"Slap!"
The Dwarf Man stared at the scene before him in disbelief, giving himself a hard slap across the face. Only when he felt the pain did he realize this wasn't a dream, nor had time frozen.
The world wasn't broken.
His eyes weren't playing tricks.
Yet those artillery shells truly hung suspended in midair.
The next moment—
Chen Mang's right hand suddenly clenched into a fist, and the hundreds of shells floating in the air instantly accelerated at even greater speeds, reversing course to completely envelop the runaway flying train's locomotive.
Under the night sky filled with stars,
Brilliant fireworks blossomed overhead.
A spectacular sight.
Meanwhile, the train that had lost its locomotive slowly descended beside the group. As the doors of the Stellar's Guard Car No. 7 opened, several mechas shot out, followed by ground troops who quickly eliminated any remaining resistance from the disabled train and began receiving its residents.
"Gentlemen."
Leaning on his cane as he stood on the wasteland, Chen Mang smiled at the Dwarf Man and the Young Man. "Long time no see. Consider the residents of this train as a small welcoming gift for you both."
"..."
It took the Dwarf Man a long moment to collect himself. Staring blankly at Chen Mang, he finally murmured, "Lord Mang, that technique you just used... what was...?"
"A minor trick, hardly worth mentioning."
Chen Mang's expression showed no trace of pride, remaining utterly composed.
"But... but that was a level 6 Mechanical Train chasing us! Any method that can instantly destroy a level 6 Mechanical Train couldn't possibly be minor!"
"To me, it truly is a minor trick."
Chen Mang chuckled. "Level 6 Mechanical Train—what a nostalgic term. It's been so long since I've heard that classification."
Though internally, his heart bled a little.
The Powerful Magnet's operational costs weren't cheap. While manipulating Train Blade Fragments was expensive too, at least they weren't heavy. But lifting an entire level 6 train into the air with the Powerful Magnet had cost him a painful 540,000 units of Iron Ore.
The expense stung.
However...
You had to spend money to make money.
He'd spent an entire month in that lightless mining tunnel—for what? Exactly for moments like this!
At this moment—
The Young Man beside the Dwarf Man finally reacted, his eyes widening in awe at the colossal train behind Chen Mang, each carriage standing 10 meters tall and 30 meters long. "Lord Mang, how is your train so enormous?!"
"Another minor trick."
"That must be a level 11 train, right?"
"Level 12."
"Then the armor must be level 12 too?"
"Level 14."
"Incredible." The Young Man gazed enviously at the massive train behind Chen Mang. "I wonder when I'll ever have a train like that."
"Once you reach level 10, you can perform Train Expansion. It's not particularly difficult."
"But the Train Expansion must require tons of Iron Ore, right?"
"Not too much. Just over ten million units."
"Ten million..." The Young Man froze, looking down to count on his fingers. On the Shahe Plain, most mines were level 2, with each containing about 300,000 units—meaning he'd need to excavate over thirty level 2 Iron Ore deposits just for one Train Expansion?
He felt that in this lifetime, he might never own such a Train again.
"Lord Mang," the Dwarf Man standing nearby spoke with awe in his eyes, "just a month ago, weren't you still at a Level 10 Train? How did you reach Level 12 so quickly? That's insane progress."
"Not bad, not bad."
Chen Mang chuckled cheerfully.
"..."
Er Dan, standing to the side, watched the conversation unfold in silence. He couldn't help but doubt whether everything Lord Mang had just said was entirely true.
Repaying kindness with kindness—that part was real.
But...
He suspected there was also some showboating involved.
He didn't fully understand the technique Lord Mang had just used, but he knew one thing: the energy consumed by that move had to be far greater than what a normal Automatic Cannon would expend. After all, he had never seen Lord Mang use it in a serious battle!
But Lord Mang's progress was genuinely staggering. How had he already reached a Level 12 Train in just a month?
What did this mean?
Did it mean he was almost ready to explore the purple zones on the Serendipity Map?
Er Dan couldn't keep up. Lord Mang's leveling speed was just too fast—how was anyone supposed to match that?
"Alright."
Chen Mang grinned at the two of them. "This visit is basically my way of saying goodbye. I'll be heading to the next region soon, and we probably won't meet again. Last time, I promised you both a gift when we next crossed paths."
"Whatever you need."
"Just name it."
Right then—
Biao Zi's urgent shout rang out from nearby: "Lord Mang, look out!"
