Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 224: Death Game 1

Tap. Tap.

The sound of Lin Xian’s footsteps echoed through the dark corridor. He walked for a while, following the glow of the lights stretching ahead, but the passage seemed endless. Something was off—this wasn’t what he expected. As he kept moving forward, water stains began to appear on the floor. The further he walked, the more water there was. The original marble floor had gradually transformed into white ceramic tiles.

Splash. Splash.

The sound of water swishing accompanied his steps. Lin Xian looked down at the white tiles beneath his feet and couldn't shake the eerie feeling that he had just stepped into a swimming pool. As he proceeded, the shallow puddles rose from mere centimeters to completely covering his feet.

That’s when the corridor walls ahead abruptly vanished.

He had reached the end of the passage.

Lin Xian frowned, raising his light to illuminate the area in front of him. What he saw made his expression darken. Before him was an enormous, enclosed swimming pool—easily over a thousand square meters in size. White, pristine tiles covered the surrounding walls, making the space seem eerily sterile.

Just a few meters ahead, the floor beneath the water abruptly disappeared, replaced by a stainless steel pool ladder. Beyond that ladder, the once-clear water turned an unsettling shade of black. It was deep—impossibly deep.

Under the glow of his light, a yellow swimming ring gently bobbed on the dark water’s surface, drifting with the ripples. Lin Xian scanned the area. Other than where he stood, there was no visible way out—only towering, tiled walls enclosing the entire space.

The cold water lapped at his ankles, carrying an inexplicable force, as if something hidden in the depths was trying to pull him in.

"What kind of nightmare is this...?"

He had already investigated the passageway before entering—there were no complex mechanical structures. He had expected to find something, yet after walking for so long, he’d encountered nothing. Now, at the end of the hallway, all that awaited him was this massive, bottomless pool.

It felt like an entrance straight to hell.

Research Facility - Monitoring Hall

Inside the monitoring room, the research personnel wore complicated expressions. A few turned to look at Security Chief Feng Chun, who sat with a heavy expression, eyes locked on the surveillance screens.

“Chief Feng, the target has entered the Black Pool.”

Feng Chun’s gaze sharpened. “Release Biological Specimen Black Abyss No. 1. Begin water injection. Flood the passageway!”

“What?!” The researchers were stunned.

“This… won’t that—”

“Follow orders. Today, we must obtain valuable data from the target!”

“…Understood.”

The researchers, though tense, began executing the brutal command.

Back in the pool area, Lin Xian positioned a metal support frame at the passage’s edge, extending his light to illuminate a larger section of the water. Moving carefully to the silver pool ladder, he leaned forward to peer beneath the surface.

Whoosh!

A massive, shadowy figure flickered beneath the water, moving like a coiled serpent. Its form was pitch black, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. The sudden disturbance sent a wave rushing toward Lin Xian’s submerged feet, as if trying to pull him in.

“Fk!”**

Lin Xian instinctively stumbled backward, the chaotic splashing of his footsteps echoing unsettlingly in the eerie silence.

Something was in there.

His expression turned grim as he scanned his surroundings. Seconds passed like hours. He needed to find a way out. Looking up, he finally noticed something—about dozens of meters above the pool, a small diving platform protruded from the high wall, with a dark door behind it.

Then, as his light flickered across the water’s surface, he noticed something else—a pathway submerged beneath the pool.

Or rather, pillars—narrow, white-tiled columns barely wide enough for a single foot to step on. They were spaced roughly a meter apart, stretching all the way to the far side of the pool, where a set of wall-mounted ladders jutted out from the tiled wall.

If he wanted to escape, he’d have to step from pillar to pillar, balancing over the pitch-black abyss, reach the wall, and climb up.

Without his light, he would be blindly leaping across an invisible abyss, with god-knows-what lurking below.

And those pillars? They extended deep into the black water. There was no telling what was swimming around them.

Who the hell designed this nightmare?

Lin Xian’s gut twisted. Even he felt a chill creeping up his spine.

A pitch-dark, enclosed space.

A massive, bottomless pool.

Rippling black water.

Unknown creatures lurking beneath.

Anyone’s sanity would be shaken.

Then, suddenly—

The water that had been at his ankles was now up to his calves.

It was rising.

Research Facility - Monitoring Hall

The surveillance screens displayed every angle—the pool’s surface, the ladders, the pillars, and the diving platform above.

“The Black Water is now rising at Level 3 speed. The target has approximately three minutes to reach the wall before we activate Level 5 flooding.”

“Life signs update—target’s heart rate at 105, approaching 110.”

Feng Chun smirked, watching the monitor with interest. “He has to be scared now.”

At three minutes, the water level would make it impossible to stand. He’d be forced to swim.

The corridor itself was like a massive pipeline, extending over the center of the abyssal pool.

Feng Chun’s gaze locked onto the corridor exit. He expected to see Lin Xian frantically leaping from pillar to pillar, desperately trying to escape.

But…

Lin Xian wasn’t there.

Feng Chun’s expression darkened. “What’s going on? Why isn’t he moving? The water is rising!”

“No idea. We don’t have cameras inside the corridor.”

“Did he retreat?”

“No. His vitals are still within the test area.”

Feng Chun clenched his jaw. “There’s only two minutes left. If he doesn’t move now, he’ll never make it.”

Then, one researcher hesitantly suggested, “…Maybe… he’s just waiting for the water to rise and float him up?”

