Lin Xian remained highly alert as he led the group out of the elevator, using a flashlight to probe the path ahead. Before long, they arrived at the Infinite Train.
The cockpit door opened, and after their harrowing ordeal, the six of them finally stepped onto the train.
As the heavy cockpit door sealed shut, Lin Xian switched on the cabin lights. A long-lost sense of security washed over them.
Inside the train, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen collapsed onto the floor of Carriage No. 1, drenched in sweat and completely drained, gasping for breath.
Seeing Lin Xian return, Chen Sixuan and Shasha finally breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over in concern.
"One didn’t make it." Lin Xian took a deep breath and said softly.
Chen Sixuan covered her mouth in shock. Her gaze moved from the two women who were still trembling on the floor to Ding Junyi.
"Ding Junyi." She met Chen Sixuan's eyes and introduced herself directly.
"...Are we saved?" Zhao Yan, still recovering from shock, asked as she scanned the train's interior between gasps.
"For now, you won’t die."
"Miss Chen," Lin Xian glanced at Zhao Yan and Xu Wen before turning to Chen Sixuan, "Get them something to eat. We need a break."
"Really? Thank you so much!!"
Hearing Lin Xian offer them food, Zhao Yan snapped out of her terror. Her survival instincts took over, making her realize just how close to starvation she was. Crying over Professor Han would have to wait.
"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Lin…"
"Waaah… Teacher Zhao, we're safe!"
Xu Wen was caught between fear and overwhelming relief. After enduring such a prolonged period of despair, their spirits had shattered multiple times. Now, sitting inside what felt like a fortress-like safehouse, and hearing that food was coming, they couldn’t hold back their emotions any longer. Both women burst into tears again.
In contrast, Ding Junyi, the deputy director of the Biological Research Department, remained tense. She was silent, scanning Lin Xian’s team and the train’s interior, seemingly lost in thought.
Lin Xian ignored them and turned his attention to Da Lou, who had carried in a glass cultivation pod.
"Whoa, what’s that? A flower?"
Shasha ran over in excitement upon seeing the strange plant encased in the glass.
"What was it called again…?" KIKI tilted her head.
"Blood Scourge Flora – Specimen No. 1. If you prefer, you can call it Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum." Ding Junyi’s expression remained cool as she explained to KIKI. "It’s not an official name—just what we call it."
"Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum? That sounds ominous."
Chen Sixuan frowned slightly, staring at the strange black petals with fascination. To her, this eerie flower held a sinister beauty, especially its crimson core, which gave off an unsettling allure.
"This thing…" Lin Xian glanced at it. "Store it away for now. The Federation’s Phoenix Organization probably has information on it. We’ll decide what to do with it later."
Without a full understanding of its properties, Lin Xian wasn’t eager to get too curious. If it was related to abilities, then it might be incredibly valuable.
As night fell, the blizzard intensified.
In the vast southern plains of the Daluo Mountains, the wind howled as snow covered the landscape. The endless rows of abandoned vehicles and thousands of corpses were buried beneath the thick, relentless snowfall.
Zombies roamed the frozen wasteland, their feet crunching through knee-deep snow. Many had frozen solid, turning into lifeless, blackened human-shaped sculptures.
Inside the Level 65 Freight Terminal of Underground City No. 9, the Infinite Train remained stationary. The warm glow of its interior lighting pushed back against the encroaching fear.
After about an hour of rest and a bit of food, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen finally began to regain some stability.
Lin Xian had no time to focus on them. In Carriage No. 2’s Information Hub, he and KIKI were analyzing the underground city’s internal layout.
Since Ding Junyi was familiar with the city’s infrastructure, Lin Xian had called her over as well.
"This GF4 Terminal still has two carriages left," KIKI said as she pulled up surveillance footage from Station No. 4 on the surface. "From their paintwork, they seem to be pre-Federation assets."
Lin Xian’s eyes lit up. This trip might actually be worth it.
And Ding Junyi hadn’t lied—so far, his decision to risk the rescue mission seemed to be paying off.
"Once we get up there, we’ll reorganize our train setup at the terminal, then head toward Yubei City."
"What’s our next move?" KIKI continued searching for usable information within the underground city’s network. However, most areas had lost contact, and only a few subsystems were still online.
"Our priority is securing the Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive. Now that it’s night, those Human Eeries could be everywhere, so we need to deal with this first. Everything else will depend on the situation."
"How do we get down there?"
KIKI pulled up the underground city’s schematic, studying potential routes.
Ding Junyi stepped forward and spoke. "If you want to go down, there are two options:
"That’s not necessarily true," KIKI smirked and patted Lin Xian on the shoulder. "We’ve got a secret weapon."
Ding Junyi cast a curious glance at Lin Xian but remained silent.
Lin Xian pointed at the underground city’s layout and pondered aloud.
"It’s simple. We take the elevator to Level 89, then use this safety passage to enter the tunnel. From there, we follow the tracks down to Level 95 and reach the station."
So far, the tracks from Level 65 to Level 89 were still intact, so Lin Xian planned to scout ahead along Level 89’s tracks. If anything was damaged, he and KIKI could fix it.
He wasn’t willing to risk taking the Infinite Train down yet. If they couldn’t dock properly, the train would be stuck on a 59.5% incline—a disastrous situation. If the brakes failed, they’d all be buried alive.
To play it safe, they needed to confirm the track conditions first and check the Gemini 11R’s status. If everything was fine, he and KIKI could drive the locomotive up and link it to the Infinite Train, escaping the underground city together.
"Yeah, that works!" KIKI agreed.
"Then that’s the plan," Lin Xian decided immediately.
"Da Lou, you’re staying on the train."
"Xian-ge, let me go with you!" Da Lou frowned, clearly uneasy about being left behind at such a dangerous time.
Lin Xian shook his head. "You and Shasha stay behind and protect the train."
There were three outsiders onboard, plus the Human Eeries lurking in the underground city. Lin Xian wasn’t comfortable leaving them alone. Keeping Da Lou, an ability user, on guard felt like the safer move.
Besides, he and KIKI were more agile. Whether they ran into zombie hordes or track issues, their abilities would be more useful.
"Da Lou, watch over them."
Da Lou hesitated for a moment but understood what Lin Xian meant. He nodded. "Don’t worry, Xian-ge. I’ll handle things here."
As Lin Xian prepared to leave, Ding Junyi stepped forward.
"If you’re following this plan, I can navigate for you," she said, pointing to KIKI’s mobile terminal. "The walkie-talkie won’t work, but you can use the underground city’s subsystem for communication."
Lin Xian gave her a deep look before nodding. He knew she could be useful.
Then, he and KIKI donned their gas masks, and Lin Xian grabbed the Geiger counter.
Under the cover of darkness, they set out once again.