Translator: AnubisTL
Ahead, two massive billboards hung on either side of the tunnel's midsection.
They were roughly the size of highway billboards.
Bold letters proclaimed:
"Flesh Trains Prohibited."
Dozens of large-caliber cannons and over a dozen high-speed cameras were mounted beside the billboards. Clearly, any detection of a flesh train would trigger the cannons to open fire.
But...
The dust covering those cannons had almost solidified into amber. Could they even activate properly? And what Tier were they?
"...?"
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, retracting his gaze from the billboards. He gradually slowed the train. It was now clear this wasn't a civilian Train Tunnel but a wartime military tunnel.
But the problem now was...
According to Xiao Ai's warning, the junction between Crisis Valley and Zombie Basin lay just a kilometer ahead. He needed to reduce speed to avoid crashing head-on into an air wall and giving himself a concussion.
The tunnel still stretched endlessly ahead.
"What a pity," Chen Mang sighed regretfully. He hadn't expected this tunnel to lead back to the Zombie Basin. He was already on a Tier 10 Train, and High-Level Trains couldn't enter low-level regions—that was one of the fundamental rules of this world.
The only thing that puzzled him was why he hadn't detected this Train Tunnel when he had ventured over 20,000 meters deep into the core of the Zombie Basin before.
The next moment—
While he was lost in thought, the Stellaris had already sped several thousand meters further down the tunnel.
"Huh?" Chen Mang blinked in surprise, staring at the control panel screen in disbelief. "Xiao Ai, are we back in the Zombie Basin?"
"Yes, we've returned."
Without any Area Barrier to stop them, they had floated effortlessly through the Train Tunnel and back into the Zombie Basin. The control panel screen confirmed their current location: Zombie Basin.
"This is insane."
He rubbed his eyes, gazing blankly into the seemingly endless depths of the tunnel. Did I just... come back like this? What about the barriers? Was it ignored?
But soon, a strange glint flickered in his eyes.
This train tunnel was clearly no longer ordinary. And the more extraordinary it became, the more likely it was that something truly extraordinary was lurking within!
After another two hours of travel, the steady white incandescent lights lining the tunnel walls finally gave way to flashing red warning lights, as if foreshadowing an unusual crisis ahead.
The Stellaris's speed gradually slowed again.
Soon, a massive Train Elevator appeared on the right side of the tunnel.
But this wasn't the end of the Train Tunnel; it was merely a side branch.
"Train Conductor, should we order Biaozi and the others to investigate?"
"No need."
Chen Mang shook his head. "This is a Train Elevator. If there's a crisis, it's likely a train-level threat. Biaozi and the others wouldn't stand a chance."
He then slowly maneuvered the train toward the entrance of the Train Elevator.
As soon as it came to a stop, a long funnel extended from the elevator door, directly pressing against the locomotive cabin window. A sign next to it clearly read:
"Please insert one Tier 2 Energy Stone."
5,000 units of iron ore.
Not too expensive.
He took a freshly crafted Tier 2 Energy Stone from Xiao Ai and inserted it.
The next moment—
The flashing red warning light at the top center of the Train Elevator instantly turned solid green. Then, accompanied by the rhythmic creaking of steel cables, the elevator slowly opened.
A cloud of dust billowed out.
It was clear no one had used it in ages.
Chen Mang even spotted a tattered spiderweb in a corner.
"Impressive," Chen Mang murmured, pushing the control lever with a mixture of admiration and curiosity. He guided the Stellaris into the unknown elevator, which descended thirty thousand meters below the surface. How had a spider even found its way down here to spin a web in such a remote corner?
What should we eat?
This elevator hasn't been operational in ages. Let's hope nothing goes wrong.
Creak...
With a grinding of machinery, the elevator began its rapid ascent. There were no control buttons inside—it seemed this elevator could only go to one place.
Ten minutes later!
The elevator stopped.
As the doors opened, Chen Mang stared at the scene before him, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes wide with shock.
