Crimson.

Before Lin Xian actually witnessed that scene, he never imagined it could be a color that filled heaven and earth. Now Lin Xian often recalls that moment, always feeling an inexplicable discomfort in his heart. If the original Dark Tide made people face the terror of darkness directly, then when crimson enveloped the earth, it gave people a suffocating sense that the world had been distorted and humanity had nowhere to escape.

He didn't know what it was—perhaps even the Phoenix Society wasn't clear yet, since less than a month had passed since the great battle at Dawn City. But Lin Xian knew it definitely wasn't a good sign.

The Hawaiian island's night was serene and profound, with scattered starlight like fine dust sprinkled across the ink-black sky. Gentle waves lapped against the shore, bringing an almost hypnotic tranquility.

The city lay in complete silence, no lights illuminating those gray-white buildings. Only hazy starlight outlined their contours. Dilapidated structures and ruins flickered in and out of view in the night, like a forgotten ghost realm.

Countless zombies wandered soundlessly through the streets, their twisted figures like specters. Unnameable eerie whispers and squirming shadows appeared and disappeared in the darkness. Such scenes should have sent chills down one's spine, but in Lin Xian's eyes, after experiencing various crises during this period, those roaring undead and bizarre forms had lost their terrifying aura, instead becoming familiar silhouettes.

He stood before the bridge, looking at this dead city yet inexplicably finding a trace of rare peace. As if the silent stars and steady waves quietly washed away the unease in his heart, turning the distorted reality into a temporary haven of calm.

[Captain Lin, your breathing and heartbeat indicate you're very calm right now. This is quite unusual.]

At this moment on the bridge, only Viola remained keeping him company. Everyone else had returned to their rooms to rest.

Lin Xian looked up at the sky, stretched lazily, and said calmly: "There are many worries, but none have reached the point where I should be concerned about them yet. Although the Phoenix Society's mission is only half completed and we can't go directly to the poles, the expectations have been met, so I can temporarily empty my mind."

[This is an excellent idea.]

Viola stood with her hands behind her back, her posture agile and proud, calmly responding: [According to Dark Tide calculations, the recent Polar Night covering Area 13 Star Abyss won't reach here for at least 261 days. It will take us approximately 113 hours to reach Panama via the ring satellite branch line, or only 23 hours by flight. Considering the time to cross North America to Dawn Center, you can completely stay here to rest and recuperate for 15-20 days. You can also use this time to strengthen your mechanical supernatural power. We've currently obtained very ample supplies, enough for the team's rest and replenishment.]

"15 days?" Lin Xian chuckled: "How could that be possible? Resting for a day or two is somewhat reasonable."

He took out the dark gear, his gaze sweeping over it: "Sacred Revelation paid quite a price to target me. I think things might not be so simple yet—Sanctum, Sacred Revelation, the Foundation, and that big monster in the sea. Although we barely escaped the super storm, I can't stay on this island for too long either. Reuniting with the main force earlier would save some worry."

"What do you judge the characteristics of this Forbidden Artifact to be?" Lin Xian handed the dark gear to Viola.

Viola didn't take it, still standing proudly in place: [None of my sensors except the spirit value detector can effectively examine this item, so I cannot analyze it for you from a 'perception' perspective. However, combining the known characteristics of current Forbidden Artifacts and containment data, I believe the phenomena of 'retinal countdown' and 'minor stellar eruption' caused by this item should not be attacks launched against you by the Forbidden Artifact's container.]

Lin Xian nodded, weighing the heavy black gear in his hand: "If they had such heaven-defying power, they would have used it long ago. Chen Yanxiu deliberately left this thing for me precisely to plant this landmine. It seems I 'contained' this black gear under some completely unknown circumstances, and that countdown might be some kind of..."

[Side effect]

"Side effect?" Lin Xian slightly raised his eyebrows: "Sounds about right."

Lin Xian looked at the white gear, his expression light: "Ever since Fire Bro's limited ring and before Mochizuki Shinji gave you the Flickering Bullet, you've almost lost that sense of crisis toward Forbidden Artifacts. Remember that Radio 1542 nearly took your life. Aside from early Angel Project data, Forbidden Artifacts everywhere are accompanied by massive eerie phenomena and death. This thing actually erupted with a minor Star Abyss—if not for my Energy Leap plus Gravitational Lens, I would have been completely finished given that range and scale. And this thing can actually block my containment of other Forbidden Artifacts. It's just too sinister."

