Daybreak arrived.
"Phew."
Chen Mang stretched his arms and leaped out of bed, only to pause as he caught sight of the gruesome scene outside.
It was the first time he had witnessed the phrase "corpses strewn across the fields" so vividly.
Thick, crimson blood stained the soil around the Train, as if they were in a sea of blood. Zombie limbs and flesh were scattered everywhere. Surprisingly, the scene wasn't overwhelmingly gory; it looked more like watermelons crushed by a hydraulic press.
Melon pulp was everywhere.
As he washed up, he glanced at the Train Log on the control panel screen and finally understood what had happened last night.
"Train Conductor."
Xiao Ai, standing nearby, spoke in a cold, mechanical voice through the robot's vocal amplifier: "You didn't give me instructions on whether to absorb the flesh into the Train. All dropped items have been absorbed into the Train by the Powerful Magnet."
"Absorb it now. In the future, collect the flesh in such situations too."
"Understood."
After drying his face with a towel, Chen Mang sat down, took a deep breath, lit a cigarette, and leisurely began checking the Train Radio. Soon, he learned that last night's Corpse Tide wasn't targeting him alone but all Trains.
Nearly all Trains on the Shahe Plain were attacked by the Corpse Tide last night.
Many Trains were annihilated.
These Trains were mostly Level 4 Trains that had just arrived from the white zone to the Shahe Plain. Without Drill Bits, they couldn't hide and could only run across the plain, but the sheer number of Zombies made escape impossible. Once surrounded, they were left to wait for death.
It was as if the newcomers were nearly wiped out, leaving only those Trains that had been on the Shahe Plain for some time.
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang frowned, his first thought being whether this was orchestrated by "The Balance" group, perhaps a retaliatory act by that guy from the World Weary Train who held a grudge.
But he quickly dismissed this idea. First, he didn't believe that guy had such means, and even if it was for revenge, there was no need to involve so many innocent Trains.
The disappearance of monsters in the Kunlun Mountains region suggested it was to conceal the entrance to the Exclusive Flesh Train Encounter Map.
Could this be related to the Corpse Tide uprising?
Probably not.
The Flesh Train Encounter Map should be related to the Tower of Heaven. Was it the Tower of Heaven then?
Wait—
He suddenly thought of something and immediately picked up the Train Radio's walkie-talkie, found the chat box for the Azure Dragon Train Conductor, and after confirming the name wasn't dimmed, spoke up.
"Are you still alive over there?"
"Alive and kicking."
Soon, Er Dan's familiar, hurried panting voice came through: "I'm alive, but the others are almost gone. I wanted to save some people, but it's really hard. There weren't many chances, so I only saved about 300."
"Now, the lower-level Trains in 'Ice and Snow World' are mostly destroyed. Only some Level 5 and 6 Trains are left, running for their lives."
"That monster is a Level 6. I'm organizing the Level 6 Trains to see if we can work together to kill it, but it's too big. The automatic cannon fire feels like tickling it."
"Mainly—"
"Flying consumes too much energy. I don't have much Iron Ore stored in my Train. Once the Iron Ore runs out and I'm out of Energy Stones, I'll probably die here too."
"How much Iron Ore do you have left?"
"A little over 100,000."
"I remember the Bunny Cloud consumes only one Level 2 Energy Stone for 24 hours of continuous flight. A little over 100,000 should last you 20 days."
"You remember?" Er Dan's panting voice came through: "Where did you remember that from? Don't tell me you've got a Bunny Cloud too? Damn, you're only a Level 5 Train!"
"Didn't you have one when you were Level 5 too?"
"That's different. I spent so much time exploring encounter maps to get it."
Inside the Stellar Train.
Chen Mang glanced at the control panel screen. He wanted to send some Iron Ore to Er Dan, but it showed they were in different regions, making remote trading impossible. After a pause, he frowned and said, "You said that area is sealed off, and Trains can't enter. Can bullets get through?"
"Probably."
