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Chapter 193 - Chapter 193: "Wrap It Up, Wrap It Up!!"

Chen Mang didn't say much more and simply continued scanning the product list.

The inventory quantities had barely changed.

Two days had passed, and the stock remained untouched.

Each Train Conductor started with only 10,000 points, so very few could afford anything in this shop. After all, earning points wasn't easy—missions were hard to come by, requiring strict trigger conditions.

And most importantly, without transportation, how far could one really get on foot?

The Lighter Production Line Blueprint that had been in the shop earlier was already sold out. His Mechanical Heart could produce lighters—ones embedded with Energy Stones, no less. As long as you didn't lose them, these lighters would last you a lifetime.

On the surface, they seemed like an incredible bargain, but in reality, their value was questionable. Since ancient times, lighters had been cursed like some kind of bloodline hex—just like the Black Market Merchant, they always inexplicably teleported to random, bizarre places.

Keeping a lighter long enough to actually run out of fuel was an achievement worth celebrating.

He was genuinely curious about what kind of Supermodel Effect this accessory had.

"Someone actually bought this thing?"

Chen Mang sighed as he looked at the Lighter Production Line Blueprint, now showing zero stock. The only reason it sold, he figured, was because it cost just 8,000 points—affordable for everyone.

The Drill Blueprint, which originally had two in stock, was also down to zero.

The Custom Screen Production Line Blueprint, however, still had four left, priced at 30,000 points.

He bought one immediately.

He didn't lack screens—his Mechanical Heart could produce them—but the ones he made were just ordinary. He wanted to see what a screen with the Supermodel Effect looked like.

"Now this is good stuff."

Chen Mang suddenly grinned as his eyes landed on one of the items displayed on a shelf.

Doomsday Marriage Certificate: Special Item, priced at 100,000 points, three in stock.

He bought all three without hesitation.

Each Doomsday Marriage Certificate was essentially worth 500 Inheritance Value—and Inheritance Value wasn't something easily obtained.

Then there was the Neon City Free Entry Ticket, another Special Item, priced at 100,000 points, three in stock.

He snapped those up too.

With this, he could enter the Serendipity Map of Neon City anytime. He coveted this city deeply. Though he couldn't claim it anytime soon, one day, it would belong to the Stellar.

He loved this city.

It had so many unique shops.

This time, with only 48 hours, he hadn't had the chance to visit many of them. But once he had more time, he'd explore each one to see what they were all about.

1.5 million points seemed like a lot.

But it didn't feel like it went very far. He'd barely spent anything, yet 755,000 points were already gone, leaving him with just 745,000. He'd have to think carefully about how to use the rest.

After meticulously reviewing every item in the shop and calculating in his mind, Chen Mang made his decision.

Nuclear Crisis: Special Item, Map Chip, requires a Level 5 Combat Training Virtual Space to use, priced at 50,000 points, one in stock.

Buy.

"Submarine's Demise": Special Item, Map Chip, requires Level 5 Combat Training Virtual Space to use. Price: 50,000 points. Stock: 1.

Buy.

"Doomsday Paradise": Special Item, Map Chip, requires Level 5 Combat Training Virtual Space to use. Price: 50,000 points. Stock: 1.

Buy!

There were only four map chips in the store, and he bought them all. These were the kind of items you could never have enough of.

50,000 each.

No risk of getting scammed.

No way to lose out.

Every purchase was a guaranteed profit.

"Vault Keycard": Special Item, used to unlock a safe in the Serendipity Map "Neon City." Price: 100,000 points. Stock: 1.

Buy!

"Solar Panel Blueprint": Blue-grade Vehicle Component. Price: 200,000 points. Stock: 1.

Buy.

"Autocannon Structure Armament Module": Special Component. Price: 150,000 points. Stock: 1.

Buy.

"Robot Parts Grab Bag": Special Item, contains a large quantity of robot parts for repairs, assembly, and modifications. Price: 140,000 points. Stock: 3.

Buy.

After this spending spree, the 1.5 million points were quickly depleted.

Only 5,000 remained.

Not enough to buy anything else.

But there was no need to force-spend it at a convenience store or the like. The balance would remain in the wrist device, ready for use the next time he entered this map.

