Apocalypse: I Build A Doomsday Train Chapter 1234 - 476: Advanced Evolution

As Lin Xian’s consciousness slowly detached, Chu Yan slumped against the wall, her face drained of color. She drew deep, ragged breaths, then glanced at the physical condition display on her HUD, noting her critical heart rate and spiritual fluctuations.

"I hope you’re alright..."

Chu Yan whispered into the silence, observing her own trembling hand before slowly clenching it into a fist.

As a Spiritual Ability User, she should have been the prime candidate for investigating the scarlet anomaly. Yet, even with her superpower augmented by the Dark Energy Synchronization Device, Chu Yan experienced an overwhelming sense of invasive pressure. This was merely indoors; she estimated her survival time outside would be less than thirty minutes.

She urgently needed a way to return. With the Starfire Plan a failure, her next destination had to be the South American Continent to rendezvous with Lin. The Star Abyss was raging, the world was aflame, and humanity's time might be running out.

Chu Yan’s eyes flickered as she recalled Lin Xian's recent words, but she refrained from contacting Grace.

The South Heavenly Gate was Lin Xian’s ultimate secret weapon. Both she and Professor Ye believed it was the reason Lin Xian could remain hidden from the Foundation’s gaze. Consequently, she would never deploy it carelessly, especially given the crimson anomaly's pervasive strangeness. The destructive potential of the South Heavenly Gate’s energy beam weapon against such an unknown threat remained uncertain, unlike its proven power in Dawn City.

Sigh~

"Zzz..."

Chu Yan inhaled sharply. At that precise moment, a series of crackling static bursts erupted from her communication channel, originating from one of her team's frequencies.

"Cyclone, Black Bee, report your status!"

"Zzz..."

No response came.

Creak...

A sudden, peculiar noise shattered Chu Yan’s focus.

The scarlet phenomenon outside the window exuded a palpable aura, causing the window frames to emit a low groan.

Chu Yan’s expression turned grim. Her Power Armor activated, enveloping her in a thin, illuminated energy field that traced the suit’s contours. She rose stealthily, deploying two Silver Sharp Blades from beneath her arms. The Diffraction Particles within them began to charge, preparing these close-combat weapons, renowned for their ability to cleave through even S-Class mutated flesh.

Inch by inch, Chu Yan moved toward the window, her fingertips unleashing a high-temperature beam that sliced an opening. Peering through the gap, she witnessed the scarlet storm aggressively consuming the world. It wasn't complete darkness; rather, the crimson light itself seemed to illuminate everything, casting the landscape in a surreal, scarlet negative.

The very earth was stained a deep, blood-like red. Crimson soil exhaled visible red vapor that dissipated into the atmosphere, blending so utterly with the air that the horizon between sky and ground became indistinguishable.

Creak...

The sound manifested again, and this time, Chu Yan was certain its source lay beyond the apartment door!

She pivoted instantly, her gaze fixed on the heavily sealed metal door of the distant apartment. The unsettling static persisted intermittently in her comms, but outside, the oppressive silence was abruptly shattered.

It wasn't the shriek of a Zombie or the tremor of an Abnormal Body. Instead, it was a sickening, heavy squelching, like a damp, thick hide being dragged laboriously across a surface. Each stride scraped against the cold concrete, sounding terrifyingly near, imbued with a palpable malice as it deliberately advanced toward the rusted, sealed iron door.

Suddenly, the sound ceased as it reached the door, replaced by an intensely cold aura that rapidly permeated the room. Chu Yan watched the temperature display on her Power Armor plummet, frost beginning to form on the nanometer-weave protective skin.

Concurrently, the walls let out a grating moan. The textured surface appeared to be dissolving in a potent acidic substance, sloughing off in large chunks and revealing the more decayed layers beneath. Pieces of the disintegrating wall, mid-fall, transformed into a thick, dark-red fluid, akin to a sponge saturated with foul blood, dripping onto the floor with a revolting stench.

The deep rust stains on the already corroded iron door spread with unnatural speed, as if the metal itself were alive, rapidly decaying and aging. Accompanying this, the room’s overall visibility rapidly deteriorated. The crimson fog swirled like spilled ink, obscuring the surroundings. Light was so suppressed that only a fuzzy, distorted outline within half a meter of Chu Yan remained visible; the overhead fluorescent lamp was reduced to a mere pinpoint of light.