[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train":3,"chapter-apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-chapter-340":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Apocalypse: I Built an Infinite Train",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2262104,4414,"Chapter 340: The Deceptive Serpent","apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-chapter-340",340,"\u003Cp>\"I know—first, get the train moving!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuuu wuuu wuuu, Lin Xian’s drone spun incessantly above him, its red pulse beams flashing nonstop; he watched the train advance while racing back toward the Unlimited with Kiki, as the giant serpent churned the Black Lake into towering waves—its speed, matching that of the Longshan No. 1 track-laying machine, could drag the entire train underwater, so he had to return and keep laying track ahead!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the current communication band, he could no longer reach Hu Lushou, Lu Zhao, or the rest of the vehicle convoy—they were unresponsive, their condition unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation along the route was horrific; Lin Xian’s heart pounded—he worried about his own team, yet also calculated: in extreme cases, he’d have to abandon some rear convoys. All coupling hooks on these trains were his design; if he wished, he could sever any car instantly—and the most likely candidates were those still submerged in the lake or marshland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lin Xian watched the train inch forward, he planned: if the giant serpent appeared, he’d use a gravitational lens even at the cost of exhausting himself, just to try and strangle it—but his primary goal now was laying track, for no one knew how many more monstrous things lurked beneath the Black Lake!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where the hell is this place?” Kiki sped alongside Lin Xian, both of them occasionally helping nearby convoys eliminate minor monsters, easing some pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian glanced at the rapidly spinning compass on his watch and shook his head: “I don’t know. This place is weirder than Yijincheng during the Eternal Night—the mountains don’t look like mountains, the water doesn’t look like water—I don’t even know if this is still Blue Planet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His feeling wasn’t baseless: through his power armor’s optoelectronic system, he observed the drifting distant hills, floating fragments of bays, and the eerie deep-blue sky—no stars, no moon. If not for the trees and soil here, he’d swear he’d entered another dimension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a swarm of shadows darted from the black mist above; Lin Xian’s power armor blared urgent alarms, and Kiki reacted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng zeng zeng—Kiki swept her hand, and the silver-blade torrent surrounding her surged upward, crashing into the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian looked up and saw a swarm of countless twisted flying insect-monsters above—blazingly fast, like hummingbirds—and they caught a convoy’s defenders off guard, snatching away several people in a chaotic flurry; the monsters then plunged abdominal spines into survivors’ bellies, seemingly injecting some unknown substance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kiki’s silver-blade storm shredded the swarm heading toward them; sparks erupted across the sky—their skin was astonishingly tough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Lin Xian’s twenty-two Lei Sun drones shot skyward, firing rapid pulse beams to suppress the charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【High-speed object approaching from the left!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Eagle power armor reacted instantly; Lin Xian’s heart tightened—he hadn’t even seen what emerged from the dark forest, yet his body reflexively raised the AT force field shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dang dang dang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of black spines shot forth, striking his shield with a clang; black smoke erupted. Kiki saw it and immediately pushed her psychic barrier outward, blasting them away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange attacks multiplied; Lin Xian’s heart sank. Under these conditions, the combined train’s casualties would be heavy—but all he could do was accelerate the train’s advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Lin Xian returned to the train’s head. The area around Longshan No. 1 and the Unlimited—Queen Mo—was ablaze with fire. Whether due to the highest energy output and firepower here, or because it lay deep in the forest, bizarre entities had gathered in overwhelming numbers, suffocating even Shi Di, Qian Dele, Mo Nika, and Xiang Ningjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Unlimited’s 1130 had fired two full magazines and was now reloading; three electromagnetic cannons and several Gatling guns rained fire in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enemies everywhere. Defense lines everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shasha’s Sally fired both flamethrower and Vulcan cannon at full capacity!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another giant spider? I hate these things! Try this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shasha spotted the fast-moving giant spider in the trees, pressed a button, and activated a device on the Vulcan’s chest—Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a modified plasma cluster projector fired a high-pressure guidance cable that struck the spider’s abdomen; then a blazing cobalt-blue plasma stream detonated its belly cavity, spraying guts and fluids everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yesss!!!” Seeing her secret weapon succeed, Shasha screamed in triumph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Da Lou and Liang Lei’s assault teams, each with fifty men armed with heavy weapons, held firm defensive positions on either side of the Unlimited; both led from the front, cutting through corpses in a sea of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the mobile unit—Shu Qin, Lu Chang, Li Guangwen, along with over twenty agile power-armored martial artists like Luo Luo and Amin—constantly darted through the front lines, hunting down fast-moving monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Sixuan led the recon team guarding the roof, using anti-aircraft cannons, sniper rifles, and electromagnetic guns to defend against aerial threats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anti-aircraft cannons and arc-pulse cannons blasted into the sky, light flashing everywhere—air thick with the desperate, brutal atmosphere of a last stand!