Chapter 53: The Corpse Driver (Requesting Monthly Votes)

From the perspective of Lin Xian, indeed, most of the vehicles were smeared with some color, though it was impossible to tell whether it was paint or fresh blood.

In this apocalyptic era, blood plasma served as the most convenient red pigment.

Human civilization as a species was always like this; once order shattered, it would spontaneously give birth to new forms of order.

Within the darkness, these fragile orders resembled faint sparks of fire, quickly drawing scattered groups adrift in the apocalypse to huddle close.

In an unknown environment, those who wished to prey on others must also prepare themselves to be preyed upon. Just like the "Oasis" convoy earlier, which attempted highway robbery the moment they left the city, branding the entire convoy as thugs, these people actually belonged to the very destroyers of such order.

"With so many of you gathered together, aren't you worried about those monsters?" Lin Xian asked tentatively.

"Oh, you mean the Spirit-Wandering Detector? That thing is quite troublesome. It requires the power of red beans, and it's a consumable item. Previously, the Federal Phoenix Society published the manufacturing method for a simple harmonic detection device, mentioning that it could be used for regional scanning to increase the survival rate among survivors. Some people among the survivors who were proficient in mechanical components managed to build a few. Our Chasing Wind Convoy has one, and it cost us quite a steep price."

At these words, KIKI suddenly cast a glance at Lin Xian beside her and nudged him with her elbow.

"Hey, hey~"

A slight ripple stirred in Lin Xian's heart, and he returned KIKI's look. Of course, he understood her gaze.

Mechanical manufacturing?

Wasn't that his forte? There was no need to build things by hand; as long as he had materials and blueprints, Lin Xian could elevate precision to an industrial level!

"So this thing can be used for trade as well?"

"Of course it can!" The young man widened his eyes and said in a resonant voice, "Detectors like this are hot commodities right now, in high demand and short supply. Unless you go to a large city or a survivor gathering point, where else in these desolate wildernesses would you find a genius capable of hand-crafting detectors?"

"Moreover, not only are supplies scarce, but it's also freezing cold. Energy, heating equipment, water purification equipment, radios, medicines—which of these isn't hard currency? Drinking rainwater under the night sky will get you killed!"

"And the temperature keeps dropping. If this continues, before we're bitten to death by zombies, we'll practically freeze to death."

Chatting nonstop all the way through the snow, the young man soon led Lin Xian and his companion to the gates of the factory.

"This is it. Brother Yun is over there. You guys chat, I need to go keep watch," he said, pointing inside the factory.

The original workshops and factory buildings inside had long been reduced to ruins. A pile of firewood had been ignited, casting a sizable bonfire whose orange-red glow illuminated a dozen swaying shadows.

Seeing Lin Xian and KIKI approach, those dozen people turned their heads one after another. They were scattered around the bonfire; some stood, some sat on the ground, some perched on abandoned rubble, and others held liquor bottles.

These people were men and women, young and old alike. Jiang Yun, seated in the center, spotted Lin Xian and immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Over here. What are your names?"

"Lin Xian. KIKI."

"Ah, and your convoy?"

Hearing this, the other party seemed to be asking for the name of his convoy.

Lin Xian thought for a moment. "Infinite Convoy."

The Infinite Convoy, yet they drove a train...

"Okay." Jiang Yun made a welcoming gesture toward Lin Xian and KIKI. "Feel free to make yourselves at home, there aren't too many rules here. If you have any needs, just speak up. If anyone else wants to trade with you, they can bring out their own items. Of course, everyone can compete; the items belong to you, and it's up to your choice. However, it's not easy for everyone to gather together. Aside from getting acquainted, it's best to exchange recent situations or intelligence to gain a bit more vigilance and experience, so that if we happen to run into each other in the future, we'll at least be familiar faces."

"For instance, if you take the Jiangyu Route into Yubei City—some people here travel that way, while others head toward Fengcheng and Xingcheng. Although everyone is running eastward, the routes differ."

Lin Xian nodded.

"I heard you drive a train?"

Just as Jiang Yun finished speaking, a short-haired woman in her thirties not far away immediately asked Lin Xian.

Lin Xian looked at her.

"Shu Qin, from the Big Foot Convoy." Catching Lin Xian's gaze, the woman introduced herself first. "No offense meant. Our route looped south from Daloshan to get here, and we'll be heading to Yubei next. I just wanted to mention that a few days ago, we saw a federal train carrying heavy equipment heading toward the Daloshan area. It's likely that an anomalous zone or a major anomalous entity has appeared. You might pass through that section if you take the Jiangyu Route, so I'm giving you a heads-up."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xian's expression shifted slightly. "I understand. Thank you."

