Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 345: The Peeper!

In Looking Sun City, at the West Mountain Pass Tunnel, three teams swiftly emerged from the shadows, each moving rapidly in a different direction.

Lin Xian had the heaviest task. Behind him, two large drones from Silent City were carrying two sets of Magnetic Energy Deceleration Array devices. He had to complete scanning while on the move—two arrays were clearly not enough to "catch" the Unified Train.

Additionally, Grace had been assigned by Lin Xian to take the lead, while Fire Bro, KIKI, Chen Sixuan, and Shiori flanked him on both sides.

The outline of the city ahead was pitch black. The team had to rely entirely on the holographic navigation panel, night vision, and radar systems to navigate through the darkness. Although Silent City had deployed detection facilities throughout much of the city, their range was limited. To avoid colliding head-on with any Eerie Entity, Lin Xian chose to sprint across rooftops along the streets. The benefit of this method was speed—and monsters rarely lingered on rooftops.

The downside, of course, was their heightened exposure. They had to move faster.

[Unknown entity detected ahead at high elevation!]

Just as Lin Xian’s group landed on a low-rise building, Grace sent a sudden warning.

Everyone halted. Lin Xian opened Baicheng's map and recalibrated the route.

"Down!"

With a decisive command, Lin Xian activated his Power Armor and leapt straight into an underground parking garage. According to the mapped path, there was a route down there that cut across two streets and led to an underground pedestrian mall.

As a mountain city, Baicheng was riddled with such complex tunnels. Garages connected to underpasses, and overpasses cut right through residential rooftops—it wasn’t unusual.

Because of this, the densely packed cityscape felt even more oppressive in the dead silence and darkness, like a bizarre forest of concrete.

Thud!

Grace dropped from above, sprinting forward to catch up with Lin Xian.

At this point, the Opto-Electric Systems on everyone’s Power Armor activated, casting a pale white light throughout the underground garage. The air was thick with dust, and the metallic clamor of mechas rushing forward echoed around them.

KIKI maintained a Psychic Shield mid-flight, being especially cautious in this enclosed space.

Fire Bro held a ball of flame in his palm—partly for vigilance, partly to ward off the pervasive chill.

"Lin Xian!"

Suddenly, Chen Sixuan halted, raising her weapon and aiming toward the far-right corner of the garage.

"What is it?"

"Something’s coming."

"I feel it too," said Shiori, reacting quickly. She stepped behind the team and raised her hand, activating her Ability to link everyone together. In that instant, the others felt a surge rise from their feet—like they’d just downed a shot of Cold Dark Reagent.

Shiori’s Ability didn’t just resist Dark Invasion, it also temporarily boosted the mental strength of Ability Users.

No wonder earlier, in the plaza, Takahashi Ryunosuke and Amano Ran managed to withstand the onslaught from Lin Xian’s team without immediately falling behind. He now experienced the power of that peculiar ability firsthand.

There was no time to dwell on it. Hearing Chen Sixuan’s words, he immediately deployed 25 Thunder Falcon Drones to sweep forward.

"Grace, provide cover!"

[Understood.]

At the same time, Chen Sixuan charged out. But just then, Lu Xingchen’s face suddenly shifted. He spun and fired directly into the dimness on the right.

Bang!

"Over there!"

Crack-crack-crack—after the gunfire came a creeping sound. Turning around, under the white light, they saw a small creature in the corner, vaguely humanoid but twisted. Its eerie pointed mouth emitted a shrill buzz before spraying white gas in all directions.

"Fall back!"

Lin Xian was certain Chen Sixuan had landed a hit, but the creature’s form remained unclear. Its piercing wail was similar to the Red Lantern Head they’d encountered before, sending everyone’s vision flickering. Blood and horror images flashed wildly before their eyes.

Fear Corruption.

"We’ve been marked!" Shiori’s voice came through—Silent City’s advanced Soul Wave Detector could precisely identify marks left on the human body.

Screee!

That sharp screech echoed and intensified in the basement, kicking up dust with every pulse.

At the same time, Lin Xian and Fire Bro struck first.

"Fire Fist!"

A massive fireball, combined with drone pulse blasts, lit up the garage. Flames and explosions consumed the strange creature, collapsing support pillars and ventilation ducts.

Meanwhile, Grace’s side also erupted with noise—a humanlike head with spider legs rolled to Lin Xian’s feet.

