Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Wait”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After escaping the abyssal monster, Lin Xian reorganizes the train and assigns Ding Junyi, Zhao Yan, and Xu Wen to Carriage 5, formerly the supply carriage.
• He integrates the new equipment obtained from the Huanxing 7F electric locomotive, the Gemini 11R nuclear-powered locomotive, two Cole Type 3 Biological Science Research Vehicle Cabins, and two flatbed trailers.
• For greater flexibility and safety, Lin Xian places the nuclear locomotive at the rear as a pushing engine, while the original electric locomotive is retired. The two research cabins become the new Carriages 3 and 4.
• He lays temporary track beside the train and spends considerable time repairing the electrical systems, couplings, and carriage connections.
• The flatbed trailers are consumed for materials that can be used to armor the new carriages and, later, the nuclear locomotive.
• The new research carriages contain advanced laboratory equipment and plant-cultivation chambers. Lin Xian intends to repurpose them primarily for growing vegetables and possibly cultivating Ding Junyi’s Blood Calamity Disaster Plant.
• Exhausted, Kiki and Chen Sixuan are sent to rest, while Da Lou guards the train. Lin Xian remains awake to scan the laboratory equipment, obtaining blueprints for a desktop refrigerated centrifuge and horizontal electrophoresis equipment.
• Lin Xian plans to consume the remaining electric locomotive and flatbed materials to reach Level 3 and trigger his first awakening.
• Ding Junyi later visits Lin Xian in the laboratory carriage. She discusses their destination, Yubei City, where survivor groups, an Iron Guard Brigade, and possibly the Phoenix Association may be found.
• The chapter ends with Ding Junyi unexpectedly propositioning Lin Xian for sex, leaving him shocked and unable to respond.

2. Character Developments

• Lin Xian: Demonstrates practical leadership by reorganizing the train, improving its power and defensive capabilities, and prioritizing long-term food production. His near-death experience has left him cautious and somewhat regretful about rescuing Ding Junyi’s group, although he still intends to escort them to safety. He also continues expanding his technical abilities through scanning and blueprint acquisition.
• Ding Junyi: Remains rational, direct, and emotionally unconventional. She attempts to repair trust by explaining that her group had not concealed information about the danger below Level 89. Her behavior then shifts dramatically as she calmly proposes an intimate relationship with Lin Xian, treating sex as both a normal physical desire and a possible means of building trust after their shared ordeal.
• Kiki and Chen Sixuan: Their exhaustion emphasizes the physical and psychological cost of the escape. Lin Xian’s concern for them is shown when he orders them to rest.
• Da Lou: Takes on a protective role by standing guard while the others sleep.
• Zhao Yan and Xu Wen: Remain largely passive in the chapter, recovering from exhaustion after being brought into the reorganized train.

3. Significant Themes

• Survival and adaptation: The train is transformed from a means of escape into a more sustainable mobile refuge, with improved power, armor, laboratory facilities, and food-production potential.
• Technology versus immediate necessity: High-end scientific equipment is normally intended for research, but Lin Xian repurposes it for basic survival, especially agriculture.
• Trust after crisis: Ding Junyi’s explanation and proposition both reflect the difficulty of maintaining cooperation and emotional stability in a post-apocalyptic environment.
• Psychological aftermath of near death: The characters’ exhaustion, altered priorities, and heightened physical impulses show how narrowly surviving the disaster affects them.
• Pragmatism and moral ambiguity: Lin Xian admits he would not have attempted the rescue had he known the danger, highlighting the tension between self-preservation and helping others.

4. Character Interactions

• Lin Xian collaborates with Kiki and Chen Sixuan on the train’s reorganization before sending them to rest.
• He gives Da Lou responsibility for guarding the train overnight.
• Lin Xian and Ding Junyi discuss the future of her group, their destination, the possibility of contacting official survivors, and the importance of trust.
• Ding Junyi challenges Lin Xian’s assumptions by proposing that the laboratory equipment be used for practical cultivation and by openly initiating a sexual encounter.
• Lin Xian reacts with disbelief and discomfort, creating the chapter’s main comedic and dramatic ending.

Chapter Summary: “Gesture of Goodwill”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Ding Junyi proposes joining Lin Xian’s train team, reasoning that remaining with him offers the best chance of survival.
• She bluntly explains that she intended to use the increased trust associated with sexual intimacy to persuade Lin Xian to let her stay. However, she clarifies that she also genuinely wants sex, not merely as a negotiation tactic.
• Lin Xian is caught off guard by her clinical, theory-based approach but agrees to consider her request.
• Lin continues upgrading the train:
  • He devours two flatbed trailers, gaining materials, Mechanical Origin Points, skill proficiency, and small increases to Strength and Defense.
  • He modifies Carriage 7 by removing its side panels, planning to add a large cargo door, a roof entrance, and eventually a Close-In Defense Cannon.
  • He connects the Gemini 11R nuclear-powered locomotive behind Carriage 7.
• Lin’s Mechanical Heart is close to Level 3. He prepares to devour the massive Huanxing 7F electric locomotive, expecting a major increase in Mechanical Origin Points.
• Meanwhile, Ding Junyi returns to Zhao Yan and Xu Wen, who discuss contacting a Dawn Project team stationed in Yubei City and possibly relocating to an Underground City.
• Ding Junyi silently rejects the idea of returning to the Federal Government, increasingly preferring the safety and freedom offered by Lin’s train.

2. Character Development

• Lin Xian: Continues developing from a survivor into a powerful leader and engineer. He improves the train’s defenses, transportation capacity, and future combat potential. Although annoyed by Ding Junyi’s bluntness, he recognizes her intelligence and strategic value.
• Ding Junyi: Becomes more independent and pragmatic. She evaluates relationships and survival choices through logic, but her growing attachment to Lin’s group suggests she is beginning to value emotional security and personal freedom, not merely survival.
• Zhao Yan and Xu Wen: Remain dependent on stronger leadership after the disaster. They favor returning to an official Underground City, revealing their desire for institutional protection and stability.
• Sha Sha: Quietly supports the exhausted researchers by providing blankets, reinforcing her caring role within the train’s community.

3. Significant Themes

• Survival through alliance: Ding Junyi recognizes that joining a capable group is safer than relying on distant authorities.
• Logic versus emotion: Her scientific analysis of sex, trust, and negotiation contrasts sharply with Lin Xian’s discomfort and more conventional emotional responses.
• Freedom versus institutional safety: The researchers debate whether to seek refuge with the Federal Government or remain with Lin’s mobile train. Ding Junyi increasingly favors the latter.
• Power and responsibility: Lin’s ability to control the train and protect its passengers makes him the central authority, forcing others to negotiate with him for safety.
• Rebuilding after catastrophe: Lin’s mechanical upgrades symbolize humanity’s attempt to create security and order from the remains of the old world.

4. Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Ding Junyi: Their conversation establishes a strange mixture of negotiation, attraction, mistrust, and mutual evaluation. Lin finds her honesty exhausting, while Ding Junyi views him as a capable and trustworthy leader.
• Ding Junyi, Zhao Yan, and Xu Wen: Ding Junyi refuses to immediately endorse their plan to seek another Underground City, signaling her shift away from government-centered survival.
• Sha Sha and the researchers: Sha Sha provides practical care by giving Zhao Yan and Xu Wen blankets, showing the train’s developing sense of mutual support.

Chapter Summary: “Mechanical Awakening! Mechanist!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After escaping the Underground City, Lin Xian and the others travel across the snowy plains aboard the Huanxing 7F electric locomotive.
• During a brief period of safety, Lin Xian begins using Mechanical Devour on the entire locomotive. The process takes eight exhausting hours and nearly drains his energy.
• At 99% progress, he successfully devours the locomotive, gaining:
  • 500 Mechanical Origin Points
  • Increased Mechanical Devour proficiency
  • +30 Strength, +20 Speed, and +30 Defense
• The successful devouring upgrades his Mechanical Heart to Level 3 and triggers his first Mechanical Awakening.
• The locomotive disappears completely after being devoured, leaving Lin Xian briefly stranded on the freezing tracks before he returns to the Infinite.
• His awakening grants him the identity of Mechanist, along with two new abilities:
  • Research and Development Center: Improves existing blueprints over time.
  • Manufacturing Plant/Material Synthesis Center: Converts available materials into selected materials.
• His decomposition space expands to a capacity of 1,000 tons, while his Strength rises to Level 3 and Defense to Level 2.
• Lin Xian tests the Research and Development Center on several blueprints:
  • The 1130 CIWS requires nearly two weeks of research.
  • The M556 light machine gun requires several hours.
  • The Blue Sky KK-93 water purifier requires six hours and is selected for research.
• He then examines the newly available material-conversion function and discovers that materials are now categorized into levels based on quality.
• The chapter ends as Lin Xian scans rifle smokeless powder, preparing to test material synthesis.

Character Development

• Lin Xian demonstrates greater endurance and determination by maintaining Mechanical Devour for eight hours despite severe exhaustion.
• His successful devouring represents a major advancement in his abilities, transforming his Mechanical Esper power into its “complete form.”
• He becomes significantly stronger physically, reaching Strength Level 3 and Defense Level 2, while also gaining new manufacturing and research capabilities.
• Lin Xian’s priorities become more strategic. Rather than focusing only on weapons, he recognizes the importance of long-term survival resources, particularly clean and renewable water.
• His excitement and curiosity reveal his growing confidence in the Mechanist path and his enthusiasm for developing increasingly advanced technology.

