In terms of firepower, the "Doomsday Cannon" was definitely no match for the "Comet Main Cannon."
At the same level, the latter could completely overwhelm the former. After all, whether it was caliber or grade, they weren't even in the same league. But the main issue was cost-effectiveness.
Chen Mang didn't dwell on it too much.
He immediately slapped the blueprint for the red-grade "Magnetic Levitation" component onto the control panel.
After consuming 50,000 units of Iron Ore, he manufactured it.
Then, in one go, he spent 1,045,000 units of Iron Ore to upgrade it to level 20.
Components that enhanced Train speed often came with steep upgrade costs.
Red-grade components could only be upgraded to level 20 at most, and this time, he maxed it out in a single upgrade!
A level 20 Magnetic Levitation component alone could provide the Train with a speed of "2,000 km/h."
Combined with the speed boost from the level 10 green-grade "Nitrogen Tailjet," the level 10 yellow-grade "Super-Energy Tailjet," and the base speed of the level 11 Train itself—
At this moment—
The control panel screen displayed that the Train's maximum speed could now reach 1,980 km/h!
This was an absolutely terrifying number!
Back when he was in the Magnetic Levitation tunnel of the "Geocentric Nuclear Bomb," his top speed had only been 2,120 km/h. Now, his Train could maintain a stable maximum speed close to that figure!
Er Dan's "Traveling Frog" Train could reach a top speed of 6,000 km/h.
But that was only when the Train Stunt was activated.
Without activating the Train Stunt, its normal top speed was only 3,000 km/h—still faster than his, but Er Dan's Train was just a small, compact locomotive, while his was a massive mechanical dragon.
They weren't even in the same league.
It was like comparing someone who could sprint 100 meters in under 10 seconds—very fast—
To someone who could run a 30-kilometer marathon at a pace of 100 meters every 11 seconds.
The former was the limit of human capability.
The latter would require divine intervention.
The base speed of the Magnetic Levitation component was only 100 km/h, which wasn't particularly high. But each upgrade increased it by 100 km/h, and after maxing it out to level 20 in one go, he also gained three overpowered effects.
-
「Magnetic Levitation Level 5 Overpowered Effect」: Energy consumption while moving reduced by half.
「Magnetic Levitation Level 10 Overpowered Effect」: Energy consumption while moving reduced by half.
「Magnetic Levitation Level 20 Overpowered Effect」: Energy consumption while moving reduced by half.
-
At the same time.
Two more lines of text appeared on the screen.
「Warning: Train maximum speed approaching 2,000 km/h. Ensure Train is equipped with level 9 Armor or has a level 9 Energy Shield continuously activated when traveling at this speed. Otherwise, uncontrollable events may occur.」
「Detected: Train possesses level 100 Powerful Magnet, which can synergize with Magnetic Levitation component.」
「The 'Magnetic Levitation' component allows the Train to achieve equilibrium with the planet's magnetic field, enabling it to levitate mid-air. With friction drastically reduced, the Train can move at high speeds. A level 100 Powerful Magnet allows for finer adjustments to magnetic field fluctuations, resulting in smoother movement and more precise control.」
「Additionally—」
"So that's how it works..."
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully. The general idea was that with a level 100 Powerful Magnet, he could more freely control the Magnetic Levitation component, allowing him to move and stop wherever he wanted. Additionally, the "Train Auxiliary AI" needed to be above level 10 to have sufficient computational power to process this information in real-time during operation.
This was perfectly understandable.
He could grasp it completely.
But the most crucial part was what came next!
"Moreover, by twisting the magnetic field with the Powerful Magnet, instantaneous acceleration can be achieved—going from zero to a top speed of 1,980 km/h in just 0.6 seconds."
This was essentially a catapult launch!
He had never seen such rapid acceleration before. Even Er Dan's train didn't have this kind of takeoff speed. Without the "Internal Space Stabilizer," such acceleration would undoubtedly kill some Train Residents if they were completely unprotected.
Acceleration.
This was actually a common drawback for all trains.
When he first entered this cavern, the reason he was attacked by that two-headed monster was largely because the train's acceleration was too slow. He sensed the danger, but the train was too large and long to achieve instant acceleration.
If he had this feature back then, he definitely wouldn't have been hit.
Although...
Crashing into the cavern at that speed would still leave his head ringing.
Without hesitation, he immediately spent 2.62 million units of Iron Ore to upgrade both "Permanent Shock Absorption" and "Internal Space Stabilizer" to level 100!
Four new Supermodel Effects were unlocked:
-
"Permanent Shock Absorption Level 20 Supermodel Effect": None.