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several large convoy groups fought around the Unlimited and the locomotive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Lin, we can’t outrun this speed!” Shi Di, transformed into his tiger form, leapt from the air, stomped a bug-monster into pulp, then spoke over comms: “This hellhole has no direction—we don’t even know which way to run!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sonic sword sliced through—the forest’s trees and monsters were cleanly severed in unison. Mo Nika replied coldly: “This isn’t the Eternal Night. We might already be inside the Star Abyss. Look at the sky—here, even physical laws are twisted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are those vehicle convoy people? Didn’t Boss Hu break out? Why don’t we just charge straight in one direction?!” Qian Dele said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Charge? What are you, nuts? We’re a train, not a car!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Di cursed: “You think you’re still driving a car?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve got cars!” Qian Dele retorted. “We’ve got two all-terrain train units, ten base vehicles, and several others—could carry three or four hundred people at least. Better than dying here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Di frowned instantly and shouted: “No! If the other convoys hear that, our defense line collapses instantly. First, get the train out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian and Kiki arrived at full speed; as he accelerated track-laying ahead of the two all-terrain locomotives, he said: “He’s right. We’re not at the point yet where hundreds should flee. These thousands must stay united to minimize casualties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once morale fractures, these team members might mutate from despair before the monsters even kill them—then defeat will cascade, irrecoverable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Already, many had been lost to the Dark Corruption upon first exposure. The Combined Train Group differs from Old Mo and Hu Lushou’s situation: abandoning all train protection drastically lowers survival odds, since backup vehicles lack weapons, and at this point, every convoy would descend into chaos. Shi Di immediately cut Qian Dele off—no one else could hear that talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew Qian Dele’s logic wasn’t without merit: in utter desperation, it might be the best way to preserve some lives. Better to save a few hundred than lose everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian rapidly laid track, his thoughts racing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one expected that after entering the night, the first crisis would be the disappearance of train tracks—the suffocating constraint crippling every train group!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless, as Ding Junyi claimed, everyone wiped out every bizarre entity in this zone, killing one would only mark them again by another—cycling endlessly—the Combined Train Group’s destruction was merely a matter of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But compared to wiping out all bizarre entities, Qian Dele’s plan was far more practical: at least escape offered a chance, and Old Mo and Boss Hu had proven it feasible—far more viable than standing and dying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew if these monsters could even be fully eliminated? The Combined Train’s firepower was finite, and many had already fallen to Dark Corruption. Even now, with everyone firing full throttle, they’d run out of ammo and supplies in mere hours. When despair spread, even the will to flee would vanish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As more locomotives entered the track, the mobile line shifted deeper into the forest, accelerating. The Unlimited now led; Longshan No. 1 remained behind, providing three kilometers of fire support for incoming trains. Red Rose and several other convoys successfully reached dry land—their track wheels were coated in black sludge; the ground bore deep grooves from the trains, and crushed trees had become makeshift sleepers beneath the wheels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Dele sprinted ahead, cutting through minor monsters across several convoy lines. His ability granted exceptional mobility, making him a powerful support—but his personal defense and firepower couldn’t handle large monsters, so he rarely ventured deep into the monster forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he kicked apart a crawling black monster and landed beside Mo Nika, who was continuously unleashing her ability to slice fan-shaped swarms; he stared at his old friend with surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At a time like this, your Queen Mo has an escape route. Didn’t you think about my plan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Nika glanced back: “Regret swapping cars for trains?