Er Dan quickly caught on: "You mean organizing the Level 6 Trains on the Shahe Plain to provide fire support from the regional border?"
"Impossible!"
"Bullets are too expensive. This disaster didn't hit them, so they won't waste their Copper Ore. Even if they came, those heavy machine gun automatic cannons would hardly hurt that monster. You haven't seen it; you don't know how terrifying its size is."
"I'll give it a shot."
"Just you?"
"Yeah."
"Wait... I remember now. You're S-rank potential. You must have red-tier heavy firepower attachments. You might actually pull it off, but it'll cost you a lot of resources. You'll lose big."
"You said you're about to die. We're friends, after all. I can't just watch you die there."
"Hey." Er Dan's laughter came through: "You're really something, brother. If this monster isn't killed, it seems the area won't be unsealed. Let's talk more later. What's the plan?"
Chen Mang looked at the control panel screen: "Try to lure that monster to the coordinates (7921, 2832) at the border between 'Ice and Snow World' and 'Kunlun Mountains' in three hours. I should be there by then. See if you can manage it."
One of the biggest challenges of this plan was how to attract the monster's aggro.
"That's easy."
"As long as I appear in its line of sight, it will abandon attacking other Trains and chase me first. I don't know why, but this trick has saved many Trains."
"Alright."
Chen Mang didn't say more but pushed the control lever hard, speeding towards the Kunlun Mountains region: "I should be there in three hours. Make sure you time it right."
"By the way, you mentioned last time that the monster was sealed in the mountain, with only an arm sticking out. Was it a Zombie?"
"It's a Zombie, but I've never seen one so huge!"
On the Shahe Plain.
After a night's rest, the Stellar Train switched to the Wind-Fire Wheel and sped forward.
The rain had stopped.
The ground was wet, and soon they entered the Kunlun region. Along the way, they passed several completely wrecked Trains, shattered into pieces with no survivors. It was a clear aftermath of self-destruction.
"..."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, trying to connect the sudden events in the two regions. Both 'Shahe Plain' and 'Ice and Snow World' were green zones, though not adjacent, with the Kunlun Mountains region in between.
In 'Ice and Snow World,' a Zombie King had burst out from the mountain.
On the Shahe Plain, a Corpse Tide raged.
This is...
Wait.
Back on the Iron Ridge Wasteland, he had witnessed how a Level 2 Zombie evolved into a Level 3. Countless Zombies vomited the flesh stored in their bellies as nourishment for the Level 2 Zombie's evolution.
This meant last night's Corpse Tide likely came from 'Ice and Snow World,' aiming to gather flesh to nourish their leader.
Their primary target should have been the Kunlun Mountains region, where monsters were most abundant. But recently, the monsters there had all gone into hiding, forcing the Zombies to settle for the Shahe Plain.
This logic holds. To confirm this theory is simple.
This morning, the Corpse Tide on the Shahe Plain had vanished. If he could see a Corpse Tide heading towards 'Ice and Snow World' in the Kunlun Mountains region, his theory would be correct.
But—
This would shatter a rule he had always assumed!
That monsters couldn't just stay in their own regions but could move freely within the same zone? Then why had the monsters in the Kunlun Mountains region always stayed there?
At that moment—
"Beep... beep."
The Targeting Radar began to sound alarms continuously.
About fifteen kilometers away, a Corpse Tide was traversing mountains and rivers, rushing towards 'Ice and Snow World.'
"It seems my guess is correct."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, slightly altering his course to intercept the Corpse Tide. He couldn't let them reach 'Ice and Snow World.' If they succeeded, after providing nourishment, that Level 6 Zombie might evolve into a Level 7.
That would make things much more complicated.
Without the regional lockdown, even a Level 7 Zombie wouldn't faze him, thanks to the Train Stunt "Death Spin."
Even if he couldn't kill it, his Level 7 Armor would keep him safe.
But with the regional lockdown, a Level 7 Zombie would be much trickier.