In the light, Grace landed in a backflip after flinging the grotesque head. She smashed it into the ground, the spider legs still twitching.

[Caution—Human Eerie incoming!]

Boom! Just as she spoke, a nearby wall exploded. The impact snapped several pillars. KIKI used her Psychic Power to sweep the debris aside.

Behind the wall stood a butcher-like Humanoid Eerie, wearing a gas mask and ragged gear, its greenish mutated skin pulsing.

Without hesitation, Chen Sixuan fired, blowing half its skull apart. Yet eerily, it didn’t react. Instead, its body sprouted beetle-like scales—countless carapace insects buzzing around it. Thick green ooze began to flow as it lunged at the squad.

"Don’t let it near—this one explodes!" Shiori shouted.

"Not a chance!" KIKI clenched her hand, and a wind pillar of Psychic Sand and Debris slammed into the butcher. Lu Xingchen, having finished off the other creature, added a stream of fire to the assault. The fire turned walls and pillars red-hot.

Boom!

A muffled explosion followed. Dark green slime sprayed everywhere—but KIKI’s wind pillar shielded the group. Then, more Human Eerie burst from the shadows.

Lin Xian saw at a glance that these weren’t Zombies or standard Eerie Entities. Judging by their clothing, they looked like evolved humans mutated by the Abyss.

The garage was now filled with black smoke and green mist.

The screeching creature, wounded, retreated deeper into the shadows, its cries like a wailing child. Lin Xian saw its Mark Detector flicker. He gritted his teeth—Human Eerie were a distraction. The real threat was the one that placed the Dark Mark.

Zzzzip!

Drones zipped around, their red pulse arcs flashing. Under the spotlights, Lin Xian saw a monster over ten meters long retreating into an elevator shaft. Its previous “head” was merely a projection—its real body clung to the architecture.

Without hesitation, Lin Xian activated the Mecha Palm Cannons, and launched six Mini Needle Missiles from his shoulders. Combined with drone fire, they struck the main body.

Boom boom boom! Under a barrage, the serpent-like body fractured at the base. Its wailing intensified. Fire Bro dashed over and crossed his flamethrowers, slicing it apart. KIKI followed up, crushing its head with psychic force.

Screeeee—SNAP!

As its head exploded, the Dark Marks on the team finally vanished. But their earlier fight had stirred attention—noises echoed from above, from exits, all around.

“Move!” Lin Xian shouted. The garage was already filled with toxic black mist. They couldn’t stay. He ordered a retreat along the planned path.

At the same time, high-energy explosives materialized from his hands and were deployed via drones onto the support pillars.

“We must’ve disturbed something huge,” said Chen Sixuan. Clad in Black Hawk Armor and holding a Meteor-3, her vision and hearing were highly evolved. She couldn’t sense darkness like A Bai or Shiori, but she could detect movement early.

Running, Lin Xian checked the detector. “Don’t engage unless marked. I’ll continue underground.”

The path to the Rail Station was rarely used, which made it more dangerous. But underground combat kept the scale manageable. Once the Mark was cleared, they could blend into the darkness like the eerie ones.

[St…]

Their comms were severely disrupted underground. Lin Xian had lost contact with the other two squads. He led his team quickly. After exiting the garage and entering a rundown building, they came across a barbed-wire gate. Lin Xian used Mechanical Devour, and the gate vanished instantly.

They had to climb up the building to a platform that would bring them back to the street.

"Up ahead."

"Lin Xian—up ahead!" shouted Chen Sixuan and Shiori at once.

As their lights flickered, a twisted Eerie Entity emerged from the broken staircase, startled by the light. It opened its mouth—too late. Lin Xian’s dozens of drones spun and blasted it with pulse beams, vaporizing its upper body.

“C-Class Eerie Entity!”

Lin Xian glanced at its burning corpse and kept moving. A C-Class threat wasn’t difficult for them to handle now. The real danger was being Marked.

In the Abyssal Darkness, even the slightest Mark would expose the team to every nearby Eerie Entity.

“We... lost contact with the Bastion,” Shiori murmured as they ran.

“We’ll reconnect soon!”

Huff—huff—

Lin Xian steadied his breathing. Thanks to his Black Hawk Power Armor, his agility and defense had greatly improved. Aside from Dark Invasion, all he cared about now was that Mark Detector.