Significant Themes

• Growth through risk and endurance: Lin Xian’s awakening is achieved only after pushing his body and concentration to their limits.
• Technology as a survival tool: The new abilities allow him to improve weapons, produce materials, and solve logistical problems essential to survival.
• Long-term preparation: The water purifier research highlights the importance of planning for future shortages rather than responding only to immediate danger.
• Progression and transformation: The upgrade from Mechanical Esper to Mechanist marks a major stage in Lin Xian’s evolution.
• Resource scarcity and technological control: The classification and conversion of materials emphasize the value of industrial resources in the post-apocalyptic world.

Character Interactions

• There are no major direct conversations in this chapter.
• Lin Xian briefly recalls Shu Qin’s warning that the existing water purifier cannot fully purify water without boiling, influencing his decision to upgrade it.
• His interactions are primarily with his mechanical system and its interfaces, which provide notifications, options, and information about his newly awakened powers.

Chapter Summary: “Eerie Barrier!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian successfully uses the Level 3 Mechanical Heart’s Research and Development Center and Manufacturing Plant to analyze and produce High-Energy Solid Gunpowder.
• By converting low-grade steel, the Manufacturing Plant produces 2 kg of gunpowder per hour from 50 kg of steel.
• Lin Xian calculates that this could supply hundreds of machine-gun rounds or a limited number of 30mm armor-piercing rounds, though ammunition production would quickly exhaust metal resources.
• He begins manufacturing 7.62×51mm rounds and realizes that, with enough materials, he could effectively become a self-sufficient weapons factory.
• Lin Xian plans to:
  • Build a train-mounted 1130 CIWS to defend against pursuing monsters and insects.
  • Manufacture full-body armor and possibly upgrade military equipment through the Research and Development Center.
  • Complete the locomotive and reinforce the experimental carriage.
• Remembering the dangerous Eerie Radio, Lin Xian retrieves it from its heavily protected container and attempts to devour it.
• The Mechanical Heart detects the radio’s non-mechanical energy and performs a lengthy, exhausting scan.
• The radio is identified as Eerie Object No. 01, an unnamed Taboo Item capable of broadcasting fear and Dark-Side Power.
• After being contained and frequency-modulated by the Mechanical Heart, the radio can detect fear and Dark-Side Power within a fixed area while blocking outside influence.
• Lin Xian activates it, creating an invisible protective barrier around the train that removes the oppressive nighttime atmosphere and shields everyone from Dark-Side Power invasion.

Character Development

• Lin Xian becomes increasingly confident in the Mechanical Heart’s abilities. He shifts from merely surviving to actively planning large-scale weapon production and technological advancement.
• His enthusiasm grows as he imagines becoming a “weapons factory,” producing guns, ammunition, armor, and possibly upgraded mechs.
• He also demonstrates caution and strategic thinking by recognizing the shortage of metal resources and calculating ammunition consumption.
• After containing the Eerie Radio, Lin Xian realizes that dangerous mechanical Taboo Items may be useful resources rather than threats, opening a new direction for his abilities.
• Chen Sixuan, though asleep, benefits from the protective barrier as the oppressive influence around the train disappears.

Significant Themes

• Technology versus supernatural threats: Lin Xian uses manufacturing and engineering to counter monsters, Aberrant Entities, and Taboo Items.
• Resource management and industrial growth: Powerful weapons are possible, but steel, tungsten, ammunition components, and production time remain limiting factors.
• Transformation of danger into protection: The Eerie Radio, initially a hazardous object, becomes a defensive tool after being analyzed and modified.
• Expansion of power and ambition: The Mechanical Heart’s new capabilities allow Lin Xian to imagine building an entire mobile weapons platform.
• Protection and survival: The newly created barrier offers the train a safer environment against fear-based attacks and Dark-Side corruption.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian has no direct conversation with the other characters in the chapter, but his actions affect the entire train.
• His earlier knowledge of Da Lou’s machine gun, the 1130 CIWS, and threats mentioned by Ding Junyi informs his calculations and future plans.
• The protective effect on Chen Sixuan and the rest of the passengers demonstrates Lin Xian’s role as the train’s defender, even while others are unaware of the process.

Chapter Summary: “External Gun Turret”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the blizzard ends, the Infinite remains immobilized because the tracks ahead are buried in snow. The survivors wake feeling unusually rested, and the previously unsettling atmosphere has disappeared.
• Chen Sixuan organizes the watch while Kiki monitors radio broadcasts for information about Yubei City.
• Federal broadcasts report that several regions remain relatively safe, while Phoenix Association rescue stations operate in secondary cities. However, Yubei City is suffering from a citywide Corpse Tide, Aberrant Entity sightings, and fierce fighting at Yubei Airport No. 1.
• The group worries that the Ascension Passage may become unusable. Chen Sixuan notes that the real danger is their lack of knowledge about Yubei’s actual condition.
• Kiki launches a drone to scout the area while Lin Xian wakes refreshed, apparently benefiting from the Heteromorphic Cube and his improved attributes.
• Chen Sixuan prepares hot soup using the train’s nuclear-powered electricity supply. Lin Xian learns that Zhao Yan and Dr. Xu are still asleep, while Ding Junyi has been working in Carriage 3.
• Kiki shows Lin Xian the design for the Cole Carriage, which can connect the train’s air circulation system and eventually support a water-and-oxygen recycling system once the water purifier is completed.
• Lin Xian plans to install armor, a water purifier, additional doors, and possibly retractable roof-mounted weapons. Kiki enthusiastically suggests advanced firing turrets and railgun-like systems.
• In Carriage 3, Ding Junyi is studying the Hell Black Chrysanthemum. Lin Xian warns her that the group may not have the capacity to protect her once they reach Yubei City.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian becomes more confident and ambitious as the Infinite develops. His improved physical condition and access to the Research and Development Center encourage him to think beyond immediate survival toward advanced defenses, weapon systems, and closed-loop life support.
• Chen Sixuan continues acting as a responsible organizer and lookout. She remains practical, alert to the dangers in Yubei City, and involved in maintaining the group’s daily survival.
• Kiki displays her enthusiasm for technology and weaponry. She serves as both communications operator and drone scout, while eagerly imagining increasingly advanced defensive systems for the train.
• Ding Junyi maintains her calm, independent attitude and continues researching the Hell Black Chrysanthemum. She acknowledges that she is technically still a rescued captive, though her cooperation suggests growing trust in Lin Xian.
• Sha Sha and Da Lou continue contributing to security, with Sha Sha taking over rear-watch duties.

Significant Themes

• Survival through preparation: The characters focus on improving the train’s armor, air circulation, water purification, access points, and weapons before entering a dangerous city.
• Technology as hope and power: The Nuclear-Powered Locomotive, Research and Development Center, drone, and planned turrets symbolize humanity’s attempt to regain control in a devastated world.
• Uncertainty and incomplete information: Radio reports provide only fragmented knowledge about Yubei City, forcing the group to proceed without knowing the full scale of the danger.
• Trust and autonomy: Ding Junyi’s position as both researcher and former captive raises questions about ownership, cooperation, and whether she truly belongs with the group.
• Escalating danger: Although the immediate environment has become calmer, the worsening situation in Yubei City suggests that greater threats await.

Character Interactions

• Chen Sixuan and Kiki discuss the disappearance of the uneasy atmosphere and assess the danger in Yubei City.
• Lin Xian and Kiki collaborate on improving the Infinite, with Kiki presenting the Cole Carriage design and enthusiastically proposing weapon upgrades.
• Their exchange about railguns and firing turrets shows Kiki’s playful excitement and Lin Xian’s more cautious but increasingly ambitious approach.
• Lin Xian and Ding Junyi discuss her research and status aboard the train. He makes clear that her safety cannot be guaranteed in Yubei City, while she responds with restrained gratitude and acceptance of her uncertain position.

Chapter Summary: “Scientific Romance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ding Junyi argues that Lin Xian should allow her to remain aboard the train. She explains that she is an expert in biological research and can help cultivate the Level 89 plant seeds recovered by Lin Xian and Kiki.
• She proposes using the train’s two Cole Type 3 Biological Science Research Vehicle Cabins as a laboratory and planting carriage. Her research into Blood Calamity Disaster Plants could also benefit from assistance from the train’s Espers.
• Lin Xian questions why Ding Junyi would choose his dangerous wandering train instead of joining an official organization in Yubei City, such as the Dawn Project, Phoenix Association, or Iron Guard Brigade.
• Ding Junyi admits that she enjoys intense physiological stimulation and finds the danger and romance of traveling aboard a train racing toward dawn appealing. Lin Xian agrees to consider letting her board permanently if she still feels the same after reaching Yubei City.
• The Research and Development Center announces that the Blue Sky KK-93 Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier blueprint has been upgraded. Lin Xian obtains the more advanced A1 Subcritical Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier blueprint.
• Neither Kiki nor Ding Junyi is familiar with the exact term “subcritical reverse osmosis,” though Ding Junyi explains the principles of reverse osmosis and subcritical fluid conditions.
• Lin Xian manufactures the purifier using Level 2 reverse-osmosis membrane material converted from carbon steel. He installs it on the locomotive’s water tank and produces clear, highly purified water.
• Ding Junyi tests the water and confirms that it meets extremely high drinking-water standards, though she cannot determine whether it contains the mysterious energy responsible for nighttime infections.
• Lin Xian drinks the water himself, trusting the train’s protection from the Heterogeneous Cube and the apparent safety of the bottled water already in use.
• Finally, he begins upgrading the M556 light machine gun, choosing the Firepower research direction. The chapter ends with a thirteen-hour upgrade countdown.

