Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 182: The Cinema

"A fraud? All bark and no bite? Just for show?"

Lu Xingchen’s grin instantly froze. His face turned pale as if each of Shasha’s words had struck a precise nerve.

Shasha stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye, noticing the effect her words had, so she fanned the flames further.

"Can’t even protect a little girl, yet you dream of saving all of humanity? Pfft… If I were you, I’d find a hole to crawl into. But hey, at least your fire ability is useful—you can warm people’s seats like a human heater."

"Shut up!"

Lu Xingchen shot to his feet, veins bulging as he gritted his teeth. He pointed viciously at the warehouse ahead. "Fine, pick a damn warehouse! If I don’t burn every last rat, roach, and pest inside, I’ll consider their sanitation standards excellent!"

Shasha smirked, adjusting her sunglasses, then dramatically waved her hand forward. "Lead the way, Fire God!"

—

The motorcycle cruised along a quiet road, flanked by lush green trees under the golden sunlight. Lin Xian sat on the backseat, gazing at the town’s silhouette up ahead. Not far beyond the town, a large chemical plant loomed, complete with towering reactors and distillation columns.

Read 𝓁atest chapters at fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm Only.

"Normally, a chemical plant this size would be built farther from residential areas," Lin Xian remarked. "But here, it’s practically next door."

KIKI responded, "Maybe that’s the reason the Eerie Entities can’t get in—some kind of chemical leak?"

Lin Xian sighed, rubbing his temples. "The monsters can’t get in, but we can. So… who’s really the monster?"

KIKI smirked. "Not necessarily~ There could be things that humans can tolerate but they can’t. Haven’t you seen those alien invasion movies? Sometimes, even a common human virus can wipe out an entire alien army."

Lin Xian was speechless. Damn, she actually made a good point.

He sniffed the air, trying to detect any unusual chemical odors.

As they approached the town’s main street, KIKI slowed the bike.

Buildings came into view—low-rise houses, shuttered shops, and abandoned streets. Some doors were tightly shut, while others creaked open, swaying with the breeze. Fallen leaves, yellowed prematurely by the cold, covered the roads. The convenience store shelves were empty, coated in dust and mold.

KIKI frowned at the desolation. "This place is weird. It doesn’t even look like anyone’s been living here."

Lin Xian kept scanning the surroundings, eventually pulling out his Soul Wave Detector and activating it.

A faint glow pulsed outward before retracting. The dial, which had started in the negative, slowly crept toward zero.

That was… odd.

Lin Xian frowned. Was the old detector malfunctioning? Or was something affecting its readings? The movement of the needle seemed sluggish, unnatural.

—

The motorcycle rolled into a crossroads—likely the town’s center.

Not much of a center, though. A small supermarket, a bank, and across the street, a relatively large cinema.

They dismounted and took in the view. The streets, bathed in sunlight, felt eerily lifeless. Everything was in decay—quiet, desolate. Rotten, dried-out corpses of townspeople lay on the sidewalks, their clothes fused to the ground. Flies buzzed over the remains.

"This is strange… I saw people here last night," KIKI muttered. She glanced up at the second-floor windows of a nearby store—dark, empty. In the shattered display case of a clothing boutique, a few mannequin torsos stood awkwardly, their clothes long since stripped away. Their vacant faces seemed to stare directly at Lin Xian and KIKI.

A chill ran down Lin Xian’s spine.

They had both seen lights in the town last night—not just one, but multiple sources.

"Stay alert," Lin Xian warned, eyes locking onto the cinema. "Let’s check inside."

This town had no Eerie Entities, no zombies—yet no living humans either. It made no sense. He wondered if Shu Qin and Da Lou had uncovered anything on their end.

KIKI nodded. "Maybe there are people here, just hiding."

—

Lin Xian pushed open the cinema’s doors. A wave of damp, decaying air rushed out. He grimaced but stepped forward cautiously. "If this place repels Eerie Entities, it should be an ideal safe zone. A shelter here would be much safer than running around… But if there are no survivors—"

"Then something worse than Eerie Entities is lurking here?" KIKI cut in.

Lin Xian didn’t answer. He just hoped he was wrong.

The cinema lobby was pitch black. Lin Xian quickly manufactured a high-powered flashlight. Click. A harsh white beam pierced the darkness.

A mess lay before them—rows of ticket machines, a broken popcorn stand, and in the corner, tattered tents. Scattered across the floor were human skeletons, their remains twisted in the dust.

"Doesn’t look like anyone’s still alive here…"

Lin Xian swept his light around. Just as he was about to leave—

"Lin Xian," KIKI whispered suddenly. "I hear something inside."

He instantly turned, directing his flashlight toward the theater hallway.

The two exchanged a glance, then wordlessly advanced.

—

Drip… drip…

Water dripped somewhere in the darkness. Apart from that, the silence was suffocating.

KIKI floated ahead, stopping outside one of the theater doors. She pointed at it. That’s where the sound came from.

Lin Xian nodded, electricity crackling faintly around his hands. He reached out and slowly pushed the door open.

Creak…

The rusted hinges groaned.

Suddenly—a wave of nauseating rot burst from within!

KIKI recoiled violently, flying backward while clutching her nose, eyes wide with horror.

Lin Xian staggered. The stench nearly knocked him out cold. He had seen his share of blood-soaked battlefields, but nothing had ever smelled this putrid.

Forcing down his disgust, he yanked the door fully open.

But aside from the overwhelming stench… there was no movement inside.

Lin Xian raised his flashlight and swept it across the theater. The aisles were empty. The projector screen had long since rotted into tattered shreds.

The two cautiously stepped inside.

KIKI followed closely, still pinching her nose. "It stinks—ugh, it stinks!"

"Shh."

Lin Xian’s expression grew grim. He motioned for silence.

They reached the main theater seating area. Lin Xian aimed the flashlight up the sloped rows of seats.

And in that instant—both of them froze.

KIKI gasped sharply, ducking behind Lin Xian in terror.

Under the stark white glow of the flashlight, row after row of seats were occupied.

Every single seat was filled.

But they weren’t people.

Nor were they zombies.

They were skeletal figures, flesh peeled away, left to decay. Rotten, mold-covered husks—lined up in perfect, orderly rows, as if still watching a movie that had ended long ago.