BOOM—

On the dark, ruined street, a heavy door was blasted open. Several figures in Power Armor stormed into the street alongside a swarm of drones. They had navigated through various underground tunnels, already passing three blocks. Now, they were less than a kilometer from the Baicheng Rail Station.

"Follow me."

Grace’s calm voice came through as she transmitted the route info. She continued leading Lin Xian and the others through the streets and alleys. Before long, they reached Baicheng Rail Station.

Standing atop the Clock Tower, Lin Xian looked out. The square in front of the station was still cluttered with the wreckage of vehicles abandoned after the battle involving Hu Lushou’s convoy.

Chen Sixuan propped up her rifle to scout the area, then said, “Lin Xian, there’s definitely something in there. I can hear movement.”

Zzzt zzzt—

Lin Xian raised his hand and deployed a signal repeater, mounting it atop the Clock Tower. With the signal enhanced, they finally reconnected with the signal base stations deployed throughout Silent City.

"Lin, looks like you’ve reached the station. Everything seems to be going smoothly."

"So far, so good. Nothing major," Lin Xian replied.

In the Main Control Room deep within Baicheng's Nuclear Bunker, Moonlight Shinji, dressed in simple robes, watched the holographic screen showing the positions of all three teams. He issued commands to each of them using different voices.

“Miss Ning Jing, the Baicheng Hospital morgue on B1 likely still contains an Eerie Entity. Shun's team encountered one before but didn’t fully clear it. Stay sharp down there.” “Shun, plant explosive charges at Points A and B north of the Central Plaza, and on the Minsheng Building to the east. Deploy the EMP drone missiles at the Commercial Center and the TV Tower..."

Back on Lin Xian’s side, he fabricated an infrared sentinel sensor and mounted it on top of the Clock Tower. Then he turned to Chen Sixuan.

“Ms. Chen, hold this position. If anything happens, regroup with me.”

Chen Sixuan nodded, then slid down the slanted roof of the tower and took a crouched position at one corner of the high-rise, overseeing the entire Baicheng Rail Station.

“KIKI, Fire Bro, you two go up. We’ll go down!”

“Got it!”

The moment the words left his mouth, KIKI and Lu Xingchen leapt into the air. Lin Xian, guided by Grace, jumped down from the Clock Tower with Shiori, heading straight across the plaza through the Passenger Center to reach the rail section behind it.

As they sprinted, Lin Xian casually devoured an off-road vehicle with his ability. Meanwhile, KIKI and Fire Bro soared toward the back of the station. Before even landing, the marker detectors on their armor suddenly went off.

Their expressions shifted instantly as they scanned the surroundings.

“Crap… Sister Chen—"

“I didn’t see it! The sound came from inside the Passenger Terminal!” Chen Sixuan’s voice came through.

But by now, Lin Xian and Shiori had already entered the terminal lobby. Yet, there were no Dark Marks on them.

“Split up and search!” Lin Xian ordered without hesitation.

Just as he said this, Chen Sixuan, still hiding in the Clock Tower, noticed strange sounds coming from the nearby streets. She adjusted her scope. In the night vision radar, the holographic display showed an indescribable creature creeping slowly out of a nearby dark alley, heading toward the Rail Station—coinciding exactly with the moment KIKI and Lu Xingchen were marked.

“There’s an Eerie Entity heading your way. Take it out now!”

The warning put both KIKI and Fire Bro on high alert. One stood on the exposed track, the other on a steel rooftop. Their Power Armor systems scanned constantly, but found nothing. The derelict rail line stretched like a road to hell, visibility vanishing into shadow.

At that moment, Lin Xian and Shiori emerged from the Passenger Terminal and stepped onto the tracks.

Shiori immediately pointed beyond the station wall to an old residential building.

“Over there! It’s a Watcher!”

Watcher—a term Lin Xian had learned from Senju Shun, who had once seen such a creature emerge from a tunnel. According to Silent City Squad intel, it was a scout-type Eerie Entity capable of emitting Dark Marks but rarely initiating attacks. Lin Xian had immediately recalled the S-Class Black Thorn in the Clouds from Xilan City, shocked to find that similar entities existed among regular Eerie Entities.

Moonlight Shinji classified them as Watchers—high-level beings lurking in the shadows, marking targets to lure nearby Eerie Entities to feast.

Hearing Shiori, KIKI and Fire Bro rushed toward the building.

“You vile thing, prepare to be incinerated by me!”

