Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Qian Yu realizes Tang Hai’s shelter was a trap: Tang intended to use the convoys as bait to draw the Corpse Tide away while he escaped. Qian turns the Black Flood Dragon convoy around to confront him rather than flee into the fog.
• At the ruined outpost, Tang Hai and Feng Yuming begin loading vehicles and supplies onto a train. They had staged the shelter to appear safe, leaving vulnerable members of their own group inside as a decoy.
• Qian’s convoy returns unexpectedly, and the two sides open fire. Lou Ye and Lou Shasha arrive amid the fighting, while Zombies and Corpse Hounds pour in from the fog.
• The Black Flood Dragon forces initially overwhelm Tang Hai’s men. Qian kills Feng Yuming—or seems to—then realizes Tang is preparing to escape by train.
• Feng Yuming reappears transformed into an Esper, with a hardened insect-like claw, and kills Old Eagle. A secretly allied convoy leader shoots Qian in the head. With Qian dead and their forces caught between gunmen and Zombies, the Black Flood Dragon convoy is left in a desperate position.
• The allied leader and Feng Yuming carry out their bargain: the leader’s men are to take half the weapons and equipment, then escape in the vehicles.

Character developments

• Qian Yu is perceptive enough to uncover Tang’s plan and decisive enough to turn back, but his confidence collapses when he discovers Feng Yuming’s abilities and his supposed allies’ betrayal. He is killed before he can seize the train.
• Tang Hai is revealed as a calculating, ruthless opportunist who sacrifices even members of his own group to make his escape.
• Feng Yuming is exposed as an Esper. His monstrous transformation lets him survive Qian’s apparent execution and dominate the fight.
• Lou Ye and Lou Shasha fight their way into the chaotic outpost, with Shasha using the pickup’s defensive spikes while searching for Kiki and the others.
• The fat convoy leader reveals himself as Tang and Feng’s secret partner, choosing betrayal and a dangerous escape over loyalty to Qian.

Character interactions

• Qian first challenges Tang’s motives, then leads his convoy back against him.
• Tang and Feng coordinate their escape plan, while Feng investigates the shelter and Tang organizes the train loading.
• Lou Shasha supports Lou Ye during their attempted advance and search.
• Qian kills Feng—or believes he has—before Feng turns the tables and kills Old Eagle. The fat leader then shoots Qian, completing the double-cross.
• Feng and the fat leader confirm their bargain over the spoils as the Zombies close in.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and self-preservation: Alliances prove fragile when survival and supplies are at stake.
• Deception and misdirection: The shelter and the apparent battlefield victory conceal Tang’s escape plan and Feng’s true nature.
• Escalating danger: Human schemes unfold alongside the relentless Corpse Tide, leaving everyone vulnerable even during combat.
• The cost of mistrust: Qian sees through Tang’s deception but fails to recognize the betrayal within the convoys around him.

Plot points and events

• Amid the chaos at T34 Outpost, the Black Flood Dragon convoy is nearly destroyed. The fat man steals Qian Yu’s truck and supplies, then escapes with his convoy; Feng Yuming kills fleeing survivors and joins Tang Hai’s forces on the railway platform.
• The enormous Mist Spider attacks survivors, forcing Tang Hai and his men to prepare to flee by train.
• Lou Ye and his sister Sha Sha try to escape in a pickup, but Feng Yuming’s men overturn it. Lou Ye protects Sha Sha as they flee through gunfire and toward the approaching Corpse Tide.
• Lou Ye proves physically powerful, but Feng Yuming outclasses him, impaling his arm with Black Thorn. Feng reveals that killing Espers and Aberrant Entities can grant Evolution—suggesting he has secretly hunted them. A gunshot from elsewhere wounds Feng’s ear, while Wind Guns strike several of Tang Hai’s men.
• Exhausted after running the Mechanical Heart for nearly nine hours, Lin Xian is found by Feng Yuming. Their fight is interrupted by the Mist Spider and gunfire from Tang Hai’s men, leaving Lin Xian caught between multiple threats.
• Feng searches for Kiki and attacks Lin Xian beneath the train. Kiki calls out, making Feng dodge—but instead of an attack from her, the dormant 1130 CIWS air-defense system activates and turns its eleven barrels toward Feng and Tang Hai.

Character developments and interactions

• Feng Yuming reveals himself as a powerful, calculating predator who has concealed his ability to gain Evolution by killing other powerful beings. He remains eerily composed even after being shot.
• Lou Ye demonstrates courage and strength, taking risks to shield Sha Sha and continuing to fight despite a serious wound. Sha Sha shifts from panic to action, helping her brother escape.
• Lin Xian is physically depleted but alert, recognizing the danger Feng poses. His unusual combination of Body Arts and ranged powers surprises Feng.
• Kiki draws Feng’s attention at a critical moment, helping set up the unexpected activation of the air-defense weapon.
• Tang Hai tries to retreat with his men but remains entangled in the fighting; his gunmen attack both the Mist Spider and Lin Xian.

Significant themes

• Survival amid cascading threats: survivors face monsters, zombies, gunfire, betrayal, and collapsing alliances at once.
• Power and predation: Feng’s secret method of gaining Evolution turns strength into a tool for hunting others.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Lou Ye repeatedly puts himself in danger to protect Sha Sha.
• Hidden weapons and sudden reversals: the long-dormant CIWS awakens just as Feng appears poised to kill Lin Xian, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Plot points and events

• Kiki operates the repaired Close-In Defense Gun System from the underground control room. Its high-speed cannon fire devastates the Corpse Tide, destroys the giant Mist Spider, and kills Feng Yuming, who is caught in its sights.
• Tang Hai tries to escape in his train, hoping to crush Lin Xian beneath it. Lin Xian cannot take control of the train quickly enough, but Tang Hai’s train is stopped when Lin Xian’s locomotive, the Infinite, appears through the fog and blocks the tracks.
• Lou Ye launches a grenade attack on the gunmen aboard Tang Hai’s train. A girl with supernatural force kills the survivors, while Tang Hai flees on foot. Chen Sixuan intercepts and knocks him down with a crowbar; Lin Xian then finishes him with Wind Guns.
• Lin Xian reunites with Lou Ye and finds Lou Shasha, who had been buried under dirt. He gets them aboard the Infinite before more Zombies arrive. The survivors prepare to rest, though dawn is still hours away.

Character developments

• Lin Xian shows resourcefulness by helping restore the gun system and using the Infinite to block Tang Hai’s escape. He remains protective of his companions, but recognizes the limits of his Mechanical Heart.
• Kiki confidently controls the cannon and appears fascinated rather than disturbed by the massacre.
• Chen Sixuan takes her first violent action by striking Tang Hai, despite her visible fear and shock afterward.
• Lou Ye fights through serious injuries to protect Lou Shasha. She is alive and concerned for him in turn.
• Tang Hai loses his nephew and his escape plan, and is killed after attempting to flee.

Themes

• Technology as survival and overwhelming force: The restored defense cannon turns the tide against both the undead and human enemies.
• The brutality of survival: The battle leaves a gruesome landscape and forces ordinary people, such as Chen Sixuan, to act violently.
• Loyalty and protection: Lin Xian shelters his companions, while Lou Ye risks himself for his sister.
• Uncertainty after the apocalypse: Lin Xian wonders why such powerful military defenses failed when the catastrophe began.

