Doomsday: I Build an Infinite Train.

Chapter 387 The Curtain-Breaking Device! (1 words)
At 4:50 PM, there was one hour and seven minutes left until nightfall.

The sky was overcast, with intermittent thunderstorms. The entrances to Dawn City's No. 1 city wall were in complete chaos, resembling a pot of boiling molten steel.

The number of convoys that originally wanted to leave the city has decreased by more than half. Many convoys that were queuing up have had to return to their gathering point due to the critical situation. The danger of traveling out of the city in the dark is increasing as time goes by.

The city walls and passageways in the south, north, and west were fully open, and hundreds of thousands of refugees from the outer city flooded into the city like a tidal wave. The crowd was a dense, dark mass. The eyes of these survivors stationed in the outer city burned with a frenzy for survival. The constant and intense attacks every day had made them extremely sensitive and fearful. At this moment, the changes in Dawn City, coupled with the spread of information about the Star Abyss Crisis, left these people with no choice but to rush into the city in droves, hoping to seek the protection of the high walls.

The dilapidated city streets of the outer city gradually became desolate and bleak. The rain began to intensify, and the former camps and shelters became deserted. Waste and garbage filled the old and bloody streets, constantly being washed away by the rain.

In the outermost suburbs, some convoys were still busily packing up their equipment, with the engines of doomsday cars roaring incessantly.

On the high walls of the No. 1 city wall, tens of thousands of fully armed garrison troops stood in watchtowers, with soldiers looking through binoculars at the crowds below the hundred-meter-high walls, which stretched for several kilometers like ants.

At the city gate, the garrison soldiers and various mechs stood ready, and every person entering the city had to undergo a dark marker check.

Drop drop drop.

"Level 1 marking, take them away for quarantine!"

"No, my daughter is only six years old, please let her in, please!" a bespectacled man pleaded.

"If there's even one marker, the entire city will be in danger. We'll also have armed protection in the quarantine zone, so please cooperate," the garrison soldiers shouted to maintain order.

"Then I'll go with her!"

Without hesitation, the father picked up his daughter, hurriedly handed his belongings to his wife and other companions, and was then led away by the garrison amidst his wife's cries.

In the face of the apocalypse, no one knows whether this hasty farewell will be a final goodbye.

Crowded, noisy, crying, and the roar of car engines—the several entrances to the city were now like a battlefield.

The 100-meter-high Doomsday Wall, a spectacle of the city, completely surrounds the entire Dawn City. Every 500 meters, two "Thor's Hammer" 120mm electromagnetic railguns stand in a forest of barrels. When charged, blue light dances between the rifling grooves like lightning snakes. As a base weapon, this electromagnetic railgun is several times more powerful than the G-3 electromagnetic railgun. The densely arranged Great Wall-50 base railgun array fires 210mm self-loading destructive howitzers, with rainwater flowing under the dark muzzles.

In addition, various types of heavy artillery, automatic cannons, 1130mm guns, as well as ultra-high temperature plasma beams, large pulse vibrators, weapon channels, and countless isolation nets, along with heavy weapon watchtowers built every 500 meters in the outer city, iron wall isolation zones, and an air defense network like a sky canopy deployed within the city, underground missile systems, and pulse laser sky arrays, together constitute Dawn City's steel defense line.

The streets of the old city have long been transformed into a steel jungle, with a large number of apocalyptic armored vehicles blocking the streets and alleys. Defensive nets have been set up everywhere, and survivors have used various long guns and short cannons to form defensive formations on city streets, buildings, windows, and doors.

As darkness approached, a tense and fearful atmosphere spread, and the intranet was filled with all sorts of negative and despairing messages.

[Three Star Abysses besiege and devour Dawn City; is its doom imminent?]

The dissolution of the federal government is definitely related to the Crimson World. The underground cities are no match for the night, and the high-ranking officials are all fleeing!

The large convoys have already left, and the rest have nowhere to go. What should we do?

[Oh my god, someone with a level 5 marker has been spotted in the city's outer perimeter. Apparently, a sky monster appeared near Star Abyss #7; it's definitely S-rank!]

Our world is doomed.

Let's all unite and hold on until tonight; we can evacuate tomorrow!

