Lin Xian didn't know what had gotten into Monica, whether it was some demonic possession or the surging hormones from her advanced evolution having nowhere to release, while his own pile of worries had been suppressed for too long. So he simply closed his eyes and willingly buried himself in that gentle abyss.

The cold hibernation pod was filled with chilling air, but two fiery bodies collided like meteors striking a planet, wild and unrestrained, passionate as flames. All the pain and repression accumulated during this time at Haiyan Island, in the deep sea vortex, and within the tropical storm were released completely in this moment. Low growls and heavy impact sounds echoed repeatedly. In this moment, there was no Sword Bearer, no Queen Mo, no apocalypse, and no abnormal entities—only the sinking release of tender pleasure.

After it ended, Lin Xian took out a new model nano-lined suit from the Black Star Forge and handed it to Monica. Monica smiled as she accepted it, placing it over her perfectly evolved body. The technologically advanced nano-leather completely enveloped her naked body, then she looked at Lin Xian.

"Little man, not bad performance. I quite like it."

Lin Xian chuckled lightly: "I always thought before that you joined us just for survival, but I never expected you'd actually follow us into the ocean track."

After it ended, Lin Xian took out a new model nano-lined suit from the Black Star Forge and handed it to Monica. Monica smiled as she accepted it, placing it over her perfectly evolved body. The technologically advanced nano-leather completely enveloped her alluring curves, then she looked at Lin Xian.

Lin Xian nodded: "Quite persuasive."

Monica looked at him, her eyes meaningful as she said lightly: "Do you also think that the reason I, Monica, have survived until now in this eerie dark world of the apocalypse with continuous resources is because I have skills in dominating men, plus using my beauty to seek benefits in the apocalypse?"

Lin Xian shook his head, smiling frankly: "I had such thoughts back in Xilan City, but... later I stopped thinking that way."

Lin Xian chuckled lightly: "I always thought before that you joined us just for survival, but I never expected you'd actually follow us into the ocean rail."

"Relying solely on beauty and body couldn't allow you to live this dignifiedly," Lin Xian replied.

Monica curled the corner of her lips, leaning back against a hibernation pod with her arms crossed: "Didn't I tell you last time? I like you, this omnipotent apocalypse captain. Although I'm not someone who enjoys taking risks, knowing I might not live much longer, I'd rather live more vibrantly. Besides, the room and red wine you provided satisfy me greatly. That's enough, isn't it?"

Monica laughed softly for a while upon hearing this, then looked at Lin Xian: "Why not? Didn't you also fall under my skirt? Doesn't that prove my skills?"

Lin Xian stood up, clapping his hands: "I didn't bring you aboard just to sleep with you."

Monica's eyes flickered as she walked over, wrapping her arms around Lin Xian's neck, meeting him with a passionate kiss from her red lips. Then looking closely into Lin Xian's eyes, she said smilingly: "That's true. In all the time I've known you, you've always been... passive, making this queen seem like a thirsty tigress."

Monica looked at him, her eyes meaningful as she said lightly: "Do you also think that the reason I, Monica, have survived until now in this eerie dark world of the apocalypse with continuous resources is because I have skills in dominating men, plus using my beauty to seek benefits in the apocalypse?"

Lin Xian wiped his brow: "Let's talk business. How do you feel?"

"Similar to what that Falcon organization person said. I feel my mental power has strengthened considerably. My sonic ability detection range has expanded at least threefold. My body should have improved too, and I also feel a stronger energy that hasn't been released yet, probably the Crystal Lattice at work."

After speaking seriously, Monica looked at Lin Xian: "The most interesting point should be that I seem able to sense the existence of dark infestation now."

Lin Xian slightly frowned: "Sense?"

