Chapter 204: Detonation

In Workshop No. 1 of the chemical plant, strange lantern flowers emitted a faint orange glow, their blood-red patterns flickering incessantly, while below, a deep black chemical pool lay silent, countless flesh-bone hybrids hidden beneath the surface.

The workshop was utterly silent; massive metal mixing vats hung high above, their mechanical arms connected to structural supports, a silver custom explosive pulsing faintly green below, while underground storage tanks held over a dozen large silver containers, the air thick with the stench of chemicals and rotting flesh.

The pseudo-humans in town, sensing danger, seemed also detected by the entity beneath the lantern flowers, whose orange-yellow light flared brighter and brighter.

The entire chemical plant was shrouded in a torrential downpour, the sky dark as night.

On the open ground before the plant's gate, blood pooled around Ding Qing's chest; Duan Min held his increasingly lifeless body, her face hollow.

"Honey, look—they're all gone."

"Xiao Jia and the others made it too…"

Ding Qing strained to open his eyes; the large convoy of survivors had vanished beyond the rain's horizon.

Duan Min turned her head toward the chemical plant, leaned close to Ding Qing's ear, hugged him tightly, and smiled: "Don't be afraid—we'll never have to run again…"

…

Click-click-click!

On top of the clock tower, Lin Xian erected a thick blast-resistant door ahead, while behind him, Kiki's eyes glowed as she generated an invisible psychic shield enveloping both of them.

Seeing the moment had come, Lin Xian pulled out the detonator and took a deep breath.

Beep.

Then he pressed the remote trigger.

Boom!

Inside the plant, the signal lights on the mechanical arms flared violently before exploding; the arms' connections to the metal mixing vats snapped instantly, and the vats—filled with alkali solution—crashed down before the lantern flowers, smashing directly into the storage tanks below filled with hazardous chemicals.

Thud! The tanks exploded, unleashing a blinding white flash in an instant.

Boom!

A deafening roar shattered the air; the chemical plant was instantly swallowed in fire, the massive explosion ball obliterating the initiator workshop and the condenser tower, flames soaring dozens of meters high, momentarily even parting the rain to form a vacuum zone.

Rolling black smoke, like a dragon with bared claws, rapidly spread through the sky, blotting out sun and stars, its coverage so vast it seemed to draw a heavy curtain across heaven and earth.

The shockwave radiated outward with the force of a mountain collapsing and sea surging; wherever it passed, the ground trembled violently, as if struck by a powerful earthquake—every rooftop and window in Rain Town shattered instantly, dust and debris erupting into the streets.

"Watch out!"

Seeing the shockwave approach, Lin Xian pressed himself against the blast wall; the invisible force slammed into the entire clock tower, stripping paint and plaster from walls and pillars, while Kiki's psychic shield blocked most flying debris, revealing a faint white sphere within the smoke.

The massive shockwave jolted everyone on the Infinite Station platform far away, triggering cries of alarm.

Seconds later, the ringing in their ears and the dust gradually subsided beneath the rain.

On the clock tower, Lin Xian immediately knocked down the blast door and stared with Kiki toward the distant chemical plant.

The entire plant now lay shrouded in fire and black smoke; the explosion had erased all architectural outlines—the towering condenser tower was gone.

"Is it dead?"

Kiki shouted.

Auuuuu!!

A thunderous howl echoed through the town; instantly, frantic noises erupted from every building—pattering, cracking—as countless pseudo-humans burst from dark corners into the streets, leaping from windows, their human-skin thighs shattering and breaking; these parasitic monsters now raced frantically toward the chemical plant, emitting sharp, shrill cries.

Gradually, more and more pseudo-humans poured out—from underground tunnels, residential buildings, beneath bridges—some humanoid, others peeled and rotting—swarming the streets in dense, relentless waves.

"There are so many…" Lin Xian's heart clenched; the great parasite must have consumed many people. "Lin Xian, look!"

Kiki cried out, pointing toward the chemical plant.

Within the smoke-shrouded plant, lit by flashes of lightning, a massive shadow flickered in and out of view; several enormous tentacles thrashed wildly, the creature's body engulfed in endless flames—as if raging in furious struggle.

The air reeked of burning and destruction; at last, Lin Xian and Kiki clearly saw the true forms of the two tentacles beneath the chemical pool.

On the creature's head-like region, the lantern flower had burned away, severed and charred.

Several enormous tentacles writhed desperately in the searing heat!

Auuuuu!!

In the next instant, the parasitic entity within the smoke sensed Lin Xian's position and burst straight out of the flames, crawling toward the town.

"Retreat!"

Seeing this, Lin Xian's face darkened; he leapt directly from the clock tower.

Boom!

With the power armor's aid, the ten-meter drop and his upgraded physical stats posed no challenge—he mounted his motorcycle and sped toward the city's edge.

!

Kiki hovered high above, watching the monstrous entity, wreathed in roaring flames, charge toward the town, shouting: "Director Ding said it had no mobility!"

"Even rabbits bite when cornered—those tentacles aren't useless!"

The parasite stumbled awkwardly, indeed poor at movement—but its tentacles were long and massive, and as they thrashed wildly, it quickly surged into the town, toppling entire buildings.

The surging pseudo-humans were instantly engulfed and incinerated by the parasite's flames.

Yet the horde behind did not stop—they surged forward in relentless waves.

The great parasite, now utterly enraged, paid no heed; one sweeping tentacle crushed a building, then, its entire body ablaze, charged straight after Lin Xian.

On the Infinite, everyone crowded the windows, watching the terrifying parasitic monster ignite the town—Rain Town soon vanished beneath smoke and flame; the cinema and shopping center collapsed, the heavy rain powerless to stop it.

Chen Sixuan watched this scene and immediately ordered over the communicator:

"Building cover! Lu Xingchen, extract Lin Xian and Kiki! Shu Qin and the others provide fire support from the train! Shasha, activate the CIWS radar!"

Wooo! Wooo!

Instantly, the automatic blast doors of Car 11 and Car 5 opened; Lu Xingchen and Shu Qin emerged, the building's crew boarded the rooftop gun pod, the Roar K23 electric rotary machine gun loaded, and the 1130 CIWS on Car 12 slowly rose.

"Here it comes!"

Whir!

On the road out of town, Lin Xian raced on his motorcycle while Kiki flew above; as the burning parasite exited the town and entered the valley's station range, the 1130 spun its base and roared to life.

Doooonnnnn!

A storm of metal instantly slammed into the massive body, visibly tearing apart flesh and spraying blood and chunks.

Many pseudo-humans now flooded the station; some still burned, their skin smoldering—Shu Qin and the building crew immediately opened fire, while Shasha's grenade launcher detonated amid the horde.

In Car 2's gun pod, Chen Sixuan raised the A33K anti-materiel rifle, aimed at a towering pseudo-human surging toward Lin Xian's motorcycle, and fired with icy precision.

Boom!

The pseudo-human exploded into fragments, its skin and parasite shredded; its lower body still twitched violently under parasite stimulation.

Bang! Bang!

Each shot grew colder, deadlier—she targeted only the monsters creeping stealthily toward their allies.

In Car 1, Ding Junyi stood by the window, hands in pockets, watching the tide of pseudo-humans and the colossal monster beyond the station; her chest heaved, heart pounding—yet for the first time, she felt no urge to flee.

The entire Infinite unleashed fire, reaping dark life!

(End of Chapter)