After the Train reached level 15, the biggest change was—
Xiao Lu woke up.
Chen Mang glanced sideways at Xiao Lu lying on a nearby chair. Aside from that, a new function, "Accelerated Growth," appeared on the control panel.
"..."
He thoughtfully examined the description panel of this function. The gist was that it could speed up the growth of various crops in the Carriage, significantly reducing their maturation cycle—a life-oriented feature.
Not bad.
It could make the crops and fruits in the Breeding Carriage mature quickly. However, different crops required different soil conditions, and he wasn't sure how Uncle Li was handling it. He didn't micromanage such matters, leaving them to his subordinates.
He couldn't be good at everything—he wasn't a god.
Secondly—
After the Train reached level 15, a new craftable component became available.
-
"Space-Time Leap": Red-tier component. Requires 50,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.
-
Only one craftable component was available.
But this component's effect was quite impressive, especially useful for escaping.
It could be activated once per day. Upon activation, a Portal would appear in front of the Train, teleporting it to any random corner of the current region.
However...
The limitation of only teleporting within the current region was quite restrictive—it didn't allow for much distance. The last time he encountered two Trains with this red-tier component, he thought it was something obtained from the Serendipity Map. So, was this a craftable component available to every Train?
"This is a bit of a headache..."
Chen Mang muttered to himself. If another Train provoked him in the future, he'd have to chase it endlessly after a Space-Time Leap—a huge waste of time.
He immediately spent 50,000 units of Iron Ore to craft it and then used 775,000 units to upgrade it to level 20 in one go.
Upgrading the component didn't change its base effect.
It could still only be activated once per day, but it gained three Supermodel Effects.
-
"Space-Time Leap Level 5 Supermodel Effect": Halved Consumption.
"Space-Time Leap Level 10 Supermodel Effect": Can consume a large amount of energy to forcibly open a random Wormhole. The destination of the Wormhole is unknown—it could be anywhere in the vast universe.
"Space-Time Leap Level 20 Supermodel Effect": Can reopen a new Wormhole at the initial point of a recently dissipated Wormhole, tracing its residual energy. This new Wormhole will connect to the same destination as the previous one.
-
"The Mechanical Civilization seems to have a deep understanding of Wormholes."
Chen Mang silently observed these three effects. A Portal was essentially a small Wormhole entrance. No one knew where the "Goblin Tomb" was located—it might not even be on this planet. Yet, the Mechanical Civilization could effortlessly create Wormholes of any size.
Among these three Supermodel Effects,
only the first and third were truly useful, especially the third. The next time someone used Space-Time Leap to escape, he could simply follow right behind them—
and give them a big surprise!
As for the Level 10 Supermodel Effect, judging solely by the description, it seemed incredibly powerful!
All it takes is one red-tier component and a few million units of iron ore to appear anywhere in the universe—essentially a cosmic random teleporter.
He glanced at the cost.
One Level 8 Energy Stone.
Equivalent to the effect of 5 billion units of iron ore.
What the hell!
Who the fuck could afford to use this thing?
"..."
Sitting inside the train compartment, Chen Mang shook his head and stopped looking at the component's details. The train currently held 142.2 million units of iron ore. Once the haul from Neon City was tallied, he could upgrade the Armor once more—to Level 18—and then head to the red zone.
The monsters in the red zone ranged up to Level 18.
While Level 18 Armor might not withstand every attack from the Train, it would be more than enough to breeze through the red zone's threats.
"By the way, Xiao Ai."
Chen Mang suddenly thought of something and spoke after a moment of contemplation. "Do you remember that Time Rift we discovered in this zone's city? The one that disrupted the Train's Radar?"
"A few seconds outside meant thirty years inside."
"A middle-aged man went in and came out an old man. And inside that Time Rift, there was no need for food, water, or even bodily functions—no energy replenishment or metabolic issues."
"I remember. What about it, Train Conductor?" Xiao Ai's voice echoed from the train compartment.
"What do you think would happen if we threw a self-operating Cyber Mining Machine in there?"
"..."
Xiao Ai paused before responding. "I can't simulate the outcome. But that Time Rift is gone now. We'd need to find a new one to run this experiment."
"Is Shen Ye still alive?"
"Yes. Uncle Li's been taking good care of him."
"Let's use him for the experiment next time."
"Understood."
Just then—
Countless points of light suddenly materialized before Chen Mang, gradually coalescing into a panel displaying several lines of text.
-
"Long time no see. This is the Withered Tree Revival Serendipity Map. Remember the test in the classroom from the first stage? You cleared it successfully, along with 19 other pioneers."
