Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 532 Train City Outpost

Li Xia shifted his body awkwardly; a layer of cold, hard bark had already grown on his skin.

The bark has a faint, distinctive woody scent that blends with the pungent smell of decay in the air, and after a while, it can be quite intoxicating.

The Natural Church's petrification magic was naturally neutralized by Li Xia's terrifyingly high abnormal resistance.

Even though Iris tried her best, she could only manage to get a tiny leaf sprout to grow from Li Xia's hair—and that was without Li Xia resisting.

The final solution was quite simple. With Fafner's suggestion, Iris obtained mycelium and bark and made something similar to an outer armor, which she then put on Li Xia.

Then he cast the Wood Transformation Technique on the outer armor, with remarkable results.

However, it wasn't without its drawbacks—Li Xia had to suppress his aura for a long time, otherwise, once his aura was leaked, this simple armor wouldn't be able to completely conceal it.

Victor was initially worried about whether Li Xia could do it, but it turned out he was overthinking it.

With a thorough understanding of the Zhou Tian and Ba Jiu Xuan Gong techniques, controlling one's breath becomes as simple as eating and drinking.

"If we just walk in like this, won't the people inside get suspicious?"

Something that looked like an extra-large pine cone floated in mid-air, and a muffled roaring sound came from within it:

"This looks really strange, doesn't it?"

Several humanoid wooden figures, resembling Groot, walked somewhat stiffly, and Victor's muffled voice rang out:

“It’s alright. These corrupted and twisted people are no longer human. What they see is completely different from what we see.”

They made some difficulty making their way along the dilapidated road, and the enormous shadow before them drew ever closer.

A thin mist began to appear, and the surroundings grew increasingly dark; the dim light in the sky seemed to completely disappear here.

When they arrived at a dilapidated-looking building, Fafner took a step forward and said in a low voice:

"This used to be Edmunds' public platform, where railcars ran day and night."

"Meow?"

The tiny 'tree man' on the ground, Black Charcoal, exclaimed curiously, and Awoo nodded, translating:

"So, can we take the railcar in now?"

"Hehehehe"

Fafner laughed hoarsely, a laugh tinged with a strange sadness and melancholy, and said:
"The railcar is still a railcar, but it is no longer the same railcar. From here on, every step we take forward is the result of the Burning Heart Church expanding forward bit by bit with their lives."

What do you mean?
Aowu and Heitan were taken aback. Could it be that the Scorching Heart Church had come here again after the time they stormed Edmons?
Li Xia suddenly remembered the pass that Victor had so carefully pulled out of his pocket.

These passes, specifically for troops doing the "dirty work," are certainly rare, but definitely not so rare that there are only a few.

If we look at it that way, where did the sign go?

“Every few years, someone would infiltrate Edmons to bring back intelligence. Iris’s parents were the last generation of Dark Force members to infiltrate Edmons.”

But he never came back.

Fafner did not hide it; he was a recorder and data officer, even though the whole world was about to fall into darkness.

Even though there are not many people left in the world, he will remember, remember every name that has passed away, and remember their stories.

The three little ones silently looked at one of the slender tree-people. No wonder she had the guiding spell to traverse the thorny forest and the petrification spell to infiltrate Edmons.

"Woo——————"

In the darkness of the distance, a dark red light, carrying malice and chaos, slowly emerged.

"Thump-thump—thump-thump"

Amidst the rhythmic sounds, a gigantic figure emerged from the darkness.

In terms of appearance, it generally looks like a vehicle, like an old-fashioned tram.

But the headlights ahead had transformed into two enormous, malevolent, and chaotic scarlet eyes.

Flesh and thick nerves densely covered the exterior of the carriage, undulating slightly like living things.

The original wheels have been replaced by centipede-like tentacles, with countless thin legs moving rhythmically on the ground.

The three little ones held their breath; it was the first time they had ever seen something so bizarre.

