Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 183: Flesh-Boned Beings

"KIKI..."

KIKI, usually fearless, was completely shaken by the sight before her. She clung to Lin Xian’s side, her face twisted in disgust. "H-how… how is this possible? These people…"

Lin Xian’s brows furrowed deeply. Even for him, this scene was a shocking sight. He scanned the rows of flesh-boned beings, his voice low and tense. "Something’s off. The level of decay is drastically different from the corpses outside. These… look less than a month old."

"Then this place isn’t safe at all," KIKI said, steadying her breathing. "Do we even need to keep investigating?"

"No. We’re leaving."

Lin Xian shook his head. He swept his flashlight over the rows of grotesque remains, but just as the beam reached the last row, his body tensed.

Among the skeletal husks, one person was still intact.

"Lin Xian! There’s someone alive!" KIKI gasped.

The woman was slumped in one of the back-row seats, her hair disheveled, her body battered and filthy. It was unclear whether she was dead or barely clinging to life.

"Let’s check on her."

Without hesitation, Lin Xian sprinted toward the seats, KIKI gritting her teeth and following despite the nausea churning in her stomach.

As he got closer, Lin Xian became increasingly certain—this woman was alive.

Just to be safe, he crafted a long pole on the spot and cautiously poked her back.

The woman’s body slumped sideways, but there was no stiffness—and more importantly, she was still breathing.

Lin Xian and KIKI exchanged a glance.

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KIKI immediately raised her hand, using her ability to lift the woman from the chair and gently place her on the aisle floor.

"She’s alive," KIKI confirmed, pressing her fingers to the woman’s wrist. "But her heartbeat and breathing are all over the place. She’s barely hanging on."

Lin Xian brought his flashlight closer.

The woman looked to be in her early thirties, her skin a sickly pale gray, her body emaciated from malnutrition. Her hair was a tangled mess, her tattered clothing hanging loosely over her skeletal frame, and she had no shoes. The sheer aura of death surrounding her was unsettling.

He glanced back at the last row of flesh-boned beings. Their decay was fresh—too fresh.

"She might be a survivor."

Lin Xian knelt to examine her.

But just as his flashlight illuminated her face, she flinched, reacting to the light.

The woman groaned weakly, her brows scrunching together as she struggled to move her arms.

Lin Xian and KIKI’s expressions shifted.

Her breathing turned rapid. Slowly—she opened her eyes.

The moment she saw Lin Xian and KIKI, her pupils dilated in terror.

With a sharp gasp, she began frantically crawling backward, her body trembling.

"Don’t be afraid. We won’t hurt you. Who are you?"

Lin Xian hadn’t expected her to wake up so suddenly, and seeing how terrified she was, he immediately tried to reassure her.

But she didn’t react to his words.

She was completely panicked, desperately dragging herself away before struggling to her feet and bolting toward the exit.

"Catch her!"

Lin Xian didn’t hesitate.

"On it!"

KIKI swiftly raised her hand, her psychic power seizing the woman in mid-air and pulling her back toward them.

"Calm down! We’re not going to hurt you!" Lin Xian called out, but the woman kept thrashing violently in mid-air.

Then, KIKI’s brows furrowed.

"She’s… she’s mute?"

Lin Xian’s mind clicked. That could explain why she hadn’t responded. He was about to try another method of communication—

But suddenly, he noticed something even stranger.

The woman’s expression shifted—not in response to him or KIKI, but to something behind them.

Her wide, terrified eyes were locked on the hallway behind them.

A cold shiver ran down Lin Xian’s spine.

He and KIKI turned around at the same time.

And there, standing at the end of the aisle—

A grotesque human face stared back at them.

A person walking upside down.

"Careful!"

Lin Xian’s pupils constricted. A white-skinned entity was creeping toward them—moving on all fours, its head twisted at an unnatural angle.

Without hesitation, Lin Xian raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of electricity.

Crackle!

The bright silver lightning slammed into the creature’s chest, charring a hole through its pale flesh.

But the creature only paused for a moment before suddenly lunging forward at lightning speed, making no sound at all.

It reached Lin Xian in less than a second!

He barely had time to react—there was no time to craft a metal barrier—so he instinctively threw up an Ice Shield.

KIKI reacted fast, too, using her ability to shove the shield forward as reinforcement.

Boom!

The upside-down monster smashed into the shield, its long, thin limbs flailing wildly, knocking over the rows of flesh-boned beings.

Bones and rotten flesh flew everywhere.

"Fall back!"

Lin Xian grabbed KIKI and the woman and retreated toward the exit. This cinema—like Underground City No. 8—was a confined space harboring Eerie Entities even during the day.

"Got it!" KIKI landed on the ground, gripping the woman tightly as they sprinted toward the emergency exit.

Lin Xian fired a few Wind Cannon shots as a test, but the upside-down entity dodged effortlessly, climbing rapidly along the walls to chase them down.

Hum!

KIKI lashed out with her psychic power, slamming the creature into the wall. It struggled violently, resisting her grip.

She bit her lip and pushed harder—

Boom!

The hallway lights shattered, carpet ripped apart, and debris exploded outward. The force hurled the creature to the end of the corridor, where its grotesque limbs flailed wildly. Then, suddenly—

It melted into the shadows.

Lin Xian exchanged a glance with KIKI.

"This thing isn’t easy to kill," she muttered.

"Let’s get outside," Lin Xian said. He spotted the projection room hallway, leading to the exterior. He had powerful weapons like the Roarer K23 Electric Gatling Gun, but he couldn’t create a hundred-pound machine gun on the spot while running for his life.

Outside, it was daytime. That should keep the creature at bay.

And if it didn’t?

They could retreat to the train—the 1130 CIWS would handle it.

They sprinted toward the exit—

And then, silence.

The upside-down creature… was gone.

A deep sense of unease crept into Lin Xian’s gut. He lifted his flashlight—

And at the end of the corridor, a man stood there.

Motionless.

A smile stretched across his face as he stared at them.

"Who the hell—"

KIKI reacted instantly, raising her hand to seize him with psychic power.

But before she could—

The man’s mouth split open—

Brown-red tendrils erupted from his throat, lunging toward them.

"A Human Eerie?!"

KIKI caught the creature in midair, holding it with her ability. Lin Xian charged up a bolt of electricity—

Boom!

The lightning punched a hole through its skull.

The creature shrieked, thrashing violently—

Lin Xian rushed forward and fired point-blank Wind Cannon blasts into its head. Then, in one swift motion, he slashed it apart with his electric blade.

Blood and gore splattered—

But then—

He and KIKI froze.

Inside the torn human skin, writhing underneath—

Wasn’t a person.

It was a mass of wriggling red worms.

And then, Lin Xian turned his gaze to the woman they had rescued—

She had stopped struggling.

Her lips curled into a chilling smile—

Her face began to peel back.