Lin Xian felt the ringing in his ears growing sharper and sharper.

He quietly stared at the metal die and the countdown displayed on his retina, his entire body frozen in place, his mind seeming to dull at this moment.

Lin Xian’s lips parted slightly as he tried to adjust his thoughts.

"Gre... Grace."

"Grace!"

If Grace didn’t respond, it was very likely that the connection between him and the Flickering Bullet had been severed. Lin Xian tried to focus his attention to sense the strange dark presence at his brow, but the numbers in front of him made it difficult to concentrate.

"What the hell is going on..."

A bad premonition grew deep inside him.

Lin Xian clenched his fists. If the link with Grace was cut off, it would mean losing control over the Southern Celestial Gate, as well as losing the direct connection to Chu Yan’s consciousness. All the efforts the Phoenix Society’s Starry Sky Research Lab had made recently would be in vain!

He fixed his gaze on the metal die, then took a deep breath and immediately withdrew his consciousness from the Black Star Forge, sitting down and adjusting his breathing repeatedly.

"Damn it, focus!"

At this moment, Lin Xian opened the left arm of his power armor, took out a reserve vial of cold-dark reagent, and stabbed it sharply into his heart!

The taste!

A surging wave of dark energy instantly flooded his body. Lin Xian clenched his fist and concentrated again.

"Grace!"

[I’m here!]

When Grace’s crisp voice sounded in Lin Xian’s ear, he felt his head shake, and the breath that had been stuck in his throat dropped by three degrees of tension.

"Grace, what just happened? Is there anything abnormal with the Southern Celestial Gate?!"

[15 minutes ago, near-Earth orbit sensors detected an abnormal gamma ray burst (peak 3.15 TeV), source azimuth α -17.3°, lasting 0.42 seconds. The burst penetrated the radiation shielding of the beam platform’s core processor. I have isolated the damaged unit and activated the backup power circuit, while scanning for deep system faults.]

"Gamma ray burst? Did it affect the operation of the Southern Celestial Gate?"

[The beam platform’s core processor currently has a system risk. It is recommended not to activate the Southern Celestial Gate. I will complete repairs as soon as possible. Are you encountering an emergency?]

"I..." Lin Xian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then asked, "What about Chu Yan? Can you still contact her and the Phoenix Society?"

[Grace currently has no active mission to contact Chu Yan. If you need, I can attempt communication.]

"Contact her."

[Grace understands.]

A few minutes later, Grace responded again.

[No response from Chu Yan.]

"What’s going on?"

[It’s difficult to determine the exact cause. The Oceanic Titan has not produced a definite theory regarding the connection principle with the Flickering Bullet. However, combining what you know, it leans more toward a “quantum communication” type research direction.]

Lin Xian pinched his brow, paused, and continued,

"What about the abnormal entity outside the Southern Celestial Gate? Has it caused any damage?"

[According to observations, this is a cosmic-space-like creature with no fixed form. Its body appears asphalt-like, wrapping and adhering to the North 2-6 photovoltaic arrays and the outer shell of the energy-concentrating main structure. It has not attacked the spatial device. I have fully repaired and connected the defense platform’s close-range weapons for debris clearing, but attempting an attack might trigger an uncertain chain reaction.]

Lin Xian shook his head. "If it’s not threatening you or the Southern Celestial Gate, do not initiate an attack for now."

[Understood. May I interpret this as permission for Grace to launch self-defense if attacked?]

"Of course."

[Okay.] Grace’s voice was calm and clear.

Lin Xian thought for a moment, then said, "Help me keep trying to contact Chu Yan. Notify me if there’s any news."

[Grace understands.]

After confirming that Grace and the Southern Celestial Gate were unharmed, Lin Xian finally relaxed a bit. He did not entertain any illusions—Chu Yan, the earlier anomaly, and the countdown before him must be connected. The only uncertainty was whether this had anything to do with Chen Yanxiu.

"34 hours, that’s 10 a.m. the day after tomorrow..."

Lin Xian watched the constantly changing numbers with growing seriousness. "What does this countdown mean? What will happen the day after tomorrow? Why does that metal die show the same number? Coincidence? Or is it a sign of something?"

Buzz!

A mechanical arm extended from behind Lin Xian, surging electromagnetic forces tightly gripping the metal die. As Lin Xian took it out, the entire control room floor trembled sharply with the support force of his power armor. The all-metal floor and platform dented down a few millimeters.

Since fleeing Jiang City, Lin Xian had never encountered such chaos and confusion. Now, he could say he had no clue at all.

Blood vines, the Triangle Man, the metal die.

Sanctum, Chen Yanxiu, Mount Garland.

And the Oceanic Titan, which seemed to catch the Sanctum Organization off guard, the second time he saw the Triangle Man, the mysterious Deep-3 nuclear thermal emplacement, and what Chen Yanxiu mentioned...

