Chapter 53: Corpse Driver

As far as Lin Xian’s eyes could see, most of the vehicles were indeed smeared with some color, but it was impossible to tell if it was paint or blood.

This is how human civilization is. After order collapses, new orders can spontaneously arise.

In the darkness, these fragile orders are like faint flames, quickly attracting scattered groups of survivors in the apocalypse.

In an unknown environment, if you want to plunder others, you must also be prepared to be plundered. Like the Oasis convoy before, they were ready to rob people right after leaving the city, which directly labeled their entire team as thugs. These people are, in fact, destroyers of this kind of order.

“With so many of you gathered together, don’t you have to worry about those monsters?”

Lin Xian asked tentatively.

“Oh, you mean the Ethereal Fluctuation detector? That thing is very troublesome. It needs the power of red beans, and it’s a consumable. The Federation’s Phoenix Society previously announced a method for making a simple harmonic wave detection device, and it mentioned that this thing can be used for regional detection to increase the survival rate of survivors. Some people who are proficient in mechanical components among the survivors have made some. Our Wind Chaser team has one, and it cost us a lot.”

As soon as he said this, KIKI’s big eyes suddenly looked at Lin Xian beside her, and then she poked him with her elbow.

“Hey, hey~”

Lin Xian’s heart stirred, and he glanced back at KIKI. Of course, he understood the look in her eyes.

Mechanical manufacturing?

Isn’t that his strong suit? And they were hand-making them? As long as he had the materials and blueprints, Lin Xian could even raise the precision to an industrial level!

“So this thing can also be traded?”

“Of course it can!” The young man’s eyes widened, and he said loudly, “These detectors are hot commodities now, with a price but no market. Unless you go to a large city or a survivor gathering point, where are you going to find a genius who can hand-make these detectors in this wilderness?”

“And now, it’s not just a lack of supplies. It’s freezing cold. Energy, heating equipment, water purification equipment, radios, medicine—which one of these isn’t a hard currency? Drinking the rainwater in the dark will kill you!”

“And the temperature is still dropping. If this continues, even if we’re not bitten to death by zombies, we’ll freeze to death.”

The young man chattered on as he walked through the snow, and soon he led Lin Xian and KIKI to the factory gate.

“This is it. Brother Yun is over there. You guys can talk. I have to go on watch,” he said, pointing inside the factory.

The original workshop inside had become a ruin. A pile of firewood had been lit, creating a sizable bonfire. The orange-red flames cast a dozen shadows that flickered constantly.

When the dozen or so people saw Lin Xian and KIKI approaching, they all turned their heads. They were scattered around the bonfire, some standing, some sitting on the ground, some on broken bricks, and some holding wine bottles.

There were men and women, young and old. Jiang Yun, who was among them, saw Lin Xian and immediately smiled and greeted him.

“Over here. What should I call you?”

“Lin Xian, KIKI.”

“Mmm, and your team?”

Hearing this, the other party seemed to be asking for his team’s name.

Lin Xian thought for a moment. “Infinity Team.”

Infinity Team, but they drive a train…

“OK.” Jiang Yun made a welcoming gesture to Lin Xian and KIKI. “Make yourselves at home. There aren’t too many rules. If you have any needs, just say so. If others want to trade with you, they’ll also take out their own things. Of course, you can compete. The item is yours, it’s your choice. But it’s not easy for everyone to get together. Besides getting to know each other, it’s best to exchange information about recent situations or intelligence. A little more vigilance and experience can help. If we meet again in the future, we can at least recognize each other.”

“For example, you’re taking the Jiang-Yu line to Yubei City. Some people here will go that way, while others are heading towards Fengcheng and Xingcheng. Although everyone is heading east, the routes are not exactly the same.”

Lin Xian nodded.

“I heard you’re driving a train?”

As soon as Jiang Yun finished speaking, a short-haired woman in her thirties not far away immediately asked Lin Xian.

Lin Xian looked at her.

“Shu Qin, from the Bigfoot team.” Seeing Lin Xian’s gaze, the woman introduced herself first. “No other meaning. Our route detoured south from Mount Daluo to here. We’re also going to Yubei next. I just wanted to say that a few days ago, we saw a Federation train transporting heavy equipment to that area around Mount Daluo. There might be an anomaly zone or a major anomaly there. You might pass through that section on the Jiang-Yu line, so I’m giving you a heads-up.”

