Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train

5:00 PM, just before nightfall.

Dawn City.

The riot last night had been temporarily suppressed by the city's security garrison and the Night Patrol Corps, holding down the imminent fury of the masses. But from dawn onward, some mid-to-large convoys, sensing the looming crisis, started making moves. Large numbers of vehicles began leaving the city—some headed toward the Phoenix Society's Skybreaker Ship stationed in Qingbo, others were moving toward Yongcheng Port at Xinghua Industries' No. 3 Construction Base. However, with the expansion of Abyss-8 accelerating rapidly, Yongcheng Port would be plunged into Polar Night in less than two months, so most were aiming to converge with the 83rd Iron Guard Brigade making their way from Kangcheng. Only train convoys would dare attempt entry onto the oceanic orbital routes.

Inside the city, ground traffic had been gridlocked from dawn until late afternoon. In an effort to suppress the evacuation trend and persuade residents to stay in Dawn City, Zhou Mingyuan issued a seemingly open but in reality deliberately stalling directive. In the name of "protecting the safety of evacuees and improving survival rates," all those leaving the city now had to undergo tests using the newest model of Soul Purity Detectors, which claimed to not only detect dark marks but also measure the level of darkness corrosion in the human body.

This tactic proved somewhat effective. Survivors who wanted to leave queued in long lines. After 4:00 PM, more than half had to give up—after all, it was now impossible to reach Kangcheng before nightfall, and for survivors, being out after dark was extremely dangerous.

Moreover, the so-called "darkness corrosion level" forced people to consider the side effects of leaving Dawn City's 95% pure water purification coverage. It spooked several small convoys and organizations. Adding to that, the federal government kept posting debunking content through Dawn City's intranet. Some anonymous accounts even subtly linked the chaos to the Phoenix Society, trying to stir up conspiracy theories and sway public opinion. After all, in this apocalyptic world, survivors had become extremely paranoid. Unless their lives were truly in danger, most were too scared to abandon official protection.

[Rumor or Conspiracy? 95% Darkness Purification Technology Just Unveiled—What Are Silent City and the Phoenix Society Up To?]

[World's First Kill of an S-Class Mistwalker—Whose Interests Did We Offend?]

The intranet was flooded with both official and unofficial posts. In just one day, the comment section had exploded into chaos. Debates had formed three camps: supporters of the Phoenix Society, supporters of Dawn City, and a self-proclaimed neutral group that advocated for human cooperation and a thorough investigation into the Crimson World affair to clean out the corrupt higher-ups.

Inside a large private room at the Wildcat Bar, over twenty people were packed tightly together. They were all leaders of large convoys with over 2,000 members, part of the Windwalkers Alliance. The atmosphere in the room was tense.

"The Federation is doing this on purpose, for sure. The Population Control Bureau is full of freeloaders. When they collect bribes at the city gates, there are hundreds of security officers. But when people want to leave, they only open two routes. At this rate, even after lining up for three days, you still might not get out!" grumbled a burly man with a thick beard. His name was Wang Hongyuan, leader of the Hongyuan Trade Union. He was 45, wore a necklace made of bullet casings, and led a convoy of over 8,000 people. Though his group was a mix of all kinds of folks, Wang was known for upholding "apocalypse rules"—a typical rough-and-righteous type.

"What's strange is that more people are leaving, yet even more are trying to get in. The city's packed. Why is the Federation in such a rush?" asked a female convoy leader.

"Heh, the ones leaving are big convoys. The ones entering? Small fry. You think Zhou Mingyuan's stupid? Besides, those big convoys have powerful Awakeners. Especially those who've made it onto that so-called Light of Humanity Evolution List—every one of them is a massive asset. Losing even one is a major blow to Dawn City's combat strength!" said Song Feng, leader of the New Era Engineering Corps. A 36-year-old tech maniac with black-rimmed glasses, he had a scholarly look that contrasted sharply with the pair of tungsten-titanium alloy mechanical arms loaded with weapons on the back of his powered armor. Known as "Four Hands," his 5,000-strong convoy had come from the south.

"Exactly. And the loss of high-level combatants causes panic. Once that fire spreads, not even Minister Luo Ming from the Seraphim Division can put it out."

"So what? It's already a fact that the Federation is colluding with the Crimson World. Suppressing public opinion won't help. This is a life-and-death issue. No one's going to pretend they don't know," said Liang Hao, commander of the Iron Shield Convoy. He wore interstellar tactical armor, had a buzz cut, and looked every bit the retired soldier, complete with a prominent facial scar that only amplified his commanding presence.

Iron Shield Convoy was also relatively small but operated under military discipline. Jiang Yun had trained civilians to military standards. The convoy was organized into eight battalions—rearguard, main force, medical, etc.—with over 3,000 members.

"Exactly."

A deep voice cut through the debate. All heads turned as Lin Xian and He Linqiu walked in through the doorway.

"Right now, Dawn City's waters are muddy. But it's not that easy to topple the Federation entirely," Lin said sternly.