-
"Permanent Shock Absorption Level 50 Supermodel Effect": None.
-
"Permanent Shock Absorption Level 100 Supermodel Effect": None.
-
"Internal Space Stabilizer Level 20 Supermodel Effect": Makes space-related components like the "Space Gate" inside the carriage more stable.
-
"Internal Space Stabilizer Level 50 Supermodel Effect": When the train enters a Time Rift, the Train Crew will not suffer negative effects from time dilation.
-
"Internal Space Stabilizer Level 100 Supermodel Effect": When the train performs a Wormhole Jump, the interior will remain unaffected.
The Permanent Shock Absorption component didn't even have a level 5 Supermodel Effect.
From start to finish, not a single Supermodel Effect.
Pure stat boosts.
But with level 100 Permanent Shock Absorption, he felt much more at ease. Even if the train crashed into the cavern at nearly 2,000 km/h, the Train Crew wouldn't be left with their heads ringing.
However...
"..."
Chen Mang gave the Internal Space Stabilizer's Supermodel Effects a strange look. This thing could maintain spatial stability even in "Time Rifts" and "Wormhole Jumps"?
Was this really just a yellow-tier component?
It seemed at least red-tier!
But for now, it was useless.
He wouldn't encounter such things anytime soon. Maybe it would be useful later, but certainly not in the near future. The Supermodel Effect that stabilized the "Space Gate" and other components, though, was quite practical.
Not bad.
Over ten million units of Iron Ore had been spent in one go.
"Hmm..."
After some thought, Chen Mang decided to make today all about speed. Since "Magnetic Levitation" had been crafted, he might as well upgrade the Tail Thrusters too.
The Stellar Train currently had two Tail Thrusters.
Green-grade accessory "Nitrogen Tailjet."
Yellow-grade accessory "Super-Energy Tailjet."
Directly consuming 1.98 million units of Iron Ore, both accessories were upgraded to Level 100!
The speed boost from "Nitrogen Tailjet" reached 1,020 km/h.
The speed boost from "Super-Energy Tailjet" reached 2,040 km/h.
"Absolutely fucking broken," Chen Mang sighed helplessly.
The red-grade accessory "Magnetic Levitation" had a base speed of 100 km/h, increasing by 100 km/h per level.
Meanwhile, the green-grade "Nitrogen Tailjet" had a base speed of 30 km/h, increasing by 10 km/h per level.
The yellow-grade "Super-Energy Tailjet" had a base speed of 60 km/h, increasing by 20 km/h per level.
At first glance, the former seemed overwhelmingly superior—at least on paper.
But it couldn't be helped.
He had cheats.
With just one Infinite Upgrade, spending 1.98 million units of Iron Ore, he gained an additional 3,060 km/h in speed!
The Train's maximum speed now reached 5,040 km/h!
This was without activating any Train Stunts or Supermodel Effects—just pure, raw speed.
Numbers alone.
This speed alone was already close to Er Dan's Train when its Train Stunt was activated.
But it didn't end there. Both Tail Thrusters also gained corresponding Supermodel Effects.
-
"Super-Energy Tailjet Level 20 Supermodel Effect": Halved Consumption.
"Super-Energy Tailjet Level 50 Supermodel Effect": Halved Consumption.
"Super-Energy Tailjet Level 100 Supermodel Effect": Halved Consumption.
"Nitrogen Tailjet Level 20 Supermodel Effect": Halved Consumption.
"Nitrogen Tailjet Level 50 Supermodel Effect": Halved Consumption.
"Nitrogen Tailjet Level 100 Supermodel Effect": Halved Consumption.
-
All uniformly Halved Consumption!
Both accessories also had Halved Consumption as their Level 5 Supermodel Effects, meaning each had four Halved Consumption effects in total.
As the levels increased, the energy consumption of these accessories also became significant.
Energy is conserved.
No matter how high the accessories were upgraded, achieving such extreme speeds would inevitably require massive energy expenditure. With these Halved Consumption effects, high-speed travel became far more efficient.
But it still wasn't over!
The limits of speed enhancement had yet to be reached.
Chen Mang glanced at the "Wind-Fire Wheel" component on the Train's 3D schematic. Though reluctant, he chose to let the Wheel Changer devour the "Wind-Fire Wheel" and inherit its speed for the "Magnetic Levitation."
The next moment—
Several lines of text appeared on the control screen.
-
"Green-grade accessory successfully devoured. 'Magnetic Levitation' gains an additional 120 km/h and has a small chance to inherit the Wind-Fire Wheel's Level 10 Supermodel Effect."
