Chapter 208: Clearing the Mark

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

In car number 5, Da Lou gripped his gun tightly. Lu Xingchen stood with his arms crossed and eyes closed, looking like a grandmaster. The tea boiler in front of him was puffing out steam.

Chen Sixuan’s expression was tense as she stared at the tracks ahead, afraid that some terrifying monster would suddenly pounce on them in the next second.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes.

Ten minutes passed, and the train was still moving quietly. A wide track appeared ahead, and with a clanging… clanging sound of the tracks merging, the Infinity was back on the main line.

“Lin Xian…” Chen Sixuan frowned and looked at the silent Lin Xian beside her.

At this moment, Lin Xian slowly let out a breath of relief, his eyes changing. “It seems… the [Dark Mark] is real. All survivors are marked prey being hunted.”

He clearly remembered that on the previous two nights, when they were not within the range of Rain Town, those strange Aberrations had appeared outside the Infinity almost instantly.

It was as if the Infinity was a dazzling lighthouse in the dark waves, attracting a large number of monsters, just waiting for the moment the light went out to pounce all at once!

But now, the surroundings had quieted down. So quiet… that Lin Xian felt a sense of unreality.

Chen Sixuan covered her mouth, looking at the darkness ahead in disbelief.

“How terrifying. We thought we had escaped, but in reality, we were always in their sights.”

Lin Xian said, “There should be some safe zones, or without this mark, we are in some kind of silent state, which would be relatively safer.”

Screech~

After driving for another ten minutes or so, they had completely left the valley of Rain Town and arrived in an open forest. Lin Xian directly stopped the train.

“Are we not moving on?” Chen Sixuan asked.

“No need. Since we’ve confirmed this, let’s take advantage of the current silent state to rest and recuperate. There’s no need to risk traveling in the dark,” Lin Xian said.

He didn’t want to attract a new mark right after clearing the old one.

Since they had now confirmed their safety, it was the right course of action to stop and reorganize, replenish ammunition, and prepare supplies.

“Okay, we haven’t finished inventorying the things we collected in Rain Town.” Chen Sixuan agreed with Lin Xian’s words. She breathed a sigh of relief and said to Lin Xian, “It was just mentioned that there is an S-class Aberration in the Parma grasslands. Should we change our subsequent route?”

Lin Xian nodded. “Of course. We can’t afford to provoke an S-class Aberration right now. We should avoid it if we can. If we get marked by an S-class Aberration again, we might face a situation like the one in Yubei City…”

Chen Sixuan nodded. “Okay, then we can decide on the next route after we reach Hengshan Pass, based on the information from the Phoenix Society.”

Lin Xian rubbed his hair, feeling a sense of relief all over. “It’s a rare feeling not to be besieged by zombies and Aberrations.”

After speaking, he looked at Chen Sixuan. “What do you think about the route?”

Chen Sixuan pondered for a moment. “I remember you said before the climbing passage that we might have to avoid large cities. In that case, we might have to leave the main ring-star road for some sections and take detours, for example, in areas like Longjiang, Jinhai, and Star City. We can’t avoid them if we take the main ring-star road.”

“If we don’t go through the Parma grasslands, it depends on whether we take the northern or southern route after passing Hengshan Pass. The northern route goes through the Xidi Gobi and the Tagan Desert, close to Star Abyss No. 5. The southern route is through Qingshui, Lancheng, and Yunlan, which is the direction of Star Abyss No. 7. If you want to go to Star City, we have to get back on the main road before Jinhai.”

Lin Xian nodded. “Whether we want to cross the sea or take the northern continental shelf across the Qionggu Strait, we need to upgrade the train’s drive system and prepare supplies and ammunition before that. Star City is the best choice.”

“Also, there’s the matter of time. We’ll have a little more time than before. Let’s get past Hengshan Pass first, and then we’ll decide based on the situation in the Parma grasslands. Anyway, we can change direction before leaving Hengshan Pass. From the Phoenix Society’s information, their closest outposts to us are Xilan and Jinhai. The coordinates of other task groups are not disclosed. We need to contact the Phoenix Society as soon as possible and give them the research data on the [Dark Mark].”

Chen Sixuan said, “We found a radio from the Vajra convoy. It should be the device they used to lure us into Rain Town. With this, why don’t we just broadcast this information to the public? Maybe the Phoenix Society will find out and come to us.”

“No.”

Lin Xian shook his head and said in a deep voice, “You’re thinking too simply. The information on the various survivor frequencies is too complicated right now. Everyone is busy trying to survive. If you just tell people, ‘Don’t run, it will be safer after you kill the Aberrations you encounter,’ will they believe you?”

“Even for the Phoenix Society, we have to synchronize Director Ding’s detailed research data. They will definitely have to do tests first. And not everyone has a Hell Black Chrysanthemum, and we can’t just send the Hell Black Chrysanthemum out. Only after the Phoenix Society has done conclusive experiments will they announce it to the public. This even involves the Phoenix Society’s mode of operation. Once confirmed, many survivors might feel that escape is a dead end, causing greater panic and despair. Instead, it would add fuel to the fire of the old federal government’s underground city project…”

The fundamental difference between the Phoenix Society and the old federal government was their survival philosophy and mode of resistance. Because of the polar night, the vast majority of survivors supported fleeing the darkness. But the [Dark Mark] would inevitably cause some cumulative risk to escape, which would inevitably affect the survival choices of many survivors.

