Chapter 55: Evolution Information

Lin Xian replied calmly, “Not necessarily—we’ll know once we see it.”

Jiang Yun studied him for a moment, then nodded. “No problem. Actually, there are more standardized versions of this at some Federal Phoenix Society rescue points, but due to the Eternal Night, all rescue points keep moving—or they might be in permanent underground cities, though again, once the Eternal Night covers them, supplies can’t get in and people can’t get out.”

“As for the information on ability evolution you mentioned…” Jiang Yun forced a smile, his gaze sweeping the group. “I can only tell you that every ability evolves differently—you must specify exactly what ability it is. If it’s one of the types the Phoenix Society has published, I can tell you directly. But if it’s not, I can’t be sure anyone here knows. Even if someone does…”

“What? You’re going to trade this secret?” Kiki replied.

Jiang Yun nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, but not necessarily. There are too many abilities now. Even the simplest and most common ones—like limb mimicry or grotesque proliferation—don’t evolve just by consuming blood. Some succeed, others fail. It might relate to their ability’s growth stage, or their mental strength, or the type of blood consumed. So much is uncertain. Even if someone selflessly shares their method, it might not work for you—everyone’s different.”

“And then,” Jiang Yun added thoughtfully, “even if someone tells you, how do you know it’s true or false?”

Jiang Yun’s words made Lin Xian’s expression shift slightly.

It seemed abilities were far more complex than he’d imagined.

Everyone’s path to evolution was different. Even the same ability—someone might stumble upon success, but they themselves might not even know what exact condition triggered it.

Unless some organization could collect massive data, run tests and trials, this kind of hearsay might not even reveal truth from falsehood, let alone guarantee success.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help sighing.

His own Mechanical Heart’s upgrade was very clear—the only problem was its combat power was slightly lacking.

So he aimed for self-armoring. If the chance arose, turning himself into Iron Man wasn’t out of the question.

After all, the Dragon Nation’s Interstellar Military already had full-coverage exosuit technology—he just had no access to it now, only learning about it from old media and Kiki’s words.

Not to mention AI systems—if he reached this stage and could build a battle mecha-girl, wouldn’t that be…

Got carried away…

“I have a team member with what seems to be a physical enhancement ability—he’s incredibly strong. If anyone has information on this, feel free to trade it with me.”

Lin Xian was testing the building’s ability. As for truth or falsehood, he could only rely on instinct. If it helped the building or Kiki evolve their abilities, it would greatly boost their small team’s survival rate.

As for Kiki’s ability—this kind of telekinesis—he didn’t reveal it directly, to avoid drawing a flood of astonished stares.

Though everyone here appeared friendly, you always held something back in public.

“Physical enhancement ability?”

“I’ve seen it, heard of it,” said a woman named Shu Qin. “But I don’t know if it’s true or useful. I heard this ability might require absorbing heavy blood qi and only evolves near death.”

She shrugged.

“I’m just saying this offhand—I’m not trying to trade. Whether it’s useful is up to you to judge.”

This concerned life and death. She couldn’t be certain, and didn’t seem interested in trading it.

Lin Xian and Kiki both changed expression.

“Near death?”

“Actually, this information is worth considering,” said a man in his fifties, his face grim. “Whether from Phoenix Society releases or rumors among wanderers, almost all abilities boil down to three things: some object, some change in body or mindset, and some specific condition.”

“Yes.”

Jiang Yun added, “From all the information I know, no ability evolves easily.”

“I understand.” Lin Xian nodded, offering a grateful look to the group.

He thought of Tang Hai that night. It sounded simple, but if evolution required being bitten to death by zombies—and if the initial ability showed no special traits—who would deliberately bleed out to let zombies eat them?

“Alright, let’s keep going.”

Seeing Lin Xian lost in thought, Jiang Yun signaled others to continue taking turns speaking.

Lin Xian and Kiki whispered quietly in the corner.

“Red Bean, the Soul-Drain Meter—both should be doable. Ability evolution doesn’t look simple…”

“I think you don’t need to worry about it at all,” Kiki smirked. “As long as you keep transmitting information outward, the tide will wash away the chaff—these secrets will eventually surface among survivors. Didn’t I say the Angel Project is still researching this? Just give me another chance to hack into…”

“Hey!” Kiki’s eyes lit up. “The Dawn Project was once Federal Government property—it must have had satellite access devices, maybe even tons of data. And wasn’t that No. 9 Underground City right near Dalaoshan? Should we plan something?”

Plan…

Why did that word sound so strange?

But Kiki’s words stirred something in Lin Xian. She still carried the title of Level Two Investor in the Dawn Project. And before entering Yubei City, they’d have to cross the northern foothills of Dalaoshan through the Congshan Mountains. It was a bit off-course, but it sounded like a good opportunity.

An official underground city—never mind other things, it must have plenty of high-tech electronics and communication gear!

“Want to go?” Kiki grinned eagerly. “I’m a Level Two Investor—I’m worth more than a First-Class Citizen!”

“I’m intrigued,” Lin Xian breathed deeply. “But there’s a problem.”

“What problem?”

“Didn’t they just say the Dalaoshan area might have some strange zones, giant weird bodies? Behind us is the Eternal Night tide, and some terrifying corpse-herders. Do we even have time for this?”

!

At those words, Kiki’s smile froze. Her face paled, and she shrank back nervously.

“Uh…”

“But I’m curious—since the Awakening Day, we’ve never heard any official announcement about the Dawn Project. These people here don’t even seem to know there’s a massive underground city nearby. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

Kiki rolled her eyes. “Simple. Resources were limited, construction was rushed. From day one, the project never considered ordinary people’s lives. Everyone selected for the underground city was invited directly—and had to pay a price. How could such a project ever be made public?”

Hearing this, Lin Xian gave a helpless smile.

So that’s how it was…

The Dawn Project was just an emergency bunker for the elite. No wonder all construction was secret. Right after the Star Abyss formed, just before the Eternal Night, rumors about the Dawn Project came only from leaked, half-baked sources.

“The world’s ended, they’ve dug down to No. 9 Underground City—and their secrecy’s still this good? Man, they’re efficient…”

“So the Federal Government collapsed after the Eternal Night. But since my dad brought me along, No. 9 must already be operational.”

Lin Xian nodded, speaking low. “Then now, No. 9 Underground City isn’t official anymore—it’s just a pre-collapse government project, closed to civilians. Only you can enter. The rest of us can’t.”

“Who cares? Maybe everyone inside is already dead. Even if they’re not, our goal isn’t to become underground citizens.” Kiki smirked, hands on hips. “They don’t treat civilians as people—why should we treat them with courtesy?”

Lin Xian frowned, watching her with a half-smile.

“So you’re saying we’re going to raid a giant underground city?”

“Hehe. Why not go if we can?”

Kiki winked at him, her grin full of meaning. “There must be cutting-edge tech gear inside—heavy mechs for defense. To sustain such a massive underground city, they’d need nuclear power. Maybe even star-drive systems. You wanted to launch your train into the sky, right? This is the perfect chance.”

Lin Xian stared at her eager expression, momentarily stunned. He had to admit—she’d gotten to him.

For his Mechanical Heart, this was a golden opportunity to upgrade his train before entering orbital space.

“Alright. We’ll discuss details after we get back. First, let’s finish what’s here.”

Lin Xian took a deep breath.

Kiki cheered. “Yay!”

Before the bonfire, over a dozen team leaders exchanged needed supplies and discussed problems. As part of trade, everyone offered what others needed. Two teams even reached a temporary agreement to merge and flee east together.

New chapter, seeking monthly votes and reads—thank you so much!

(End of Chapter)