. “Right now, even the Federation Phoenix Council doesn’t know what’s out there in the Eternal Night. Thousands of sighting and attack reports flood the radio daily. For example—have you ever seen a jellyfish?”

“What’s so special about jellyfish?” Kiki frowned.

“I mean a jellyfish the size of a mountain,” the bearded man said gravely, pointing upward.

“And it’s in the sky!”

“Yes… survivors near Ping’ahu claim to have seen it,” Shu Qin said grimly. “It’s terrifying…”

Lin Xian’s expression darkened. “A mountain-sized one? That’s what you call a major anomaly?”

“Yes.” Jiang Yun nodded, face grim. “Nighttime holds all kinds of horrors—bugs, monsters, but the worst are the unspeakable things.”

“Unspeakable?”

Several people turned to Lin Xian, their eyes complex, uneasy. Jiang Yun replied solemnly:

“Like ghosts.”

At those words, a cold wind swept through. The flickering fire responded—its flames shrank rapidly, plunging the space into darkness.

The atmosphere turned icy.

Requesting monthly votes and reads—thank you, all the people of the city!

(End of chapter)