"Don't say anything, just follow my instructions."

Fafner said something in a low, hurried voice, then stood at the edge of the platform and stopped moving.

The group felt a chill run down their spines. This old man had been their mascot all along, but neither Victor nor Iris had complained.

His value lies not in his strength, but in his mind and his memory!
"Boom!"

The massive, flesh-and-blood vehicle came to a stop in front of the platform with a dull thud.

Li Xia's eyes flickered slightly. It seemed that even though flesh and blood had grown back, he still retained the habits or tendencies he had before his transformation.

On the lintel of the original car door, a bloodshot eye suddenly popped out and glanced at the 'tree men' in front of it.

"*&……&……"

A strange, obscure murmured in their ears. If Fafner hadn't warned them beforehand, Awoo would have loved to swat the thing away with his claws.

Fafner stretched out his arm with difficulty and held up a few dull silver coins to his eyes.

Judging from the patterns, these silver coins are exactly the same as the ones I received in Ogan.

The eye stared at the silver coin, and surprisingly, a look of joy appeared on its face.

Two sticky tentacles suddenly sprang out from either side of the gate, and with a gentle coil, they sucked away Fafnir's silver coin.

The door, covered in sharp teeth, creaked open to both sides, like a monster opening its gaping maw, waiting for its prey to enter.

Fafner walked into the carriage without saying a word, and the others immediately followed. After everyone had entered the carriage, the door slammed shut, and the carriage shook violently.

Then, with incredible speed, it turned around and rushed back the way it came.

If it weren't for the fact that each of them was quite strong, things would probably have turned upside down.

Fafner, the only one with weak strength, had already taken his seat at some point.

"Alright, we can talk now. Please sit down."

A soft exhale echoed in the carriage. Victor looked at Fafner, waiting for his explanation.

These materials were top secret within the original Burning Heart Church, known only to a very few people.

Because of the uncertainty of corruption, no one knew whether their teammates would be corrupted. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, the archbishop at the time took an extreme secrecy measure—letting the highly resistant Fafnir know everything.

Wait for the right moment, then transform these secrets into arrows aimed at the Dark Church.

But each year, the burning pain weakened more than the last, to the point that Fafner thought he would die along with the world, carrying with him these secrets he had risked his life for.

But it was eventually used.

"Donggang-0257, this is its original vehicle number. It was first discovered in the 6th year of the Dark Calendar by Blue, a member of the Dark Night Force."

In the 11th year of the Dark Calendar, Night Elf Squad member Seri made her first contact—and died due to not mastering the correct method of contact. In the 16th year of the Dark Calendar, Night Elf Squad member Vieille made her second contact—and died.

Dark Calendar Year 24. Death.

Dark Calendar Year 26. Death.

Dark Calendar Year 32. Death.

In the year 44 of the Dark Calendar, Saragon, a member of the Night Force, and Lughni, a member of the Church of Nature, successfully landed on the East Port-0257 railcar using the magic of petrification.

Judgment: Donggang 0257 exhibits certain behavioral habits, and collecting high-value currency before the darkness would trigger an instinct.

Transport the passengers in the vehicle to the end station of this track.

Dark Age 46. Successfully recreated.

Fafner paused for a moment, looking at the silent crowd:

"From then on, Donggang 0257 became the best route to Edmons, providing direct access to Donggang Street and close to the core area of ​​Edmons."

There was a long silence inside the carriage, with only the thumping of the long-legged railcar as it raced along.

"Can this be used on other cars as well?"

Li Xia finally broke the silence. As a megacity, such a rail system must be spread throughout the entire city.

If everything were like this, it would obviously be exceptionally easy to enter the core area.

"Do not--"

Fafner shook his head stiffly, uttering a slightly mechanical voice:
"Based on the scattered testing by 142 members of the Dark Night team, of the 71 railcars encountered, only Donggang 0257 had the relevant triggering mechanism."

