Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 207: Clear Mark

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

In Car No. 5, Daluo gripped his gun tightly. Lu Xingchen stood with arms crossed, eyes closed, playing the role of a mysterious expert. The tea brewer in front of them whistled as steam rose.

Chen Sixuan watched the tracks ahead, tense with anticipation, afraid that at any moment, some terrifying creature would suddenly lunge at them.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes...

Ten minutes passed, and the train continued moving quietly. A wide track appeared ahead, and with a series of clanking sounds, Infinite Train smoothly merged back onto the main rail.

"Lin Xian..." Chen Sixuan turned to look at him, seeing him standing silently beside her.

At that moment, Lin Xian let out a slow breath, his expression shifting. "It seems... Dark Mark is real. Every survivor is a marked prey being hunted."

He vividly remembered that during the previous two nights, before they entered Rain Town’s vicinity, those eerie entities had appeared outside Infinite Train almost instantly.

It was as if Infinite Train were a beacon in the dark tide, attracting a swarm of monsters, all waiting for the moment the light went out—ready to pounce!

But now, everything around them was silent. So silent, in fact, that Lin Xian found it eerily unreal.

Chen Sixuan covered her mouth, eyes filled with disbelief as she stared into the darkness ahead.

"So terrifying... We thought we were hiding, but in reality, we've always been in their sight."

Lin Xian spoke, "There should be some safe zones, or perhaps, once the mark is gone, we enter a dormant state, making us relatively safer."

SCREECH—

After another ten minutes, they had completely left the valley of Rain Town and arrived at an open forest. Lin Xian brought the train to a stop.

"We're not moving forward?" Chen Sixuan asked.

"No need. Now that we've confirmed this, we should take advantage of the dormant state to rest. There's no point in rushing forward blindly in the dark," Lin Xian replied.

He had no intention of immediately attracting a new mark after just getting rid of one.

Now that they knew they were safe, the priority was to stop and resupply—restock ammunition, replenish food. That was the right course of action.

"Good. We still haven't sorted through all the supplies we collected in Rain Town." Chen Sixuan sighed in relief. Then she asked, "Earlier, you mentioned an S-Class Eerie Entity in the Parma Grasslands. Should we change our route?"

Lin Xian nodded. "Of course. We can't afford to provoke an S-Class entity right now. If we get marked by one, we could end up facing a disaster like what happened in Yubei City..."

Chen Sixuan agreed. "Alright. In that case, we can head to Hengshan Pass first and decide our next move based on Phoenix’s intelligence."

Lin Xian ruffled his hair, feeling a rare sense of relief. "It's been a while since I felt this way—without zombies or eerie entities swarming us."

Then, he turned to Chen Sixuan. "What do you think about the route?"

She pondered for a moment. "I remember you mentioned before that we should avoid large cities. That means we might have to take detours off the main orbital route around areas like Longjiang, Jinhai, and Xingcheng. Those places are unavoidable if we stick to the main track."

"If we avoid Parma Grasslands, then the choice after Hengshan Pass comes down to the northern or southern route. The northern path goes through the Western Gobi and Takan Desert, near Abyss Zone No. 5. The southern path passes through Qingshui, Lancheng, and Yunlan—closer to Abyss Zone No. 7. If we want to reach Xingcheng, we'd need to get back on the main track before Jinhai."

Lin Xian nodded. "Whether we cross the ocean or take the northern continental shelf over Qiong’gu Strait, we’ll need to upgrade the train's drive system and stock up on supplies and ammunition beforehand. Xingcheng is the best option for that."

"Also, compared to before, we have a bit more time now. Let’s pass Hengshan Pass first, then decide based on what happens in Parma Grasslands. Until then, we can adjust course. According to Phoenix’s intel, their nearest outposts are in Xilan and Jinhai. The rest of their teams don’t disclose their coordinates. We need to contact Phoenix as soon as possible and hand over the research data on Dark Mark to them."