Ahead of the train lay the ruins of a Mechanical City. Countless buildings had collapsed, their steel skeletons and concrete shells scattered across the chaotic city ruins like the aftermath of a nuclear strike.
That's right.
This was none other than the "Geocore Nuke" fortuitous encounter map!
The Train Elevator he was in was disguised within a low mountain. He could still see the earth on either side of the elevator shaft, and he even recognized the Supersonic Tunnel he had escaped through before.
Though its entrance was now blocked by rubble.
"Damn it!"
"This thing is connected?!"
Chen Mang stared in disbelief as he drove the Stellaris out of the elevator. The elevator door slowly closed behind him, seamlessly blending into the mountain, leaving no trace of its existence. Even the target acquisition radar failed to detect the Train Elevator hidden within the small mountain.
In other words...
When he was still in the "Geocore Nuke" fortuitous encounter map, if he had found this Train Elevator, he could have used his Tier 6 train to travel directly to Crisis Valley!
Of course, doing so would have meant missing out on the rewards from the fortuitous encounter map, making it pointless.
A Tier 6 train in the Blue Zone? What a waste.
But the passage did exist.
At that moment, the Train Elevator reappeared, displaying a funnel symbol, signaling him to insert a coin. Once he did, the elevator would reopen.
Chen Mang's expression was complex as he steered the Stellaris toward the Supersonic Train Tunnel—the same tunnel he had used to escape the fortuitous encounter map that day. The drill spun rapidly, clearing away the debris blocking the entrance.
The Stellaris shot upward along the tunnel at an angle!
With the tunnel destroyed, the supersonic effect was no longer usable, and the passage was nearly blocked by mud and debris. But the drill cleared a path ahead.
Ten minutes later.
The Stellaris hovered above the Zombie Basin. Directly below lay the small mountain from which Chen Mang had escaped that day.
Not far away was the site of the Zombie Volcano's eruption.
"Not bad," Chen Mang muttered, surveying the surroundings. This small mountain was the exit—only for leaving, not for entering.
In the next moment—
"Boom! Boom!!"
Under the effect of the Weather Control Device's accessory, dark clouds gathered above the Stellaris. A violent storm erupted in an instant, thunder echoed through the heavens, and lightning flashed across the sky.
Beneath the storm, the clouds below the Stellaris quickly transformed into dark, ominous clouds.
This was the Tier 10 overpowered effect of the Bunny Cloud Wheels:
When in stormy weather, clouds transform into dark clouds, dramatically increasing speed.
Speed pushed to its absolute limit!
Once again, the train headed north toward Crisis Valley. It continued to burrow deep underground, eventually reaching the tunnel entrance it had previously emerged from. Re-entering the Train Tunnel at a depth of 30,000 meters, the train reversed direction and sped south.
Soon, it passed through the border between the Zombie Basin and Crisis Valley again.
This time, there was no speed control. The train hurtled through the tunnel at its peak velocity. Under the influence of the Weather Control Device's accessory effect, a fierce wind enveloped the train, and the Windfire Wheel began to burn rapidly, further accelerating its speed!
Before long, the incandescent lights lining the Train Tunnel began flashing red again, a clear warning signal.
The train had arrived at the entrance to the Train Elevator of the Geocore Nuke fortuitous encounter map.
This time, there was no hesitation.
The train maintained its speed, continuing deeper into the tunnel. The tunnel gradually lost its straight trajectory, curving slightly.
Meanwhile, the zone displayed on the control panel screen kept changing.
It shifted from the Zombie Basin to Kunlun Mountain, then to a frozen wasteland.
Not long after, the incandescent lights lining the Train Tunnel gradually turned into constantly flashing red warning lights.
"..."
Chen Mang emerged from the locomotive cabin, wrapped in a blanket over his sweater. Gazing down at the vast, snow-covered landscape below, he felt a moment of disorientation. He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and snapped his finger.
In the next instant—
Xiao Ai's left arm suddenly shot out from the locomotive cabin window, spanning several meters to reach Chen Mang. With a soft whoosh, it spat out a jet of flame.