Character Developments

• Ding Junyi reveals a hidden adventurous and eccentric side beneath her calm, scholarly exterior. She is not merely seeking safety or employment; she is attracted to danger, movement, and the “romance” of survival on the train.
• She also demonstrates her practical value by organizing the recovered plant seeds and offering expertise in biological research, cultivation, and disease-related plant studies.
• Lin Xian becomes more open to retaining Ding Junyi, though he remains cautious and intends to judge her commitment after reaching Yubei City.
• Lin Xian continues developing as a resourceful leader, using the train’s technological systems to improve sanitation, research capacity, and weaponry.
• Kiki remains helpful but is unable to identify the advanced water-purification technology, emphasizing the limits of even the train’s accumulated knowledge.

Significant Themes

• Science and survival: Scientific expertise is presented as a crucial survival resource, with research into plants, disease, water purification, and weapons directly supporting the train’s continued journey.
• Romance and danger: Ding Junyi’s attraction to the train reflects the chapter’s playful idea that scientific progress and high-risk adventure can coexist.
• Trust under uncertainty: Even after the water is purified to an exceptional standard, Lin Xian cannot completely rule out invisible nighttime contamination. Survival requires making decisions despite incomplete information.
• Technological advancement: The upgraded purifier and machine gun demonstrate the train’s gradual expansion from a means of escape into a self-sufficient mobile base.
• Hidden personalities: Ding Junyi’s unexpected fanaticism contrasts with her composed appearance, suggesting that people’s outward identities may conceal powerful and unconventional desires.

Character Interactions

• Ding Junyi directly negotiates with Lin Xian for a place on the train, presenting both her scientific qualifications and her personal reasons for wanting to stay.
• Lin Xian challenges her motives, leading to her candid explanation that she enjoys danger and the emotional intensity of life aboard the train.
• Lin Xian consults Kiki and Ding Junyi about the unfamiliar purifier technology, relying on both younger technical knowledge and formal scientific expertise.
• Ding Junyi assists Lin Xian by analyzing the purified water, reinforcing their developing professional cooperation.
• Lin Xian ultimately accepts the water after weighing Ding Junyi’s test results against the risks posed by the Night and the limits of available detection equipment.

Chapter Summary: “Upgrade Log”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On a snowy plain, Lin Xian repairs and upgrades the Gemini 11R nuclear-powered electric locomotive, which had been damaged while breaking through a tunnel filled with Zombies and Human Wraiths.
• Because the locomotive is positioned at the rear of the Infinite and likely to face frequent attacks, Lin Xian covers it—and Experimental Carriages 3 and 4—with layered armor made from tank-derived forged steel and high-hardness tungsten steel.
• The Infinite now consists of nine carriages, stretches nearly 300 meters, and has become a massive, heavily equipped train.
• While eating before departure, the group discusses the train’s increasing size, possible future travel through the air and deep ocean, and the dangers posed by monsters in different environments.
• Lin Xian gives Sha Sha fifty homemade VOG-25 grenade launchers and encourages her to use them freely against future monsters.
• The team discusses planned upgrades, including a 1130 CIWS turret, mech armor, an AI system, medical equipment, a cargo door, and submarine capabilities. Many remain impossible because of missing materials, blueprints, or technical expertise.
• Lin Xian updates the Infinite’s upgrade log, recording completed systems such as the Icebreaker Shield, nuclear power system, water purifier, track-laying equipment, and combat robots, alongside numerous pending projects.
• After a night of work, the Infinite resumes its journey toward Yubei City, slowly breaking through the thick snow with its Icebreaker Shield.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian continues to develop as the train’s mechanic, designer, and protector. Though limited by his lack of advanced engineering knowledge and blueprints, he creatively repurposes available materials and steadily improves the Infinite.
• Sha Sha eagerly accepts the grenade launchers and shows enthusiasm for combat and new equipment. She also recognizes how enormous the train has become.
• Kiki remains technically minded and curious, proposing advanced weapons, mech armor, and an AI system. Her comments highlight both her ambition and the limits of the group’s current technology.
• Da Lou, normally quiet, contributes to the discussion about aerial monsters, showing his practical awareness of the dangers ahead.
• Chen Sixuan feels pressured because she is the only member without strong combat abilities. She resolves to study firearms with Sha Sha so she can contribute more effectively in Yubei City.

Significant Themes

• Survival through adaptation: The group constantly modifies the Infinite to respond to new threats, environments, and practical needs.
• Technology versus limitation: Although the train has gained nuclear power, armor, drones, robots, and advanced propulsion, the team remains constrained by missing materials, blueprints, and expertise.
• The Infinite as a growing refuge: The train is becoming more than transportation—it is evolving into a mobile fortress and potential long-term home.
• Preparedness and uncertainty: The group must prepare for threats underground, in the sky, and possibly beneath the ocean, emphasizing how unpredictable the post-apocalyptic world has become.
• Individual contribution: Chen Sixuan’s anxiety reflects the importance of finding a role within the group, even for those without obvious combat abilities.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian jokes and discusses future travel possibilities with Sha Sha, Kiki, and Da Lou, creating a brief moment of camaraderie amid preparations for danger.
• He equips Sha Sha with grenade launchers, reinforcing her role as a combatant and showing his trust in her abilities.
• Kiki challenges Lin Xian about building a CIWS and mech armor, while Lin Xian explains the technical barriers preventing those upgrades.
• Chen Sixuan quietly listens to the others’ weapons discussion, comparing herself to them and deciding to seek Sha Sha’s help with firearms.
• The chapter closes with Lin Xian inspecting the completed train and leading the group onward toward Yubei City through the snow.

Chapter Summary: Orbital Ring

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Infinite races through heavy snow toward Yubei City and the Yubei Freight Rail Terminal, the group’s route to the high-altitude corridor and the Great Migration.
• Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan discuss the increasingly organized movement of survivors. Large cities, convoys, and Doomsday Trains are becoming the main avenues of survival, while smaller groups remain vulnerable.
• The train enters a valley filled with the wreckage of a devastating military battle. A crashed gunship, destroyed tanks, helicopters, aerospace fighters, and numerous corpses reveal that the Iron Guard Brigade suffered enormous losses.
• The survivors conclude that the Atmospheric Jellyfish likely caused the destruction. Radio reports indicate that at least part of the 52nd Brigade retreated toward Yubei City, making the city’s situation even more dangerous and complicated.
• The group sees an aircraft flying toward Underground City No. 9 but does not investigate, since an Abyssal Behemoth may still be buried beneath the ruins.
• They find a massive trench carved through the landscape, filled with destroyed vehicles and a crashed military transport train. The severed tentacle and biological remains confirm that the Atmospheric Jellyfish attacked the area.
• The Infinite reaches the outskirts of Yubei City and merges onto the Y3365 main line toward the freight terminal. The city’s roads are blocked by abandoned vehicles, corpses, blood, and wreckage buried beneath the snow.
• A drone observes the train, and shortly afterward a snowmobile approaches. Its driver is revealed to be Shu Qin, leader of the Big Foot Car Team, who calls for Lin Xian to stop.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian remains cautious and strategic, recognizing that the high-altitude corridor is dangerous but is their only remaining route after the Mount Dazhu Tunnel was blocked. He also understands the severity of the Atmospheric Jellyfish threat and refuses to risk investigating Underground City No. 9.
• Chen Sixuan increasingly grasps the scale of the disaster, especially after seeing the destruction caused by the Jellyfish. His concern reflects the group’s growing awareness that no route is truly safe.
• Kiki identifies the advanced military equipment destroyed at the battlefield, emphasizing the overwhelming power of the enemy.
• Zhao Yan and Xu Wen awaken and are given basic food and water, showing the group’s continued effort to care for survivors despite the crisis.
• Shu Qin reenters the story as a potential ally or source of information. Her urgent attempt to contact Lin Xian suggests she may bring important news about Yubei City or the surrounding survivors.

Significant Themes

• Humanity moving from chaos toward organization: Survivors are gradually forming larger groups and relying on major transportation networks, official evacuation plans, and coordinated convoys.
• The overwhelming power of Aberrant Entities: The destruction of an entire military force demonstrates that advanced weapons and organized armies may still be helpless against creatures such as the Atmospheric Jellyfish.
• Survival through preparation and cooperation: The Infinite survives partly because Lin Xian and Da Lou reinforced it in advance, while large-scale cooperation offers the best chance of enduring the catastrophe.
• The fragility of civilization: The Orbital Ring represents humanity’s greatest engineering achievement, yet its tracks and cities are now surrounded by wreckage, corpses, and abandoned infrastructure.
• Uncertainty and unavoidable danger: Every route contains unknown threats, but the survivors must continue moving because remaining still is even more dangerous.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan discuss survivor movements, transportation difficulties, and the hazards ahead.
• Sha Sha reports that Zhao Yan and Xu Wen have awakened, and Lin Xian instructs her to provide them with food and water.
• Kiki and the others identify the destroyed military vehicles and speculate that the Atmospheric Jellyfish caused the massacre.
• Chen Sixuan and Lin Xian recognize that the high-altitude corridor may also be vulnerable to airborne Aberrant Entities.
• The group reacts cautiously to the surveillance drone and the approaching snowmobile.
• Shu Qin directly calls out to Lin Xian, creating a new point of contact just as the train reaches the dangerous outskirts of Yubei City.