Monica nodded: "Yes. Before this, dark infestation... or dark energy, felt more like a painfully invasive existence of bone-chilling fear to me. Without the protection of the dark energy resonance device or your Heterogeneous Cube, it was a very uncomfortable experience. All this time since Doomsday, everyone could only silently endure. I could only rely on alcohol to numb myself, but the problem was, I couldn't truly get drunk. Once I lost consciousness, my body would be more severely infested."

"But now..." Monica raised her hand and looked at the air before her as if seeing something, saying: "Those icy things seem to have become harmless, like suddenly being able to breathe underwater. And these things... are flowing into the Crystal Lattice along with breathing or my body's metabolism."

Lin Xian fell silent upon hearing this.

Seeing he wasn't speaking, Monica immediately understood his thoughts: "Like truly becoming an abnormal entity. You're worried about that point, right?"

Lin Xian frowned, sighing deeply: "Hard to say either. When crossing the high-altitude corridor, I told my team members that through ability evolution, we might find survival opportunities, humanity might find chances to turn things around. But now it seems this path might not work."

"Everyone thinks that way. The Phoenix Society had the same original intention. But what can we do?" Monica sighed leisurely, speaking wisely: "Zombies can't choose not to mutate into zombies, ability users can't choose not to awaken as ability users, gene evolvers can't stop evolution. This isn't something we can choose. Since that's the case, what's there to complain about?"

"Yeah, nothing has changed," Lin Xian said quietly. "The vaccine wasn't successful, the Star Abyss hasn't stopped expanding, nothing has changed."

"I must correct you there," Monica said calmly, looking at Lin Xian. "The Dark Mark has at least saved tens of millions of survivors worldwide who would have died in the darkness or been fearfully mutated. The cold-dark reagent, dark energy resonance device, and the Dawn City battle have given confidence and belief to us displaced refugees. Don't harbor thoughts of calculating and balancing the future in your heart. If destruction truly can't be stopped, then we've done everything we could, haven't we?"

Hearing this, Lin Xian smiled slightly and exhaled deeply: "Let's go back. Since it went so smoothly, the others must be impatient. By the way, let's bring out some bad news to ruin everyone's rest day."

At noon, on the coastline of Oahu, Hawaii, blazing sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting lazy light spots on the abandoned wealthy estate harbor.

The midday air was stagnant and humid, the salty sea wind carrying the scent of humus. Beside the harbor track, dozens of zombies wandered slowly with twisted, rigid postures, their rotting limbs emitting faint fishy odor under the high temperature. Several attracted by the massive outline of the Sky Dome train clustered at the edges of the starship armor black as night. These once-human monsters extended skeletal claws, unconsciously scratching the hull surface, producing teeth-grating scraping sounds.

Below, Shasha lay pressed against the restaurant window, staring blankly at the zombies outside, her two legs swinging back and forth.

The Sky Dome train's restaurant was extremely luxurious, with a bar counter, sunken curved dining sofas, observation deck, and even an aquatic-oxygen integrated aquarium for appreciation.

All members of the Infinite were gathered here dining, including Ding Junyi from the research pod. Chen Sixuan and Xiao Yuan, Miao Lu used materials collected from the island to prepare a simple yet sumptuous meal for everyone to enjoy. There was thawed beef and seafood, paired with some canned foods, plus green vegetables picked from the Infinite and preserved chilled as garnish, appearing extremely extravagant in this world full of wandering zombies.

Everyone dispersed while dining—some gathered on sofas, some leaned against the bar, some sat at dining tables, others on the observation deck. All listened while drinking beverages as Lin Xian detailed the various information transmitted by the Phoenix Society combined with Ding Junyi's and his own analysis. During this, some frowned, some were serious, some remained calm—the atmosphere was subtle.

"I've already used confiscated high-altitude drones to scout the branch track. Currently, besides some blockages in the ocean segment, there are no major engineering issues. Even if problems arise later, we can solve them. My plan is to use two days and one night to reach land at maximum speed, arriving in Panama. According to intelligence, the nearest Star Abyss in that direction is still the Sea No. 13, at least 3 months from Polar Night. But whether it's been covered by Crimson is uncertain..."