Every purchase was highly useful, capable of enhancing the overall strength of the Stellar Train.

There were still over ten minutes left before the map's end time.

All that was left to do was wait.

Standing on the first floor, Chen Mang gazed at the staircase leading to the second floor, a flicker of longing in his eyes. According to the shopkeeper, the second floor required the Train Conductor to reach Level 10 or higher to access.

He wouldn't be returning to this map anytime soon.

He'd come back when the train reached Level 10.

By then, he'd find a way to earn more points and see what goodies the second floor—and even the third—had to offer.

Soon—

The remaining minutes passed quickly.

Chen Mang and the others finally returned to the Stellar Train.

Inside the train's cabin, Chen Mang reviewed the "Train Log" while listening to Lao Zhu's report. Nothing noteworthy had happened over the past few days—everything was running smoothly. Once Lao Zhu finished his report, Chen Mang nodded lightly.

"Good work these past few days. You're dismissed."

He then stood up and walked to the window, observing the residents working outside.

Before entering this Serendipity Map,

he had parked the train beside a Level 3 Iron Ore mine and a Level 4 Crimson Heartstone mine. The latter had been created using a "Refresh Coupon." Both mines were now nearly depleted.

Another two or three days, and they'd be fully excavated.

He checked the resource quantities on the Train Panel.

"1.45 million units of Iron Ore, 1.295 million units of Copper Ore, 1.5 million units of Wood, 1.48 million units of Crimson Heartstone."

After upgrading the Train Armor to Level 8 and the train itself to Level 7, the Iron Ore reserves had been nearly exhausted. The current stockpile of over a million units had been accumulated through recent mining and trades. Some Copper Ore had been used over the past few days, while the Wood reserves remained unchanged.

The Crimson Heartstone stock had increased significantly.

The "Crimson Heartstone" mine was expected to yield 5 million units once fully excavated. With that, he wouldn't have to worry about Crimson Heartstone shortages for a long time.

After completing all this,

He turned his gaze to the "walkie-talkie" placed on the table—the consciousness transmitter he had obtained in the Underwater Labyrinth. It was a small device used to teleport to other Mechanical Train labyrinths. It seemed this thing hadn't lit up at all.

Otherwise, if left unattended for an hour, the item would have shattered on its own.

Over the past two days, there was only one thing he had truly worried about.

What if the walkie-talkie had lit up while he was in the Serendipity Map "Neon City"? He would have had no choice but to miss the opportunity of the S-rank mission in the Underwater Labyrinth. Fortunately, that hadn't happened.

It seemed the god of fortune still favored him.

The Serendipity Map he had just completed was officially named "Neon City," with Eden being its poetic alias. The city's main theme was an exaggerated portrayal of the deeds of Adam and Eve.

Chen Mang glanced around the train cabin, then checked the Train Radio. There were no private messages. These days, Xiao Ai had still been handling trades—the over 200,000 units of Iron Ore listed in the Train Panel's resources were all acquired through Xiao Ai's transactions.

However...

As he skimmed through the chat logs, it was clear that while Xiao Ai possessed human-like intelligence, he wasn't particularly skilled at trading. Trading, after all, was about buyers trying to purchase goods at the lowest price and sellers trying to sell them at the highest.

Many factors had to be considered.

The intrinsic value of the goods was just one part of it.

Other factors included the strength of both trains, the convenience of long-distance transactions, the urgency of the other party's needs, the scarcity of the goods, and so on.

It seemed he'd have to teach Xiao Ai properly in the future.

At this moment—

Night had fallen, but there were no stars tonight. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and a light drizzle pattered against the train.

The residents were already wrapping up their work and preparing for sleep.

The murmur of conversations mixed with the sound of rain, creating a soothing white noise.

Chen Mang opened the train cabin door, sat in a chair wrapped in a blanket, cradling a cup of hot tea as he watched the raindrops outside.

Winter had arrived.

The earthy scent rising from the damp soil was particularly pleasant.

He liked this smell.

For some reason, even though the Serendipity Map "Neon City" had been quite relaxing and he didn't dislike such settings, staying there for more than a day or two made him feel a bit weary.