“Impossible,” Feng Chun snapped. “You can’t survive in Black Water for a single minute. Black Abyss No. 1 will devour him instantly.”

“Chief! One minute left! The corridor will be completely flooded!”

Feng Chun’s fists tightened. His gaze burned into the screen, watching as the Black Water swallowed the passage.

But still—Lin Xian didn’t appear.

“Report—target’s body temperature is dropping. Heart rate is now at 80.”

“What the hell is he doing?” Feng Chun growled.

Then, a researcher suddenly shouted, “He—He’s out!!”

“Where?!”

Everyone, including Feng Chun, turned to stare at the corridor exit.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

But—

Lin Xian wasn’t there.

“…No one’s there?”

“He’s—he’s above the corridor!!”

Feng Chun’s head snapped toward the secondary monitor.

And then, his pupils shrank.

A circular hole had appeared at the top of the passage.

From that hole, an elevator platform was rising.

And standing on it—

Lin Xian.

Calm. Expressionless. Stepping smoothly onto the diving platform as if nothing happened.

Feng Chun sat in stunned silence. The escape they had anticipated—never happened.

Instead, this elevator—

Where the hell did it come from?!

“Chief… his Mechanical Ability doesn’t match any of our previous research.”

Feng Chun’s face twitched. That wasn’t just ‘mechanical assembly’.

Lin Xian had just created an entire functioning elevator from thin air.

“…Prepare Survival Room No. 3.” Feng Chun ordered, grimly.

If Lin Xian could control machines like this…

They needed to see more.

Unlocking the Final Door

Lin Xian turned his head and saw the two massive liquid chambers. The transparent green fluid inside was slowly draining, as if counting down to something. Realizing the urgency, he immediately activated Mechanical Heart and scanned the door in front of him.

As the scan progressed, his frown deepened.

It was indeed a door—but a highly intricate mechanical lock system. The structure was bafflingly complex, featuring twelve interlinked mechanical locks, each connected to twelve separate internal switches.

The design wasn’t made for functionality—it was built purely to confuse anyone trying to open it.

With that, Lin Xian was finally certain.

This entire setup was designed to test his mechanical ability.

And the two creatures?

They were just here to "liven things up" for him.

"You want me to pick these locks...?"

His chest tightened slightly, but his mind remained calm. Mechanical Heart began to hum.

Wooo—Wooo—

The sirens blared. The green liquid in the experimental chambers continued draining. As it reached the halfway mark, the first containment pod’s sea star-like creature began stirring, its countless black needle-like spines scraping against the glass with a grating screech.

【Countdown: 3 minutes remaining.】

In the brightly lit observation room, several researchers stared intently at the surveillance feed, all eyes locked onto Lin Xian.

“Report the test progress.”

“Escape door progress: 0%.”

“What? He hasn’t even unlocked one?”

“Wait a little longer.”

【Countdown: 1 minute remaining.】

“Escape door progress: 0%.”

“Huh? Did he give up?”

“Quick, notify Ms. Hua!”

Hua Xiaoling’s Arrival

Hua Xiaoling, clad in a black coat, stood before a gleaming silver door—behind it was the room where Lin Xian was trapped.

A subordinate’s voice crackled through her earpiece.

“Ms. Hua, 1 minute remaining. Escape door progress still at 0%. Should we activate the emergency protocol?”

She remained silent, her gaze fixed on the silver door.

【Countdown: 10 seconds.】

“Escape door progress 0%. It’s impossible to open now,” Security Chief Feng Chun said, his face turning pale.

Screech!

Inside the glass chambers, the green liquid had fully drained.

The massive sea-star creature flexed its needle-covered body, emitting a strange shrill cry. The white humanoid monster slowly lifted its head.

Hua Xiaoling’s expression flickered with doubt.

Then, the countdown reached its final seconds.

10, 9, 8...

7, 6, 5...

4, 3, 2, 1...

The instant zero hit—

BOOM.

The silver door disintegrated into ash.

A storm of fine gray dust scattered through the air.

Hua Xiaoling instinctively lifted her hand, catching a speck of ash in her palm—only for it to disintegrate further into nothing.

She blinked in astonishment.

Then, as the dust cleared, a lean silhouette emerged from the doorway.

A voice rang out—calm, but unmistakably sharp.

"We meet again."

A blade pressed against Hua Xiaoling’s throat.

The razor-thin electric edge sliced off a few strands of her dark hair, sending them drifting to the ground.

Click. Click. Click.

In a split second, dozens of armed personnel raised their rifles, locking their aim onto Lin Xian.

The automated turrets in the room zeroed in, red targeting lasers painting deadly dots across his forehead.

Yet Lin Xian’s expression remained ice-cold.

“If I don’t see my teammates in one minute—

you die.”

Hua Xiaoling gazed at him.

The countdown ended.

The massive red head reappeared, its eerie grin stretching wide.

“Excellent. Looks like we have our first challenger for tonight.”

The others exhaled in half-relief.

The red head let out a low chuckle.

“Now, let the game begin.”

Click!

At this time, the partitions of all the rooms became dark again, and at the same time, the surrounding sounds were completely isolated.

A small screen with three buttons floated on the metal table in front of the eight people.

They are ↑ [front], ← [left], → [right].

One indicator light is gray.

This means that if the indicator light is on, you need to give Wang Duo instructions in the corresponding room.

Follow the movement trajectory of the floor.

There is only 5 seconds.

If you give the correct instructions, Wang Duo survives.

If you give the wrong instructions, Wang Duo dies.