NOVEL NEXT Chapter 297: Deep Red Member's Permanent Storage
21:00
In the secret underground tracks of Yijin City, the Joint Train, stretching over 15 kilometers and consisting of more than 500 carriages, silently rests in the darkness, with all lights extinguished.
Over 4,000 survivors are huddled in the doomsday carriages, tensely waiting for the changes outside.
The entire underground tunnel is filled with a damp and suffocating atmosphere, with occasional dripping sounds of underground seepage echoing from the depths of the darkness.
The survivors in each carriage hide in the shadows, mothers covering their children's mouths, men gripping their weapons in readiness, and all communication is carried out through comms devices—everyone feels as if their heart is in their throat at this moment.
In carriage No.12 of the Infinity, the weapon station hosts the bases of the 1130 Close-in Weapon System and the YJ-03 anti-aircraft gun. Lin Xian sits cross-legged on the ground, the only light in the darkness coming from the red indicator light of the weapon station equipment. A silver-black ballet dancer robot stands quietly a few meters away, the red light highlighting the aesthetic blend of machinery and human form.
Grace, in shutdown mode, remains motionless. Her realistic and beautiful face carries an eerie quality. Lin Xian looks at this robot while the headset communication device flashes continuously, listening intently to the information from outside the carriage.
This deep underground tunnel feeling is quite peculiar. Confronting those zombie Abnormal Bodies, this environment provides a stronger sense of security than an open setting. However, after experiencing various bizarre Abnormal Body attacks, Lin Xian is concerned that this environment might be unfavorable for evacuation, leaving him with conflicting feelings.
But with the situation at this point, he can only calm himself and quietly wait.
The communication channels are filled with over 20 team captains or leaders, all of whom aren't daring to breathe too loudly. Nearly all sounds and movements on the surface are hard to hear from dozens of meters underground, yet the occasional light tremors still heighten the tension.
This indicates some large entity is making those noises.
As time ticks by, Lin Xian watches his watch while checking the monitor on his mobile terminal. It displays the footage from the sentry cameras and some sensors placed outside a bank vault through a special elevator from the Zero Element Center. Due to the time urgency, he could only set up temporary devices like these to observe the real conditions on the surface.
The graph of the vibration sensor's line slowly passes in front of him. Almost all of the three sentry cameras display pitch black, covered in dust and spore mist. If it weren't for the infrared observation lens showing outlines of some buildings and ground debris, Lin Xian might have thought these devices were already devoured and damaged by the mycelium.
Clack-clack-clack!
A low-frequency sound, like the vibration of a carapace, echoes in his headphones. Lin Xian narrows his eyes, noticing one of the monitor screens suddenly engulfed by a deeper black, as if it were a massive nocturnal creature.
Seeing this scene, Lin Xian takes a deep breath, removes his headphones, and starts listening for sounds above the tunnel.
"The acquired information should be correct. Many Abnormal Bodies have appeared above, indeterminate on the level," Lin Xian whispers into the comms device.
"Captain Lin, the audio capture device I placed in the subway tunnel also picked up many strange frequencies, likely in the upper-level subway station. However, I've already checked that subway station, and it's sealed off, so the tunnel should be temporarily safe," Luo Yang's voice transmits.
"Then it should be true," Shi Deyuan murmurs in a low voice, "Looks like quite a gathering of Abnormal Bodies throwing a party above us. This is quite a reception, our first time experiencing such treatment."
"Are we really not going to be discovered?"
Monica questions, "After all, we've made quite a commotion."
"The entrance to the cargo station has completely collapsed and been sealed. I've checked, and nothing followed us," Ning Jing chimes in.
"Oh, Monica, Monica, I'm not even worried, so why are you? Lin Xian said we've got no mark on us anymore, and we're hiding so deep underground. If we were going to be found, it would have happened already, don't you think?" Qian Deli's tone sounds relatively lighthearted.
"That's right. We're already in Extreme Night, and the enemy dwells in darkness while we are in the open. If we were being watched, we should have been attacked by now," Luo Yang adds.
Lin Xian checks the time, presses the comms device, and says, "Wait another 20 minutes. If there's no abnormality, prepare to open the perpetual warehouse and start moving things out. Convey this to all teams—don't send too many people, and don't make too much noise. We've got 30 hours, so there's no rush. Once we've cleared out this underground Deep Red World, we can finally rest."
As the seconds tick by, Lin Xian's tense heart gradually eases, suggesting that this decision was the right one. If he had rushed to charge out recklessly, not only would they have failed to escape Yijin City, but they might have also been targeted by various hidden Abnormal Bodies around the city. Once even one person on the Joint Train is marked with a Dark Mark, their 'Lighthouse' would be completely exposed, and the situation could snowball, potentially leading to a bizarre siege scenario like Yu Bei City's haunting incident.
At 21:30, after nearly an hour of waiting in the darkness, the Joint Train finally opens its doors. The sudden hissing of the door opening cuts sharply through the silence of the tunnel.