In the next instant!
A Thug from one of the Train cars broke through Biao Zi's defensive line, wielding a pistol with a vicious snarl as he pulled the trigger, firing straight at Chen Mang.
Before Er Dan and the others could react,
they saw Lord Mang raise his right hand—somehow already holding a scorching-hot bullet between his fingers.
"Pathetic."
Chen Mang flicked the bullet aside with cold indifference. Then, hundreds of Train Blade Fragments shot out from inside the Train, transforming into a storm of blades that instantly reduced the Thug to nothing but a puddle of blood staining the earth.
Biao Zi rushed over in a panic, dropping to his knees in despair as he trembled. "Please forgive me, Lord Mang!"
He had no idea what had gone wrong.
How could there have been a breach? They had run this operation countless times—there should have been no way for anyone to slip through. Yet a mere Level 6 Mechanical Train's Thug had nearly harmed Lord Mang. Biao Zi felt his career might as well be over.
Chen Mang waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. Go back to your duties."
"Yes."
Only after silently giving Xiao Ai a mental thumbs-up through the Hive Mind did Chen Mang instruct him to come up with an excuse to smooth things over. No need for Biao Zi to spiral into guilt.
Under normal circumstances,
that Thug would never have broken through Biao Zi's defenses. But if Xiao Ai had fed Biao Zi false intel... well, that changed things.
To put it bluntly,
Chen Mang hadn't had his fill of showing off yet.
He wanted one more moment in the spotlight.
But with no targets left, he had no choice but to inconvenience Biao Zi a little—borrowing a foe from his hands.
"Ahem."
Chen Mang cleared his throat before smiling at the two again. "Just a minor interruption. Here's a little parting gift—some Iron Ore, Copper Ore, and four Murphy Stones."
"500,000 units of Iron Ore, 200,000 units of Copper Ore, and two Murphy Stones each."
"The Doomsday Cannon can only be upgraded to level 8 at most, but if you push it to level 10, it gains two Supermodel Effects with Halved Consumption. Many high-end players use this strategy."
"Perhaps we won't have another chance to meet in the future."
An hour later.
Chen Mang bid farewell to the group and returned to the Stellar Train, resuming his journey home.
Indeed, there would be no further opportunities to meet.
The conversation had been enjoyable.
Those two were exceptionally good at providing emotional value—or rather, energy.
The concept of an energy field is tied to a person's mental state. Some interactions leave you feeling energized, while others drain you. In most cases, when you lead the conversation, you tend to absorb energy.
Energy often determines a person's aura—or their fortune.
The more energy one has, the stronger their fortune.
This might sound a bit like feudal superstition, but he believed in it.
"Lord Mang."
"Hmm?"
"Did you really come all this way just for that?"
"What else?"
"When I saw we'd arrived at Shahe Plain, I thought you were going after that guy."
"Who?"
"You know, the one you called a sissy—the Train Conductor of the A-Grade Potential World Weary Train. Didn't he threaten you after you refused his invitation to join The Balance?"
"Oh, him. He's already dead."
"When did he die?"
"An hour ago."
Only then did Er Dan realize, his voice tinged with shock: "Lord Mang, are you saying that level 6 Train earlier was the World Weary Train?"
"Mm."
"What a coincidence!"
"Coincidence?" Chen Mang chuckled softly, shaking his head as he gazed into the void at the end of the Train Tunnel. "Not at all."
They were about to leave this area.
How could he have forgotten this matter and left such a loose end?
He'd been waiting for this for a long time.
Back when he was still mining, he'd sent these two to locate the World Weary Train and lure it to a predetermined spot within a set timeframe.
If the elder brother was dead, how could the younger one remain alive?
A family should stay together—even in death, they could keep each other company.
Inside the Train Tunnel, the Stellar Train raced forward.
Meanwhile, Biao Zi sat grimly in the No. 7 Guard Carriage, glaring at Zhang Da Mei and the Third Squad Leader as he spoke through clenched teeth: "I've gone over everything that happened, and the more I think about it, the more something feels off!"
"There's no way anyone could've broken through my line of defense!"
"At the time, Director Ai told me there was someone on the left, so he diverted me. Normally, I would've advanced straight ahead, but Director Ai said there was no one there. And Zhang Yi was also directed to the right by Director Ai."
"Director Ai is suspicious!"
