Apocalypse: I Build A Doomsday Train-Chapter 33 - 29 Insect Corpse

Clang clang~

The carriage was calm once again.

Lin Xian gritted his teeth and raised his head, only to see the huge orca’s teeth still embedded in the armored grill, sending a chill down his spine. He hastily turned back to check and saw the metallic car hook, like a thick fishing line, dragging along the rear half of the bug’s tail on the tracks, leaving behind a shockingly gruesome trail. The tail had been shredded apart, bloodied and mangled.

"Is it dead?!"

Just then, KIKI finally lowered her hands. She jolted her head up, but the movement was so sudden that her head collided squarely with Lin Xian’s chin.

Bang! The crisp sound of their collision echoed in the carriage.

"Ouch~" KIKI cried out in pain, instinctively clutching her head.

"Damn!" Lin Xian felt a wave of dizziness from the impact, covering his chin and groaning in pain.

Neither of them had the time to confirm if the bug was really dead as they each nursed their injuries, crying out in pain.

"It hurts to death, you damn jerk!" KIKI glared furiously.

"What the hell, is your head made of iron?!" Lin Xian shouted angrily.

Without any time to bicker with the young lady, he endured the pain and stood up, his hanging heart finally easing as he saw the still and lifeless corpse of the bug outside the carriage.

To confirm, he began to slowly decelerate, holding his knife carefully as he made his way to the rear end of the carriage. Peering out, he could see that the bug’s body clinging to the side of the train had been ground to the point where only the skin of its abdomen and a mass of claws remained, with even half of the bug’s carcass torn off and hooked onto the car hook.

Squeak!

At that moment, Lin Xian slowly brought the Infinity to a stop.

"It’s really dead!" Seeing Lin Xian stop the train, KIKI, rubbing her head and excitedly, stood up, rushed over, and upon seeing the scattered bug carcass pieces all over the ground, her face turned green as she couldn’t help but start retching, "What a disgusting big bug!"

Lin Xian turned to look at KIKI, his gaze filled with a measure of wariness.

But unexpectedly, at that moment, two trickles of bright red blood flowed slowly from KIKI’s nostrils, yet she seemed unconcerned. Seeing Lin Xian’s gaze on her, she wiped the blood away with her hand, her small face tilting up proudly as she looked at him, "See, didn’t I tell you it’d be useful to have me around?"

"Do you know how to use your superpower now?"

"It seems like I do..."

"When?"

"Just now, when I saved you," KIKI blinked her eyes, "See, I told you I’m actually a good person."

As she spoke, a large amount of nosebleed flowed again, and her complexion turned an unhealthy shade of pale, "But it’s weird, after just using it once, I feel a terrible headache and dizziness..."

Lin Xian looked at her, knowing she was suffering from the effects of excessive energy consumption, and he became serious too. He glanced at the rear hatch, then promptly found a towel to throw to KIKI to wipe the blood off her face.

"Is everyone okay?"

After the train stopped, Chen Sixuan ran over with an expression of fear, and upon seeing the grim state of Carriage Number 3, she too started retching.

The stench from the bug carcass was revolting, enough to make even the strongest stomachs wince.

Lin Xian looked at Chen Sixuan and had to admit that Teacher Chen was a lot smarter than he had anticipated; during such a critical moment, it was she who had come up with the solution.

"This time, we really owe you big time," Lin Xian said earnestly.

Chen Sixuan avoided his gaze, saying somewhat embarrassedly,

"This has nothing to do with me."

"How can you say it has nothing to do with you? Without your idea, I really wouldn’t have known how to deal with that monster," Lin Xian admitted frankly.

"Hey!" KIKI put her hands on her hips, her face showing clear displeasure, "Why is no one thanking me?"

As she spoke, another stream of nosebleed flowed out.

Lin Xian frowned upon seeing KIKI’s pale face and asked, "How do you feel?"

"I..."

Before she could finish, KIKI’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she staggered toward Lin Xian, falling into his chest. Before losing consciousness, she suddenly reached up and grabbed Lin Xian’s arm, whispering weakly,

"Don’t, don’t throw me off the train..."

Upon hearing her words, a trace of emotion flickered across Lin Xian’s face, and as he watched KIKI fall into a faint, the lingering worry in his heart finally settled a bit.

It seems this girl is well aware of her situation; she can still be helpful when life and death hang in the balance. With that thought, he let go of some of his guard against her.

