Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 268: Scientific Debate

“This really does follow the survival-of-the-fittest rule among predators... it's just that the evolution is way too fast,” Lin Xian muttered under his breath.

“What are you talking about?” Chen Sixuan asked.

“Nothing. Why are you looking for me?”

Chen Sixuan glanced at the densely stacked armor plates on the roof and the platform below, her gaze filled with concern as she looked at Lin Xian. “You’ve been working all night. Leave the rest to us. Go get some rest.”

Lin Xian shook his head. “Still not done. There’s a lot left. Don’t worry, I’m still in good shape. Once everyone’s rested, I’ll call them over to help.”

Seeing how things were, Lin Xian decided not to wake the resting team members. Letting everyone sleep until they naturally woke up was a rare luxury—and it was clearly helping everyone recover physically.

At the same time, Lin Xian shared the situation in the city with Chen Sixuan. After upgrading the armor, he planned to have everyone undergo testing with the Nightwalkers Organization under the Phoenix, and take the chance to visit the various camps around the city to gather intel and trade for supplies.

If conditions allowed, he also wanted to give the team some free time to move around in this relatively safe city. Sometimes, mental stress weighed heavier than physical fatigue.

These few dozen people had gone through everything from Yubei Spaceport to now without much of a break. Even someone like Shasha had gotten noticeably quieter.

“We currently have 41 Level-1 Eerie Blood Crystals, 5 Level-2s, and 1 Level-3,” Chen Sixuan said, responding to Lin Xian’s earlier words and reporting their current inventory. “As for supplies, we traded a good amount at Hengshan Pass. We’ve got enough food and water for now. Just might need some more hygiene products, but nothing else.”

Lin Xian nodded. “Then our biggest concerns right now are the train itself, and weapons and abilities.”

With food and water settled, the next priority was environment and defense—how to make sure the Infinite Train could hold its own against monster waves, improve its propulsion and adaptability, and how to fend off Eerie Entities and Dark Invasions. It all came down to things like train defenses, power, non-track-based mobility, and the team’s physical resilience, mental strength, and combat power...

Clank—

Lin Xian set an armor plate he had just fabricated onto the crane, then operated it to lower it to the platform below. Although the carriage armor plates weren’t made of pure steel but composite armor, each one still weighed over two tons, and each carriage side needed about eight different plates assembled together.

He’d spent the whole night and only gotten about halfway through—now stuck again due to material shortages. Tungsten-Titanium Alloy required a massive amount of base steel to convert.

Whoosh—

Looking at the platform on the train’s right side, where armor plates were stacked like tiles, Lin Xian exhaled deeply. “Let’s stop here for today. I’ll finish the right side first, then handle the left tonight.”

The right side had suffered the most damage, so he was prioritizing the worst-hit area.

There were only a few hours left before dawn. He still needed to find Zhou Wuer and Monica. His schedule was tight, and if needed, he’d personally head out to trade for some higher-grade armor materials to boost efficiency.

Vrrrr—

Just then, a few military snow vehicles came speeding through the snowstorm, heading straight for the Infinite Train.

“It’s the Phoenix,” Chen Sixuan said. Her eyesight was excellent;she spotted the logos on the vehicles from afar.

Lin Xian’s expression shifted. He clapped his hands, not surprised the Phoenix might come looking for him, but didn’t expect them to arrive before dawn.

“Come on, let’s go check it out.”

“Jump down?” Chen Sixuan asked instinctively. Funny enough, she hadn’t even thought twice when climbing up earlier, but now she hesitated, questioning her own ability.

Lin Xian chuckled. “Ms. Chen, you can jump way higher than I can now.”

Chen Sixuan opened her mouth, a strange feeling creeping in—his words weirdly made her feel like she was turning into a monster. She looked down at the snow below, took a deep breath, fought back the pressure in her heart, and leapt.

Whoosh—

With agility and focused vision, she could suddenly sense her own speed, her falling height. Every muscle in her body activated. For a moment, it felt like even the snowflakes in the air slowed down.

She landed softly. The anxiety she felt was completely gone, replaced with a lightness that came from exceeding her physical limits—an overwhelming confidence that made her feel almost omnipotent. Her timidness and delicate nature began to fade, replaced by growing resolve.

