Chapter 59: Midnight |
Kiki had just sketched the prototype for the water-oxygen circulation system based on Lin Xian's plan. With concerns about rainwater contamination and health, Lin Xian was preparing to clear out Car 3. He intended to connect it to the locomotive's water tank, install a purification system, and set up protective planting cabinets.
Clean water, fresh air, and the ability to grow plants and vegetables were concepts Lin Xian had prioritized even before. But after Xu Jin mentioned the contamination in nighttime rain, Lin Xian felt an even greater urgency to create such a carriage.
With ice and snow descending, bacteria-laden black rain, and the looming extinction of global flora and fauna, this step was now critical.
In Car 2, the faint glow of the computers in the information center illuminated the cabin. The systems were connected to the train's radar, electro-optical targeting, and tracking systems, enabling limited monitoring ahead of the train.
Outside, the night was dark and cold, with a biting wind cutting through the silence.
The train’s heating system hadn’t been fully repaired, leaving a chill lingering in the carriages.
Kiki and Shasha were already asleep, Chen Sixuan was keeping watch in the driver’s cabin, and Luo Ye stood on standby at the rear of Car 5.
“Shasha…”
“Shasha…”
Half-asleep, Luo Shasha instinctively opened her eyes, groggily searching for the source of the sound.
The train was dark, the lights off. Reaching out, she lifted the blackout curtain slightly, allowing faint starlight filtered through the armored grating to faintly outline the objects inside the carriage.
Was it her imagination?
Luo Shasha thought she heard a man’s voice calling her name. She looked around for Lin Xian but saw no one.
She began to lower her hand from the curtain when she suddenly noticed a shadow outside the window.
It was a figure standing still. Its upper body was shrouded in darkness, and its face was obscured.
Startled, Shasha’s fingers trembled. She could feel the shadow staring directly at her.
“Brother Lin?” she asked cautiously, clutching her blanket tightly with her other hand, a sense of unease creeping over her.
If it were Lin Xian, why would he call her from outside?
The surroundings were deathly silent, her voice echoing sharply in the quiet carriage. She reached out to tap on the edge of the bed, hoping to alert Kiki below her.
“Can you open the door for me...?”
The shadow spoke softly.
“It’s... so cold outside...”
Scrrratch... scrrratch...
The sound of nails dragging slowly across metal broke the silence.
Then, the noise stopped. The shadow outside vanished.
Luo Shasha’s heart raced as she sensed something was amiss. She leaned forward to investigate further when suddenly—
A pale, grotesque face with a gaping maw slammed against the window.
BANG!
The train shook violently, and Shasha jumped in fright.
“AHHH!!!”
Her scream jolted Kiki awake. The girl turned over in alarm, asking, “What’s wrong?!”
“There’s something outside!!”
Shasha gasped, trying to steady her breath. Though she had faced many horrors recently, the suddenness of this encounter had rattled her.
The blackout curtain in Car 2 was yanked open by Kiki, and the carriage lights were switched on. Both girls peered out the window. Outside, the world was pitch-black, with no sign of anything or anyone.
“What happened?!” Chen Sixuan came rushing over from the driver’s cabin.
“There was something outside! I saw it…” Shasha’s voice trembled as she spoke, her face pale.
Luo Ye approached, rifle in hand, as the group inspected the area, but they found nothing.
“Where’s Lin Xian?” Kiki asked.
“He’s still outside,” Chen Sixuan said, her face showing concern as she grabbed a walkie-talkie to check on him.
But then, Kiki’s expression shifted. “Wait... do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
Everyone fell silent, straining to listen.
The night was eerily quiet, broken only by the sound of the cold wind brushing against the treetops.
Then the sound grew louder—a rustling, like leaves in a storm, escalating into an overwhelming cacophony.
Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...
It seemed to come from every direction at once, like the earth itself was trembling.
Shasha pressed her face nervously against the glass. The carriage lights barely illuminated ten meters ahead, the rest swallowed by the inky darkness.
She stared out, listening, her expression growing graver by the second.
Suddenly, in the distance, she saw countless dark silhouettes. They moved in waves across the plain, a tide of black heads surging forward.
Her pupils contracted sharply, and she shouted, “It’s a zombie horde!”
Whoosh... WHOOSH!
