Outside the law enforcement bureau.
Chen Mang mounted his off-road motorcycle, checked the map in his hand to confirm the direction, and prepared to return to his starting point to begin shopping at the Mechanical Train Parts Store.
Shopping time had arrived.
Wasn't this the moment he had worked so hard to earn all that money for?
But just then—
"Wait!"
A voice called out breathlessly behind them.
A dealer in a red bikini was jogging toward them, panting heavily as she looked at Chen Mang and his group. "Gentlemen, our boss wants to see you. Could you come back with me?"
"Damn," Biao Zi muttered, staring at the sky-high heels the dealer was wearing. "Impressive—chasing us all this way in those? Don't you have any other way to contact us? Like a phone call?"
"..."
Chen Mang turned his head slightly, frowning at the dealer behind him. "Your boss? Which entertainment city?"
"Sun City."
After a moment of thought, he waved at the dealer. "Get on. Zhang Yi, you take her."
He smelled a plot mission in the air.
But with only four hours left, would they make it in time?
The bikini-clad dealer hurried toward Zhang Yi, but before she could say anything, he grabbed her and stuffed her unceremoniously into the refrigerator. Then the group mounted their motorcycles and roared off toward Sun Entertainment City once more.
They had already visited the other two entertainment cities.
Each had its own unique decor and advantages.
But the mini-games on the third floor were identical in all three. Whether it was Sun Entertainment City spreading the word or not, they couldn't participate in any of the mini-games at the other two—almost as if they'd been blacklisted.
The city wasn't large.
With the throttle wide open, they arrived at Sun Entertainment City in half an hour.
A familiar place.
The only difference this time was that they weren't the only ones here. Stepping into the casino, they saw about seventy or eighty others—other Train Conductors with their crews. After dozens of hours of exploration, many Train Conductors had also discovered special locations like this one.
The dealer who had found them earlier led the way.
They followed behind.
Many of the other Train Conductors shot them questioning looks as they passed. They were all casino guests—why did this group get a dealer escort while they didn't?
They reached the seventh floor.
Outside a massive hotel suite stood four muscular men in sunglasses and suits, their bulging waistlines hinting at concealed weapons.
"Big job ahead," Chen Mang murmured, narrowing his eyes at the scene. This plot mission was clearly a major one. How much they could buy before leaving depended entirely on how much they earned from this job.
"Our boss is waiting for you inside," the dealer said, pushing the door open with a smile.
Biao Zi, out of habit, poked the dealer leading them.
"Interested, sir? 100,000 points."
As expected.
Stepping inside, they were met with the sight of an enormous sofa. A woman in a bathrobe sat there, swirling a glass of champagne as she regarded Chen Mang's group with an amused smirk. Her legs were crossed elegantly, not a hint of skin showing.
On either side of the sofa stood eight muscular men in suits and sunglasses.
"Welcome, everyone."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm the owner of Sun City. You can call me Sister Qi."
"Got it, Sister Qi."
Chen Mang strode confidently into the suite without showing any hesitation. He simply sat on the nearby sofa, glanced at the remaining time on his wristwatch, then looked up seriously at the woman. "How can we help you?"
This woman appeared to have higher intelligence, most notably because she had her own name.
Though she looked no different from a normal human, she was undoubtedly a robot.
"Heh."
The woman swept her half-smiling gaze across everyone present before finally settling on Zhang Yi. "In all Sun City's years, this is the first time we've encountered someone who punched a value of '15' with pure physical strength."
"I need your man to fight in an underground match for me."
"Win, and there's a reward."
"Lose... and there won't be any punishment. However, all underground fights only end when one side dies in the ring."
"I don't like being refused. I hope you'll consider carefully before answering."
"When does it start?"
Chen Mang glanced at his wristwatch again. "My time is limited."
"One hour from now."
"And when does it end?"
"That depends on your man's skills."
"What are the fighting rules?"
"No-holds-barred free combat. No weapons allowed."
"What's the opponent's strength?"
"His highest punch registered '12'. He's the top underground fighter from Nourishing Yang City, known as the 'Devil Arms'!"
Chen Mang turned to Zhang Yi, who nodded slightly, before replying quietly, "Alright, we'll take it."
The woman drained her champagne in one gulp, set the glass on the table, then walked to the suite's floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city. "Bold. But I should remind you—though your man's Physical Fitness Index surpasses his opponent's, this fighter has been battling in the ring for years."
"Thirty-seven consecutive wins since his debut. Undefeated."
"Extremely experienced in combat."
"This match is crucial for Sun City. If you win..."
"I'll give you one million."
Chen Mang smiled.
"Any other important details?"
"None. Do you have any questions?"
"What level is your intelligence chip?"
The woman by the window slowly turned to face Chen Mang, amusement in her eyes. "Level 4."
"Never heard of it, right? It's the highest-grade intelligence chip. It grants me human-equivalent intelligence and even some capacity for independent thought."
Just then—
Biao Zi, who had somehow sidled up beside the woman unnoticed, cautiously poked her arm with his finger.
"..."
The air froze.
After a long pause, Biao Zi retreated sheepishly, muttering, "Level 4 chips really are different, huh? No price quotes."
The woman's expression turned icy as she glared at him.
"Do you think I'm like those other women who'd say 'Come here, sir' to you?"
"I'm a Level 4 intelligence chip."
"I'm one of the highest administrators. That kind of programming isn't in my base code. Disappointed?"
"You may leave now."
"Come back to this private room in an hour, the underground fight will start then."
Exiting the private room, Chen Mang and his group headed toward the first-floor casino, planning to wander around and kill some time.
"A level 4 intelligent chip is quite impressive, huh?"
Biao Zi awkwardly tried to justify himself, making it seem like he was some kind of pervert. He swore he wasn't—it was just that this city had conditioned him to poke any woman he met, just to see if she'd respond.
