Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train

Chapter 61: A Formidable Enemy

Buzz—

Lin Xian felt a wave of dizziness overwhelm him.

Clang! Clang!

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he heard was Chen Sixuan’s frantic voice shouting, “Lin Xian! Lin Xian!”

His vision cleared, and the familiar rumble of the train racing along the tracks jolted him awake.

Chen Sixuan’s face was pale with fear as she saw him collapse. “What happened to you?!”

Rubbing his temples, Lin Xian asked urgently, “How long was I out?”

Her expression turned awkward. “Just… just a moment. You suddenly fainted.”

Lin Xian quickly turned his attention to Kiki, lying on the floor. Her eyes were now half-consumed by the inky blackness, and a sense of dread settled over him.

Before he could process this, another loud impact echoed from the roof of a distant carriage. Trouble upon trouble—Kiki’s life hung in the balance, and now something else was happening on top of the train.

“Take care of her for me!” Lin Xian instructed Chen Sixuan sharply before dashing toward the rear carriages.

As he ran, his Mechanical Heart activated, and he summoned the blueprint for the GK03 Electric Blade that Kiki had given him. With a wave of his hand, he began assembling it using Type I Tungsten-Titanium Alloy. Lacking some critical materials, he quickly fashioned a prototype—a sleek black longsword. At the same time, he grabbed a fully loaded automatic rifle and hurried toward the commotion.

The freshly forged hilt was still warm in his hand, its heat mirroring the urgency in his chest. Kiki was in critical condition, Tang Hai was still out there, and the zombie tide loomed. He had no choice but to resolve this crisis now.

He shouted ahead to Luo Shasha and Luo Ye in Carriage No. 5. “Luo Ye, Shasha! Grab your weapons! That old bastard’s not done with us—we’re taking him out!”

“Be careful, Brother Lin!” Luo Shasha’s terrified voice called back. She pointed toward the carriage window as she spoke.

CRASH!

Before she could finish, a massive, pale-gray claw smashed against the side of the train. The impact shattered the glass, and the violent force flung Luo Shasha across the carriage.

Luo Ye reacted swiftly, diving to catch his sister mid-air with one arm.

Lin Xian, however, was hurled into a storage cabinet. As he scrambled to his feet, his gaze snapped to the rear of the train. There, a towering white humanoid figure loomed—a monster he recognized instantly. His pupils contracted in shock.

The Pale Giant!

It was the same creature he had encountered back in Jiang City. How did it get here?!

Impossible! They had already traveled over a thousand kilometers. How could this thing have pursued them so far?

“Luo Ye! There’s another one—Tang Hai!” Lin Xian warned, his voice grim.

A tide of zombies, a broken bridge, and now the Pale Giant—was all of this a coincidence or part of some elaborate plan? If it wasn’t random, the implications were terrifying. Tang Hai had to be eliminated immediately.

With no time to retreat, Lin Xian prepared to fight. He flung open the train’s rear platform.

Luo Ye set Luo Shasha down, grabbed a machine gun, and stood ready.

Whoooom—

The platform lowered, revealing the Pale Giant hanging upside down from the train’s frame. Its sunken, terrifying eyes peered into the carriage as it opened a dark-red, gaping maw.

“Raaahhhh!”

The creature let out a piercing shriek, like a woman’s high-pitched scream, causing everyone’s eardrums to throb in pain.

In that instant, Lin Xian and Luo Ye opened fire with everything they had.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Bullets rained down on the monster. Although the rounds ricocheted off its steel-like face, sparks flying, a few managed to draw blood inside its gaping maw.

The Pale Giant roared in rage, extending a ghastly arm into the carriage, blindly swiping at everything within reach.

CRASH!

Tools and supplies were scattered everywhere.

“Aahhh!” Luo Ye bellowed as he gripped a steel bar with both hands and drove it down onto the monster’s claw. The force was immense, and the steel bent from the impact.

THUD!

The steel bar pierced through the back of the Pale Giant’s hand, pinning it to the floor of the carriage. The blow was so powerful that it also punched through the carriage floor beneath.