……

In the alleys of the Gallagher black market, Lin Xian and his group looked at the chaotic crowds on the surrounding streets with solemn expressions.

“With the polar night expanding more rapidly, Jinhai will probably be the first to be affected,” Ning Jing said to Lin Xian.

Lin Xian immediately said to Ning Jing, "Jing-jie, you and Qian Dele contact Jin Hai and have the United Train and Sky Train prepare tonight and enter Dawn City at dawn. Now that the Federation has been dissolved, no one cares about us."

“The communication nodes between Dawn City and Jinhai are controlled by the Federation and should be in the hands of the garrison now, so our information may not be able to get through,” Jiang Yun said at this moment.

“Then let’s fly back.” Qian Dele said seriously, “There are always more solutions than problems. Without the train coming, we can’t move so many people.”

Ning Jing nodded, then said to Lin Xian, "Don't worry, Captain Lin, I will work with Qian Dele to find a solution."

“I’ll take care of the Star City Rail Station and the Silver Star,” Jiang Yun said immediately. “The Joint Train is coming in, and we need to defend it. With so many of us, we need a large base.”

“Okay.” Lin Xian looked at Lu Xingchen and Monica: “Then Huo Ge and Monica will go assist Jiang Yun and Director Jian. It’s just me, KIKI Shiori, and Captain Zhou’s men who will infiltrate here.”

“No problem.” Monica crossed her arms, her tone quite serious.

"Don't worry, Brother Lin."

Both Monica and Lu Xingchen are skilled in large-scale operations. Lin Xian anticipates that the situation at Xingcheng Rail Station might be quite complex. If Jiang Yun's group is going to confront and seize the car, bringing these two along would give them a better chance of success.

Jiang Yun nodded in agreement with Lin Xian’s arrangement: “Okay, then wait for my signal. If there are any changes, go back to the previous apartment building first. If it works, we’ll meet at the rail station. There should be no other survivors there except for the Wen family and Zhou Mingyuan’s people. The large train team evacuated quickly. I estimate that only the Silver Star, which the Wen family has hidden, is left now.”

"Team Leader Lin, Chu Yan and Team Leader Qi from Nightwalker are also working in sync with us." Zhou Jin pointed to the massive, spiderweb-like underground strategic fortification passages on the Dawn City map: "We'd better split up and search several key areas. It's a race against time. Besides finding the barrier device, we also need to find the person connecting the mycelium. This person shouldn't be an ordinary person. Also..."

He looked at Lin Xian as he spoke: "And then there's the defense and control center of Dawn City."

Lin Xian said in a deep voice, "Are you worried that the Crimson World will control all the weapons in the city and turn their guns on the survivors and the Iron Guard Brigade?"

“We can’t rule out that possibility. With the Federal Parliament dissolved, we’re unsure who has control of the AI’s central hub. Our Phoenix Society wants to take over Dawn City, and we must gain that control,” Zhou Jin said.

"Then let's get started."

Lin Xian immediately arranged for everyone to take action. Ning Jing, Qian Dele, Monica, and Huo Ge left with Jiang Yun.

Lin Xian, along with KIKI, Shiori, and Zhou Jin's special forces team, went to an underground parking lot in an abandoned building. He deployed dozens of construction drones to cut through the ground at a specific location, excavating a tunnel several meters long. Soon, they reached the concrete dome of a large underground fortification. Lin Xian then manipulated the drones to cut open a passage, revealing a dark void below. A large military tunnel appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Goodness, your mechanical abilities are truly amazing for infiltration missions."

The special forces team members around Zhou Jin were all dumbfounded, and the female investigator Xiao Yan couldn't help but complain.

"Is it that the mechanical defense doors or specific devices are useless to you?" Information expert Li Su asked at this moment.

"Shut up," Zhou Jin said in a deep voice, and the others immediately stopped talking curiously.

"There are quite a few monitoring and detection devices down here, but I've taken care of them all."

Just as Lin Xian was about to launch the drone for reconnaissance, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly rang out from the passage below, like a high-speed maglev train rushing past. The lights flashed by in an instant, followed by a burst of air straight out of the opening.

