Chapter 114: Ascent

Wuuuuu!!!

The twin-star 11r nuclear-powered electric locomotive’s motor output was significantly stronger than the original ring-star 7f electric locomotive’s power, and it accelerated quickly, emitting a low wailing sound as it raced through the empty tunnel.

Lin Xian was fully focused, not daring to slacken for a moment—just ahead was the track he and Kiki had temporarily repaired; if the recent earthquake had collapsed that section, he’d have to brake urgently.

Kiki gripped the handrail of the control panel tightly, constantly monitoring the tunnel’s condition.

Soon, the hollow where the outer wall had collapsed came into view.

“Ahead!”

Kiki shouted loudly, her expression ready to activate her ability at any moment.

Vvvvv!

At the hollow’s location, a hurricane was violently rushing in—clearly, something enormous was approaching from outside!

Lin Xian looked ahead—the track he and Kiki had repaired at the suspended break was intact; his heart tightened instantly, and the Mechanical Heart accelerated again.

“Charge through!”

Kiki’s eyes glowed faintly; her ability had already enveloped the entire train, helping Lin Xian maintain stability.

Whoosh!

Flames flickered as the train sped over the temporary track, crushing several iron plates and warping the load-bearing steel columns slightly.

In that instant, as the train passed through the hollow, Lin Xian and Kiki’s gazes simultaneously caught sight of what lay beyond.

In the darkness, a row of enormous eyes stared at the train speeding through the tunnel.

Like glimpsing some terrifying deep-sea leviathan in a dark ocean, those eyes resembled massive brown-red wheels!

Merely seeing them for a moment made Lin Xian and Kiki feel the air freeze solid.

“Ahh!!”

Kiki screamed, her face pale with terror: “Oh my god, what the hell is that!!!”

“Who knows!”

Lin Xian clenched his teeth; he too was drenched in cold sweat from what he’d just seen—a suffocating, near-death sensation surged wildly from his core!

The Mechanical Heart operated at its absolute limit—he wished the nuclear-powered locomotive could fly right now!

Above the 9th Underground City, the light of the Bright Moon spilled down; beneath the lifeless, square pit, a massive black shadow slowly revealed a sliver of its iceberg-like form.

Its brown-red body was covered in scales; from its fish-like torso sprouted several monstrous limbs as tall as skyscrapers, and countless fleshy masses coalesced into a grotesque, enormous human head—like some subterranean abomination crawling up from the earth’s core.

Aaannnnggg!!!

A deafening, muffled roar echoed through heaven and earth; snow on the surface of the underground city instantly avalanched downward.

The colossal subterranean creature raised one monstrous limb and slammed it down onto one side of the underground city’s wall!

In the next instant, an entire stretch of tunnel vanished from top to bottom.

Boom!

In the Ascension Tunnel, a massive tremor and shockwave surged upward from the rear passage, jolting the Infinite Train violently; its wheels shook, sparks flew, and the entire tunnel rained down debris from the vibrations—everyone inside nearly tumbled to the floor.

“Ahh!!!” Zhao Yan and Xu Wen screamed.

Sha Sha collapsed to the ground; Chen Sixuan gripped the handrail tightly, smoke and dust swirling in the rapidly receding tunnel, yet still no light from Lin Xian’s train appeared.

“Lin Xian, Lin Xian!” she pressed the intercom.

Click-click-click

The communication cut out for a moment, then restored.

“Teacher Chen, how much reserve energy do we have left!?”

From the intercom came Lin Xian’s voice; Chen Sixuan’s brow relaxed, glanced at the dashboard, and replied immediately: “Fifteen percent, but climbing uses too much power—we’re running at full capacity!”

“Wait for me to get up there!”

Boom!

Several kilometers behind the Infinite Train, a black-purple locomotive burst forth from dust and soil; the forward view was almost entirely obscured by dust from the earthquake.

“Where are you? Did the earthquake wake that subterranean creature?”

Ding Jun’s voice betrayed no fear whatsoever—as if this woman were naturally devoid of emotion—she calmly asked Lin Xian over the intercom even in this perilous moment. “Don’t know, probably not far from you; that thing noticed us, maybe it wants to climb up!”

After speaking, she lowered her head and brought up the subsystem to rapidly perform some operations.

Lin Xian was drenched in sweat; the near-death moment had tightened his nerves. Though separated by tunnel walls, he and Kiki both felt as if something colossal loomed outside.

It was like a demon from the abyss; this reinforced-concrete underground city was no more than an ant nest before it, easily peeling away outer walls.

Boom!

Before the dust had cleared, a scorching wave of flame suddenly erupted from one side of the train, instantly illuminating the tunnel with fire.

“It’s that thing!”

Kiki’s eyes flickered; in an instant, she stabilized the train’s posture with her ability, looked up—and saw a red shadow in the side tunnel: it was the human skull they’d encountered on the 89th level, somehow descended into the tunnel, hunched over, climbing down, and spewing fire at the train.

“Ram it!” Kiki shouted.

“Don’t let it spit fire again!”

This Twin-Star 11r nuclear-powered electric locomotive lacked armor plating; though its outer shell was extremely durable, Lin Xian feared the human skull’s flames might damage critical components—if the train stalled now, they were finished.

“You!! Fine!!!”

!

The crimson human skull emitted a distorted human voice; bone spines erupted across its body, and its charred, bloody arms lunged toward the train.

It spat another wave of flame.

“Fine your head!” Kiki snarled, gritting her teeth and swinging her hand—unlimited psychic force slammed the human skull against the tunnel wall, blocking its flame; fire surged wildly around its face.

Boom!!!!!

Flames burned so fiercely the wall itself turned red!

Aaannnnggg!!!

That deafening, muffled roar echoed again through heaven and earth; Lin Xian sensed danger and drove the train past the human skull: “Throw it back!”

Lin Xian shouted.

Kiki reacted instantly and swung her hand backward.

Boom!

The entire rear section of tunnel vanished instantly—the crimson human skull, pinned to the wall by Kiki’s psychic force, was torn to shreds by the abyssal behemoth.

“Yaaahhh!!”

Kiki gasped in alarm; Lin Xian thought she’d been hurt, but the girl’s face was frantic as she pushed her ability, dragging something toward the locomotive’s front.

Lin Xian glanced sideways—the enormous crimson skull had been severed at the neck, and Kiki had grabbed it, pulling it back.

“You spit fire? I’ll make you spit fire!”

“What are you doing?!”

“Can’t let this thing go to waste,” Kiki growled, utterly ignoring their perilous escape from the abyssal beast’s claws; her small hand clenched the air, squeezing with all her strength—the crimson skull’s flesh and bone cracked under immense pressure.

Pop! Black mist surged; a medium-sized crimson blood essence floated outside the cockpit’s glass window.

Kiki ran over, opened the small window, and snatched the strange blood essence inside.

Lin Xian stared, dumbfounded: “You did that on purpose?”

Kiki shook her head: “No, its head just happened to be in my hand—I thought, why not take it?”

Lin Xian: …

New book, request monthly votes, brothers—get on board and charge forward!

(End of Chapter)