The hearts of the group trembled. Failure in the previous tests meant death, and the fate of these 142 members of the Dark Night was predictable.

"Twisting and mutation are things that are hard to explain."

Victor sighed softly, which served as a final commentary on the passage.

But he quickly rallied his spirits and looked at Fafner:

"I was promoted to 'under God' decades after the Dark Ages, and I had not been stationed in Edmons before that."

If we enter the Donggang district, how do we get to the core area?

Fafner looked at him and gave an unexpected yet reasonable answer.

"walk."

Donggang 0257 was moving at an unusually high speed. This railcar with legs completely ignored the original track and recklessly rushed towards the finish line.

It seemed like only a short while before it stopped again, and the sliding door, covered with sharp teeth, creaked open to both sides.

The group filed out in silence once again. When they actually stepped into the inner area of ​​Edmons and found themselves there, they immediately felt the unique sensation brought by this megacity.

The buildings stand side by side with their pointed roofs entwined with gray-black vines. The windows of the houses are wide open, and some windows are simply covered with yellowish paper, but upon closer inspection, it seems that it is not paper, but some kind of unknown leather.

All sorts of vehicles are parked haphazardly on the street, and these once exquisite or expensive cars are now in a terrible state of disrepair.

Weathered human bones were scattered everywhere, and the walls and wide roads were covered with a thick layer of dust.

The thin mist never dissipated, and eerie, indistinct murmurs and groans echoed faintly in my ears.

The whole city seemed to be dead.

Fafner silently led the way, and the group immediately formed a straight line.

Obviously, talking is not allowed here, but the three members are having a lively chat in the team channel.

Li Xia would occasionally say something, but her attention was mostly focused on her surroundings.

Although no trace has been seen so far, it is clear that if this is an empty city, Fafner would not need to be so nervous and cautious.

Not many Night Elf members will die here.

The reason they were able to get here so quietly and easily is because this road has claimed hundreds or even thousands of lives.

It was the members of the Dark Knights who paved a path for them.

In the empty streets, only the low echoes of their footsteps reverberated.

After turning two street corners, Fafner suddenly stopped and walked towards an inconspicuous building on the side of the street.

"Squeak-"

The rusty wooden door made a grating sound that carried far and wide through the quiet street.

The house had clearly been abandoned for a long time; the beautiful chandelier lay askew on the ground, and thick dust covered everything inside.

The table had rotted into a pile of fragments, and you could barely make out what it originally looked like.

But Fafner seemed to have been there many times before, skillfully bypassing all the obstacles and heading straight inside.

The stairs were surprisingly sturdy, but Li Xia keenly noticed the repair marks on them.

It doesn't look like it's from a long time ago; it looks like it was specially repaired later.

After a moment's thought, Li Xia had already guessed what it was.

If I'm not mistaken, this should be the safe house.

Once they reached the second floor, Fafner pushed open the door to an inner room, and Iris and Victor's eyes immediately lit up.

The room was surprisingly clean, though not quite clean in the conventional sense, but it was quite remarkable compared to the city.

A thick blanket was laid on the ground, and a tent that looked very warm was pitched in the corner.

In the center of the room was a simple stove that had been carefully built, and the black charcoal embers were also covered with a light dust.

A thick leather bag hung on the wall, bulging and full, but it was impossible to tell what was inside.

What's most striking is the dense pattern and runes on the walls, which emit a faint glow in the room.

This is clearly the most fundamental reason for keeping the room clean.

After everyone had entered, Fafnir carefully pushed the door shut. The runes on the wall lit up briefly before dimming again.

"Alright, the timing is just right."

Fafner let out a long sigh of relief, his tone unusually relaxed:

"Welcome to the outpost of the Night Force, one of the few safe places in this city."

We will spend the most terrifying night in Edmunds here.

He paused, then said meaningfully:
"This is also to let you witness the true darkness of Edmunds' night."

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

(End of this chapter)