Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train

As the light dimmed in an instant, Chen Sixuan scrambled on her knees into the cockpit. Using Lin Xian's phone flashlight, she quickly checked the train’s travel mileage.

Then, she returned to the corner, pulled out her notebook, and, trembling, carefully recorded:

"Day 1, departed from Jiang City, travel time: 50 minutes, distance: 54 kilometers, daylight hours: 16:00 to 18:45."

Chen Sixuan’s eyes kept trembling, her entire being on the verge of collapse. She seemed possessed, forcing herself not to think about what was happening outside.

She tried not to think about Lin Xian, not about that family of three, not about the darkness outside, and especially not about her impending death...

Suddenly, the cockpit door automatically opened, and the corridor lights turned on. Startled, Chen Sixuan fell back onto the floor.

The door opened, and Lin Xian, covered in blood and wielding a short blade, leapt inside. Chen Sixuan was overjoyed. She immediately got up to close and lock the door tightly. Then, to prevent the light in the hallway from leaking into the darkness outside, she shut the small door leading into the cockpit as well.

“Lin… Lin, are you okay?” Chen Sixuan knelt in the carriage, staring in shock at Lin Xian, who was now covered in wounds.

“I’m not dead.” Lin Xian grabbed a bottle of water from behind, twisted it open, and downed half of it in big gulps before finally exhaling deeply.

“Ah… what’s wrong?”

Chen Sixuan looked up in surprise, meeting Lin Xian’s piercing gaze. His eyes were cold as ice, and he questioned her in a sharp tone,

“Why didn’t you open the door earlier?”

In truth, Lin Xian had been climbing up for a while. Although injured, he knew that Da Fei and his group would definitely leave before nightfall. So, he had hidden on the slope for a bit, looking for his short blade in the process.

Chen Sixuan raised her eyes to look at him. Seeing his serious expression, she bit her lip, lowered her gaze, and, after a moment of silence, replied softly,

“If I had opened the door, wouldn’t you have thrown me out as well?”

“Yes.” Lin Xian’s voice was cold as ice.

Chen Sixuan’s expression darkened. Hearing Lin Xian’s blunt response, she seemed deflated, leaning weakly against the wall. Her eyes filled with pain as she shut them tightly, and silent tears streamed down her face.

Lin Xian let out a small sigh. Watching Chen Sixuan cry, he finally spoke.

“You hesitated out of kindness—I understand that.”

“As humans, when we ignore the suffering of others, anyone with a shred of conscience is bound to feel pain.”

Hearing his words, Chen Sixuan’s emotions completely crumbled. She threw herself into Lin Xian’s arms, her slender shoulders shaking. Her sobs turned into uncontrollable wails, full of heartbreak and regret. She cried without any restraint, like a child admitting to a terrible mistake.

“I really didn’t know what to do…”

Lin Xian gently held her trembling body and said in a low voice,

“There’s a saying in Buddhism: ‘Before saving others, save yourself. Before saving yourself, save your heart. If the heavens won’t help, help yourself.’ If you can’t even protect yourself, there’s no way you can protect anyone else. If you had opened the door, not only would those three people have died, but you would’ve died too—dragging me down with you.”

“I know…” Chen Sixuan wept, her tear-streaked face full of self-blame and guilt. “But I heard the baby crying. That baby… it sounded like it was only a few months old…”

A maternal instinct naturally surged within her. At that moment, Chen Sixuan felt like she had turned into a monster, a heartless demon.

Lin Xian remained expressionless as he watched Chen Sixuan’s near-breakdown. With a faint sigh, he said,

“If I told you it was all fake, what would you think?”

Chen Sixuan, still buried in his arms and sobbing, froze upon hearing his words. Slowly, she looked up with teary, clouded eyes and asked,

“W-What… did you say?”

Lin Xian’s gaze sharpened slightly as he explained,

“We’re right near Yushan Station. Even without the train, the safest option would’ve been to hide in the station. But as soon as that group left, that family of three came knocking on the door—it was too deliberate. And… have you ever seen a mother cruel enough to pinch her baby to make it cry on purpose?”

Chen Sixuan’s pupils trembled violently upon hearing this. Tears glistened in her eyes, and her face was filled with disbelief.

“You’re saying… they were lying?”

Lin Xian gave a helpless smile.

“Ms. Chen, you’ve heard the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf,’ haven’t you? If I’m not mistaken, that ‘family of three’ was deliberately sent by the group to trick us into opening the door.”

In the apocalypse, everyone feared for their lives. Exploiting others’ sympathy had indeed proven to be an effective strategy.

And as it happened, Lin Xian had just experienced a similar situation the day before...

Hearing Lin Xian’s explanation, Chen Sixuan covered her mouth in shock.

She found it hard to believe that people could be so despicable.

Then she thought of Director Liang, and a chill ran through her body. She felt she had been too naïve. At this moment, she truly understood the depth of human malice.

Chen Sixuan felt utterly drained, her eyes blank and unfocused.

Lin Xian glanced at her. He had to admit, her reaction brought him a sense of relief.

He deeply understood how treacherous people could be in the apocalypse. If Chen Sixuan had been a bleeding heart, even going so far as to plead with him to open the door, he wouldn’t have hesitated to abandon her entirely.

He couldn’t afford to trust such a teammate to guard the train.

But this incident gave him a subtle shift in perspective on Chen Sixuan.

In a short span of time, this woman, once a campus queen adored by all, had shown remarkable courage. It proved that she wasn’t just highly intelligent but also possessed extraordinary resilience.

To be honest, Lin Xian couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of admiration for her.

“Am I just… too stupid?” Chen Sixuan broke the silence after a long pause.

Lin Xian adjusted his posture and replied with a faint smile, “Very stupid, and very naïve.”

Hearing his evaluation, Chen Sixuan’s expression turned self-deprecating, and she let out a silent laugh.

Lin Xian, having just survived a brutal battle, was in considerable pain. He glanced toward the corner where their supplies were stored and asked, “Aren’t you hungry? Why haven’t you eaten anything?”

Chen Sixuan’s eyes widened at his words, and she replied seriously, “You… you didn’t give me permission to eat.”

Lin Xian’s gaze turned peculiar as he looked at her. His expression was a mix of amusement and disbelief.

“Ms. Chen, you’re adorable.”

“What do you mean by that?” Chen Sixuan asked, her face puzzled.

“I mean, Ms. Chen, right now, I feel like sleeping with you.”

“Huh…?”

Chen Sixuan was completely caught off guard by Lin Xian’s blunt statement. Before she could react, Lin Xian pulled her into his arms.

She panicked instantly, squirming like a frightened rabbit and stammered,

“W-Wait, Lin, aren’t you injured?”

“Ah, does it have to be now?”

“Hold on, you’re covered in blood…”

“Lin Xian, I… I’ve never done this before…”

“Wait, wait! I-I have… that… in my bag…”

The night was as dark as ink, and snowflakes swirled gently outside.

However, not far away, on a sofa, a young girl lay sleeping. Her eyes remained closed, but her delicate brows gradually furrowed…