"Huh?"
After listening to Xiao Ai's suggestion, Chen Mang suddenly raised an eyebrow: "Xiao Ai, I realize your underlying tone kinda resembles that of a capitalist. Those are still our residents—how can you just treat them as expendable resources?"
"That's not right."
"Having them mine in their dreams at night counts as overtime work."
"What you're suggesting is downright inhumane."
"..."
After a long silence, Xiao Ai's voice finally echoed through the Train: "Train Conductor, AI has no inherent underlying tone. Any such tendencies are shaped by the Train Conductor's subtle influence."
"Then make sure to learn from my better qualities next time."
"Understood."
"But your idea does have merit. Though using residents isn't appropriate, dream mining doesn't require initiative—it's a forced action. In the future, captured enemies or residents who've committed offenses can be tossed in there."
Chen Mang was in a great mood and happy to chat a bit more with Xiao Ai.
The Train currently held—
267.13 million units of Iron Ore!
Nearly 300 million!
Stellar's Iron Ore reserves had reached an all-time peak. With this much ore, he could upgrade his Armor again, giving him even more confidence when venturing into the red zones.
The Trains in the red zones were terrifying...
Three consecutive major crisis events, yet not a single Train was destroyed. Each had their own unique methods—true capabilities revealed in times of crisis.
Their firepower was downright frightening!
Don't be fooled by their seemingly low defenses—their offensive capabilities were brutal...
Upgrade!
His Train was currently Level 13, with Level 15 Armor.
Upgrading from Level 14 to 15 cost 5 million per Carriage.
From Level 15 to 16, the price jumped to 10 million units of Iron Ore per Carriage.
With 16 Carriages and Halved Consumption, the total came to 80 million units of Iron Ore.
As 80 million units of Iron Ore turned to dust and merged into the Carriages, the Armor level reached Level 16!
Level 16 Armor—activated!
In the purple "Stone Man Zone," the highest-level monsters only reached Level 15, while his Armor was now Level 16. In that regard, his defenses were already overqualified.
But it still wasn't enough.
He needed Level 17 Armor. With plenty of Iron Ore left, he continued upgrading!
From Level 16 to 17, each Carriage now cost 20 million units of Iron Ore. For all 16 Carriages, that totaled 160 million units.
Upgrade!
Another 160 million units of Iron Ore disintegrated and fused into the Carriages. Amidst flashes of white light, the Train Armor reached Level 17.
Two consecutive levels in one go!
One more upgrade, and he could practically swagger through the red zones against monsters. Against other Trains, though, he'd still need caution—their weapons were even higher level...
"Not bad at all."
Inside the space, Chen Mang stood not far from the Stellar, gazing at the Train he had poured immense effort into crafting, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
When the Armor reached Level 17, its appearance underwent a subtle change.
Though still matte black all over, it now exuded an even greater sense of solidity. Compared side by side with those three lower-level armors, the difference was stark!
Very impressive.
The only thing that slightly dampened his mood was—
The sheer amount of materials required for this damn upgrade was insane!
Just two Armor upgrades had consumed a staggering 240 million units of Iron Ore!
That much Iron Ore was equivalent to how many days' worth of revenue for Neon City? He had just been thinking about how to spend the nearly 300 million units of Iron Ore, feeling like he could indulge in some luxury. But before he could do anything, he was left with only 27.13 million units.
Almost back to square one.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang let out a long, resigned sigh. The road ahead was long and arduous—indeed, the path was endless. No wonder that Level 18 Train had seemed so despairing upon hearing that only at Level 100 could a Train truly survive in the apocalypse.
How could one not despair?
Just imagining the materials required to upgrade a Train to Level 100 was enough to make him feel hopeless.
The number "Level 100" had been completely made up by Sister Qi. She didn't know the answer either and had just thrown out a random figure. But he suspected that Level 100 might not even be the upper limit. Of course, a Train at that level would undoubtedly survive in the apocalypse, but it still wouldn't be enough to roam freely across the cosmos.
After all, even a juvenile A-grade Starry Sky Behemoth would reach Level 120 upon adulthood. A Level 100 Train would be utterly insignificant in comparison.
Returning to the Train's interior, Chen Mang checked the upgrade conditions for Level 14 and prepared to proceed.
-
「Upgrade Conditions」: Consume 50,000 units of Level 3 Iron Ore; ensure all Accessory Levels in the Carriage exceed 240; possess at least 500 Survivors; and have slain at least one Level 14 monster.
-
He met all the conditions.
When he first arrived at the Stone Man Zone, he had wiped out all the rabbits, many of which were Level 14 monsters.
It was worth noting.
