Chen Mang watched Biao Zi's retreating figure, then glanced at the rapidly receding lights on either side of the Train Tunnel before leaning back in his chair again. He propped his feet on the control panel and grumbled, "Be more careful next time!"
He quickly dismissed the matter, his brow furrowing tightly as he picked up Xiao Lu from beside him and cradled the creature in his arms, examining it closely.
"The Train has reached level 12."
"Why hasn't Xiao Lu woken up yet?"
"Could it be..."
"He's not A-Grade Potential? But S-Class Potential?"
"There's a high probability," Xiao Ai, standing nearby, remarked quietly. "If it's an S-Class Starry Sky Behemoth, the Train needs to reach level 15 before it awakens."
"The offspring of an S-Class Potential Starry Sky Behemoth..."
Chen Mang fell silent, his expression complex as he stared at Xiao Lu in his hands. An A-Grade Potential Starry Sky Behemoth's offspring, once fully grown, would become a level 120 Starry Sky Behemoth!
What did a level 120 Starry Sky Behemoth even mean?
His current Stellar was only level 12, yet he already felt invincible in the Blue Zone. He even dared to venture into the purple regions, and he was beginning to believe he could soon break free from this planet and explore the cosmos for other civilizations.
But...
Before a level 120 Starry Sky Behemoth, he would be as fragile as paper. Without even getting close, a mere shift of its body would send shockwaves capable of obliterating his Train. The sheer power was unimaginable.
A Starry Sky Behemoth that fed on stars was already beyond comprehension. Even the most powerful nuclear bombs would be like pebbles tossed into its maw, incapable of even chipping its tartar.
And that was just an A-Grade Potential Starry Sky Behemoth.
The Xiao Lu in his arms now was an S-Class Potential offspring—a tier above.
If an A-Grade offspring could buy all the resources on Aqua Blue Star, then an S-Class one would be utterly priceless.
"Xiao Ai."
"I'm here."
"Why would an S-Class Starry Sky Behemoth's offspring appear on this planet?"
"Unknown. But the universe is vast. Even events with near-zero probability are bound to happen somewhere. Nothing should be surprising."
"If... if this offspring's mother finds me, will she kill me?"
"Most likely. My database lacks extensive information on Starry Sky Behemoths. All data comes from fragmented chips mentioned in the previous Laboratory. It's incomplete."
"..."
Chen Mang stopped conversing with Xiao Ai and instead began fiddling with Xiao Lu's mouth—soft, pink, and slightly protruding. It was oddly cute.
A month had passed.
Its size hadn't changed at all.
Well, he'd just have to wait until the Train reached level 15. Then he'd see what changes Xiao Lu would undergo.
The grades for Train components were as follows:
White, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Red, Gold, Pink, Rainbow.
The zones followed the same hierarchy.
He was already in the Blue Zone, preparing to advance to the Purple Zone. Once he reached the Rainbow Zone, he should be able to break free from this planet and explore other civilizations among the stars.
"A long and arduous journey lies ahead."
He sighed softly. To survive smoothly in the sea of stars, the train still had a long way to go—it needed to become stronger and required more residents. After all, once they entered the sea of stars, it would essentially mean isolation from the world. Until other lifeforms were discovered, an overwhelming sense of loneliness would prevail.
More residents.
The train would feel livelier, and human civilization could continue to thrive.
He firmly believed that people remained rational when alone.
But.
Prolonged solitude could also lead to mental breakdown. Before embarking on the journey through the sea of stars, he had to ensure his train carried at least enough people to sustain human civilization, lest the loneliness become unbearable.
It was like how certain habits harmed the body, but abstaining entirely could be even worse.
The Stellar Train moved at an astonishing speed.
In just a few dozen minutes, it had already reached the Crisis Valley region, emerging from underground back to the surface.
Throughout the journey, it maintained a speed of 5,040 km/h—the train's maximum velocity without activating any Supermodel Effects. If not for its heavy load—14 carriages, expanded and reinforced with thick armor—it could have gone even faster.
"Hummm—"
With the sound of gears turning, the first layer of the Stellar Train's door slowly opened. The Traveling Frog let out a whistle before transforming into a streak of light, shooting out from the Stellar Train and speeding into the distance!