“Then what should we do?”

“Let’s do what we should do, and leave the changes in the situation to those leaders to decide,” Lin Xian took a deep breath. All he could do was to pass on the useful information he had obtained. The rest was not something he could change.

“Alright, Teacher Chen, you take some people to inventory the supplies we’ve gathered first, and then prepare dinner. We’ve been on the run for so long, and we’ve finally won a battle. It’s time for a celebration feast,” Lin Xian said, letting out a breath of pent-up frustration.

Chen Sixuan nodded in agreement. She unconditionally supported Lin Xian’s decision. Her face also brightened up a little. “Okay, there are several girls in the convoy who are good at cooking. The dining car now has an oven, a wok, and other things. Let’s make a big meal tonight.”

Night, the quiet forest was silent in the darkness.

In a valley dozens of kilometers away from Rain Town, the nearly 400-meter-long “Infinity” was parked quietly in the deep forest. The heavy cabin doors were tightly closed. The goose-yellow light shone through the car windows into the darkness of the workshop, bringing an infinite sense of security to the passengers inside.

Since leaving Jiang City, this was the first time Lin Xian had eaten with so many people, and it was also the first time he had a big meal with stir-fried dishes.

Chen Sixuan and several female team members with excellent cooking skills had been busy for more than an hour. For the first time, they used the oven, wok, soup pot, and grill to make a mouth-watering feast.

Tomato and beef soup, roasted jerky, fried noodles, and a sweet soup boiled with honey and canned fruit. The main course was a big pot of stew made with braised pork, beef, salted fish, and canned dried vegetables!

Chen Sixuan also took out the red wine to celebrate everyone’s new life after the disaster.

“Wow, having a dining car is different. We even have fried noodles.” KIKI and Shasha came to the dining car and couldn’t help but look intoxicated at the food on the long table.

Shasha pouted her little mouth, her eyes shining. “I can’t take it anymore, my mouth is watering.”

Grumble, grumble~

Da Lou, who had been busy all day, walked in behind them. When his eyes saw the food on the table, the glutton in his stomach began to call out.

“Brother! I heard that. Keep your stomach quiet,” Shasha said with disgust.

“Hehe.” Da Lou smiled honestly, a little embarrassed. “I fought several times today, I’m really a bit hungry.”

In the apocalypse, a hearty meal was perhaps a glimmer of hope for everyone in the desperate darkness.

“Hmm, not bad.” Lu Xingchen walked to the center position, scanned the room, and said with great approval, “The dining car is clean and hygienic, and the food is fragrant and tempting. It is very much to this venerable one’s liking.”

Chen Sixuan, who had been busy for several hours, rolled her eyes at him. “Then find a seat and sit down. Are you waiting for me to invite you?”

“Hee hee hee, coming, coming.” KIKI took the lead and found a seat nearby.

Lu Chang, who had patrolled with a few people, also walked in at this time and shouted excitedly, “Oh my god, a feast! Is it New Year’s today?!”

His words made everyone’s expression freeze slightly. The word “New Year’s” seemed both familiar and strange in everyone’s hearts. No one expected to mention such a holiday in the apocalypse.

“Yes, yes, today is the Infinity’s New Year’s.” Lin Xian had a rare relaxed look on his face as he came over and greeted everyone to sit down.

“Shu Qin, you sit down too.”

Lin Xian saw Shu Qin walk in, still a little reserved, and immediately said, “There’s a sentinel system on the train, no need to stand guard for now.”

Shu Qin opened her mouth, wanted to say something, but swallowed it back. She let out a long sigh and smiled at Lin Xian. “Okay, Captain Lin. It’s been a long time since we’ve eaten like this.”

Ding Junyi silently walked into the dining car and stood in a corner. When Lin Xian’s gaze fell on her, she nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

With her personality, she was not very demanding of food, nor was she good at socializing with others. But at this moment, there was a hint of warmth in her eyes. Her gaze swept over everyone and finally landed on Lin Xian, watching him quietly.

“Everyone, do you think tonight’s meal is sumptuous?” Lin Xian said with a smile. Everyone was here now. In the No. 6 dining car, the team of more than thirty people all had eager faces.

In the kitchen area, Chen Sixuan, Miao Lu, He Fang, Zou Yunyao, and the other women who had cooked also looked over.

“Extremely sumptuous!”

“It’s great.”

“It smells so good…”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a sumptuous dinner.”

The thirty-odd people chattered, the atmosphere lively and cheerful.

Lin Xian smiled. “Then we have to thank our beautiful ladies for their hard work in the kitchen.”

After speaking, Lin Xian stood up, the smile on his face fading a little, and his gaze swept over everyone.

“Everyone, after the fierce battles of the past two nights, we are already inseparable comrades-in-arms and partners. From now on, this train is our home for survival. Now we all know about the [Dark Mark]. In order to live a life like this in the future, we may not always run away. We will try to fight back like we did today, to fight for the hope of survival…”

“Next, our next goal is to synchronize this news to the whole world through the Phoenix Society.”

“You may ask, why should we risk our lives to deliver a message…”

Lin Xian raised his wine glass, his eyes sharp.

“For every soldier of the 52nd Brigade of the Interstellar Military Iron Guards and the Yubei Airport Guard Regiment who sacrificed for us.”