Ding Junyi’s voice came through as she noticed Lin Xian and the others showing interest. She spoke directly,
“We strongly suspect that this type of plant is directly linked to the biological mutations caused by Apocalypse Day, as well as the corruption from eerie entities. Based on our current research, the Blood Scourge Flora has a Soul Wave Value exceeding 100, which is inversely proportional to the standard for C-Class Nocturnal Entities. This suggests that Blood Scourge Flora contains the same bio-energy as Nocturnal Entities, and its energy is closely related to Eerie Blood Crystals.”
“Whoa! Eerie plants!” KIKI blurted out, her face filled with amazement. “In this messed-up world, whether it’s people, animals, organic, or even inorganic matter, it looks like everything is affected by that d*mn darkness.”
“What’s the use of this thing?” Lin Xian frowned and asked.
“We’re not sure yet.”
A frail scientist named Han Qiming stepped forward, his voice trembling. “We conducted some biological experiments and discovered that this thing directly triggers mutations in living organisms—very similar to the Dark Night Infection.”
“Dark Night Infection?” KIKI asked. “What in the dark night is even infectious?”
“Well…” Han Qiming nervously glanced at the three of them before turning to Ding Junyi. Then, he finally spoke,
“Actually, all our research teams have reached a common understanding. However, this consensus…”
“It’s not about secrecy. Strictly speaking, it’s about scientific rigor and responsibility. As researchers, making claims without experimental proof is irresponsible—it could mislead the public and cause unnecessary panic. But if you really want to know these unverified theories, we can tell you.” Ding Junyi replied matter-of-factly.
“Exactly, exactly! Let me explain.” The microbiologist, Han Qiming, adjusted his thick glasses with a trembling hand.
“All major research teams worldwide now believe that zombies and mutations are not transmitted through bacteria or viruses.”
“The reason we can’t publicly state this theory is, first, to avoid panic, and second, because it’s not yet scientifically rigorous. There’s no conclusive biological, pathological, or microbiological evidence supporting it. Even in direct studies of zombie specimens, we haven’t found any infectious agents.
Zombies themselves aren’t a precise biological classification; from a purely scientific perspective, such an organism shouldn’t even exist.”
“What do you mean?” Lin Xian was confused.
Han Qiming explained,
“For example, a person with severe physical deterioration can’t suddenly gain immense vitality and strength without caloric metabolism. A virus-ravaged body would only deteriorate further—how could it suddenly become superhuman and attack people while staying active for so long?”
Hearing this, Lin Xian froze. Now that it was laid out like that, it did make sense.
“When the first Extreme Night outbreak occurred on Apocalypse Day, global population loss was exponential. We had highly advanced IoT surveillance, yet we detected no infection source or transmission pathway.
This was the main reason why so many governments and military forces collapsed so quickly—because we had no idea where the ‘virus’ was coming from.
Was it airborne? Bloodborne? Something else entirely?
Only after we discovered the concept of Soul Wave Value did we realize that all mutation events had one common factor—darkness.”
“As long as someone was exposed to the dark, a massive number of people would mutate into zombies or become Nocturnal Entities. It was completely unpredictable and impossible to prevent.
We even suspected that the survivors might possess a specific genetic trait or physiological anomaly that made them immune, so we conducted mark-recapture studies and molecular biology tests—but we found no common pattern.”
Lin Xian felt a chill run down his spine.
He turned to KIKI, recalling how, during her Corruption, an invisible monster had appeared near the train.
If KIKI’s Ability hadn’t evolved and instead spiraled into Corruption, would she have turned into something like Tang Hai, a creature neither human nor ghost?
Thinking along these lines, he realized—the ordinary dark night and the Abyss’s Dark Tides were completely different concepts.
The Dark Tides weren’t just some deeper darkness; they must have carried a sinister force that actively transformed everything within them.
The Eerie Entities lurking in the shadows, the forbidden items mutating under assault, the Blood Scourge Flora growing out of flesh, and the unpreventable zombie transformations—when all of this was linked together, Lin Xian finally understood the phrase Han Qiming had just used—
Dark Night Infection!
65th Floor, Rail Terminal Station.
Chen Sixuan pressed the walkie-talkie button. The indicator had turned red ever since Lin Xian’s team took the elevator up. She assumed it was just a signal interference issue in the underground, not necessarily a sign of trouble.
At this moment, the train was in total blackout mode to avoid attracting any creatures lurking in the darkness.
The light-blocking shields were lowered, and the interior lights were turned off.
Both Shasha and Chen Sixuan held guns, waiting in Carriage No. 1, listening intently to any sounds outside.
From time to time, the platform’s flickering electrical tubes made a faint buzzing sound.
Somewhere deep in the black void, an occasional rustling could be heard.
Maybe there were zombies hiding in the darkness… or maybe it was just the airflow through the underground tunnels.
Staying inside the train felt relatively safe, but after the Eerie Radio Incident, Chen Sixuan had become extremely wary of strange occurrences.
“How long have they been gone?” Shasha sat on the sofa, swinging her legs casually. Compared to Chen Sixuan, she had far more guts.
Chen Sixuan checked her watch.
“Almost 40 minutes. They should be back soon.”
Just then, a beep came from the Responder Unit in the cockpit.
Though the sound was faint, it shattered the eerie silence, sending a jolt of tension through both of them.
Chen Sixuan and Shasha exchanged looks and hurried over.
“Hello, Miss Chen. We’ve arrived. Everything okay on your end?”
Lin Xian’s voice came through the responder, and the two women instantly relaxed.
“No issues here. Everything’s fine.”
“Good. It’s about to get dark soon—stay alert.”
Chen Sixuan switched off the responder, glancing at Shasha.
In this underground city, no one could predict what would happen after nightfall.
They had to stay vigilant.
52nd Floor, F13 Sector, Research Hall.
Lin Xian turned to Ding Junyi.
“Since we’re already here, hand over the system permissions. Then, tell me where the Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive is.”
As soon as he said this, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen’s expressions changed.
“Uh… But we know this system better than anyone! And it’s extremely complex…”
KIKI had already hacked into the lab’s mobile terminal and quickly opened a backdoor program.
She walked over and handed the device to Ding Junyi.
“Big Sis, just authorize this, please~”
For KIKI, as long as she had enough time, Lin Xian had no doubt she could hack the system directly.
After all, she had done it before.
But since Ding Junyi had administrator access, there was no need to waste time on a full-scale breach.
However, this move instantly made the other three researchers nervous.
At this moment, their only bargaining chip was Ding Junyi’s admin privileges.
If they handed it over, they would be utterly powerless.
Luo Ye stood there, holding his assault rifle, exuding a murderous aura.
Facing Zhao Yan’s group, he radiated an overwhelming sense of impending doom—as if they were about to be executed on the spot.
None of them doubted that this big guy could rip all four of them apart with his bare hands!