“Be careful, there’s a high-speed transportation network below.” Zhou Jin said at this moment, “This is a top-level permanent fortification. All types of missiles, space-based weapons, and strategic materials can travel underground through this network. What we are seeing now is only the top layer.”

"The delivery vehicle we just passed should still be in operation by the federal government."

Lin Xian deployed drones for illumination reconnaissance while simultaneously constructing a suspension ladder. He then asked Shiori, "Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Shiori shook her head.

"Well."

Immediately, Lin Xian climbed down the ladder into the excavated passage and then jumped down.

Instantly, a cold and dry atmosphere swept over us. The lights came on, revealing a large, enclosed tunnel with a metal structure. There were two specially designed magnetic levitation connecting tracks on the ground, and an advanced axial flow ventilation system on the ceiling. Various dense pipes were coiled on both sides of the walls. In addition, this permanent fortification was filled with a large number of fire protection systems, all of which were automated.

“The nearest underground fortification is large enough to hold two thousand people in wartime, which can be considered a central system.” Lin Xian checked the time: “Team Leader Zhou, I’ll leave that to you. I’ll go straight into the inner harbor of Star City. These surveillance systems are easier for me to handle.”

Zhou Jin nodded and checked the time with Lin Xian: "Okay, Chu Yan's team is at the Twin Star Tower. They should meet up with you later. As long as we connect to the underground central system, we will likely find clues. Keep in touch."

After saying that, Zhou Jin led the special forces team away from the footpath next to the passage towards the fixed fortification at point A.

There are nearly 10 such fortifications in the entire underground network. Now that the clues from Wen Hui and Zhou Mingyuan have run out, this underground fortification is likely a cooperation site between the Vanguard Project and the Crimson World. It also provides a fast passage for Lin Xian and others to enter the inner city. Therefore, Lin Xian, Zhou Jin, Chu Yan, and Qi Nuo can only split up and try to hack into the underground information network first. If that doesn't work, they can only conduct a carpet search. Finally, they will concentrate on the Starport and Underground City No. 1.

After Zhou Jin's team left, Lin Xian led KIKI and Shiori to a secluded corner of a passage.

"Are you trying to intercept a transport vehicle?" KIKI asked.

“Hitch a ride.” Lin Xian pointed in the direction: “This passage leads into the inner harbor. There are three turning points along the way. If we’re lucky, we can get directly to Starport.”

KIKI nodded: "I thought you wanted me to fly you there."

“That’s not safe,” Lin Xian said. “I can’t possibly take down all the surveillance cameras. When another train passes by, you can take me and Shiori with you and follow it.”

After speaking, Lin Xian raised his hand and displayed three sets of Federation standard tactical power armor used by the garrison in the Black Star Forge space.

"Everyone wear this, firstly to avoid being recognized, and secondly to prevent injury."

“Hmm.” KIKI knew that Lin Xian was very thoughtful, so she and Shiori immediately put on their power armor. All three sets of power armor were men’s styles, and KIKI and Shiori felt a little loose in them. Fortunately, there was an adaptive lining inside, which could be adjusted. From the outside, it was not noticeable.

Woo!
At that moment, the sound of air being torn apart rang out again from the distance of the dark passage. KIKI immediately used her telekinesis to grab all three of them and began to accelerate forward, hugging the edge of the tunnel.

Soon, a bright light rushed in, and KIKI gritted her teeth and charged forward. The three of them immediately attached themselves to the side panel of the magnetic levitation transport vehicle. Lin Xian then saw that it was indeed an unmanned transport railcar. There were no people or goods on it, and it was shuttling through the tunnel at an extremely high speed.

The three entered the railcar. KIKI opened the map on her power armor and found that the transport vehicle was indeed heading towards the inner city without making any turns.

"If there are no goods, are they transporting something from the inside out?"

“That’s possible,” Lin Xian said. “The No. 1 city wall is currently under heavy combat preparation. This area is likely a weapons and ammunition supply line. Of course, we can’t rule out other uses as well…”

“The darkness down here is intense,” Shiori, who had been mostly silent, said. “It’s much stronger than outside.”

"Is it because of the darkness?" Lin Xian asked, frowning.

