Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 290: Mycelium Human Head
On the Infinite Train, Lin Xian replied to Ning Jing’s words, “Laying 22 kilometers of track—even with the most basic standard—is no small project.”
“Exactly.” Ning Jing said thoughtfully, “My engineering team has already reviewed the drone’s reconnaissance footage. There are multiple collapses, waterlogged sections, and countless obstructions. The two main issues are track materials and time and safety concerns.”
“So many Doomsday Trains, I’d imagine everyone has emergency track supplies, right?” Shu Qin chimed in.
“We already did a tally,” Ning Jing answered. “Everyone only has short-term emergency reserves—just a few hundred meters. Altogether, we can maybe cover three to four kilometers. Of course, there’s also the option of dismantling rear track sections to patch the front, but that would cost a lot of time...”
Inside Carriage 2, everyone instinctively turned to look at Lin Xian.
“Our emergency track only covers three hundred meters,” Big Luo said. “That’s far from enough.”
“Lin Xian, more than twenty kilometers—even if you try to manufacture it, that’s going to take serious effort, right?” KIKI swiveled in her chair and looked back at Lin Xian.
Lin Xian shook his head. “Making rails is simple. It won’t take much. With so many Ability Users among us, clearing obstructions is easy. Dragon Mountain No. 1 has a track laying machine, so it’s not a complex fix. The only issue… is materials.”
He had already used up all the materials in his Disassembly Space when repairing Unit 01. Currently, all that remained was 30 grams of iron from a swallowed alarm clock...
“But if we mobilize all the trains to lay tracks, it’s going to be a huge commotion. Who knows what might happen in the current situation,” Chen Sixuan said. “Can we just use Dragon Mountain No. 1’s all-terrain vehicle to haul us across the 22 kilometers?”
“Drag a 15-kilometer-long train convoy?” KIKI let out a dramatic sigh. “Even if they grind Dragon Mountain No. 1’s treads to dust, it still wouldn’t budge. And if we derail, getting back on the tracks won’t be easy~”
“She’s right.”
Lin Xian nodded. “The best option is still connecting the rails.”
After a moment’s thought, he added, “Let’s form a small team, head into the city to gather materials. With those and the other trains’ emergency rails, we can supply the Dragon Mountain No. 1’s track layer directly. That’d be the most efficient way.”
“Seems like that’s the only plan.” KIKI spun back around in her chair, shooting Lin Xian a teasing look. “Looks like it’s up to our savior again.”
There was a trace of hidden concern deep in her eyes—well-disguised by her usual stellar performance.
Hearing this, Chen Sixuan gave Lin Xian a helpless look. “I’ve got a bad feeling about the situation in this city. And the air…”
Lin Xian glanced at KIKI. “Let’s go down and take a look first.”
“Okay.” KIKI nodded.
Lin Xian then discussed the plan with Ning Jing and the others. He brought KIKI along and had her deploy a Telekinetic Shield to isolate the outside air as they prepared to disembark. Just to be safe, he sealed the carriage completely, leaving only the two of them to open the door.
“Everyone, stay alert. I’ll scout ahead. All convoys remain silent and await further orders.”
“Understood, Captain Lin.”
The voices of over a dozen convoy leaders echoed from the back. No one questioned this young train captain—after all, he had been the key to resolving the Xilan City Crisis. Even Luo Yang of the Sun Convoy was a loyal follower of Lin Xian.
Shhh—
The hatch of Carriage No. 1 opened. KIKI activated her Telekinetic Shield to block the outside air, and the two of them floated out of the Infinite Train.
Outside the carriage, the air was cold and damp. Everywhere they looked, bioluminescent fungi glowed in the dark—on the ground, on walls, on the train, on people...
“If only this stuff didn’t grow on people—it’d actually be kinda pretty,” KIKI said, gazing at the glowing patches.
“Anything born in the Polar Night isn’t something I’m in the mood to admire,” Lin Xian replied. “Well? What do you think?”
“Doesn’t feel particularly weird.” Regaining her energy, KIKI crouched and grabbed one of the glowing mushrooms. With a soft squeeze—poof—it burst, releasing a puff of ochre-colored spores that wafted through the air.
Seeing this, KIKI quickly swept them away with her telekinesis.
“Fungal spores?”
Lin Xian scanned the nearby Human-Fungi. “Looks like this type of fungus can parasitize humans.”
“Don’t tell me it’s another parasite... or Impostor?” KIKI grimaced. “That’d be disgusting.”
