39: Chapter 39 The Strange

Lin Xiao had just finished showering and walked out wearing only a bath towel.

Water droplets slid down his toned pectoral muscles, vanishing into the depths of his V-line.

The room was filled with a faint scent of lavender.

Su Qingqian was sitting on the sofa, needle and thread in hand, mending a damaged combat uniform.

Under the light, she lowered her eyes, her expression focused and gentle.

This scene gave Lin Xiao the fleeting illusion that he had returned to the old era, where a wife would mend clothes for her husband under the lamp.

"Still not asleep?"

Lin Xiao walked over, gently wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind, and rested his chin on her fragrant shoulder.

"Mm, waiting for you."

Su Qingqian put down her work. She didn't struggle, but instead leaned back into his warm embrace.

After last night's confession and fighting side-by-side earlier, there was no longer any barrier between them.

"Today's electromagnetic cannon... was very cool."

Su Qingqian said softly, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on his arm.

"I never imagined that one day human power could reach such a level. That feeling of destroying the heavens and extinguishing the earth... is truly mesmerizing."

"Mesmerized already?"

Lin Xiao smirked, his warm breath spraying against her earlobe, causing her to shiver slightly.

"There will be even more impressive things in the future. Once I master the blueprints for the energy shield, I'll equip our train with absolute, omnidirectional defense. By then, we can drive straight into a pile of zombies and take a nap."

"You're just bragging."

Su Qingqian smiled and turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck, her eyes sparkling.

"But... I believe in you."

"As long as it's you saying it, I believe it."

Looking at the stunning face so close before him, how could Lin Xiao possibly hold back?

He lowered his head and kissed those two alluring red lips.

This time, Su Qingqian was not shy; instead, she responded passionately.

The temperature in the room gradually rose.

The raging storm outside the window was isolated in another world.

And in this small corner of the world, there were only two hearts nestled against each other, finding a harbor to anchor in the torrent of this apocalypse.

[Black Iron · Living Area Corridor]

[Time: Second day after entering the Death Swamp, early morning 06:30]

[Environment: Fully enclosed internal circulation mode, external highly toxic thick fog]

The morning in the Death Swamp had no sunlight, only the suffocating gray-green color that greeted the eyes through the thick, explosion-proof glass of the train windows.

But this did not affect the comfortable life inside the train in the slightest.

The constant temperature system powered by nuclear energy maintained the train carriages at a comfortable 24 degrees Celsius. The air purification system ran tirelessly, filtering out the external toxic gases and even thoughtfully adding a hint of faint lemon fragrance.

"Ah... that was such a comfortable sleep."

Tian Yuanyuan rubbed her sleepy eyes, wearing cotton pajamas with a little bear pattern, and walked out of the dormitory holding a washbasin.

As the "Minister of Agriculture" for the entire train, she was one of the first to get up. Even in this sunless swamp, those precious tomatoes and lettuce in the greenhouse required her meticulous care.

"Morning, Yuanyuan."

Shen Man happened to walk over, holding an electronic notepad, checking today's material consumption.

She was wearing a beige, casual knitted long dress, her long hair casually tied back. That intellectual and gentle quality typical of a mature older sister appeared exceptionally charming in the soft morning light.

"Morning, Sister Shen Man."

Tian Yuanyuan smiled sweetly, revealing a pair of cute little dimples.

"What's for breakfast today? I want to finish watering the seedlings in the greenhouse before I eat."

"The squad leader specially approved it today. There was leftover crocodile meat from yesterday, so the kitchen made crocodile meat porridge, along with the tofu with scallions you grew."

Shen Man smiled and patted Tian Yuanyuan's head. "Go on, don't starve yourself."

Everything looked so peaceful and tranquil.

It was just like being back in the dormitory building on a university campus, rather than being in this murderous post-apocalyptic wasteland.

However, just as Tian Yuanyuan was humming a little tune and had just walked to the corridor connecting to the greenhouse carriage.

An anomaly arrived quietly.

"Static... static..."

The broadcast speaker overhead suddenly emitted a faint sound of electrical static.

This was very unusual.

One must know that after Luo Yao's modifications, the Black Iron's communication system had been equipped with military-grade anti-interference modules.

Immediately after.

A faint, ethereal singing voice pierced through the static, echoing in the empty corridor.

It was a woman's voice.