“I’m not sure, but there are more tunnels and darkness than in other places.”

Lin Xian looked up at the dark passage. In the underground fortification map given by Zhou Jin, this underground network extended as far as Qilian Mountain and Peace City. It was connected to some underground transportation tracks between cities in some places, but it was usually blocked. Now, it goes without saying that even the underground tracks of Dawn City were blocked. So where did this thick dark aura come from?
A few minutes later, the maglev train seemed to begin to slow down, and Lin could see some lights coming on in the passage. According to the map, they had now entered the inner city.

Realizing they had entered the inner area, Lin Xian had KIKI lead him and Shiori off the railcar, and the three of them followed the walkway into a mechanized loading platform.

In an instant, a highly classified storage facility appeared before them. Countless drones and robotic arms were loading ammunition boxes, various types of weapons and equipment, and even large missiles onto the transport vehicles.

On the platform, there were about a dozen armed sentries patrolling, but these sentries, like Lin Xian and his group, were all wearing standard tactical power armor.

This was actually the paint scheme Lin obtained by scanning Zhou Mingyuan's guards when Zhou Mingyuan brought Wen Dong to visit Shinji Mochizuki in Silent City. After discovering the underground passage at the recruitment conference today, he started the construction sequence to manufacture this tactical power armor for the purpose of infiltration.

However, this was Lin Xian's first time undertaking such an infiltration mission. Facing the heavily armed army, he was somewhat nervous. Just as Lin Xian was about to take the opportunity to blend in, KIKI suddenly grabbed him.

"The garrison's powered armor has an identification system, wait for me."

Lin Xian was surprised to hear this, as he had not expected it.

Meanwhile, KIKI was rapidly operating her mobile device, quickly registering the three people's power armor with virtual organization signals based on the sentry signals on the platform, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"okay."

"Sure?"

“I’m sure.” KIKI said seriously, “If you’re worried, I can knock them all out.”

"If we can handle these few dozen, what about the tens of thousands above?" Lin Xian was somewhat speechless. He then straightened his back and, like the sentries, held his pulse infantry fighting rifle at an angle. He said to KIKI and Shiori, "You two stick close to me."

"Okay," they both answered at the same time.

Lin Xian then took a deep breath and stepped out of the darkness as a patrol team left. Shiori followed nervously behind him. After a few steps, Lin Xian looked back and immediately said, "Shiori, take bigger steps."

"Okay, okay..."

Shiori is rather petite, so the men's power armor looked a bit awkward on her. She tried to take big strides, which made her look rather odd from the outside.

However, as Lin Xian and his two companions walked out, the other patrolling sentries did not notice anything unusual. They were unsure whether it was due to the identification system set up by KIKI or the fact that things were already somewhat chaotic inside.

Along the way, squads of soldiers kept running past Lin Xian and his companions. Busy figures were everywhere, and no one was even seen talking. An extremely oppressive atmosphere permeated the air.

The three of them took the elevator all the way to the Starport. No one noticed anything unusual along the way. The higher they went, the fewer people there were. However, at the entrance to the Dawn City Starport, a row of armored garrison troops stood guard, seemingly determined not to allow anyone to pass.

"So many people?" KIKI exclaimed in surprise.

“They are all guards protecting the Vanguard Project. With the Vanguard Project about to launch, the Starport should now be in its highest level of defense,” Lin Xian said.

"What should I do..."

Lin Xian used his mechanical abilities to move a surveillance camera above his head, then stood aside and saw a group of soldiers escorting a mechanical transport device with some kind of shipborne equipment on it. He had a sudden idea and immediately had KIKI knock the group unconscious with her telekinesis and hide them in a storage room. Then the three of them copied the power armor codes on the device and secretly transported it towards the passage.

"stop."

Just as they approached the Starport passage, one of the leading garrison soldiers raised his hand to stop them. Lin Xian and KIKI immediately stopped, and the nervous Shiori accidentally took an extra step and almost bumped into Lin Xian.

To everyone's surprise, the garrison soldier wasn't paying attention to them. Instead, he went to the back, took out a detector, scanned the device, and then waved to the three of them.

"Passage permitted".