After speaking, Lin Xian picked up his glass and took a gulp: "Anyway, whether by sea or land, we're heading toward the final great escape. Everyone should mentally prepare."

"Enemy and ourselves sharing the same origin? So it seems true?" Ning Jing looked at Monica: "Our Longshan One had rumors and speculations about this type of topic before, but never thought..."

"Does that mean my ability is also linked to some abnormal entity?" KIKI crossed her arms, looking curious: "Lin Xian, do you think it might be that strange household in the sky?!"

"What strange corpse?" Chen Sixuan asked.

Lin Xian said solemnly: "Possibly, but there's no basis. This is still just speculation now. I'm mentioning it just so everyone can be mentally prepared."

Monica nodded: "Yes. Before this, dark infestation... or dark energy, felt more like a painfully invasive existence of bone-chilling fear to me. Without the protection of the dark energy resonance device or your Heterogeneous Cube, it was a very uncomfortable experience. All this time since Doomsday, everyone could only silently endure. I could only rely on alcohol to numb myself, but the problem was, I couldn't truly get drunk. Once I lost consciousness, my body would be more severely infested."

Lin Xian didn't know how to answer. Meanwhile, Qian Dele acted as if nothing was wrong, raising his glass: "Who cares? We can't just wait for death because of this. Evolution gives us bargaining chips for survival. Using this..." He looked at Lu Xingchen who was posing seriously with a master posture: "The Fire God's meaning is to first seek self-strengthening to master our own destiny, right?"

"But now..." Monica raised her hand and looked at the air before her as if seeing something, saying: "Those icy things seem to have become harmless, like suddenly being able to breathe underwater. And these things... are flowing into the Crystal Lattice along with breathing or my body's metabolism."

"Captain Lin said if the abnormal entity linked to you dies, your ability might completely disappear," Xiao Qing spoke at this point.

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen turned his head calmly: "With my lifelong cultivation, to eradicate humanity's calamity, to establish life for living beings, even if I die, what does it matter? Great profit!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing slightly knitted her willow brows, gazing at Lu Xingchen for a long time, swallowing back what she wanted to say. Many present including Lin Xian cast approving glances—although still maintaining his chuunibyou demeanor, Lu Xingchen's words were truly inspiring, while earning admiration because everyone knew that while this guy spoke loftily, his stance was so righteous it was almost extreme!

"He's right," Monica said softly at this point. "Assuming abnormal entities die and ability users lose their abilities, we don't know if ability users dying would affect abnormal entities. If we can prove our evolution also makes abnormal entities evolve, we might truly counter them this way. Before the truth becomes clear, I don't think this is completely bad news."

After speaking, she looked at Ding Junyi: "Great scientist, do you think I make sense?"

Lin Xian frowned, sighing deeply: "Hard to say either. When crossing the high-altitude corridor, I told my team members that through ability evolution, we might find survival opportunities, humanity might find chances to turn things around. But now it seems this path might not work."

Ding Junyi adjusted her glasses, saying calmly: "The fact that ability users can resist abnormal entities essentially shows the dark civilization cannot completely control humanity, even ability users sharing the same origin."

"Everyone thinks that way. The Phoenix Society had the same original intention. But what can we do?" Monica sighed leisurely, speaking wisely: "Zombies can't choose not to mutate into zombies, ability users can't choose not to awaken as ability users, gene evolvers can't stop evolution. This isn't something we can choose. Since that's the case, what's there to complain about?"

"Otherwise, why would such a young child also awaken abilities?"

The speaker was Sun Yuzhen with a worried expression. Mo Xiaotian also sat beside his mother looking quite tense. Hearing the discussion, he was confused—would he become a monster?

"I don't think so," Shiori, usually taciturn, spoke at this point. Her gaze fell on Ning Jing, Shu Qin, Lü Chang, Xiao Qing, and Chen Sixuan who represented the gene evolvers: "Besides ability users, all ordinary people have undergone gene evolution too, and can also evolve Crystal Lattices. This shows the entire population is affected by dark energy."