"In 48 hours, you and the other 20 pioneers will proceed to the second stage together, where the victors will be selected before advancing to compete for the ultimate prize in the third stage."
"The winner will receive a gift that would make any Train Conductor's heart race."
"A grand reward from the Mechanical Little Princess, 'Tuo Tuo,' bestowed upon the wisest of this planet!"
"A little preview:"
"One of the gifts is titled 'Galaxy Map,' marking numerous legal Wormholes and coordinates to help you find habitable planets more efficiently. Illegal Wormholes are unstable, risking collapse, and incorrect landing points may result in bounties."
"Second stage—"
"All Train Conductors will no longer enter alone but must pilot their own Trains."
-
"..."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes at the floating panel and the token glowing red in the drawer.
Remember? How could he forget?
This Serendipity Map was the most unique one he had ever encountered—a map where failure could affect the safety of the entire region, yet it also offered the richest rewards, granting him a full 50 level-4 mines.
Originally, this map belonged to the red zone.
Before entering the red zone, they shouldn't have had access to this map. However, the map located at the "Twilight Coast" red zone happened to be at the border between two regions, making it reachable by Automatic Cannon fire. This allowed even Trains from the purple zone to enter.
The second stage was no longer a solo venture for the Train Conductor.
This meant...
There were far fewer puzzle elements, with more emphasis likely on confrontations between Trains. The other Trains were probably all from the red zone, and as the captain of a level-15 purple-zone Train, he couldn't help feeling slightly uneasy.
He still really wanted that "Galaxy Map" from the final rewards.
"Prepare yourselves. We'll go in 48 hours to assess the situation and aim to secure it."
"Li Shiji will probably have to put in a lot of effort, so make sure he rests well and stays in peak condition."
"Yes!"
"..."
Chen Mang fell silent, turning his gaze to the control panel screen. They were about to enter the red zone, beyond which lay only the gold, pink, and rainbow zones. In other words, he was just a few steps away from the rainbow zone—the strongest yet most perilous region on this planet.
The end seemed within reach.
Yet he had no idea what awaited him there.
Nor did he know whether reaching the end would bring reward or even greater danger.
Neon City.
The day's business had already concluded, and the residents were reveling in the city square. Not far away, a large group of residents—those with IDs in the top 1000—lay sprawled in disarray.
At first, these residents had been thrilled. They had arrived in Neon City a day early to attend the wedding of a Train Crew member, giving them a sense of superiority.
This was the privilege of having a high-ranking resident ID.
Especially in the apocalypse, being able to celebrate a wedding feast with everyone was a joyous occasion. But soon, things took a strange turn. After the first wedding feast came a second, and after the second, a third...
And so it went.
After attending twenty consecutive wedding feasts, these top-1000 residents became disoriented, almost like zombies. If footage from the eighteenth feast had been shown before the apocalypse, it would have looked like a gathering of drug addicts in the throes of a high.
Like the streets of old Mexico.
The air carried a faint, acrid stench of something burnt.
Many things always take the most unexpected turns.
"Lord Mang."
Uncle Li looked up from his tablet at the figure standing before the floor-to-ceiling window and reported, "Today's net profit for the 'Wedding Chapel' project is 11.6 million units of Iron Ore, with almost no cost involved."
"We've helped 20 Trains successfully achieve Golden Weddings."
"Not a single one chose Silver Wedding."
"Obviously."
Chen Mang leaned on his cane by the window and murmured, "Who in their right mind would pick Silver Wedding when Golden is an option? How many Mining Robots did we sell yesterday, and what was the total profit?"
"Yesterday, 110 mining robots were sold, generating a profit of 825,000 units of iron ore."
"Total profits reached—"
"67.79 million units of iron ore."
"Not bad." Chen Mang nodded slightly. The sharp decline in revenue from the "mining robots" was entirely expected. After all, there were only so many people in the Neon City now, and those who needed them had already purchased them last time. This meant the newcomers this time had no need for mining robots.
"How many people arrived yesterday?"
"A total of 2,312."
"When the population exceeds 5,000, prepare to operate daily."
"Yes." Chen Mang was about to continue giving instructions regarding the construction of the Neon City when Xiao Fang's voice suddenly came from behind.
"Lord Mang."
"Hmm?"
He instinctively turned around and smiled upon seeing Xiao Fang. "What brings you here? Planning to relax with everyone in the Neon City?"
"No, Director Ai sent me to find you. Director Ai said the cyber mining machines have produced output."
Chen Mang glanced at Uncle Li. "Bring yesterday's profits out from the Neon City."