Call ~
KIKI and Shiori both breathed a sigh of relief, and then the three of them passed through the passage smoothly.

"What are they checking? Why are they checking my own things?"

"The checks should focus on unauthorized devices, such as spy drones, eavesdropping devices, or other harmful items," Lin Xian said. "Now that the Federal Parliament has been dissolved, internal conflicts will inevitably erupt, so it's normal to have this concern."

At this moment, as Lin Xian and his group emerged from a bridge passage, a breathtaking scene unfolded before their eyes. As evening fell, the rain-soaked Dawn City seemed to briefly clear, and the setting sun cast its glow upon a massive starship port. Emerging from the A-17 bridge passage, they were greeted by a colossal 'Stellar'-class starship. This 300,000-ton expeditionary behemoth was steadily docked on the superconducting levitation array in the starship port's berth area, carried by docking robotic arms. Numerous propellant replenishment robotic arms were injecting various fuels, water, and coolant into the starship's compartments.

Large cargo conveyor belts are transporting standard yellow cargo containers onto racks, where unmanned robotic arms then hoist them into the starship. On the ship's weapon platforms, gamma-ray laser arrays are constantly rotating and calibrating. Cargo shuttles are hoisting the last batch of eco-modules into the hull. The white starship is painted with unique serial numbers.

【CN-243-Natural Selection】

This was just one of the ships in the starport. At this moment, a total of 7 starships were docked in the entire starport berth area, including 6 30-ton 'stellar-class' starships, and a 50-ton 'far-star-class' starship at the very front.

"Natural Selection, it seems that only this one is left carrying out the final cargo loading..." KIKI exclaimed in amazement as she looked at the magnificent and massive fleet.

"The lead ship should be that distant star-level vessel!" Lin Xian watched the sunset and immediately strode towards the distant star-level vessel.

The entire starport berth area is enormous. Just as we stepped off the bridge, a massive formation of people, numbering in the thousands, suddenly appeared on a platform not far away. All of them were wearing the same space anti-gravity suits, and every face they looked young and inexperienced. They all seemed to be under 35 years old. They stood there, their resolute expressions barely concealing their tension and fear. Only one man in military uniform stood at the very front of the crowd, his figure as straight as a sword.

The man seemed to be issuing a declaration of departure.

"From this moment forward, Natural Selection will be both our home and our grave..."

Lin Xian led KIKI and the other person quickly across the berth platform. The man in military uniform did not turn around to pay attention to them, and Lin Xian only glanced at him briefly, noticing the nameplate on the man's chest, which seemed to indicate that his surname was Zhang.

"It shouldn't be. Intelligence says that the captain of the Vanguard is Chu Zhaonan's son, Chu Jing, who should be the captain of this last starship."

As Lin Xian spoke, he quickly made his way toward the Vanguard in the distance. After entering the Starport platform, it seemed that no one was paying attention to their movements.

"Lin Xian, this starship... seems to be fully loaded."

When Lin Xian arrived at the bridge passage of the largest starship, a distant star system, he looked up and saw the massive starship quietly docked. All the docking sections and hoisting ports were closed, and the words "Civilization Vanguard" were engraved in large black characters on the hull. It was quiet and solemn. This would be the first starship in the Vanguard Project to rush towards the celestial curtain, and in a sense, it was also the one with the least room for maneuver, because if the breaching of the curtain failed, it would be the first starship to crash. In an instant, a feeling of desolation and loneliness welled up from the bottom of Lin Xian's heart.

Lin Xian wanted to laugh at this moment, because he inexplicably felt that he seemed to agree with Chu Zhaonan's plan, but he was also saddened by having such a thought, because he himself was one of the humans that this human leader chose to abandon.

"The passage is open, so the curtain-breaking device must be on it."

Lin Xian took a deep breath, looked around, hid the transporting mechanical device in a corner of the passage, and then led KIKI and Shiori directly into the Civilization Vanguard through the bridge passage.

As you pass through the alloy airlock of the bridge, automatic sensor lights illuminate one by one, their cool white glow extending along the passageway and lighting up the steel corridor leading to the core of the starship.

