The members of Guardian Team One had been working tirelessly for 48 hours straight in the Serendipity Map "Neon City," already pushed to their limits. Even chugging cola couldn't keep them going much longer.
When he looked in the mirror after showering earlier, he saw his eyes completely bloodshot.
Time to sleep.
Tonight was Guardian Team Two's watch. Half their members were maintaining order in the rear cars while the other half, along with Zhang Da Mei, had left Guard Car No. 7 during his shower to patrol and secure the perimeter around the Train.
Inside Guard Car No. 7 now...
Only his teammates and members of Team Three remained, chatting animatedly.
"Biao Ge!"
Zhang Qi stood up hurriedly upon seeing Biao Zi, sounding slightly anxious: "I was just explaining the value of this outfit to the Third Squad Leader, but just saying it's worth a million points doesn't quite convey it. He doesn't seem to grasp the concept."
"Let me explain."
Biao Zi sat down with a smile, pointing at Zhang Qi's clothes: "This outfit is worth 1.5 million points. A Map Chip costs 50,000 points, so this equals 30 Map Chips."
"If you complete both Normal and Extreme Difficulty modes with one Map Chip, it increases your overall physical attributes by 2.1 points."
"Thirty Map Chips would mean a total of 63 points in overall physical attributes."
"Imagine what +63 to all physical stats means. Even Zhang Yi's group only has around 20 points in total attributes right now, and that's already insane. With sixty-plus points, you'd basically be superhuman!"
"The kind who could punch through load-bearing walls."
"In the cold weapon era, even Lu Bu would have to call you 'big bro.'"
"That—"
"—is the value of this outfit."
"...Huh?" The Third Squad Leader's jaw slowly dropped as he pointed disbelievingly at Zhang Qi's clothes, even standing up involuntarily. His usually refined features momentarily twisted with shock.
"Something that precious... and you traded it for clothes???"
"And... and..."
His gaze shifted to the similar logos on Team One members' outfits, eyes flashing with confusion: "Their clothes aren't worth the same, are they?"
"Has... has the Train progressed to the point of such extravagance already?"
"My 'Leech' mech has only fired a few shots—I can't bear to use it because the energy drains so fast! How come I'm still scraping by while you're living this lavishly? Lord Mang never mentioned the Train had advanced this quickly!"
"Sit down, sit down, no need to get worked up."
Biao Zi chuckled: "It's a long story. These clothes are indeed worth that much—they're top luxury brands from mechanical civilizations. But they can't be exchanged for money, though we can take them with us. We brought back the entire collection. You can go pick some out later too."
"So what special effects do these clothes have? Temperature Lock? Built-in storage?"
"None."
"None?"
"None at all."
"What do you mean 'none'?"
"Exactly what I said—none of those features. They're just clothes. On the Train, they'd be equivalent to what the Clothing Customization Production Line makes for 500 units of Iron Ore, though the fabric and craftsmanship are admittedly excellent."
"No special effects at all, and it sells for that price?"
"Obviously. It's called 'luxury' precisely because it's useless yet expensive. If it were useful and expensive, it'd just be a daily necessity. Those rich folks enjoy the feeling of spending money on useless things—the more useless, the more they want it."
"Doesn't seem as good as my combat suit."
"Definitely not as good as a combat suit, but it's great for showing off."
"But…" The Third Squad Leader pointed at the logo on the clothes. "You can't possibly explain the origin and price of this outfit to everyone you meet, right? This isn't some mechanical civilization—hardly anyone here would recognize this logo."
"Hmm… fair point."
Biao Zi scratched the back of his head. One of the main attributes of luxury goods was recognizability. Without any, it really did lose its meaning as a luxury item. "No worries, let's keep it for now. Maybe when we reach higher-tier zones and meet people from mechanical civilizations, word will spread. Wouldn't that freak them out?"
"Just imagine—even us Train Guardians are wearing top-tier luxury. When those mechanical civilization folks see Lord Mang, won't their legs go weak from shock?"
"Makes sense." The Third Squad Leader sighed. "You guys had it rough this time. Zhang Qi told me about it."
"Wasn't that bad, honestly." Biao Zi chuckled.