Chapter Summary: “Night Invasion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian’s armored train, Infinite, stops at a freight platform near Airfield No. 1, where several survivor teams have gathered.
• Shu Qin approaches Lin Xian on a snowmobile, visibly exhausted, and asks to join forces with his group because the route toward Airfield No. 1 is overrun with zombies, fog, and Aberrant Entities.
• Lin Xian agrees to cooperate, believing that traveling together will provide greater security in the dead industrial city.
• At the freight platform, Infinite attracts attention because of its powerful armor and rare heavy-duty locomotive. The survivors initially raise their weapons but lower them once they recognize Shu Qin.
• Shu Qin introduces Lin Xian to Mo Chengzhi, leader of the Tieli Team and a former mechanical engineer, as well as Xu Jin, whom Lin Xian has met before.
• Mo Chengzhi enthusiastically examines Infinite and compares it with several powerful trains:
  • The Federation’s Intercontinental-level trains
  • The Eternal-level

Silver Star

• Longshan One, a mobile-city-like train
• Despite their strength, Mo emphasizes that trains remain restricted by terrain and tracks, while heavy trucks are more mobile. Xu Jin adds that aircraft are not safe either, citing the destruction of the aerial city Azure Luan, which crashed into the Pacific.
• The survivors discuss the dangers of severe blizzards, which can bury vehicles and trap entire teams.
• Lin Xian learns that the Glasses Team, which previously traded Blood Essence with him, was destroyed after becoming trapped in a snowstorm. The disaster was not caused by an Aberrant Entity but by Night Invasion, which caused a team member to mutate.
• Night Invasion is explained as a mysterious corruption that can consume injured, mentally weakened, or naturally fragile people, transforming them into inhuman beings. Teams now isolate injured members to prevent the corruption from spreading or triggering a chain reaction.
• Lin Xian connects Night Invasion with the “Black Night Infection” and recalls the Corruption demon and Eerie Radio that previously threatened Infinite.
• He realizes that the Heteromorphic Cube may protect Infinite from such corruption, potentially making the train an exceptionally safe refuge.
• Lin Xian asks about Jiang Yun and the Chasing Wind Team. He learns that they went toward Ping’a Lake and may also have entered Yubei City.
• Xu Jin reveals that a Corpse Tide riot occurred that night, causing Lin Xian to worry that Shu Qin’s group may have encountered the same disaster.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates decisive leadership by agreeing to cooperate with Shu Qin’s teams while remaining cautious about entering Airfield No. 1 immediately.
• His awareness of the dangers facing survivors deepens as he learns more about Night Invasion and realizes how vulnerable ordinary teams are.
• Lin Xian also begins to recognize the strategic value of Infinite and the Heteromorphic Cube, viewing his train not merely as transportation but as a possible safe haven.
• Shu Qin appears physically and emotionally strained after repeated battles and losses, but she remains practical and focused on protecting her remaining people.
• Mo Chengzhi is established as an experienced mechanical engineer with extensive technical knowledge and a strong passion for powerful vehicles and trains.
• Xu Jin continues to act as a knowledgeable survivor leader, providing information about regional disasters and the fate of other groups.

Significant Themes

• Survival through cooperation: Individual teams are increasingly forced to unite against overwhelming zombie hordes, environmental disasters, and supernatural corruption.
• Technology versus nature and catastrophe: Trains, trucks, planes, and weapons offer different advantages, but none can completely overcome the apocalypse’s changing conditions.
• The fragility of humanity: Night Invasion shows that physical injury, fear, despair, and weakness can be as dangerous as external enemies.
• Safe havens in a collapsing world: Infinite’s defenses and the Heteromorphic Cube suggest that secure shelter may become more valuable than mobility or firepower.
• The scale of the apocalypse: The destruction of Azure Luan, the deaths of the Glasses Team, and the Corpse Tide reveal that even well-equipped organizations and large-scale vehicles remain vulnerable.

Important Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Shu Qin: Shu Qin asks Lin Xian for cooperation, and he accepts, strengthening their alliance.
• Lin Xian and Mo Chengzhi: Mo admires Infinite’s locomotive and discusses its engineering advantages and limitations with Lin Xian.
• Lin Xian and Xu Jin: Xu Jin provides information about major trains, the destruction of Azure Luan, and the Corpse Tide, while Lin Xian asks about the Glasses Team and Jiang Yun.
• Lin Xian and Shu Qin’s teams: Their meeting marks the possible formation of a larger united force preparing to enter the dangerous area around Airfield No. 1 and Yubei City.
• Lin Xian and the absent Jiang Yun: Lin Xian’s concern for Jiang Yun shows that he continues to track the fate of important allies and rivals amid the chaos.

Chapter Summary: “Pure Water”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shu Qin explains that the Corpse Tide was not caused by Tang Hai. Instead, the Black Crow Four, a gang specializing in killing Espers, attacked the survivor convoys at a factory. Jiang Yun and Big Beard’s convoy pursued them to Ping’a Lake, where Big Beard’s group suffered heavy casualties and Jiang Yun’s younger brother, Dongdong, was killed. The Black Crow Four ultimately escaped.
• Lin Xian realizes that he had unknowingly become an enemy of the Black Crow Four and remembers Dongdong, who had helped guide and warn him at Qu Pass.
• Shu Qin introduces Lu Xingchen, a powerful lone Esper traveling alone in a heavily modified RV. He is unusually relaxed despite the apocalyptic circumstances and is capable of fighting ordinary Aberrant Entities by himself.
• Lin Xian learns about the remaining survivor groups:
  • Shu Qin’s Big Foot Car Team has seven vehicles and more than thirty people.
  • Xu Jin’s convoy has eighteen vehicles and over a hundred people when combined with Shu Qin’s group.
  • Old Mo’s “Iron Force Family” consists of two heavily armored tracked trucks carrying more than twenty members of several families.
• The convoys have stopped because the city is overrun by zombies, blocked roads, ice, snow, and enormous Aberrant Entities. A giant jellyfish-like Entity previously forced even the Iron Guard Brigade to retreat.
• Smaller jellyfish-like Entities are now appearing in the city’s fog, possibly offspring of the larger creature. Several survivor convoys have disappeared or lost contact.
• Since the Ascension Passage and railway tracks remain usable, the groups plan to drive their vehicles along the railway toward the airport. Lin Xian agrees to lead with the Infinite, while Old Mo’s convoy will protect the rear.
• Shu Qin gives Lin Xian a set of high-quality reverse-osmosis filter membranes as repayment for his earlier help repairing her water purifier. The improved purifiers can produce Level 2 pure water safe to drink without boiling.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian gains a clearer understanding of the previous night’s events and recognizes the danger posed by the Black Crow Four. He also becomes more willing to cooperate with trusted survivor groups.
• Shu Qin reveals her lingering grief and hatred over Dongdong’s death, while demonstrating gratitude and a strong commitment to mutual aid.
• Lu Xingchen is introduced as a powerful, confident, and eccentric lone survivor whose calm, leisurely behavior contrasts sharply with the surrounding crisis.
• Old Mo/Mo Chengzhi is shown to be energetic, practical, and proud of his heavily armed convoy. He willingly takes responsibility for defending the rear.
• Xu Jin contributes information about the city’s dangers and supports the plan to travel by railway.

Significant Themes

• Trust and cooperation in the apocalypse: Survivors must overcome suspicion and unite because traveling alone has become increasingly dangerous.
• Loss and revenge: Dongdong’s death highlights the personal cost of violence and the lasting hatred created by the Black Crow Four.
• Survival through preparation and technology: Armored vehicles, trains, weapons, railway access, and water-purification equipment are essential to enduring the ruined world.
• Scarcity and the value of resources: Safe drinking water is precious, making Shu Qin’s gift especially meaningful.
• Isolation versus community: Lu Xingchen represents the capable lone survivor, while the convoys demonstrate the strength and vulnerability of organized groups.

Character Interactions

• Shu Qin and Lin Xian discuss the Black Crow Four, allowing Lin Xian to connect the Corpse Tide to Dongdong’s death.
• Lin Xian exchanges a brief greeting with Lu Xingchen, whose casual attitude emphasizes his unusual confidence.
• Lin Xian, Shu Qin, Xu Jin, and Old Mo coordinate their convoys and agree on a joint railway escape plan.
• Old Mo admires Lin Xian’s nuclear-powered train and volunteers to guard the rear.
• Shu Qin repays Lin Xian for helping repair her purifier by giving him reverse-osmosis membranes, strengthening their mutual trust.