"I must correct you there," Monica said calmly, looking at Lin Xian. "The Dark Mark has at least saved tens of millions of survivors worldwide who would have died in the darkness or been fearfully mutated. The cold-dark reagent, dark energy resonance device, and the Dawn City battle have given confidence and belief to us displaced refugees. Don't harbor thoughts of calculating and balancing the future in your heart. If destruction truly can't be stopped, then we've done everything we could, haven't we?"

Lin Xian frowned interrupting: "Hey hey hey, have you all forgotten I just mentioned Crimson descent, Sanctum betrayal, and the imminent apocalypse? Why is nobody discussing that?"

Hearing this, Lin Xian smiled slightly and exhaled deeply: "Let's go back. Since it went so smoothly, the others must be impatient. By the way, let's bring out some bad news to ruin everyone's rest day."

"Eh, big guy's words hit the spot," KIKI floated in the air, her voice clear: "I think instead of thinking so pessimistically, we should imagine how powerful we'll become after our Crystal Lattice evolution!"

At noon, on the coastline of Oahu, Hawaii, blazing sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting lazy light spots on the abandoned wealthy estate harbor.

"Yeah yeah, I can't wait either," Lü Chang joined the excitement.

The midday air was stagnant and humid, the salty sea wind carrying the scent of humus. Beside the harbor rail, dozens of zombies wandered slowly with twisted, rigid postures, their rotting limbs emitting faint fishy odor under the high temperature. Several attracted by the massive outline of the Sky Dome train clustered at the edges of the starship armor black as night. These once-human monsters extended skeletal claws, unconsciously scratching the hull surface, producing teeth-grating scraping sounds.

"You all are making me tempted too, alright..." Qian Dele helplessly held his forehead.

Below, Shasha lay pressed against the restaurant window, staring blankly at the zombies outside, her two legs swinging back and forth.

"And me!" Chen Sixuan, Shiori, Xiao Yuan, Miao Lu and others expressed their positions one after another.

The Sky Dome train's restaurant was extremely luxurious, with a bar counter, sunken curved dining sofas, observation deck, and even an aquatic-oxygen integrated aquarium for appreciation.

Seeing everyone standing forth one by one, Mo Xiaotian sitting beside his mother gritted his teeth, his expression becoming determined, and immediately stood up too.

All members of the Infinite were gathered here dining, including Ding Junyi from the research pod. Chen Sixuan and Xiao Yuan, Miao Lu used materials collected from the island to prepare a simple yet sumptuous meal for everyone to enjoy. There was thawed beef and seafood, paired with some canned foods, plus green vegetables picked from the Infinite and preserved chilled as garnish, appearing extremely extravagant in this world full of wandering zombies.

In this moment, Lin Xian felt immensely secure in his heart. He felt fortunate to have met such companions in this hopeless apocalypse, who could unconditionally support him during the hardest times, facing any unknown risks with spirited laughter.

Everyone dispersed while dining—some gathered on sofas, some leaned against the bar, some sat at dining tables, others on the observation deck. All listened while drinking beverages as Lin Xian detailed the various information transmitted by the Phoenix Society combined with Ding Junyi's and his own analysis. During this, some frowned, some were serious, some remained calm—the atmosphere was subtle.

Facing everyone's gazes, Lin Xian smiled slightly, then raised his glass: "To..."

"I've already used confiscated high-altitude drones to scout the branch rail. Currently, besides some blockages in the ocean segment, there are no major engineering issues. Even if problems arise later, we can solve them. My plan is to use two days and one night to reach land at maximum speed, arriving in Panama. According to intelligence, the nearest Star Abyss in that direction is still the Sea No. 13, at least 3 months from Polar Night. But whether it's been covered by Crimson is uncertain..."