Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train

Chapter 114: The Protocol

Whoosh whoosh whoosh! The Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive surged forward, accelerating as the incline ahead became less steep. Lin Xian knew this meant they had reached the Level 65 Freight Rail Terminal—they were about to catch up to the Infinite Train.

As the train rushed into the station, the lights illuminated a dense crowd of figures—all of them zombies and eerie humanoid entities. Lin Xian didn’t slow down for even a second.

CRUNCH! CRUSH!

The 290-megawatt Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive roared like a steel beast, compressing the air pressure within the narrow tunnel and platform corridors. It sped forward like a black-purple lightning bolt, rolling over the mass of undead!

The zombies and eerie entities on the platform barely registered the blinding light rushing toward them before they were instantly obliterated—shredded beneath the train’s front and iron wheels!

Splatter!

Like a car speeding into a swarm of insects, blood splashed across the windshield. Flesh and intestines clung to the glass like grotesque noodles.

KIKI turned away, unable to look.

Lin Xian’s heart pounded. He immediately switched on the wipers.

“What are you standing there for? Get those damn intestines off the glass! You saving them for a midnight snack?!”

Hearing that, KIKI let out an exasperated sigh. “Alright, alright!” She quickly waved her hand, using her ability to clear the obstruction.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shockwaves echoed from deep underground. Up ahead, a beam of light appeared in their field of vision.

“It’s the Infinite Train!”

As they accelerated, they could see it—a massive train rapidly ascending through the tunnel. Its black armor and Icebreaker Shield exuded a destructive aura.

“Lin Xian!”

From the responder, Chen Sixuan’s voice came through.

The two speeding trains drew closer within the tunnel. Through the armored grates of the Infinite Train, Lin Xian could see Chen Sixuan waving at him from inside.

“On my way!”

“Hey, girl, give me a hand!”

Lin Xian stood up, slowing the train while swiftly constructing two carriage-linking pillars outside the window. Since the Whale 03E Heavy Gas Turbine Locomotive at the front of the Infinite Train had an Icebreaker Shield, Lin Xian couldn’t just ram it from behind to push it forward.

KIKI used her ability as well, stabilizing the speeds of both trains. In the midst of their high-speed maneuver, the linking pillars successfully latched on.

With the connection secured, Lin Xian activated Mechanical Heart, generating an immense thrust to push the power-drained Infinite Train upward through the tunnel.

BOOOOOM!

Another earthquake hit. The tunnel behind them began to collapse, with soil and debris raining down. Cracks tore through the concrete ceiling above.

“Watch out! It’s coming again!”

ROOOOAAAAARRR!!!

A deafening roar echoed through the underground city, reverberating like a drumbeat inside a sealed chamber. The sheer force of the sound sent tremors through the souls of everyone present—anyone with even a shred of fear would have collapsed in terror.

BOOM!

Tunnels and floors crumbled. A massive section of the wall collapsed, exposing the outside world.

Moonlight poured into the tunnel.

At that moment, everyone saw it—a massive row of gigantic eyes peering down at them from above, blotting out the sky.

“AAAAHHHHH!!!”

Onboard the Infinite Train, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen went pale with horror, their screams filling the carriages.

Even Shasha and Chen Sixuan were left completely stunned, their minds going blank.

The collapsing underground city walls and floor slabs crashed down, bringing with them shattered fragments of commercial zones and residential areas. Alongside the debris, countless black silhouettes rained down into the abyss.

A closer look revealed them to be zombified former residents of the underground city—falling like a torrential downpour.

Lin Xian felt his heart turn cold.

There’s no escape…

In the face of this Deep Abyss Behemoth, even the underground city itself was as powerless as an ant nest.

Onboard the Infinite Train, Ding Junyi remained calm, her face unmoved. Though the massive earthquake had knocked her down, she quickly climbed back up and resumed operating the system.

“Mr. Lin.”

Her voice came through the responder.

“I’ve sent a system backup protocol to Miss KIKI’s mobile terminal. It contains a self-destruct sequence for the No. 9 Underground City’s four energy cores. Theoretically, we can use it to activate the destruction of the Level 70 Backup Core.

Since no higher-level authority is responding, we only need P4-level clearance for internal confirmation to trigger it. If it works, we might be able to buy some time to escape.”

Hearing this, Lin Xian’s eyes sharpened. He immediately turned to KIKI.

KIKI quickly pulled up her mobile terminal and found the protocol link flashing on her screen.

“It’s real. It’s an embedded system protocol! I’ll hack in and override the P4-level clearance.”

As she worked, her expression turned from serious to shock.

“Oh my god… This was deliberately pre-programmed for a targeted destruction event. It’s not just the core—it also locks down the floors above.”

Lin Xian’s mind raced. He sensed an opportunity.

“Can you activate it?!”

Before he could even finish, KIKI was already at work.

“No problem! The main underground city system is down, meaning the subsystems hold the highest authority. The protocol originally required P5-level confirmation and an acknowledgment from the satellite and Federal HQ, but since those aren’t active, it means that when this system was set up, they already expected the underground city’s leader to have full control over its destruction.”

“Alright, the Backup Core No. 3 is online. Do we activate it?”

“How much time do we have?” Lin Xian asked immediately.

“Thirty seconds,” Ding Junyi responded over the responder. “At our current speed, we’ll have twenty seconds before the detonation—enough time to escape.”

The underground city’s main structure had already collapsed. Although the self-destruct sequence was originally intended to only destroy specific floors, given the current situation, the entire city likely wouldn’t withstand the blast.

If they triggered the explosion, the shockwave would cause a chain reaction, leading to a complete tunnel collapse.

But the core meltdown wasn’t a full-fledged nuclear detonation—it was more about triggering a structural collapse.

For Lin Xian, this was their only shot at escape!

BOOM!

Another earthquake struck, signaling that the Deep Abyss Behemoth was closing in, moving along the underground city’s walls toward the trains.

“No time left—activate it!”

Lin Xian made the call.

There was no waiting—if they hesitated, the Deep Abyss Behemoth would reach them first. Even if they made it to the surface, who was to say the monster wouldn’t follow them out?

They had to take the gamble.

KIKI understood instantly. Without hesitation, she initiated the self-destruct protocol.

[Backup Core No. 3 Self-Destruct Protocol Activated. Countdown: 30 seconds.]

Beep—beep—beep!

Throughout the underground city, lights began flickering and shutting down—from Level 70 upward to the Research Sectors, across corridors, offices, halls, commercial districts, industrial zones, and residential blocks.

Elevator music and advertisements went silent—then abruptly restarted.

[30]

[29]

[28]…