Why did the Dark Civilization suddenly cancel the mission to eliminate him? Was the Oceanic Titan’s departure related to this?

And now the Southern Celestial Gate suffered an abnormal gamma ray burst and the countdown appeared before his eyes—what does this all mean?

Maybe he would know the reason when the countdown ends, but Lin Xian was not going to just wait to die.

"Damn it!"

Lin Xian suddenly stood up with blazing eyes. "Sister Ning, KIKI, any findings?"

Inside the Abyss-level North Wind-09 strategic nuclear submarine, the metal hull walls were covered with condensation droplets. The eerie blue emergency lights cast Sister Ning’s shadow long along the pipeline-filled corridor. She entered the submarine’s torpedo bay, facing a densely packed array of torpedo launch tubes mounted on the hull base. Upon hearing Lin Xian’s voice, she immediately responded,

"Captain Lin, this submarine carries plenty of supplies and weapons—enough to support a hundred-person operation. Everything is in good condition. We also found 12 high-explosive torpedoes and 20 special-looking torpedoes, apparently for underwater baiting. Each has over 200 bait explosive units, enough to affect a large sea area. It seems Sanctum uses this method to evade deep-sea monsters."

"Just those torpedoes?" Lin Xian asked.

"But bait alone can’t fool those deep-sea creatures." In the submarine’s central control room, KIKI pointed at a box-shaped device glowing purple at the bottom of the console and said over comms, "I also found a device similar to our Synchro Tower, which can resist dark invasions in the deep sea. However, it can’t block the nuclear reactor’s energy signals. They must have other methods."

"Could it be a Forbidden Artifact?" Sister Ning replied, "That Sacred Revelation person earlier—this organization has deep research on Forbidden Artifacts and the Star Abyss. It might be related."

"Maybe."

KIKI continued searching the submarine’s system for information, trying to find data on ocean currents and routes, while also worrying about Lin Xian.

"Lin Xian, are you... feeling better?"

His previous state had truly shocked her.

"I’m fine." Lin Xian thought for a moment and said, "I’ll explain later. What about A Bai? Did he detect any abnormalities?"

"I’m asking you."

KIKI turned to A Bai, who was nervously looking around.

"No... no abnormalities detected, but maybe because of the waterway connections, I seem to sense some activity far underwater."

KIKI tilted her head toward him. "Are you afraid of staying here?"

"A little..." A Bai said frankly, "The submarine is suffocating."

KIKI shrugged, looking around at the submarine’s intricate devices and structure. "It’s not much different from being on the train."

"That’s not the same." A Bai whispered, "The train has windows and is on land. This thing is like an iron can, surrounded by seawater. I don’t know how deep it is or what monsters might be outside..."

"Fear is normal."

At this moment, Lin Xian responded, "Compared to the submarine, the train is much safer."

"Yeah."

Lin Xian continued to contact, "Fire Bro, Xiao Qing, Shiori, how are things on your side?"

In the submarine base’s experimental mid-level, the corridor was silent. Xiao Qing and Shiori carefully searched each room to gather useful information, while Fire Bro followed like a bodyguard, exuding an imposing aura. His fingertips danced with multi-layered fire rings, floating alongside the Infinite’s hovering.

Hearing Lin Xian’s voice, Lu Xingchen immediately responded,

"Brother Lin, no abnormalities here. Any useful items were already moved out, and nothing else remains."

"What about the geothermal well of the Deep-3 nuclear thermal emplacement? Did you check it again?"

Lu Xingchen looked at the two women ahead and said boldly,

"Checked already. But with such a device, we can’t make much sense of it. Threats have been ruled out. However, in my opinion, if this device is related to the sea abnormal entities, we should just destroy it. Since the Sanctum Organization colludes with the Dark Civilization, their actions are definitely sinister. Destroying it would be all benefit, no harm."

Lin Xian replied,

"That device connects to the geothermal core. Let’s wait until we fully understand it before making decisions. Besides, it’s dark now, not the time to act rashly."

Xiao Qing, who was leading the search, turned back and gave Lu Xingchen a sharp look, then whispered to Lin Xian,

"We just found a place that looks like it was used for human experiments and some info about the monster we fought. Shiori says it doesn’t look like a living person but was possibly modified using gene or cloning technology. We only found fragmented information. Also... we found an exit above the main elevator, right below the prison, but it’s blocked and connected to the previous flood discharge channel..."

Lin Xian nodded. "That guy tried to kill all the researchers before fleeing. This means there are definitely things in this base he doesn’t want us to know."

"Lin Xian, can you contact Sister Chen? We need to confirm the Infinite is safe." KIKI’s voice came through the comm.

"Still deploying."

Lin Xian looked at the info on the screen. His drones were extending node by node but had not yet connected with the main island’s urban area on Haiyan Island.

