On a desolate plain in the Crisis Valley region.
Chen Mang maneuvered the Stellar Train back to their usual spot. As the train came to a halt, the carriage slowly descended to the ground.
The "magnetic levitation" wheels had no physical form.
The carriage settled directly onto the earth, rendering the ladders he'd recently built temporarily unnecessary—he could simply step out in one stride.
It was dusk.
All the residents excitedly disembarked, anticipation in their eyes. Lord Mang had announced a grand feast tonight, followed by several days of rest for everyone to unwind. There would even be movies and some particularly stimulating entertainment.
"Ouch, ouch..."
Outside the train.
A middle-aged man lay on the ground, grimacing as he rubbed his sore neck. After a month of grueling labor, his entire body ached. Had his physical fitness not improved since the apocalypse, he would've been completely immobilized by now.
Despite the physical pain, his expression was one of exhilaration—especially as he gazed at his resident profile.
-
「Name」: Da Mao
「ID」: 4998
「Train」: Train Resident
「Position」: None
「Balance」: 2 Stellar Coupons
「Benefits」: Tier 1 Resident Benefits
「Promotion Progress」: 100%
「Mental Strength」: 11.4
「Physical Fitness Index」: 11.7
-
He had originally been from the Azure Dragon Train and hadn't joined the Stellar Train long ago. Yet in less than two months, he'd already advanced to Tier 1 Resident Benefits and earned two Stellar Coupons.
Though exhaustion wracked his body, his heart was light.
He kept checking his resident profile on the iris chip, even though nothing changed with each glance. It felt as though his efforts over these days had been quantified into tangible data.
The feedback was immediate.
The other residents were much the same—grimacing in pain but wearing broad smiles. This was especially true for those who'd come from the Azure Dragon; they were the most jubilant, nearly all having reached Tier 1 Resident Benefits and soon able to start earning Stellar Coupons.
Even the 1,200 former slaves under Shen Ye had fully integrated into the Stellar Train over this past month. Driven by the collective atmosphere, they'd thrown themselves into mining with remarkable vigor.
If one person were told to eat excrement, they'd refuse.
But if hundreds were scrambling for a bite, that same person would rush to taste it too.
Humans are creatures easily swayed by environment and atmosphere, often performing inexplicable acts under specific influences.
Only in solitude can absolute rationality be preserved.
"The sunset is beautiful..."
A middle-aged man sat on a hillside, a cigarette between his fingers, gazing at the descending sun with a dazed smile. "Almost two years since the apocalypse. Time flies."
"When it began..."
"My wife and I were fighting over something trivial—some petty domestic squabble. I'd gone out to buy her durian as a peace offering, but the apocalypse struck right after I left."
"When I rushed back, I searched the entire house but couldn't find her. Finally, I discovered her mangled body in the community garden. She'd come out looking for me after the apocalypse began."
"Because whenever I threw a tantrum, I'd always hide in that garden."
"Seeing her corpse then... it hit me hard. I was terrified too—the whole neighborhood was filled with screams and the growls of those monsters, and all I had was a kitchen knife."
"I used to wonder all the time whether she really loved me."
"But in that moment, seeing her body, I knew. She did love me. Risking her life to find me when the world ended proved it. Only... knowing that didn't mean anything anymore."
"I thought about following her in death. But I didn't have the courage."
The young man sitting beside him hesitated before asking, "Then... what happened after that, Uncle Li?"
"After?"
Uncle Li shook his head, staring at the flickering ember between his fingers. After a long silence, he continued softly, "After that... I just drifted through life. Someone in the neighborhood killed a zombie and dropped a Train Token. Everyone rushed for that train, fleeing the city."
"Later, when we got stuck on the road, we jumped off and kept running."
"It was chaos."
"Can't be bothered to remember. Not good memories anyway."
"Oh." The young man nodded, hugging his knees as he watched the sunset. "I wish I could find a woman who truly loves me too."
"Don't bother."
Uncle Li stubbed out his cigarette and stood up, waving a hand dismissively. "Asking for that after the apocalypse is just being ungrateful. While you're young, listen to your urges—go play at the Red House."
"Don't wait till you're my age."
"By then, you won't even be able to play."