Without any further delay, his figure vanished on the spot.
Back in the train compartment, Xiao Ai was already waiting. He spoke immediately, "Train Conductor, the Cyber Mine has reported output, but we don't know the specifics yet."
"Either pickaxes or Level 9 ore."
Chen Mang walked into the washroom and meticulously washed his hands, as if to rid himself of bad luck, then lit a cigarette. With a hint of anticipation on his face, he strode out of the compartment toward Carriage No. 2.
"A fifty-fifty chance—let's see which one we get."
Several days had passed.
The Cyber Mine had finally produced output again. Almost all the residents in the train had gone to the Neon City to relax, except for the fifty miners in the Cyber Mine, as it was just past midnight—prime working hours for cyber miners.
Chen Mang stood on the "ground elevator" he had crafted with the Mechanical Heart in Carriage No. 2, which stretched all the way to Carriage No. 15, significantly reducing travel time from the front to the rear of the train.
The speed of the ground elevator was roughly equivalent to a grown man walking briskly.
But when Chen Mang strode quickly on it, the speed matched a full sprint. The rapid shift in surroundings created a sense of disorientation, as if his body and eyes couldn't reconcile the speed.
His body felt it wasn't moving that fast, yet his eyes told his brain otherwise.
The elevator was directly connected to the generator via the circuit system.
This was the advantage of the "Mechanical Heart"—any mechanical product it created could link directly to the "generator" without worrying about energy supply issues.
Upon reaching Carriage No. 10,
Chen Mang pushed open the Space Gate to the "Cyber Mine" and saw a resident sitting on the bed, staring at him eagerly. He raised his left hand slightly, signaling the resident not to speak.
Walking to the bedside, he placed his hand on the Dreamstone and looked at the small portal that appeared beside it.
He reached inside.
When he withdrew his hand, it held a dazzling, translucent Level 9 iron ore, glowing brilliantly under the light. Meanwhile, the Dreamstone's capacity quickly dropped to 5%.
"Whew."
Chen Mang took a deep breath, tightly gripping the Grade 9 Iron Ore in his hand. Leaving the matter for Director Ai to handle, he strode back to the Train compartment.
Inside the Train compartment.
Seated on a chair, Chen Mang looked at the Grade 9 Iron Ore in his hand and began to laugh.
His laughter grew louder and louder.
He wasn't laughing because he had obtained 100 million units of Iron Ore, but because he was thrilled to have invented a stable and highly efficient method for acquiring Iron Ore. Though he didn't know how other Trains in different regions fared, he suspected that the "Cyber Mining Machine" was something only he possessed.
For others to build a single Cyber Mining Machine, they would need a staggering 98 Murphy Stones just to upgrade a "Single Bed."
The cost was exorbitant, and Murphy Stones weren't easy to collect. Even if someone had enough Iron Ore, acquiring 98 Murphy Stones in a short time would be nearly impossible.
The only regret was...
Dreamstones were too scarce.
He currently had two Dreamstones in a semi-ruined state, with only 5% capacity left—rendered useless for embedding in mining machines. Each of the fifty mining machines contained one Dreamstone, and the Train still had a reserve of 66 Dreamstones.
He longed to expand the "Cyber Mine" further—to 100, even 200 machines.
But...
Dreamstones were running out. Yesterday, Neon City had yielded only four Dreamstones in total.
He needed to acquire more Dreamstones!
To obtain more Dreamstones, Neon City needed more Trains above Level 11—and they had to be established, long-standing Trains. If a Train only had around 1,000 residents, producing a single Dreamstone would take at least six months.
The apocalypse had only erupted nearly two years ago.
They were simply too rare to acquire in bulk.
"..."
Chen Mang furrowed his brow, deep in thought about how to quickly secure a large number of Dreamstones. This was crucial—it would determine whether the Train could experience explosive growth. His target was established Trains above Level 11. At this point, he couldn't rely on Mundo, whose random teleportations made it impossible to control where he appeared.
Perhaps...
In the second stage of the "Withered Tree Revival" Serendipity Map, set to open in 47 hours, he could acquire some Dreamstones from the other 19 Trains.
But that would only be small-scale, far from enough.
He needed a stable source.
"Xiao Ai."
"I'm here."
"Find a way to secure a stable, large-scale supply of Dreamstones."
"...Understood."
Only then did Chen Mang turn his attention to the Train's overall resource panel. After this month's developments, the Train's resources had experienced explosive growth!
-
"310 million units of Iron Ore, 102.5 million units of lumber, 112 million units of Copper Ore, 123 million units of Crimson Heartstone, 1.07 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine."