Poignant and mournful, as if carrying endless sadness and loneliness.

There were no lyrics, just pure humming, yet it seemed to pierce directly through one's eardrums, evoking the deepest softness and sympathy in one's heart.

"La... la la... woo..."

Tian Yuanyuan's originally light footsteps came to a sudden halt.

The washbasin in her hand dropped to the floor with a "clang," scattering the towel and toothbrush inside all over the ground.

But she seemed completely unaware.

Those originally clear and lively big eyes were now becoming unfocused and hollow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Her focus was scattered, and her pupils were slightly dilated.

"So pitiful..."

Tian Yuanyuan muttered to herself, her voice as light as if she were sleep-talking.

"She is crying... She is calling for help..."

"It's so cold outside... so dark..."

"I must go save her... I must take her home..."

It wasn't just Tian Yuanyuan.

At this moment, in the entire living area carriage, whether they were girls still sleeping or those who had already gotten up to wash,

as long as their mental willpower was slightly weak, their movements all showed varying degrees of stiffness.

That singing voice was like magic, guiding their souls, making them involuntarily want to seek the source of the sound.

And the source of the sound was outside.

[Conductor's Luxury Suite]

Lin Xiao sat up abruptly from the bed.

[Warning! High-intensity mental wave interference detected!]

[Passive skill "outlaw" activated! Mental check in progress... Immunity successful!]

[Warning! Your crew is suffering from collective mental induction!]

The system's red pop-up window exploded directly onto his retina.

Lin Xiao only felt as if his brain had been pricked by a needle, causing some stinging pain, but he instantly snapped awake.

"Mental attack?!"

His expression changed drastically. He didn't even have time to put on clothes, simply throwing on a bathrobe, grabbing the walking stick that concealed a shotgun, and rushing out.

"Luo Yao! What's going on?!"

Lin Xiao pressed his headset and roared.

"Squad leader! The broadcast system has been hijacked!"

Luo Yao's voice sounded extremely anxious. Clearly, she was also resisting this mental interference. Although she was a high-IQ talent with strong mental power, her voice was somewhat breathless at the moment.

"This is not a radio signal at all! This is... this is some kind of biological sound wave! It acts directly on the human cerebral cortex!"

"I'm trying to cut off the broadcast, but it's useless! The sound seems to be drilling directly into the brain!"

"Damn it!"

Lin Xiao rushed out of the room and happened to run into Su Qingqian and Zhao Xiaotang, who lived next door.

Both of them were already fully armed.

Su Qingqian's face was somewhat pale, clearly forcing herself to suppress the discomfort, but her eyes remained cold and sharp.

Zhao Xiaotang shook her head and cursed: "What kind of crappy song is this? It makes me want to cry; it's truly wicked!"

It seemed that the mental resistance of these two core combat personnel was very high.

"Split up!"

Lin Xiao decided immediately.

"Xiao Tang, you go block the rear of the train! Qing Qian, you go to the control room and protect Luo Yao!"

"I'll go to the living area! There are the most people there. If someone opens the door, the whole train will be done for due to the toxic gas!"

[Living Area · Connection Point]

At this moment, the living area had fallen into an eerie chaos.

Dozens of girls walked out of their dormitories, swaying as if sleepwalking.

They had sad yet obsessed smiles on their faces, tears hanging from the corners of their eyes, muttering unintelligible ravings as they walked step by step toward the various exits of the train.

"Don't go! Wake up, everyone!"

Shen Man was currently anxiously blocking the middle of the corridor.

Although she also felt that the singing was very uncomfortable, as the team's "housekeeper," a strong sense of responsibility kept her awake.

Her hands glowed with a soft, milky-white halo, and the light of [Mass Purification] washed over everyone's bodies again and again.

"Purify! Wake up quickly!"

Shen Man was so anxious that her forehead was covered in sweat.

The white light fell, and a few girls sobered up slightly, their eyes regaining a glimmer of spirit for a moment, but immediately after, the singing became even more shrill, and they fell back into confusion, even beginning to push Shen Man.

"Sister Shen Man... move aside..."

"She is so pitiful... we must go save her..."

"She is waiting for us outside..."

This group of usually weak and delicate art students now had astonishing strength.

After all, Shen Man was not a combatant; she was quickly pushed back, stumbling, and it looked like she wouldn't be able to hold them back much longer.

And at the very front.

