Translator: AnubisTL
The two overpowered effects gained from upgrading this accessory to Tier 10 were both "Halved Consumption."
While its short attack range made it less effective against enemies, it proved quite useful for lighting cigars or starting a small fire for cooking. As a large-scale lighter, it was quite practical.
"Not bad," Chen Mang said, his expression satisfied as he gazed at the three cigars standing upright on the ground. He didn't leave, simply watching the tobacco within them slowly bloom under the flames, gradually turning to ash and releasing its aroma.
Some die in flames.
Others bloom in them.
After waiting for about seven or eight minutes, he saw a train hurtling through the sky from the distant horizon at an astonishing speed. It soon arrived directly above the Stellaris and landed nearby with a delayed sonic boom that echoed in his ears.
The train had barely come to a stop when Erdan rushed out, his face flushed with excitement, running toward Chen Mang. "Lord Mang, we hit the jackpot! Those few days were so stressful, I was worried I wouldn't find a fortuitous encounter map and let you down after you gave me so many resources."
"But now we finally hit the jackpot! Lord Mang, let me give you a quick rundown..."
"No need to rush," Chen Mang said with a smile. "The movie's about to start. Let's watch it first and talk later. This time, it's the same group who made the last one you showed me. Let's see how they did this time. You can tell me if you think they've improved."
"Huh?"
Erdan blinked, noticing the massive screen towering behind the Stellaris train. He then blurted out anxiously, "Lord Mang, can I please hurry up and finish telling you? I won't be able to enjoy the movie at all if I don't get this off my chest. I'll be too restless to sit still!"
"Alright."
Chen Mang stopped teasing Erdan. He was genuinely curious too, but couldn't resist teasing him after seeing his reaction. "Tell me about it. What happened? Judging by your expression, you cleared an S-Rank Difficulty?"
"No," Erdan said, taking a deep breath and his face turning serious. "It wasn't a challenge-based fortuitous encounter map where you could choose the difficulty. It was an open-world fortuitous encounter map."
"Let me start by explaining how I discovered it."
"After we parted ways that day, I went back to that village. I noticed an ant colony foraging, but they kept avoiding a specific spot along their otherwise straight path. I took my pickaxe and hammered at the ground for ages, but found nothing."
"Just as I was about to leave, something suddenly clicked in my mind. I instinctively looked up at the sky."
"Then the train started groping its way through the air."
"Sure enough, when the train reached a certain point in the sky, it suddenly felt like it was hitting solid ground. The next thing I knew, the train had abruptly entered this fortuitous encounter map."
"It was like an amusement park inside."
"First I... then I... and in the middle, I even encountered... Luckily, I managed to solve everything perfectly. Just when I thought I had it in the bag, something else happened... Finally, after overcoming countless obstacles, I finally managed to escape this fortuitous encounter map!"
"And the rewards were generous!"
Erdan, his throat parched, pulled out a bottle of mineral water from his pocket and downed it in one gulp. He wiped the water from his lips with his sleeve and took a deep breath. "That's pretty much how it went. And it seems like the fortuitous encounter map appears randomly at certain points. When I went back later, there was no sign of anything at that spot."
"A purple-grade accessory blueprint!"
"..."
Chen Mang took the purple-grade accessory blueprint, the "Weather Control Device," from Erdan. A slight smile played on his lips as he tucked it into his pocket. He put his arm around Erdan's shoulder, his face beaming.
"I'm very pleased with this gift."
"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Relax. We've cleared almost all the fortuitous encounter maps in the Zombie Basin. Just stay here for the next few days."
"Let's watch a movie."
"After we mine some more and kill a few monsters, we'll head to the Blue Zone. That's where you can really shine."
"Alright!"
Erdan didn't hesitate. He grinned widely and nodded emphatically. He felt much more relaxed now, not because of Chen Mang's reassurance, but because he had found something good. He would have been too embarrassed to come empty-handed—that would have been pure humiliation.
Though a minor incident had delayed them for a while, the movie screening began as scheduled once Chen Mang was seated. Chen Mang, Old Pig, Biaozi, Erdan, and the rest of the management team sat about thirty to fifty meters from the screen, in the front row. The other residents sat cross-legged on the wasteland behind them.