"Why not? What, is Dawn City going to keep everyone locked up like slaves?" a middle-aged convoy leader frowned.

As people made room, Lin Xian took a seat among them. He glanced coldly at the man who'd spoken. "It's not that complicated. This video just lit the fuse. But if no more solid evidence emerges, or the Phoenix Society doesn't make a move soon, things will quickly go back to normal."

"Agreed," said a resolute voice from the corner. Everyone turned to look. It was a man in his early forties, wearing powered armor, arms crossed. His short hair was sharp, his expression calm.

Wang Hongyuan, 36, led the Burning Phoenix convoy, the smallest group among the male leaders in the Windwalkers Alliance. Rumor had it he'd started as a lone man protecting a child, surviving countless bloodbaths to escape from a raider convoy's prison wagon. He'd built his faction from scratch, attracting elites, and had grown his forces to 6,000. His group mostly stayed in the inner city, building power by flipping resources through the black market. He was a true survivor with a flair for tactics.

He spoke now: "Don't be fooled by all the noise. Everyone's got their own agenda. Those claiming to support the Phoenix Society aren't necessarily leaving—they're just venting. And those loudly backing Dawn City may not really doubt the link between Si Libi and the Crimson World—they just don't dare to leave. Life's only got one shot. Better a dangerous shelter than none. And they just dealt with an S-Class Mistwalker. These folks might actually want Dawn City to stay chaotic."

"No lies detected," rumbled a coarse voice from the Iron Guard Brigade. "When survival's on the line, all that matters is position. The convoys that truly feel the danger will be planning a fast retreat. The loud ones online? They're not going anywhere. Right, Captain Jiang?"

Lin Xian took a deep breath and nodded. "Exactly."

"Any word from the Phoenix Society?" Liang Hao's mechanical arm automatically adjusted his glasses as he asked, eyes sharp.

"The Skybreaker Ship is still stationed north of Qingbo. No updates. The global broadcast has also gone silent." He Linqiu, dressed in leather beside Lin Xian, pulled out a mobile terminal. With a tap, a holographic screen popped up in the room, drawing everyone's gaze.

"At present, the Phoenix Society's Skybreaker is docked north of Qingbo. Chaos City and the Limitless are in Jinhai. The 83rd Brigade under Zhou Mingyuan is still heading toward Dawn City. Several ultra-small factions inside the city are already prepping to evacuate. The Wanderers Alliance has partially moved to Zhanguan, probably aiming for the Dawn Center. So—"

"What's changed?"

"They're staying put."

He Linqiu narrowed his eyes. "You think the Phoenix Society, Silent City, and Limitless are going to form an alliance?"

"Totally possible," Jiang Yun shrugged. "The Phoenix Society didn't come here for no reason. Whether they're targeting the Federation or the Crimson World, big moves are coming. The fact the Skybreaker is here means there's a major survival issue between the Federation and the Phoenix Society that must be resolved. So the best move for now... is no move."

"The Wanderers Alliance probably thinks the same," Song Feng adjusted his black-rimmed glasses. "Shouldn't we pull out of Dawn City for now?"

Dawn City was turning into an unstable vortex. Leaving might be the safest choice.

Jiang Yun looked around the room, then pointed at the hologram. "Things are messy. While a lot of convoys are evacuating, the city's population is actually growing. Many are the last survivors fleeing from the Polar Night in the outer city and the southwestern and northern regions. Dawn City won't stay quiet. The Wanderers Alliance has too many people, and Yu Huaian is a cautious guy. I'm guessing they'll camp at Zhanguan for now and won't move to Dawn Center just yet."

"But since we've already formed an alliance with Limitless's Captain Lin, we all follow his lead—including me. I've discussed it with Chairwoman Jian. Until Captain Lin gives the word, we stay put in the city, defend our streets, and keep a low profile. Moving to Jinhai now wouldn't help anyone."

Julius Litt and the others all nodded in agreement. "Makes sense."

"Yeah, since we've already paid the entrance fee, might as well stay a few more days," Wang Hongyuan said with a smile and a nod.

Song Feng let out a long breath. "Exactly. Even if we wanted to leave now, we'd have to wait in line for days. We might as well stick around and see what kind of tricks Zhou Mingyuan is planning to pull next."

"Agreed," Liang Hao added.

From that point on, the Windwalker Alliance was officially renamed the Infinity Alliance. After a short meeting, everyone dispersed. Jiang Yun poured two glasses of wine, handed one to Ren Huiyan, and said:

"Have a drink. You rushed back from Yongcheng Port overnight—aren't you thirsty?"

Ren Huiyan lowered her eyes to look at the wine in her glass and said coldly to Jiang Yun, "Do you seriously think the Phoenix Society is planning to attack Dawn City? I already told you—Yongcheng Port doesn't just have the 83rd Iron Guard Brigade. There's also the Emperor Project. Those two Titans weren't deployed just to deal with Lu Tianye's city garrison."