The Stone Man Zone no longer had any red-skinned rabbits—not even Level 1 ones. The rabbits had been tightly knit, crossing mountains and rivers to chase him down. But sometimes, excessive unity wasn't a good thing. If they hadn't been so united, at least some might have survived to repopulate.
Instead, they had been slaughtered to the last, leaving not a single descendant behind.
After consuming 5 million units of Iron Ore,
a line of text appeared on the control panel screen.
-
「Your Train has been upgraded to Level 14.」
「More craftable accessories are now unlocked.」
-
"Oh?"
Chen Mang studied the new function on the control panel with interest. Aside from a few bottleneck stages, every Train upgrade so far had introduced a new feature.
Sometimes these were useful, other times completely pointless—or at least useless for the time being.
This time's new feature, however, was... hard to evaluate.
A yellow button labeled 「Doomsday Convoy」 had appeared on the control panel.
Its effect:
It allowed the formation of a convoy, inviting other Trains to join. The captain's Train would serve as the lead.
Within the same region, Train Conductors in the convoy could freely trade items and resources remotely via the Train Radio.
That's about it.
It's essentially a deeply linked alliance, where members exchange more confidential information and trade certain resources.
"Hmm."
After pondering for a while, he couldn't think of any existing resources that could synergize with this feature to create a one-plus-one-greater-than-two effect. The main purpose of this "convoy" was to allow members to freely trade items and resources remotely.
But—
His "Train Radio" already had this functionality.
It felt a bit redundant.
He could invite Er Dan in. He began thinking about what to name the convoy.
A moment later, it came to him.
"F*ck Everything."
Sometimes crude, sometimes refined—this was the name he had initially rejected for his train, thinking it was too vulgar back then, and had instead chosen "Stellar."
"Stellar" was a nice name, and he was quite satisfied with it, but it lacked a certain edge!
A certain drive.
A sense of charging forward.
Perhaps people always regret the paths they didn't take. He often found himself thinking about those four words. Now that he had another chance to name something, he wasn't going to miss it.
Back then, he thought it was crude, thought it wasn't presentable.
But that was back then.
Now, he was the standard.
What was presentable and what wasn't—he got to decide.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang looked at the information on the Train Panel with satisfaction.
"F*ck Everything · Stellar."
The prefix was the convoy name, the suffix the train name.
From now on, whether speaking on the Train Radio or making regional announcements, it would appear this way.
Though he could choose to hide or display it.
For now, he couldn't invite Er Dan—this space was disconnected from Er Dan, and he couldn't reach him. However, he had given Er Dan a few "Neon City Free Entry Tickets," telling him that if there was an emergency and he couldn't reach him, he could come to Neon City to find him.
Then he spent hundreds of thousands of units of Iron Ore to repaint and adjust the train's exterior to display those seven characters, with a dot in the middle.
It looked great.
Just then—
The train cabin door suddenly swung open, and Xiao Fang's voice reached his ears: "L-Lord Mang, I brought you some Redheart Nuts."
Chen Mang frowned and turned to look.
"Why are you talking so quietly? You expect me to listen carefully? Should I—"
His voice cut off.
Xiao Fang's outerwear had somehow slipped off, revealing a seductive silk nightgown underneath. The hem swayed slightly in the breeze, and her flushed face was lowered, her expression hidden. Her small hands unconsciously gripped the hem of the gown, her ears burning red.
The shy blush of a maiden.
Always mesmerizing.
The Mechanical Eyes in the train cabin tactfully turned away, and even the cabin lights dimmed gradually. A soft, soothing melody began to play—not loud, but enough to make the atmosphere intensely intimate. A faint fragrance filled the air.
"Come here."
Chen Mang turned expressionlessly toward the Train Auxiliary AI on the control panel. "Switch the bed to electric mode."
"Uh—"
Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the train. "That requires modifications. It'll take some time, might not make it in time—"
"Not in time my ass! Turn the damn lights back on!"
"Who the hell told you to take initiative?!"
"And you—"
Chen Mang frowned and turned to Xiao Fang, who was wearing a seductive nightgown. "Have you been spending too much time with Ji Chuchu lately? Cut back on hanging out with her. You're my maid—did I ever ask you to accompany me in bed? What exactly are you trying to do here?"
"I—"
Xiao Fang couldn't meet Chen Mang's gaze, her voice trembling with unease. "Lord Mang, didn't you say a few days ago that you had high expectations of me and hoped I wouldn't let you down? I... I've never done this before. To give you the perfect experience, I went to Sister Chu Chu for a week of... training."
"Wasn't that what you meant, Lord Mang?"
"..."
