"Really?" Lin Xian said with a smile, "So you feel at ease now?"
KIKI's gaze flitted about, muttering, "Didn't I say we've made peace..."
While speaking, she suddenly turned to Chen Sixuan and pleaded in a coquettish tone, "Teacher Chen, thank you for taking care of me these past two days. Could you untie these ropes for me? It's so uncomfortable."
"Is that so? I can't see it," Chen Sixuan snorted through her nose, "You were tied up the day before yesterday, weren't you sleeping soundly?"
Chen Sixuan, though gentle by nature, is not without temper. KIKI's act had given her quite a scare. She was not in the mood to be pleasant.
"Me!..."
KIKI was at a loss for words, she looked at Lin Xian with indignation, "Hey, you're not planning to keep me tied up forever, are you? What if we encounter a monster?"
Lin Xian answered indifferently, "This is the punishment for stealing food. If you want me to let you go, it depends on your behavior. If your superpower is of no help, then you'll have to get off."
KIKI, frustrated and feeling guilty, took a furtive glance at him and shrank back onto the couch.
"Alright, alright, I was wrong. If I had any superpowers, I would certainly help you. Just don't kick me out of the car."
"Fine," Lin Xian said coldly.
He then ignored her, stood up, and headed toward the cockpit, leaving Chen Sixuan to watch her.
Lin Xian took out the guns he had picked up from the Oasis Caravan, sighing repeatedly. One of those AKs even had a bent barrel. Considering that those guys had likely used the guns as clubs when they ran out of bullets last night, and still they all perished.
What kind of monster was it...
[Devouring Progress 5%]
No bullets, and the barrel was bent. Lin Xian thought about devouring it, wondering if there would be any surprises.
[Devouring Successful, Mechanical Source Point +2, Mechanical Devouring Skill Proficiency +1]
[Devouring Successful, Mechanical Source Point +1, Mechanical Devouring Skill Proficiency +1]
...
"That's it? This is a gun?!"
Lin Xian looked at the display in front of him, and he was not pleased.
"Don't treat an AK like it's just a fire stick, damn it!"
At that moment, Lin Xian's expression suddenly changed, sensing something.
From the quiet carriage floor below, a subtle sound of the trembling tracks began to emerge.
Click-clack-click-clack...
Click-clack...
Click-clack-click-clack...
It was like countless iron chains sliding over the tracks, the sound continuous yet heavy and forceful!
"What's wrong?" Chen Sixuan asked quickly as Lin Xian walked into the carriage.
"Shh!" Lin Xian made a silencing gesture.
"Something is approaching." He lowered his voice, signaling the two of them not to move.
He immediately turned off the lights inside the carriage, plunging everyone into darkness. He slowly crouched, placing his hand on the floor of the train, activating the Mechanical Heart, melding with the train to feel the surroundings.
Chen Sixuan frowned slightly. She turned and walked to the window by the bed, carefully lifting a sliver of the blackout blind with her finger. Her pupils constricted immediately, and in a panic, she quickly covered her mouth!
KIKI on the opposite couch saw Chen Sixuan's expression and her face also turned grave.
"Lin Xian."
In the darkness, Chen Sixuan gently patted Lin Xian on the shoulder.
Lin Xian got up, turned around, and also came to the window. Peering through a crack, he looked outside.
He didn't know what to expect, but a single glance left him in a dreadful state.
With the dim light of the night, he could now see on the bridge pillar of the rear carriage's iron frame bridge, a huge shadow slowly climbing up the track, its numerous claws clinking against the pillar and rails, emitting a delicate rattling sound. He could even see two long tentacles swinging constantly.
Was it that giant worm?!
Lin Xian was greatly alarmed. How could this thing be so persistent? From Jiang City Freight Center to Yushan Station, they had driven at least a hundred or two hundred kilometers during the day. How was it still trailing behind?
Was it targeting him?
Watching the giant shadow in the night slowly approaching the tail of carriage number 3, Lin Xian's gaze turned fierce, and without hesitation, he activated the Mechanical Heart at full power, causing both the Giant Whale 03E and the Orbit Star 7F locomotives to roar to life.
Run!
At this moment, he had only one thought: this giant creature was just like the White Giant Monster they encountered at night. Regular armor couldn't withstand its ferocity. Even though his Infinity was equipped with rolled steel plates and High Hardening Tungsten Steel armor like that of a tank, which was definitely stronger than the doors of a freezer, he dared not gamble against this Monster. Against such a beast, it's better to have the train rush forward than to wait and be opened like a can by it. The combined horsepower of several tens of thousands and the kinetic energy brought about by the sheer mass of the creature should not be underestimated.
Hum~~!
The immense traction caused Chen Sixuan and KIKI to stumble immediately, and then the lights inside the carriage turned on, while at the same time the train's engines roared crazily.
"Teacher Chen, to the cockpit!"
Lin Xian drew his Short Knife and shouted loudly.
Chen Sixuan's heartbeat quickened. After steadying herself, she decisively got up and staggered toward the cockpit.
Screech~~~~~~!!!!!!
The sudden start of the Infinity immediately enraged the red giant Earthworm, sending a shrill scream echoing through the gully. Immediately after, the carriage was hit by a violent collision!
Boom!
The tremendous force tilted carriage number three several degrees, and at the same time, the entire train jolted, the iron wheels of the train sparking and emitting a piercing whining sound.
"Not good!"
Lin Xian shouted coldly and immediately rushed toward carriage number three with his Short Knife.
Meanwhile, KIKI, seeing one person ahead and one behind, while her own hands and feet were still tied, screamed, "Hey!!! Bad guy, let me go!!"
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
Under Lin Xian's control, all the sunshades of the carriages rose in unison. As Lin Xian arrived quickly, he immediately saw a red shadow climbing onto one side of carriage number three.
Clang clang clang!
The speed of the giant worm was extremely fast; its steplike appendages, akin to mechanized grappling hooks, effortlessly climbed onto the carriage. The substantial weight instantly made the roof of carriage number three emit a hollow sound.
Lin Xian watched with horror. This thing was much faster than he had imagined; he couldn't shake it off at all.
Fearing that the creature would climb to the front and flip the train over, he decisively lowered the hydraulic tailgate of the rear carriage. Watching the dense array of worm-like appendages outside the window, Lin Xian felt a chill run down his spine.
But just as the hydraulic tailgate had lowered by a third, it suddenly jammed. He saw that part of the red giant worm's body was rapidly shifting outside!
"Dammit!"
Lin Xian, with no courtesy, aimed at the belly of the monster and fired off a blast with the Wind Gun.
Pfft!
The full-powered shot hit directly on target, sending back a solid echo, but it merely broke off one of the several hundred feet of the red giant worm and sent it flying, causing no significant damage.
Instead, the shot drew the attention of the giant worm. It swiftly climbed onto the roof, and because the hydraulic tailgate was jammed, the creature suddenly curled up its tail, revealing several tail spines over a meter long, clamped together, and fiercely stabbed at the steel tailgate!