Despite the cold and howling wind, many people were excited, perhaps because this was the first movie screening of the apocalypse.
"What a pity," Chen Mang said, shaking his head slightly as he sat cross-legged on a blanket. He gestured for the girl beside him to go watch the movie from the back. "If only we had a popcorn production line, it would be perfect."
"And you," he turned to Old Pig with a sigh. "Don't do things like that again. I'm not that perverted."
"This blanket is comfortable enough to sit on. There's no need to have a girl sit on your stomach, understand?"
"Yes," Old Pig nodded solemnly, pulling out a small notebook to jot down the information.
Though there was no popcorn, they did have the "Sunflower Seed Production Line." The problem was, it was rather expensive: 100 units of iron ore yielded only one pound of sunflower seeds.
Chen Mang gritted his teeth slightly but ultimately spent 50,000 units of iron ore to produce 500 pounds of sunflower seeds.
Distributing the seeds so everyone could enjoy them for free, one pound would easily suffice for ten people, leaving plenty to spare. Watching a movie without something to munch on just didn't feel right.
He still felt a pang of regret.
But since he'd already decided to relax today, he might as well go all out. He declared a day of rest for all residents, a true holiday. After a good rest, they could return to mining with renewed vigor.
Soon, the movie began.
There was no opening sequence. The familiar scene of the male and female leads in the hospital appeared directly on the screen. The image was incredibly realistic, and the massive screen created an immersive experience. Chen Mang even felt as if he could smell the antiseptic.
The Vehicle Audio System's sound enveloped nearly every resident.
The viewing experience was nearly perfect.
"Not bad at all," Chen Mang nodded in satisfaction, chuckling. The efficiency of the people below seemed to have exceeded his expectations. With the train's current resources, they had managed to construct a massive movie theater in the middle of the apocalypse.
Even the guards had come to watch. The Doomsday Cannon and a host of robots were stationed outside, providing perimeter security and patrols. Only Xiao Ai was left to bear the burden. Poor child.
And this time, the male lead didn't seem to be blind. His eyes weren't even bandaged.
"Xiao Mei," the male lead murmured, his eyes filled with deep affection as he gently caressed the female lead's cheek. His voice was distant, as if in a trance. "Do you know, I truly love you. You're in a semi-anesthetized state, so you should be able to hear me."
"In three minutes, the apocalypse will erupt."
"In my previous life, I donated my corneas to restore your sight. When the apocalypse came, I fled with you, struggling to survive for over a year. But then, during an encounter with zombies, you cruelly pushed me into their embrace and ran off with another dog of a man. Only then did I realize you had betrayed me for years!"
"Perhaps Heaven has eyes and granted me a second chance!"
"This time, I won't donate my corneas to you. Instead, I'll use my knowledge of the future to become the King of the Apocalypse!"
With that—
The male lead suddenly rose, the deep affection in his eyes completely vanished, replaced by a cold indifference and a hint of killing intent. He turned his head to the clock in the hospital room and said coldly, "But before that, I need to have some fun."
"Three minutes should be enough."
With that, the male lead lunged onto the female lead lying on the bed.
"Roar!"
The residents behind them erupted in cheers, their excitement palpable as they watched the scene unfold.
"..."
Chen Mang stared expressionlessly at the screen, then turned to Zhang Yiren standing beside him, who looked rather nervous. You should be nervous, you really should be. Finally, he turned to Old Pig beside him. "I seem to recall you were in charge of directing this movie, weren't you?"
"Uh..."
Old Pig, equally nervous, whispered, "Didn't Lord Mang say we should make a movie everyone would enjoy? That this time, the main goal was to help the residents relax, and that a good movie is one that the audience loves?"
"So, I asked the residents for their opinions."
"They all wanted to see something... satisfying."
"No."
Chen Mang shook his head. "While that's a bit far-fetched, I can still understand it. What I truly don't understand is how the male lead, who was blind in his previous life, managed to survive for a year in the apocalypse with the female lead?"
"And how did he manage to see her running off with another man just before he died?"
"Did his potential suddenly surge, restoring his vision just before his death?"
"Uh..."
Old Pig froze in place, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. He hadn't thought about that. He immediately beckoned Zhang Yiren, who was standing nearby. "Come explain this to Lord Mang."