Character interactions

• Kiki operates the cannon while Lin Xian observes and later confronts Tang Hai’s escape attempt.
• Lou Ye attacks Tang Hai’s men; Chen Sixuan stops Tang Hai as he flees, and Lin Xian kills him.
• Lin Xian checks on Lou Ye and Lou Shasha, then brings them aboard the Infinite with Chen Sixuan and Kiki.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Sixuan arrives at the fog-covered military outpost aboard the train Infinite, having followed a previously unmapped military branch line from Beiwan Station. She guessed that Lin Xian and Kiki were in danger after losing contact with them.
• Her decision to drive the train into the area blocks Tang Hai’s escape route and helps protect Lin Xian’s group from the monsters in the fog.
• The Mist Spider has disappeared, leaving only scattered zombies inside the outpost and platform. Hundreds of survivors have already been killed after being used as bait.
• Lou Shasha treats her injured brother, Lou Ye, with Chen Sixuan’s medical supplies. Lin Xian examines Lou Ye and determines that his injuries are not life-threatening.
• Lin Xian invites Lou Ye and Lou Shasha to join him permanently rather than merely receiving a temporary ride. They accept gratefully.
• The group decides to salvage the military base and Tang Hai’s abandoned supplies. Tang’s train contains weapons, vehicles, and other resources, including several flatbed trailers loaded with jeeps, off-road vehicles, and Qian Yu’s armored vehicle.
• Lin Xian rejects moving the enormous Close-In Defense Cannon because its ammunition, power, and support systems are too heavy and impractical to transport. However, Kiki suggests dismantling its radar and optical components to create a smaller train-based radar system, which Lin Xian approves.
• Since Lin Xian is exhausted from fighting Feng Yuming, absorbing the generator, and repairing the cannon system, the group chooses to rest and loot the base thoroughly before departing at dawn. Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan prepare to couple the carriages and return toward Beiwan Station.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates leadership by recruiting Lou Ye and Shasha, recognizing both their good character and their usefulness as allies. He also shows practical judgment by prioritizing manageable supplies over overly ambitious salvage.
• Chen Sixuan proves resourceful and courageous. She independently follows the mysterious rail line to rescue the group, despite the communication blackout. Lin Xian’s praise reassures her and deepens her quiet happiness and loyalty toward him.
• Kiki remains outspoken, greedy for useful supplies, and resentful of Lin Xian’s harsher treatment of her. Despite her comic behavior, she makes a genuinely valuable suggestion about repurposing the cannon’s radar equipment.
• Lou Ye shows gratitude and loyalty by volunteering to help despite his injury. His status as a powerful esper makes him a valuable new member of Lin Xian’s group.
• Lou Shasha acts maturely and responsibly, tending to her brother and helping with the salvage operation. Her immediate excitement at being accepted reflects her relief and trust in Lin Xian.
• Tang Hai is further characterized as ruthless and selfish, having used innocent survivors as bait to escape the monsters.

Significant Themes

• Trust and mutual survival: Lin Xian’s group expands through reciprocal aid, particularly because Lou Ye and Shasha previously helped save him and Kiki.
• Leadership and responsibility: Lin Xian balances compassion with practical concerns, deciding whom to accept, what to salvage, and when to rest.
• Resourcefulness in the apocalypse: The characters turn abandoned military equipment into potential future tools rather than relying solely on existing supplies.
• Humanity versus exploitation: Tang Hai’s willingness to sacrifice survivors contrasts sharply with Lin Xian’s effort to protect and incorporate trustworthy people.
• Strength through cooperation: The chapter emphasizes that survival becomes safer when responsibilities, combat ability, and technical skills are shared among a larger group.

Character Interactions

• Chen Sixuan explains her rescue decision to Kiki, Lou Shasha, and Lin Xian, and Lin Xian praises her for acting decisively.
• Kiki jokes and argues with Lin Xian over his willingness to accept Lou Ye and Shasha while continuing to criticize her for stealing food.
• Lin Xian offers Lou Ye and Shasha a permanent place on the train, while Lou Ye responds with sincere gratitude.
• Kiki and Lin Xian discuss the feasibility of salvaging the Close-In Defense Cannon; her alternative radar idea earns his approval.
• Lin Xian assigns Chen Sixuan to help couple the train carriages and gives Lou Ye and Shasha weapons so they can participate safely in the battlefield cleanup.

Chapter Summary: “A Major Haul”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After devouring a 1,900 kW generator, Lin Xian reviews the rewards from his Mechanical Heart:
  • Mechanical Heart reaches Level 2.
  • Strength, Speed, and Defense improve, with Strength and Defense leveling up.
  • Wind Cannon advances to Level 2.
  • He unlocks Decomposition Space, which stores 20% of the materials obtained through Mechanical Devour, up to 100 tons, for later manufacturing.
• Lin Xian realizes that his skills have different grades and levels. He speculates that devouring powerful equipment—such as a close-in defense cannon or Iron Guard 3 armor—could grant stronger abilities.
• While the group salvages computers, servers, weapons, and supplies from the air-raid shelter and sentry post, Lin Xian notices Tang Hai, whom he believed he had killed, fleeing along the tracks.
• Tang Hai appears able to pass near Zombies without immediately being detected, suggesting he has developed a strange ability. However, the Zombies eventually sense his blood and attack him.
• After Tang Hai dies, his corpse absorbs the Blood Aura of nearby Zombies and forms a blood cocoon. Lin Xian attacks it with Wind Cannons, but a small, gray, emaciated creature bursts out and escapes into the fog.
• Suspecting that Tang Hai had undergone some kind of transformation, Lin Xian prioritizes the safety of the group and orders everyone back onto the train.
• The Infinite is reorganized:
  • Tang Hai’s two supply-filled passenger carriages become Carriages 3 and 4.
  • The former tool carriage becomes Carriage 5.
  • Flatbed trailers carry several vehicles, including military jeeps and an armored vehicle.
  • The short-haul electric locomotive is kept temporarily so Lin Xian can devour it later for additional materials and rewards.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian becomes significantly stronger and gains a clearer understanding of his abilities. His increased physical strength, improved Wind Cannon, and Decomposition Space greatly expand his combat and manufacturing potential.
• He also becomes more cautious and strategically minded. Rather than pursuing Tang Hai recklessly into the fog, he returns to protect the others and reorganizes the train for safety and efficiency.
• Lou Ye demonstrates technical competence by helping modify the train and is assigned to remain in the tool carriage.
• Chen Sixuan and Sha Sha show resilience in the Black Night, confidently handling weapons and contaminated supplies despite the Zombies and grotesque Black Bugs.
• Tang Hai appears to have gained an unknown postmortem or mutation-related ability. His body transforms after death, producing a mysterious creature that escapes.

Significant Themes

• Growth through consumption and adaptation: Lin Xian’s Mechanical Heart rewards him with stronger attributes, new skills, and practical resources, making devouring both a survival method and a path to advancement.
• Resource management and preparation: The chapter emphasizes salvaging equipment, collecting materials, redesigning the train, and converting abandoned infrastructure into usable assets.
• The dangers of mutation: Tang Hai’s transformation reveals that death in this world may not be final and that the Blood Aura can produce unpredictable, dangerous changes.
• Survival through cooperation: The group’s combined labor and specialized abilities allow them to turn the Infinite into a more effective mobile stronghold.
• Uncertainty in the apocalypse: Lin Xian’s assumptions about Tang Hai and the Zombies are challenged, reinforcing that familiar threats may possess hidden behaviors or abilities.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian works with Lou Ye and Chen Sixuan to rearrange the train and prepare it for continued travel.
• Lou Ye collaborates with Kiki, moving computers and servers to create an Information Center in Carriage 2.
• Chen Sixuan and Sha Sha work together to collect weapons and supplies while wearing gas masks.
• Lin Xian confronts Tang Hai indirectly, witnessing his strange interaction with the Zombies and attempting to destroy the blood cocoon before the transformed creature can escape.
• The chapter ends with the group settling into new positions aboard the reorganized Infinite, with Lou Ye and Kiki assigned to Carriage 5 and Carriage 2 respectively.