She turned back, face lifted, eyes steady and warm as she looked at Lin Xian.

He smiled lightly at the sight, then leapt down after her.

Just as he landed, the snow vehicles arrived. One of the doors opened, and a thin, frazzled-looking man wearing thick glasses jumped out, grinning from ear to ear.

“Captain Lin!”

Lin Xian looked over and lit up. “Wei Kexue?”

“That’s me! It’s really me!”

Seeing an old friend was a total surprise. Lin Xian vividly remembered repairing gates and the Climbing Elevator with Wei Kexue back at Yubei Spaceport. But after learning from Zhou Wuer that the support team there had been wiped out, he thought Wei Kexue hadn’t made it either. He never expected to meet him again in Xilan City.

Wei Kexue now looked completely different—much thinner than before, unshaven, with a disheveled and worn-out look. But the spark in his eyes still burned behind his lenses.

He jumped off the treads and was followed by a tough-looking elderly man in his fifties or sixties. Wei tried to help him down, but the old man waved him off and jumped himself—nearly losing his balance—then stumbled through the snow toward Lin Xian.

“Captain Lin! It’s really you! I saw the experiment data labeled ‘Infinite Train’ in the submission from the Courier Unit and thought I was seeing things!” Wei called out excitedly as he approached.

Lin Xian stepped up and hugged him. “I heard your team ran into trouble?”

Wei opened his mouth, hesitated, then quickly explained, “Yeah, things went south. I just got lucky and survived. Phoenix found me buried in the dead and brought me into the Xilan research team.”

He quickly introduced the elder beside him.

“This is Professor Guo Sicheng, head of the Xilan United Research Group, my mentor and current superior. He’s way ahead of the curve in studying Cold Dark Fundamental Particles.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Guo Sicheng. You’re the captain of the Infinite Train, right? That research data came from you?”

Lin Xian glanced at Wei Kexue, then nodded to Professor Guo. “Yeah, that was us.”

The professor immediately took off his gloves and shook Lin Xian’s hand firmly.

Lin Xian had thought Phoenix came for something Ability-related, but turns out, the first to arrive was a research team.

During the handshake, Lin Xian noticed the professor’s winter coat was rumpled and his buttons misaligned—clearly in a rush when he left.

Noticing Lin Xian’s glance, Guo Sicheng looked down and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah... bit of a rush this morning. No big deal.”

Wei Kexue, still visibly excited, added, “As soon as the professor saw your data, he gathered the whole team. We held hours of discussion sessions and even started prepping a requisition for specialized lab equipment and staff to recreate the experiment. But we got into a disagreement with the Emperor Project folks, so we rushed over without notice. We know you just survived a hellish ordeal—sorry for disturbing your rest.”

“Emperor Project?” Lin Xian raised a brow. What did Dark Mark research have to do with the Emperor Project?

Just then, several more researchers stepped out of the snow vehicles—mostly older, lab coat-wearing types. In the last few trucks, Lin Xian spotted Yu Yuheng from the Emperor Team.

“Captain Lin,” Yu called as he briskly approached, looking a bit embarrassed. “Didn’t get to thank you properly for the help last time, and here we are again.”

Lin Xian looked between the two teams—Phoenix’s United Research Group and the Emperor Project team—clearly confused. One focused on Abilities and Dark Tides, the other on Mecha warfare. Why were they clashing over his research data?

“Professor Guo, Captain Yu, what’s going on here?”

Yu Yuheng jumped in first. “Xilan Command is finalizing the evacuation plan for two days from now. Our Emperor team wasn’t originally scheduled to be stationed here, but we felt obligated to share our findings from the Trakamar Ice Canyon—specifically, a highly abnormal Eerie Entity Cluster event. So, using our Unit 01’s data from S-Class contact, we collaborated with the local research group to draft a report for command.”

“Then…” he glanced toward Guo’s team, “Professor Guo here has a rather unique interpretation of Dark Entity behavior.”

Lin Xian exchanged glances with Chen Sixuan. Why were researchers dragging him into this?

“What interpretation?” Lin Xian asked.