Chapter Summary: “Water Purifier”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xu Jin explains that the Phoenix Association’s Level 2 purified water is currently considered high quality. He demonstrates this with a silver Spirit Purge Value Detector acquired through trade.
• Lin Xian tests water produced by his train’s purifier and discovers that it registers as Level 1 pure water, shocking Xu Jin, Shu Qin, and Old Mo.
• The group explains that, because of Black Night Infection, even sealed bottled water gradually degrades. Water normally becomes Level 2 after storage and may become unsafe at orange or red levels. Level 1 water usually requires energy-intensive distillation.
• Lin Xian realizes that the Heteromorphic Cube may be preventing Black Night Infection from contaminating the water. He plans to confirm this by filtering bottled water and testing it after it has been stored for over an hour.
• Xu Jin and Shu Qin eagerly ask about the purifier. Lin Xian offers to trade two extra units for Blood Essence.
• Xu Jin and Shu Qin jointly trade three pieces of Level 1 Blood Essence for one purifier, while Old Mo trades three additional pieces for the other.
• Lin Xian and Da Lou deliver the two large A1 Subcritical Reverse Osmosis Water Purifiers to the convoys. The survivors are impressed by their advanced appearance and immediately transport them to their heavy truck for safekeeping.
• Shu Qin thanks Lin Xian and expresses a desire for her entire family to eventually join his train. Her words cause Lin Xian to reconsider whether he could expand the train and shelter more survivors.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian discovers that his equipment produces extraordinarily pure water and recognizes its value as both a survival resource and a potential trade commodity. He remains fair-minded, asking for a reasonable price rather than exploiting the convoys.
• Xu Jin and Shu Qin are shown to be practical leaders who understand the importance of clean water and are willing to pool their limited resources to secure a purifier for their people.
• Old Mo displays concern for younger and more vulnerable convoy members, specifically mentioning that Xiao Le and the others should be able to drink clean water. His decision to trade for a purifier highlights his protective nature.
• Lin Xian’s thinking expands when Shu Qin suggests joining his train. He begins considering the possibility of turning the train into a larger mobile refuge rather than merely using it for his own group.

Significant Themes

• Scarcity and survival: Clean water is a precious resource in the post-apocalyptic world, and even bottled water cannot escape environmental contamination.
• Technology as power: Lin Xian’s purifier gives him access to a resource far superior to what most survivors can obtain, making advanced technology a major form of wealth and influence.
• Trade and cooperation: The convoys combine their Blood Essence to obtain equipment, showing that cooperation is essential when no single group has enough resources.
• Protection of the vulnerable: The Level 1 water is intended especially for children and the injured, emphasizing the moral responsibility of stronger survivors to protect those at greater risk.
• Building a community: Shu Qin’s request and Lin Xian’s reaction introduce the possibility of expanding his train into a larger sanctuary for displaced survivors.

Important Character Interactions

• Xu Jin teaches Lin Xian how the detector classifies water quality and confirms the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 water.
• Lin Xian tests both purifier water and bottled water, allowing the group to witness the purifier’s unusual ability firsthand.
• Xu Jin and Shu Qin negotiate with Lin Xian and agree to share one purifier between their convoys.
• Old Mo independently purchases the second purifier for his group, motivated by concern for Xiao Le and the others.
• Shu Qin’s grateful conversation with Lin Xian shifts the chapter from a simple trade negotiation toward the larger question of whether Lin Xian will open his train to more survivors.

Chapter Summary: “Alliance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian, Shu Qin, Old Mo, Xu Jin, and Lu Xingchen form a temporary alliance to cross the dangerous Great Pillar Plateau and reach Jiazhou City and its airport.
• Their long-term hope is to find additional survival carriages and eventually create a mobile fortress train, though the Infinite currently lacks the capacity to carry everyone.
• Xu Jin suggests that, if they survive, Lin Xian should modify the Infinite with amphibious conversion drive wheels, allowing it to travel without railway tracks.
• The group agrees to travel together toward the airport, where the Ascension Passage is expected to close completely the following day. Reaching it may be their only chance to escape Yubei City.
• The convoy leaves the freight station shortly before nightfall. Although daylight remains, the thick fog makes the city nearly as dangerous as nighttime because Aberrant Entities may already be active.
• Lin Xian establishes a shared radio channel so the convoy leaders can coordinate their movements.
• Before entering the city, Lin Xian uses a copied water-quality detector to test whether the Black Night Infection can contaminate water inside the train. He suspects the Infinite’s Heteromorphic Cube may be shielding its contents from outside influence.
• The Infinite leads the convoy into the mountainside road, with numerous trucks and vehicles following behind. Old Mo’s fortress trucks guard the rear.
• Lu Xingchen appears relaxed and detached throughout the preparations, but his ability to ignite a flame with his fingertip reveals that he possesses unusual powers and may be more capable than he appears.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian takes on greater leadership responsibility, organizing the alliance and prioritizing the convoy’s survival despite the lack of available carriages. He remains cautious and analytical, especially regarding the Heteromorphic Cube and Black Night Infection.
• Shu Qin is moved by Lin Xian’s promise to help the survivors eventually and commits herself and her people to keeping pace with the Infinite.
• Xu Jin becomes a practical adviser, offering useful technological knowledge and emphasizing the urgency of reaching the airport before the Ascension Passage closes.
• Old Mo remains blunt and pragmatic, focusing on survival rather than emotional promises, while still cooperating with Lin Xian.
• Kiki and Sha Sha provide lighter commentary but are also preparing seriously for the danger ahead. Sha Sha is now heavily armed with grenade ammunition, while Da Lou carries substantial ammunition as well.
• Chen Sixuan assists Lin Xian’s investigation by testing the train’s water supply.
• Lu Xingchen continues to act carefree and arrogant, but his hidden fire-producing ability suggests he is deliberately concealing his true strength.

Significant Themes

• Cooperation amid scarcity: The alliance forms because survival requires people with different vehicles and abilities to work together, even though resources are insufficient for everyone.
• Trust and uncertainty: Lin Xian offers future assistance without being able to guarantee it, while the group must rely on one another despite limited knowledge of the dangers and of Lu Xingchen’s motives.
• Preparation versus urgency: The characters must abandon ideal plans—such as immediately creating a full mobile fortress—and focus on reaching the airport before the escape route disappears.
• The unknown nature of the apocalypse: The fog, Aberrant Entities, Black Night Infection, and Heteromorphic Cube remain poorly understood, forcing Lin Xian to rely on testing and observation.
• Hidden power and appearances: Lu Xingchen’s relaxed demeanor contrasts with his unexplained supernatural ability, reinforcing the idea that people’s outward behavior may conceal their real capabilities.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian reassures Shu Qin’s group that they may eventually be included in a larger mobile fortress, strengthening their willingness to cooperate.
• Xu Jin exchanges practical survival advice with Lin Xian and warns the convoy that the airport and Ascension Passage may not remain available.
• The convoy leaders coordinate over radio, establishing a more organized and disciplined alliance.
• Kiki and Sha Sha mock Lu Xingchen’s relaxed appearance, while Lu remains indifferent to the group’s tension.
• Lin Xian explains his concerns about the Black Night Infection to Kiki and entrusts Chen Sixuan with the water test, showing his reliance on both teammates’ help.
• Though Lu Xingchen participates in the alliance, his private display of power hints that he may have his own agenda and could become an important force in the events ahead.

Chapter Summary: “Entering the City”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Xian’s nuclear-powered train leads a large convoy toward Airfield No. 1 in Yubei City, the necessary departure point for reaching the Orbital Ring.
• Yubei City, once a prosperous industrial and freight center, is now a devastated ruin filled with abandoned Sky-Rail Pillars and hordes of zombies.
• As the convoy enters the city, zombies begin pursuing it, but the survivors maintain strict formation and refrain from wasting ammunition.
• The convoy soon encounters an enormous Corpse Tide surrounding the city. Xu Jin orders everyone to stay close to the train and avoid breaking formation.
• Explosions and gunfire erupt in the distance, drawing part of the zombie horde away. Lin Xian deploys drones to investigate.
• The drones reveal that one convoy is chasing another rather than fleeing the Corpse Tide.
• Shu Qin identifies the attacking group as the Black Crow Four, a notorious organization previously known for targeting Espers and using Corpse Tides against other survivors.
• The Black Crow Four appears to have expanded beyond its original four vehicles, raising the threat level.
• Lin Xian and the other convoy leaders prepare for a possible confrontation while continuing toward the airfield through thickening fog.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian remains calm and strategically focused, studying the convoy’s resources and considering how to expand his forces. He imagines creating a heavily armed survivor unit equipped with grenade launchers.
• His attitude toward the Black Crow Four becomes openly hostile after learning that they are the same group responsible for previously attempting to destroy his convoy.
• Shu Qin recognizes the Black Crow Four and immediately becomes tense and aggressive, showing her willingness to fight.
• Xu Jin demonstrates strong leadership by maintaining formation, warning the convoy not to fire prematurely, and ordering everyone to prepare for battle.
• Old Mo offers the support of his own people, reinforcing the growing cooperation among the survivor groups.
• Kiki enjoys her evolved floating ability but remains ready to deploy her combat capabilities if the convoy is attacked.
• The combined convoy leaders show increasing trust and coordination, functioning more like a unified military force than separate survivor groups.