He looked up and locked eyes with Chen Sixuan.

"You keep an eye on her, I’ll go check the situation. If there’s no immediate danger, we’ll wait here till dawn."

"Okay." Chen Sixuan looked around the chaotic No. 3 carriage and the dark wilderness outside, nodding uneasily.

Lin Xian took a flashlight out of the toolbox inside the carriage, jumped down from the tailboard, and frowned at the shattered remains of the bugs, his brow furrowed.

He hurried back to the carriage, pulled out a small crane, and tore the Red Worm’s huge carapace off the armored grill, causing the rest of the bug’s abdomen to fall from the side of the train to the ground.

Then he went to the back, released the metallic car hook from half of the bug’s tail, and retracted it into the train.

"There is a lot to fix."

Lin Xian looked at the No. 3 carriage after the battle, his face grave.

"Indeed, just as the girl said, this train needs to be equipped with some weapons and a defense system. It’s not enough just being able to run."

If it hadn’t been for Chen Sixuan’s quick thinking, Lin Xian really wouldn’t have known where to start tonight.

His Wind Gun was as powerful as a firearm at close range, but its power dropped significantly with distance, and both the White Giant Monster and today’s Red Worm were thick-skinned beasts.

Conventional weapons didn’t stand much of a chance against them.

Just as Lin Xian was cleaning up the wreckage and about to return to the train, he suddenly felt a tremor underfoot, as though something underground was surging.

In an instant, a rustling sound appeared at his ear, and when he shone the flashlight over, he saw billows of black gas emitting from the enormous bug corpse beside the train. Instead of rising into the air, the black gas was being sucked into the ground by some mysterious force.

Lin Xian frowned and moved closer; the rustling sound in his ear suddenly intensified, as if thousands were crying, wailing, and howling, sending shivers down his spine!

"What the hell is this!"

Lin Xian was startled and took a few steps back, moving away from the black smoke. The cries and howls turned into a faint rustling sound. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

In just a few breaths, the black gas vanished, leaving only the bug corpse with its stench lingering.

"Did I hear that wrong?" Lin Xian looked shocked; just moments before, being close to that black gas, he truly heard human cries of despair, chilling to the core—as if the souls of those devoured by the monster were howling together, utterly bizarre.

Woo~

Back on the train, Lin Xian tried to raise the tailboard.

Although several parts of the body were cracked, thankfully, the hydraulic machinery of the tailboard was still sturdy. After Lin Xian activated the Mechanical Heart to lift the tailboard, he looked at the disarray in No. 3 carriage, with many tools scattered all over.

Including a welding machine, a small crane, and his own motorcycle.

These things were crucial; if damaged, they would be troublesome to repair.

Lin Xian’s Mechanical Repair ability combined with his manufacturing abilities required appropriate materials and a significant amount of time.

After the great battle just now, he was utterly exhausted. Thankfully, they were in the wilderness, and the large commotion didn’t attract a horde of corpses, allowing him a moment to catch his breath.

He checked the time; it was already 21:15 at night. They had been battling and fleeing the giant bug for over two hours.

"How’s it going?"

Watching Lin Xian close the door and walk over, Chen Sixuan stood up and asked.

"Temporarily safe." Lin Xian took a bottle of water from the storage rack and gulped down a third of it.

His gaze swept over, and he saw the girl had been helped by Chen Sixuan onto the couch, already asleep. It was evident that though the girl’s newly awakened superpower was strong, it also consumed an exorbitant amount of energy.

At this moment, Lin Xian had a complex look on his face. Although he had just saved her, and they had fought side by side, the girl was cunning at heart. And with her awakened superpower, Lin Xian felt he might not necessarily be able to handle her. Thinking this, he started to worry.

"Are you injured?"

Chen Sixuan, seeing blood on Lin Xian’s hands and face, couldn’t help but ask.

"Just superficial wounds." Lin Xian sighed and looked at Chen Sixuan, "We ran quite a distance tonight. Depending on the situation tomorrow, I want to rest up at North Bay Station."

Chen Sixuan nodded.

"North Bay isn’t big; the situation shouldn’t be too complicated. After North Bay Station, the next biggest city is Yu Bei City. From there, we’ll really enter Star Orbital route. Road conditions..."

She wanted to say that the conditions on the Star Orbital might be better, but she couldn’t be sure at this moment. After all, not encountering shattered rocks or broken rails on their way was already lucky. Who knew whether the road ahead would be better or worse?