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Dele grinned: “No big deal. In this rotten world, I wouldn’t be surprised if I died anywhere. What’s to regret? But you—you’re silent, and I feel like it’s not you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Nika snorted, then spat an invisible sonic sword toward a strange flying creature above; instantly, the air rippled, and a cascade of shattered tissue rained down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you really think I’m so selfish, heartless, and cowardly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all—I’m just analyzing rationally. And your team must have thoughts too,” Qian Dele said gravely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Nika replied seriously: “I’m not stupid. Just because Boss Hu got lucky doesn’t mean everyone will. Right now, sticking with the main force still offers a sliver of hope. Running wild with the Dark Mark—no direction, no plan—you’re dead for sure. I’m no gambler. But if I were, I’d bet on him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Dele followed Mo Nika’s gaze to Lin Xian, who was laying track far off; he raised an eyebrow, puzzled: “Hey, hero complex? I like the guy too, but you’re not seriously seeing him as a savior… or are you into him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Nika turned back to face the monster swarms and spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—it’s just my instinct…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Qianfeng City’s brink, at Yijincheng’s narrow escape—even now trapped again—it’s undeniable: if Lin Xian hadn’t woken everyone during the Akses Night and kept them armed and alert, things would’ve been worse. No one expected the mutation to strike in daylight. Had it come earlier, or if not for that sandstorm, the Combined Train might’ve escaped the Star Abyss corruption entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Nika was emotional, yet rational. She also carried her own pride. If she led her entire team away now, the Combined Train’s morale would shatter. She wouldn’t become a criminal chasing impossible fantasies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fleeing queen—could she still be called a queen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But while Mo Nika thought this, other convoys were in chaos; comms overflowed with despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do we do? The Dark Corruption is too strong—we can’t hold!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too many monsters!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No track—we’re trapped!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fight! Don’t back down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin, Shi—save us…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom boom boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around the train convoy, the battle intensified. Endless monsters kept spawning from the dark forest, dragging everyone’s sanity lower. Many died from unknown attacks or from mutated teammates. Seeing this, Lin Xian knew his priority: stabilize morale. He said to Shi Di:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Brother Shi, what if we loop the track around the forest, forming several concentric circles? We could create a temporary defensive perimeter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Di, sweat pouring down his face—his Longshan No. 1 casualty count rising—heard Lin Xian and replied immediately:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean hold ground?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian shook his head: “Earlier, I saw a giant green serpent in that lake—I suspect it’s the strongest entity here. We’re in unknown territory. A tight defense reduces casualties, buys us time, and shrinks the battlefield. If that serpent attacks, we kill it—maybe we can…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian’s plan was desperate—but their current linear formation was exposed front and back, and trains couldn’t scatter like vehicle convoys. Looking at the temporary track he was laying, he thought: if escape was impossible, why not shape the track into a spiral? That would drastically shrink the battlefield, concentrate firepower, reduce casualties, and gather elite fighters together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This idea came from Qianfeng City’s earlier tactic. Trains had high defensive capacity; if they circled twice, the battlefield could shrink to under two kilometers. With so many heavy weapons and fighters concentrated, defense might become manageable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for killing the green serpent—he had no confidence. Not just in killing it, but whether killing it would even free them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, he had no better option. Like Shi Di, he opposed abandoning the trains. Almost everyone here relied on them as their only shelter. Abandoning them wouldn’t just risk death—it would shatter morale and spirit. Since truly feeling the terror of Dark Corruption, Lin Xian understood the suffering of those who mutated. Strictly speaking, Dark Corruption was the true cause of human society’s collapse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Di nodded grimly: “It’s a strategy. Better than what we have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Shi Di agree, Lin Xian immediately explained the plan to Qian Dele and Mo Nika. All agreed. He then broadcast the strategy to all convoys: form a defensive ring and kill the serpent for a chance at survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other convoys were instantly energized. In this situation, having a leader meant the core hadn’t panicked. Lin Xian’s two proposals solved two critical problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone understood that forming a defensive perimeter reduced casualties and concentrated firepower. They also felt the determination of these powerful convoys uniting—this greatly lifted all survivors’ spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But boosting morale alone couldn’t solve the problem—hence the serpent-killing plan. Whether it worked or not, to these thousands, it was a clear hope. These people had come from Qianfeng City; they’d escaped the Cloud-Black Spine crisis. Once Lin Xian spoke, they’d instinctively believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A plan. A way out. That gave hope. And once hope ignited, fighting spirit soared!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, as the plan spread, the once-faltering defenses of each convoy reignited. Countless people seized the spark of survival, unleashing fierce strength. Team leaders and squad commanders gritted their teeth, adjusting lines and firepower. More trains escaped the marsh, more cars joined the track—the will to survive, crushed by the dark horde, flared back to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Divine Brahma Fire!