Vanessa noticed Lin Xian's reaction and spoke up:

"We need to use a cultivation device to cultivate the selected blood crystals with the cultivator's DNA. After successful cultivation, these blood crystals can be absorbed. The process isn't complicated, but first, such cultivation devices are extremely rare. Moreover, cultivation isn't 100% successful—you might need many level-three blood crystals before achieving one success. As you know, blood crystals of this level are incredibly valuable. A single failure would mean significant losses."

"And these blood crystals must also be... compatible? With one's abilities?" Monica chimed in.

"Exactly," Vanessa replied. "So the difficulty and cost are substantial. But you could collaborate with us. There are two ways to obtain blood crystals: first, direct hunting—level-three blood crystals require hunting at least A-level abnormal entities. We Sea Rangers know which waters contain suitable targets that won't trigger a tide disaster. The second method is purchasing them on the black market, though compatibility would be a gamble."

"By compatibility, do you mean the resonance between an abnormal entity's abilities and an ability user's powers? For example, a flame-spewing abnormal entity and a pyrokinetic ability user?" Shu Qin asked.

"Yes," Geddy interjected. "But these are just rumors. There are plenty of so-called 'experience guides' floating around, and most aren't reliable." She then glanced at Ding Junyi. "You have professional scientists—you can evaluate this yourselves."

"What about that cultivation device you mentioned?" Lin Xian asked.

Vanessa reassured him, "Don't worry about that. Our Sea Group has people who can solve that problem for you. As long as your ability peak exceeds 5000 at the Annihilator-level, there's at least a 90% chance of awakening a Crystal Lattice."

"Okay." Lin Xian nodded and looked at her. "Then tell me, what do you need from me?"

Vanessa met his gaze, her youthful face flickering with calculation before she replied, "We want to organize a hunt for a group of special-level entities and invite you to join. If successful, we could obtain at least five level-four blood crystals!"

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes. "A group?"

He wanted to confirm he hadn't misheard. Although Lin Xian had killed more than one special-level entity during the Dawn City battle, that was while piloting the Gray Mist Envoy. For ability users to face those skyscraper-sized special-level entities head-on was still utterly suffocating—like the Abyssal Worm in Xilan City, which had brought considerable disaster to the entire city.

"Yes. But it's not just us—other factions will be involved too. There are at least seven or eight individuals with Crystal Lattice evolutions and ability peaks exceeding 10,000. We also have heavy firepower. With your participation, our chances would improve significantly."

"Wait."

Ning Jing's expression darkened. "You're hunting special-level entities just to obtain level-four blood crystals for Crystal Lattice evolution?"

"Exactly," Geddy said. "Sometimes, confronting danger head-on is the only way to evolve beyond fearing it."

Ning Jing fell silent. She understood the logic, but her team didn't share this obsession with the Crystal Lattice. If it were a Dark Mark, she could fully grasp the motivation, but otherwise, their convoy only hunted blood crystals to trade for supplies—targeting the most common D or C-level abnormal entities. Special-level entities were city-level threats;

no convoy would recklessly provoke such behemoths without reason.

Lin Xian spoke up, "Sounds like you've been planning this for a while. How many special-level entities are we talking about? What kind of disasters do they pose? Have you considered the risk of a monster surge?"

He shared Ning Jing's skepticism. Actively seeking out special-level entities was far from rational. While the Crystal Lattice intrigued him, Lin Xian always kept a clear head—such ventures required careful risk-reward assessment.

"About the specifics—"

"Vanessa." Geddy cut her off with a meaningful glance. "They still don't fully understand what the Crystal Lattice is. They need more context."

Lin Xian caught Geddy's expression and roughly guessed her thoughts. "Assuming no surprises, there are likely many Holy City Organization members and other factions around Haiyan Island. If you leave the island tomorrow, stop by our maritime safe zone—you'll find many answers there."

"Okay."

Geddy checked the time and said, "Thank you for sharing valuable intel. We're not out of danger yet—you can rest inside the vehicle. We'll discuss further at dawn."