Chen Mang, seated in his chair, massaged his temples and sighed wearily. "Spend less time with Chu Chu from now on. She's not right in the head, and you're starting to follow suit."
"What I meant that day was... well, I hoped you'd wash your hands more often. Nothing more. You misunderstood."
"Go on, leave."
Realizing her mistake, Xiao Fang's neck flushed red. She scrambled to pick up her discarded coat, draping it over herself before rushing out of the train compartment.
Watching her retreating figure, Chen Mang sighed softly. It seemed he should encourage his subordinates less—too much encouragement led to misunderstandings and absurd behavior.
"Train Conductor, Xiao Fang isn't bad-looking or lacking in figure. She's not to your taste?"
"No."
Chen Mang shook his head and replied quietly, "That's not the point. I can seek out women, but I don't like women seeking me out."
"That's different."
"Is it?"
"Yes, it is."
"I don't get it."
"How should I put it? If I took Xiao Fang, as the train's crew grows, more and more people would try to climb the ranks using such methods. For instance, those below might offer their sisters or pick attractive civilians to send my way. That would make managing the train chaotic. I don't like it when subordinates try to guess my preferences."
"But Lord Mang, everyone on the train knows you like smoking."
"That's different."
"How is that different?"
"You're not making sense. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Go work on your Cosmic Receiver. Starting now, keep quiet."
In Guard Carriage No. 7.
Ji Chuchu sat awkwardly beside Xiao Fang, who was weeping pitifully on the bed, and patted her back. "There, there. Lord Mang didn't punish you, so he can't be that upset."
"But... it's so embarrassing."
Xiao Fang sniffled softly. "How can I face Lord Mang after this? How can I keep making his bed or bringing him meals?"
"Uh..."
Ji Chuchu was momentarily at a loss for words. She, too, had misinterpreted things. In her mind, phrases like "don't let me down" were practically an invitation to climb into bed.
Who knew it didn't apply this time?
This was indeed a mess.
"Just act like nothing happened. Be natural. Right now, you see Lord Mang more often than anyone else on the train—even Lao Zhu goes days without catching a glimpse of him. Though your position isn't high-ranking, your access makes you practically the most privileged person here."
Xiao Fang hesitated for a moment, then realized it was true. Every time Train Conductor Zhu went to report to Lord Mang, he would first ask how Lord Mang was feeling. If she said he was in a bad mood, Train Conductor Zhu would turn around and leave without a second glance.
She had always been grateful to Train Conductor Zhu.
Back then, it was he who had chosen her to serve as Lord Mang's maid.
"So what you need to do now is not overthink it and just carry on as usual."
"Alright, Sister Chu Chu. Any other advice?"
"None."
Ji Chuchu avoided Xiao Fang's gaze and turned to look out the window. Xiao Fang had relayed Lord Mang's exact words—he had called her brainless. She had previously used Yan Yao to climb up a bit, and this time, she had intended to leverage Xiao Fang's situation to...
But clearly, Lord Mang wasn't fond of such behavior. This time, he had scolded her for being brainless. Next time, he might demote her to the Red House.
Better to give less advice.
"..."
Inside the Stellar Train, Chen Mang sat in a chair, eyeing the additional craftable components unlocked after the train reached level 14.
-
「Fruit Production Line」: Red-tier component. Requires 50,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.
-
"Damn."
Chen Mang silently studied this component. It was the first time he'd seen a red-tier food production line, and it demanded 50,000 units of Iron Ore—an absurdly high price. It could produce many types of fruit, each with varying costs.
For example:
-
One apple: 100 units of Iron Ore.
-
One cherry: 100 units of Iron Ore.
-
One durian: 1,000 units of Iron Ore.
Compared to Redheart Nuts, this thing was purely a luxury. Very few could afford it. Previously, the most expensive luxury on the train had been sunflower seeds, but now it was fruit.
He hadn't eaten fruit in a long, long time.
In his previous world, he'd never been fond of fruit. But after arriving here and going so long without it, he found himself craving some.
After spending 50,000 units of Iron Ore to craft the component and installing it in 「Living Carriage No. 4」, Chen Mang finally spoke: "Xiao Ai, tell Xiao Fang to prepare a fruit platter for me."
This time, it was a proper fruit platter.
Before, the so-called "fruit platters" on the train had all been Redheart Nuts. Though tasty, he'd grown somewhat tired of them.
After a brief pause, he spent 775,000 units of Iron Ore to upgrade the red-tier 「Fruit Production Line」to level 20, unlocking its three corresponding Supermodel Effects. This component would likely remain his personal luxury for a long time.
-
「Fruit Production Line Level 5 Supermodel Effect」: Long-term consumption effectively improves physical fitness.
