Chapter 10: White Strange Creature

Lin Xian frowned and immediately held his breath.

Click~ click~

The sound grew closer, dull and muffled; his heart leapt—it didn’t sound like any zombie.

More like a cane or stick tapping against broken stones.

He slowly opened his eyes, uncertain if his gaze could be seen, but when he looked around, he found nothing—before him remained only the blurred black silhouette of a small truck.

He turned backward; the “Infinite” sat silently on the tracks, and inside, Chen Sixuan, due to the coming night, made no sound—perhaps she had fallen asleep.

Everything was utterly silent!

Lin Xian’s heart trembled; he was certain he had heard something, and his sharp sixth sense told him he was being watched by some presence.

Thinking of this, his heart tightened, and he urgently activated [Mechanical Devour].

Faster! Faster!

At this moment, Lin Xian had none of the relaxed ease he’d felt earlier that afternoon moving furniture; he recalled last night’s “Old Man Li,” and his entire body turned icy cold—he longed to get back onto the train at once.

[Devour Progress: 98%]

Almost there! Almost there!

Though it had taken nearly an hour and a half, if it succeeded, it would all be worth it.

[Devour Successful: Mechanical Origin Points +30, Mechanical Devour Skill Proficiency +10, Bonus Reward: Strength and Speed increased by 5, Defense increased by 2]

[Congratulations! Your Speed attribute has risen to Lv.13/50]

A flash of light appeared before his eyes; Lin Xian stared at the surge of Mechanical Origin Points and finally exhaled in relief.

With the boost to his Speed attribute, his vision flickered between blur and sharpness.

Gradually, he realized his sight had become clearer and brighter.

Whoosh~

As he completed the devour, the entire small truck suddenly turned to ash; scattered debris clattered to the ground, creating noise—and at that moment, Lin Xian suddenly heard a low hum above him.

Aaahm~

The sound was deeply strange, like the broken whistle of a ship echoing through a rusted iron pipe.

Not human. Not any machine.

Lin Xian instantly felt a chill run down his spine; he snapped his head upward—and saw a sight that nearly made his soul flee his body.

A gray-white humanoid creature, three meters tall, had appeared beside him without warning; its body was slender, its arms hanging nearly to its knees, its grotesque head bearing a wide, crimson mouth, and two round eyes glowing blood-red as it stared down at Lin Xian without blinking.

The thing had been standing beside him for a long time—only the noise from the truck’s disappearance had drawn its attention. Realizing this, Lin Xian’s scalp prickled with terror.

Aaahm~

The hollow, low roar echoed again; the gray-white monster suddenly raised its long arm, its five fingers like five steel spears, lashing out viciously toward Lin Xian.

Lin Xian’s pupils shrank; he sucked in a sharp breath.

If that claw grabs me, I’ll be skewered like meat on a stick!

Fortunately, his Speed attribute had just leveled up; his body’s agility surpassed even his own expectations. Before the white claw reached him, he instinctively stepped back!

Clang!

A piercing metallic screech rang out—the monster’s claw struck the rail, sending sparks flying and producing a grating, ear-splitting sound; Lin Xian’s heart pounded as he raised his hand and fired a Wind Cannon straight at the monster’s head.

Puff!

A dull thud echoed; the monster’s towering head jerked as if struck, tilted sideways, and staggered backward several steps.

Lin Xian was stunned—this thing’s hide was that thick? The Wind Cannon didn’t even pierce it!?

Realizing the severity, Lin Xian had no hesitation—he sprinted forward and dashed into the “Infinite” carriage, simultaneously activating his Mechanical Heart to raise the rear ramp and start the train moving.

Lights flickered on; Chen Sixuan, startled by the commotion, called out from Carriage 1:

“Lin, what’s going on!?”

“Hurry! Go to the cab and watch the track!”

“Got it!” Chen Sixuan saw Lin Xian frantically slamming the door shut; she instantly sensed the danger and turned without delay, sprinting into the cab.

Ooo~

The hydraulic rear ramp slowly closed; for the first time, Lin Xian thought the door closed far too slowly.

Sure enough, halfway closed, a massive gray-white hand suddenly seized the ramp; its blackened claws gouged deep grooves into the steel surface.

“Incredible strength!”

Lin Xian’s eyes widened; with the carriage lights on, he finally saw the monster clearly.

Its grotesque head held only two blood-red hollows for eyes, like abysses, and a gaping mouth that took up half its face, lined with countless sharp teeth that made his scalp crawl.

This was no zombie!

Lin Xian’s first thought: this thing was definitely not a dead human mutated by infection—it wasn’t even from this world!

“Fuck your grandpa!”

In desperation, Lin Xian shoved aside his fear, gritted his teeth, drew his short blade, and leapt forward, slashing down with all his might at the gray-white hand.

Clang!

The response wasn’t the satisfying cut of flesh, but the hardness of steel—his full-force strike numbed his palm.

Looking at the notch on his blade, Lin Xian sucked in a sharp breath!

Fuck, this thing’s that hard!

!

Aaahm~

The white monster seemed slow-moving; one hand stuck to the ramp, dragged by the train’s immense force, it crashed down and was pulled forward along the rails. Enraged, it raised its other hand and lunged straight for the entire carriage.

Squeeeee!

The immense force dragged Carriage 3’s wheels against the rails, sending sparks flying and producing a piercing, grating screech.

Lin Xian’s heart pounded—he saw this thing was monstrously strong and impervious to blades; if it overturned or derailed the train, he’d be dead today.

He made an instant decision: he raised his finger, gathered all his strength, and fired a Wind Spear straight at one of the monster’s blood-red eyes.

Puff!

This time, lit by the lights, the Wind Spear struck true; dark red plasma gushed from the monster’s left eye, staining its pale face crimson, the blood slowly dripping into its mouth—the monster let out a shrieking, agonized howl!

“Aaaah!!!”

The sound was piercing and shrill, raising every hair on his body, nearly shattering his eardrums.

As Lin Xian’s attack landed, the monster’s hand tore free from the ramp—just then, the rear ramp of Carriage 3 finally closed with a puff of smoke.

Clank, clank~

The train’s speed gradually increased.

Lin Xian immediately stood up to look—outside, with no lights, the white monster vanished into darkness in an instant.

Huh~

Only now did Lin Xian finally exhale; he collapsed onto the floor, staring in shock at the three grotesque claw marks on the ramp.

This was the first time in months he’d encountered something so terrifying!

“If this is what the polar night holds… fuck…”

He muttered, and for the first time, he truly felt the horror of the night.

Run!

They had to escape the Dark Tide of Star Abyss—last night’s strange insects controlling corpses, today’s white giant—no one knew what other horrors lurked in the dark. Those who dreamed of surviving in the darkness were delusional.

The only path left for humanity was to flee the Tide, flee the polar night!

(End of Chapter)