Chapter 110: Locomotive

Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train

"Lin Xian... what... what do we do?"

Lin Xian took a deep breath. He could hear the fear in KIKI's voice. It wasn’t just KIKI—his own heart was filled with shock.

He stared at the collapsed tunnel ahead and the partially exposed wall, falling into silence.

The cave-in wasn’t too extensive—only about seven or eight meters. Using the inner mountain wall of the tunnel, he could directly forge tracks and steel supports. If he and KIKI worked together, they could stabilize the tracks.

The two of them had already traveled more than a thousand meters. If nothing went wrong, the freight terminal at Level 95 should be just ahead.

At this point, turning back would mean that their dangerous trip into the underground city had been for nothing—except for rescuing three strangers and picking up a plant of uncertain value.

"Hold on, let me take a look first."

Lin Xian observed the dark silhouettes ahead and pulled KIKI into the shadows. Maybe he was being overly cautious, but the thought of giving up when they had made it this far was too frustrating.

He had originally planned to secure the Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive, and if there was time, he wanted to explore other areas of the underground city—maybe the military prep zone, industrial district, or even the energy reserves. He had even considered taking control of the Night Watch system down here.

But now, forget scavenging—he wasn’t even sure if their group could escape the depths of these tunnels. If they had to turn back, the elevator was no longer an option. That meant they’d have to climb all the way from Level 95 back up to the freight loading platform at Level 65 using the tracks.

Lin Xian first crafted a segment of rail and had KIKI carefully place it over the broken section.

KIKI looked tense as she used her Ability to set it in place.

Click.

Both of them tensed up instantly.

But nothing happened.

“No reaction.”

"What now?" KIKI looked at Lin Xian.

"Let’s cross first and check out the locomotive."

With that, Lin Xian didn’t hesitate. He raised his hand and started forging more steel tracks and support pillars. Seeing this, KIKI glanced at him silently before activating her Ability to help repair the rails.

Bang! Bang!

Soon, a suspended temporary track took shape. Lin Xian reinforced it with steel plates, ensuring both stability and a safe walkway for them.

Thud. Thud.

The moment they stepped onto the suspended tracks, both of their hearts pounded.

To their side, the expansive underground city walls stretched out into the darkness. Below them was a bottomless abyss, its depths unknown. They were completely exposed to whatever lurked in the dark.

"Be careful. That big thing probably hasn’t noticed us yet."

Each step felt like an eternity, but finally, they entered another tunnel where the darkness swallowed the light once more.

Both of them let out a sigh of relief.

"Move fast."

Switching on their flashlights, the tunnel ahead was increasingly filled with flesh-like growths.

Lin Xian and KIKI, though still tense, picked up their pace.

A few more displaced and fractured tunnel sections appeared along the way, but none as severe as the previous collapse. To be cautious, they repaired the tracks as they advanced.

Finally, the tracks leveled out, and they reached a wide underground freight station.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Lin Xian’s Geiger counter blared a warning. He glanced at it—the radiation level had spiked to 127.46 μSv/h, dangerously high.

“We need to move faster.”

The station had completely lost power, but it wasn’t as dark as expected. One of the city walls had collapsed entirely, exposing a skeletal framework of steel and concrete. A massive broken elevator shaft dangled overhead, with a few steel cables still hanging loosely inside.

"This place is a mess..."

Lin Xian's heart sank. He scanned the area with his flashlight. The freight station had five parallel tracks and a loading dock—a huge space. Overhead, a container gantry crane was still in place, once used for hoisting heavy cargo.

Further along, the gap in the city walls revealed an even larger void. In a single glance, Lin Xian could make out the outline of a massive creature at the bottom of the underground pit—it seemed to have a huge head, but its body was obscured by darkness.

"Lin Xian, don’t you think... that flesh is moving?"

KIKI shuddered, shining her flashlight on the brownish-red flesh spreading across the walls. Looking at it as a whole, they could see countless organic structures shifting within—as if absorbing nutrients.

Lin Xian noticed but wasn’t in the mood to dwell on it. His entire focus was on finding the Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive.

Beep. Beep. Beep!

The Geiger counter shrieked even louder. Lin Xian frowned and moved it closer to the flesh-like growths. The numbers shot past 300 μSv/h.

But the real shock came when he pointed the detector toward the flesh wall—specifically, toward the massive shadow beyond. The radiation levels continued to spike.

“The radiation source is coming from there!?”

Lin Xian was stunned. The Core Reactor No. 1 was sealed deep within Level 100—how could this place be leaking radiation?

"Lin Xian, look over there!"

KIKI suddenly pointed her flashlight toward a secondary platform.

In the beam of light, a streamlined train engine emerged from the shadows. Its massive industrial form loomed in the darkness.

Lin Xian’s eyes lit up—they had found it!

Without hesitation, the two sprinted toward the platform.

As they got closer, the sleek, black-and-purple electric locomotive came into view.

Amid the ruins of the Great Migration, the Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive sat there like a slumbering beast in the depths.

Lin Xian eagerly approached and placed his hand on it, activating Mechanical Heart.

【Mechanical Heart - Scanning...】

【Mechanical Heart - Overwriting...】

【Scan Complete: Target - Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive】

【Condition: Structural Integrity 100%, Power System: Functional, Microscale 152-Type Micro-Nuclear DRX Reactor: Cooled, Auxiliary Energy System: Operational...】

“How is it?”

"Everything's in perfect condition. The nuclear reactor is cooled, but I’ll try activating the auxiliary energy system first for a systems check."

Lin Xian wasted no time, initiating Phase-1 startup.

A machine of this scale was impossible to control manually—he needed to rely on the train’s onboard systems. His current role was simply to power it up and manage the energy flow, while KIKI would handle the system interface.

Woooo~

As Lin Xian activated Phase-1 startup, the locomotive’s subsystems whirred to life. The headlights flickered on, illuminating the darkness.

For the first time, the full grandeur of the Gemini 11R Nuclear Electric Locomotive was revealed before them.

"Wow... this thing is amazing!"

Lin Xian's eyes gleamed with excitement.

With this locomotive, their train’s power issues would be completely solved—heating, water circulation, propulsion—it could handle everything.

The 152-Type DRX Micro-Nuclear Reactor had a thermal power output of 290 megawatts, which meant Lin Xian could finally stop using his Ability for propulsion.

Instead, he could focus on improving their defenses, upgrading internal mechanical systems, and strengthening himself.

The only issue? The Gemini 11R wasn’t as durable as the Whale 03E Heavy Gas Turbine Locomotive.

"Let’s get inside."

Lin Xian glanced at the Geiger counter, his expression shifting.

This train’s outer shell was built with top-tier radiation shielding—they’d be safer inside.

Besides, he still needed to inspect the reactor, components, and systems—he wasn’t about to stand around in a high-radiation zone doing maintenance.