Significant Themes

• Civilization’s collapse: Yubei City’s former industrial glory contrasts sharply with its current state as a zombie-filled wasteland.
• Discipline and cooperation: The convoy survives because its members maintain formation, conserve ammunition, and follow orders despite overwhelming danger.
• Threats from humans: The Black Crow Four represents a danger potentially worse than the zombies, emphasizing how desperation and power can corrupt survivors.
• Power and militarization: Lin Xian’s thoughts about building a heavily armed convoy show the increasing importance of organized firepower and Esper abilities in the post-apocalyptic world.
• Unresolved vengeance: The Black Crow Four’s appearance forces Lin Xian to confront a past threat, suggesting that reaching the airfield may not be the convoy’s only priority.
• Weapons used for good or evil: The ability to manipulate zombies could protect survivors, but in the hands of hostile individuals it becomes a devastating weapon.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian communicates closely with Xu Jin, Shu Qin, Old Mo, and the rest of the convoy through the radio network.
• Xu Jin repeatedly issues tactical orders, while Lin Xian provides reconnaissance and strategic direction.
• Shu Qin identifies the Black Crow Four and alerts the others, prompting the convoy to reassess the danger.
• Lin Xian tells Chen Sixuan about the Black Crow Four and explains why their presence is alarming.
• Lin Xian orders Da Lou, Sha Sha, and Kiki to defend the convoy if attacked.
• Old Mo volunteers his group’s assistance, and Xu Jin coordinates the entire convoy’s preparations for combat.
• The chapter ends with the allied convoy moving deeper into the fog-shrouded city, ready for a possible battle with the Black Crow Four.

Chapter Summary — Esper Hunter

Key Plot Points and Events

• A convoy carrying women and children races through a zombie-infested city. A heavy truck clears the road while armored vehicles and pickups defend the group from the pursuing Corpse Tide.
• The convoy is attacked by the Black Crow Four, a ruthless group led by Qiu Long. Huang Mao fires a rocket that destroys one of the convoy’s rear vehicles, killing its occupants.
• The convoy captain, a red-scaled beast-form Esper, attempts to fight back. Qiu Long orders Guo Lao Er, a winged Esper with a mechanical prosthetic arm, to intercept him.
• Guo Lao Er easily defeats the beast-form Esper. He withstands the man’s attack, carries him into the air, drops him, and allows a truck to smash him into a building.
• The attackers continue pursuing the convoy through Yubei City, deliberately using it to clear the streets of zombies while enjoying the chase.
• The group encounters an armed train and convoy previously seen at Qu Pass. Recognizing them as old targets, Qiu Long orders Luoluo to use her zombie-controlling ability to block their path, beginning a new confrontation.

Character Developments

• Qiu Long is established as a calculating and sadistic leader. Rather than rushing to finish the fleeing convoy, he prefers prolonging the hunt and exploiting the victims to clear a route.
• Huang Mao is portrayed as reckless, violent, and enthusiastic about destruction. He takes pleasure in firing rockets and wants revenge against the people on the train.
• Luoluo demonstrates her dangerous ability to manipulate zombies into frenzies and attack selected targets. Although she obeys Qiu Long, the scale of the zombie disturbance is beginning to exceed her control.
• Guo Lao Er is revealed to possess bird-like wings and a mechanical prosthetic limb. He hunts other Espers, hoping to find abilities or opponents that can help his own power evolve.
• Zhou Lei, formerly a convoy captain, is exposed as a traitor who killed Qian Yu, stole supplies, and abandoned his former allies. After the Black Crow Four absorbed his group, he became their unwilling subordinate and driver, though he secretly resents them.
• The unnamed convoy captain shows courage by transforming into a beast-form Esper and trying to defend his people, but he is badly overmatched.

Significant Themes

• Predation and survival: The chapter presents the apocalypse as a hierarchy in which stronger groups hunt weaker survivors for supplies, entertainment, or power.
• Cruelty and dehumanization: Qiu Long’s group treats people as prey, while Guo Lao Er views other Espers as potential tools for his own evolution.
• Betrayal and forced loyalty: Zhou Lei’s betrayal of his former allies contrasts with his current submission to a stronger group, showing how survival can destroy trust and agency.
• Power imbalance: The quick defeat of the beast-form Esper emphasizes the gap between ordinary or less-developed Espers and experienced, specialized fighters.
• Chaos beyond control: Luoluo can manipulate zombies, but the growing Corpse Tide demonstrates that destructive powers may quickly become uncontrollable.

Character Interactions

• Qiu Long commands Huang Mao, Luoluo, and Guo Lao Er through radio communications, reinforcing his authority over the Black Crow Four.
• Huang Mao pushes for a more aggressive attack, while Qiu Long restrains him to preserve the strategic advantage of letting the fleeing convoy clear the road.
• Qiu Long assigns Guo Lao Er to fight the beast-form captain, and Guo Lao Er humiliates and defeats him with little effort.
• Zhou Lei interacts with Luoluo while secretly harboring anger at his subordination, revealing the tension between outward obedience and hidden resentment.
• Upon recognizing the armed train, Huang Mao demands revenge, and Qiu Long agrees, redirecting the group’s hunt toward the newly encountered convoy.

Chapter Summary: “Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Crow Convoy and the Infinite’s convoy collide at an intersection, forcing both sides into a major battle amid a swarm of Zombies.
• The smaller convoy led by the middle-aged Esper, Brother Dong, escapes pursuit when the Black Crow forces redirect their attention toward the Infinite. Brother Dong survives beneath collapsed rubble and is rescued by his men.
• Guo Lao Er, a winged Esper, attempts to attack and stop the Infinite, but Lin Xian reveals his lightning ability and blasts through one of Guo’s wings, sending him crashing down.
• Lin Xian moves to finish Guo Lao Er while the surrounding convoys open fire. Da Lou, Shu Qin’s convoy, and Xu Jin’s convoy join the battle against the Black Crow forces.
• Qiu Long abandons his vehicle and charges into the fight using a powerful blood-enhancement ability. He targets Lu Xingchen, a previously independent wanderer who unexpectedly joins the battle.
• Lu Xingchen reveals a powerful fire ability, destroying Zombies and blocking Qiu Long’s path. His flames badly burn Qiu, but Qiu’s blood energy rapidly heals his wounds and increases his strength.
• Huang Mao launches a rocket at the Infinite, but another hidden fire-based attack destroys it. He switches to dual AKs and begins killing members of the allied convoys.
• The battle expands across the road, with multiple Espers and ordinary fighters engaging one another while the Zombie horde creates additional chaos.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates confidence and combat effectiveness by decisively countering Guo Lao Er’s aerial attack with lightning.
• Guo Lao Er becomes overconfident because of his flight ability, but his arrogance leaves him vulnerable to Lin Xian’s lightning strike.
• Qiu Long proves to be a formidable close-range fighter. His blood-based enhancement grants him immense physical power, rapid healing, and an increasingly violent aura.
• Lu Xingchen shifts from an independent wanderer to an apparent ally of Lin Xian’s side. He dramatically reveals his fire ability and confronts Qiu Long without hesitation.
• Huang Mao shows tactical versatility and ruthlessness, abandoning the rocket launcher when it fails and using firearms to eliminate enemy fighters.
• Zhou Lei reveals his cowardice and self-preserving nature. Pretending to fight, he secretly searches for a way to escape the conflict.
• Da Yong, once Zhou Lei’s subordinate, ignores Zhou completely and fights alongside the opposing side, reinforcing Zhou’s sense of betrayal and powerlessness.
• Brother Dong survives a near-fatal attack and manages to regroup with his convoy.

Significant Themes

• Power and overconfidence: Guo Lao Er’s confidence in his flight ability leads directly to his defeat, while the arrival of powerful Espers constantly changes the balance of the battle.
• Survival and opportunism: Characters such as Zhou Lei prioritize escape over loyalty, while the competing convoys exploit every opening to survive.
• Hidden strength and surprise: Several fighters reveal abilities unexpectedly, including Lin Xian’s lightning, Lu Xingchen’s fire, and Qiu Long’s blood-enhancement power.
• Chaos and shifting alliances: The battlefield is unstable, with former subordinates changing sides, independent fighters joining temporarily, and multiple groups fighting simultaneously.
• Human conflict amid catastrophe: Even with Zombies surrounding them, the survivors remain focused on rivalry, betrayal, and control rather than cooperation.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian directly counters and attacks Guo Lao Er after recognizing his attempt to stop the Infinite.
• Qiu Long confronts Lu Xingchen, leading to a clash between blood-enhanced physical strength and destructive fire abilities.
• Huang Mao supports Qiu Long by attacking the allied convoys after Qiu orders him to assist Guo Lao Er.
• Zhou Lei calls out to Da Yong, but Da Yong ignores him, exposing the breakdown of their former relationship.
• The various convoys—led by Lin Xian, Shu Qin, and Xu Jin—coordinate their gunfire against the Black Crow Convoy, turning the encounter into a large-scale, multi-sided battle.