With that, he signaled to Chen Sixuan and Sun Yuzhen. "Teacher Chen, Yuzhen, arrange a resting place for our guests."

...

Late at night, the empty rail station lay shrouded in darkness. Eerie sounds echoed through shadowy alleys as the Infinite train sat silently on a platform, its armored hull sealed tight. With no lights on, only faint glimmers seeped through the gaps in the blackout panels.

Inside the train, over twenty people rested quietly. Qian Dele's team was on night watch—Shu Qin, Lü Chang, Luo Yang, and others remained vigilant while monitoring the darkness outside. Additionally, Viola, the AI, had taken over the train's sentry systems.

In Car 6, Vanessa and Lin Xian settled in. Surveying the well-equipped arsenal and drone systems, Lin Xian remarked thoughtfully, "This Infinite train is formidable. Among your twenty members, at least three are Angel-level, and the rest are likely Berserker or Annihilator-level at minimum. An elite squad like this has strong survival capabilities."

"Obviously." Vanessa fiddled with her handheld console, headphones on. "That pyrokinetic ability user took out three Red Bones in one move—I knew right then he had to be Angel-level. I'd need to activate my Crystal Lattice to pull off something like that."

"Vanessa, why invite him to join the hunt?" Geddy asked. "He's no ordinary person—he's the Phoenix Society's Sword Bearer."

"I know~"

Vanessa flashed a carefree grin. "Precisely because he's the Sword Bearer that I proposed this collaboration. He'd definitely be interested in power upgrades—after all, he faces S-level entities and Corpse Drivers. The despair he's endured dwarfs anything we've experienced, so special-level entities would be nothing to him."

"That's not what I meant," Geddy said. "As the Sword Bearer, his resources far exceed ours. With the Phoenix Society and Starfleet backing him, why would he collaborate with a small Sea Ranger group like ours?"

Vanessa shrugged. "No idea. But he saved us—he's a good guy. I like him. Cool~"

"Have you considered that the Holy City might target them because of this?"

"Lin Xian must have thought of that. Either way... I'm just seizing the chance to hitch a ride on the Sword Bearer's coattails. This hunt will be much safer with him. And those arrogant pricks from the White Night Knights—wonder how they'll react, ah..." She yawned. "When an opportunity arises, might as well grab it."

Geddy chuckled. "If this works out, Laine will lose his mind—the Sword Bearer Lin Xian as our backer?"

Vanessa set down her console and turned to Geddy. "Hey, did you notice something about Lin Xian?"

"What?"

"As a leader, he should have the strongest spiritual resonance in his group, right? But I couldn't sense anything from him."

"Mechanical supernatural power... that mysterious?"

...

In Car 2, Shasha was already asleep. Lin Xian sipped hot tea while monitoring the surroundings outside, discussing the earlier conversation with Chen Sixuan and KIKI.

"The Crystal Lattice sounds like a human version of blood crystals. Wonder who invented it—cultivating a Crystal Lattice seed inside a human body..." KIKI leaned back in her swivel chair, manipulating metal spheres to practice fine telekinetic control. She molded them into a sphere and added, "Wouldn't having this thing inside your body cause side effects?"

"They clearly aren't worried about that," Chen Sixuan remarked calmly from the couch. "And they're right. That girl's ability peak jumped from 7200 to 14,000—with that kind of power, she could hold her own against special-level entities. For survival, everything else is trivial."

"Teacher Chen is right." Lin Xian sighed deeply. "Back in Xilan City, Wen Zhuo's team explained that special-level entities have a spiritual resonance density of 20,000. With a bio-force field, an ability peak of 20,000 should be enough to break through. Heavy firepower and teamwork would make it much easier."