Key plot points and events

• The Infinite leaves North Bay Station at night. Lin Xian explains that searching longer would be too dangerous, especially since Tang Hai may still be alive.
• Lin believes Tang Hai’s apparent transformation may be an Esper ability. The group also recalls Feng Yuming saying abilities can evolve after killing Aberrant Entities or other Espers.
• Kiki reveals information she obtained by hacking into the Federal Government’s network. After the Polar Night, the government established the Angel Project to study Espers and the disasters associated with the Star Abyss.
• The Angel Project measured a life-force-like energy called Spirit Purge Value. Higher values generally indicate greater strength and resistance to the Night Invasion. It also developed ability categories and threat levels, from Origin Seed upward.
• Kiki explains that abilities can evolve, but the process depends on the ability type. Some Espers may need a particular ritual, event, or change in emotional state to progress from Origin Seed to the second, or “Evolution,” level. At higher levels, defeating Night Eerie Entities or Espers can increase Spirit Purge Value.
• Feng Yuming’s apparent ability likely involved bodily mutation and could evolve through killing and absorbing an entity’s flesh and blood. Lou Ye’s body-strengthening ability seems to follow a different, still-unknown path.
• Kiki identifies Tang Hai as a rare Uncertain Infection type. At its earliest stage, it causes no obvious physical or mental changes; its main sign is that Zombies have difficulty noticing the Esper.
• The chapter ends with a warning: this ability may be easy to evolve, but evolution is unpredictable and can fail.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Xian takes a cautious leadership role, explaining why the group must leave and pressing Kiki for practical details. His concern about Tang Hai shifts from uncertainty to alarm as he recognizes the implications of the ability.
• Kiki emerges as a knowledgeable and resourceful source, though she initially withholds information until Lin agrees to her condition. Her confidence gives way to seriousness when discussing failed evolution and corruption.
• Lou Ye learns that his strength may be an Esper ability, but he knows little about how it works. Kiki tentatively classifies it as body strengthening, while admitting its evolution method is unknown.
• Lou Shasha helps recall Feng Yuming’s warning and reacts with fear to the idea that evolution can require killing and consuming others.
• Teacher Chen and the rest of the group respond with surprise as Kiki lays out the Angel Project’s findings.

Significant themes

• Power comes with risk: Espers can grow stronger, but evolution may be dangerous or destructive.
• Survival and transformation: Spirit Purge Value links physical or supernatural strength with the ability to endure the apocalypse.
• Uncertainty: The Angel Project’s research is incomplete, and even seemingly understood abilities may evolve unpredictably.
• Knowledge as protection: Kiki’s information gives the group a better chance to assess threats, though it cannot remove the danger.

Chapter summary

• Kiki explains what she knows about Espers. She suspects she is a Psychic or Telekinetic type but does not know how to strengthen her power or complete an Esper “ritual.” She thinks Lin Xian’s machine-control ability resembles a rare functional type, though his elemental abilities do not fit. Lin privately doubts that his power is an ordinary ability at all. Kiki also reveals that some powerful Espers have inexplicably lost their abilities, perhaps because of their mental state.
• The group continues toward Beiwan Station. After the night’s battle, Lin keeps the train moving slowly while Chen Sixuan takes watch. She calculates that they must cover roughly 370 more kilometers to arrive on time. Lin worries that Star Abyss No. 3 may not be the sole source of the Dark Tide: if the affected areas keep expanding, Polar Night could eventually engulf the whole planet.
• Lin and Chen find resolve in their shared university motto: “Since the dawn of humanity, the struggle has never ceased!” They accept that survival may mean learning to live in permanent darkness, and Lin renews his determination to make the train into a fortress.
• Lin and Chen become intimate. Once the train reaches a tunnel, Lin carries Chen to his private carriage. Though shy and uncertain at first, she agrees, and they cross the last boundary in their relationship. Kiki overhears them from the next carriage and, embarrassed and irritated, vows to install soundproofing and reinforce the walls.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin recognizes that Tang Hai’s injury may have helped him evolve after zombies were drawn to his blood. He regrets leaving Tang alive, while also acknowledging that repairing the defense cannon saved him and Kiki. He remains guarded about his own unusual powers but grows more determined in the face of humanity’s uncertain future.
• Kiki shares valuable but incomplete knowledge of Esper abilities and reveals her own uncertainty. She relies on Lin’s promise to respect her boundaries; afterward, she becomes the unwilling audience to Lin and Chen’s intimacy.
• Chen Sixuan trusts Lin as the person she can depend on and begins to consider her feelings for him, wondering whether danger and shared hardship have influenced them. She ultimately reciprocates his affection.
• Lin and Chen bond through both practical concerns about the journey and their shared determination to keep fighting. Their relationship shifts from reliance and attraction to physical intimacy.

Significant themes

• Survival and resilience: Even if dawn never returns, humanity must keep struggling to live.
• Uncertainty and hidden truths: Esper powers, their limits, and even Lin’s own nature remain unexplained.
• Connection amid catastrophe: Trust, affection, and the prospect of new life offer warmth inside a threatening world.

Key plot points and events

• After traveling through the night, the Infinite reaches daylight. Lin Xian reflects on the strain of hauling its growing number of carriages and the need for a backup power source.
• The group inventories their captured supplies: a substantial cache of firearms and ammunition, a grenade launcher, two reconnaissance drones, and large stocks of food, water, and gasoline taken from Tang Hai’s carriages.
• They discover that Kiki has loaded the massive Iron Guard 3 armor and TFV600 tank onto the train using her ability.
• As the weather turns bitterly cold, Kiki asks Lin Xian to help get the train’s radar, computers, and heating working.
• Da Lou shows an aptitude for mechanical repairs by working on Lin Xian’s motorcycle.
• Lin Xian reveals more of his Mechanical Heart ability by shaping a steel plate into a shield in midair, astonishing the others.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Xian grows more open with the group, demonstrating that his ability extends beyond operating the train. He also recognizes the train’s energy limits and starts considering long-term solutions.
• Kiki proves resourceful and powerful by moving the armor and tank aboard. She trades her help for practical improvements to the train and is fascinated by Lin Xian’s abilities.
• Chen Sixuan takes charge of organizing and cleaning the supplies, while drawing attention to the worsening cold.
• Da Lou reveals that he has some mechanical skill, earning Lin Xian’s interest.
• The group shares a moment of surprise and curiosity as Lin Xian’s ability changes their understanding of what he can do.

Significant themes

• Survival and preparation: The group’s supplies and weapons offer temporary security, but cold weather and limited energy remain serious threats.
• Cooperation and trust: Each member contributes distinct skills, strengthening the group’s chances of survival.
• Expanding powers and uncertainty: Lin Xian’s and Kiki’s abilities continue to surprise the group, hinting at capabilities they do not yet understand.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Xian reveals that his abilities extend beyond powering the train: given materials and blueprints, he can build or repair virtually any mechanical system. This is why he believes the Infinite Train Project is achievable.
• He explains his larger purpose: the train should become a mobile refuge where survivors can face the Polar Night together. His resolve moves the group and strengthens their sense of shared purpose.
• The team divides responsibilities: Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan will drive; Da Lou will guard the train when it stops and help with mechanical maintenance; Kiki will work with Lin Xian on the train’s systems; and Lou Shasha will help the others and volunteer for watch duty.
• Lin Xian and Kiki begin planning an Information Center, warning systems, and a water-vapor circulation system that could provide heat and recycle drinking water. Their immediate priorities are getting the heating, radar, and electro-optical aiming system working.
• Communications prove unreliable. Kiki cannot pick up long-wave signals or access the network, while satellites appear to be failing or jammed. The train can receive only limited shortwave broadcasts in the mountains.
• The train travels through the day and stops overnight on level ground. Its newer carriages have been armored with available steel, though the protection is makeshift.
• While Chen Sixuan distributes food and water, she discovers Lin Xian working on a mechanical-armor-like contraption on the rear flatbed.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Xian shifts from treating the train primarily as his own survival project to imagining it as a home and shared mission for the group. He also acknowledges that he cannot build and operate everything alone and needs others’ skills.
• Kiki moves from skepticism toward cautious commitment. Flattered by Lin Xian’s recognition of her expertise, she agrees to consider joining once the heating is fixed, then takes responsibility for the Information Center and warning systems.
• Chen Sixuan is deeply moved by Lin Xian’s vision. Her role expands from someone he rescued to a supportive member of the group, helping organize supplies and sharing driving duties.
• Da Lou accepts practical responsibilities without hesitation. His strength, enhancement ability, and mechanical and weapons knowledge make him a valuable guard and technician.
• Lou Shasha eagerly volunteers for watch duty and helps organize the train. Her loyalty and confidence grow as she settles into the safer environment.
• The group’s exchanges—especially Lin Xian’s appeal to Kiki and the others’ willing offers to help—mark a growing sense of trust and family.