Lin Xian’s shock deepened as he witnessed Luo Ye’s incredible strength. But there was no time to hesitate. He raised the GK03 Electric Blade and charged forward, ready to finish the fight.

Lin Xian watched Luo Ye’s display of raw power, feeling an itch in his molars—a sign of both astonishment and unease. How strong will he become if he evolves further?

Still, Lin Xian felt a glimmer of hope. Compared to the earlier fight with the red centipede monster, he no longer experienced the same sense of helplessness.

Just as he prepared to join the fray, he heard a rapid scraping sound. He whipped around and saw Tang Hai, having somehow reappeared, climbing swiftly along the side of the train toward the roof and heading toward the front carriages.

Not good!

Lin Xian’s expression darkened. Meanwhile, the Pale Giant, with its hand pinned by the steel bar, yanked the embedded metal free, the sound of screeching metal filling the air.

“Cover me!” Lin Xian shouted, seizing the opportunity to dash toward the rear of the train.

Realizing Lin Xian was going after Tang Hai, Luo Ye immediately swung his gun back up and unleashed another barrage at the Pale Giant, aiming for its horrifying face.

Lin Xian nimbly dodged the monster’s swinging arm and leapt onto the open flatbed carriage at the rear. Before he could steady himself, a gust of wind roared past his ears. Acting on instinct, he conjured an Ice Shield behind him while diving toward the rear of a damaged jeep.

BANG!

The Pale Giant’s massive arm shattered the Ice Shield and smashed the jeep’s hood. Its chains snapped, and the vehicle dangled precariously off the side of the carriage before colliding with an electrical tower and plummeting into the roadside below.

“D**n it!” Lin Xian cursed under his breath. Those jeeps were hard-won spoils, and now they were gone without even a chance to devour them for resources.

“Luo Ye, hold it off for me! I’m going after Tang Hai!” Lin Xian yelled against the wind.

“Got it!” Luo Ye didn’t hesitate, charging forward with his gun. Rolling to avoid the Pale Giant’s grasping claws, he switched magazines and fired relentlessly at the monster’s mouth and eyes.

Seizing this opening, Lin Xian sprinted toward the roof of the carriage and activated a new skill: Backlash.

This ability, acquired from devouring the Iron Guard 3 Military Assault Armor, had yet to be tested. What better moment than now?

With a flash of gray light, Lin Xian’s body blurred into a streaking shadow. Clutching his GK03 Electric Blade forged from Tungsten-Titanium Alloy, he lunged forward with a surge of energy.

CRACK!

A sound like a sonic boom ripped through the air. The Pale Giant swung its claw to intercept him but grasped only an afterimage. In the next instant—

SLASH!

A deep vertical gash appeared in the creature’s palm. Flesh and blood exploded outward, staining the train in crimson.

Lin Xian reappeared behind the monster, his breathing heavy but his confidence surging. His first use of Backlash had surpassed his expectations. The attack drained him significantly, but its sheer destructive power was far beyond anything he’d managed before.

Back in Jiang City, even hacking at this monster with a short blade couldn’t scratch it. Now, armed with his new skill and weapon, he’d finally pierced its defenses.

From below, Luo Ye watched Lin Xian’s swift and deadly maneuver, his eyes wide with admiration.

The Pale Giant, however, let out a frenzied roar, ripping the steel bar from its hand and pivoting to chase after Lin Xian. Its enormous weight pressed down on the carriage, causing the wheels to grind against the tracks with a deafening screech, sparks flying everywhere.

“Brother!” Luo Shasha, finally free, emerged from the carriage and tossed a steel pipe to Luo Ye.

The siblings worked seamlessly. Luo Ye caught the pipe, his muscles tensing as veins bulged across his arms. With a mighty roar, he hurled the steel pipe at the Pale Giant’s exposed flank.

WHOOSH!

The pipe cut through the air like a missile. The Pale Giant, evidently possessing some intelligence, sensed the danger and paused its pursuit of Lin Xian. It swiveled around with a snarl, raising its massive claw.

CLANG!

With a powerful grip, it caught the glowing-hot steel pipe in mid-air, sparks flying as it crushed the metal with its claw. The screech of tortured steel echoed as the Pale Giant roared again, its ferocity undiminished.