“Dark Mark!” Before he even finished, Professor Guo stepped forward, eyes gleaming. “Your naming was incredibly precise. We’ve proposed over a dozen hypotheses globally on how these Dark Entities appear—Predator Effect, Hunter Tracking, Soul Wave Value Attraction, Ability User Resonance, and more—but none have been experimentally confirmed. But you—you…”

He looked intensely at Lin Xian. “Your observational data somehow achieved 99.9% accuracy in predicting entity appearance based on a single subject, without needing Soul Wave Data. How?”

99.9%?

Lin Xian was stunned. Director Ding really was meticulous…

Professor Guo’s excitement left him speechless for a moment. Wei Kexue quickly added, “Captain Lin, my teacher also proposed a Campfire Theory—which closely matches your Dark Mark idea. Though we still lack theoretical proof, a number of teams have found similar patterns in survivor convoy data. The only issue is... we can’t find solid evidence for the campfire’s existence. Behaviorally, it just doesn’t make sense—”

“Because it doesn’t fit any biological logic!” Yu Yuheng cut in bluntly. “All natural creatures act on survival and reproduction. Our research shows that Dark Entities have hierarchical structures—some issue commands, others follow. This proves they can communicate amongst themselves—they don’t need humans to propagate behavior!”

“Your data comparison is just based on convoy death cycles, which is meaningless. Everyone knows each Dark Tide is a survival nightmare. Rising death rates are just the new normal.”

“But that doesn’t explain the behavioral logic behind these creatures showing up!!” Professor Guo couldn’t help raising his voice again in public, arguing with Yu Yuheng. “Why is it that once a target is attacked, they end up being assaulted by different creatures in different zones afterward? Elementary math teaches you—find the constant among variables! And in this case, the constant is people!”

Yu Yuheng fired back immediately, “The appearance of Dark Entities is inherently unpredictable. That’s a trait of the Darkness, not the people! No one knows what monsters will emerge in the same zone after night falls.”

He got increasingly agitated, turning to Lin Xian. “Captain Lin, wasn’t our encounter at Trakamar Ice Canyon the perfect example? High-level Eerie Entities led the Snow Wraiths and Snow Demons to surround us, drawing all the nearby snow-type monsters into one area. If we’re going by the Campfire Theory, how do you explain that kind of disparity?!”

“So you’re saying whether or not we run into Eerie Entities at night is purely luck?” a middle-aged professor from the research team chimed in.

“At the very least, we can’t observe Dark Entities’ behavior during daylight, and that’s the real problem!” someone from the Emperor Project argued.

Professor Guo pointed sharply at his palm. “The constant among variables! That’s what we should be focusing on. Don’t overcomplicate it!”

“If the Dark Entities could see us during the day and communicate within the Darkness, wouldn’t that explain everything?” Yu Yuheng countered.

“Oh sure,” an elderly researcher fired back sarcastically, “The monsters in Yubei City must’ve called up the ones in the Wei River to warn them our support team was heading over, and that’s why they got ambushed as soon as they entered the darkness, right?!”

In an instant, the two sides were back at each other’s throats.

Lin Xian and Chen Sixuan exchanged looks, both feeling a little lost. Wei Kexue walked over with an embarrassed expression. “They’ve been arguing like this all night.”

“What are they even arguing about?” Lin Xian asked.

“It’s because the Emperor Project also submitted a separate theory to Director Zhao, which could influence Phoenix’s upcoming strategy in Xilan. That sparked the debate,” Wei explained.

“But why is the Emperor Project involved in this topic?” Lin Xian asked in confusion.

“It’s not interference,” Wei sighed. “Understanding the behavioral logic of Dark Entities isn’t just the concern of the Nightwalkers or the Emperor Project—it’s a problem for all of humanity. Disagreements between research teams have been happening for a while. Now that Cold Dark Fundamental Particles have entered the picture, everyone’s hopeful we’re close to cracking the logic behind how Dark Entities communicate. That’s why my mentor’s team and Captain Yu’s team both included this in their secret missions.”

“Long story short, Captain Yu’s team thinks my mentor’s Campfire Theory is completely unfounded.”

Chen Sixuan looked at the two sides getting louder by the minute. “Why are they getting so hostile over this?”