At the end of the passage is a circular central cabin, about 9 meters in diameter. The cabin walls are embedded with holographic projection panels, which are currently in standby mode and emit a faint blue light. The floor is covered with anti-static mesh. Starting from the central cabin, there are nine decks in total, accessible by a central elevator and stairs.

What Lin Xian found strange was that they hadn't seen a single person since they entered. So Lin Xian checked the internal deck map of the starship and ran towards the central control room. After passing through a hydraulically sealed door, the temperature plummeted, and they found themselves in a huge hibernation chamber. On both sides were hibernation pods arranged like a honeycomb, numbering over a thousand. At this moment, every hibernation pod was filled with people. Through the transparent portholes, they could see that all the faces were young, and they were all sleeping peacefully.

"Why have they already entered the hibernation pod? Aren't there any other crew members?" KIKI asked, puzzled, upon seeing this.

Lin Xian had a strange premonition at this moment, so he quickly passed through the hibernation pod area and came to a central control room. After confirming that no one was around, he immediately used the Black Star Forge to release Grace.

"Grace, connect me to the starship. I need to check the overall situation of the ship."

A "far-star" starship is not something KIKI can easily hack into. To simultaneously perceive the entire ship's situation, only a quantum AI like Grace can accomplish this.

Grace, who hadn't seen the light of day for a long time, seemed to have undergone extensive learning and simulation. She quickly recognized the emotions in Lin Xian's tone of voice and immediately acted.

[Yes, Captain. I will connect to the starship's central network immediately.]

Over here, KIKI had already used her telekinesis to open the server bay door of a central control system. Then, the group went inside together. Grace extended a cable from her wrist to connect to the starship's internal systems. A few seconds later, the lights throughout the starship flickered slightly. Then, Grace spoke to Lin Xian...
Grace has been connected to the 'Civilization Vanguard' central network. What actions do I need to take?

"Grace, I need to find a device to break the curtain, something used to shatter the celestial curtain. Also, bring up all the logs, personnel information, launch details, and so on. Tell me everything."

This "Civilization Vanguard" spacecraft is currently scheduled for a special formation launch mission, which will commence in 16 hours, 46 minutes, and 31 seconds, as the second launch sequence.

Lin Xian's expression changed upon hearing this, and KIKI and Shiori were also extremely surprised.

"16 hours, 10 a.m. tomorrow?!" Lin Xian looked at the time, his face filled with disbelief.

This is far from what he expected.

Yes, the 'Civilization Vanguard' has completed all launch preparations. The fusion core is operating normally, the human embryo bank has preserved 50 sets of frozen embryos (covering 97% of global genetic diversity), and there are 1200 tons of helium-3 fuel reserves, providing an estimated range of 1500 years. The ship's onboard weapons are fully operational. The civilization storage repository includes photonic hard drives and mechanical optical film backups, and a complete collection of human literature/art, including scientific maps from the Stone Age to gravitational wave applications, and a blue planet biological gene map (650 million species). Meanwhile, 4520 crew members in the four hibernation pods have begun to sleep, and there are 2125 registered crew members in the living quarters. Regarding the curtain-breaking device you mentioned, I found a device called the "Dark Erosion Cell Curtain-Breaking Activation Monitoring Experimental Device" in the space science laboratory. It includes an ultra-pure germanium detector, a high-speed scanning end of a cryo-electron microscope, a bioenergy trap, and a radiation spectrum analyzer, among other monitoring instruments. It is speculated that this device is used to monitor data changes in the energy conversion of dark erosion cells during dark invasion.

Lin Xian paused for a moment, then immediately said, "This should be it."

He immediately used the Black Star Forge to contain Grace again, and had KIKI temporarily take over the starship's monitoring system. Then he and KIKI and the others ran towards the space science laboratory.

"So there were already more than 5000 people on this starship. Where did the others go?"

"I don't know, maybe they're holding some kind of launch ceremony." Lin Xian didn't have time to think about it. He was already thankful that no one had noticed him on the way here.

At this point, when they came up from the central control room below to the upper deck, they found that the decks were filled with crew members in standard uniforms walking in the work areas and passageways.

Some people looked at them with surprise, but since the three of them were all in powered armor and walking in an orderly fashion, the crew members did not notice anything unusual and probably thought it was a routine inspection by the garrison.