Chapter Summary: “Underestimation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Infinite train is stopped while the Black Crow Convoy attacks. Bandits breach the railway barriers, allowing large numbers of zombies to flood the battlefield.
• Inside the heavily armored Research Carriage, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen panic, while Ding Junyi calmly continues working and reminds them that the carriage is protected from ordinary bullets.
• Lin Xian confronts Guo Lao Er, a birdlike enemy with mechanical equipment. When Guo throws a grenade, Lin uses a mechanically created clamp to return it, seriously damaging Guo’s wings.
• Guo attempts to escape by air, but Kiki uses telekinesis to tear down and hurl a power tower at him, smashing him to the ground.
• As Guo tries to activate a bomb hidden in his mechanical arm, Shu Qin attacks. She removes his mechanical limb and kills him with a point-blank shotgun blast in only a few seconds.
• Huang Mao tries to avenge Guo and attacks Shu Qin, but she evades him while Lin Xian supports her with Wind Guns. Lin wounds Huang Mao, who retreats into the zombie horde.
• Realizing that the Infinite’s forces are much stronger than expected, Huang Mao orders Luoluo to unleash the Corpse Tide.
• Luoluo uses her power to drive the surrounding zombies into a frenzy. The battlefield shifts as both sides must now fight the zombie swarm while still contending with enemy gunfire.
• Xu Jin deploys a modified electric Gatling gun from a heavy truck and orders the convoy to hold the line.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates quick thinking and creative control of his mechanical abilities, effectively countering Guo’s grenade and supporting Shu Qin against Huang Mao.
• Kiki reveals the destructive strength and precision of her telekinetic powers by using an entire power tower as a weapon.
• Shu Qin is revealed to be an exceptionally skilled and physically enhanced fighter despite apparently lacking Esper abilities. Her swift execution of Guo forces Lin Xian to reconsider how capable the “ordinary” survivors are.
• Ding Junyi remains calm and rational under fire, contrasting sharply with Zhao Yan and Xu Wen’s fear.
• Guo Lao Er shifts from overconfidence to terror after encountering opponents with superior abilities. His attempt to flee ends in his death.
• Huang Mao, initially confident in the convoy’s superiority, recognizes the threat posed by the Infinite and resorts to the Black Crow Convoy’s ultimate tactic.
• Luoluo demonstrates control over zombies, activating the Corpse Tide when the convoy begins losing the battle.
• Xu Jin takes command of the defensive response, organizing the convoy against the sudden zombie assault.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation and hidden strength: The Infinite’s people initially appear to be ordinary survivors, but Shu Qin’s combat ability proves that post–Polar Night physical evolution can create formidable fighters even without supernatural powers.
• Adaptation and ingenuity: Lin Xian, Kiki, and Shu Qin each use their abilities, equipment, and surroundings creatively rather than relying solely on brute force.
• Escalation of conflict: The battle progresses from a convoy assault to a three-sided struggle involving bandits, defenders, and a massive zombie horde.
• Composure versus panic: Ding Junyi’s calm logic and Xu Jin’s leadership contrast with the fear of less experienced characters and the growing desperation of the Black Crow Convoy.
• The dangers of overconfidence: Guo Lao Er and his allies assume they can easily defeat the train, but their misjudgment leads to heavy losses and forces them to reveal their strongest weapon.

Character Interactions

• Ding Junyi attempts to calm Zhao Yan and Xu Wen while they shelter inside the Research Carriage.
• Lin Xian battles Guo Lao Er, then cooperates with Shu Qin by catching the severed mechanical arm and covering her retreat.
• Kiki joins Lin Xian against Guo, showcasing her telekinetic power.
• Shu Qin and Huang Mao engage in a rapid exchange of attacks, with Lin intervening to injure Huang Mao.
• Huang Mao communicates with Luoluo, ordering her to activate the Corpse Tide.
• Xu Jin responds to Luoluo’s attack by deploying the Gatling gun and directing the convoy’s defense.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Xingchen and Qiu Long battle fiercely among the streets and shops while surrounded by Zombies. Lu uses powerful fire attacks, repeatedly shouting dramatic move names, while Qiu relies on his strange blood energy to recover from injuries and grow stronger during combat.
• Huang Mao and his armed followers attempt to reinforce the enemy forces. He orders Da Yong, an insect-like Esper, to attack the convoy and abduct Kiki.
• Chen Sixuan unexpectedly takes up an A33K anti-materiel sniper rifle and kills Da Yong with a single shot, blowing apart his upper body. The success shocks both Chen and the people around her.
• As the Corpse Tide overwhelms the battlefield, the convoy retreats into the train. Lin Xian and Shu Qin realize that defeating the person controlling the Zombies is their best chance of escaping.
• The convoy searches for the Corpse Tide controller while Old Mo identifies Huang Mao’s position. Rather than engage the heavily protected group directly, Old Mo launches three missiles from his modified truck toward Huang Mao’s hiding place.
• The chapter ends with Huang Mao realizing that the missiles are aimed at him just before they strike.

Character Developments

• Qiu Long remains a brutal and highly resilient fighter. His regenerative blood energy allows him to withstand Lu Xingchen’s attacks, though Lu’s overwhelming power and irritating battle cries infuriate him.
• Lu Xingchen demonstrates immense firepower but also shows immaturity and theatricality through his exaggerated attack names and lack of practical combat experience.
• Chen Sixuan undergoes a major transformation. Normally gentle and cautious, she is driven by anger and helplessness to use a sniper rifle. Her natural accuracy is exceptional, but killing someone leaves her shaken and emotionally distressed.
• Huang Mao continues to act as a cowardly, opportunistic leader, hiding behind vehicles and ordering others to fight. After losing several men, he is suddenly placed in mortal danger by Old Mo’s missile attack.
• Old Mo displays the convoy’s technological advantage and his calm, practical command style by locating Huang Mao and choosing a missile strike rather than a risky direct assault.
• Da Yong is characterized as a foolish, lustful thug whose confidence disappears instantly when Chen’s shot kills him.

Significant Themes

• Transformation under apocalypse: The disaster forces ordinary people such as Chen Sixuan to become killers and combatants, revealing abilities and courage they never knew they possessed.
• Violence and emotional cost: Chen’s successful shot is strategically valuable, but her horror afterward emphasizes that survival does not make killing psychologically easy.
• Technology versus overwhelming numbers: The convoy uses drones, radios, sniper rifles, armored vehicles, and missiles to counter the seemingly endless Corpse Tide.
• Contrasting combat styles: Lu’s flashy and dramatic attacks oppose Qiu Long’s efficient, savage endurance, while the convoy relies on teamwork and machinery.
• Power and vulnerability: Even powerful Espers and armed thugs can be abruptly destroyed, as shown by Da Yong’s death and Huang Mao’s sudden exposure to the missiles.

Character Interactions

• Qiu Long mocks Lu Xingchen’s flamboyant attack names, while Lu remains absorbed in his own fighting style and ignores the criticism.
• Huang Mao orders Da Yong to kill a woman and capture Kiki, treating both his subordinate and the women as disposable objects.
• Chen Sixuan confesses to Lin Xian that she only fired to help, and Lin reacts with surprise at her previously unknown talent. Sha Sha explains that she taught Chen only the basics, while Kiki enthusiastically praises Chen’s skill.
• Shu Qin, Lin Xian, Xu Jin, Old Mo, and the other convoy members coordinate over radio to locate the Corpse Tide’s controller and organize their counterattack.
• Old Mo’s convoy members debate how to deal with Huang Mao’s group before agreeing on a missile strike, highlighting their teamwork and casual confidence even in the middle of the crisis.