"On our train, Fire Bro is at 12,500, Xiao Niu at 12,000, Monica at 10,500, Takahashi Ryunosuke at 10,200, Sister Ning at 9,400, Qian Dele at 9,200, Xiao Qing at 7,200, Shu Qin and Da Lou at 7,000, Teacher Chen and A Bai at 6,900, Luo Yang at 6,800, Lü Chang and Miao Lu at 6,500, Sun Yuzhen at 6,000—Xiao Yuan and Shiori aside, even Shasha and Mo Xiaotian aren't weak, and Director Ding's abilities are growing too. If all of them underwent Crystal Lattice evolution, they could reach Angel-level standards."

Lin Xian whistled. "Twenty Angel-level fighters, plus the Infinite's firepower—we might actually stand a chance against an S-level head-on."

"So you're decided on collaborating with them?" KIKI spun her chair to face him, tilting her head.

"Not yet."

Lin Xian shook his head. "We just arrived on this island—there's too much we don't know yet. We're unfamiliar with this Falcon Sea Group and the so-called Holy City Organization. Let's observe first."

He lifted a blackout panel to peer at the dark platform outside, frowning. "Night-roaming cities, seabed dwellers—the deep sea holds too many dangers. Hunting special-level entities won't be simple. They know I'm the Sword Bearer, but orbital weapons aren't for farming blood crystals."

"True." Chen Sixuan nodded. "Their knowing you're the Sword Bearer means they want to exploit that."

KIKI smirked at Lin Xian. "You're just worried about being used as a blunt weapon while only getting crumbs in return."

"Damn right!"

Lin Xian stood abruptly, grinning. "No way I'm taking a loss on this."

With that, he headed toward Car 1.

"What are you doing?"

"What else? Shower and sleep."

KIKI gaped, pointing at the surveillance screen. "Seriously? With monsters everywhere out there, you can sleep?"

"What's there to fear? I could sleep with Corpse Drivers next to me. Besides, with everyone on watch, the structure won't be compromised." Lin Xian stretched and strode off.

Chen Sixuan watched him leave, sighing. "After neural-linking with an S-level, he's seen too many horrors. These abnormal entities don't faze him anymore—as long as there's no Dark Mark or attacks, he can sleep fine."

"Really? This guy..."

Chen Sixuan smiled. "He even said having zombies scratching the hull helps him sleep better. Called it..."

"ASMR?"

"Yeah."

"Weirdo," KIKI muttered.

Chen Sixuan chuckled but said nothing.

Lin Xian didn't turn on the lights. After a hot shower, he lay down in his bunk and tried tuning the radio—only static answered.

The Infinite's heavy armor gave him immense reassurance. The train had everything needed for living, leisure, and even a greenhouse car. Many of his envisioned modifications had been realized—if not for oceanic segment requirements, he'd have added more cars: gyms, pools, entertainment rooms, proper kitchens...

Though the Sky Dome train already had these, this train was meant to leave Earth. Once off the rails, he'd lose the grounded sensation, so Lin Xian preferred the steel cocoon—zombies prowled outside, but inside, life carried on. The engine's roar meant forward momentum, fleeing the night, an oddly safe comfort in the apocalypse.

Before sleep, Lin Xian's consciousness sank into the Black Star Forge, seeking Chu Yan for Crystal Lattice insights—the Phoenix Society must have researched this. But he couldn't reach her. The forge space lay silent, the Sky Dome's weapon upgrades progressing steadily under construction protocols. His other creations sat displayed.

Then, he noticed the metal die. Squinting, he frowned.

Had the face changed? He distinctly remembered it landing on 3 last time, but now it showed...

4.

Lin Xian tilted his head. The Black Star Forge rotated slightly in zero-g, objects drifting faintly. Maybe he imagined it, but he fashioned a small stand to immobilize the die before leaving.

Just then, a strange pulse resonated.

His Mechanical Heart stirred—but not because of the die.

Turning, he spotted a cylindrical device glowing red in the corner. The mysterious container from the SIID Foundation lab, holding the gravity-suspension fluid, emitted an energy fluctuation.

Frowning, Lin Xian approached. The object inside pressed against the edge, revealing an irregular shadow. Then, the password screen lit up with glowing text:

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