"…"
The Third Squad Leader said irritably, "I meant your kidneys had it rough. This is the fucking apocalypse—how the hell did you manage to throw a party? Does that fit the doomsday vibe?"
"A doomsday party. Doesn't that sound perfectly fitting now?"
"Just slapping on a prefix makes it work? Then if we add 'doomsday' to the train, wouldn't it…"
"Doomsday Train." Biao Zi laughed again. "Totally fits the apocalypse vibe. Doesn't Shan Mao Zi even have a Doomsday Marriage Certificate? Plus that little heart tattoo on his hand."
"Oh right, where is Shan Mao Zi? I still haven't asked him if that heart tattoo has any special effects."
"He went back ages ago to cozy up with his wife."
"I wanna go next time."
"Not happening. Only trusted aides get to act alongside Lord Mang. You're not quite there yet. For starters, you haven't made any contributions…"
"Never got the chance to."
"You gotta create opportunities yourself. Back in that valley in the Kunlun Mountains region, all of you crushed your Train Tickets and went back. I was the only one who jumped down."
"Before the mission, Director Ai said it was just exploration—if we encountered danger, we were supposed to crush our tickets and return immediately."
"See, that's the difference between you and me. Opportunities are seized, not waited for."
Wrapped in a towel, Biao Zi leaned back comfortably in his chair, stubbing his finished cigarette into a cola can beside him. He propped his legs up on the bed and grinned. "Lord Mang himself called me his trusted aide this time in the Serendipity Map."
"If I recall correctly, even Train Conductor Zhu hasn't been called that, right?"
"Plus, I partied with Lord Mang."
"That's even closer."
"Lord Mang just got four more Map Chips. Once I secure the first clears for these maps, our First Squad's status on the train—need I say more?"
"All the best mechs and weapons—won't they have to go to us first?"
The Third Squad Leader looked at Biao Zi with envy. "It must be nice being one of the first to follow Lord Mang."
"Hey, no no no."
Biao Zi turned to the Third Squad Leader with a serious expression. "You're wrong about that. While I did start following Lord Mang early, my current status isn't just due to seniority—it's because of my skills. I was the first to clear both Extreme Difficulty maps in the Train."
"There are still four maps left. Can you take one of them?"
"My strength lies mainly in my high Mental Strength. My Physical Fitness Index isn't even as good as yours."
"Hey, you're wrong again. My Physical Fitness Index was only slightly better than Lao Zhu's at first. The level I'm at now? I earned it with my life."
"When I cleared the Extreme Difficulty of 'Biohazard,' my Physical Fitness Index was lower than yours is now."
"These aren't excuses."
"If you had the same drive as me—the determination to rise even if it kills you—you wouldn't be where you are now. Lord Mang doesn't even know your name."
"Ask Shan Mao Zi—he knows. I died so many times in the Biohazard map I lost count. Now I have a phobia of elevators because I keep imagining monsters dropping from the shaft onto the roof."
"When I tackled the Extreme Difficulty 'Dragon Fortress' map, I hadn't even cleared the Normal Difficulty. I went in with the mindset of 'clear it or die.'"
"This—"
"—is what drive looks like!"
"Let me ask you: would you dare attempt Extreme Difficulty without even clearing Normal first?"
"..."
After a long silence, the Third Squad Leader looked up at Biao Zi with a complicated expression. "Biao Ge, I truly admire you for that."
"I don't have that kind of courage."
"But I've learned my lesson. Starting tomorrow, I'll do my best to follow your example. First, I'll clear all maps on Normal Difficulty, then strive to reach your level in the Train."
"Hey, wrong again. Your goal's too high. Your priority right now is making sure Lord Mang knows your name. You're doing worse than Uncle Li—at least Lord Mang knows the pig farmer as 'Uncle Li.' You? You're the Third Squad Leader, but you might as well be a nobody."
"Alright."
Biao Zi stood up, satisfied, and patted the Third Squad Leader's shoulder. "I'm exhausted from the map. I'm going to rest. Tomorrow, we'll tackle a map together."
He finally understood the feeling Lord Mang had when showing off to that Dwarf Man in the map.
Damn, it felt good.
"Time to sleep, time to sleep."