Tian Yuanyuan, who was the most deeply affected, had already walked to the side airtight hatch.

There was a red emergency manual opening lever there.

As long as it was pulled down, the heavy armored door would open, and the highly toxic swamp gas outside would instantly pour in!

"Yuanyuan! Don't!!"

Shen Man let out a desperate scream, wanting to rush over, but she was held tightly by two other girls.

Tian Yuanyuan's face wore a kind of holy and eerie smile.

"Don't be afraid... big sister is coming..."

She reached out her slender hand and grasped the cold red lever.

Pulling —

Just at this critical moment!

"Boom!"

A black shadow rushed over from the end of the corridor like a leopard!

Lin Xiao didn't even have time to think; he swung his walking stick, throwing it directly, and it smashed accurately onto Tian Yuanyuan's wrist.

"Snap!"

Tian Yuanyuan felt the pain, her hand loosened, and the lever was not pulled down.

The next second, Lin Xiao had already rushed in front of her.

He grabbed Tian Yuanyuan by the waist, pulled her away from the door, and then kicked the door handle that hadn't been opened yet, locking it completely.

"Wake up, all of you!!!"

Lin Xiao mustered all his strength and let out a roar.

This voice was mixed with his authority as "Conductor" and the fierce aura of an "outlaw."

It was like a thunderclap, exploding in the narrow carriage!

The eerie singing seemed to be intimidated by this roar, experiencing a brief pause.

Those originally dazed girls shuddered, and their movements stopped.

Tian Yuanyuan, in his arms, suddenly raised her head. The confusion in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep fear.

She looked at the tightly closed hatch in front of her, then looked at Lin Xiao, who was holding her, and suddenly realized what she had almost done just now.

"Squad... squad leader..."

"I... I just..."

The tremendous lingering fear made her tremble all over, and tears instantly welled up.

"Wah—!! I almost killed everyone! I didn't know... I really didn't know..."

"It's okay, it's okay."

Lin Xiao didn't blame her; instead, he held the frightened little girl tightly in his arms, his large hand gently stroking her back, conveying a profound sense of security.

"It's not your fault; it's that ghost thing outside causing trouble."

However, after that brief pause, the singing started again.

And this time, it became sharper and more urgent, as if it were anger caused by having its prey snatched away!

"Ah————!!"

A stronger mental shock struck.

The girls who had just sobered up a bit started screaming while clutching their heads again; some even began scratching their own faces with their fingernails.

"Damn it! Physical awakening is useless!"

Lin Xiao looked at the group of suffering crew members, a flash of ruthlessness appearing in his eyes.

"Luo Yao! Isn't the mental shield ready yet?!"

"It's ready! It's ready!"

Luo Yao's voice, with a hint of crying, finally came through.

"The [Mental Shielding Field Generator] from the A-03 base has been connected to the main power supply! It's booting up in overclocked mode!"

"3... 2... 1! Start!"

"Hum————!!!"

A completely different, low and heavy humming sound instantly filled the entire Black Iron.

It was a high-frequency electronic pulse. Although the human ear couldn't hear it, it was like an invisible wall that instantly isolated the eerie singing outside!

The world was quiet again.

The shrill singing stopped abruptly, just like a duck whose neck had been strangled.

"Thump, thump."

The girls who lost mental control were like they had their bones removed; one by one they collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath, their bodies already soaked in cold sweat.

"It's okay, everyone go back to your dorms and stay there! Shen Man, you take people to comfort everyone and give each person a shot of glucose."

Lin Xiao let go of Tian Yuanyuan and handed her over to Shen Man, who had rushed over.

At this moment, the expression on his face had changed from the gentle comfort of just a moment ago to extreme coldness and cruelty.

Dare to touch my people?

Dare to play dirty?

Fine, very fine.

"Luo Yao, find that thing playing God and acting like a ghost for me!"

Lin Xiao said, gritting his teeth while walking toward the control room.

"I'm going to skin it alive and make it into slippers!"

[Control Room]

On the huge radar screen, a red dot was flashing frantically.

"Found it!"

Luo Yao pointed at the screen, her little face full of anger.

"It's two kilometers to our left! It's a... huge tree?"

"No, that's not right! That's a high-energy biological reaction! Its root system is connected to the entire underground network of the swamp!"

"According to the database comparison... this should be a mutated plant — [Siren Flower]!"