"Let's go. The banquet's about to start." Uncle Li said no more. He was feeling low today—missing his wife, and frustrated that his Zombie Spawning Cage still hadn't made any progress.
Especially when he saw the residents gathering in small groups.
It often made him wonder.
If... if his wife were still alive, how happy they'd be together on the Stellar Train.
But then he'd think—if she hadn't died, they probably wouldn't have survived this long. His wife had been beautiful, and in the apocalypse, beauty was a sin.
It might sound crude.
But that was reality.
Women didn't get happy endings after the apocalypse—unless they were like Zhang Da Mei.
He'd yet to see a single train where the conductor was a woman. The rare exceptions were women who were more capable than most men—certainly not the type where a female conductor used her body to win loyalty.
Pure nonsense.
That kind of setup couldn't exist in the apocalypse.
The sun had fully set now.
The banquet began.
This feast was lavish—ten residents per table, with dishes spread across each:
"Diced Meat Fried Buns," "Pig Trotter Soup," "Stewed Pig Knuckles with Potatoes," "Pig Knuckles Fried Buns," "Rice Noodle Rolls," "Pickled Beans Fried Pig Trotters," "Cola Braised Pig Trotters," "Iced Cola," and more.
A true spread.
The result of a full day's work.
All the residents were seated at the banquet, rising on tiptoe to gaze at Lord Mang standing on the distant stage. For many, this was their first time seeing Lord Mang—previously, they hadn't had the chance. The train was too vast, and there were too many people.
"."
Chen Mang, standing on the stage, looked down at the hundreds of tables filled with residents—a sea of faces illuminated by the train's headlights. With a light chuckle, he took the microphone handed to him by Lao Zhu, and his voice echoed through the train's external loudspeakers.
"Is the food to your liking?"
"Absolutely!"
The crowd below erupted into cheers, shouting excitedly in response.
"Not bad for a meal in the apocalypse, right?"
"More than not bad, Lord Mang!"
Chen Mang paused, waiting for the cheers to gradually subside before continuing, "On the Stellar, everyone who puts in effort will be rewarded. As long as you work hard, I'll give you the rewards you deserve."
"Let the banquet officially begin."
With that, he handed the microphone back to Lao Zhu and, leaning on his cane, made his way to a nearby round table.
At the same moment—
"Boom!!"
A missile shot out from Carriage No. 14, exploding into fireworks in the sky. One after another, over a dozen missiles streaked through the air, bursting into dazzling displays like festive fireworks.
Accompanied by jubilant music.
The banquet had begun.
Chen Mang sat at the round table, picking up his chopsticks first and placing a piece of chicken into his mouth with a smile. "Let's eat."
Only a few people sat at this table:
Lao Zhu, Biao Zi, Zhang Da Mei, the Third Squad Leader, and Li Shiji.
The dishes here were noticeably more abundant and refined than those at other tables. A chicken had been stewed with potatoes, and a pig had been slaughtered to make braised pork ribs with potatoes—all prepared in the private kitchen by the chefs.
Each person reacted differently. Lao Zhu hurriedly stood to pour Chen Mang a cup of iced tea—Lord Mang had a fondness for it.
Biao Zi was visibly excited and enthusiastic.
Zhang Da Mei, the Third Squad Leader, and Li Shiji, however, seemed somewhat reserved, sitting stiffly upright as if they weren't there to eat.
Chen Mang finished his meal quickly and didn't linger.
His presence made everyone eat cautiously, and conversations remained overly polite. Once he was done, he returned alone to his train compartment.
Sitting in his chair, he glanced at the current resources displayed on the train panel. Outside, after his departure, the noise level noticeably rose by several decibels.
"Xiao Ai."
"I'm here," came Xiao Ai's voice from within the compartment.
"Keep an ear out for anyone badmouthing me," Chen Mang said with a smirk. "If anyone gets drunk and starts talking trash about me, make sure to note it down."
"Understood."
After Er Dan stepped down as the Azure Dragon Train Captain, all removable parts had been dismantled—like the beer production line, which was now installed on the Stellar. Chen Mang had provided plenty of alcohol at the banquet for everyone to drink their fill.
And, incidentally,
to see if anyone would spill the truth after a few drinks.
Then, his gaze fell on the "sunny doll" ornament on the train's control panel. Nearly a month had passed, and the progress had only reached 78%.