Before her words had fully settled, a deafening wave of screeches, growls, and howls erupted from all directions. The sea of shadows overwhelmed the landscape, blocking out everything in sight.
“Lin Xian!!”
Chen Sixuan shuddered as the zombie horde surged toward the train, her trembling hands gripping the walkie-talkie. She called out to Lin Xian outside, her voice urgent.
“Start the train!” Kiki instinctively shouted.
Before Chen Sixuan could act, the Infinite Train’s engines roared to life, rumbling with power. Recognizing Lin Xian’s signal, Chen Sixuan calmed herself and dashed back toward the driver’s cabin.
“Let’s go to the rear! He’s still out there!” Kiki shouted as a sudden thought struck her. Grabbing Luo Ye, they sprinted toward Car 5.
BANG BANG BANG!
In mere moments, the horde of zombies slammed against the stationary train. Their relentless pounding, clawing, and howling shook the steel carriages like a drum echoing through the night. The noise was deafening, as though a landslide were battering the train.
KSSSSHH!
The hydraulic liftgate opened as Kiki and Luo Ye, guns in hand, stood ready.
“Bad guy! Are you out there?!” Kiki yelled.
BANG BANG BANG!
The sharp bursts of wind cannons tore through the zombies’ skulls, echoing like thunder against the train’s hull.
“Don’t let those beasts inside!” Lin Xian’s voice shouted from outside.
Lin Xian leapt nimbly from car to car, dodging the zombies that surged like tidal waves. His exhausted body was drenched in cold sweat, his strength nearly drained from devouring the freight electric locomotive earlier.
Now, as Chen Sixuan powered up the train, Lin Xian felt a brief moment of relief, but there was no time to rest. He dashed forward at full speed, knowing he couldn’t afford to stop.
The scene around him was worse than the horrors at the Mist Outpost. The sheer size of the zombie horde was staggering, and Lin Xian could only wonder what had triggered such a massive surge. With gritted teeth, he managed to lower the train's tailgate halfway, leaving just enough room to climb inside.
BANG BANG BANG!
The sound of gunfire filled the air as Kiki and Luo Ye, stationed inside, fired at the zombies attempting to climb aboard.
Seizing his chance, Lin Xian unleashed two bursts from his wind cannon, blasting several zombies away. With a leap, he dove through the narrow gap in the liftgate.
“Argh!”
The tailgate began to close, but two zombies wedged themselves in the gap, snarling and clawing to get inside.
Luo Ye dropped his gun and roared, grabbing a crowbar. With a mighty swing, he crushed the heads of both zombies. A swift kick sent their limp bodies tumbling out, and the tailgate slammed shut.
“Luo Ye, stay here with Shasha! Kiki, come with me to the front!” Lin Xian barked, not wasting a second.
The moment his feet hit the floor, Lin Xian sprinted toward the locomotive, activating his Mechanical Heart to push the gas turbine to its limits.
WHIRRRRRR! BOOM! BOOM!
At the front of the train, the zombies had completely engulfed the locomotive.
Though the horde was insignificant in strength compared to the train’s mass, their sheer numbers formed a relentless barrier that slowed its acceleration.
The grinding sound of the train crushing bone and bodies under its wheels was horrifying, a piercing noise that sent chills down everyone’s spines.
“Keep accelerating!” Lin Xian shouted.
Chen Sixuan bit her lip and shoved the throttle forward with all her strength.
“Kiki, clear the front!”
With a nod, Kiki clenched her teeth and stepped into the driver’s cabin. She extended her hand toward the front of the train.
BOOOOM!
An invisible shockwave erupted, blasting hundreds of zombies away from the locomotive.
But the respite was brief. Like ants, the horde swarmed back within seconds, surging toward the train with renewed ferocity.
“The speed is picking up!” Chen Sixuan called out, her voice firm.
Lin Xian slid into the driver’s seat, his gaze steely. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the controls, snarling, “Crush them all!”
ROOOARRR!
The engines of the Whale 03E Heavy Gas Turbine Locomotive and the Huanxing 7F Electric Locomotive roared in unison, unleashing tens of thousands of horsepower.
With unstoppable force, the train surged forward, grinding through the endless zombie tide in a frenzy of power and destruction.