But sitting here—

Surrounded by quiet, alone in the train cabin (Xiao Ai had gone to the Armor Research and Development Center to tinker with the gift he'd given him), holding a cup of hot tea while watching the rain outside—

This was an atmosphere he could enjoy for a hundred days without growing tired of it.

Except...

It still felt like something was missing.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and gave a few orders.

Soon—

A dozen ferocious Zombies appeared outside the train, snarling and charging toward the locomotive in the rain. But they were held back by thick chains, left to howl in futile rage dozens of meters away, utterly unable to break free.

"Now it feels like nothing's missing."

Chen Mang chuckled as he lit a cigarette, leaned back in his camping chair, and watched the Zombies—barely visible in the night—enjoying the moment.

Drinking tea before bed leads to insomnia.

But he hadn't slept for 48 hours. Even though he'd pushed through with cola until now, he felt utterly exhausted. The only reason he hadn't fallen asleep immediately was because he wanted to soak in the atmosphere of the train a little longer, to change the mood from what was in the map.

Running his fingers over the control panel, his expression grew increasingly dazed. Whenever he sat inside the train, he always felt an overwhelming sense of peace, as if no matter what obstacles lay ahead, he had the spirit to face them head-on.

The items he'd bought from the map were still all in the drawer, untouched.

He'd deal with them after waking up tomorrow.

Right now, he didn't want to think about any of that.

A moment later.

Chen Mang stood up, waved into the rainy night, then finally closed the train door. After washing up, he climbed into bed and began to drift off.

Time to sleep.

He was pretty tired.

The train was the best—it was the only place that gave him this sense of security.

In his drowsy state,

soft snores gradually filled the train cabin.

Chen Mang hugged the blanket between his legs, lying on his side as he slowly slipped into a deep sleep. This time, he slept like a log, without dreams, only the sensation of being cradled in a warm embrace.

"Pack it up, pack it up!!"

Outside the train, in the rainy night.

Biao Zi looked at Zhang Yi and Zhang Er, who were pulling chains, and said, "Take the zombies to Breeding Carriage No. 15. Be careful when handing them over to Uncle Li."

"These zombies can't beat me," Zhang Yi grinned carelessly. "We're safe."

"..."

Biao Zi rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I meant be careful with the zombies' safety. These are all Level 1 zombies—tender as little sprouts. Forget you two, even the women who've been mining in the train all this time could probably kill one if they tried."

"The train's level keeps rising, and the areas we go to are getting more dangerous."

"Level 1 zombies like these will be hard to find in the future. Just try looking for one in the Zombie Basin now—it's not easy. Basically, any Corpse Tide starts at Level 2 at minimum."

"Alright, get moving!"

Then he glanced up at the dark clouds looming in the night sky and shivered, hugging himself as he jogged toward Guard Car No. 7.

So damn cold...

The clothes he was wearing had no Temperature Lock effect—they were high-end luxury items from Neon City, extremely valuable... but utterly useless.

"Huff... huff..."

In the rainy night, Biao Zi jogged all the way back to Guard Car No. 7. The first thing he did was strip off all his clothes and rush to the bathroom, turning on the hot water to shower.

Outside the bathroom, Zhang Da Mei's furious voice rang out.

"Can you fucking be more considerate? There's a girl in this car!"

Guard Car No. 7 had its own dedicated bathroom.

A public shower built with a Refrigerator and Spray Nozzles, divided into male and female sections. The guards' toilet was also in the corner of the bathroom, though the women's space was tiny, taking up barely a tenth of the total area.

After all, there was only one female guard.

The space was more than enough.

And there probably wouldn't be any more women joining the guards in the future—when it came to physical labor, 99% of women couldn't compete with men. Zhang Da Mei was an exception.

Take off her underwear,

and you couldn't even tell she had breasts.

Those were pure pectoral muscles, radiating a violent kind of beauty.

"Got it!"

Biao Zi, while showering, laughed loudly toward the bathroom door: "I'll find you a husband who loves domestic violence—you can definitely cure him of that habit."

After finishing his shower,

Biao Zi, refreshed and wrapped in a towel, walked to the t

rain corridor. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he lit a cigarette, exhaled a long puff of smoke, then turned to the group chatting and waiting with a smile. "What are you all talking about?"

"Having so much fun?"

"Share it with me, let's all have a laugh together."

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