She extended her power toward the nearest Human-Fungus—a tall man still wearing a thick jacket. But under the fungal tendrils, it had turned entirely discolored. Her power stripped the mushrooms and mycelium from his body—along with his dried-out clothes, and… his skin and bones.
Crack—crack—crack. A disturbingly eerie noise rang out. The more KIKI pulled, the more nauseated she felt, her brows deeply furrowed.
It felt disturbingly like peeling the crispy skin off fried chicken. Beneath the fungal layers lay rotting, soaked organs. She gagged.
Ugh—
KIKI dry-heaved, completely unaware that as she “peeled,” the eyes of that Human-Fungus were frantically twitching—filled with agony.
Lin Xian frowned at the sight. This fungus seemed to be turning people into some sort of plant. He wasn’t even sure what form it counted as. If they accidentally got infected, they’d be completely screwed.
“Let’s head up for a better view,” Lin Xian gestured skyward.
“Okay.” KIKI released her hold and tossed the Human-Fungus away. Crack. Its head snapped off at the neck like rotting wood, rolling along the ground with tendrils and mushrooms sprouting from it.
With a surge of telekinesis, the two of them soared into the air, wrapped in a protective barrier.
Within moments, they were hundreds of meters up. Fierce wind whipped spores against their gas masks. Lin Xian tightened his cable grip and looked down. His pupils shrank.
The entire city of Yijin—once a tourist hotspot in the west—was now cloaked in a bizarre fungal bloom. Networks of glowing mycelium pulsed across the surface like fluorescent rivers. Spore clouds drifted between buildings. Lin Xian was awed. If not for the horrific Human-Fungi, the scene might even be considered otherworldly—beautiful, in a twisted way.
But looking too closely was a mistake. The brown, web-like mycelium clung to buildings and ground alike, interwoven like a cocoon. Condensation inside his mask slid down into his collar, making Lin Xian shiver. The glowing mushrooms blinked on and off, and the whole city pulsed like a breathing womb—deeply unsettling.
“I remember before Apocalypse Day, Yijin was a top travel spot,” KIKI murmured, staring into the night. “People came here for the Wildflower Festival, rode that steam train through the salt marshes and canyons… Oh, and there were tons of casinos too. Kinda like our own Las Vegas. Their lamb skewers and rose pies were famous…”
She suddenly turned to Lin Xian. “Do you think the Polar Night is covering these cities just to grow these mushrooms?”
Lin Xian ran a scan with his Power Armor’s radar and air analysis systems, then said, “Alright, let’s head back. Air’s okay for now, but those airborne spores are a real threat. Plus, the darkness of the Polar Night might bring more than just fungi.”
“You’ve got a point.”
Back on the Infinite Train, Lin Xian immediately checked the Eerie Cube. Confirming no sign of Dark Invasion inside, he finally relaxed.
“Everyone stay on the train. I’m forming a temporary team to collect materials. Get Dragon Mountain No. 1’s track layer prepped.”
“I’m going with you—and I’ll bring A’Bai.” Ning Jing responded promptly to Lin Xian’s plan.
“Count me in too!” Luo Yang chimed in. “Captain Lin, my night vision is excellent. Let me help.”
Lin Xian thought for a moment. “Make sure you’re all in Power Armor. If it’s not fully sealed, wear gas masks.”
After what happened in Impostor Town, Lin Xian felt it was wise to have a few strong allies by his side. The 15-kilometer train was stationary—no threat from the Night Rats. Better to bring extra protection.
Of course, KIKI was going. Surprisingly, Fire Bro wanted in too.
“Didn’t you love garrison duty? Why join this mission?” KIKI asked Lu Xingchen curiously.
Lu Xingchen grinned. “In the Polar Night, you don’t face darkness with kindness. You fight it with fire.”
Lin Xian had no comeback. He knew Lu Xingchen had taken a serious blow in Xilan City. As a top-tier Ability User, a Rampage-Level at that, he got chased all over by a giant bug and sea urchin—forced to fly for his life. For someone who called himself the Flame Emperor, that was unacceptable. No wonder he jumped at the chance for action.
“Alright, that makes six of us…”
“Add me too.” Suddenly, Ding Junyi stepped forward, hands in her pockets, her face calm. Before Lin Xian could speak, she said, “Fungal lifeforms differ fundamentally from plants. No chloroplasts. They rely on decomposing organic matter—dead or alive—for energy. I’m very interested in these fungi that thrive in the Polar Night. Plus, I can sense my Dark Mark now. You have no reason not to bring me.”
