Chapter 28: Chen Sixuan’s Decisiveness
Bang!
A tremendous force caused the steel tailgate to dent inward, forming a massive bulge. Lin Xian watched in alarm, thinking to himself how incredibly strong this creature was.
At this rate, the armor would soon be pierced.
Thud, thud, thud—
The giant insect’s front half had already climbed onto the second carriage. Seeing this, KIKI hopped over to the second carriage and, with a swift kick, surprisingly pulled a small utility knife from the corner of a waterproof bag.
It turned out she had secretly used this knife earlier to cut the ropes binding her.
Lin Xian glanced at her but had no time to intervene.
Clang! Clang!
At the same moment, a sharp biting sound erupted on the roof, accompanied by a terrifying metallic tearing noise.
Furious and fearing the carriage would be bitten through, Lin Xian immediately aimed his wind guns at the soft white shell on the creature’s tail abdomen and fired as if his life depended on it!
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The frenzied wind cannons finally had some effect, shattering several pieces of the white soft shell on the insect’s belly. The massive impact tore open a gaping wound, spewing dark green insect blood.
In pain, the giant insect swiftly retracted its tail needle, coiling it again and aiming once more at the already dented tailgate.
“Run!”
Lin Xian’s pupils narrowed, realizing the tailgate wouldn’t hold much longer. He turned and shouted urgently to KIKI.
Bang!
The enormous tail needle pierced straight through the tailgate and stabbed into the carriage. At that moment, KIKI was crouched on the ground, hastily cutting the nylon cable ties binding her feet. Hearing Lin Xian’s shout, she looked up just in time to see countless shards of shattered steel flying toward her like bullets!
Frozen in shock, her eyes widened rapidly.
Seeing that she neither dodged nor flinched, Lin Xian’s heart sank.
In a flash, he appeared before her line of sight alongside a rapidly forming wall of ice!
Lin Xian had already leapt in front of her, raising his hand and sweeping it through the air.
Puff! Puff!
The azure ice wall had just solidified when several black steel fragments embedded themselves deeply into it, causing the ice to crack and splinter.
“Ah—”
KIKI uttered a soft cry as Lin Xian pulled her into his arms and dodged to the side.
“Ow—”
KIKI was firmly pressed against him. The ropes binding her hands and feet shattered from the pressure. She glanced up at Lin Xian, a hint of panic in her expression. “Hey, you scoundrel, are you okay?”
Lin Xian struggled to his feet, his face grim.
“If we don’t get help, we’re all dead!”
“I-I’ll try!” In desperation, she sprang up, grit her teeth, and flailed her hands anxiously, shouting, “Hey!”
Yet nothing happened.
Lin Xian’s eyes snapped wide open, ready to scold her.
Suddenly, KIKI’s expression changed sharply. She pointed toward the third carriage and shouted,
“Watch out!”
The giant insect that had pierced the tailgate seemed to find a weak spot. After thrashing its tail needle wildly inside, it pulled back and changed direction. Instantly, two blood-red tentacles shot out from the hole in the tailgate.
Lin Xian and KIKI both saw the massive blood-red mouth lined with huge pincers!
Clang! Clang!
The creature gave Lin Xian no respite, immediately tearing at the already damaged tailgate.
If this beast got inside, all three of them would surely perish here today.
Without hesitation, Lin Xian stood and aimed both wind guns directly at the insect’s mandibles.
Puff! Puff!
Flesh exploded from the impact. The giant insect’s mouth was blasted open, oozing dark green blood plasma, and emitting a deafening roar that sent chills down everyone’s spines.
In pain, the creature’s lower half snagged on a row of iron fence posts beside the tracks. Coupled with the immense pulling force of the speeding “Infinite” train, it nearly tore the creature right off the carriage.
But the insect’s legs clung tightly to the third carriage, causing the entire train’s speed to drop suddenly. The sharp deceleration made everyone stagger, almost falling.
“Ah!”
Inside the cockpit, Chen Sixuan nearly slammed into the control panel from the sudden slowdown. She turned to look back and saw the giant insect frantically struggling to cling to the third carriage.
She immediately shouted to Lin Xian,
“Hold on tight! There’s a three-kilometer mountain tunnel up ahead near Beiwang Station!”
Hearing this, Lin Xian’s heart leapt. He understood Chen Sixuan’s plan and quickly activated the mechanical heart to accelerate while lowering the hydraulic tailgate further.
“That silly girl!”
“Who’s the silly girl?!” KIKI retorted angrily.
Lin Xian pulled the coupler from the rear of the carriage, his expression grave. “Use your powers to tie that beast down for me!”
At this, KIKI’s expression shifted subtly, her gaze locking onto the giant insect with rare seriousness. Knowing this was a life-or-death moment, she dropped her anger and said solemnly,
“Okay!”
Furrowing her brow, she recalled the sensation from before and raised her hands to channel her abilities.
Whoosh—
Sure enough, the invisible force reappeared, yanking the coupler from Lin Xian’s hands and swiftly wrapping it around the creature’s tail.
Squeak!
The insect flicked its tail, causing the coupler’s transmission mechanism to whine and emit thick black smoke.
Lin Xian’s eyes burned with fury as he shouted, “Don’t let it escape!”
“Lin Xian, watch out!”
Soon, the orange-yellow train lights illuminated the dark tunnel entrance. Chen Sixuan gripped the cockpit handle tightly and shouted behind her.
The giant insect seemed to sense danger and let out a hoarse roar. But it was still biting onto the armored side panel, its tail entangled by the metal coupler, unable to free itself.
“Speed up!”
Lin Xian scooped up KIKI and leapt into the second carriage. At the same time, the mechanical heart roared wildly, pouring all its power into the engine!
Boom!
The gas turbine and electric locomotive thundered as they accelerated, driving the front carriages into the tunnel. A loud crash came from the third carriage!
The enormous red centipede slammed into the tunnel wall, instantly forcing the third carriage off the tracks. The adjacent carriage collided with the tunnel wall, sparks flying and glass shattering!
Screech!
The creature emitted a piercing shriek as its countless legs scrambled desperately to escape. But the train’s momentum dragged it in fully, and the heavy armored shell scraped harshly against the tunnel walls, producing a deafening screech.
Beneath Lin Xian, KIKI gritted her teeth, bloodshot eyes blazing. She gripped the coupler tightly, hooking it onto the creature’s tail, refusing to let it go.
Sizzle! Crack!
The carriage reverberated with sounds of earth-shattering tremors and agonized roars.
The three-kilometer tunnel passed in what seemed both a fleeting moment and an eternity.
Soon, the deafening noise abruptly ceased, replaced by the metallic wail of strain as the third carriage was pulled back onto the tracks.
Lin Xian finally exhaled, drenched in cold sweat but alive.