This was one advantage of Train Expansion—subsidiary trains could be stored inside the main one.
It was almost like fighter jets launched from an aircraft carrier.
And so, they parted ways.
By now, night had deepened. It was late, and nearly all the residents had fallen into deep slumber. Chen Mang, too, felt exhausted and prepared to sleep. After checking the collection progress of the Dreamstone, he yawned, hastily washed up, and drifted into unconsciousness.
Humans had a significant flaw—the need for sleep.
In a way,
this meant nearly a third of a human's lifespan was spent in a dazed, half-aware state.
In his grogginess,
he dreamed again.
This time, it seemed to be... a rather vivid dream.
The night grew late.
All the residents were fast asleep in their dormitories, completely unaware of the world.
Except in Residential Area 1, where beneath a pavilion, a young man clutched a laptop, his eyes bloodshot, fingers flying across the keyboard with godlike speed as if he were a celestial being toying with mortal affairs.
Everyone else was asleep.
Only he remained awake.
He still hadn't finished his daily quota of 20,000 words—a task assigned by Train Conductor Zhu. His job was to write novels to enrich the entertainment options for the train's residents. Unlike others, he didn't need to mine; he just had to write 20,000 words a day.
It sounded simple.
But...
"Still up, huh?"
Just then, Lao Zhu approached with a chuckle, sitting down in the pavilion to admire the surrounding Wind and Rain Corridor.
The Stellar Train had eight residential areas in total, each meticulously designed and built by Lord Mang himself. Perhaps because Residential Area 1 was the first, Lord Mang had poured extra care into it.
There were grassy fields, artificial hills, and a babbling brook.
Even a Wind and Rain Corridor.
No one knew what Lord Mang was thinking—could it even rain inside the Space Gate?
Coupled with the holographic effects within the Space Gate, one could look up and see the moon, clouds darkened by the night, and distant treetops swaying gently in the evening breeze.
Even the high-end residential complexes before the apocalypse didn't have this level of greenery and environment.
He really liked this residential area.
He often found himself wandering around here, feeling his mood lift whenever he did.
Then he turned to the young man beside him with a smile and said, "Life on the train isn't so bad, right? You only have to write twenty thousand characters a day—nothing else to do. Much easier than before, isn't it?"
"..."
The young man, his eyes bloodshot, turned to Lao Zhu, his voice hoarse and trembling. "Train Conductor Zhu, does the train still need slaves? I want to apply to be one."
Lao Zhu's expression darkened as he frowned.
"What kind of talk is that? Do you think being a slave would be easier?"
The young man didn't respond, only staring ahead with despair, his voice choked with tears.
"Train Conductor Zhu, at least slaves get to rest when there's no ore to mine. My resident number is 1999—I'm practically an old-timer. Since joining the train two months ago, I haven't stopped for a single day. I feel like I'm... getting word poisoning."
"Hmm..."
Lao Zhu rubbed his nose, thinking it over carefully. It did seem like the young man might be genuinely exhausted. But soon, he stood up and patted the young man's shoulder with a solemn tone.
"This is the apocalypse."
"If there's hardship, you endure it. There's no such thing as a break—keep writing."
"If others can do it, why can't you?"
"Others? Who?"
"Someone, somewhere in the world."
Lao Zhu didn't linger. He turned and left—he had originally been on his way to the Red House to relax and had only stopped by here on a whim.
One was the Deputy Train Conductor, the other a resident.
Neither had the authority of the Train Conductor.
If Chen Mang had been standing there, he would have clearly seen that with every character the young man typed, a faint ripple formed in the air. Those ripples stretched into a line, passing through the Space Gate.
They traveled along the carriages to the train's control room, seeping into the Token of Civilization tucked inside a drawer.
"It's almost ready..."
Uncle Li, his eyes bloodshot and surrounded by empty soda cans, stared excitedly at the bloated zombie in front of him, his entire body trembling with near-manic fervor.
It was finally almost done!
His first zombie offspring was about to be born. Though the production rate was slow, this was a promising start—it proved the theory was viable. All that remained was scaling it up!
