Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 226: Collapse

Han Dong glanced at Qiao Min, who had her head lowered, her messy long hair hiding her once delicate and beautiful face. In that instant, he seemed to find some kind of release. His pupils weakly dilated as he watched the black-suited sword-wielder slowly approach.

There was no anger, no sadness—only boundless despair.

The black-suited sword-wielder drew two swords, one aimed at his waist, position No. 4, and the other aimed at his chest, position No. 5.

Then, with a sudden thrust, the swords were plunged through!

The few onlookers at the side were now extremely tense, their hearts pounding as they watched the deadly spectacle unfold. As the two were fighting among themselves, the others were constantly on edge, knowing their own survival depended on the death of both of the challengers.

Wang Anjian’s face looked ashen, and the usually chatty man fell silent.

*Ding, Pch!

Position No. 5 was a fake, but position No. 4—completely pierced!

Han Dong struggled violently, his eyes wide open as blood poured from his nose and mouth, his agony unbearable.

"Wonderful!"

Seeing Han Dong’s suffering, Qiao Min’s eyes turned bloodshot as she wildly shouted. If Han Dong died, it meant she would be saved. The last sword would not strike her.

"He’s dead! He’s dead! I won! I can leave!!"

Qiao Min cheered through her tears, her joy at winning and surviving spreading through her. For a moment, she felt completely liberated.

But at that moment, her armor didn’t open.

The red-headed figure slowly turned toward her, wearing a twisted smile.

"Oh, don't be in such a rush, Ms. Qiao. I think your celebration is premature. Now is the time to test the love you’ve long cherished, isn't it?" The ‘Hatmaker’ spoke meaningfully.

"What?!"

Qiao Min’s mind began to piece things together, her body shaking as she turned her head, and discovered—

Han Dong… was still alive!

"The challenger has not died yet, so the game continues," the red-headed figure’s voice echoed like a death knell in Qiao Min's ears!

“It’s your turn to choose,” came the cold voice of the black-suited sword-wielder standing before Han Dong.

Qiao Min’s pupils widened, a chill running through her body.

It suddenly dawned on her that even if the heart was pierced, one wouldn’t immediately die, and Han Dong was only pierced in the waist…

As long as he still had breath in him, he could still make a choice, couldn’t he?

"If the two of them had cooperated from the start, even if Han Dong had died, he might have sacrificed himself, taking all the remaining swords to protect Qiao Min."

Chen Jia, who had remained silent in the compartment, spoke with a grave expression.

Tan Meng and Wang Anjian turned their heads toward him.

The atmosphere among the remaining group was grim. Chen Jia’s words were somewhat naïve, but if the Hatmaker had revealed that the swords could be driven into a dead body, then most people’s first instinct would be to kill the other, not sacrifice themselves.

But now, it seemed everyone was no longer concerned with that—they only cared about whether these two could die together.

Lin Xian glanced at Han Dong and Qiao Min, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"From the first time Han Dong took the sword for her, perhaps the man who truly loved her could indeed go this far for her."

"But now... it’s too late."

In the room, Qiao Min, having realized this, suddenly screamed like a madwoman at Han Dong.

"Husband... husband, I was wrong, I'm sorry, it hurts so much..."

"Forgive me, we can still win! You choose my shoulder, we’ll live, and we can get endless supplies!!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so dumb, that's why I couldn’t figure it out... Please, I love you, you are the man I love the most in my life, please, let’s stop killing each other!"

Thud, thud...

Blood kept pouring out of Han Dong’s mouth and nose as he hung his head low, his glasses fogging up.

He radiated an aura of utter despair.

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"I... choose... Woman, position No. 5."

His hoarse voice sounded like it came from a broken wind machine.

Blood and foam dripped from his mouth, cold, indifferent, detached.

Qiao Min’s pupils slowly widened, a wave of icy fear rushing to her head!

Her eyes filled with blood vessels as she let out a desperate scream.

"No!!!"

Pch!

The cold blade thrust through Qiao Min's chest!

Position No. 5 was real.

In the final moments of her life, Qiao Min’s eyes were filled with terror. In that instant, unwillingness, resentment, regret, and pain intertwined, until her pupils slowly faded...