“…Can’t argue with that.” Lin Xian sighed. He had almost forgotten how suitable Ding Junyi was. She could even absorb Dark Invasion energy and convert it into pure power—a walking anomaly. Her skills would be crucial for analyzing this fungal city.
“Ms. Chen,” Lin Xian turned to Chen Sixuan, “we’ll leave the train in your hands. With this many people coming with me, we should be safe.”
“Got it.” Chen Sixuan nodded. “You all be careful.”
Soon, the seven-person squad—Lin Xian, KIKI, Ding Junyi, Fire Bro, Ning Jing, A’Bai, and Luo Yang—was assembled. Their mission was clear: assist Lin Xian in entering the city to Devour materials and manufacture the rails for escape.
The rest of the convoy remained on guard. The engineers on Dragon Mountain No. 1 had already started mobilizing, installing the track layer using temporary rails and cranes. One locomotive was detached for the job. Other convoys sent reinforcements—everyone in Power Armor and gas masks.
Meanwhile, Shi Diyuan, Chen Sixuan of the Infinite Train, Monica, Qian Dele, and Li Yi handled security.
The Electromagnetic Railgun atop the Infinite Train rose silently, scanning for suspicious activity under radar surveillance.
At 17:12, the Doomsday Train, stretching 15 kilometers with over 500 carriages, lay quietly in Yijin City. All lights were off. Blackout shields drawn. It looked like a sleeping steel beast beneath the night. White mist billowed from carriage joints, and all around, Human-Fungi watched in silence—eye sockets twitching with eerie intent.
Clack.
Wearing a TRP Power Armor and gas mask, Lin Xian stepped onto the ground once more. A cold wind lifted dry fungal vines into the air. There wasn’t much snow—only scattered human clothing.
Everyone was fully equipped. For safety, Chen Sixuan had given the Black Eagle Battle Suit to Ding Junyi, the weakest among them. KIKI’s Telekinetic Shield couldn’t stay active indefinitely, so she wore a gas mask as well. Lin Xian made sure no skin was exposed—just in case.
These parasitic spores were even scarier than parasites. If he had the resources, Lin Xian would’ve wanted everyone in Black Eagle Battle Suits—those fully sealed Power Armors with their own air filtration systems, even capable of movement underwater.
With that in mind, he decided to collect extra materials this time and build a suit for every core team member. He even swapped out his own TRP armor to give to a regular team member and planned to iterate a new one for himself later.
“Try not to get too close or touch any of this stuff,” Lin Xian instructed as he led the group through a break in the wire fence alongside the track. On the outskirts were rows of crumbling old houses. He didn’t use a flashlight, relying instead on the faint glow of the bioluminescent fungi to guide their way.
The Human-Fungi nearby seemed to react only to sound, slowly creaking their heads around, but otherwise didn’t move or show signs of aggression.
“So weird. Some of these people were Survivors, some are Zombies...” Luo Yang followed close behind Lin Xian, eyes lit up with fascination like a fanboy. He stared hard at the clusters of fungi and Human-Fungi. “This stuff doesn’t look new. Probably been here a while.”
Lin Xian pulled out his long-unused phone, dug through it, and found a map of Yijin City he’d saved. After checking their location, he quickly formed a plan.
There was an Auto City not far from here, with plenty of shops along the way. Since he was only here for metal materials, he planned to handle things quickly. Staying too long in the Polar Night was a risk, especially with Abyss Zone No. 5 expanding—delays meant more trouble escaping.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A mushroom-covered abandoned car by the street suddenly crumbled into ash. The fungal tendrils clinging to it still maintained the car’s shape, with roots stretching and crawling across the ground—it looked eerily alive.
Luo Yang and Ning Jing had never seen Lin Xian use his Devouring ability before. Watching a whole car vanish into thin air left them speechless.
“Captain Lin, you can make an entire car disappear from that far away?” Luo Yang stared at Lin Xian like he was witnessing a god.
No doubt about it—Lin Xian’s Mechanical Ability had become something terrifying. With just a wave of his hand, an inorganic machine simply vanished. Even Lin Xian himself felt the leap in his power—a qualitative shift in control over machinery.
“You don’t even need to touch it anymore?” KIKI floated nearby, whispering by his ear.
“Yeah. It’s like... an evolution,” Lin Xian replied.
“With how fast your powers are progressing, it seems I’ve been slacking off too much.” Lu Xingchen muttered hoarsely from behind his gas mask.
Ding Junyi also gave Lin Xian a look of mild awe, clearly taken aback by how much his ability had changed.
“There’s a lot of monster energy around here.”