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the Star Abyss, Lu Xingchen became a different person. Gazing at the thick darkness and endless monsters, his fire ability surged wildly; his Infinite Ring spun rapidly. Instantly, a colossal white fireball swelled above the dark forest—like a miniature sun, blazing light illuminating kilometers around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If heaven didn’t birth Lu Xingchen, the Eternal Night would never end!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingchen soared through the air, wind howling around him. He spoke again the bold words he’d uttered when first joining the Unlimited; with both hands, he hurled the giant fireball downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chii chii chii!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blazing white fireball burned fiercely, even forming molten fire streams. Below, countless convoy members stared, pupils shrinking—stunned by the overwhelming power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So powerful!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heavenly Fire Descends!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cool!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of heat surged like a shockwave, instantly engulfing a half-kilometer stretch; searing flames erupted wildly in all directions, instantly hurling countless aberrations into the inferno, burning them freely as body fat burst forth in thick streams!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, on the traction train, Kiki’s side spun hundreds of silver blades into a high-speed blade storm; she wrapped herself in a psionic shield, riding a hurricane straight into the horde of monsters. In an instant, entire swaths of creatures and forest trees were sliced apart. The giant translucent worm coiled its body and spat torrents of glowing green aberrant fluid—all blocked by Kiki’s psionic shield. The spinning blades sheared through its twisted body in an instant, cutting it into three pieces. The glowing green fluid inside exploded, forming a fluorescent fireball in the forest; the sprayed fluid engulfed all nearby aberrations, triggering a chorus of eerie shrieks and the sharp, searing sound of corrosion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ZZZZ!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Bai’s laser beam swept across vast fan-shaped areas like a windshield wiper; Xiao Qing’s blades darted through the forest, reaping undead; Li Guangwen’s shock punch blasted out a trench in a single strike; Luo Yang’s pulse eyes detonated amid the insect swarms overhead…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within moments, the initial chaos aboard the united train vanished entirely, replaced by order, counterattack, and the courage and conviction of desperate survival. Thousands of survivors began unleashing their latent potential, uniting as one for survival!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xian seized this opportunity to accelerate track construction. He abandoned the track machine and instead assembled on-site the tracks originally prepared for Dragon Mountain No. 1 and the various convoys in Yijin City. Simultaneously, he continuously generated new tracks via the Mechanical Heart. Fortunately, his prior consumption of multiple carriages had replenished his materials, and since rail manufacturing was inherently simple, Lin Xian’s speed increased rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Infinite Train began accelerating once on the rails; the Queen Mo Train returned to its rear. The rear traction locomotives, having reconnected to the rails, now contributed pulling force. As one diminished and the other grew, the derailed, chaotic train was restored to the tracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the final two trains—Parrot and Ocean—emerged from beneath the lake. Aside from those drowned, many crew members had jumped into the water to survive. Hundreds frantically swam through the dark lake, its surface thick with terror and despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At every moment, people were dragged under by aberrant creatures!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flashlights glowed everywhere across the lake, bullets flew wildly; countless people scrambled onto the mudflats and back onto shore, shouting frantically:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are snakes underwater! Huge ones!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Definitely S-class!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Help! Someone can’t swim!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On shore, teams from Wind Sail and Red Rose were covering their retreat to land. Then, as the final few carriages of the Ocean Train were dragged upward, everyone on shore witnessed a horrifying sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive serpent’s tail, gleaming with blue scales, whipped around the carriage. The serpent was thicker than a train car, its length immeasurable—this sight instantly recalled the Abyssal Worm once seen in Xilan City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snakes inherently strike at human fear, let alone this colossal beast lurking in the black depths?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a convoy pulled a small white boat from a carriage and, with several hands, lowered it into the water. They ignited the engine and swiftly rescued seven or eight survivors on the verge of drowning. As they turned the boat around, an aerial adept shouted to them:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run!! The giant snake’s coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where?!” the people on the boat cried back. They had the engine at full throttle, heading for shore, eyes fixed behind—but the lake surface behind the boat remained perfectly calm, showing no movement at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the aerial adept shouted a terrifying word to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It… it’s beneath you!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3121,"2026-06-19T18:20:06.633Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","fc3ec0438c5f0a498cefa1c36612bffa10a8a63a3a884570f88fc1eae03b21fc","apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-chapter-341","apocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-chapter-339",541,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fapocalypse-i-built-an-infinite-train-cover.jpg"]