Wei shook his head. “I personally support my mentor’s theory, but I understand both perspectives. You were part of the Trakamar Ice Canyon rescue mission, right? So you know how many people the Emperor Project lost. They’re obviously not going to accept that the reason their team was surrounded and wiped out was due to a 'leftover marker' from fighting an S-Class Eerie Entity somewhere else.”

Lin Xian nodded. “But that’s the reality. From Yaze Lake to Trakamar, all the Eerie Entities got drawn there—two Deep Abyss Worms, even. If not for a marker from an S-Class, what else could explain it?”

Chen Sixuan frowned slightly. “So you came to us in the middle of the night… hoping we’d have an answer?”

“Well, the Campfire Theory is one of the most counterintuitive ideas among mainstream hypotheses. But the data you provided was shockingly precise. Our whole team—and especially my mentor—was stunned. His theory aligned with many experimental results but lacked observable process. We had no idea what the ‘campfire’ even was. So even though more people started agreeing with him, it never went mainstream. Some even dismissed it as pseudo-science or result-only theory. Survivor convoy mortality rates are high by default—especially after contact with S-Class monsters or zombie hordes. Some said he was just feeding off survivor tragedy…”

“Even though he had observational sequences in place, they were inaccurate and lacked a reliable reference frame. So this ‘marker’s’ energy form was never precisely measurable...”

Wei let out a deep sigh and turned to Lin Xian. “That’s why when we got the research file, we were all shocked. We couldn’t believe your team managed to track the marker’s energy curve so accurately. Everyone got heated trying to figure it out and eventually tracked you down—because the file came from your team.”

“The reference system in that report can’t just be a hypothesis!!” Professor Guo suddenly stormed over, clutching a Mobile Terminal, clearly holding the data provided by Ding Junyi.

“Captain Lin, I have a question. It looks like the data you submitted lacks a key control group. We studied it all night and found it all based around a specific descriptor. While it reads like a hypothesis, it somehow predicts Eerie Entity appearances with pinpoint accuracy. You even identified safe zones correctly three times in a row. That’s what we want to know.”

“Yes, exactly!” another researcher chimed in. “So we came to the conclusion—do you have a very special Ability User who can perceive this stuff?”

“They definitely do.” Yu Yuheng stepped forward. “I already told you—without Captain Lin and his team’s powerful Ability Users, we wouldn’t have made it out of Trakamar. Captain Lin alone dispersed thousands of Snow Wraiths—that’s a huge threat to Dark Entities. Our Emperor Project Team doesn’t have Ability Users and still got hit hard. Other nearby survivor convoys were dragged into it too. So your Campfire Theory, Predator Effect, all of that doesn’t hold up. Dark Entities are intelligent—they can assess threat levels.”

“That supports what I said before—Dark Entities can identify threat levels. That’s why even after relocation, we were still targeted by monster waves.”

“Then what about cross-regional threat tracking? Those normal survivors were running nonstop!”

“Running shows fear! And fear draws hunters in! Professor Guo, you should know that better than I do!”

“You…!”

“Being marked by Dark Entities and them possessing higher-level cognition aren’t mutually exclusive,” came a cool, calm voice that cut through the heated debate.

Everyone turned to see a woman walking down from the Infinite Train, approaching Lin Xian’s side.

Ding Junyi.

Lin Xian had already activated the communicator with her once he guessed the visitors' intent. He figured this kind of situation should be handled by a pro.

“And you are…?” both Professor Guo and Yu Yuheng asked.

“I’m Ding Junyi, former Chief Biologist at Underground City No. 9’s lab under the Pre-Federation. Currently serving as Infinite Train’s biological researcher. That research file? I wrote it.”

“Oh, that was you?”

“No wonder it was so professional.”

The researchers immediately swarmed her.

Yu Yuheng was the first to introduce himself. “Pleasure to meet you. I’d like to ask—was your report based on a special Ability User’s perception, or your monitoring of the train’s overall Soul Wave Value? The missing parts in the report made it hard for us to replicate the results, which really impacts our conclusions. I’m sure you understand, as a fellow researcher.”

