Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train

Chapter 62: Battle on the Roof

On the other side of the train, Lin Xian raced forward atop the train roof, braving the biting wind as he sprinted toward the front carriages. He knew that Tang Hai, once the stationmaster of Beiwang Station, was intimately familiar with trains. The sabotaged track had undoubtedly been his doing.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The rhythmic pounding of his boots on the train roof echoed as Lin Xian prepared to leap from Carriage No. 3 to No. 2. Suddenly, a flash of white darted out at the connecting point, and a chill ran down his spine. Instinctively, he conjured an Ice Shield before him.

CRACK!

A sharp object pierced through the shield, and Lin Xian whirled around to see a thin claw narrowly missing his chest, leaving behind shredded fabric and a spray of debris.

Close call!

“Die!” A grotesque voice half-human, half-demonic erupted as Tang Hai lunged. His deceptively thin arm, brimming with terrifying strength, cleaved through the Ice Shield as if slicing butter. His claws darted toward Lin Xian’s throat.

“Old bastard! You just don’t know when to quit!” Lin Xian roared furiously. Memories of the zombies, the sabotaged bridge, and Kiki’s precarious state stoked the flames of his rage. As Tang Hai’s claw swept forward, Lin Xian leaned back and swung his blade with precision at Tang Hai’s neck.

CLANG!

Sparks flew as the blade struck, only to bounce off with the metallic clang of steel meeting steel. Tang Hai’s skin had become harder than the Pale Giant’s! The force of the impact sent Tang Hai staggering back, but he remained unfazed, even with the blade at his neck. A savage grin split his face as he attacked again with his talon-like claws, mocking Lin Xian:

“Ha… ha… ha… Thanks to you, I’ve become so much stronger!”

RATATATATAT!

Lin Xian didn’t give him the chance to gloat, stepping back and unloading a volley of bullets into the monster. Tang Hai’s twisted figure tumbled as several rounds struck him, punching bloody holes in weaker parts of his body.

“Bastard!” Tang Hai hissed, retreating to the side of the train with unnatural agility. Like a phantom, he vanished into the shadows along the train’s edge.

Lin Xian’s thoughts churned as he caught his breath. How is his defense so strong? Even Luo Ye’s enhanced body couldn’t withstand bullets like that. Has he truly evolved?

“Makes you wonder if he’s a failed experiment or just some mutant freak,” Lin Xian muttered under his breath.

WHOOSH!

A shadow flickered at the edge of his vision as Tang Hai emerged again. This time, his clawed fingers stretched unnaturally long, whipping toward Lin Xian like snapping cables. Lin Xian reacted instantly, raising his blade to block.

CLANG!

The force sent him skidding backward, his palms numb from the impact. Before Lin Xian could counter, Tang Hai vanished back into the darkness.

What the hell is this thing? Lin Xian thought, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The wind howled across the train as the Infinite Train, driven by the Huanxing 7F Electric Locomotive, hurtled through the night. Lin Xian gripped his weapon tightly, every sense on high alert.

Tang Hai’s grotesque, half-human, half-corpse form lingered in his mind. His hardened, pale-gray skin and sparse, devolved hair reminded Lin Xian of a twisted version of Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.

WHOOSH!

A sharp sound sliced through the air again. Lin Xian anticipated the attack, sidestepped, and fired a stream of bullets toward the sound.

RATATATATAT!

Tang Hai, crafty as ever, used his elongated fingers to bait Lin Xian into wasting his limited ammunition. The magazine clicked empty, and Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed.

CLICK.

No more bullets.

“Out of ammo, aren’t you?” Tang Hai’s chilling voice drifted from behind him.

CLANG!

Lin Xian spun and swung his blade, narrowly deflecting another strike. The force jolted his grip, nearly toppling him. Tang Hai emerged smugly from the shadows, his face twisted into a gloating sneer.

“Now do you see? You’re lucky I wasn’t evolved that night. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have lived to see today. Shouldn’t you thank me?” he jeered.

“Thank your mother!” Lin Xian growled, wasting no time. With a flick of his hand, he launched several Wind Cannon bursts.

Tang Hai sensed the attack and dodged one, but two blasts slammed into his chest. The force sent him stumbling back.

“Damn you!” Tang Hai cursed, his voice a distorted mix of male and female tones. Realizing Lin Xian had more than firearms at his disposal, Tang Hai extended his claws and anchored them into the train’s roof. Using his legs to launch himself like a bullet, his speed was so great it left dents in the steel.

ICE SHIELD!

Lin Xian conjured another shield in an instant.

“Useless trash!” Tang Hai roared as he barreled through the shield, shattering it. But instead of striking Lin Xian, he hit nothing but shards of ice.

WHOOSH!

Lin Xian, now a phantom-like shadow, slipped through the cascading ice and unleashed his skill: Backlash.

BOOM!

A resounding sonic blast echoed as Lin Xian slashed through Tang Hai mid-air.

“WHAT?!” Tang Hai shrieked as his momentum carried him forward, claws scraping the train roof. His hand shot up to his face in disbelief—half of it, along with one ear, was missing.

“AAAAHHHHH!” Tang Hai’s scream was feral, filled with rage and agony. Blood streamed from his mutilated face as he bellowed, “I’ll kill you! I’ll tear you apart!”

Lin Xian wasn’t interested in banter. Before Tang Hai could recover, Lin Xian fired more Wind Cannon shots.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Unable to dodge, Tang Hai took the brunt of the blasts, a gaping hole ripping through his chest. He tumbled off the train, landing among the jagged rocks beside the tracks.

Meanwhile, at the rear of the train, the Pale Giant leapt from Carriage No. 5 to the flatbed car, its massive weight crushing the wooden sleepers below and nearly derailing the train again.

Luo Ye, undeterred, swung a broken chain like a whip. The heavy chain lashed out with a resounding CRACK, leaving a deep, bloody welt across the monster’s hardened skin.

“RAAAAAAHHHH!” The Pale Giant howled in fury, its massive arm swinging to swat Luo Ye off the train.

Before it could strike, an explosion rocked its back—Shasha, wielding an M36 grenade launcher, had landed a direct hit. Despite her small size, she displayed incredible precision, a testament to her hardened survival skills.

Luo Ye seized the chance, wrapping the chain around the Pale Giant’s neck and preparing to drop the other end off the train to leverage the train’s speed to decapitate the creature. But the Pale Giant grabbed the chain mid-air, swinging it—and Luo Ye—violently.

Luo Ye gritted his teeth and held on, using the momentum to swing back onto Carriage No. 5. He landed with a heavy THUD, determined not to let the monster win.

“Brother, be careful!” Shasha called out, reloading her grenade launcher.

The Pale Giant ripped the chain from its neck and lunged forward again. Shasha fired another grenade at close range, the explosion pinning the creature between carriages. Despite the damage, it raised its enormous claw and smashed down on the roof of Carriage No. 5, crushing the air-conditioning system into twisted metal.