Perhaps because people rarely dream when their bodies are exhausted, which might explain the slow progress?
But he didn't dwell on it—after all, he had no idea what it was.
Instead, he turned his attention to all the resources they had gathered this time.
In addition to the initial 28 million units of Iron Ore mined, they later obtained 35 million units of Iron Ore, 17 million units of Copper Ore, and 10.29 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine.
The total resources currently in the Train are—
「55.02 million units of Iron Ore, 2.57 million units of wood, 18.04 million units of Copper Ore, 4.48 million units of Crimson Heartstone, and 10.29 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine.」
Overnight wealth.
He loved high-tier zones.
Only in high-tier zones could such windfalls be possible. If they were in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, even working themselves to death wouldn't yield this much Iron Ore—even if he monopolized every Iron Ore deposit there, he still wouldn't be able to dig up this amount.
And this was just the Blue Zone.
He was even more excited about the Purple Zone.
The Purple Zone should have Level 5 Iron Ore, right?
He had never seen a Level 5 mine before and didn't know roughly how much it contained, but he figured a single Level 5 Iron Ore deposit would surely hold tens of millions of units.
Due to being underground,
they couldn't access sunlight at all, so the "Solar Energy Panel" naturally had no opportunity to function and remained unused. The "Cosmic Receiver" also couldn't absorb anything—tens of thousands of meters beneath the surface, it simply couldn't pick up a signal.
But these two were trivial compared to the massive haul this time, completely insignificant.
Tens of millions of units of Iron Ore and Copper Ore gave him an overwhelming sense of security.
"Let's upgrade the Armor first."
Chen Mang sat back in his chair, quite satisfied, and looked at the screen on the control panel.
Upgrading from Level 12 Armor to Level 13 Armor cost 2 million units per Carriage.
From Level 13 to Level 14, it was 3 million units per Carriage.
The Stellar had 14 Carriages + 1 Locomotive + 1 Behemoth Car, requiring a total of 48 million units of Iron Ore. However, the Level 10 Supermodel Effect of "Carriage Steel Armor" halved the upgrade cost.
After spending 24 million units of Iron Ore, the Stellar's Armor reached Level 14!
"Now I feel much safer."
Chen Mang exhaled deeply as he looked at the three-dimensional schematic of the Train. Level 14 Armor provided a solid sense of security. Upgrading to Level 15 would cost 40 million units of Iron Ore.
The Train didn't have enough Iron Ore left.
Currently, there were still 31.02 million units of Iron Ore aboard.
Level 15 Armor could wait—Level 14 was more than sufficient for the Blue Zone's Crisis Valley. For now, he'd upgrade the Train to Level 12 and see how Xiao Lu looked after waking up.
He glanced at the Train's upgrade conditions.
-
「Upgrade Conditions」: Craft both Mandatory Vehicle Accessories, consume 30,000 units of Level 3 Iron Ore, and ensure all Accessory Levels in the Carriages exceed 220.
-
The conditions weren't difficult at all.
They were fully met.
After spending 100,000 units of Iron Ore to craft both the "Dark Matter Resonance Device" and the "Resource Tracker," he then consumed another 3 million units to upgrade the Train to Level 12!
In just one month,
the Train had jumped straight from Level 10 to Level 12.
At this point, the Stellar had finally become a Level 12 Mechanical Train, officially ranking among the top-tier forces in Crisis Valley. Well, it technically already was—previously, its combat strength had matched, but its level hadn't. Now, both level and strength were aligned.
The next moment—
Familiar lines of text appeared on the Train's control panel screen.
-
「Your Train has been upgraded to Level 12.」
"Currently no additional unlockable components available."
-
"Phew."
Not easy at all.
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the control panel as he lit a victory cigar. He gazed at those few lines of text on the screen with some emotion.
It was time to prepare for heading to the purple zone.
After leaving the Crisis Valley area, he wouldn't be able to return to the Train Tunnel anymore. That meant once he left Crisis Valley, he couldn't go back to Shahe Plain. He planned to visit Shahe Plain in the coming days to find that Dwarf Man.
To give him a gift.
Even the smallest surplus from his current resources would be considered a great boon for lower-level Trains.
And incidentally...
Incidentally, to show off his Level 12 Train.
(End of Chapter)