Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 233: Vulcan Mecha

"What a massive machine!" Shu Qin exclaimed. "I saw the Iron Guard Battalion with one at the spaceport before—its firepower is insane!"

"That was a T7," Lin Xian's expression grew serious. "This T8-Z Fire God is the latest siege model before Apocalypse Day. Only a few were ever deployed to the Starfleet, and now a random Foundation has one? That's insane."

"They don’t just have one. Looks like they have plenty," Ding Junyi scanned the hangar and said, "There are sixteen large storage bays on these mech maintenance platforms, and they’re all empty. Could this one be broken?"

Lin Xian's eyes sharpened. He dashed a few steps along the water's edge, then leaped onto the mech with a clang. He moved toward the armored viewport of the cockpit, wiped away the grime, and immediately saw a drowned corpse inside—dressed in a Foundation uniform.

"Looks like they didn’t make it out. Doesn't necessarily mean it’s broken, though."

Lin Xian felt an intense surge of excitement. After so much searching, he had finally found a heavy mech!

He eagerly examined the upper body of the machine, his gaze burning with enthusiasm.

This beast weighed a full 17 tons, standing over three meters tall. Its right arm was equipped with a triple-barreled 30mm Vulcan cannon, carrying 6,000 rounds. The left arm held a 75mm onboard main gun, capable of firing high-explosive shells, semi-armor-piercing demolition rounds, and guided munitions at a rate of 40 rounds per minute. On top of that, it had a flamethrower and a grenade launcher system. Its armor was comparable to a tank, making it the ultimate siege weapon!

"I need to check if it's damaged, then find a way to get it back to the Infinite Train!"

Lin Xian pressed his hand against the cold metal plating and activated Mechanical Heart, preparing to scan the mech.

"Lin Xian, can I check out the other areas on this floor?" Ding Junyi raised a stack of documents in her hand and said, "I want to gather more useful information before we leave."

Lin Xian wanted to refuse. They had just encountered an unknown eerie entity, and he was worried about Ding Junyi’s safety. But seeing her determined expression, he understood how important this was to her. He turned to Shu Qin and said, "Fine. Go together, but don’t stray too far."

Then, he pressed his communicator and warned, "When we were on the seventh floor, the signal range was decent. But down here, the interference is intense. Either it’s an eerie entity’s dark energy, or it’s these waters. Stay alert."

Shu Qin nodded. "Don’t worry, Captain Lin, I’ll stick with Director Ding."

With that, Lin Xian gave Ding Junyi a nod, and the two women moved past the hangar toward other areas on the ninth floor.

This floor was the Foundation's main operations hub, meaning there were likely far more valuable resources here than on any other level—something Lin Xian had already factored into his plans.

Seeing them leave, Lin Xian wasted no time and initiated the mech scan.

[Scanning... 1%]

A deep hum filled the air as Mechanical Heart activated. As his consciousness merged with the mech, a rush of exhilaration surged through his mind—a feeling he'd only experienced when scanning his power armor before.

Beneath the exterior plating, the intricate mechanical transmission design, the power core on the back, the control systems, the gyro stabilizers in the legs, the hydraulic power distribution units in the thigh actuators, the high-torque agile knee drives, and the muscle fiber engine clusters—all of it sent an electric thrill through Lin Xian’s senses, the sheer industrial beauty making his heart race.

If he could bring this thing back, it would be an absolute game-changer. Combined with the G3 Electromagnetic Railgun he was still working on, the Infinite Train's firepower would reach a whole new level!

"...Wait, damn! I almost forgot!"

An idea suddenly struck him, and he opened his Research Center interface.

"Shi*! The sniper rifle blueprint finished upgrading two hours ago…"

Looking at the floating holographic interface, Lin Xian suddenly remembered something crucial.

"I was so focused on fighting that black centipede that I missed the notification."

[Congratulations! You have obtained the 'Meteorite-3 Heavy Sniper Rifle' (Blueprint)!]

"Holy sh*t, this is high-end gear!"

The Meteorite-3 was an elite sniper rifle used by Starfleet special forces. Built with special alloy materials, it was lighter, more mobile, and integrated with a smart recoil-dampening system—offering superior firepower, stability, and maneuverability.

"It even has an advanced support system. If I give this to Professor Chen and craft her a power armor suit… Damn…"

The thought of turning Professor Chen into a sniper goddess filled Lin Xian with fiery excitement.

"Finally! Time to upgrade the power armor!"