"The game is over."

The red-headed figure slowly turned, its face expressionless. But at that moment, everyone in the room could have sworn they saw a sinister smile curl at its lips.

The entire room fell silent.

Crash, the glass wall before them suddenly turned black, and the lights in the room flickered back on.

Hua Xiaoling slowly stood up, her gaze turning toward Lin Xian and KIKI.

“Well, what do you think? Isn’t this experiment interesting?” she asked, her tone calm.

Lin Xian, holding the agitated KIKI in his arms, stared at Hua Xiaoling and replied, "Nonsensical. What are you trying to say?"

Hua Xiaoling took a deep breath, speaking in a detached tone, "From a scientific perspective, we designed this experiment to test the theory of 'Dark Night Evolution.' When a person is on the brink of death, their psychic power reaches a breaking point. At this stage, the human body begins to merge with dark energy, undergoing a form of genetic evolution. The only problem is, this state doesn't last long, and it’s difficult to observe under normal conditions, which is why we’ve tested many methods."

"For example, we directly subjected the test subjects to the pressure of death. But forced emotions can be too one-dimensional and lead to numbness, so we used this death game instead. The results have proven quite effective."

Hua Xiaoling looked at Lin Xian, "The remaining four participants are likely to experience significant physical evolution, and once they leave, their survival abilities should be much stronger."

"From this perspective, it’s also helping them, don’t you think?"

Lin Xian’s brow furrowed as he looked at Hua Xiaoling with cold eyes. "So this is your way of helping humanity evolve?"

"Strictly speaking, we follow the principle of survival of the fittest," Hua Xiaoling replied, walking to the glass wall and speaking calmly, “Those who survive floods learn how to build levees, understand water patterns, and the laws of disaster. Those who survive earthquakes know how to solidify buildings and observe anomalies in animals."

"And humans, after surviving countless plagues and viruses, develop antibodies to resist them. That’s how humanity survives. Once we overcome, civilization will rise again. If we can’t, it’s just the extinction of a backward civilization."

Hua Xiaoling turned to Lin Xian. "Don’t you think that the dark tides of this world are just another form of plague for us?"

"So, your idea of neutrality is just to let nature take its course?" Lin Xian responded.

"No."

Hua Xiaoling answered directly, "The rescuers, the separatists, the adventurers... As you saw in the first game, everyone agreed, and everyone could have survived, but some had their own interpretation of survival, and because of this, the differing ideas of survival..."

“The concept of ideology has led to a confrontation of beliefs. Heh heh heh... Do you find it amusing? We are at the brink of humanity’s survival, yet society is still so fragmented. For an advanced civilization, isn't our current civilization one of backwardness and ignorance?”

“Do you know why?”

“Greed, selfishness?” Lin Xian responded, “It’s just this cycle, isn't it?”

Hua Xiaoling shook her head. “Human nature is inherent. This isn’t the essence of the problem. What I want to tell you is that our human society is driven by reason but constrained by emotion. This is an advantage at the early stages of civilization development, but it is also the flaw that limits it. A truly advanced civilization would not need emotions. Take the second game for example. Do you think love, which has been praised for centuries, or ultimate emotions, has any benefit for the survival of civilization?”

“So, our goal is to maintain the progress of the Dark Tide. Under this natural selection, everything will reach its conclusion. All survival ideologies will be tested. The unreasonable frameworks and positions within this civilization will be naturally eliminated, and we will decide for ourselves who survives and who perishes.”

Buzz~

At that moment, the glass wall suddenly began to glow. Lin Xian looked over and saw a large research institute outside. The place was enormous, with thousands of researchers, various war equipment for ability users, blood essence research instruments, and large-scale genetic research equipment — a sight that was both shocking and awe-inspiring.

“Only those who survive will be the better successors of humanity's genes. Dark energy drives human evolution, causing mutations and abilities. These individuals are among the best.”

Hua Xiaoling looked at Lin Xian. “Mr. Lin, during the critical moment when the elevator was about to fail, you stepped forward and used your mechanical abilities to find a new way out. This is why our foundation isn’t just after your mechanical abilities. We believe that someone like you, with supreme willpower and high-level abilities, is the only one fit to be a builder of this new world. You will lead this new civilization to glorious evolution. This is the goal of our foundation.”