"He did it on purpose. He might've betrayed us—he wanted Lord Mang dead. I have to report this to Lord Mang."
"But..."
The Third Squad Leader hesitated, glancing up at the Mechanical Eye mounted on the carriage ceiling. "Biao Ge, Director Ai can hear everything we're saying."
"So what?Biao Zi straightened his back, staring defiantly at the Mechanical Eye and the hundred Heavy Machine Guns overhead, his expression fearless—even slightly provocative. "I don't believe he has the authority to order those guns to fire on me without Lord Mang's command."
"And even if he does..."
"Then so be it. At least Lord Mang will know what really happened."
"I must report this matter to Lord Mang. If you have the guts, shoot me now!"
With that, he strode resolutely toward Carriage No. 6.
Zhang Da Mei and the Third Squad Leader exchanged glances before following with grim expressions. Though reluctant to believe Biao Ge's suspicions, if Director Ai had truly betrayed them, the consequences for the Train would be catastrophic—many would die.
But...
They trusted Biao Ge's judgment. With his strength and the First Squad's capabilities, their defensive line should have been impenetrable to a mere thug from a Level 6 Mechanical Train. Such a breach had never happened before.
"..."
Inside the Train's control room, Chen Mang's lips twitched slightly before he turned to Er Dan. "Go wait on the first floor for a bit. I have some matters to handle."
"Alright."
As Er Dan took the elevator down to the first floor, Xiao Ai entered the control room, his face clearly displaying the word "speechless" as he looked at Chen Mang. "Train Conductor, what now? Biao Zi and the others are coming to expose me, ready to die for it."
"They're saying I deliberately fed them false intel to get you killed."
"How should we handle this?"
"..."
Chen Mang glared at Xiao Ai irritably. "First, change those damn words on your face. Couldn't you have been subtler? Even Biao Zi—who's not the sharpest tool—figured it out. How sloppy were you?"
"Train Conductor, you're just shifting blame."
"Forget it." Chen Mang didn't bother arguing further. He glanced at the screen and sighed. "They're already at the door. Open it."
Soon enough!
Biao Zi barged in, ignoring Xiao Ai entirely, and knelt before Chen Mang with a dark expression, his voice hoarse. "Lord Mang, I'm not making excuses for myself."
"But Lord Mang, Director Ai has likely betrayed us!"
"He deliberately gave me false intel, letting that thug escape to harm you."
"If you don't believe me..."
"I'm willing to trade my life for his. We'll both die—but Director Ai must be dealt with immediately. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire. If it happened once, it'll happen again!"
Xiao Ai impassively switched the words on his face to "idiot" and "dumbass," rolling his eyes at Biao Zi without another word.
"..."
After a long silence, Chen Mang finally spoke softly. "I'm aware of the situation. Xiao Ai made a misjudgment. You know bugs happen sometimes. I'm not blaming you—let's drop this."
"No way!"
Biao Zi shook his head fiercely, his voice ragged with conviction. "Lord Mang, you've been deceived by Director Ai! I swear he did it on purpose!!"
"Go back for now."
"I won't! Today, either Director Ai dies, or I do—or we both die! I don't care if I die, but I won't stand by and watch the Stellar, which we've built to this point, be ruined by a traitorous AI!"
"If he doesn't die, I'll kneel here until I do!"
Xiao Ai switched his face to display "moron" and "jackass," still expressionless.
"Tch—"
Chen Mang took a deep breath before suddenly kicking Biao Zi, then continued stomping on him in fury. "Goddammit, does my word mean nothing now?!"
"'I'll kneel here until I die'?!"
"You're playing the loyal martyr now, huh?!"
"It was my order for Xiao Ai to let someone through—because I wanted to show off! I wanted to put on a goddamn sword-rain spectacle, got it?!"
"If you killed them all, who the hell would I have left to kill?!"
"Got it now?"
"Damn it, you idiot!"
Only then did he pause to catch his breath and straighten his clothes. Glaring at Biao Zi, who was climbing up from the ground with a dazed expression, he exhaled sharply and snapped, "Anything else?"
"Y-yeah, got it."
Biao Zi stood awkwardly in place before hurriedly picking up the clothes scattered on the floor and shuffling toward the exit. "Uh, sorry, Lord Mang. I didn't know—I thought—"
"Director Ai, my apologies too."
"I was drunk earlier, just spouting nonsense."
(End of Chapter)