Significant themes

• Cooperation and found family: Survival depends on combining everyone’s abilities rather than relying on Lin Xian alone.
• Hope amid catastrophe: Lin Xian’s determination to keep moving and protect the people aboard gives the others renewed hope.
• The limits of technology and preparation: The train’s ambitious plans face practical obstacles, including failing communications, incomplete systems, scarce materials, and the unresolved danger of damaged or missing tracks.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Xian finishes devouring a massive humanoid machine. He gains Mechanical Origin Points, improved physical attributes, valuable military-grade materials, and his first rare skill, Flashback, a rapid forward thrust.
• Kiki approaches to thank him for sheltering and saving her. She gives him a portable drive containing preliminary Angel Project files and a blueprint for a GK03 Electric Saber, which excites Lin Xian as a possible weapon or train upgrade.
• Kiki asks to make peace over her earlier theft of bread and attack. She reaffirms that her identity and connection to the Dawn Project are real, and explains that she no longer wants to rely on an underground city.
• Lin Xian explains the reasoning behind his train plan: the Tide of Darkness may be connected to the Star Abysses, so simply heading east may not provide lasting safety. The Orbital Ring could offer a route that stays clear of most Abysses—but it is only a temporary solution.
• His long-term ambition is to use his Mechanical Esper ability to free the train from its tracks and make it fly. If escape is impossible, he wants to find a way to defeat the Black Night.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Xian gains a rare mobility skill and promising materials, strengthening both his combat options and his ability to develop the train.
• His wariness toward Kiki begins to ease as she expresses gratitude, offers useful information, and tries to reconcile. He still challenges her claims, but shares his larger plan with her.
• Kiki shifts from doubting the train plan to recognizing its logic. She listens closely as Lin Xian explains the danger posed by the Star Abysses and is stunned by his vision of a flying train.
• Their exchange develops from suspicion and past conflict toward tentative trust and shared purpose.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and ingenuity: Lin Xian turns scavenged machines, skills, and information into tools for survival.
• Hope versus resignation: Rather than accept life underground or wait for death, Lin Xian imagines increasingly ambitious ways to resist the catastrophe.
• The limits of escape: The Polar Night may be too vast to outrun indefinitely, making survival depend on understanding—and perhaps confronting—its source.
• Trust and cooperation: Kiki’s apology and gift mark a possible turning point in her relationship with Lin Xian, whose plan may require allies.

Key plot points and events

• In the Polar Night, Lin Xian’s group continues east by armored train, seeking news and safety. Lin reflects that his Mechanical Heart has potential but is not yet enough to protect him from powerful monsters.
• Kiki suggests that piloting a mech—or obtaining better combat equipment—could help him fight giant creatures. Lin agrees he would welcome the chance.
• A motorcycle approaches the train. Its riders, Jiang Yun and his deputy Ren Huiyan, identify themselves as members of the Chasing Wind Team. Jiang recognizes that the group includes multiple Espers.
• Jiang invites them to a “Mutual-Aid Bonfire” in Quguan City, where survivors trade supplies and information. He explains that the gathering is held in an area tested for Spirit Purge Value, though it can still attract Zombies.
• Jiang gives them key information about radio reception: a red bead called Eerie Blood Essence, or a “red bean,” can be used with copper wire to help a radio pick up signals in the darkness. It can be obtained by killing an Aberrant Entity. The bead also brings risks, since it can pick up more than human broadcasts.
• Jiang explains that the Phoenix Association uses the LW01 band, while Wanderers commonly use AM07 and AM09. He also mentions trading for supplies, equipment, Esper Evolution information, and objects from the darkness.
• After Jiang and Ren Huiyan leave, Lin decides the group should investigate the bonfire. He wants a red bead and more knowledge about Spirit Purge Value and Esper Evolution. The train starts toward Quguan Station.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Xian shifts from reflexive suspicion to cautious interest, recognizing that information and contact with other survivors may be essential. He remains focused on improving his combat capabilities and understanding the threats around him.
• Kiki encourages Lin to consider mech combat, probes Jiang’s claims, and admits that her information is outdated. Her directness helps move the group toward investigating the gathering.
• Jiang Yun presents himself as a practical organizer and source of information, offering an invitation without insisting. His ability to identify Espers makes the group wary.
• Ren Huiyan remains quiet and guarded, but supplies the crucial fact that red beads come from killing Aberrant Entities.
• Teacher Chen, Da Lou, and Sha Sha follow Lin’s orders, preparing the train and keeping watch as the group proceeds.

Significant themes

• Survival through cooperation and knowledge: The bonfire offers trade and shared information as alternatives to facing the Polar Night alone.
• Trust and caution: Jiang’s invitation may be useful, but the group knows that people and signals alike can be dangerous.
• Adaptation amid changing conditions: Kiki’s outdated report and the newly revealed radio technology show how quickly knowledge becomes obsolete.
• Power and vulnerability: Lin’s interest in mechs and stronger equipment reflects the gap between his potential and his current ability to survive powerful threats.

Plot and events

• Lin Xian finishes devouring a damaged twin-barreled tank, gaining Mechanical Origin Points and boosts to Strength, Speed, and Defense, but no new skill. His Mechanical Heart remains Level 2, with a mysterious awakening promised at Levels 3, 6, and 9.
• He reflects that the train’s freight locomotive will take many hours to devour, so the group first investigates a Mutual-Aid Bonfire.
• Lin and Chen Sixuan discuss an Esper they recently encountered. His remarks suggest that authorities and the Star Army are still operating, and that other cities may remain connected by usable rail lines. Lin considers how his abilities might help repair damaged track.
• The train stops at a small station, where a scout from the Chasing Wind Team invites them to the gathering. Lin takes Kiki and Da Lou by jeep while Chen Sixuan and Sha Sha stay behind to guard the train.
• After a quiet journey around the city, they reach an abandoned factory where over a dozen survivor teams have gathered. Vehicles stay outside, and only team leaders enter the bonfire area without weapons—a precaution meant to encourage peaceful discussion.
• Lin and Kiki head inside while Da Lou guards their jeep. The scout explains that colored vehicles and flags signal neutrality or the ability to defend oneself.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Xian remains cautious and practical, weighing risks before joining the gathering. He also thinks strategically about transport, communications, and repairing rail infrastructure.
• Chen Sixuan notices clues about the stranger’s identity and responds hopefully to news that survivors and authorities are still working together.
• Kiki is curious about the gathering’s customs and suggests acquiring the red beads used to improve communications, even if that means fighting for more.
• Da Lou accepts the job of guarding the vehicle, while Sha Sha and Chen Sixuan remain aboard to protect the train.
• The scout acts as a wary but cooperative guide, explaining the gathering’s customs to Lin and Kiki.