This time, he prioritized armor development. Ever since obtaining the TRP-4 Industrial Active Exoskeleton from Ding Qing, he had planned to modify and upgrade it. Once the electromagnetic railgun system was complete, he would craft power armor for his top fighters, boosting everyone's combat capabilities.

Without hesitation, he uploaded the power armor blueprint to the Research Center.

[This blueprint is high-level. Current Mechanical Manufacturing Level: 3. Research duration increased by 25%.]

[Estimated research time: 13 days, 20 hours.]

"As expected."

Lin Xian's gaze darkened slightly. But this time, he didn’t cancel the research—he locked it in.

[Mechanical Manufacturing: Level 3 (460/1000)]

Thanks to his massive weapon production at Hengshan Pass and his frequent use of mechanical abilities at the research institute, his proficiency was nearing halfway to the next level.

"Once I finish setting up the weapon station for the Infinite Train, or build a batch of heavy weapons…"

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"Perfect—I was planning to track down that guy Hu anyway. I’ll craft more weapons and trade for essential supplies before heading into the snowfields."

Lin Xian refocused on scanning the mech, but he remained highly alert to his surroundings.

"Shu Qin, what’s your status?"

"No abnormalities, Captain," Shu Qin responded.

Hearing that, Lin Xian felt a bit more at ease. He took a deep breath, fully activating Mechanical Heart, pouring all his focus into scanning the massive mech.

Gurgle... gurgle...

The submerged hangar bubbled and rippled, the water level rising slowly. What once reached the mech's waist was now up to its chest, and the walkway was beginning to flood.

Lin Xian frowned, estimating the water’s rise. Every now and then, he checked in with Shu Qin over the communicator.

Thud, thud.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the corridor they had entered from.

Lin Xian's heart tightened. He snapped his head toward the sound—just in time to see a shadow dart past.

"Who’s there?!" he called out.

Silence. No response.

Lin Xian gripped his Black Rifle, but he didn’t let go of the mech—the scan was still running.

[Scan Progress: 55%]

Unless absolutely necessary, he would not interrupt the scan.

"Shu Qin."

"What’s wrong, Captain?"

"Where are you?"

"We're in an office area."

Lin Xian’s gaze sharpened. "Stay alert. Something’s moving toward your direction."

"Got it!" Shu Qin’s voice tensed up.

Thud, thud, thud—

The footsteps drew closer.

Bzzzzt!

The lights flickered.

For an instant, everything plunged into darkness.

When the lights flickered back on, Lin Xian’s breath caught.

KIKI.

She was standing in the corridor, silently watching him.

"When did you get here?"

KIKI stepped forward—then, without hesitation, she did something utterly baffling.

Before Lin Xian's stunned eyes, she slowly removed her clothes, one piece at a time.

Within moments, her bare, porcelain-white body was fully exposed.

Lin Xian's brows immediately furrowed. This eerie behavior triggered a strong sense of unease. His mind flashed back to the Rain Town incident, and without hesitation, he raised his Black Rifle, his voice turning ice-cold.

"Who the hell are you?"

"It's me! What are you doing?"

KIKI looked at Lin Xian, puzzled by his raised weapon. Yet, she didn't stop. Instead, she stepped into the water and began swimming toward him.

Lin Xian's alarm bells rang. Every fiber of his being screamed that this 'KIKI' was off—yet she spoke, making him hesitate.

"Stop!" he barked.

But KIKI didn’t stop. She just kept swimming, her pale body cutting through the dark waters in a strangely graceful manner. In the dim, flooded hangar of this underground research facility, the sight was downright unsettling.

Lin Xian tightened his grip on the Black Rifle, gritting his teeth.

Was this an illusion?

Or had KIKI lost her mind?

His subconscious screamed a warning—this was all wrong!

"It's really me! Don't shoot!" KIKI called out.

Lin Xian’s heart pounded as she got closer, sweat forming on his forehead.

Just as KIKI was about to reach the mech—

BANG!

A massive gunshot shattered the silence.

In an instant, the KIKI in front of him vanished—and Lin Xian's vision suddenly snapped back to reality. The dark haze cleared, revealing a spray of blood and shredded flesh exploding into the water next to the mech.

Lin Xian’s gaze snapped downward.

There was no KIKI.

Instead, floating in the water was a ghastly white human head, its lower half riddled with bullet wounds—and below it, a mess of torn-apart tentacles!

"Lin Xian!"

A familiar voice rang out from the distance.

Lin Xian snapped his head up and saw a group rushing down the straight corridor—KIKI, Da Lou, Lü Chang, Miao Lu, and a dozen team members were all racing toward him.

And standing at the center of them was—

Chen Sixuan.