Jiang Yun remained calm. He set down the glass after taking a sip and said:

"No way. If they were really planning to attack Dawn City, one Iron Guard Brigade with 30,000 troops wouldn't be nearly enough. Ye Lan and Li Heping would at least need to bring in half of an interstellar fleet. And if they were going to do it, they would've done it when the Federation collapsed. Dawn City has six million people—and that's just inside the walls. Based on the Phoenix Society's ideology, there's no way they'd go to war with humanity right now."

"Then what do you think it is?"

Jiang Yun twirled his finger, stirring the wine in his glass with a precise breeze. The liquid swirled into a tiny golden tornado at the bottom of the cup. "Hmm~"

"Something... not human."

Skybreaker Ship, Conference Room One

Lin Xian gazed quietly at Ye Lan for a long moment before finally speaking.

"Cleansing plan? You want me to deal with the Arrivalists?"

"Yes," Ye Lan replied.

"Why me?" Lin Xian asked with a strange expression.

"Not just you."

Ye Lan remained calm. "If we were only facing the darkness, we'd simply unite every force we could. Because in that case, we'd all share a common enemy. But this time is different. The threat isn't just external—it's internal too. In addition to the looming threat of Abyss 5, 7, and 8, closing in with the coming of the Polar Night, there's also danger from within. We can't attack the survivors or our own cities. But for the sake of humanity's survival, we must thoroughly cleanse the Crimson World. That's how we buy ourselves more time."

Lin Xian frowned. "Is this because of the anomaly in Abyss 5? Did that accelerate the expansion of the other Abysses? Can I ask—how much time do we have left before the global Polar Night fully sets in?"

"Less than ten months. And the cycle's still speeding up," Ye Lan said.

"We've lost four whole months?!"

Lin Xian looked stunned. "What is Dawn City playing at?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Ye Lan's expression turned serious. She looked directly at Lin Xian and continued:

"From the day of the broadcast, Dawn City was projected to enter the Polar Night zone of Abyss 5 in 72 days, then be swallowed up by Abyss 7 and 8 in 189 and 168 days respectively. But 40 days have passed. Due to changes from Abyss 5, as of today, the new countdowns for Dawn City are 41 days, 62 days, and 48 days."

"You're saying... they bought themselves 9 days from Abyss 5, but Abyss 7 and 8 sped up by 120 days because of it?!" Lin Xian exclaimed.

"That's right."

"What the h*ll can you even do with 9 days?" Lin Xian's face stiffened, his tone laced with frustration.

"To Chu Zhaonan, even one more day—one more hour—means something," Ye Lan said evenly.

Lin Xian shook his head in disbelief. "Just to keep Dawn City alive an hour longer?"

"No, you misunderstood."

Ye Lan looked straight at him. "He's not doing this for Dawn City. And it's not about clinging to his title as Federation Chairman or even saving himself."

"To be honest, I know this might be hard to accept given how you view the Federation and Dawn City, but I'll say it plainly. From the very start, his goal has been... the survival of all human civilization."

Lin Xian was speechless.

"The collapse of the Federation wasn't just about ideology or political interests—though I won't pretend those didn't play a role. But the biggest divide came from differing judgments about the apocalypse."

Ye Lan turned slightly toward Lin Xian and said slowly:

"Since Doomsday, 85% of cities and regions disappeared overnight. The Federation's interstellar military and every global force lost control. The Polar Night gave us no time to react. The mutations affected every nation, every city, every home. All order collapsed. It was like humanity was thrust back to the Stone Age. Everything we have now was rebuilt after the first Polar Night—including the crippled space fleet. But after that first wave, the Sky Veil Barrier appeared. We lost all satellites and communication systems. We lost the sky..."

"Even now, as the commander of the Phoenix Society, I have to tell you—we don't have any complete strategy to save humanity. Abilities, the Cold Dark Reagent, Spirit Purge values, Dark Marks, Dark Creatures... all of these came from human sacrifice and struggle. And even so, they're just the tip of the iceberg."

"So the Federation fell. But between Dawn City and the Phoenix Society, this isn't a fight between survivalists and saviors. Technically speaking, aside from the Arrivalists, both we and Dawn City are trying to save humanity. The only difference is—whether we believe there's still hope."

Lin Xian's expression grew darker. He spoke quietly, "The Phoenix Society is relatively pessimistic. Dawn City is absolutely pessimistic?"

"That's right."

"Chu Zhaonan, as the Federation Chairman—the highest-ranking human authority since Doomsday—knows better than anyone what kind of power we've used to fight the darkness. We've deployed the entire global nuclear arsenal, biochemical weapons, even triggered geothermal disasters. Before the Federation collapsed, we tried everything. One interstellar fleet with the best armor humanity could build... didn't even last 48 hours inside the Abyss."

Ye Lan's face remained calm as she looked at Lin Xian, like she was recounting a tragic tale. Her voice was low, her eyes deep as the sky.

"Despair doesn't come at the beginning..."

"It comes after you've fought back."