Themes

• Hope amid collapse: Reports of organized relief efforts and functioning cities offer a measure of reassurance.
• Trust and self-protection: The bonfire’s no-weapons rule and neutrality signals show survivors trying to cooperate despite mutual suspicion.
• Adaptability and rebuilding: Lin’s abilities may help restore vital rail links, while the red beads offer a possible workaround for communication failures.
• Community versus danger: The gathering creates an opportunity for trade and cooperation, but the nearby Zombie-filled city and armed camps keep the threat close.

Chapter Summary: “Corpse Herder (Requesting Monthly Votes)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian and Kiki arrive at a survivor gathering inside a ruined factory, where several convoys have temporarily formed a trading and information-sharing camp.
• The survivors explain that they rely on Harmonic Detection Devices to detect nearby monsters and eerie phenomena. These devices are rare, expensive, and highly valuable because they require Red Bean energy and specialized mechanical skill.
• Lin Xian realizes that manufacturing such detectors may be within his own mechanical abilities, suggesting a possible future source of trade and influence.
• The gathering is led by Jiang Yun of the Chasing Wind Team. Lin Xian introduces his convoy as the Infinite Train.
• Shu Qin of the Big Foot Car Team warns Lin Xian that Federal trains recently transported heavy equipment toward Mount Daluo, implying the presence of an eerie zone or Great Eerie Entity along the Jiangyu Line—the route Lin Xian plans to take.
• Jiang Yun shares reports of an eerie 1542 radio frequency detected around Ping’a Lake, the Clustered Mountains, North Bay, and Mount Daluo. Convoys that received the signal at night suffered disappearances.
• The survivors also reveal that a terrifying entity called the Corpse Herder has appeared in the Polar Night zone of Star Abyss No. 3.
• The Corpse Herder is associated with hellish wailing heard over the Dark Frequency. A heavily armed military investigation into Star Abyss was completely destroyed, leaving behind only these cries.
• Survivors also report enormous and inexplicable creatures, including a jellyfish-sized-as-a-mountain seen floating in the sky. Such beings are classified as Great Eerie Entities.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Yun mentioning ghosts. A sudden gust extinguishes much of the bonfire, leaving the group in darkness and creating an ominous suggestion that something supernatural may be nearby.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian becomes more alert to the dangers along his planned route, particularly around Mount Daluo and Star Abyss. He also recognizes the commercial potential of producing detection devices with his mechanical expertise.
• Kiki remains curious and outspoken, asking practical questions about Red Bean-powered radios and the Corpse Herder. Her reactions emphasize the escalating horror of the world.
• Jiang Yun is established as a responsible and pragmatic leader who encourages cooperation, trade, and the sharing of survival intelligence.
• Shu Qin earns Lin Xian’s trust by voluntarily warning him about the danger near Mount Daluo, showing that the gathering is not solely composed of opportunistic survivors.
• The gathered convoy leaders are portrayed as wary but cooperative, having formed a temporary alliance against the threats of the apocalypse.

Significant Themes

• The emergence of new social order: With civilization collapsed, survivors create their own fragile systems of trade, protection, information exchange, and mutual recognition.
• Survival through cooperation: Sharing warnings and technology is presented as essential, since even powerful military forces have been destroyed by the eerie entities.
• The value of technology and scarce resources: Detection devices, radios, heating equipment, medicine, purified water, and energy have become more valuable than ordinary currency.
• The unknown as the greatest threat: Monsters and zombies are dangerous, but the truly terrifying enemies are the “indescribable” entities whose abilities and forms defy understanding.
• Growing supernatural horror: The Corpse Herder, Dark Frequency, hellish cries, giant airborne creatures, and the final extinguishing of the bonfire intensify the sense that reality itself has become hostile.

Character Interactions

• A young survivor guides Lin Xian and Kiki to the factory and explains the trade value of detection devices.
• Kiki subtly reminds Lin Xian that his mechanical expertise could allow him to manufacture similar equipment.
• Jiang Yun welcomes them, asks about their convoy, and explains the gathering’s informal rules and purpose.
• Shu Qin directly warns Lin Xian about the dangers on his route, improving his impression of the group.
• Jiang Yun and the other survivors collectively discuss the Corpse Herder and Great Eerie Entities, while Kiki asks questions that draw out additional information.
• The chapter concludes with the group united around the fire, but the sudden darkness undermines their fragile sense of safety.

Chapter Summary: “A Little Knowledge of Machinery”

Plot Points and Events

• The survivors gather around a bonfire inside an abandoned factory to exchange information and negotiate trades.
• They discuss “ghost” incidents, which are associated with supernatural phenomena and may differ from ordinary zombies or anomalies. Jiang Yun redirects the discussion toward practical survival matters.
• A bespectacled survivor offers a Red Bean, a valuable item obtained from dangerous monsters. It is established as a standard trade unit worth roughly 100 liters of gasoline, seven days of supplies for ten people, or comparable weapons.
• The Red Bean’s value comes from its reported ability to enhance Esper powers and possibly promote Esper evolution, as well as its connection to research into the Polar Night’s power.
• Jiang Yun organizes a formal trade meeting, asking survivors to announce urgent or specialized needs before negotiating ordinary supplies.
• Xu Jin requests a water purifier for his convoy. Shu Qin has a broken reverse-osmosis purifier, but no one initially knows how to repair it.
• Lin Xian reveals that he has some knowledge of machinery and may be able to repair equipment. This immediately attracts requests from several survivors for help with vehicles, heating systems, infrared detectors, drones, and other devices.
• Lin Xian then announces that he wants information about Esper Ability evolution and is particularly interested in Jiang Yun’s Spirit Purge Value Detector. Rather than asking to buy it, he requests its design principles or permission to study it, suggesting he may be able to build one himself.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates increasing confidence in the value of his mechanical expertise while carefully concealing the full extent of his Mechanical Esper Ability. He presents himself as merely competent, avoiding overpromising.
• Lin Xian also shows strategic thinking: he recognizes that technical skills are extremely valuable in the post-apocalyptic world and uses them to gain access to information and resources.
• Kiki remains fearful of supernatural topics but stays close to Lin Xian. She knows he is understating his abilities and nearly laughs at his deliberately modest explanation.
• Jiang Yun acts as an organizer and mediator, maintaining order during the trade meeting. He quickly recognizes Lin Xian’s usefulness and appears intrigued by his abilities.
• Xu Jin is portrayed as practical and urgently concerned with his convoy’s access to clean water.
• Shu Qin has preserved a damaged purifier because of its scarcity, showing the importance of salvaging and maintaining technology.
• The unnamed survivors reveal the harsh conditions of the world through their desperation for fuel, food, weapons, and functioning equipment.

Significant Themes

• Survival through cooperation and exchange: Resources and specialized skills are treated as forms of currency, and the survivors rely on one another to obtain what they lack.
• The value of knowledge and technology: In the ruined world, technical expertise can be as important as physical strength or supplies.
• Scarcity and shifting value: Items such as Red Beans, fuel, weapons, and purification equipment acquire enormous value because they are difficult or dangerous to obtain.
• Mystery and supernatural danger: The discussion of ghosts, anomalies, and the Polar Night emphasizes that the world’s threats extend beyond ordinary physical enemies.
• Concealed abilities and strategic restraint: Lin Xian deliberately hides the true nature and limits of his power, balancing usefulness against the danger of revealing too much.
• Esper evolution and scientific curiosity: The survivors’ interest in Red Beans and the Spirit Purge Value Detector suggests a growing effort to understand and possibly control supernatural abilities.