As they walked along the fungus-covered path, A’Bai, who was beside Ning Jing, suddenly spoke up.
Ding Junyi blinked. She knew A’Bai could detect monster presence and Dark Marks, so she focused too. Her Black Eagle Battle Suit was covered in radar and data interfaces she still wasn’t used to, so she just read off the screen. “The Human-Fungi are alive, but they don’t seem to match known Eerie Entity classifications.”
“Everyone stay alert. We don’t know what threat these things pose, so avoid contact,” Ning Jing warned seriously.
“Jing-jie...” A’Bai’s voice tensed. “The presence I sensed—wasn’t from the Fungal People.”
That made everyone freeze in place.
Lin Xian was in the middle of devouring another broken-down car but immediately noticed something off. Countless Human-Fungi were staring at them—but there was something else mixed in among those gazes.
“KIKI.”
“On it.”
With a quick signal from Lin Xian, KIKI stood ready. As a powerful Telekinesis User, she could instantly lift everyone into the air if needed. Their mobility was a huge advantage in case of danger.
Everyone clustered around Lin Xian in full alert, scanning the surroundings. Lin Xian, meanwhile, ignored the threat and focused on Devouring—that was still priority number one.
They weren’t here to investigate monsters or scavenge loot—they were here to fix the tracks and get the hell out.
Grrrrrrllll...
A strange rolling sound echoed through the damp, silent street—low and muffled. Everyone turned their eyes to the source. A black, spherical object slowly rolled out from the shadows ahead.
“Careful!” Ning Jing shouted, pulling A’Bai and the others behind her protectively.
As it got closer, the glow of the fungi revealed what it was—a head, covered in mycelium.
Then came more rolling sounds. More and more heads rolled out of the darkness. Each seemed semi-sentient, rolling toward corners of the street—light poles, garden edges, billboards—then stopping, turning their fungus-coated, waxy pale faces toward the newcomers. Eyes watched silently.
“Lin Xian...?” KIKI’s voice was small, and she edged closer, ready to evacuate everyone with her powers.
No one had used any flashlights. Their footsteps were quiet. Yet now every corner of the street had Fungal Heads watching them.
“They’re probably real human heads,” Ding Junyi murmured. “But it’s unclear whether they’re classified as biological or non-biological under fungal parasitism.”
She pointed to one of the heads nearby. “Best approach? I bring back a few samples for study.”
Lin Xian felt a headache coming on. If she brought that kind of thing back to the train, no one would sleep again.
Back to reality, things were getting creepier by the second. Everyone was now fully on edge. Lin Xian took a moment, then raised a hand and repaired a broken streetlamp in the distance, installing a quick battery. With a snap of his fingers, the lamp flickered to life in a pale yellow glow.
That... was a mistake.
The Human-Fungi all around started crack-crack-cracking, twisting violently. They tore their mycelium mats from the ground, joints cracking and twitching. Some walked, others climbed, moving like grotesque puppets toward the light.
Then the most disturbing part happened.
The Human-Fungi formed a circle around the streetlamp. The mycelium on their bodies went into overdrive, rapidly growing and intertwining. In just a few seconds, they had covered and climbed the streetlight, weaving a bio-dome that completely engulfed the lamp. Within moments, the battery Lin Xian had made corroded, and the light winked out.
Darkness returned.
Everyone’s face turned pale.
“Good thing we didn’t let them get onto our train...” Ning Jing muttered.
“These mycelium can devour energy,” Luo Yang frowned. “And if we attack them, it might trigger a chain reaction—like an explosion. This is tricky.”
Lin Xian’s expression darkened. These things were freaky. If they got on the Infinite Train, who knows what damage they’d cause? They were practically the bane of machines. Worst of all—the airborne spores were microscopic. If inhaled? Total disaster.
“Human bodies contain bio-energy, too,” Ding Junyi added. “These spores might be more dangerous than viruses. Physical removal may not even work.”
Lin Xian looked at everyone and felt a headache rising. “D*mn... if these spores stick to us and we can’t get rid of them, how are we supposed to go back?”
“Oh, that’s easy.”
To his surprise, Ding Junyi didn’t seem concerned. “There are many ways to neutralize fungal spores. We can fumigate in an ozone chamber, or use UV sterilization in a cleanroom... if...”
She turned to glance at the glowing fungal carpet beside the road. “If these are actually fungi, and not some kind of Dark Entity in disguise.”
“Director Ding, look,” KIKI pointed toward the Fungal Heads watching them from every street corner. “Those ones aren’t reacting to light. They’re just staring at us.”