Lin Xian and his two companions nervously made their way through the crew to the space science laboratory. The metal door was locked, but because Grace had already programmed the instructions and codes for Lin Xian, the three of them entered without any trouble.

Upon entering, Lin Xian discovered that this was not an ordinary laboratory. In the center stood a large white scientific research device, resembling a giant sphere, with countless cables and sensors connected to it.

As soon as she got close, Shiori immediately said
"There's a strong aura of darkness inside!"

“This is it!” KIKI walked over and saw through a small observation window that inside the device was a piece of dark erosion cell about the size of a fist, sealed in a special culture device.

Lin Xian immediately went over to take a look, and his pupils immediately contracted.
"Wait a minute, this doesn't have a mycelial device?"

"Have you scanned it?" KIKI asked, frowning.

Lin Xian nodded. As soon as he entered, he immediately used his mechanical ability to scan the device. The device contained the scientific research instruments that Grace had mentioned, but it did not contain the mycelium brain-computer interface.

"That's strange. Isn't it supposed to be a curtain-breaking device? How can simply placing a piece of dark-corrosion cell here break through the giant curtain of heaven?" KIKI asked in surprise.

"It's not that simple. The Crimson World must have activated the Dark Corrosion Cells through the mycelium, otherwise the current anomalies in the three Star Abysses would be impossible to explain," Lin Xian said.

KIKI then analyzed, "Could there be some other device that needs to be activated when the giant celestial curtain is broken?"

"It's possible."

KIKI asked with a strange expression, "Lin Xian, do you really want to... connect to this... this thing?"

Lin Xian sighed helplessly: "Even if I wanted to, I don't have any hyphae right now. How could I have imagined that the device on this barrier would actually be a piece of dark corrosive cell that has no connection to hyphae at all? This is too strange..."

"Now what?"

"Someone...is coming."

At this moment, Shiori, who was standing at the door keeping watch, whispered to Lin Xian and the other person.

Lin Xian and KIKI exchanged glances, and Lin Xian immediately and decisively said...
"Retreat first, don't alert them. There are still 16 hours until launch, we still have time to find the Dark Corrosion Cell that has truly been connected to our consciousness."

KIKI nodded. Just as Lin Xian was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, and immediately raised his hand to create a miniature device, placing it in a hidden spot under the spherical device. Then he left the space science laboratory with KIKI Shiori.

"What are you doing?" At the entrance of the passage, a young female scientist with a clean and pretty face and wearing glasses looked at the three of them in surprise.

“Routine inspection,” Lin Xian said coldly, then strode over.

"Oh~" The female scientist adjusted her glasses, looked at the three people's backs, and didn't say anything.

A few minutes later, Lin Xian, KIKI, and the other two pulled the starship's mechanical device towards the outside of the starport, preparing to leave.

"Chu Yan, Captain Zhou, Captain Qi, how's the situation on your end? I'm here..."

On the way, Lin Xian walked quickly, trying to contact each team and keep them informed of the situation.

At this moment, a man in military uniform with a resolute face walked slowly from a distance in the passage. His gaze was sharp as a knife as he quickly scrutinized Lin Xian and the other two, frowning slightly as if he had noticed something unusual.

Upon seeing the other person, Lin Xian and his two companions immediately stopped and saluted him.

The other party naturally responded with a military salute, and without stopping, slowly walked away.

This man had no nameplates, only colonel's epaulets, and his gaze was deep and melodious.

Chu Jing walked out along the passage. The sky outside the starport was once again covered by dark clouds, and a light rain began to fall.

"Captain Chu."

After boarding the Vanguard, a senior adjutant approached and said, "The departure sequence is ready."

"Pass down the order: Starport is under complete lockdown immediately."

"Yes."

……

Lin Xian contacted Chu Yan, and the two teams met up at the now-closed and abandoned Twin Star Tower.

Chu Yan combined information from various sources and found that after Zhou Jin's team hacked into the underground fortification's internal network, they did find an operation log about a secret plan. However, because the underground fortification had been rebuilt by Dawn City, all the code names inside had been changed, and some sensitive information was missing, making it impossible for them to locate the Crimson World's hidden location.