Your analysis is very insightful. From the Descendant Faction's targeting of the human faction perspective, blocking your Flickering Bullet, shutting down Southern Celestial Gate, and killing you simultaneously would be a highly rewarding operation. However, they failed.

Lin Xian now looked at the dark gear with some confusion.

Without the countdown bothering him, Lin Xian indeed discovered that he seemed to have some kind of power connection with this black gear. He didn't know how Chen Yanxiu transferred containment of this thing to him, and currently didn't know how to use this thing either, which was quite headache-inducing. However, after the countdown didn't light up again, he also breathed a sigh of relief. He had plenty of things on him already and wasn't in a hurry to figure it out. The most important thing currently was to make good use of this rare night and the ample supplies on the island.

Viola turned sideways toward him: [Your alertness and wisdom are astonishing. Viola greatly admires you.]

After speaking, Viola slightly bowed her head toward him in respect.

Seeing this action, Lin Xian couldn't help but laugh: "You don't need to flatter or praise me."

[Praise and flattery can significantly enhance the sense of social status and self-recognition needs in Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. As your assistant, I should provide you with emotional value at appropriate times. Paying attention to your physical and mental health is also part of my job.]

Lin Xian nodded with great seriousness, then took a deep breath. Looking at the flying drones continuously transporting supplies onto the Sky Dome train, he said to Viola: "Synchronize all high-value mechanical group targets to me. Tonight I'll devour to my heart's content."

[Understood.]

Hum~

Viola turned around, and a holographic projection of the city map appeared before Lin Xian.

[Oahu Airport, Green Industrial Park, Vegas Casino Street—total of 7 concentrated mechanical group areas listed. Additionally, over 19 parking lots, two amusement park areas, and 3 estates containing yachts and cruise aircraft have been discovered.]

"Good, understood."

This could be considered an international airport, but with limited terrain having only two runways. Additionally, there were large landing pads for hover aircraft. Lin Xian hovered above the damaged control tower of the airport, his gaze sweeping across. The night wind carried a scent of rust and ocean. Two main runways extended below him, with several wide-body airliners that had failed to take off crashed on the runways. The metal at the fracture points of the aircraft bodies was corroded patchy by rust. Burn marks from explosions had long oxidized into stubborn dark brown stains. Rainwater nourished dark green moss that covered the cold corpses like a layer of festering skin.

Aside from these wrecks, there were two narrow-body airliners, one civilian wide-body airliner, and one crashed civilian transport ship on the landing pad.

It was evident that many people had tried to escape this island at the time, but few succeeded.

Throughout this aircraft graveyard, zombies were scattered here and there. Having no targets, they stood in place like withered wood, allowing wind and sunlight to gradually destroy their forms. Their postures were twisted, tattered clothes hanging on withered limbs. Empty eye sockets aimlessly followed the wind's direction, throats rolling with muddled, meaningless hisses that formed the only moving, eerie background noise of this deathly landing pad.

Lin Xian looked around, then flew toward that large wide-body airliner, quietly landing on its wing without disturbing the zombies. Several small sentry drones silently slid out from behind him, their butterfly-wing-like rotors spinning rapidly as they hovered around the aircraft's back. Electronic compound eyes flashed with cold, vigilant red light, instantly weaving an invisible early-warning network for him. Then Lin Xian sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, and decisively began devouring.

Lin Xian looked at the white gear, his expression light: "Ever since Fire Bro's limited ring and before Mochizuki Shinji gave you the Flickering Bullet, you've almost lost that sense of crisis toward Forbidden Artifacts. Remember that Radio 1542 nearly took your life. Aside from early Angel Project data, Forbidden Artifacts everywhere are accompanied by massive sinister anomalies and death. This thing actually erupted with a minor Star Abyss—if not for my Energy Leap plus Gravitational Lens, I would have been completely finished given that range and scale. And this thing can actually block my containment of other Forbidden Artifacts. It's just too sinister."

Meanwhile, on the Sky Dome Infinite, thousands of drones under Viola's control methodically transported supplies. Defense turrets on the arsenal ship were all activated, sentry systems scanning for unknown threats in the depths of the night.

Chen Sixuan stood in the clean shower of her private cabin, letting perfectly-tempered water flow over her body. Xenon steam rose and spread, blurring the mirror, leaving only the outline of her fair, graceful figure faintly visible in the mist. After experiencing countless life-and-death struggles and constant travel, her skin—once scratched by anomalies, torn by explosions—now glowed with healthy radiance.