Chapter Summary: “Ambush”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Crow Convoy is devastated by a coordinated ambush. Several vehicles are destroyed by explosions, killing Huang Mao, Guo Lao Er, Da Yong, and many of their men.
• As Zombies pour from the city and fog spreads across the area, Lin Xian realizes the enemy includes an Esper capable of controlling Zombies. He leads an assault to locate and eliminate the mysterious ability user.
• Supported by Sha Sha’s grenades, Kiki’s drone surveillance, and heavy fire from Xu Jin’s convoy, Lin Xian breaks through the Zombie horde and identifies a purple-haired woman, Luoluo, inside a black truck. Her glowing eyes suggest she is the Zombie-controlling Esper.
• Qiu Long abandons the larger battle and launches a surprise attack on Lin Xian. Lin Xian blocks the punch with a suddenly created metal shield and fatally wounds Qiu Long with an electric attack.
• Despite severe injuries, Qiu Long regenerates and attempts to seize Sha Sha and Kiki as hostages, hoping to steal the train and reverse the battle’s outcome.
• Kiki immobilizes Qiu Long with psychic force, allowing Da Lou to cut him in half with his greatsword. Kiki then throws his remains into the Zombie horde, which tears him apart and apparently prevents him from regenerating.
• After the battle, Lu Xingchen dramatically discusses his Fire God abilities, but his speech is interrupted when Sha Sha notices an RV speeding away. Lu Xingchen realizes that someone has stolen his prized vehicle and reacts furiously.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates strong tactical awareness and versatility, combining firearms, electricity, psychic sensing, and metal manipulation to survive Qiu Long’s ambush.
• Kiki is revealed to be an extremely powerful psychic-type Esper. Her ability to freeze Qiu Long in midair makes her a decisive factor in his defeat.
• Sha Sha remains frightened when Qiu Long attacks but still acts as part of the team and helps expose the stolen RV afterward.
• Da Lou protects Sha Sha and Kiki with overwhelming force, killing Qiu Long. However, Qiu Long’s blood energy appears to infect or affect him, causing the veins in his face to redden and his flesh to react strangely.
• Qiu Long shifts from confident attacker to desperate opportunist. After failing to defeat Lin Xian directly, he resorts to hostage-taking but is ultimately killed because he underestimates Kiki and Da Lou.
• Lu Xingchen continues to display great combat power and theatrical, self-important behavior. His pride is humorously undercut when he discovers that his RV has been stolen.
• Luoluo is established as a likely Zombie-controlling Esper and becomes a key target for Lin Xian, though she survives the immediate confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Teamwork versus overwhelming numbers: The convoy survives through coordination between Lin Xian’s group, Xu Jin’s forces, and their combined firepower.
• Adaptability in battle: Lin Xian repeatedly changes tactics, while Qiu Long’s inability to adapt beyond brute force and intimidation leads to his defeat.
• The danger of special abilities: The Zombie-controlling Esper represents a threat more dangerous than ordinary physical enemies, capable of turning entire hordes into weapons.
• Loyalty and protection: Da Lou’s immediate defense of Sha Sha and Kiki contrasts with Qiu Long’s attempt to exploit them as hostages.
• Humor amid apocalypse: Lu Xingchen’s exaggerated “Fire God” persona and the sudden theft of his RV provide comic relief after the brutal battle.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Kiki: Kiki uses her drone to identify Luoluo and guide Lin Xian toward the target, showing their effective tactical partnership.
• Lin Xian and Qiu Long: Qiu Long attempts a surprise attack, but Lin Xian anticipates it and counters with his shield and electric power.
• Qiu Long, Sha Sha, and Kiki: Qiu Long tries to capture the girls, believing they are Lin Xian’s vulnerabilities. Kiki instead immobilizes him, revealing that Sha Sha’s apparent dependence on “Big Brother” masks the team’s formidable strength.
• Da Lou and Qiu Long: Da Lou responds violently to the threat against Sha Sha and Kiki, cutting Qiu Long in half.
• Lu Xingchen and Kiki/Sha Sha: Lu Xingchen praises Kiki’s psychic ability and launches into a grandiose speech about his divine mission, while the girls regard him with confusion and skepticism.
• Lu Xingchen and his RV: Sha Sha unknowingly delivers the devastating news that Lu Xingchen’s beloved RV—the vehicle he calls the Fire God—has been taken.

Chapter Summary: “Jellyfish Swarm”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qiu Long is killed, causing the remaining Black Crow Four thugs to flee. Xu Jin and Shu Qin gun down many of the escapees.
• The purple-haired woman attempts to escape in a heavy truck, but Old Mo orders Lin Xian to withdraw. The Tieli Team launches two missiles, destroying the truck and killing her.
• Lu Xingchen discovers that his Fire God RV has been stolen during the battle. He is devastated because the vehicle also contained the clothes and supplies tied to his eccentric persona.
• The thief, Zhou Lei, drives away in the RV, believing he has narrowly escaped the convoy and secured a chance to rebuild his life. His confidence vanishes when he notices a gigantic jellyfish-like creature approaching through the clouds.
• The convoy encounters multiple enormous Sky Jellyfish while fleeing a massive Corpse Tide. The creatures are larger than buildings, and their tentacles are known to be extremely destructive.
• Lin Xian orders the convoy to accelerate toward Airport Base and warns everyone not to attack prematurely, fearing a chain reaction.
• When a jellyfish approaches within striking distance, Lin Xian orders the Tieli Team to fire. Missiles destroy several tentacles, which fall onto rooftops and among the Zombies, producing corrosive sizzling and thick white mist.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian demonstrates caution and leadership by retreating from the missile strike, prioritizing the convoy’s safety, and coordinating its escape from both Zombies and the jellyfish.
• Lu Xingchen suffers a major emotional blow after losing his RV and belongings. His usual carefree, flamboyant confidence disappears, leaving him visibly dejected and vulnerable.
• Zhou Lei is characterized as opportunistic and self-satisfied. He steals the RV and believes his survival proves his cleverness, but the approaching Sky Jellyfish immediately threatens his escape.
• Sha Sha and Lin Xian show compassion toward Lu Xingchen. Although eccentric, he fought alongside the convoy, so Lin Xian accepts responsibility for helping him and has Sha Sha find him clothing.
• The convoy survivors become increasingly frightened as the scale and number of the jellyfish become clear, emphasizing their dependence on coordinated leadership.

Significant Themes

• Survival and opportunism: Zhou Lei’s theft contrasts with the convoy’s cooperation, showing how individuals exploit chaos while groups rely on unity.
• The fragility of security: Lu Xingchen loses his home and possessions in moments, while Zhou Lei’s apparent escape is immediately endangered.
• Leadership under pressure: Lin Xian must balance retreat, caution, and decisive firepower as multiple threats converge.
• The unknown dangers of the apocalypse: The Sky Jellyfish represent a terrifying, poorly understood force beyond ordinary Zombies and human enemies.
• Compassion amid catastrophe: Despite limited resources, Lin Xian chooses to help the defeated Lu Xingchen rather than abandon him.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian stops Lu Xingchen from chasing the stolen RV and later arranges for him to receive shelter and clothes.
• Old Mo communicates with Lin Xian and orders him away before the missile strike.
• Xu Jin and Shu Qin support the convoy by eliminating fleeing enemies and warning others about the approaching threat.
• Sha Sha asks Lin Xian whether Lu Xingchen can be brought along, prompting Lin Xian’s decision to protect him.
• Lin Xian coordinates the entire convoy through radio commands, eventually ordering the missile attack when the jellyfish threatens to make contact.

Chapter Summary: “Burning Squid”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The convoy and the orbital train Infinite race along an elevated rail while being attacked by a gigantic Sky Jellyfish.
• The creature’s roar shatters skyscraper windows, and its tentacles sweep vehicles from the track. One off-road vehicle is knocked over the barrier, killing its occupants beneath a swarm of Zombies.
• The convoy fires continuously, damaging the jellyfish, but pieces of its corrosive flesh rain down, burning and rotting vehicles and people. The formation nearly collapses.
• As darkness and fog intensify, an even larger Sky Jellyfish appears ahead, making the convoy’s survival seem nearly impossible.
• Lin Xian devises a desperate plan: use stored gasoline and Lu Xingchen’s fire abilities to create a massive airborne explosion, which he jokingly calls a “burning squid.”
• Kiki retrieves the gasoline barrels with telekinesis, demonstrating that she can now briefly fly. Lu Xingchen, initially devastated over losing his car, agrees to help after being promised a private train carriage.
• Lin Xian creates a metal staircase so Lu Xingchen can reach the train roof. Kiki throws the gasoline barrels toward the creature while Lu Xingchen launches a huge fireball.
• The gasoline ignites in midair, producing an enormous explosion that engulfs half of the Sky Jellyfish. Old Mo prepares to follow up with missiles, while the convoy takes cover from the flames.

Character Developments

• Lin Xian acts as a decisive battlefield leader, quickly identifying a creative method to exploit the jellyfish’s vulnerability to fire and coordinating the entire attack.
• Kiki shows increasing mastery of her telekinetic powers. She can now lift the gasoline barrels and even fly, though she is still excited and inexperienced with the ability.
• Lu Xingchen is comically obsessed with his destroyed car, which he considers his home and companion. However, he rapidly regains his courage when offered a replacement carriage and confidently unleashes his fire powers.
• Shu Qin reacts emotionally to the deaths of fellow convoy members, then suppresses her grief and urges everyone to remain focused.
• Old Mo embraces Lin Xian’s risky plan and commits the convoy’s missile supply to finishing the attack.

Significant Themes

• Survival through cooperation: The convoy survives by combining Lin Xian’s strategy, Kiki’s telekinesis, Lu Xingchen’s fire, and Old Mo’s missiles.
• Improvisation under pressure: The “burning squid” attack turns ordinary gasoline and unusual abilities into a powerful weapon.
• Loss and resilience: The deaths and injuries within the convoy emphasize the brutal cost of survival, while the survivors continue moving forward.
• Humor amid catastrophe: Lu Xingchen’s attachment to his car and theatrical “Fire God” persona provide comic relief during an otherwise desperate battle.
• Growing power and adaptation: Kiki’s newfound ability to fly and the group’s increasingly coordinated abilities suggest that the survivors are becoming more capable in the post-apocalyptic world.

Character Interactions

• Lin Xian and Kiki: Lin Xian gives Kiki the crucial task of transporting the gasoline, trusting her developing powers.
• Kiki and Lu Xingchen: Kiki drags the reluctant Lu Xingchen into action, mocks his self-pity, and coordinates with him during the attack.
• Lin Xian and Lu Xingchen: Lin Xian tests whether Lu Xingchen can still fight, then provides him with access to the train roof so he can use his fire safely.
• Lin Xian, Shu Qin, and Xu Jin: Lin Xian orders the convoy leaders to protect their people and prevent anyone from firing during the fire attack; they accept his command.
• Lin Xian and Old Mo: Their radio exchange establishes a coordinated plan, with Lin Xian igniting the jellyfish and Old Mo preparing the missile barrage.