NOVEL WEB Chapter 192: Mark
Car No. 5
TheRoarer K23 Electric Gatling Gunin Luo Ye's hands had already run out of bullets, its rotating barrels glowing red-hot. Without hesitation, he picked up his oldM556 Light Machine Gunand continued firing.
In the middle of the carriage,Lu Xingchencracked open theautomatic doorjust enough to unleash torrents of fire, igniting vast stretches of trees along the way!
Inside thecockpit,Lin Xian, KIKI,andChen Sixuanlistened toDing Junyi'swords, all showing confusion.
"Stop? Why?"
Without wasting a second, Ding Junyi grabbed hermobile terminal, displaying the recently recorded changes in theHell's Black Chrysanthemumfor Lin Xian to see.
"I still don't know why those parasites are drawn toBlood Scourge Flora No. 1, but the shift in its red glow—I think I've found the reason."
Lin Xian's expression hardened. On the screen, the crimson glow of theHell's Black Chrysanthemumhad intensified dramatically at a specific moment—visible to the naked eye!
Ding Junyi spoke urgently, "Since theBlood Scourge Flora No. 1was first recorded in the lab, there have been three instances of increased brightness and one instance of dimming. The three times it turned red were when we escaped fromUnderground City No. 9, fromYubei Spaceport, and just now—fromRain Town!
"TheseDark Entitiesleave some kind of invisible mark on prey they don't kill. The red glow on theHell's Black Chrysanthemumis thephysical manifestationof that mark—just like how the scent of blood in a forest attracts more predators. It makes us a bigger target for moreEerie Entitiesin the dark."
She took a deep breath and continued, "This marking might be howDark Entitiescommunicate. There's also another possibility—the larger theEerie Entity, the deeper the mark it leaves on us.
"If we explain what happened inYubei Cityusing thePredator Effect, then consider this—we didn't gain any new members after leavingRain Town, yet the moment we stepped outside its territory, the red glow on the chrysanthemum changed! And immediately after, we were swarmed byDark Entities!
"That's why I believe that if we keep running, and themarkingaccumulates past a certain threshold, we'll meet the same fate asFireline Convoy—total annihilation!"
Ding Junyi finished in one breath, her eyes flickering. With her meticulous personality, making such asubjectiveclaim was incredibly difficult. She also understood that if her theory was wrong but the team followed it, it could lead to their complete destruction.
After hearing her, the three in the cockpit grew even more serious. Lin Xian furrowed his brows.
"So, you think theHell's Black Chrysanthemumis acting as a warning for us humans?"
Ding Junyi shook her head. "Not exactly. But since this plant can absorbDark Energy, it proves thatBlood Scourge Flora No. 1has the ability to perceive it. By that logic, the marks left byDark Entitiesmust also be a form ofDark Energy.
"But that's just one aspect. Itsother functionswill require more sampling and experim—"
"Ding Junyi!"
Lin Xian's sharp voice cut through, stopping her mid-sentence. His expression was grave as he snapped, "Skip the analysis. Give me a conclusion—now!"
Outside, the battlefield roared with explosions. Swarms ofEerie Entitieskept slamming into the train'sarmored plating, testing its limits. Lin Xian was already at his limit—this was not the time for lengthy scientific reasoning.
Ding Junyi flinched at his outburst. She opened her mouth in shock, then quickly steeled herself.
"Two options," she stated firmly. "One—stop the train and kill every single Eerie Entity around us, completely erasing the mark.
"Two—turn back to Rain Town and eliminate the Large Parasite and theImpostor Parasites. I recommend the second option.
"From abiologicalperspective, creatures that rely ontrapstend to lack strongdefenseorescape capabilities. They're naturally fragile, which is why they need camouflage or traps to survive.
"TheLarge Parasiterelies onsplitting reproductionandImpostor Parasitesfor hunting. It has afixed territory, meaning its combat capability might not be higher than theEerie Entitieswe face in the dark.
"Meanwhile, our current crisis keeps escalating endlessly. Instead of dealing with this nightmare, Option Two has a much higher success rate.
"That's my conclusion."
KIKI and Chen Sixuan exchanged looks of disbelief, then turned to Lin Xian. His expression was darker than ever.
As the team leader, every choice he made decided the team's survival. Ding Junyi's theory gave them a ray of hope, but also left him with a terrifying decision.
Lin Xian's mind raced. His instincts screamed that Ding Junyi's marking hypothesis was most likely correct.
It explained thePredator Effect.
It explained why theHell's Black Chrysanthemumchanged after leavingRain Town.
And most importantly—it aligned with something he had always suspected.
ThePale Giantthat chased them fromJiang City.
TheCrimson Dragonflythat pursued them fromYushantoBeiwang.
TheSky Jellyfishthat appeared after they escapedUnderground City No. 9.
Thefull-scale ambushthey suffered after fleeingYubei.
Even theIron Guard Battalion, hunted relentlessly by the Atmospheric Mica fromMount Daluoall the way toYubei Spaceport.
Hunter. Marking. The crimson glow of theHell's Black Chrysanthemum.
It all made sense.
Even last night, when KIKI casually mentioned it—how the more they ran, the more monsters came—it was like they had a bounty on their heads in the dark.
The team's growth was just the surface issue. The real problem was the mark on them, amplifying their danger in the night.
If this theory was correct, then the safest strategy wasn't to keep running—it was to eliminate every marked enemy and enter stealth mode.
It was counterintuitive. Most people wouldn't think of it—or wouldn't live long enough to figure it out.
Because theDark Entitiescould communicate.
And that communication—was the Hunter's Mark.
SCREEECH!!
Suddenly, the Infinite Train slammed into an emergency brake!
ManyEerie Entitiescrashed into the train's hull, some thrown off by sheer inertia. Thetide of enemiesswarmed the side carriages.
Everyone inside grabbed onto whatever they could.
Chen Sixuan turned to Lin Xian, knowing—stopping meant he had made his choice.
WOOO!!
The electric engine roared, and before anyone could catch their breath, the train reversed direction!
"Lin Xian!!" Chen Sixuan shouted.
"We're going back." Lin Xian locked eyes with Ding Junyi. "I believe you."
Ding Junyi's gaze burned with determination. She simply nodded and turned towardCar No. 3.
As a researcher, the only way she could contribute was through knowledge and information.
As a team member, this was her duty.
The entire train suddenly reversing caught everyone off guard.
Lin Xian's voice rang through thetrain's communication system.
"Everyone, get ready. We're returning toRain Town. Don't save bullets. Kill everything that moves."
"Roger that."Shu Qinacknowledged immediately, trusting him without question.
"Got it, Lin-ge!"Shashachimed in.
"Wait, does that mean we're heading out to fight?"Lu Xingchenasked, almost excited.
"We'll see." Lin Xian responded decisively, pushing the Twin Star 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive to full throttle.
He didn't know if Blue Planet's biological theories applied toDark Entities, but he had already chosen to trust Ding Junyi.
And in his mind—a plan was already forming.