"How are you guys doing? Did you encounter anything strange?" Lin Xian asked.
"No." Shu Qin shook her head, "Aside from sealing the doors and windows, weâve been keeping silent."
"Several convoys experienced issues, spores invaded the vehicles, and some got infected. Brother Shi has already informed us in advance. In such cases, we can only abandon the vehicle and seal the compartment," Chen Sixuan said.
"How many people?"
"About... over a hundred people." Chen Sixuanâs tone was slightly heavy.
Lin Xian nodded, "Itâs good that the situation hasnât spread."
"Captain Lin."
At this time, Monica and her group of subordinates were also walking along the passage beside the tracks, along with Qian Deliâs group, the Sunshine Teamâs Luo Yang, and Li Yi wearing a large anti-toxic mask, followed at the back, while Shi Deyuan, with a bandage, also joined Ning Jing as they led people to gather at the Zero Element Center platform.
"Whatâs the situation now, are we all staying underground?" Monica wasnât wearing her mink velvet coat, but a set of red full-cover battle armor. It was a lightweight battle armor, resembling some kind of leather combat suit at first glance. Her tall figure was astonishingly revealed by this armor, and the full-cover helmet completely blocked the spore mists. It was obviously an expensive private design.
"I donât like staying underground, itâs musty and damp here, and itâs not maintained. If there was a collapse, we would all be buried alive," Qian Deli said, his voice muffled by his anti-toxic mask.
"Having a place to stay is already good," Shi Deyuan came from behind, his voice loud, "Staying here is better than letting those plant-like creatures, which are more dangerous than dynamite, surround us!"
"Captain Lin," Ning Jing asked Lin Xian at this time, "Are we sure we have to wait for the next mycelium active cycle here?"
Lin Xian nodded and glanced at the crowd.
"The plan has changed; we need to rest here underground for 30 hours. Some other situations also need to be communicated quickly."
After saying that, Lin Xian led the crowd into the monitoring hall of the Zero Element Center and recounted the previous situation and the information about the corpse chaser to everyone.
"To be honest, Iâm not completely sure about this information, but currently, underground, we should be safe. As long as the roads are clear, we can relocate immediately if problems arise."
"Corpse chaser?" Qian Deli crossed his arms upon hearing this, "Every time I hear that name, itâs never a good omen."
Ning Jing looked at him, "Have you seen one?"
Qian Deli shrugged, "I havenât really seen one, but when I escaped from Star Abyss No. 4, I encountered a huge monster tide. Of the dozen or so convoys I knew, I was the only one who escaped. Itâs really a bringer of disaster."
"Iâve heard the corpse chaser is the guardian of an Extreme Night tide," Monica chimed in at this time, "Every Star Abyss has one, and now weâre on the northwest edge of Star Abyss No. 5, so itâs not a surprise this thing showed up."
"Indeed!" Shi Deyuan nodded as well, looking at Lin Xian, "Brother Lin, weâll go along with your plan. Weâve only got one life, better to be overly cautious than dismissive. Finding a way out is better than fixing rails, even if it means staying underground for a day, impatience wonât kill anyone."
"I agree too," Luo Yang said at this time, "Weâll follow Captain Linâs arrangements for everything."
Li Yi stood by, her face peculiar as she said, "So, Captain Lin, shouldnât we all stay in the car?"
Lin Xian nodded and said, "This Deep Red World has a few secret permanent warehouses set up along the underground tracks of Yijin. There are plenty of supplies, and since everyoneâs traveled from Xilan City, we should use them to resupply. Today weâll rest in this tunnel, but to be safe, each convoy needs rotating personnel. The areas not so deep already have mycelium penetration; avoid lighting where possible, and keep all compartments as quiet as possible. We might depart at any time!"
"Alright! Letâs do that. Inform those dozen or so convoys right away. Too many people make scheduling difficult; itâs hard for a big ship to change course. Everyone needs to be a little more cautious," Shi Deyuan said.
After that, Lin Xianâs plan was quickly communicated, and each convoy began to take action.
In the monitoring hall, Qian Deli, Monica, and others came to the glass wall and looked at the honeycomb pit below, showing expressions of surprise.
"Uploading consciousness, eternal illusion? Isnât that the digital life plan, which was clearly prohibited long ago?" Qian Deli crossed his arms, "Uploading your consciousness into those disgusting mushroom mycelia, just thinking about it is sickening."
"What a bunch of fools. Once infected by mycelium, even if youâre still alive, youâre like neither human nor ghost. Whatâs the point of living like that?"
"I heard that after connecting with mycelium, it maintains a dopamine level more than 10 times the happiest state of humans," Luo Yang leaned over and said, "These people are really daring. I wouldnât dare let those strange mycelia enter my brain."
"Perhaps itâs to escape the reality of the apocalypse. Extreme Night is unavoidable, and this might be a gamble to avoid the darkness," Li Yi said as she walked over with her big belly. Along the way, she had witnessed all kinds of human tragedies and seen many who, even without being invaded by darkness, chose to end their lives after their inner beliefs collapsed, as a way to escape reality.
In the battle at Xilan Airport, many people she knew died, her husband Liang Lei is still in a coma, and if it wasnât for Uncle Wuâs apparent charge, she would have become a widowed pregnant woman in the apocalypse. Compared to others, Li Yiâs situation was much more challenging, so after merging with Luo Yangâs group, the two of them developed thoughts of joining Infinity together.