Chapter 82: Investigation

………

On a plain near the direction of Mount Dala, a heavy train rested silently.

The night was as dark as ink, snowflakes falling in abundance.

Lin Xian was gone; the “Infinite” had halted. The two daylight hours passed quickly, and by nightfall, the three could only return to the carriage to discuss and wait further.

Chen Sixuan brought several blankets, adding one over Kiki as she slept, and took another to Da Lou.

Carriage No. 5 had been modified into a simple sleeping compartment, where Da Lou resided; all other areas were welded with tool racks, storing numerous steel beams and equipment.

“How is it?” Chen Sixuan asked.

Sha Sha sat on the sofa, gazing far at the radio, her face tinged with fear.

“I don’t know why, but I keep feeling this thing is still making noise…”

The air fell silent.

Chen Sixuan stood where she was, her chest rising and falling heavily; she stared at the radio, trying to steady her composure.

Reason told her not to dwell on things beyond understanding—if someone could control the train, then that person must be Lin Xian!

“We haven’t heard any sound for hours—Lin Xian might have encountered something…”

“Big Sister Chen…” Sha Sha’s face was pale; a person vanishing without a trace made it impossible to think positively.

“It’s fine—he’ll surely find a way.” Chen Sixuan’s words sounded like self-consolation.

Sha Sha nodded.

Chen Sixuan turned off the train’s lights and heating to conserve critical power.

Simultaneously, she, Sha Sha, and Da Lou divided duties: one at the locomotive, one in Carriage No. 1, one at the rear carriage—each on watch, constantly monitoring the outside.

Outside the armored windows, utter darkness; beneath the black veil, the wilderness seemed to whisper with eerie voices, piercing roars echoing in the dark, sending chills down the spine.

Inside the cold cockpit, Chen Sixuan, wrapped in a blanket, leaned against the driver’s seat, her mind unsettled as she stared at the darkness beyond the window.

The interior was relatively safe; the front radar detection system operated at low power. Da Lou had just exited to inspect—the train’s armor, including the roof, remained intact.

Last night’s perilous escape from Yuchicheng Station, aside from that white climbing monster, how many others remained unknown.

Those collisions, bites, and attacks had placed immense pressure on everyone; the night held countless unknowns and terrors—perhaps they had barely glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

Yet their successful escape from such danger proved Lin Xian’s recent armor upgrade had worked; previously, the roof might have been torn off by monsters, and the outcome would have been obvious.

But just as one crisis passed, another arose: after breaking free from the encirclement of dark, strange creatures, a strange radio frequency now appeared on the train.

In the darkness, Chen Sixuan exhaled carefully.

The moment she recalled the inexplicably sounding radio, a chill ran through her—could some things even steel armor not shield against?

Strange events multiplied: zombies, insect monsters, mist, mutations—each more terrifying than the last, arriving in quick succession. In a short time, Chen Sixuan felt as if she’d endured countless nightmares.

“It’ll definitely be fine…”

She bolstered herself internally. Currently, apart from the reserve energy in the Huanxing 7F electric locomotive, they had over a thousand liters of gasoline scavenged from Tang Hai—some filled the gas turbine’s tank, the rest left by Lin Xian as backup.

Meanwhile, their supplies were sufficient; staying aboard the train offered temporary safety. The only problem: if they remained stationary, the night tide’s Tunshi speed would, within days, plunge all of Yuchicheng into permanent night—then they could only leave their fate to chance.

Ooo~

On a distant mountain road, several vehicle headlights flashed continuously—likely a fleeing convoy. Chen Sixuan noticed the sound growing closer and immediately grew cautious.

But soon after, the convoy turned onto another highway several kilometers away, heading toward Yubei City.

Chen Sixuan exhaled in relief.

Throughout the night, the sounds of various-sized convoys rushing through the dark came intermittently; however, due to the great distance between the railway and highways, few noticed the massive train parked on the plain.

With the radio unusable and no external information receivable, this train now resembled a solitary boat adrift in a black ocean, stirring quiet despair.

Beep… beep…

The alarm on her watch rang; Chen Sixuan jolted awake from light sleep—it was 1 a.m., deep night.

She rose immediately and went to Carriage No. 1. Kiki remained unconscious, and there was still no trace of Lin Xian.

Even the footsteps like before had vanished.

!

“Big Sister Chen.”

A drowsy voice broke the carriage’s silence; Sha Sha slowly sat up on the sofa, the thick blanket slipping to her waist. She rubbed her still-groggy eyes and looked toward Chen Sixuan. “Is it time to switch shifts? I’ll go guard the front.”

Chen Sixuan waved her hand, whispering:

“It’s fine—get some more rest. I’ll stay here and watch for any other movement.”

“I can’t sleep,” Sha Sha mumbled. “Since Brother Lin hasn’t returned, I can’t sleep either.”

“Alright, don’t worry too much. Lin Xian is a cultivator—he’ll surely have a way.” Chen Sixuan forced a faint smile, though her own heart trembled, she still tried to comfort Sha Sha.

“Mm.” Sha Sha nodded.

The carriage had no lights on; all blackout panels were closed, leaving only faint glimmers of light.

Carriage No. 1 was currently the most fully equipped on the “Infinite,” the one Lin Xian had spent the most time modifying. Within its twenty-meter length lay a living area, a sofa, a dining table, and storage cabinets filled with food, water, and weapons.

The A33K heavy sniper rifle had also been stored here by Lin Xian—its black barrel measured 1557 millimeters in length, weighing 14.8 kg total, firing 12.7 mm (.50 BMG) tungsten-core armor-piercing rounds. According to Kiki, it was a true anti-materiel killing machine.

Lin Xian had originally intended to give it to Da Lou, but Da Lou claimed his eyesight was poor and his hands clumsy—he couldn’t handle it better than a firewood stick. He preferred lively light and heavy machine guns, so Lin Xian temporarily left it here.

“Sha Sha, could you teach me how to use this?” For some reason, looking at the rifle, Chen Sixuan suddenly had a strange thought.

“Huh?!” Sha Sha exclaimed in shock. “Big Sister Chen, this thing is heavy!”

Chen Sixuan took a deep breath. “I know.”

“But if I can help by providing covering fire, when we encounter monsters, we’ll have another firing point—and it’ll ease the pressure on everyone.”

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After going live on December 1st, I’ll post massive updates—please don’t save this novel; check the latest chapter every time a new one drops.

(End of Chapter)