Character Interactions

• Kiki clings to Lin Xian while questioning the difference between ghosts, zombies, and anomalies, highlighting her fear and reliance on him.
• Jiang Yun interrupts the unsettling discussion and establishes a practical trading structure.
• Lin Xian negotiates with the bespectacled man over the Red Bean, accepting the established trade value.
• Xu Jin and Shu Qin connect through the broken purifier, but their potential deal depends on finding someone capable of repairing it.
• Lin Xian’s claim of mechanical knowledge draws immediate attention from nearly everyone present, transforming him from a quiet observer into a potentially indispensable resource.
• Jiang Yun endorses Lin Xian’s involvement and invites survivors to consult him privately.
• Lin Xian and Jiang Yun then engage in a more consequential exchange: Lin Xian offers his technical value in return for knowledge about Esper evolution and the construction of the Spirit Purge Value Detector.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yun explains that ability evolution is highly individualized and uncertain. Each ability may require different items, bodily or mental changes, and specific conditions. Rumors are unreliable, and even successful users may not understand why their evolution worked.
• Shu Qin mentions a possible evolution method for Body Strengthening abilities: absorbing immense “blood energy” and approaching a near-death state. Though unverified, the information alarms Lin Xian and Kiki.
• Another survivor confirms that most ability evolutions seem to involve three elements: a particular item, a change in body or mindset, and a triggering condition.
• Lin Xian discreetly asks whether anyone knows how to evolve Da Lou’s Body Strengthening ability, while deliberately keeping Kiki’s telekinesis secret.
• Lin Xian and Kiki discuss their more reliable leads, including Red Bean and the Spirit Purge Value Detector, then consider investigating Underground City No. 9 near Mount Daluo. Kiki reveals that she is a Level Two Investor in the Dawn Project and may be able to access its systems or technology.
• The plan is complicated by reports of an eerie zone or Great Eerie Entity near Mount Daluo, the approaching Polar Night tide, and the Corpse Herder.
• Kiki explains that the Dawn Project was a secret emergency shelter designed primarily for the wealthy and powerful, not ordinary civilians. Lin Xian realizes that Underground City No. 9 is likely no longer under government control and may be inaccessible to most of them.
• Kiki proposes raiding the underground city for advanced technology, defensive mechs, power systems, and equipment that could upgrade Lin Xian’s train and Mechanical Heart. Lin Xian is tempted but postpones detailed planning.
• Meanwhile, convoy leaders negotiate supplies, exchange resources, discuss survival problems, and form temporary alliances. Two convoys agree to merge and flee eastward.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian becomes more aware of how little reliable knowledge exists about ability evolution. He grows more cautious about trusting rumors and continues protecting information about his companions’ abilities.
• He remains focused on strengthening his Mechanical Heart and armoring himself, imagining technologies such as exosuit armor and AI systems.
• Lin Xian also shows increasing strategic ambition, seriously considering using Underground City No. 9 to upgrade his train and technology.
• Kiki demonstrates initiative, confidence, and opportunism. She believes the Angel Project may eventually uncover the truth about ability evolution and suggests hacking into Dawn Project facilities.
• Her playful excitement turns toward a dangerous but potentially valuable plan to raid Underground City No. 9.
• Jiang Yun acts as a knowledgeable mediator, offering cautious explanations while emphasizing uncertainty and the difficulty of verifying information.
• Shu Qin contributes a potentially valuable rumor but refuses to present it as a reliable trade, reflecting the danger and ambiguity surrounding evolution knowledge.

Significant Themes

• Uncertainty and unreliable knowledge: Ability evolution is poorly understood, and hearsay may be inaccurate or even fatal to follow.
• Information as a survival resource: Knowledge about abilities, shelters, technology, and routes can be traded, concealed, or exploited.
• Adaptation and technological progress: Lin Xian seeks to compensate for the Mechanical Heart’s limited combat power through armor, advanced machines, and possible upgrades from the underground city.
• Class inequality after the apocalypse: The Dawn Project reveals that powerful and wealthy people secured hidden shelters while ordinary civilians were excluded.
• Risk versus opportunity: Mount Daluo and Underground City No. 9 offer enormous potential rewards but are threatened by supernatural dangers, Polar Night, and hostile entities.
• Cooperation amid collapse: Survivors continue trading, sharing limited information, and forming temporary convoy alliances despite distrust and competition.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yun provides the group with cautious information about ability evolution, while Kiki challenges him about whether such secrets can be traded.
• Lin Xian uses Da Lou’s ability as an indirect inquiry, concealing Kiki’s more remarkable telekinetic power.
• Shu Qin offers the near-death evolution rumor without seeking compensation, and an older survivor supports it with broader observations.
• Lin Xian and Kiki privately debate the reliability of evolution information and the possibility of infiltrating or raiding Underground City No. 9.
• Kiki’s enthusiasm gradually persuades Lin Xian that the underground city could provide the technology needed to transform his train, though he remains wary of the surrounding dangers.

Chapter Summary: “Repair”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the post-apocalyptic world, the value of supplies is shifting. Weapons and ammunition can be traded for food or fuel, but antibiotics, water filtration systems, heating equipment, and communications technology are far more valuable.
• Red Bean—also called Eerie Blood Essence—has become a major form of currency because it enables communication through the Tide of Darkness, allows people to see into the dark world, strengthens supernatural abilities, and reveals an area’s Spirit Purge Value.
• Lin Xian hopes to obtain a Spirit Purge Value Detector to install on the Infinite Train, which would help him judge the danger of areas where the train stops.
• Xu Jin asks Lin Xian to inspect Shu Qin’s broken water-purification system. Shu Qin offers to pay him if he can repair it.
• Lin Xian notices how desperate the surrounding convoys are: vehicles are dirty and bloodstained, supplies and children are carefully protected, and many survivors lack proper clothing, clean water, or heating.
• Shu Qin explains that rainwater cannot simply be boiled. It must be properly filtered, or it may cause illness, hallucinations, and severe mental distress. Her convoy has been struggling with water shortages and the high fuel cost of distillation.
• Lin Xian realizes that the Infinite Train also lacks proper purification equipment. Although he has bottled water for now, it will eventually run out, and using water created or condensed by his Ice Shield ability could be dangerous.
• Using Mechanical Scan, Lin Xian identifies the purifier as a Blue Sky KK-93 reverse-osmosis system and obtains its blueprint. He discovers that PVC filter membranes and other materials may be needed, prompting him to plan a future scavenging trip.
• He secretly repairs the purifier using his Mechanical Heart and materials from his Decomposition Space, while pretending to diagnose and fix it manually.
• Rather than exploiting Shu Qin’s desperate situation, Lin Xian asks for only twenty cans of food. The purifier successfully starts producing clean water.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian becomes more aware of the overlooked weaknesses in his train’s supplies, especially the lack of water-purification equipment and the rising cost of heating and medical resources.
• He demonstrates greater caution, realizing that seemingly safe water sources may cause serious illness.
• Lin Xian also shows strategic thinking by deliberately requesting canned food, preventing other convoys from assuming that the Infinite Train has unlimited supplies.
• His willingness to charge Shu Qin fairly reveals a more considerate side of his character. He values her earlier honesty and assistance and does not take advantage of her convoy’s poverty.
• Shu Qin is established as a capable and practical convoy leader who understands survival technology and openly shares important information.
• Xu Jin appears increasingly desperate because of his convoy’s water shortage, but becomes hopeful once Lin Xian agrees to repair the purifier.

Significant Themes

• Survival resources and changing value: Basic necessities such as clean water, medicine, heat, and communication are more valuable than weapons as the apocalypse continues.
• Knowledge as power: Lin Xian’s technical abilities and access to blueprints allow him to solve problems that ordinary survivors cannot.
• The hidden dangers of survival: Even rainwater and supernatural ice may be contaminated or harmful, emphasizing that survival requires knowledge, not merely supplies.
• Trust and fair exchange: Lin Xian’s reasonable price for the repair strengthens cooperation and contrasts with the ruthless exploitation common in the post-apocalyptic world.
• Preparation and adaptation: Lin Xian recognizes flaws in his train’s systems and begins planning to reduce its weight, gather materials, and improve its long-term sustainability.