Apart from this woman, he'd never encountered one who didn't react.
"It's just alright," Chen Mang remarked casually as he strolled through the casino. "Still not as good as Xiao Ai, though the body was crafted quite meticulously—curvy, long legs, heavy makeup. Pretty nice to look at."
"There are barely any people left in this city. Who are they even holding these underground fights for?"
"These robots, when it comes down to it, can only execute preset programs. Their thought processes are still a far cry from actual humans."
"Zhang Yi."
"You confident over there?"
"No problem, Lord Mang." Zhang Yi grinned foolishly, flexing his right arm to show off his muscles. "I've never lost a fight."
"Don't worry," Biao Zi chimed in, backing Zhang Yi up. "I've been giving these two brothers special training in the Combat Training Virtual Space. They've got plenty of combat experience now."
"How much experience?"
"I taught them everything you know, Lord Mang."
"That is plenty."
Just then—
"Brother!"
An excited voice called out from behind them. Chen Mang turned but saw no one—only moving service staff and dealers smiling at them.
"Down here."
Following the voice, he looked down and saw a dwarf man standing in front of him. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
"You? The Train Conductor of the King of Electronic Music Train?"
"That's me."
The dwarf man was practically vibrating with excitement. "I can't believe it's really you! Right at the start, I thought the guys on motorcycles looked familiar."
"Didn't expect you to remember me. I'm a level 4 Train now, just arrived at Shahe Plain."
"Never thought you'd be even faster—already a level 6 Train heading to higher-tier zones."
Chen Mang chuckled, picking up the dwarf man and setting him on a nearby chair. He then grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter's tray, placing them on the table and sliding one over.
"Guess we're fated—this is our fourth meeting."
"Fourth?"
The dwarf man scratched his head. "Wasn't it the second? I only remember seeing you once at the Iron Ridge Wasteland gathering."
"Fourth time."
Chen Mang slowly lit a cigar, smiling faintly. "First time was at night. You were a level 2 Train, blasting DJ music as you drove past mine without a care. So damn cocky. I remember thinking, 'One day, I wanna be that free.'"
"Second time was when a level 3 Man-Eating Spider was chasing you, and you kept honking as you sped by me."
"Huh?"
The dwarf man froze, then gasped in disbelief. "That level 1 Train mining desperately for days—that was the Stellar?"
"That was you?!"
"Back when I was being chased by the Man-Eating Spider, I wanted to contact you and tell you to hide in the mine tunnel. The spider was too big to enter, so you might've survived. But you didn't have a Train Radio, so I couldn't reach you."
"I felt a bit regretful at the time, never imagining that the train was actually the Stellar Train."
"But—"
"But I remember you didn't hide in the mine tunnel—you drove away. Your train's speed was clearly no match for that Level 3 Man-Eating Spider. How did you survive?"
"Wait!"
A flash of horror suddenly crossed the Dwarf Man's eyes: "To this day, no one in the Iron Ridge Wasteland knows which train killed that Level 3 Man-Eating Spider from Taiping City. That train couldn't have been your Stellar, could it?"
"Yep."
Chen Mang grinned and nodded: "Quick and effortless kill."
"But your train was only Level 1 back then—how did you pull that off?"
"Just leveled up to 2. So technically, a Level 2 train."
The Dwarf Man took a deep breath before looking at Chen Mang with a complicated expression: "Today's the first time I've realized we've actually met four times now. Your progress is way too fast."
"Not bad."
Standing nearby, Biao Zi scratched his head in confusion. It was clear Lord Mang was enjoying himself, chatting happily with the Dwarf Man. But they praised Lord Mang all the time—why didn't he ever seem this pleased?
"Huff."
After calming himself down, the Dwarf Man couldn't help but feel a pang of loss. He'd once been ahead of the Stellar Train—in its eyes, he'd once been a big shot. Never expected to be overtaken so quickly.
"You're a Level 6 train now, while I'm only Level 4. The gap keeps growing—"
"Level 7."
Chen Mang quietly added: "Already upgraded to Level 7."
"Level 7 already? Then you'll soon hit Level 8. By then, no other train at your level will stand a chance against you."
"I've already taken out three Level 8 trains that messed with me."
"Huh?"
"This happened when I was still Level 6."
"HUH?"
The Dwarf Man stood frozen for a long moment before muttering: "Bro, you're flexing way too bluntly. Couldn't you at least be a little subtle?"
Chen Mang burst out laughing, patting the Dwarf Man's shoulder as he grinned.
"I've always been blunt."
"The map's almost over. How'd you enjoy it?"
"Not bad."
At this, the Dwarf Man sighed with a troubled expression: "Had a great time at first—went to a Customized Brothel and got a three-meter-tall babe. Even helped a girl find her cat, and she gave me a Free Pass."
"It lets you get service from anyone in the Neon City."
"But I tried it—only works on robots. Other Train Conductors and their Thugs are off-limits."
"I planned to use it before leaving, but... well, I've been, uh, struggling lately. Won't get the chance now that the map's ending. Here, take it."
He pulled a Free Pass from his pocket and slid it across the table.
"Struggling?"
"Yeah, you know—age catches up, and the body just doesn't keep up like before. Last time, I sneezed mid-act and... well, you get it."
"I don't. I'm still young."
Chen Mang shook his head and motioned for Zhang Yi to come over. He pulled out a large bag of Redheart Nuts from the refrigerator and handed it over: "Take these back and eat them slowly. They're highly nutritious. Once you leave, you'll hardly see these things again. Only I have them here."
Casually, he picked up the Free Pass from the table, tucked it into his pocket, and said with a smile.
"I'll accept this gift then."
"It'll actually come in handy for me."
(End of chapter)