"So we have 16 hours left?" On the high-rise building, Chu Yan and Lin Xian's team looked at the rain-soaked city and exchanged information.

It's getting dark.

“Strictly speaking, it’s been more than 16 hours.” Lin Xian said, his face still wet with rain. “However, after the launch of Project Vanguard, it’s basically impossible for us to find someone who has connected with S-class or activated this Dark Corrosion Cell. Of course, connecting with S-class ourselves using mycelium is also an option.”

"If you connect by yourself, is there still time?" Chu Yan asked back.

Lin Xian immediately said, "Don't we have a piece of Dark Corrosion Cell on hand?"

“That one, and the one used to activate the Crimson World, originated from the same S-rank body,” Chu Yan said. “Have you forgotten about the Gray Mist Messenger?”

"What does it matter? This way we can get the same information, right?"

After Lin Xian finished speaking, he suddenly froze, instantly realizing what was happening.

"Wait, the Gray Mist Messenger, that dead S-rank anomaly..."

"What's wrong?" Chu Yan looked at him.

"I've always been curious about the purpose of the Crimson World in retrieving this S-class anomaly's corpse," Lin Xian asked doubtfully. "Logically speaking, didn't they already obtain the action brain cells and cultivate them in the Star Abyss?"

"Because the living Dark Corrosion Cells are not just used by the Crimson World to study the effects of transforming Dark Invasion, their real purpose is to connect with the Darkness through hyphae," Chu Yan said.

Lin Xian's expression hardened: "But connecting with the darkness is the goal, and a process is still lacking."

"What process?" KIKI asked curiously.

"Resurrect an S-class action brain!" Lin Xian suddenly remembered the huge biological experimental apparatus below the Jin Hai Huanxing Factory. He had always been curious why a dead, bizarre entity was equipped with a suppression device and restraints in the Crimson World.

Because if this strange entity cannot move on its own, the device will be meaningless, and the mycelial link will not function.

"Chu Yan, do you remember that in the information you obtained from Zhou Mingyuan and Wen Hui, you mentioned that Dawn City was mobilizing large-scale machinery?"

"Yes."

"If it's a starship device, what's so strange about that? Starships are being built every day. Could the large mechanical device they're talking about be something else entirely?!"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Chu Yan asked, looking at him.

Lin Xian's face darkened: "Is it possible that the Crimson World needs to cultivate a complete S-level action brain to establish mycelial communication, while a piece of Dark Corrosion Cell is meaningless? This is why Dark Corrosion Cells are cultivated on living biological tissue, and also why they reclaimed the corpse of the Gray Mist Messenger, because they need to cultivate an action brain on its body and then establish mycelial communication!"

"You mean, they're planning to resurrect an S-class?" KIKI asked in surprise.

Chu Yan looked puzzled: "Why would Dawn City allow them to do this?"

Lin Xian suddenly remembered something: "KIKI!"

"What's wrong?!"

"Replay the log information from the Vanguard earlier, no, I mean the launch sequence information!"

KIKI immediately took out her mobile terminal: "'Civilization Vanguard' has been assigned a special formation launch mission. The mission will start in 16 hours, 46 minutes, and 31 seconds. Launch sequence 2."

"Launch sequence... 2? Why 2? Something didn't feel right from the start. If the Vanguard isn't the first sequence, then what is?"

In an instant, countless thoughts condensed and became clear.

Dark Corrosion Cells Growing on Living Tissue, Recycling the Gray Mist Messenger, A-Level Bio-engineering Experiments Under the Golden Sea, Mycelial Brain-Computer Device, Dark Connection, Giant Curtain of Heaven, Curtain-Breaking Device, Star Abyss Anomalies, Dawn City's Transfer of Super-Large Mechanical Devices...

At this moment, Lin Xian looked at the rain curtain that was gradually darkening into night and said in a deep voice.

"If the Vanguard is just a piece of Dark Corrosion Cell and not an Action Brain, then it means that somewhere at this moment, there is a super-large S-class that has undergone flesh-and-blood implantation and whose Action Brain has been resurrected..."

"That's the real curtain-breaking device!"

(End of this chapter)