Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 187: The Great Parasite

"That guy said this was to prevent impostors from invading—what a liar!" KIKI immediately realized something was off. The two parasites’ sudden reaction in front of the giant lantern flower meant there had to be a deeper secret.

Lin Xian made a snap decision. "KIKI! Quick, try pulling this flower out!"

"On it!"

Without hesitation, KIKI extended her hand forward, unleashing her psychokinesis to envelop the lantern flower. However, the moment her advanced telekinetic power took hold, the flower merely trembled, and the chemical pool below it began violently shaking. The surrounding storage tanks rattled, and the liquid surface rippled with a low, ominous hum.

—Gurgle—

At that moment, bubbles began rising from the black chemical pool. At first, there were only a few, but soon, they multiplied rapidly, giving the appearance of a boiling pot.

Lin Xian turned to KIKI and saw that her face was flushed red from exertion. Below them, the storage tanks were starting to warp under the invisible force she exerted.

"Stop pulling!"

Lin Xian shouted immediately. Tert-butyl hydroperoxide was an extremely flammable and explosive chemical. Even vibrations and friction could cause a disaster. If KIKI accidentally ruptured one of the tanks, not even ten layers of steel walls would save them from being vaporized.

Beads of sweat formed on KIKI’s forehead. Hearing Lin Xian’s urgent command, she reluctantly stopped, gasping, "The roots are deep—what we see above ground is only a fraction of it. I can’t pull it out."

As she spoke, the bubbles in the chemical pool became more violent. Then, in their direct line of sight, a pale, humanoid figure slowly emerged from the depths.

Their expressions darkened instantly.

Because that thing—was yet another flayed, flesh-exposed "meat-bone" entity!

The meat-bone creature was ghastly white, soaked in the chemical solution. With its exposed muscles and organs, it looked grotesquely horrifying.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

One after another, more and more bloated, pale meat-bone entities began floating to the surface.

Ten… twenty… fifty… a hundred… three hundred…

Hundreds of them, densely packed, like a pot of boiling, swollen porridge.

The sight alone was enough to make one's skin crawl.

Lin Xian and KIKI stood frozen, their stomachs twisting with unease.

"This... how the hell are there so many dead bodies in a chemical plant?" KIKI’s face turned deathly pale as she fought the urge to vomit.

Lin Xian could already imagine the stench. If not for their gas masks, they might have passed out from the sheer horror of it.

"Time to go."

Without hesitation, Lin Xian turned to retreat.

At this point, it was obvious—the reason the black night eerie entities couldn't enter this town had to be this lantern flower. If even KIKI, an advanced psychokinetic, couldn’t budge it, then it made sense that no one else could either.

In his mind, Lin Xian still believed the lantern flower was a Blood Scourge Flora, and he was even considering negotiating with Director Ding about how to take it away.

But in the next moment, that thought vanished completely.

Because suddenly—

The hundreds of pale meat-bone corpses in the chemical pool began to rise, their bodies shifting aside as if something even larger was emerging beneath them.

—RUMBLE—

Tremors.

Waves of liquid sloshing.

Corpses sliding off something massive.

Lin Xian and KIKI barely glanced before realizing—this was about to get really bad.

"Shu Qin, Big Luo—prepare to retreat!"

Lin Xian barked into the comms, breaking into a sprint.

—CRASH!—

A colossal black tendril, dozens of meters long, surged out of the chemical depths.

Its front end had several humanoid appendages, and at its core was a gaping maw, lined with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"This lantern flower... is alive!!"

KIKI shrieked as she shot into the air, racing toward the exit.

But the tendril was too long, and it moved like it had eyes—curling inward before violently lunging straight at Lin Xian!

"LIN XIAN!"

KIKI tried using her psychokinesis to stop it, but the moment her power gripped the tendril, she realized—she couldn’t hold it back!

It was too strong.

—SWISH!—

At the last second, Lin Xian activated his Backlash ability, his figure flickering into a silver afterimage, narrowly dodging the incoming tentacle strike.

—BOOM!—

The massive tendril punched straight through the entrance door, blocking the escape route.

"Lin Xian—that way!"

From above, KIKI pointed toward another emergency exit.

But Lin Xian’s face fell.

"LOOK OUT!!"

Because behind KIKI—a second tendril appeared!

—CRUNCH!—

A muffled air-tearing sound echoed through the chemical plant.

Before she could react, the second tendril’s maw snapped shut around KIKI!

But at the last moment, she enveloped herself in a psychic barrier, preventing the tendril from crushing her outright. Instead, she was launched across the room like a kicked balloon.

"Take the skylight!"

Lin Xian shouted as he sprinted toward the emergency door, while KIKI, still airborne, turned toward the upper vents.

She nodded. "Got it!"

—CLANG CLANG CLANG—

At that moment, the lantern flower's glow intensified, and all the meat-bone corpses in the chemical pool came to life.

Their muscles twitched as they scrambled up the walls, moving like a horde of faceless zombies, their bodies dripping with chemical-laced water, some of them already rotting and dissolving.

"F*** THIS!"

Lin Xian waved his hand, instantly conjuring a chaotic network of metal scaffolding, forming a barrier behind him.

But the meat-bone creatures didn’t stop—they threw themselves against the barrier, their bodies shredded apart by the metal.

And from the exposed muscle tissue—countless white parasites burst forth, crawling at terrifying speed toward Lin Xian!

Meanwhile—

At the main entrance, the first massive tendril swept across, destroying the iron gate and part of the wall, cutting off the escape path!

Seeing the emergency door about to be sealed off, Lin Xian activated Backlash once more—

—WHOOSH!—

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A silver flash—

But before he could make it, the tendril struck mid-air, slamming him out of the air and violently crashing him into the ground.

His entire body reeled from the impact, and for a moment, his vision blurred.

—RUMBLE—

His ears rang, his body screamed in pain, and through hazy vision, he saw the dark sky above and the inverted cooling tower in the distance.

A loud beeping sound grew clearer in his mind.

Then—

A strong force yanked him backward.

Lin Xian looked up.

It was Shu Qin.

"Captain Lin!!"

She shouted, unloading her Remington M96 in rapid fire at the tendril.

Big Luo, wielding his Roarer K23 Electric Gatling, unleashed a storm of bullets, providing cover fire.

As Lin Xian’s senses returned, he saw KIKI escape through the skylight—and finally exhaled in relief.

"Retreat!"

Without hesitation, he gave the order.

Shu Qin leapt into the jeep, Big Luo reloaded and followed.

Lin Xian jumped onto his motorcycle, KIKI hopped on behind him, and with a blazing roar of the engine, they sped out of the chemical plant, leaving the horror behind them.