Translator: AnubisTL
Silence gradually fell over the dormitory.
The two men drifted off to sleep mid-conversation, their tiny space on the Stellaris train barely noticeable among the 5,000-plus residents already aboard.
Yet...
They were a microcosm of the entire train's population.
After a year of hardship and displacement in the apocalypse, everyone cherished their present lives and yearned for a better future. Hope, once extinguished, had rekindled in their hearts.
A tiny flame had been born in the despair and oppression of the apocalypse.
Though faint, this spark would spread like wildfire with the passage of time, growing brighter and stronger.
Of course, not everything would be perfect among these residents. That's the nature of human society: everyone has their own thoughts and motivations. It's impossible to guarantee that everyone is purely good, especially among survivors who had endured a year of the apocalypse.
But it was enough. As long as the overall direction was positive, individual differences could be accommodated.
Soon—
Dawn broke. The train had stopped near two Tier 2 Iron Ore mines. Residents, facing the rising sun and carrying pickaxes, disembarked in an orderly fashion and entered the mines to begin their work.
Immediately after, sixty robots dismounted the train and formed a defensive line outside the Residential District, eliminating any approaching monsters.
The second and third teams also disembarked.
A new day had begun.
Everyone was already in work mode.
Chen Mang, who had slept in his chair all night, groggily woke up, stretched, and noticed a blanket covering him. Frowning slightly, he checked the Train Log while questioning Xiao Ai.
"Did you cover me with this blanket?"
"No, it was Xiao Fang who did it this morning. When she came to bring you breakfast and saw you sleeping in your chair, she was worried you'd catch a chill. After all, the low temperature last night had dropped to minus four degrees Celsius—it was quite cold."
"Weren't you worried she might have covered me with a dagger instead?"
"Train Conductor, there are ten 'third-rate heavy machine guns' mounted on the ceiling of the locomotive cabin. If she made the slightest suspicious move, I guarantee she wouldn't even leave a fist-sized corpse fragment behind. It would be like rolling a stone over an egg—just shell casings. You're overthinking this, Train Conductor."
"Mm."
Chen Mang nodded without further comment. He glanced at the steamed rice noodle roll on the table, closed the Train Log, washed up, and returned to his chair. As he ate, he turned his attention to the overpowered effect of the other White Accessory he had obtained yesterday.
The Train Log had recorded nothing unusual last night—everything had functioned normally.
Band-Aid Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Rapidly stops bleeding.
Band-Aid Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Size can be adjusted at will; the larger the size, the more iron ore consumed.
"Size can be adjusted at will... with no limit?"
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully. The bleeding-stopping function was rather ordinary, as the Basic First Aid Kit was far more effective. However, the Tier 10 overpowered effect—size adjustment—had significant potential, especially in specific situations.
But for now, it was unnecessary.
He began his day's work.
He picked up the train radio and contacted the Travel Frog to check on their progress. However, after sending several messages, he received no response, indicating they were out of contact.
"That efficient?"
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. Only a few days had passed, and they'd already found a fortuitous encounter map? Were they really that easy to find?
"Right—"
Chen Mang suddenly remembered something. He turned to Xiao Ai and asked, "How's your research on those things I mentioned last time coming along?"
"Progress is rapid."
Xiao Ai's voice echoed from the locomotive cabin's Audio System: "The robot accompanying this S-Class Mechanical Train's job advancement quest may have a mediocre body material, but it contains an extremely special accessory that allows the AI to control the robot through a parasitic form."
"Rather than by controlling its components."
"However, it requires careful disassembly. I haven't yet located the accessory's position. Once I find and crack it, I can transfer a portion of the AI's code into this body, allowing me to control the robot even outside the target acquisition radar's range."
"Then I can hide in the refrigerator and accompany you, Train Conductor, on your adventure to the 'Neon City' fortuitous encounter map."
"Excellent."
Chen Mang nodded with satisfaction. "Keep up the good work. I have faith in you."
Alright!
His work was done.
It was that simple yet unassuming. He stretched his limbs and headed back to the Combat Training Virtual Space. His previous attempts at the "Doomsday Paradise" map had all ended in failure. He would try again this time.