“The report clearly notes that Soul Wave Value was used as supplementary monitoring only. Peaks and troughs were identified after Eerie Entity attacks—not as a predictive tool for their appearance. Young man, read more carefully!” Professor Guo scolded, flushed with frustration.

Ding Junyi glanced at Lin Xian, her expression making it clear she’d anticipated this situation. The most critical part of the report—the reference system—was missing. If it weren’t submitted by Infinite Train through the Phoenix Courier Unit, with her precise annotations and logical breakdowns, it would’ve been dismissed as a joke.

Only with Wei Kexue’s involvement did Professor Guo even learn about the Infinite Train’s track record, and decide to seriously investigate instead of dismissing it as a theory.

Seeing her expression, Lin Xian sighed inwardly. With all these experts showing up in the middle of the night, there was no hiding it. He gave Ding Junyi a subtle nod.

She nodded back, then turned to the group.

“It’s not from a special Ability User, nor from general threat-based attention. It was due to a specimen of the Blood Scourge Flora. We discovered it during our escape and found it had the ability to sense these so-called ‘markers.’ That’s when we began studying it—in other words, we used ourselves as test subjects. And our findings confirmed that this marker does trigger Dark Entity attacks. Once removed, we entered a kind of ‘stealth state’ in the Darkness.”

“I propose that the Darkness, for these creatures, is simply their habitat or territory. Unless a human is within a certain range, Dark Entities can’t perceive them. This ‘marker’ is a unique form of hunting behavior.”

“I also discovered that the marker can stack, or be overwritten by higher-tier entities for targeted hunting. In short, if you kill the strongest Dark Entity in a region, you can erase the marker—or even absorb it.”

She spread her hands. “To put it more simply—it’s like a battle arena. Dark Entities can eat humans, but humans can eat them too. This power exists equally for both sides. It explains why we’re evolving.”

Her words sent a chill through the crowd.

“Blood Scourge Flora?!”

Professor Guo’s face turned pale. “Wh—what type is it?!”

The research team immediately burst into excited chatter.

Wei Kexue turned to Lin Xian in shock. “Captain Lin… don’t tell me this is that thing Taylor from the Federation was harassing you about?!”

Lin Xian nodded. “Yeah. We found it in Underground City No. 9.”

“Knew it…”

“Makes sense—it’s the resonance power of the Disaster Flora.”

“Just need to know its genus, its nature…”

“This is incredible! With this reference system, Professor Guo’s Campfire Theory is finally validated!”

“If we can pinpoint the energy form of this marker, we might finally decode Dark Entity communication—and uncover the secrets within the Darkness!”

“Exactly!!”

“This could save millions of survivors! It could change how we live!!”

The research team was completely fired up. Lin Xian hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.

Yu Yuheng, meanwhile, looked utterly shocked.

He stepped forward and asked Ding Junyi in a grave tone, “Have you observed a definitive energy form?”

Ding Junyi looked at him, then took out her mobile terminal and handed it to him. “I used an axion wave detector and picked up a response from a high-mass particle similar to cold dark fundamental particles. That’s how I could confirm its presence. The problem is, with our current tech, we can’t capture it.”

Yu Yuheng snatched the terminal from her hand. The researchers behind him quickly gathered around to look, but as they read, their expressions grew increasingly grim. Yu Yuheng’s brows were tightly furrowed as he flipped through the data. Any arguments he’d been preparing were completely crushed by the strength of Ding Junyi’s reasoning.

If Ding Junyi’s theory was right, then the crisis brought on by the Emperor Project didn’t stem from Unit 01’s deterrent power, but from a “mark” imprinted on Chen Wei and Chen Lie after they used Unit 01 in close contact with an S-Class Eerie Entity.

That mark was likely the reason for the repeated large-scale Eerie Entity attacks during their relocation—ultimately leading to the near-total annihilation of the transport and combat teams!

Realizing this, Yu Yuheng’s face went deathly pale, and he murmured under his breath, “No way… no way… Then why don’t those monsters dare approach the defensive perimeter?”

“That’s easy—they’re just adapting to the light,” Lin Xian said calmly. “Didn’t you notice the frequency of the Eerie waves matches the frequency of the blizzards?”

Yu Yuheng opened his mouth but couldn’t find a response. His eyes were filled with disbelief.

