Apocalypse: I Build A Doomsday Train Chapter 1215 - 469: Farewell to Hua Xiaoling (2)

"You traveled all this way just to invite me for tea?"

Hua Xiaoling stated, "Chen Yanshu’s team was assigned the previous directive to eliminate you, but they were unsuccessful. Certain individuals within our organization do, in fact, perceive you as an impediment to civilization’s advancement. Nevertheless, I have cautioned them that their current strategies are inadequate to pose any significant threat to you."

She then looked at Lin Xian, adding, "Or perhaps, dispatching you is not the Master's true objective."

Hua Xiaoling proceeded, "You must be curious about the operational principles of the Offshore Geothermal Base. Is it for surveillance, guidance, or a form of scientific research? Your escape from that facility was nothing short of miraculous—or from a human standpoint, a minor triumph in the ongoing biological struggle for survival. I can now reveal the actual purpose of the geothermal base: it utilizes Uniga 1 on Sea Rock Island to neutralize the Abnormal Bodies that were transferred from Star Abyss 13 and the 8th Star Abyss to the continental shelf, thereby mitigating the consequences for Dragon Country’s coastal regions."

"Ah?" Lin Xian's brow furrowed.

Hua Xiaoling's explanation left Lin Xian utterly perplexed, making him question if he had misheard her words.

"Have you ever contemplated why a vast number of high-level Abnormal Bodies, originating from marine life and spreading from various Star Abysses, have not resulted in severe repercussions for Yongcheng Port?" Hua Xiaoling inquired with a subtle smile. "During the Battle of Dawn City, you endured assaults from three directions, yet the eastern front facing Yongcheng Port remained conspicuously tranquil. Does that not suggest something significant to you?"

Lin Xian remained silent. This very issue had occupied his thoughts and those of the Phoenix Society, with Ye Lan even formulating contingency plans. Hearing Hua Xiaoling's discourse sent a jolt through him. A deep-seated instinct warned him against trusting this woman, yet her assertions carried an undeniable ring of truth.

The colossal Abnormal Bodies, including those of special and A-level threat categories, were successfully hunted and annihilated around Sea Rock Island by the Giant Ocean God. Consequently, the detrimental effects on the coastline were kept to a minimum. After all, Lin Xian himself had personally witnessed the colossal undersea creatures advancing as if traversing solid ground, their sheer scale being terrifying.

"I can further disclose that the Black Gear you possess is an ultra-A-level Taboo Item, exceeding your 1542 Radio and Flashing Bullet by two containment classifications. It is among the most highly valued artifacts of the Holy Revelation leader, Chen Yanshu. The method of its containment necessitates a fatality, but its unique property grants the wielder the ability to traverse dimensions within the Star Abyss. In essence, it permits you to perceive the High-dimensional World within the Star Abyss without succumbing to its influence. However, the fundamental principle of the Taboo Item itself is the unified singularity of the four-dimensional Dark World anchored within the three-dimensional realm, thereby unleashing the characteristic power of the High-dimensional World. This Taboo Item essentially mirrors the temporal vector of movement, and upon the conclusion of its countdown, it causes the traversed time dimension to collapse into a mirrored echo. To put it plainly, it liberates time from a four-dimensional existence into the three-dimensional plane, materializing as the spectacle of the Star Abyss erupting forth. Do you comprehend this explanation?"

Lin Xian knitted his brows, momentarily unable to assimilate the complex concept.

Hua Xiaoling cast a brief glance at him, remained silent, and then stepped inside the tent.

Lin Xian paused for a moment, his curiosity piqued by her revelations, and resolved to follow her.

Drawing back the tent's flap, he discovered a brightly illuminated interior. Spread across a pristine, flat carpet was an unadorned redwood tea table, accompanied by a single primary seat and one for a guest. Aside from a hovering, spherical drone-based projection device, the space was otherwise devoid of other furnishings.

"So, you are indeed extending an invitation for tea," Lin Xian remarked, glancing at his watch. "Isn't this somewhat out of place given the hour?"

Hua Xiaoling had already taken her seat at the tea table, quietly retrieving an ebony tea tray from beneath it. Her movements were graceful, akin to meticulously dusting away invisible particles. Her fingertips skimmed over the delicate teaware as she expertly arranged two jade teacups, their hue a verdant white, their thin, translucent walls reminiscent of solidified ice. The teapot, in contrast, was a simple, purplish-sand pot shaped like a pear, its color presenting an iron-like finish.

She commenced the silent ritual of brewing tea, exhibiting the practiced ease of a seasoned tea master, and spoke as she poured,

"I shall not consume much of your valuable time, nor is there any need for you to notify your team. Firstly, there will be no coercion employed between us, and secondly, my intention is not to disrupt your current tranquility. Naturally, I am not here for nostalgic recollections, as we share no such past. I will state my purpose directly; however, it will be necessary for you to set aside certain resentments, such as those concerning the drones or the lady currently aiming a sniper rifle at us."