Chen Sixuan nodded. "We found a wireless radio from the Vajra Convoy. It was the device they used to lure us into Rain Town. Now that we have it, why don’t we broadcast this information directly? If Phoenix picks up on it, they might come to us."

"No."

Lin Xian shook his head firmly. "You’re thinking too simply. The survivor frequencies are too chaotic right now. Everyone is barely staying alive. If you suddenly announce, ‘Don’t run, just kill the eerie entities, and it’ll be safer,’ do you think people will believe you?"

Even Phoenix wouldn’t accept it outright. They’d need detailed research data from Director Ding and would likely conduct tests first. Besides, not everyone has Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum. They couldn’t distribute it to everyone.

Only after Phoenix verified the findings through experiments would they release it publicly. This even involved their operational approach—if confirmed, many survivors might realize that escape was a dead end, leading to greater panic and despair.

That, in turn, would fuel the old Federation government’s underground city plan.

Phoenix and the old Federation fundamentally differed in survival philosophy and resistance strategies. Due to Polar Night, most survivors believed in escaping the darkness. But Dark Mark introduced the risk of cumulative danger with escape, forcing survivors to reconsider their choices.

"So, what should we do?"

"Do what we must. The rest is for the higher-ups to decide."

Lin Xian took a deep breath. His responsibility was to deliver the critical information. The rest was beyond his control.

"Alright, Chen, take a team to inventory our supplies and prepare dinner. After all this running, we finally won a battle. We deserve a victory feast."

Chen Sixuan agreed, her expression brightening. "Right. Several girls in the convoy are great cooks, and the dining car is equipped with ovens and woks now. Let’s make a feast!"

That night, the deep forest was quiet, the darkness serene.

Dozens of kilometers outside Rain Town, the 400-meter-long Infinite Train rested in the dense woods, its heavy doors sealed tight. Soft yellow light from the train windows pierced the surrounding darkness, bringing a sense of security to its passengers.

Since Jiang City, this was the first time Lin Xian had shared a meal with so many people—and the first time he had a proper cooked meal in ages.

Chen Sixuan and the skilled female team members had worked for over an hour, firing up the oven, wok, soup pot, and grill to prepare an enticing feast:

Tomato beef soup, fragrant roasted jerky, stir-fried noodles, sweet soup made with honey and canned fruit—and the highlight, a massive stew of braised pork, beef, salted fish, and dried vegetables!

Chen Sixuan even brought out some red wine to celebrate their survival.

"Wow! Having a dining car makes all the difference! We even have stir-fried noodles!" KIKI and Shasha ran into the dining car, their eyes gleaming at the long table full of food.

Shasha licked her lips, staring in awe. "I can't take it anymore! I’m drooling just looking at this!"

Gurgle—

Behind them, Daluo’s stomach let out an audible growl as he eyed the food.

"Bro! I heard that! Could you keep it down?" Shasha complained.

"Hehe." Daluo chuckled sheepishly. "We fought hard today. Of course, I’m hungry."

In the apocalypse, a hearty meal was perhaps the only comfort in a night full of despair.

"Not bad." Lu Xingchen walked in, surveying the setup with approval. "Clean dining car, aromatic food—this pleases me greatly."

Chen Sixuan rolled her eyes. "Then why are you still standing there? Sit down already. You want me to beg you?"

"Haha! Coming!" KIKI quickly grabbed a seat.

Once everyone was gathered, Lin Xian stood up, gaze sharp.

"Tonight, we celebrate surviving another battle. From now on, this train is our home. But we all know about Dark Mark now, and we won’t just keep running—we’ll fight back for our survival."

"Our next mission is to relay this information to the world through Phoenix."

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"You may ask—why take this risk?"

Lin Xian raised his glass, eyes fierce.

"For the soldiers of Starfleet Iron Guard Brigade 52 and Yubei Spaceport Security Regiment—who sacrificed their lives for us."