Soon—
The Stellar Train, equipped with Mechanical Spider Legs, quickly closed in on the Corpse Tide. As the ten-meter-wide Car Blades extended from both sides of the carriage and spun at high speed, the Train charged into the Corpse Tide!
Countless Zombies were sliced into chunks, flung into the air.
Before they could hit the ground, the Powerful Magnet sucked them into the Train's Refrigerator.
Seconds later.
The Stellar Train had emerged from the other side of the Corpse Tide, leaving behind a path like Moses parting the Red Sea, the ground dyed red.
Chen Mang wasn't in a hurry to reach the coordinates. After briefly explaining the situation to Er Dan and saying he might be late, he turned around and charged back into the Corpse Tide.
Minutes later.
The Corpse Tide was nearly wiped out, with only a few scattered Zombies escaping into the distance. He didn't chase them; these stragglers wouldn't pose a threat. The high-level Zombies in the tide had been precisely eliminated by his "Doomsday Cannon."
Long ago.
He had acquired weapons like the "Makeshift Heavy Machine Gun" and the "40-Tube Cherry Blossom Rocket Launcher," but he rarely used them in combat. His main methods were the Car Blade, Train Stunts, or simply avoiding fights.
The main reason was that bullets were too expensive. Even with nearly a million Copper Ore, he couldn't afford to waste them.
But with the "Doomsday Cannon," things were different.
Two consecutive half-cost Supermodel Effects made the price of a Level 6 shell far lower than a Level 6 Heavy Machine Gun Bullet. Now he could afford to use long-range firepower more freely, making his attack methods less restricted.
After dealing with the Corpse Tide.
Chen Mang casually glanced at the spoils and then steered the Stellar Train deeper into the Kunlun Mountains region. Zombies usually didn't drop good items, but this time he spotted a Train Token among the loot.
Another Train Token.
Zombies seemed to drop Train Tokens more frequently than other monsters. When the apocalypse first began, many Train Conductors obtained their first Train Token by killing Zombies.
Thus began their journey to prosperity.
After this matter was settled, he'd check what the Corpse Tide and last night's Corpse Tide had dropped. Probably mostly "Corpse Meat."
Four hours later.
The Stellar Train finally arrived at the agreed location, delayed mainly by the time spent slaughtering over a dozen Corpse Tides along the way. Massive Corpse Tides, like ants, had been crossing from the Shahe Plain through the Kunlun Mountains region towards 'Ice and Snow World.'
Upon arrival.
Chen Mang's breath instinctively caught. Ahead, a blizzard raged across the area, the ground already blanketed in thick snow, with tree branches heavy with snow. The white expanse stretched as far as the eye could see.
The howling wind through the canyon sounded like the agonized cries of demons from hell, chilling to the bone.
A stark contrast to the Kunlun Mountains region.
While many trees in the Kunlun Mountains had withered, there was no snow, not as extreme as 'Ice and Snow World.'
At the border between the two regions, a massive light barrier stood.
-
"Frontal area: Green Zone, Ice and Snow World."
"This area is currently sealed and cannot be entered or exited."
-
Amid the blizzard, Chen Mang could clearly see a massive Zombie, covered in snow, roaring and charging.
This Zombie stood nearly sixty to seventy meters tall, equivalent to a twenty-plus-story skyscraper!
Each step shook the ground.
"Wow..."
Chen Mang suddenly felt a bit unsure. This was the largest Zombie he had ever seen. He began to doubt if his "Ground Burst Missile" could really harm it.
When size reaches a certain point, even a Level 6 monster's defense becomes astonishingly strong.
With such size.
The automatic cannon bullets would indeed struggle to cause significant damage.
He grabbed the Telescope and looked closely, clearly seeing numerous honeycomb-like bullet holes on the Zombie's massive palm, oozing fresh blood.
But these bullet holes on such a huge palm seemed insignificant.
They weren't penetrating wounds; the bullets must be embedded in the palm.
At that moment—
Er Dan's urgent voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Bro, I see you. Ready?"
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