“Quick, no time to waste!” KIKI said gravely, not daring to delay.

Just as they flew over the wall, a white eerie shadow darted behind the building. But when they gave chase, it had vanished.

Then Lin Xian and Shiori caught up.

“I sense its presence!” Shiori said, tense. She used her ability to purify the group, then called out: “Grace, scan the area!”

With a leap, Grace landed atop the wall and initiated an environmental scan. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

[Scanning in progress... suspicious points marked.]

New path markers appeared on Lin Xian’s display, highlighting multiple escape routes.

“Split up and pursue!”

Just then, Shiori frowned. She could still sense that oppressive darkness nearby—it hadn’t left. Her instincts flared. Scanning the area, she spotted an ancient well in the yard beside the residential building. Its crumbling barricade revealed a dark, open shaft.

“It’s here—it didn’t leave!”

As the others prepared to move out, Shiori stopped them and pointed.

Lin Xian, KIKI, and Fire Bro rushed over. KIKI, the fastest, knew she had to pin the creature with psychic power immediately and let Lin Xian finish it. If they didn’t act fast, the marks on them would attract more Eerie Entities—a disaster.

Hovering above the well, her spotlight beamed downward—and then came the horror.

A white ghoul-like shadow hunched at the bottom of the well, letting out a strange, twisted laugh.

“Dai-dai-dai...!”

KIKI flinched. In a flash, the white ghost lunged upward, attempting to escape again. But KIKI’s eyes flared with psychic light. Her power surged and crushed it mid-air.

As Fire Bro and Lin Xian arrived, they struck without hesitation.

“Skyfire Slash!” Kinetic Cannon!

To ensure the kill, Fire Bro unleashed his ultimate move—an explosive red flame streaking through the air, slicing the ghost and a large portion of the residential building in half. The blazing inferno even melted the walls, with thick smoke billowing skyward.

In an instant, the marks on KIKI and Fire Bro faded, and the team entered stealth mode.

Back in the Control Room, seeing the signal change, Moonlight Shinji sent out a message:

“Lin, the tide’s about to rise. You need to leave and take shelter in the underground hall beneath the station!”

“On it!”

That was a close call. With the marks gone, Lin Xian called out:

“Ms. Chen!”

“On my way!”

Chen Sixuan rushed over, and the group descended via the lobby staircase into a three-story underground garage. The lowest floor was a shelter-like storage space, smaller than the others—standard for transportation hubs, used for emergencies.

Lin Xian checked the time, then led the squad into the shelter hall, slamming the blast door shut behind them.

Thunk.

The deep sound echoed through the empty hall.

Lin Xian turned on the lights. This was the closest shelter to Baicheng Station. Unlike other areas that Senju Shun had surveyed, this basement was still a wild card—potentially dangerous.

The room was bare, save for some dust and emergency gear on the racks.

Just like the rest of Baicheng, nothing looked like it had faced an apocalypse. Everything was frozen in time. Even the supplies remained untouched, suggesting the city had already ceased when Apocalypse Day arrived.

“Tide’s rising soon. Everyone stay focused—don’t lose your mind,” Shiori reminded them kindly. “Shinji said the more fear you feel, the weaker your strength gets. But if you're prepared, you’ll withstand the pressure better during the surge.”

Lin Xian nodded and conjured a large floodlight, brightening the hall and easing everyone’s nerves.

[Based on current research into abilities, psychic power grows with mental resilience. But mutation stems from mental collapse and is irreversible. Maintaining inner strength boosts your survival rate.]

Grace added matter-of-factly.

Lin Xian glanced at her. Her metallic skin gleamed, and she’d earlier crushed a Spiderhead Eerie barehanded with ease. Even Senju Shun’s heavy mech hadn’t left a scratch on her. Truly, her Grade-5 metal shell was next-level—she could match Ning Jing in raw power.

He checked the time: 13:04.

His heart clenched. The surreal tide, with its warped sense of time and space, was near. He braced himself.

13:04:59... 59... 59... 13:05:01!

Suddenly, a wave of piercing cold swept over them. Everyone shuddered. Shiori, teeth clenched, enveloped them in a green energy shield.

[Anomaly detected.]

Grace issued a warning. She moved to the front, arms behind her back, gazing toward the emergency rack.

Lin Xian turned to look—and froze.

A crimson monstrosity was slowly growing out of the once-empty wall as the tide rolled in...

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