The members of Squad One exchanged cheerful greetings, slinging arms over each other's shoulders as they headed to the showers.
"..."
"..."
The remaining members of Squad Three exchanged glances, each seeing envy in the others' eyes. Squad One's higher status and better treatment were largely because Biao Ge was stronger.
If their own squad leader could be stronger, maybe they could be like that too.
"What the hell are you all staring at me for?!" the Third Squad Leader snapped, his face dark. "Every single member of Squad One has cleared the Extreme Difficulty Biohazard map. Look at yourselves—pathetic. Forget sleep. You're coming with me to the 'Combat Training Virtual Space' for special drills right now."
"Achoo!"
Inside Breeding Carriage No. 15, Uncle Li, who had been busy working, suddenly sneezed out of nowhere. He instinctively wanted to wipe his nose with his hand, but upon seeing his gloves covered in sticky fluid, he raised his arm and used his sleeve to wipe away the mucus before muttering to himself.
"Caught a chill? Or is someone talking about me behind my back?"
Inside the carriage,
there were seven or eight refrigerators arranged.
Some refrigerators were filled with soil for planting, equipped with automatic irrigation systems made from "Spray Nozzles," while others housed various livestock. At the moment, he was responsible for chaining all the Zombies handed over by Zhang Yi to the pillars of one refrigerator.
These Zombies were quite easy to care for.
They were omnivorous, eating everything except Corpse Meat.
Right now, he was using tongs to feed a Zombie a Redheart Nut. A few days ago, he had accidentally given a Zombie a Redheart Nut and noticed that the creature's nearly rotten appendage actually showed signs of standing up.
A sudden possibility exploded in his mind!
Perhaps,
with the combination of Redheart Nuts and the Breeding Carriage, Zombies could reproduce?
This had become his latest research project.
Although the project had no real necessity for research, as the administrator of the Breeding Carriage, he needed to find meaningful work to justify his existence. Simply raising livestock made him feel like he was wasting his life.
"Uncle Li,"
a young man assisting nearby said with a complicated expression, "You spend all the Stellar Coupons you earn daily on cigarettes and Redheart Nuts. Are you really not planning to save up for anything else?"
"What should I buy? Another refrigerator?"
"There are so many refrigerators in this Breeding Carriage. Haven't you been sleeping inside one these past few days? Just squeeze in there."
"You don't understand at all, kid. If this research succeeds... succeeds..."
"What happens after it succeeds?"
"After it succeeds, we... we..." Uncle Li's eyes suddenly lit up. "We can create a 'Zombie Breeding Machine'! This way, we can mass-produce Zombie flesh."
"It'd be like building a Mob Spawner inside the train!"
"True, the drop rates for good items from Zombies are low."
"But with enough numbers, probability becomes irrelevant."
"Plus, we could sell the flesh to the Flesh Train."
"Doesn't that make this a major, worthwhile research project?"
"Huh..."
The young man froze for a moment, propping his chin on his hand as his eyes gleamed with excitement. "A train Mob Spawner? Wait, Uncle Li, this idea of yours is downright ingenious! If it actually works..."
"Level 1 Zombies are pretty basic."
"But what about higher-level Zombies? A large, high-tier Zombie Mob Spawner?"
"If you really pull this off, Uncle Li, promotion will be unavoidable!"
But soon, the sticky sensation on his chin snapped him back to reality. He hurriedly tore off his gloves and rushed to a nearby showerhead to wash his entire body.
"Hmph."
Uncle Li snorted proudly, withdrawing his gaze from the young man and returning to his work. "Exactly. That's the plan. Start with Level 1 Zombies for experiments. Once it works, we'll move on to the higher-level ones."
"I've even come up with a name for it."
"Call it 'Uncle Li's Mob Spawner'!"
The idea of a Mob Spawner had just occurred to him.
It was a stroke of brilliance.
And it aligned perfectly with what he was already doing!
His philosophy in life is that when you feel lost and directionless, just pick something to do without worrying about how it might turn out in the future or whether it will yield any results.
Just do it.
Just keep your head down and do it.
As you keep at it, you'll find the answers naturally surfacing on their own.
(End of chapter)