The Iron Ore earned from Neon City last night had already been moved to Carriage No. 3. Among the 310 million units of Iron Ore was the single Grade 9 Iron Ore he had just obtained from the Cyber Mine.
As for lumber and Crimson Heartstone, these two resources were already vastly overflowing—hard to deplete anytime soon. The 100 million units of Copper Ore were more than enough to sustain him through several tough battles!
Iron Ore was the most abundant.
Yet, in reality, it was also the scarcest.
If he wanted to use it, it could vanish in an instant.
For example—
He was about to upgrade the Armor again, raising it to Level 18.
Upgrading from level 16 to 17, the cost per carriage reached 20 million units of Iron Ore.
From level 17 to 18, the price per carriage was 30 million units of Iron Ore.
With a total of 16 carriages, the manufacturing cost after Halved Consumption amounted to 240 million units of Iron Ore.
As 240 million units of Iron Ore inside the Train turned to powder and merged into the carriages,
The Train Armor reached level 18!
Level 18 Train Armor!
Just two more levels, and he could obtain the 20-level Supermodel Effect for this component. The cost, however, was that the originally massive stockpile in the Train had dwindled to just 69.99 million units of Iron Ore.
"Back to poverty again."
Chen Mang rubbed his temples in frustration. The rate of earning Iron Ore was far too slow. He needed to head to the red zone soon to see if he could find level 5 Iron Ore—level 4 deposits could no longer keep up with his consumption.
Nowadays, he didn't even bother stopping for level 3 Iron Ore. One or two million units were just a drop in the bucket, hardly worth the effort. It was better to let the residents rest so they could mine more energetically when they encountered higher-grade deposits.
"240 million units of Iron Ore..."
"If used to buy bread, that would be 2.4 billion slices—enough to feed so many people."
Time passed quickly.
Soon, 48 hours had gone by. During this period, the Targeting Radar detected an untapped level 3 Iron Ore deposit nearby, but he didn't bother mining it. Though he claimed to disdain it, if he truly couldn't find any other deposits, he'd still mine it.
However, the residents had been mining continuously for a month and were genuinely exhausted, so they took a few days off.
"..."
It was late at night, with stars filling the sky. All the residents had returned to their living quarters, while Chen Mang sat inside the Train compartment, staring at the flickering red token in the drawer.
They were about to enter the Serendipity Map, "Withered Tree Revival."
To be honest,
it had been a while. Since meeting Er Dan, he hadn't visited a Serendipity Map in a long time. He had focused solely on external development, leaving the exploration of such maps to Er Dan.
His advisory team was already gathered in the Train compartment, waiting with slight tension for the Serendipity Map to open.
Li Shiji, Lao Zhu, Uncle Li, Biao Zi, Xiao Ai, and others.
Of course,
Biao Zi didn't count as part of the advisory team—he was just there to make up the numbers.
"Lord Mang."
Li Shiji spoke first: "Ever since you mentioned this to me two days ago, I've been thinking about this 'Withered Tree Revival' Serendipity Map. First, the Train levels in the red zone generally range between 15 and 18."
"Based on my analysis, Trains of this level, even if not in the top tier of the Doomsday Train hierarchy, are undoubtedly close to it."
"In other words—"
"These Trains are definitely in the minority. But if even one Train fails the first stage of this Serendipity Map, a crisis event will befall this region. That's extremely unreasonable."
"The difficulty of the first stage isn't low."
"With this kind of setup, if 20 people clear it, at least 100 must have failed. The red zones corresponding to those 100 people should have already been wiped out by various crisis events."
"This doesn't make sense, whether statistically or logically."
"So I think those three 'incident crises' are very likely the clues to the second level."
"That's a bit far-fetched," Lao Zhu frowned slightly. "Not just a bit—it's downright far-fetched. There's no way those three incident crises could be connected to the second level. If you ask me, this is just some cruel screening method cooked up by that so-called 'Tuo Tuo,' the Mechanical Little Princess."
"By this method, the most intelligent person is selected."
"But why would he need to wreak havoc on the zones to select intelligent people? With her way of playing, if any train fails a few more times, all trains in the corresponding red zones would be sent to meet their ancestors."
"Perhaps... those three crisis events were just for show, not actually that severe? Maybe it's just to increase psychological pressure on the participants—making them feel that if they fail, everyone else would die because of them?"
"Hey, Vice Train Conductor Zhu, that's an interesting take." Biao Zi looked at Lao Zhu in surprise. He had never considered this angle before, and Lao Zhu's words suddenly made everything click for him.
He wasn't a strategist—more of a fighter.
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