Lin Xian offered a slight shrug and then took a seat opposite Hua Xiaoling, his gaze meeting hers through the fragrant steam rising from the tea. He replied, "You understand, survival is a difficult endeavor for us. It is only natural that we maintain a degree of caution when interacting with you."

Hua Xiaoling offered a smile and remained silent.

"You mentioned earlier that containing the Black Gear necessitates a death, but that appears to be inaccurate," Lin Xian stated. "When I was contending with Chen Yanshu, the situation was entirely under my command. No lives were lost, correct?"

Hua Xiaoling lifted the justice cup, her wrist poised three inches above the tea vessel. The stream of tea departed the pot like a gentle brook, its curve gracefully entering the jade cup with precision, the water level reaching its apex flawlessly. With the pour complete, she presented a cup of hot tea to Lin Xian, her voice placid,

"But what about prior to that — have you not taken any lives?"

Lin Xian's expression faltered briefly, a memory surfacing.

Within the upper command center of Deep Water Port, they had indeed eliminated a humanoid experimental subject.

"Silver Pocket Watch..." Lin Xian's brow furrowed. "No wonder, that individual was clearly lying in wait for me."

A shiver coursed through Lin Xian's heart at that moment. It dawned on him that he had walked into a significant snare. That fellow Chen was truly formidable — a single Black Gear had nearly cost him everything, even the South Heavenly Gate. Had he not maintained his composure at the critical juncture, he would have been transported to the South Heavenly Gate, confronting the unleashed dark torrent, reducing the Gate and himself to mere fragments annihilated by spatial monstrosities.

Upon this realization, Lin Xian redirected his attention to Hua Xiaoling. "Did you summon me to convey the Foundation's desire to establish contact with the Phoenix Society?"

"You may perceive it as such."

Lin Xian's expression knitted. "I fail to grasp your meaning. On one hand, you venerate that Dark Civilization as your Master upon descent, yet on the other, you extend aid to humanity?"

He cast a cool glance at the teacup before him. "You aren't suggesting you're engaged in some sort of clandestine double-agent operation, are you?"

Hua Xiaoling elevated her gaze to meet Lin Xian's, a faint smile gracing her lips as she responded, "Captain Lin, you may need to comprehend that the underlying principles governing the world's mechanics are not confined to simple dichotomies of light and shadow, friend and foe, or good versus malevolence. The continued existence of human civilization is not solely dependent on escaping the Blue Star or eradicating the Dark Civilization — such rudimentary, harsh paradigms."

Lin Xian's brow furrowed. "Are you proposing a comprehensive, unified descent and subsequent integration?"

This concept had previously been articulated by Chen Yanshu and was also present within Gu Zheng's consciousness.

A subtle shift occurred in Hua Xiaoling's normally serene gaze, and rather than offering further elucidation, she turned her head towards the hovering holographic device nearby, her voice soft,

"Are you not intensely curious about the true nature of the Dark Civilization, the Star Abyss? Tonight, you may acquire an entirely novel perspective."

Lin Xian's visage grew taut as his focus shifted to the device.

The spherical holographic apparatus resembled a hovering drone, yet its projected ocular lens appeared both vacant and profound. As it lingered silently in place, Lin Xian's scans confirmed its identity as a mere mechanical projection device. Nevertheless, its current presence instilled in him a disquieting sensation, as if he were under intense scrutiny.

Then, as Hua Xiaoling's utterance concluded, cerulean arcs began to scintillate from the projection device's core. A holographic projection commenced its expansion, gradually engulfing the entirety of the tent's interior. The seemingly blue lines of the light screen transformed into a spectrum of vibrant hues, as if displaying an exceptionally high-fidelity realm.

Lin Xian witnessed a blinding flash and instinctively averted his eyes. Upon reopening them, his pupils contracted instantaneously.

Though he remained seated, the table, chairs, and tea accouterments before him had dissolved, leaving only Hua Xiaoling, who had transitioned from a seated to a standing posture, her back now to him.

Most astonishingly, Hua Xiaoling, now standing, was completely unclothed and unmarked, as if she had been so from the beginning. She slowly pivoted to face Lin Xian, eliciting his profound astonishment.

A cold sweat erupted across Lin Xian's body, his every hair standing on end.

Hua Xiaoling's lips curved into a faint smile, yet as Lin Xian’s gaze fell upon her visage—so recently familiar—a single, absurd notion occupied his mind.

That the Hua Xiaoling presently before him was not truly her.

She was an entity of a different order.

An existence originating from the abyss.

Gazing directly at him!