Chapter 99: Internal (Chapter 3 of 3 — Request Monthly Votes!)

Tap, tap.

The three turned on their tactical flashlights and began moving along the platform; aside from flickering fluorescent tubes emitting a faint glow, everything else was pitch black.

“Wow… so new.”

Kiki walked while sweeping her flashlight everywhere—“Looks like it was just built not long ago.”

“This underground city isn’t even finished—probably less than one-fifth completed,” Lin Xian whispered. “Built with the entire Federation’s resources, yet it can’t save even a million people…”

“It’s not just this one underground city. Even though the Federation government has collapsed, there must be larger ones—we just don’t know their condition.”

“Shh!”

Lin Xian, walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

Da Lou and Kiki instantly tensed.

Lin Xian raised his flashlight and shone it toward a pillar at the edge of the platform, where a man in work clothes stood with his back turned, his whole body slowly twitching.

Soon, the light caught his attention; the man turned slowly, and his face immediately made all three flinch.

His face was completely decayed and mutated—not human at all, but covered in fleshy tentacles with rows of sharp teeth in the center, glowing crimson, horrifying to behold.

“What… what is this? A zombie?” Kiki exclaimed.

“Definitely not human.”

Sssss~ Gurggle…

The humanoid monster emitted a strange writhing sound; its fleshy tentacles quivered violently. Seeing Lin Xian and the others, it let out a piercing shriek.

Aaaah!!!

Then it charged forward at high speed.

Its speed wasn’t like that of an ordinary zombie—it was like an athlete’s, terrifyingly fast, generating overwhelming pressure as it lunged.

“Attack!” Lin Xian shouted immediately.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Not knowing what this thing was, Lin Xian didn’t dare underestimate it; all three fired simultaneously, unleashing a storm of bullets.

Several rounds struck its body, spraying blood and tissue everywhere. The zombie staggered under the impact but didn’t die outright—instead, it charged even faster.

Taptaptaptaptap!

Realizing something was wrong, the three fired another volley, targeting the fleshy tentacles and mouthparts on its face. Soon, its horrific head was shredded, and it collapsed to the ground. Even after falling, the fleshy tentacles on its face continued to twitch and writhe; it took a long while before they finally stilled.

“This thing is off. Not an ordinary zombie. Stay alert.”

Lin Xian was deeply unsettled. All three were psychics, armed with firearms, yet this mutated zombie had far greater vitality than any ordinary zombie they’d encountered before—and it moved incredibly fast.

“So disgusting. Why is it so hard to kill?” Kiki frowned.

“Could it be a Weird Entity?” Da Lou spoke up now.

Lin Xian shone his flashlight on the dead zombie’s corpse—there was no trace of black aura, just a bloody, fleshy corpse. He frowned slightly. “Probably not…”

He checked the time: 18:02. Though it wasn’t dark, since their experience in Beiwan, he knew some things didn’t only appear in darkness—they could emerge in specific places too.

Inside this underground city, where darkness was constant, conditions were no better than night.

“Don’t let your guard down. Move.”

Lin Xian tightened his nerves; the three quickened their pace and soon reached a large elevator entrance via a ground conveyor belt—a massive freight elevator several meters long. Before they even reached it, the control panel beside the elevator suddenly lit up.

On the screen appeared a woman’s face, dressed in a lab coat, wearing glasses, looking sharp and in her early thirties.

“Mr. Lin, hello. We’re activating the elevator for you now.”

“You’re Ding Junyi, the one who contacted me earlier, right?” Lin Xian asked. “Yes.”

Lin Xian nodded. In the screen, besides Ding Junyi, he could see two women and one man standing behind her—all dressed as scientists. Seeing this, Lin Xian felt a slight easing of tension.

“Open the door.”

On the screen, Ding Junyi said, “Be careful. Surveillance shows water accumulation inside the elevator—possible unknown lifeforms. Fall back.”

“What kind of unknown lifeform?” Kiki curiously stepped back two paces.

Lin Xian gestured for them to retreat.

“Move to the sides.”

Ooo~

The sound of the elevator descending echoed.

Lin Xian and the others stepped back, watching the elevator’s digital display, raising their weapons slowly.

【Elevator arrived at Floor 65: Level-4 Freight Track Terminal Platform】

!

A mechanical female voice announced, then the massive elevator doors slowly opened from the center upward.

Instantly, a room-sized elevator interior appeared—and simultaneously, over a meter deep of foul yellowish water surged out, gushing loudly; Lin Xian and the others rapidly retreated.

Lin Xian’s eyes snapped to the murky water, spotting numerous writhing strange objects inside. He shouted to the other two: “There’s something in the water!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

All three guns opened fire immediately. Several black, writhing objects in the water burst into blood and gore; the water receded quickly, revealing the creatures: four or five multi-legged beings with black carapaces. They clung to several bloated, highly decayed corpses, clearly parasitic organisms.

“So disgusting!” Kiki said.

“Don’t slack off—kill them all!” Lin Xian shouted.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thanks to Ding Junyi’s warning, Lin Xian and the others were prepared. The moment the creatures were washed out by the water, they were riddled with bullets—metal streams shredded them into pulp.

Uurghhh!!!

The continuous gunfire echoed through the vast platform, drawing attention from other creatures. Lin Xian heard it and immediately called out:

“Get in the elevator!”

Kiki and Da Lou dashed inside; Lin Xian followed swiftly, and the elevator doors closed rapidly.

“Damn, there are still plenty of monsters out there. What about Sister Chen and the others?” Kiki asked, worried as the elevator door sealed out the darkness of the platform.

“They’re safer than us,” Lin Xian said firmly.

The Infinite Train’s armor was airtight—it could withstand even the tentacles of the giant atmospheric jellyfish. Plus, Chen Laoshi and Shasha had plenty of weapons aboard. Lin Xian had confidence in their safety.

Ooo~

The elevator doors closed. The three stepped onto the wet floor as a powerful upward force surged—the elevator shot rapidly toward higher floors.

“You exited the elevator in Zone K2. Outside the corridor, there are many monsters. Water accumulates on the ground between K2 and D23. Here’s the route map—the terrain is complex and winding. Some communication systems are damaged, so I can’t guide you continuously. Also, be extremely cautious when passing through F5D6—it’s the floor’s elevator and stairwell hub, the most severely overrun area. The original escape exit was there, but it’s surely blocked now. Power and surveillance systems have been cut.”

New book launch! Begging for monthly votes! Infinite Train, Soar to the Skies!

Deeply grateful!

(End of Chapter)