“Sorry.”

Lin Xian responded directly. “I’m not interested in building a new world. I’m just an ordinary person, and I don’t understand the grand ideals of civilization.”

“You have such complete equipment here. What I’m interested in right now is... do you have fresh bread? It’s been so long since I had any. I’ve forgotten what it tastes like.”

KIKI looked up in surprise, seemingly having just recovered from the previous game. She stared at Lin Xian and whispered, “Bread?”

Hua Xiaoling’s face slightly changed at the mention of bread. After a brief silence, she smiled faintly and didn’t speak, instead stepping aside to clear the way.

Lin Xian grabbed KIKI’s hand and walked toward the door. Halfway, he stopped, took out the business card Hua Xiaoling had given him, and casually threw it on the floor before walking out.

Click click~

At the door, two armed personnel blocked their way.

“Let them go.”

She didn’t stop them and spoke directly. The armed personnel immediately moved aside. Furthermore, Hua Xiaoling instructed the research staff to escort them out.

Hua Xiaoling looked at the retreating figures of Lin Xian and KIKI. Her eyes glanced down at the business card at her feet. Her expression was neither happy nor sad, but filled with meaning as she said softly, “We will meet again.”

Buzz, Lin Xian and KIKI rode out of the research institute on a motorcycle. Turning back, they saw the large research institute quickly becoming blurry, thanks to the reflective panels. The sun was slanting, the trees were tall, and the grass was green. Outside, it wasn’t quite dark yet. If you didn’t look closely, no one would guess such a massive research institute stood among the trees.

Lin Xian was riding a motorcycle with KIKI on the back. He noticed KIKI’s pale face and immediately said, “Don’t take it to heart. Although they say they are neutral, in essence, their position is the same as that of the Descendants faction.”

“Lin Xian.” KIKI hugged his waist, pressing her body against his back and feeling his warmth. She whispered, “If I block a sword for you in the future, will you be sad for me?”

“No.” Lin Xian replied firmly.

“Ah?” KIKI widened her eyes.

Lin Xian revved the engine. “I’ll make you an armor that’s invulnerable to knives and swords. No sword will pierce it.”

“Tch~”

KIKI couldn’t help but roll her eyes, though most of the darkness in her expression faded. She laughed, “Alright, let’s go back and see what Sasha and the others found today.”

Lin Xian nodded, glancing at the sky as the motorbike raced ahead. He spoke coldly, “I don’t know what they found, but I now know for sure what someone found here.”

“Who?”

“Who else? The merchant who bought so many guns from us.”

The motorbike zoomed down the road toward Hengshan Pass station.

Hengshan Pass Train Station, Infinite Line.

Chen Sixuan, holding the itinerary, was with Miao Lu in compartment 7, checking the supplies. For safety, every box of food was opened and carefully inspected to ensure there was no damage, leakage, or spoilage. They organized everything according to category.

“Meat cans and fruit cans should be placed separately. Dry foods like biscuits should also be kept away from liquid foods to avoid moisture.”

“Xiao Yuan, Tao Tao, put the food in glass jars in the middle cabinets and add some padding. Otherwise, if the train is attacked, these jars might get shattered.”

Chen Sixuan was meticulous, and Miao Lu worked diligently alongside her.

“Miao Lu, any news on the lines?” Chen Sixuan asked.

Miao Lu checked her terminal and communicator and said, “Not yet. It’s still early. They’ll probably wait until the last moment to return.”

Chen Sixuan glanced out of the window at the setting sun and took a deep breath. “I hope they get good results today.”

“Of course~” Miao Lu grinned. “It’s broad daylight, so there won’t be any strange creatures around. If they only encounter zombies, it shouldn’t threaten their safety. But Hengshan Pass has been visited by so many people. It’ll probably be difficult to find anything useful.”

Chen Sixuan nodded. This was the first time the Infinite Line had split into teams for a large exploration.

Normally, Lin Xian would lead the way himself. But now, with more people, especially on a normal urban exploration mission, there wasn’t much pressure. It was just the right opportunity to give everyone a breather after running for their lives.