Character Interactions

• Xu Jin and Shu Qin approach Lin Xian together, asking for help with the purifier.
• Lin Xian delegates his ongoing trade to Kiki while accompanying them to inspect the equipment.
• Shu Qin explains the dangers of untreated rainwater and the difficulties her convoy faces, giving Lin Xian useful information.
• Lin Xian negotiates directly with Shu Qin, asking for twenty cans rather than demanding a large payment.
• Xu Jin and Shu Qin anxiously observe the repair, and their relief grows when the purifier begins producing clean water.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shu Qin successfully trades a repaired water purifier to Xu Jin’s convoy, proving that Lin Xian’s repair abilities can provide clean drinking water.
• Lin Xian repairs an infrared detector for a large convoy and obtains antibiotics, planning to integrate the detector into the train’s Night Watch System. He refuses to repair more complicated vehicles and drones to avoid revealing too much of his expertise.
• Jiang Yun gives Lin Xian a handmade Spirit Purge Value Detector and its blueprint. Lin Xian secretly scans it with his Mechanical Heart ability and acquires the blueprint for an “Unknown Signal Detector.”
• Jiang Yun demonstrates his Windwalk ability by gathering and manipulating wind, then explains why he organized the Mutual-Aid Bonfire: he wants to build connections and encourage cooperation among survivors.
• Before Lin Xian leaves, Jiang Yun warns him never to tune the Dark Radio to frequency 1542, implying that a dangerous or supernatural entity may emerge through the radio.
• Lin Xian plans to return to the train, use his abilities to gather materials, construct the detector, and connect the radio while continuing toward Yubei City.
• After the convoys depart, Jiang Yun and Ren Huiyan discuss Lin Xian’s likely route through the Orbital Ring and Wanyuan Canyon. Jiang Yun believes Lin Xian has a way to reach the high-altitude orbital passage despite its loss of power.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian remains cautious and strategically secretive. He helps others enough to gain goodwill but deliberately limits what he repairs so survivors will not discover the full extent of his abilities.
• He becomes more receptive to Jiang Yun after recognizing that Jiang’s desire for alliances is sincere rather than purely self-serving.
• Jiang Yun is established as an unusually open and socially minded survivor leader. His Windwalk ability makes him highly mobile, but he emphasizes cooperation and information-sharing over isolation.
• Jiang also demonstrates strong observational skills, correctly inferring Lin Xian’s likely destination and believing that Lin Xian possesses unusual capabilities.
• Kiki continues to provide practical support by photographing blueprints and reacts with a mixture of curiosity and fear to the warning about the Eerie Radio.
• Ren Huiyan serves as a skeptical, pragmatic voice, questioning whether Lin Xian’s train can reach the powerless high-altitude route.

Significant Themes

• Cooperation in an apocalypse: Jiang Yun argues that forming friendships and helping others is essential when survival depends on information and mutual aid.
• Trust versus secrecy: Lin Xian values alliances but must conceal his true abilities to avoid attracting danger or exploitation.
• Resource scarcity and ingenuity: Clean water, medicine, detector components, and red energy beads have become precious, making even simple technology strategically important.
• Humanity against supernatural threats: The Spirit Purge Detector, Eerie Blood Essence, and forbidden radio frequency suggest that survivors must confront dangers beyond ordinary zombies.
• Risk, routes, and survival strategy: Blocked tunnels, dangerous entities, Polar Night, and the Corpse Herder force survivors to continually calculate new paths.

Character Interactions

• Shu Qin thanks Lin Xian for repairing the purifier and gives him canned food in return.
• Several convoy members ask Lin Xian for repairs, but he selectively helps them while preserving his anonymity.
• Jiang Yun openly explains his motives to Lin Xian and physically demonstrates Windwalk, earning Lin Xian’s respect.
• Jiang’s young subordinate reinforces the ideal of mutual assistance and later warns Lin Xian about radio frequency 1542.
• Kiki reacts to Jiang’s abilities and the radio warning, while Lin Xian dismisses unnecessary curiosity and prioritizes caution.
• After Lin Xian leaves, Jiang Yun and Ren Huiyan analyze his capabilities and probable route, with Jiang expressing admiration for his boldness.

Chapter Summary: “Preparations”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian’s group leaves Qu Guan Station aboard the Infinite, bringing their captured jeep and weapons with them.
• Chen Sixuan begins learning firearms from Lou Shasha so she can better defend herself and contribute to the group.
• Lin Xian modifies the radio using his Mechanical Manufacturing ability and installs an Eerie Blood Essence as its power source.
• The radio successfully receives Federal broadcasts warning of:
  • A dangerous Spirit Purge Value fluctuation near Mount Daluo.
  • The collapse of operations at Yubei’s Orbital Ring Port 1, where Corpse Tides and Aberrant Entities have appeared.
• The group realizes their planned railway route passes near the dangerous northern foothills of Mount Daluo and may prevent access to the Orbital Ring.
• A Wanderer Alliance broadcast warns of the Black Crow Four, a violent group of four raiders, three of whom are Espers, operating near Hengxi Village.
• Kiki identifies an unmarked southern railway route around Mount Daluo. She theorizes it may lead toward the hidden Underground City No. 9 and would allow them to avoid the dangerous northern region.
• Lin Xian agrees that investigating the route is worthwhile, especially because access to advanced technology there could provide blueprints for improving the train’s power, armor, weapons, and propulsion.
• The train stops in the wilderness for the night. The group plans to travel the unknown route in daylight while Lin Xian consumes the final freight electric locomotive to strengthen the Infinite.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian remains cautious and strategic, prioritizing the group’s survival while seeking advanced technology to upgrade the train.
• Chen Sixuan shows greater initiative by learning to use firearms rather than remaining dependent on others. Her technical knowledge also helps the group understand the railway system and locomotive design.
• Lou Shasha continues to display unusual maturity and competence for her age, acting as Chen Sixuan’s firearms instructor despite being only partly trained herself.
• Kiki proves highly perceptive and resourceful. Her analysis of the railway map produces a safer alternative route and potentially brings the group closer to Underground City No. 9.
• Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan share an implicit understanding of the locomotive’s hidden capabilities, including its intended compatibility with the Orbital Ring.

Significant Themes

• Preparation and adaptation: Survival requires learning new skills, acquiring weapons, modifying technology, and planning around changing dangers.
• Technology as power: Lin Xian’s ability to manufacture and scan machinery is essential to the group’s future. Advanced technology may determine whether they can survive the Orbital Ring’s varied environments.
• Uncertainty and exploration: The unmarked railway represents both danger and opportunity, reflecting the group’s need to investigate the unknown.
• Trust and cooperation: Each member contributes specialized knowledge—Lin Xian’s engineering, Chen Sixuan’s railway expertise, Shasha’s weapons training, and Kiki’s navigation and deduction.
• Hidden dangers of the apocalypse: The chapter emphasizes threats from environmental anomalies, monsters, hostile survivor groups, and collapsed infrastructure.

Character Interactions

• Chen Sixuan explains her desire to learn firearms to Lin Xian, who supports her efforts.
• Lin Xian warns Kiki and the others about the possible risks of using Eerie Blood Essence, showing his protective caution.
• Kiki helps activate and interpret the radio broadcasts, then persuades Lin Xian to consider the southern detour.
• Chen Sixuan confirms that the locomotive may be capable of reaching the Orbital Ring and recommends traveling the unknown route during daylight.
• The group divides responsibilities for the night, with Chen Sixuan taking the first watch while Lin Xian begins preparing to consume the freight locomotive.