He walked to the window, looking down at the giant submarine partially submerged and the dark water surface. After thinking, he told Sister Ning and KIKI,

"KIKI, Sister Ning, A Bai, if there’s nothing else, let’s leave the submarine and return to the upper-level monitoring room to regroup. This waterway connects to the deep sea, and we don’t know if some monster might suddenly appear. Better to be cautious."

"Okay."

So, the six people searching and Lin Xian returned to the previous monitoring hall. They found a relatively spacious room to rest. At this moment, Lin Xian’s drone finally crossed the sea at night and flew to the main island. Under the cover of darkness blocking signals, it successfully connected to the drone signal chain he deployed on the island.

"Teacher Chen, can you hear me?"

"Static... Static... Xian?!"

Chen Sixuan’s surprised voice came through the comm. The Haiyan Island University City orbital station was undergoing maintenance. The Infinite was completely hidden in darkness. Chen Sixuan sat alone in the cockpit chair, waiting for Lin Xian’s message. Hearing the voice in the headset, she finally relaxed.

"How are you? Did you find that group?"

"Found them." Lin Xian asked, "Are you okay over there?"

"We successfully entered night." Chen Sixuan briefly described their escape marking operation to Lin Xian. "Sensors you deployed detected a large number of abnormal entities active in the city. Much more activity than last night, including many large ones, probably related to the large bait agent Sanctum deployed during the day."

"We’re keeping watch. The underground track isn’t very safe, but Shu Qin and Luo Yang have prepared well. We shouldn’t be discovered for now. Don’t worry."

"Good."

"What about your side?"

"We found an old base of a foundation and a person from Sacred Revelation. The situation is complicated. I’ll tell you more after dawn." Lin Xian thought if Director Ding was here, there might be many ideas. After confirming Infinite’s safety, he also sighed and said to Sister Ning and the others,

"Fortunately, both sides are safe, but the trouble is just beginning. We have to find a way to leave Haiyan Island after dawn."

"Has Viola returned?" KIKI asked. "Without finding the orbital network base station, we can’t just wander the sea. There’s no positioning system now, and finding a track in the ocean isn’t easy."

Lin Xian nodded, "I know. Plus, the eastern coastal waters have that strange floating island, underwater whirlpools, and submarine volcanoes. No matter how we run, it’s a headache."

"In my opinion, why not use the Sky Dome train to soar straight into the clouds? Wouldn’t that be great?" Fire Bro rarely voiced opinions.

Lin Xian replied, "I think so too, but there are three hidden dangers. The first two are what KIKI mentioned. If we can’t find the orbital network, we have to fly across the Pacific blindly. The risk and danger are huge. Also, we can’t meet up with Noah and must fly blindly. Plus, the Guankong’s armory isn’t finished yet."

"And the other one—you’re worried about the Oceanic Titan?" Sister Ning asked.

Lin Xian’s expression turned serious, "More precisely, including those monsters surrounding the island, what exactly has this place’s dispersed nuclear core triggered? If we can’t figure it out, I’m worried we won’t be able to fly out of this sea area at all."

"Lin Xian."

KIKI looked at him. "Now that you say it, I suddenly feel the Falcon Sea Group’s excuses don’t hold up. They also have bait agents. A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier can’t leave this sea area, right? As for fearing the volcano or wanting to trap the blood crystals, that seems baseless now."

Lin Xian’s gaze flickered. "I didn’t take Cain’s words fully seriously before because we didn’t know the island and sea conditions well. His worries don’t seem unsolvable to me."

"So, do you think they have other motives or know some inside information?"

Lin Xian nodded. "That might be true."

He looked at everyone and, after careful consideration, chose not to tell them about the countdown for now. He had no clues yet. Even if others knew, they would be confused and only uneasy with no results.

After thinking, Lin Xian stood up.

"Everyone, rest a bit. I’m going to check that device."

Facing a large device, he couldn’t resist scanning it with the Mechanical Heart. This was the only way to clearly understand the base’s true operating principle and maybe find some clues.

"I’ll come with you." KIKI also stood up.

"Okay."

"I... I’ll come too..." Shiori whispered, but Lin Xian pushed her back onto the chair, "This area has been patrolled. No danger for now. I’ll scan the Deep-3 nuclear thermal emplacement with mechanical supernatural power. You haven’t slept for two days. Rest here a bit."

Shiori obediently nodded, "Okay."

Then Lin Xian and KIKI entered the huge geothermal cave again. Drones flew around, helping monitor every corner. Lin Xian went directly to the top-level mechanical arm, found a spot to lean on, and started scanning.

KIKI looked down at the multiple floors, mechanical platforms, and the crimson magma below, then said to Lin Xian,

"Lin Xian, do you think this place has any connection with Mount Garland?"

Lin Xian opened his eyes and said softly,

"I definitely think so!"