Giant Centipede

"Really?" Lin Xian said with a smile. "So you're relieved now?"

Kiki's eyes darted away as she muttered, "Didn't I already say we'd made peace...?"

Then she suddenly looked at Chen Sixuan and said in a coquettish tone, "Teacher Chen, thank you for taking care of me these past two days. How about you untie me? It's so uncomfortable being like this."

"Really? How come I can't tell?" Chen Sixuan snorted. "When we tied you up the past two days, didn't you sleep just fine?"

Chen Sixuan might have had a gentle temperament, but that did not mean she had no temper. Kiki's actions had given her quite a fright, so how could she possibly be nice to her?

"I...!"

Kiki was left speechless. She shot Lin Xian an irritated look. "Hey, you're not seriously planning to keep me tied up like this forever, are you? What if we run into monsters?"

Lin Xian's expression remained calm. "This is your punishment for stealing food. If you want me to untie you, that depends on how you behave. If your ability can't be of any help, then I'll still have to ask you to get off the train."

Kiki was furious. She stole a guilty glance at him and shrank back into the sofa.

"Fine, fine, I was wrong. If I have an ability, I'll definitely help you. Don't kick me off the train."

"Good," Lin Xian said coldly.

Then he stopped paying attention to her, got up, and headed for the cab, leaving Chen Sixuan to watch her.

Lin Xian took out the guns he had picked up from the Oasis Convoy and sighed repeatedly. The barrel of one AK was even bent. But thinking of how those people had probably used their guns as fire pokers after running out of bullets last night, only to still be wiped out...

What kind of monster had it been...?

Devour Progress: 5%

There were no bullets, and the barrels were bent. Lin Xian decided he might as well devour them and see if there would be any surprises.

Devour successful. Mechanical Origin Points +2. Mechanical Devour skill proficiency +1.

Devour successful. Mechanical Origin Points +1. Mechanical Devour skill proficiency +1.

"That little? These are guns, damn it?!"

Lin Xian looked at the light screen before him and felt awful.

"Don't treat AKs like fire pokers, damn it!"

Just then, Lin Xian's expression changed. He suddenly sensed something.

From beneath the quiet carriage floor came a faint vibration of the rails.

Clack~ clang~ clack~ clang~

Clack~ clang~

Clack~ clang~ clack~ clang~

It sounded like countless chains sliding over the tracks, continuous yet heavy and powerful!

"What is it?" Chen Sixuan hurriedly asked when she saw Lin Xian enter the carriage.

"Shh!" Lin Xian gestured for silence.

"Something's coming," he said in a low voice, signaling for the two of them not to move.

He then switched off the lights inside the carriage, plunging everyone into darkness. Slowly crouching down, he pressed a hand against the train floor. The Mechanical Heart activated, merging him with the train as he sensed the situation outside.

Chen Sixuan's brows furrowed slightly. She turned to the window beside the bed and quietly lifted the blackout shade with a finger, opening a tiny gap. Her pupils immediately contracted, and she hurriedly covered her mouth in alarm!

Seeing Chen Sixuan's expression from the sofa opposite her, Kiki's face immediately grew grim as well.

"Lin Xian."

In the darkness, Chen Sixuan lightly patted Lin Xian on the shoulder.

Lin Xian stood and turned around, then went to the window and looked outside through the gap.

He had no idea until he looked. The moment he did, he felt awful.

By the faint light of the night, he saw a massive black shadow slowly climbing up toward the tracks along the pillars of the rear carriage's steel bridge. Countless legs struck against the bridge pillars and rails, producing a dense clanging sound. He could even see two extremely long antennae constantly swaying.

That Giant Insect?!

Lin Xian was shocked. Why was this thing haunting him? From the Jiang City Freight Center to Yushan Station, they had traveled at least another hundred or two hundred kilometers during the day. How was it still following them?

Had it set its sights on him?

Watching the huge shadow in the night slowly approach the rear of Carriage 3, Lin Xian's gaze sharpened. He made an instant decision and activated the Mechanical Heart at full power, making both the Juying 03E and Huanxing 7F locomotives roar to life.

Run!

At that moment, it was his only thought. This Big Bug was like the White Giant Monster from that night—ordinary armor simply could not withstand its abuse. Although the outside of the "Infinite" used rolled steel plates and hardened tungsten steel of the same kind used on tank armored vehicles, far stronger than the cold storage doors, he did not dare take the gamble. Besides, when facing such a monster, it was better to get the train moving than wait for it to crack them open in place. The momentum generated by hundreds of tons of steel propelled by tens of thousands of horsepower was not to be underestimated.

Wooooom~!

The tremendous traction immediately made Chen Sixuan and Kiki stumble. Then the lights inside the carriage came on, while the train engines began to roar madly.

"Teacher Chen, the cab!"

Lin Xian drew his short blade and shouted.

Chen Sixuan's heartbeat quickened. After steadying herself, she decisively got up and staggered toward the cab.

Screeeech~~~~~!!!!

The sudden startup of the Infinite immediately enraged the red Giant Centipede. A piercing shriek rang out from the mountain ravine, followed by a violent impact against the carriage!

Bang!

The tremendous force made Carriage 3 tilt several degrees, while the entire train shuddered violently. Sparks flew from the iron wheels as they let out a harsh metallic hum.

"Not good!"

Lin Xian barked coldly and immediately grabbed his short blade, charging toward Carriage 3.

Seeing the two of them rush off one after the other while her hands and feet were still tied up, Kiki shouted, "Hey!!! Bad guy, untie me!!"

Tap~ Tap~ Tap~ Tap~ Tap~ Tap~

Under Lin Xian's control, the blackout panels on every carriage rose in unison. When he rushed over, he immediately saw a massive red shadow climbing up one side of Carriage 3.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The giant insect was incredibly fast. Its many legs were like mechanical hooks, effortlessly scaling the carriage. Its enormous weight immediately made the roof of Carriage 3 ring hollowly.

Lin Xian's heart pounded at the sight. This thing was far faster than he had imagined—they had no chance of shaking it off.

Afraid that it would crawl to the front and overturn the train, he decisively lowered the rear carriage's tailgate. Looking at the densely packed legs beneath the insect's abdomen outside the window, Lin Xian felt his scalp go numb.

But when the hydraulic tailgate had lowered by a third, it suddenly jammed. Looking outside, he saw that part of the red giant insect's body was rapidly shifting against it!

"Damn it!"

Lin Xian showed no mercy. Aiming at the Strange Bug's abdominal shell, he fired a Wind Gun!

Pff!

The full-force blow struck it head-on with a hard echo, but it only blasted off one of the red giant insect's hundreds of legs, sending it flying. It caused no significant damage at all.

Instead, the attack drew the giant insect's attention. It quickly crawled onto the roof. With the hydraulic tailgate stuck, it suddenly curled up its tail, revealing several tail stingers over a meter long. They drew together and viciously stabbed at the steel tailgate!

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