Chapter Summary: “Midnight”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian’s group continues preparing the train for long-term survival. Kiki has begun prototyping a water-oxygen circulation system, while Lin Xian plans to convert Carriage 3 into a sanitation and agricultural space with purified water, clean air, and protected growing cabinets.
• The threat of Black-Rain Bacteria and the coming ice and snow make these preparations increasingly urgent, since the bacteria could destroy the world’s plants and animals.
• The train’s Information Center is now connected to its radar and targeting systems, allowing the group to monitor the area ahead, though the train remains cold because its heating system is unfinished.
• During the night, Lou Shasha is awakened by what appears to be a man calling her. A shadow outside the window asks her to open the door, but it vanishes before a horrifying face slams against the glass.
• Kiki, Chen Sixuan, and Da Lou investigate but find nothing. Soon, however, they hear an enormous approaching disturbance. Shasha identifies the threat as a massive Corpse Tide—an enormous wave of zombies surrounding the train.
• The train begins moving before the group can fully react, apparently because Lin Xian has started it from outside. Zombies swarm the carriages, pounding and climbing onto the train.
• Kiki and Da Lou defend the rear tailgate with their Wind Guns while Lin Xian races across the carriage roofs. Exhausted from previously using his abilities to power the freight locomotive, Lin barely makes it inside before the tailgate closes.
• Da Lou prevents zombies from forcing their way through and is ordered to guard the rear with Shasha. Lin, Kiki, and Chen Sixuan move to the front and work together to drive the train through the horde.
• Kiki uses a powerful shockwave to clear hundreds of zombies from the tracks, while Chen accelerates and Lin takes control of the locomotive. The train’s electric and gas-turbine engines combine their power and begin crushing their way through the Corpse Tide.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian: Demonstrates determination and tactical decisiveness. Despite being physically drained, he risks himself outside the train, gets back aboard under extreme pressure, and immediately takes charge of the escape.
• Kiki: Shows quick thinking, courage, and growing confidence in combat. She identifies the need to start the train, helps defend the rear, and uses her shockwave ability to clear the tracks.
• Lou Shasha: Though frightened by the supernatural-looking encounter, she remains observant and is the first to recognize the approaching Corpse Tide.
• Chen Sixuan: Keeps control under pressure, operates the train, and pushes the accelerator despite the overwhelming danger.
• Da Lou: Proves reliable and brave, guarding the rear and physically forcing the tailgate shut to prevent zombies from entering.
• The group as a whole: Their coordination and trust become increasingly important as they respond to the sudden attack.

Significant Themes

• Survival through preparation: Lin Xian’s plans for clean water, air, and food show that survival depends not only on fighting immediate threats but also on building sustainable living conditions.
• Teamwork under crisis: Each character contributes a specific ability—driving, combat, observation, or defense—to keep the train moving.
• Escalating environmental and biological catastrophe: The Black-Rain Bacteria, extreme cold, and Corpse Tide suggest that humanity faces multiple interconnected extinction-level threats.
• Fear of the unknown: Shasha’s encounter with the mysterious figure creates an eerie supernatural atmosphere before the more tangible zombie assault.
• Human ingenuity versus overwhelming numbers: The train’s technology and the characters’ powers allow them to resist the Corpse Tide, but the sheer scale of the horde remains terrifying.

Character Interactions

• Shasha’s frightening experience prompts Kiki, Chen Sixuan, and Da Lou to investigate and protect her.
• Kiki and Chen Sixuan communicate quickly about the missing Lin Xian and the need to start the train.
• Kiki and Da Lou defend the rear together, while Lin relies on Da Lou to secure the tailgate.
• Lin directs the others during the escape, ordering Da Lou and Shasha to guard the back and Kiki to help clear the front.
• Chen Sixuan follows Lin’s commands and works with him and Kiki to accelerate through the zombie mass.

Chapter Summary: “Broken Tracks”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The train continues racing through the darkness while being attacked by an enormous, unusually aggressive Corpse Tide. Zombies repeatedly crash into the locomotive, climb onto the roof, and are thrown off as the train accelerates.
• The horde’s behavior alarms Chen Sixuan and Kiki, who realize that the scale and ferocity of the attack are abnormal. Blood covering the windshield forces Kiki to use the roof-mounted Electro-Optical Aiming System to scout ahead.
• A mutated creature resembling Tang Hai appears clinging to the front of the locomotive. It recognizes Lin Xian, mockingly tells him to “run,” and then disappears.
• Kiki detects a collapsed railway bridge ahead. The rails have been destroyed, leaving a gap of several meters across a valley. Lin Xian concludes that Tang Hai likely caused the destruction and may also have manipulated the Corpse Tide.
• Stopping is impossible because the train would be overwhelmed by the zombies. Inspired by Kiki’s reminder that the train can “soar into the clouds,” Lin Xian accelerates toward the broken bridge.
• Kiki uses her supernatural ability to lift the heavy locomotives into the air. The first two engines clear the gap, pulling the remaining carriages across despite severe derailment, violent shaking, and damaged equipment. A jeep is thrown from a flatbed carriage into the valley.
• The train successfully returns to the tracks and continues onward, but Kiki collapses after the effort. She is bleeding from her eyes and nose, has difficulty breathing, and appears to be losing control of her eyes as a blackness spreads through them.
• When Lin Xian examines her, looking into her eyes causes him to experience a powerful drain of strength, accompanied by terrifying screams in his mind. He finally collapses as well, leaving Kiki’s condition and his own fate uncertain.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian remains responsible for the group, quickly assessing the danger and making the difficult decision to keep moving rather than stop. His recognition of Tang Hai reveals his growing awareness of the enemy’s schemes, while his willingness to trust Kiki’s plan shows his ability to act decisively under extreme pressure.
• Kiki demonstrates extraordinary courage and power by lifting the locomotives across the bridge. However, the effort severely damages or destabilizes her, suggesting that her abilities carry a dangerous physical or psychological cost.
• Chen Sixuan reacts with understandable fear to both Tang Hai’s transformation and the collapsing bridge, but remains engaged in warning the others and responding to Kiki’s medical emergency.
• Tang Hai is revealed as a disturbing, heavily mutated antagonist. His appearance at the front of the train, cryptic warning, and apparent connection to the destroyed bridge and zombie horde suggest that he is deliberately hunting or trapping the group.
• Lou Shasha and Lou Ye, though not central to the action, experience the violent crossing from the rear carriage, emphasizing that the danger affects everyone aboard.

Significant Themes

• Survival under escalating pressure: The group is trapped between an overwhelming zombie horde behind them and a destroyed bridge ahead.
• Trust and cooperation: Lin Xian and Kiki must rely on each other’s abilities, combining the train’s acceleration and Kiki’s power to survive.
• The cost of power: Kiki’s successful use of her ability comes at a potentially life-threatening price, reinforcing that extraordinary abilities are not without consequences.
• Mutation and loss of humanity: Tang Hai’s grotesque transformation raises questions about what he has become and how far human beings can change in the post-apocalyptic world.
• Unseen manipulation: The zombie attack and bridge collapse appear coordinated, suggesting that the group faces not merely natural disaster but an intelligent enemy capable of planning traps.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Sixuan and Kiki openly question the unnatural behavior of the Corpse Tide.
• Tang Hai directly confronts Lin Xian from the locomotive’s front, creating a personal and ominous connection between them.
• Kiki challenges Lin Xian’s instinct to stop the train and persuades him to attempt the impossible jump.
• Lin Xian shields Chen Sixuan from Tang Hai and later catches Kiki when she collapses, reinforcing his protective role.
• Lin Xian’s attempt to help Kiki backfires when her altered eyes begin draining his strength, ending the chapter on a dangerous supernatural cliffhanger.