"Because of his superpower, the male lead regained his vision in his previous life after awakening it."
"That's good."
At that moment, the three-minute timer ended.
Zombies had already crashed through the windows, and the television in the hospital room flickered back to the intermittent emergency news broadcast. The changing background music intensified the sense of crisis.
Meanwhile, the male lead in the film, unhurriedly pulled up his pants and glared at the zombie outside the window, his voice cold.
"In my previous life, I've killed countless zombies like you."
Then, with a casual flick of his wrist, he snapped the woman's neck.
He pulled a fireaxe from under the bed and charged forward!
The film's plot unfolded from there.
Two hours later.
The movie ended, and Chen Mang sat on the ground in a daze, surrounded by a sea of sunflower seed shells. He could swear this film would never have passed censorship before the apocalypse.
The male lead was simply too unhinged.
He'd already forgotten the plot.
Basically, it could be divided into three parts: one-third zombie killing, one-third revenge, and one-third scarecrow.
It wasn't exactly terrible.
It was just...wildly excessive.
But...
He glanced back at the residents behind him, their faces flushed with excitement as they eagerly discussed the movie's plot. He didn't say much, just sighed softly and leaned on his cane as he walked away from the crowd toward the locomotive cabin.
At least the goal had been achieved.
Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. If they were happy, that was all that mattered.
Though he suspected it was the novelty of watching a movie during the apocalypse that made even a bad film so thrilling, sparking such lively discussions.
The amount of dopamine one gets from an activity largely depends on the environment.
Next up was a song and dance performance.
A cute little girl in a stage costume walked onto the stage and sang a song in a clear, crisp voice.
"Clap your hands up!"
"The little girl next to me is the adorable type."
"Her skilled dance moves are set to dubstep beats."
Chen Mang didn't know the girl, but he had to admit she was pretty good. With so many residents on the train, it was impossible for him to know everyone. He didn't participate in the remaining activities. Instead, he sat in the locomotive cabin, gazing at the purple accessory of the Weather Control Device.
He had crafted it using 10,000 units of iron ore.
Upgrading it to Tier 10 would require 550,000 units of iron ore, which he wasn't ready to do yet.
The accessory's effect was to create weather within a certain radius. The higher its Tier, the wider the range. On the surface, it didn't seem like a particularly powerful effect.
However, the Windfire Wheel's two overpowered effects were:
Windfire Wheel Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Triggers a potential state, doubling the train's maximum speed. This rapidly consumes energy stones and causes minor damage to the Windfire Wheel.
Windfire Wheel Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: During windy weather with a tailwind, the Windfire Wheel ignites, significantly boosting its speed.
With the Weather Control Device accessory, he could keep his train perpetually in windy weather with a tailwind—meaning his Windfire Wheel would always be in its significantly boosted state!
Combined with the Windfire Wheel's Tier 5 Overpowered Effect, his top speed could reach over 1,000 kilometers per hour.
While still slightly slower than the Travel Frog, the Travel Frog's performance was a bit extreme.
"Not bad," Chen Mang said, leaning back contentedly in his chair. He wondered how Mundo had been doing lately. Mundo hadn't returned to the Stellaris train for ten days straight, instead traveling as a merchant. Chen Mang was starting to worry the guy might have gotten killed.
Next, it was time to prepare for the Tier 10 Train and head to the Blue Zone.
The residents' carnival soon ended, and everyone was buzzing with excited chatter.
In truth, the movie itself didn't offer much to discuss, but people simply wanted to talk about something, especially the newcomers who had just joined the train. They used this as an opening to try and integrate themselves into the community.
It was like a new student joining a class and, even though they weren't interested, having to lean in and listen to their desk mate gossip about the other classmates.
Was it really gossip they were listening to?
No. It was about navigating social dynamics.
Seven days later.
For the past week, Chen Mang had been mining and slaying monsters. During the day, the residents mined, and at night, he piloted the train to hunt monsters, bringing the train's iron ore reserves back up to 7.82 million units. Production efficiency was sufficient.
However, Tier 3 iron mines were no longer available; only Tier 2 mines remained.
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [IR] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c292. [+2/6.5k].
🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [700+] Chapters and [1.42M+] Words.