Shu Qin's words instantly lowered his guard against this bonfire meeting and simultaneously added a layer of goodwill toward the woman.

"Alright, let's continue." With a serious expression, Jiang Yun looked at Lin Xian and said, "Everyone has already discussed some matters. Since a new friend has arrived, I'll reiterate the important news. This information might help everyone survive, and it's one of the reasons we gathered despite the risks."

"Currently, besides the information from the Big Foot Convoy, there are two primary pieces of news. First, around Ping'a Lake extending to Congshan, Beiwan, and Daloshan, an anomalous radio frequency of 1542 has appeared. Three different convoys have received it during the night, accompanied by incidents of personnel disappearing. We all suspect this might be related to the anomalous zone the Big Foot Convoy just mentioned."

Personnel disappearing?

"The radio you mentioned—is that the one you modified using the red beads?" KIKI asked curiously at this moment.

Jiang Yun nodded. "Yes. I suggest you equip yourselves with one as well, otherwise it will be very troublesome if you miss warning messages from surrounding convoys or official sources. If you want these red beans, quite a few convoys here have them. Later on, you can just see what you have to trade for them."

"Now, for the second piece of information."

Jiang Yun took a deep breath and looked at Lin Xian. "Within the No. 3 Star Abyss Polar Night Zone, Corpse-Lifting Taoists are active!"

At these words, even the air seemed to drop by a degree. Although the captains of the other twelve convoys had already learned of it, hearing it spoken aloud by Jiang Yun still caused their expressions to shift slightly.

"Corpse-Lifting Taoists?" Lin Xian frowned. Hearing this name for some reason gave him a chilling sensation.

"Yes."

"Are they actually human or not?" KIKI arched her delicate eyebrows and asked.

Jiang Yun shook his head. "Unknown, and nobody knows what they are. All the information comes from the dark frequencies of the radio, transmitted right from the adjacent regions."

As he spoke, he pointed toward a middle-of-the-road burly man opposite him.

"Our Chasing Wind Convoy and their Black Sword Rangers both just escaped from the polar night, and we've confirmed that we heard the hellish weeping described by the Phoenix Society over that radio. It's said to be the precursor to the appearance of Corpse-Lifting Taoists..."

Weeping?!

Hearing this, Lin Xian's heart gave a sudden start.

Come to think of it, when they eliminated that red centipede earlier, close to that black miasma, he had indeed heard wails reminiscent of hell, which had startled him at the time. Hearing Jiang Yun's words now made it all click into place.

"This Corpse-Lifting Taoist is rumored to be some kind of evil entity nurtured by the Star Abyss. It hadn't appeared during the first polar night, but since the second polar night began, many reports have surfaced from regions close to the Star Abyss. Once, a heavy armored guard brigade carrying a multitude of drones, armored vehicles, and kinetic weapons attempted to enter the Star Abyss for reconnaissance, resulting in total annihilation. The only transmission coming through the dark frequency radio was countless cries sounding as though they came straight from hell. According to rumors among some survivors, it's some kind of humanoid creature, though not necessarily reliable—it's just a label that spread out, now dubbed the Corpse-Lifting Taoist by the Phoenix Society..."

"Gosh, that terrifying? Didn't even mechs work?" KIKI asked, startled and dismayed.

"Little sister, if mechs worked, would we still be running for our lives?" A bearded older brother let out a bitter laugh. "Forget about us now; even the Federal Phoenix Society has no idea what else lingers within the polar night. Every day, countless eyewitness and attack reports flood the radio. For instance, have you ever seen a jellyfish?"

"What's so rare about a jellyfish..." KIKI frowned.

"I'm talking about a jellyfish the size of a mountain," the bearded man said with a solemn expression, pointing upward, and said coldly.

"And it's in the sky!"

"Yes... some survivors seemed to have witnessed it hovering above the Ping'a Lake area." Shu Qin's expression turned gloomy. "It's terrifying..."

Lin Xian's expression shifted slightly. "As big as a mountain? Is that what you call a major anomalous entity?"

"Right." Jiang Yun nodded, his complexion somewhat unsightly. "There are all kinds of terrifying and bizarre things in the dark. Insect monsters aside, the most troublesome thing is running into something incomprehensible."

"Incomprehensible?"

Quite a few people directed their gazes at Lin Xian then, their eyes complex or uneasy. Jiang Yun responded in a deep voice:

"For instance, ghosts."

As those words fell, a sudden gust of chilling wind swept through. The flickering bonfire seemed to respond, its flames rapidly shrinking as the entire space grew dim.

The atmosphere instantly turned icy cold.