After escaping Haiyan Island, the wounds on her body had quickly healed under her powerful evolution genes. Some had condensed into faint pink scars, while others had completely healed and disappeared. Warm water flowed over these marks, washing away dust and fatigue, also washing away those distant memories of being a university teacher. She wiped the fog from the mirror;

the eyes in the reflection were calm and sharp. Having experienced multiple major battles, she was no longer the weak university teacher she once was.

Next door was a cabin filled with girlish atmosphere, the space cleverly divided into two areas but still with two bunk beds.

KIKI leaned back in a sofa chair, wearing dazzling headphones that almost covered half her small face, completely absorbed in an intense space battle game on the holographic screen. Her petite fingers flew across the virtual control console, while she excitedly muttered about the battle situation. Having showered, she simply wore a sports top and ultra-short pink home shorts, her fair lotus-root-like calves dangling in the air.

"Hey, tinkering with those is fine, but don't make them explode~"

KIKI took the lollipop out of her mouth and called back to Shasha.

"Don't worry, Sister KIKI, this is a blueprint from Brother Lin!"

On the other side of the cabin, before a fully equipped workbench, Shasha was frowning with concentration as she adjusted several electric knife ball core components floating before her. Her nimble fingers held micro-tools, carefully adjusting the crystal pattern arrangement of energy conduits. Metal parts shimmered with cold luster under soft light.

In his compact but well-equipped independent room, Daluo nodded with satisfaction as he hung his personal mechanical tools neatly on specially designed magnetic racks on the wall. One corner of the cabin already held his Black Dragon armor set. Now he had his own room and didn't need to squeeze together with Fire Bro.

At the other end of the corridor, Lu Xingchen's door was closed. Inside, Fire Bro wore a dust mask as he meticulously adjusted the layout. The tea brewing machine he brought from the Infinite emitted a soft hum. A small root carving tea table was placed in the corner by the porthole, beside it an old, shiny cotton sitting cushion. After carefully cleaning this brand new room twice, he finally sat cross-legged, tested the position, gazed at the boundless starry sky outside the window, and let out a long sigh, as if this small space could isolate all the noise of the apocalypse.

"Wonderful, wonderful~"

As for Shu Qin, Xiao Yuan, Miao Lu, and Sun Yuzhen, they shared rooms in pairs to look after each other. Shu Qin with Xiao Yuan, Miao Lu, and Sun Yuzhen—who carried the sleepy-eyed Mo Xiaotian on her back—chatted while organizing their rooms.

On the circular sofa in the common rest area, Qian Dele's signature floral shirt collar was open as he animatedly slapped several electronic cards on the table: "Pair of Aces! Beat that! Haha, Lü Chang, what cards are you hiding? Luo Yang, stop playing dead, hurry up and follow!" Lü Chang looked worriedly at the scattered cards in his hand, while Luo Yang pushed his tactical glasses up nervously, fingers sliding on the virtual card table, seemingly silently calculating how to play his cards.

In the well-equipped shipboard gym, equipment gleamed with cold light. Xiao Qing and Ning Jing were working out here. Ning Jing lay on a wide composite material bench press, her hands steadily gripping an alloy barbell thicker than her arms, with heavy composite weight plates loaded on both ends. She took a deep breath, core tightened, shoulder and back muscles instantly bulging with fluid lines. Her arms pushed the 500-kilogram barbell up steadily from the rack with steady strength, her movements standard and full of explosive power as she repeated this astonishing strength training.

"Physical training provides excellent assistance for supernatural limb enhancement. The Phoenix Society has verified that active training guides genetic evolution in this direction."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing slightly frowned and adjusted the rate to maximum.

Meanwhile, below the main bridge, Monica occupied a large independent room with expansive views. Beyond the portholes flowed the Milky Way. Completely naked, she stood barefoot on the soft carpet, enjoying unconstrained peace and freedom. She held a glass of deep red wine in one hand, while the fingertips of her other hand elegantly glided through the air. As she manipulated silently, the air in a small area ahead began to distort strangely. High-frequency vibrations caused air molecules to rub and generate heat, emitting a faint hum only detectable up close.

The deep red liquid in the wine glass swayed slightly, refracting the starlight from beyond the portholes and the focused, entranced light in her eyes.

"If the world hadn't been destroyed, this would be a pretty good resting place."