Ten days passed.
During those ten days, the Stellaris had only focused on two tasks: mining and monster hunting.
This had brought the train's various resources to a peak level.
12.98 million units of iron ore, 1.87 million units of copper ore, 2.39 million units of Wood, and 4.48 million units of Red Heart Rock.
The amount of iron ore stored has already surpassed ten million units.
This is the most iron ore the Stellaris has ever stored. There are fewer trains in the Zombie Basin, and vast quantities of unmined iron ore are freely available for extraction. However, with fewer trains, no one is buying the daily necessities he used to sell.
Clearly, after this incident, all trains will prioritize upgrading their defensive and offensive accessories.
No one wants to waste iron ore on anything else.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang sat in the locomotive cabin, glanced at the train radio to confirm that his Travel Frog hadn't met an untimely end, and then turned his gaze to the control panel screen.
He'd been out of contact with Erdan for ten days.
He was now pondering a crucial question:
Should he upgrade his armor to Tier 10 first, or his train to Tier 9?
Upgrade Requirements: All train components must be fully crafted, 150,000 units of Tier 2 Iron Ore must be consumed, all accessories within the carriages must be above Tier 160, and the train must possess five overpowered effects.
Upgrading to a Tier 9 Train requires 1.5 million units of iron ore.
The upgrade requirements for a Tier 9 Train are nearly identical to those of a Tier 8 Train, with only the iron ore consumption differing. Once the train reaches Tier 9, the reason why those Tier 9 Trains couldn't leave the Zombie Basin will finally be revealed.
Upgrading Tier 8 Armor to Tier 9 costs 500,000 units of iron ore per carriage.
Upgrading Tier 9 Armor to Tier 10 costs 700,000 units of iron ore per carriage.
The Stellaris has a total of 16 carriages.
This means a total of 11.2 million units of iron ore are needed.
Adding the 1.5 million units required to upgrade the train itself brings the total to 12.7 million units of iron ore. Hmm, just enough.
Since that's the case, there's no need to choose. I'll upgrade everything.
The next moment—
Several lines of text appeared on the control panel screen.
"Your train has reached Tier 9."
"No new craftable accessories have been unlocked."
A Tier 9 Train!
No new functions were added, not even a single new craftable accessory.
But when he saw the requirements for upgrading to a Tier 10 Train, it suddenly dawned on him. He finally understood why Tier 10 was such a hurdle.
Upgrade Requirements: The train must complete any mission of B-Tier difficulty or higher and kill three Tier 9 Monsters within this zone to leave.
These Upgrade Requirements are indeed quite demanding.
B-grade difficulty isn't easy to achieve. No wonder so many trains get stuck at Tier 9 and can't advance. They likely haven't met at least one of these conditions.
Moreover, upgrading to a Tier 10 Train doesn't require any iron ore, nor are there any restrictions on accessory tiers or overpowered effects.
If that's the case...
The Second Dimension train should have already met the first condition, given its A-Rank potential.
The Travel Frog train has also met it, boasting S-Rank potential.
All he needs to do before leaving is severely wound three Tier 9 Monsters and leave them for this train.
As for him...
He's met both conditions. That means he can upgrade to a Tier 10 Train at any moment, leave this zone, and advance to a higher area.
The next moment.
He consumed 11.2 million units of iron ore to upgrade the Stellaris's armor to Tier 10. Only 280,000 units of iron ore remained in the train. The iron ore he had accumulated over time was instantly depleted.
The cost of upgrading defensive components was truly exorbitant.
Next, he only needed to mine for a while longer, clear out most of the monsters in this zone, and wait for Erdan to return from the fortuitous encounter map. Then, with Chen Mang's assistance in helping Erdan break through to Tier 10 Train, he could leave this zone and advance to a higher-tier area.
Perfect!
Everything was progressing smoothly.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced out the window. Today, all the residents were resting. It was noon, and they were all sitting cross-legged outside the train. Old Pig and the others were setting up the steel frames from the Armored Research Center again.
They were using a mech as a crane to complete the final assembly of a massive screen.
The movie was finished.