Hearing this, Lin Xian’s expression changed slightly. “I understand, thank you.”

Shu Qin’s words made him lower his guard about this bonfire meeting a lot, and at the same time, he developed a better impression of this woman.

“Alright, let’s continue.” Jiang Yun looked at Lin Xian with a serious expression. “Everyone has already discussed some things. Since a new friend has arrived, I’ll repeat the important information. This information might be helpful for everyone’s survival, and it’s one of the reasons we gathered here at risk.”

“Currently, besides the information from the Bigfoot team, there are two other main pieces of information. One is that in the area from Ping’a Lake to the mountains, North Bay, and Mount Daluo, a strange 1542 radio frequency has appeared. Three teams here have received it at night, and there have been cases of missing personnel. We all suspect that this may be related to the anomaly zone that the Bigfoot team just mentioned.”

Missing personnel?

“The radio you’re talking about, is it the one you modified with the red beads?” KIKI asked curiously at this moment.

Jiang Yun nodded. “Yes. I suggest you get one equipped as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome if you can’t receive warning messages from surrounding teams or the officials. If you want this red bean, many teams here have them. You can see what you can trade for it later.”

“Then, the second piece of information.”

Jiang Yun took a deep breath and looked at Lin Xian. “In the polar night region of Star Abyss No. 3, Corpse Drivers have appeared!”

As soon as he said this, it seemed as if the air temperature suddenly dropped a degree. Although the captains of the other 12 teams already knew, hearing it from Jiang Yun’s mouth again, their faces still changed slightly.

“Corpse Drivers?” Lin Xian frowned. Hearing this name, for some reason, gave him a chilling feeling.

“Yes.”

“Are they actually human?” KIKI asked with a frown.

Jiang Yun shook his head. “I don’t know. No one knows what they are. All the information comes from the dark frequencies of the radio, and it’s from nearby areas.”

He pointed to a middle-aged man opposite him.

“Our Wind Chaser team and their Black Sword Ranger group just escaped from the polar night. We’ve also confirmed that on that radio, we heard the hellish cries described by the Phoenix Society. It’s said that’s a sign of a Corpse Driver’s appearance…”

Cries?!

Hearing this, Lin Xian’s heart suddenly jumped.

Speaking of which, when they killed that red centipede before, he had heard hellish cries when he got close to that black gas. It had scared him at the time. Hearing Jiang Yun’s words now, he finally remembered.

“This Corpse Driver is said to be some kind of evil existence bred by the Star Abyss. It didn’t appear during the first polar night, but since the beginning of the second polar night, there have been many reports in the areas near the Star Abyss. A heavy-armored Iron Guard Brigade once carried a large number of drones, armor, and kinetic weapons to try to scout the Star Abyss, but the entire army was wiped out. Only countless cries that seemed to come from hell were transmitted through the dark frequency radio. According to some survivor rumors, it’s some kind of humanoid creature, but it’s not necessarily credible. It’s just that this rumor has spread, and it’s now called a Corpse Driver by the Phoenix Society…”

“Wow, that’s so terrifying. Even mechs are useless?” KIKI said in alarm.

“Little sister, if they were useful, would we still need to run?” A big-bearded man gave a wry smile at this moment. “Now, let alone us, even the Federation’s Phoenix Society doesn’t know what else is in the polar night. Every day, countless sighting reports and attack reports are transmitted on the radio. For example, have you ever seen a jellyfish?”

“What’s so strange about a jellyfish…” KIKI frowned.

“I’m talking about a jellyfish the size of a mountain,” the big-bearded man said, pointing upwards with a grave expression.

“And in the sky!”

“Yes… it seems some survivors have witnessed it in the sky above the Ping’a Lake area.” Shu Qin’s face was grim. “It’s too terrifying…”

Hearing this, Lin Xian’s expression changed slightly. “The size of a mountain? Is that the major anomaly you were talking about?”

“Yes.” Jiang Yun nodded, his face looking a little ugly. “There are all kinds of terrifying and strange things in the dark night. Let’s not even talk about the bugs and monsters. The most troublesome thing is encountering some indescribable things.”

“Indescribable?”

Many people now looked at Lin Xian, their eyes either complicated or uneasy. Jiang Yun responded in a deep voice, “For example, ghosts.”

As soon as he said this, a sudden gust of cold wind blew, and the flickering bonfire seemed to respond, the flames quickly shrinking, and the entire space darkened.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.