"When racing with the wind during stormy weather, the Wind-Fire Wheel ignites, granting a significant speed boost."
-
Reading the second line, Chen Mang grinned.
Once he returned to Crisis Valley, he'd burn a few more incense sticks for the heavens. He always knew his luck was good.
With this Supermodel Effect—
Paired with the "Weather Control Device," the Train's speed could soar even higher.
Both the "Super-Energy Tailjet" and "Nitrogen Tailjet" share a common Supermodel Effect: the tail thrusters can merge into one, significantly increasing speed.
"Xiao Ai."
"Calculate the maximum speed the Train can reach at its current weight if all Supermodel Effects are activated."
"8,900 km/h," Xiao Ai's voice quickly echoed through the Train's interior. "At this maximum speed, it would consume one Level 4 Energy Stone per hour."
"I have many Halved Consumption Supermodel Effects."
"Correct. Without these Halved Consumption effects, it would require at least a Level 5 Energy Stone."
"..."
Chen Mang curled his lips but didn't say anything more. It was acceptable—one Level 4 Energy Stone was equivalent to 500,000 units of Iron Ore, or 5 million Bread Slices consumed per hour.
8,900 km/h translates to Mach 7.26.
To put this into perspective:
In the previous world, the cruising speed of a commercial airliner was around 900 km/h. The Stellar's maximum speed was ten times that.
A certain fighter jet's top speed was 2,750 km/h—the Stellar was 3.2 times faster.
Some of the most renowned missiles had a maximum speed of Mach 10, making the Stellar 0.7 times as fast.
At this speed, it would take just over four hours to circumnavigate his former planet.
This was essentially the pinnacle of velocity achievable on a planetary scale.
Of course,
if the goal was to break into space, this speed was far from sufficient. At this pace, not only would interstellar travel be impossible, but even taking a dog for a walk would leave the dog complaining about how slow you were.
A corresponding prompt appeared on the screen:
-
"Speed exceeding 3,000 km/h requires at least Level 10 Armor."
"Speed exceeding 4,000 km/h requires at least Level 11 Armor."
"Speed exceeding 5,000 km/h requires at least Level 12 Armor."
"Speed exceeding 6,000 km/h requires at least Level 13 Armor."
"Speed exceeding 7,000 km/h requires at least Level 14 Armor."
"..."
-
Given the Train's current Armor, its maximum safe speed was just under 6,000 km/h. Any faster, and the risk of disintegration would rise.
Thus—
the Train's speed capabilities were instantly elevated to a new tier!
Without any Train Stunts, its top speed now surpassed that of the "Traveling Frog."
"This doesn't feel quite right," Chen Mang sighed helplessly.
The Traveling Frog was originally the Stellar's scout, specializing in speed. Now, this speed-focused scout couldn't even keep up with him. That just wouldn't do.
No, that wouldn't do at all.
Then, he couldn't help but laugh.
Good.
He liked this. The gains this time were quite satisfactory. The total cost for these speed upgrades amounted to 15.1 million units of Iron Ore.
For the foreseeable future, speed was no longer a concern.
The days that followed became an endless grind of mining.
Day after day.
Even Level 2 Iron Ore deposits were excavated. Normally, he wouldn't even bother stopping for them—after all, a single Level 2 deposit only yielded 200,000 to 300,000 units of Iron Ore, hardly worth the effort.
But since they were clustered together in sizable quantities,
there was no reason to pass them up.
Although a level 2 Iron Ore deposit yields little, the presence of 14 such deposits here made the total haul substantial. Even small amounts add up when combined.
He had also obtained a Special Item in Zombie Basin—a "Level 3 Iron Ore Refresh Coupon."
He had held onto it, thinking it could serve as an emergency resource if he ever ran out of mines. But now, he decided not to save it any longer and activated it immediately to mine everything at once.
This place wasn't just rich in Iron Ore—there was Copper Ore and even Titanium Crystal Mine!
The mining operation lasted nearly a month!
Only then were all the mines here completely exhausted. The lower-level deposits took the most time, and throughout the month, none of the residents had rested for even a single day.
"Boom!"
As the long-absent whistle sounded once more, the Stellar Train finally embarked on its return journey, speeding through the Train Tunnel toward Crisis Valley.
It was time to go home.
He hadn't seen the sun in a month and had genuinely begun to miss it.
It felt like he had been in seclusion for a month, shrouded in darkness.
Today, he emerged!
The Stellar Train hovered low in the Train Tunnel, hurtling forward at breakneck speed. The deafening noise that followed was so intense that the air currents could be seen rippling with the naked eye.
Maximum speed!
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