At that moment, Professor Guo walked over. Yu Yuheng, seeing him, hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly handed over the terminal, still clinging to his stance.

“Unless we successfully detect this energy particle, we can’t draw a firm conclusion. The Blood Scourge Flora research is still quite unclear. The research data is rigorous, I’ll give it that, but I’d say this theory only has partial support…”

“Multiple repeated experiments are showing matching results. That rules out other possibilities. Young man, we can’t use Earth biology logic to understand these dark entities. Stuff like hunters, threats—it’s meaningless. Their actions are purely mechanical. There must be some internal logic behind them that we can’t yet grasp. And this hypothesis—demonstrated through Captain Lin and Professor Ding’s work—is absolutely worth further experimental validation!”

As he spoke, Professor Guo carefully examined the mobile terminal, growing more excited the more he read. Then he looked up at Ding Junyi.

“Where is this Blood Scourge Flora now? Can you let us run tests on it right away?!”

Lin Xian’s expression shifted subtly at that.

Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum was a major asset aboard the Infinite Train. It could warn of Dark Marks, absorb black mist and convert it into energy to aid in everyone’s evolution, and when combined with an Eerie Cube, even function as a Mechanical Source Point—boosting Lin Xian’s Mechanical Ability.

It was practically a treasure trove, and Lin Xian wasn’t about to let it go.

Seeing the group go silent, Professor Guo looked at Lin Xian in confusion. “What… it’s not possible?”

“Sorry. This thing is really important to us,” Lin Xian replied bluntly.

Ding Junyi had told him before that the cold dark fundamental particles had already been identified. As long as the Phoenix researchers followed her experimental method, they could locate the energy patterns even without Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum. So there was no need to hand it over.

But the premise was that they had to be willing to adopt this unfamiliar "reference frame" and run widespread testing.

Hearing Lin Xian’s response, Professor Guo grew visibly anxious. “Come on, look at the state we’re in! Survivors everywhere lack the means to detect or counter these threats. People are dying in droves daily. If we had this reference, we could drastically speed up the research and develop devices to detect these marks. Even one day—or one hour—sooner could save countless lives!”

“Exactly! If we can prove these marks exist, it would completely overturn the way survivors think about survival!” another senior researcher chimed in urgently.

“Just identifying the behavioral logic of Dark Entities has taken hundreds of Phoenix teams, thousands of researchers, a ridiculous amount of time and money. We can’t afford delays.”

Seeing Lin Xian still hesitating, Professor Guo was so desperate his lips trembled. “Look, I know how valuable it is to you. But I, Guo Sicheng, swear on my name—we’ll only use it for research, nothing else. Once we’re done, I’ll personally make sure it’s returned to you, untouched. Please, I’ll even talk to Director Zhao and apply for funding—lots of funding—for your team, okay?”

Seeing Professor Guo getting more worked up, Wei Kexue quickly stepped in and pulled him aside. “Professor, please, don’t get worked up. I’ll talk to Captain Lin.”

He then walked up to Lin Xian and said in a low, apologetic voice, “Captain Lin, please don’t take offense. My professor tends to get a bit intense—he’s spent his whole life in the lab and isn’t great with people. If it’s really not convenient, we understand. But if there’s anything you need, I can help you talk to the higher-ups. It’s just… this is really crucial to us right now. What do you think?”

Lin Xian sighed and turned to Ding Junyi. “Director Ding, what’s your take?”

Ding Junyi replied, “Like I said, with a reference point, the answer’s already within reach. The problem is, our train doesn’t have the equipment to sequence particle-level materials, so we can’t track the energy pattern changes in the Black Chrysanthemum. If they’ve got the gear, they should theoretically be able to solve it quickly.”

“How quickly?”

Ding Junyi took a deep breath. “I can’t give a concrete number. Science needs repetition. And there are too many variables here—time, nightfall, Eerie Entities. So it depends on the size of the experimental team and how many viable samples they have.”

“To put it simply, with a large enough team and test group, and with a known reference, we might identify the energy within a week to a month.”

Lin Xian’s expression darkened, clearly torn.