She was still holding her A33K Heavy Anti-Materiel Sniper Rifle, the barrel smoking from the shot she had just fired.

Her chest rose and fell slightly as she lowered the gun and ran over with KIKI.

"Lin Xian, are you okay?" Chen Sixuan asked.

KIKI floated over the water, frowning at the strange corpse, then back at Lin Xian.

"What the hell were you doing?! That thing was so close—why didn’t you shoot?!"

Lin Xian finally snapped out of his daze. His gaze remained locked on the humanoid abomination in the water.

His voice was filled with disbelief.

"This thing… I don’t know what it did, but I saw you…" His tone darkened. "I saw you taking off your clothes and swimming toward me—you even talked to me."

"WHAT?!"

KIKI’s big, expressive eyes widened in shock and outrage.

"Bullsh*t! Who the hell would strip naked and swim in a place like this?!" she fumed.

Chen Sixuan reached the edge of the hangar, looking at Lin Xian from across the water.

"But when I was aiming just now, I didn’t see it using any camouflage," she noted.

Lin Xian nodded. "Exactly. So I’m thinking—this was some kind of hallucination-based ability."

"An ability?"

"Yeah." Lin Xian pressed his communicator.

"Shu Qin, Director Ding—get over here. Our team has arrived."

"Copy that. On our way."

Lin Xian exhaled deeply, then looked at the shredded corpse in the water.

"Director Ding mentioned before—if an Ability User mutates into a Human Eerie, they might still retain their abilities. But it could also be some kind of Eerie Entity. We’ll have to ask her when she gets here."

His expression grew serious as he addressed the team.

"Everyone, stay sharp. This Foundation research facility might not just have Human Eeries and Eerie Entities—there could be other experimental horrors lurking around. Stay on your toes."

"Hold up."

KIKI suddenly landed next to Lin Xian, eyes sharp as daggers.

"Explain this to me properly." She narrowed her gaze. "Did you really see me take off my clothes?"

Cough cough—

Lin Xian avoided the little troublemaker’s accusatory stare and immediately turned to Chen Sixuan to change the topic.

"Professor Chen, what are you doing here?"

Chen Sixuan held onto her sniper rifle and replied in a casual but probing tone.

"Lu Xingchen is staying back to guard the train. Shasha stayed behind too. When KIKI told me this place had a lot of supplies, I figured I’d come along. I know exactly what we’re low on, so I can help prioritize what we take. We can’t just throw everything onto the train."

Lin Xian nodded.

He understood her real reason for coming—she wanted to help out more actively.

But he didn’t call her out on it. Instead, he simply agreed.

"That makes sense. Good thinking."

"Oi, Lin—"

"By the way, kiddo—take a look at this."

Before KIKI could explode, Lin Xian cut her off and pointed at the mech beneath him.

KIKI's attention immediately shifted. Her eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.

"Holy sh*t! The T8-Z Fire God Siege Mech?!!"

...

A few minutes later, Shu Qin and Director Ding arrived from the side corridor.

The team gathered around the water’s edge, examining the grotesque monster that Chen Sixuan had just obliterated.

"This thing has a completely human torso—it’s probably a Human Eerie," Director Ding analyzed. "But after seeing all the biological experiments in this Foundation lab, I can’t say for sure."

"That's actually terrifying," Shu Qin muttered, her face grim. "It could make people hallucinate—definitely a psychic ability."

Lin Xian nodded. "I don’t even know how I got caught in it. I knew something felt wrong when it got closer, but the KIKI I saw was so damn realistic. That’s why I hesitated instead of shooting immediately."

"Everyone needs to stay extra cautious moving forward."

At the mention of "realistic," KIKI puffed out her cheeks and gave Lin Xian a narrow-eyed glare.

Lin Xian could feel her sneaking glances at him, clearly still fixated on that one detail.

In hindsight, he should’ve just said he saw KIKI—without mentioning the stripping part. Now, she wouldn’t let it go.

So, he motioned for KIKI to come closer.

KIKI, still fuming, floated over with an unconvinced expression.

"What do you want?"

Lin Xian lowered his voice.

"That thing—it simulated you taking off your clothes." His tone was serious. "I observed it very carefully—and I’m absolutely sure…"

KIKI's expression froze, a faint blush creeping onto her face.

"That wasn’t your real body."

KIKI blinked, then her face turned red and white, her teeth gritting hard.

"You—how the hell do you know?!"

Lin Xian kept a straight face.

"Because…"

He pointed at the floating corpse and calmly stated:

"That monster had a chest."