Today was the premiere.
The massive screen had been manufactured using the Custom Screen Production Line. While the Mechanical Eye could also produce it, the production line offered a cheaper price and even included naked-eye 3D effects.
The screen alone was a hundred meters wide.
Before the apocalypse, such a large screen was rare outside of ultra-large theaters. The viewing experience was unparalleled, creating an overwhelming sense of immersion.
This screen had consumed a staggering 500,000 units of iron ore!
If he hadn't invested in it, he would still have a full 780,000 units of iron ore.
Forget it.
Chen Mang curled his lip, urging everyone to relax and watch a movie. This wasn't the time to be stingy. Only then did he turn his attention to the Tier 10 Overpowered effect of the Steel Car Armor.
He had several Tier 10 Overpowered effects, but this accessory's was undoubtedly the most expensive!
Steel Car Armor Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Upgrade cost halved.
"Divine!"
Chen Mang took a deep breath, stepped off the train, knelt on the ground, lit three cigarettes, and stuck them in the earth. With a solemn and sincere expression, he clasped his hands together, gazing at the cloudless sky above. He murmured, "Heavenly Father, Brother has been foolish lately and forgot to offer you incense."
"I'll make up for it now."
"May the Tier 20 overpowered effect still be half-cost."
Then, he rose, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. He was extremely pleased with this overpowered effect. The only thing he regretted was that it hadn't appeared at Tier 5.
How much iron ore that would have saved him!
His armor should be at least Tier 12 by now!
But it was enough!
He was satisfied.
For some reason, the air felt exceptionally fresh today, and his mood was equally buoyant. He couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning upward. Leaning on his cane, he gazed at the distant horizon, and the lingering fear of the unknown within the Blue Zone had diminished considerably.
In a while, he'd upgrade the Doomsday Cannon to Tier 20 as well.
Who knows, maybe the Tier 20 overpowered effect for the Doomsday Cannon would also be half-cost? It was a long shot, but he had to try to find out.
At least he only needed to consume iron ore.
The others were all using murphy stones for their tests. No one would reveal their overpowered effects. If the overpowered effect after upgrading with a murphy stone turned out to be useless, they'd be left weeping!
Just then—
Zhang Yiren cautiously approached from the side. "Lord Mang, the viewing preparations are complete. Deputy Train Conductor Zhu asked me to invite you. We're just waiting for you to start."
"Alright."
Chen Mang smiled, leaning on his cane as he walked toward the other side of the train.
Behind him, the train stood still on the wasteland, facing a massive screen that ensured all 5,000 residents could clearly see the images displayed.
"This..."
Zhang Yiren watched Lord Mang's retreating figure, puzzled. Was Lord Mang in such a good mood? Could it be because he had watched his film in advance and thought it was good?
No way.
Could he really be that strong?
Just then—
Erdan's voice suddenly crackled over the train radio. Chen Mang, who had just reached the locomotive cabin, stopped abruptly and turned back. "Xiao Ai, the viewing will start later."
Only then did he pick up the walkie-talkie.
"How's it going, Erdan?"
"Everything's going smoothly!" Erdan's excited voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. "We've hit the big haul! Lord Mang, where are you? Send me your coordinates, and I'll come find you."
"Oh?"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow, glancing at the three cigarettes outside the train that hadn't finished burning. Good things come in pairs!
What day is this? A lucky day?
He immediately sent his coordinates.
"Coordinates sent. Hurry over. The movie's about to start. We'll watch it together when you arrive."
"Understood."
After handling this matter, Chen Mang retrieved three cigars from his drawer and stepped out of the locomotive cabin, a hint of apology in his expression. "I've been stingy. Come on, Heavenly Father, let's have a good meal today."
He stuck the three cigars into the ground.
Then, holding the Individual Flamethrower, he aimed at the cut-off ends of the cigars and squeezed the trigger!
Flames erupted violently.
Within seconds, the cigars were lit.
Cigars take a while to light with a lighter, but the flamethrower made it quick and easy. This was thanks to an accessory he'd obtained recently: the Individual Flamethrower Production Line.
(End of the Chapter)
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