“Of course, if we’re lucky, we might get it on the first try.” Ding Junyi shrugged. “That’s science for you—especially in materials research. It’s practically like rolling dice with molecules. In layman’s terms: it’s all luck.”

“We’ve only got two days here,” Lin Xian said.

“Two days is enough!” Professor Guo cut in. “Professor Ding is right. With a reference, the core problem is solved. Just lend it to us for two days and I’ll—”

“That’s not possible, Professor,” a researcher interrupted with a troubled look. “I went through the data just now. There are over a thousand possible high-mass particle types with similar traits. Even doing contrast experiments would take at least hundreds of trials.”

“Exactly. Unless we get very lucky, two days won’t cut it.”

“It will!” Guo Sicheng exclaimed. “I’ll call Zhao Yu right now and ask him to send someone to Quancheng to borrow an ultra-pure germanium detector. We can use captured Eerie Entities to test directly. Two days should be enough.”

It was clear this old professor was trying every possible angle to fast-track a solution.

“No.” Wei Kexue shook his head. “There’s no time to get to Quancheng. It also requires escort from the Investigation Corps. And we can’t transmit the signal either.”

That silenced the room.

Even if they didn’t sleep for two days straight, they still couldn’t guarantee a result. The researchers looked visibly frustrated.

“We’ve got an ultra-pure germanium detector.”

The sudden voice broke the silence. Everyone turned toward the speaker—Yu Yuheng, who had remained quiet until now.

He let out a long breath and declared firmly, “The Emperor Project has a dedicated ultra-pure germanium detector for detecting energy particles after close contact with S-Class Eerie Entities. If Professor Guo needs it, we’ll provide it.”

The moment he finished, the researchers from the Emperor team gasped.

“Group Leader Yu, that detector is critical for our—”

“We support them first!” Yu Yuheng’s expression was resolute.

“Based on the data, their theory is solid. If it works, it can save a lot of people. That’s more important than our priorities.”

“But—”

“Have you forgotten the Phoenix Code? I’ll take full responsibility!” Yu Yuheng suddenly shouted, bringing the room to a halt.

He turned to Lin Xian. “Captain Lin, if you’re worried about progress, we can collaborate with Professor Guo’s team. We’ll help speed things up and provide support.”

Excitement swept through Professor Guo’s team. Hope lit up their eyes.

“Really?”

“That’s amazing!”

“This will speed things up so much!”

“Yes, we definitely need that!” Professor Guo was practically glowing with joy, his wrinkles stretching out with every word.

“These old guys were arguing like crazy just now,” Lin Xian muttered, watching the bizarre scene unfold.

Beside him, Ding Junyi responded calmly, “Science is the pursuit of truth. Personal biases mean nothing in the face of that.”

Her words hit Lin Xian hard, and he sighed. “Guess I’ve been too narrow-minded. Alright, let them borrow it.”

“For humanity’s sake?” Ding Junyi asked.

Lin Xian glanced at the group of aging researchers and the openly emotional Professor Guo, and replied dryly, “Nah. Let’s just say I’m giving face to these old-timers.”

Ding Junyi’s gaze lingered on his face, then she smiled faintly. “You think I’d buy that?”

Lin Xian sighed. “Truth is, I’m still worried.”

“I know,” Ding Junyi said softly. “I’ll go with them over the next two days and help with the research. I can’t promise it’ll speed things up, but I’ll make sure Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum stays safe.”

Lin Xian’s eyes lit up. That actually sounded like a pretty good plan.

“And Phoenix is currently doing plant cultivation research. I might be able to bring back something you’d be interested in,” she added, glancing at him knowingly. The more she got to know Lin Xian, the more she could sync with his thinking and priorities.

She paused, as if waiting for his acknowledgment.

“Director Ding.” Lin Xian looked at her with surprise, then shifted his gaze. “You’re getting better and better.”

“Better?”

What kind of word was that?

Lin Xian didn’t quite know how else to describe it. She was already smart—very smart—and everything she did now just happened to align perfectly with what he had in mind. It felt incredibly comfortable.

He scratched his head and gave a sheepish smile. “Just… better, okay?”

Ding Junyi gave him a puzzled look, then smiled softly. She could feel his recognition and approval, and it bloomed inside her like a flower opening in full spring.