Chapter 115: Protocol

Whoosh whoosh whoosh, the Twin Star 11r nuclear-powered electric locomotive accelerated, the slope ahead flattening out—Lin Xian knew they had entered the freight track platform of Level 65, meaning they were about to catch up to the Infinite.

As the train surged into the platform, under the lights, countless shadows appeared—zombies and human fiends everywhere.

Lin Xian looked at the scene and didn’t slow down—he roared through.

Bang bang bang!!

The 290-megawatt Twin Star 11r nuclear-powered electric locomotive, like a roaring steel beast, violently compressed the air pressure within the narrow tunnel and platform corridors, blasting past the zombies like a black-purple lightning bolt!

The zombies and human fiends on the platform saw only a blinding light hurtling from the tunnel’s depths—and the next instant, they were cast into reincarnation, their bodies shredded beneath the train’s nose and wheels!

Splat!

Like a high-speed car hitting a swarm of moths, blood and plasma splattered across the windshield, chunks of flesh and intestines dangling like noodles—Kiki turned away, unable to look.

Lin Xian’s heartbeat quickened—he immediately activated the wipers.

“What are you staring at? Get those guts off the windshield! You planning to eat them for dinner?!”

Lin Xian shouted at Kiki, who was covering her eyes.

“Alright, alright!” Kiki exhaled sharply, swiftly waving her hand to clear the debris from the windshield.

Boom boom boom!

Rumbles echoed from below; a beam of light appeared ahead in their line of sight.

“It’s the Infinite!”

The train accelerated closer, and soon they saw ahead in the tunnel another train rapidly ascending—its black armor and ice-breaking shield radiating an aura of annihilation.

“Lin Xian!” came Chen Laoshi’s voice through the intercom.

In the tunnel, the two ascending trains drew nearer—Lin Xian could almost see Chen Sixuan waving at him through the Infinite’s armored grilles.

“Coming!”

“Girl, help me!”

Lin Xian stood up, slowing the train while rapidly constructing two coupling columns outside the window—because the Whale 03e heavy gas turbine locomotive’s front was fitted with an ice-breaking shield, he couldn’t directly ram into it.

Kiki activated her ability, synchronizing the speeds of both trains; the coupling columns were successfully attached during high-speed motion.

Once connected, Lin Xian activated the Mechanical Heart to accelerate, using its immense thrust to push the low-power Infinite upward through the tunnel.

Hummm!!

Another earthquake struck; tunnels behind them collapsed one after another, sand and soil rained down from the descending track platforms, cracks splitting open across the concrete tunnel ceilings.

“Watch out—it’s coming again!”

Aaaang!!!!!!

A massive, muffled roar erupted—the underground city trembled like a sealed drum, the sound vibrating in everyone’s hearts; anyone with less courage would have already collapsed, legs weak from terror.

Boom!!!!!!

The tunnel, the levels—collapsed violently; entire walls on the sides tumbled down.

Moonlight poured into the tunnel.

In an instant, everyone saw a row of colossal eyes, blotting out the sky, rushing toward them.

“Aaaahhh!!!!!!” On the Infinite, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen turned pale as death, their screams echoing through the carriage.

Sha Sha and Chen Sixuan were utterly stunned, minds blank.

The collapsed walls and floor slabs of the underground city, fragments of commercial and residential buildings, kept falling—and with them, countless black figures: the underground city’s residents, now zombies, raining down into the abyss.

In that instant, Lin Xian felt his heart freeze halfway.

We can’t escape…

Before this abyssal behemoth, even the underground city was like an ant nest—helpless. On the Infinite, Ding Junyi’s expression tightened, yet her face remained unchanged; the massive quake only knocked her sideways. When she rose, she resumed operating the system.

“Mr. Lin.”

Ding Junyi’s voice came through the intercom.

“I’ve sent Kiki a backup system link—a Level 9 underground city Group 4 energy core self-destruct protocol. Theoretically, we can activate the self-destruct sequence for the Level 70, No. 3 backup core. With no higher authority feedback in the underground city, only a P4-level internal confirmation is needed to trigger it. If feasible, this might buy us some escape time.”

Hearing Ding Junyi’s words, Lin Xian’s gaze sharpened—he immediately turned to Kiki.

Beside him, Kiki opened her mobile terminal and saw a protocol link flashing on the screen.

“It’s real—it’s an embedded system protocol. I’m hacking in to seize P4 authority.” Kiki typed rapidly, her face growing more astonished. “Holy shit… this… it’s a pre-programmed directional destruction script. Not just the core—it includes floor-sealing commands too.”

Lin Xian sensed a chance—he immediately asked Kiki, “Can you activate it?!”

Tap tap tap

Without Lin Xian urging, Kiki began operating with serious focus: “No problem. The main underground system is gone; the sub-system holds top authority. The protocol doesn’t require P5 confirmation or satellite/federal headquarters verification—it means whoever set this protocol assumed the underground city’s leader holds absolute, life-or-death authority over the entire city.”

“OK, No. 3 backup core is online. Ready to activate?”

!

“How much time do we have?” Lin Xian asked immediately.

“Thirty seconds,” Ding Junyi said through the intercom. “At our current speed, we’ll need at least twenty seconds before activation to have enough time.”

The underground city’s main structure had already collapsed. Though this protocol was designed to destroy specific levels, the current state of the city couldn’t withstand it.

If detonated, the chain reaction from bottom to top would cause total tunnel collapse.

But this core meltdown explosion isn’t a real nuclear bomb—it’s meant to trigger the underground city’s collapse. For Lin Xian and his team, this might be their only chance to escape!

Hummm!!

Another earthquake struck—meaning the abyssal behemoth was circling the city walls, heading straight for the train.

“No time—activate now!”

Lin Xian shouted decisively to Kiki. There was no time to wait. Compared to the collapsing ground, the abyssal monster was far more terrifying. And if this didn’t work, delaying activation until they were closer to the surface wouldn’t help—if they escaped to the surface, who knew if the beast wouldn’t just crawl up after them?

So Lin Xian made his decision—he had to gamble.

Hearing Lin Xian, Kiki understood his intent—without hesitation, she activated the self-destruct protocol.

【No. 3 Backup Core Self-Destruct Protocol Activated. Countdown: 30 seconds.】

Ooo~

Click Click Click!

Inside the underground city, lights on all levels from Level 70 upward—corridors, offices, lobbies, commercial zones, industrial zones, residential areas—began shutting off layer by layer, flickered once, then turned back on.

Elevator music and advertisements turned off, then replayed.

“Charm X Beauty Salon now open! All underground citizens can get 1000 credits for just 500 this month. Visit us on Level 61…”

“Delao Human Resources—solving your work problems anytime, anywhere. Men or women, age 14 and up eligible. Just surrender 35% of monthly wages for a satisfying job…”

In the upper-right corner of those video ads, a red countdown appeared—no explanation, no label.

【30】

【29】

【28】

…

New book, please vote for monthly tickets, guys—get on board and charge forward!

(End of Chapter)