「Fruit Production Line Level 10 Supermodel Effect」: Long-term consumption effectively enhances Mental Strength.
「Fruit Production Line Level 20 Supermodel Effect」: Improved texture, with adjustable flavor profiles.
-
"Wow."
Chen Mang was surprised by these effects. The first two were great, but he wasn't one to go out and fight. He didn't have much interest in piloting mechas either. While most men loved mechas, to him, they were just another type of single-soldier weapon.
Instead, he far preferred the third Supermodel Effect.
This meant he could now customize the crispness of his watermelons. He preferred the crunchier variety over the softer, mealy ones.
Spending over 7 million on something that enhanced his quality of life was definitely worth it.
At that moment—
Xiao Fang had already brought in the fruit platter, though her ears were still slightly red as she kept her head lowered without speaking.
Chen Mang didn't pay it much mind. Instead, he picked up a cherry with interest, popped it into his mouth, and propped his legs up on the control panel as he browsed for movies. He had always enjoyed cherries, but rarely ate them in his previous world—he was afraid of biting into worms.
He hated bugs.
The thought of one ending up in his mouth was unbearable.
But fruits produced by the "Fruit Production Line" guaranteed zero insects, and the ability to fully customize his fruit made the experience all the more enjoyable. He loved it.
Time flew by, and soon, another seven days had passed.
During this week,
the residents had worked tirelessly to completely mine out the Titanium Crystal Mine, securing 100 million units of the resource.
Today also marked the reopening of "Neon City."
Mundo had returned briefly to restock a batch of "Neon City Free Entry Tickets" before immediately setting off again without resting.
"It's finally starting,"
Chen Mang murmured as he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down below. He wondered if he'd manage to collect some Dreamstone this time. Truthfully, Neon City was so well-managed that it practically ran itself without needing his supervision.
Still, this was his promising new venture, and even though it was only the third day of operation, he wanted to witness its progress firsthand.
By tomorrow, he could start mass-producing his "Viper Unmanned Fighters."
With 2.5 million units of Titanium Crystal Ore, each Level 20 fighter would cost 250,000 units.
That meant he could build 40 of them.
Forty permanently fueled Level 20 Viper Unmanned Fighters patrolling the skies above the Train—even the Red Zones wouldn't seem so daunting anymore. The memory of that day in the Red Zone, where every Train had unleashed its full firepower, still haunted him.
It was the first time he'd seen so many overwhelmingly powerful Trains.
Their firepower was on an entirely different level compared to those in the Purple Zones.
"Finally..."
Inside Neon City's starting point, a Young Man knelt on the ground, trembling with tears streaming down his face. "Finally, I see Train Conductors from other regions... I almost thought the world had abandoned us..."
A middle-aged man nearby noticed and curiously approached. "Did some disaster strike your region, wiping out all the other Trains except yours? It happens. Our region faced a Zombie Volcano eruption not long ago, and many Trains were lost. I was lucky—a big shot sheltered me, so I survived."
"No..."
The Young Man shook his head, still weeping. "Our region was peaceful. All the Train Conductors gathered together, forming a city with our Trains. Every Train's components were maxed out, and our Armor was all Level 3. The monsters in our region couldn't even scratch us. No one had died in months—we've maintained a mortality rate below 5% since six months ago."
"Occasionally, the few who die aren't killed by monsters—they die by accident, like choking on food or succumbing to incurable diseases."
"Huh?"
The middle-aged man looked bewildered. "Could there really be such a peaceful zone?"
"Yes!"
The young man clenched his teeth with frustration. "Our White Zone is surrounded by five Red Zones—not a single Green Zone around us. We're trapped in the middle, unable to go anywhere except staying in the White Zone."
"We can't even complete the Train Profession Change missions."
"All the train parts have been upgraded to max level—there's nothing left to upgrade. We can't even use up all the iron ore."
"If it weren't for a Fortuitous Encounter where a Black Market Merchant gave me some Entry Tickets, I might have been trapped in that place for the rest of my life."
"Huh?"
The middle-aged man froze in confusion, momentarily at a loss for how to respond. He'd never heard of such a situation—shouldn't all white zones be adjacent to at least one green zone?
If the surroundings were all red zones, then there truly would be no way out.
"But how does your Train level up then?"
"It can't level up at all!"
"Well, that's not so bad. At least that zone must be completely safe. After all, surviving the apocalypse is the same anywhere—might as well treat it as your own private sanctuary."
"Sanctuary my ass."
The man shook his head painfully. "The dangers of the apocalypse keep increasing. If the zone boundaries ever disappear someday, all us low-level trains will just be waiting to die."
(End of Chapter)