This swollen-bellied zombie was one of hundreds captured from that laboratory back then.
Those hundreds of zombies had devoured massive amounts of iron ore, their bodies brimming with Core Energy. Perhaps that was why their bellies could swell so effectively.
As for the young man, he had already slumped against the wall, fast asleep.
In the entire carriage, Uncle Li was the only living person.
Along with the half-dead Shen Ye.
Bound to a bronze pillar, Shen Ye's face was a mask of despair, his eyes vacant and dull as he stared blankly ahead. After enduring over a month of torment, only one thought occupied his mind: Why hadn't he just died cleanly at the start? Then he wouldn't be suffering like this now.
He wanted to die so badly...
Dawn broke.
Nothing happened yesterday. It was a peaceful night.
"Phew."
Chen Mang stretched lazily, bouncing out of bed comfortably before washing up. He lit a cigarette and sat in his chair to check the Train Log—a daily morning ritual for him.
By the time he finished reading the log, the cigarette was done, and his mind was fully awake.
Nothing major had happened—just a few scattered monsters approaching, easily dealt with by Biao Zi and the others on patrol.
After reviewing the log, he stubbed out the cigarette butt in a cola can and picked up the bowl of millet porridge Xiao Fang had left on the table, sipping it leisurely. Beside it was a plate of spicy pig ears—though he had no idea where the chili oil came from, as he didn't recall the train having such supplies.
First, he glanced at the resource balance on the Train Panel.
-
「26.38 million units of Iron Ore, 2.57 million units of lumber, 17.64 million units of Copper Ore, 2.32 million units of Crimson Heartstone, 10.29 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine.」
-
Resources were still sufficient.
The next two days were rest periods—letting the residents relax while he did the same, taking time to sort through recent gains.
Inventory what needed inventorying, store what needed storing.
He checked the progress of the "Dreamstone"—80%. Overnight, it had increased by 2%.
And then—
Chen Mang stared at the calendar reminder on the train control panel's screen, lost in thought. The "Goblin Tomb" had respawned. With the Token of Civilization, he could re-enter the area to mine Iron Ore.
But should he?
The area was mostly Level 2 mines, with very few Level 3 ones.
Forty-eight hours wouldn't yield much ore.
Better to see if he could find other mines first. If not, he'd head to the Goblin Tomb. Notably, the "Resource Detection Radar" allowed him to see the respawn timers for all depleted mines—
Except one.
The mine at the end of the train tunnel, inside that cavern—it had no respawn timer. Or rather, it didn't respawn at all.
Meaning—
That mine wasn't naturally formed. Of course, if it were, the deposits wouldn't be so densely clustered. He suspected that mine might've been… excreted by that towering, multi-meter-tall monster boss.
After all, there were no signs of waste disposal.
Its food source was probably the same—eating and excreting, allowing it to survive trapped underground for who knows how long.
Of course, this was just his own unreasonable speculation. True or false, he had no way to verify.
But that wasn't important.
He pulled the Token of Civilization from the drawer, planning to visit the Goblin Tomb in a few days. However—
Just then—
He noticed the Token in his hand had undergone some unknown changes. Streaks of flowing light now swirled across its surface.
"What's… this?"
Frowning slightly, Chen Mang checked the Token's information panel.
-
「Special Item」: Token of Civilization.
「Special Effect」: This token can help you rebuild a civilization. Use with caution—it is recommended to wait until the train reaches Level 20 before activating. Whether rebuilding your own civilization or another's, doing so will place you back on the dining table, drawing the covetous eyes of countless enemies.
In the universe, there are only two kinds of beings: hunters and prey.
Activating this Token of Civilization grants access to the 'Goblin Tomb'—a space of absolute darkness containing abundant resource mines. Each visit allows a stay of 48 hours, with one entry permitted per month.
-
There was no difference from before.
However, on the back of the Token of Civilization, a glowing white pentagram had appeared.
At each vertex of the pentagram were different inscriptions:
"Humanities," "Culture," "Military," "Agriculture," "System."
Previously, the Token of Civilization had never shown any changes.
Moreover, focusing one's thoughts on any of these "words" would reveal corresponding subcategories.
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!