Chen Mang glanced back at Xiao Ai's arm, which had retracted with Luffy-like speed, and murmured, "Modified again?"
"Mhm, just a little."
Chen Mang said no more, simply sighed softly, and rubbed his temples with his knuckles, feeling slightly dazed. Pale blue smoke drifted through the air, and the biting cold cleared his mind.
He was standing on a collapsed snow mountain—the very mountain where the Tier 7 Mechanical Zombie King had once resided. The train elevator in the tunnel had led directly to the secret factory of the Mechanical Civilization beneath the mountain.
This is a Green Zone.
The appearance of a Tier 10 Train here felt strangely out of place.
The Train Tunnel clearly held something significant, but he hadn't yet discovered what it was. The fact that this tunnel allowed him to bypass the fundamental rule that High-Level Trains couldn't enter low-level regions already made it clear that this was no ordinary tunnel.
He had completely emptied the secret factory.
There was nothing left.
He didn't linger. After finishing a cigarette, he returned to the Train Tunnel via the Elevator. This wasn't the end either. He continued speeding along the tunnel.
About half an hour later, the train emerged above a towering structure.
Yes, it was the Sky Piercing Tower, located on the Sha River Plains.
After he and Erdan had cleared this fortuitous encounter map last time, the barrier outside the map had transformed into:
[The area ahead is a Restricted Area: Sky Piercing Tower.
Remaining here for over ten seconds will result in a severe attack.]
So when Chen Mang found himself at the Sky Piercing Tower after ascending the "Train Elevator" in the tunnel, his expression immediately changed. He quickly turned to head back into the Train Tunnel, not wanting to suffer any "severe attack."
But first, he had to drive the train out of the elevator and complete the coin deposit process before the train could move again.
This was the predetermined procedure.
Though rigid, there was no alternative; he had to follow it.
But...
Even though he was moving as fast as he could, the entire process still took time. Before he could even insert the Tier 2 Energy Stone into the funnel, ten seconds had already passed.
Chen Mang frowned, placing his hand on the train's special skill, "Absolute Defense," ready to activate it at any moment to withstand the unknown severe attack.
But—
After waiting patiently for dozens of seconds...
Nothing happened. Not only was there no severe attack, there wasn't even a hint of movement. It was eerily silent.
"Huh?"
He sat in the locomotive cabin, looking around with a hint of confusion. Perhaps because he hadn't illegally trespassed but had entered this Restricted Area through a hidden process, he wouldn't face any punishment?
The thought calmed him.
He turned his gaze to the "Mechanical City" atop the Sky Piercing Tower. After their victory in the past, the city's self-destruct system had been activated, reducing the entire metropolis to ruins in a fiery explosion. Now, nothing remained.
"Sha River Plains," Chen Mang murmured, glancing at the leaderboard. His name wasn't listed. Clearly, the Stellaris wasn't yet considered a true part of this zone. He couldn't connect to the zone's train radio or the Crisis Valley train radio either.
In other words, he was currently in a state of being an undocumented entity—a bug, so to speak. Theoretically, other zones couldn't detect the underground Train Tunnel; only Crisis Valley could. Even if they did, the tunnel's incredibly durable outer shell made entry impossible.
Unless you have a Tier 100 Drill.
Unfortunately, I don't.
But he does.
For an ordinary person, obtaining a Tier 100 Drill only requires spending 98 murphy stones.
Not too much—it's obtainable by completing the S-Rank Difficulty mission of the Underwater Labyrinth four times.
"..."
Chen Mang, somewhat wistfully, steered the Stellaris out of the Sky Piercing Tower and toward a Tier 4 Train speeding below. He planned to give them a stroke of luck, perhaps a gift of 50,000 units of iron ore.
He wanted them to experience the feeling of inexplicable fortune.
He still held some affection for the Sha River Plains, after all. It was in this zone that he had made his only friend, Erdan, and discovered numerous opportunities.
Oh, right—Erdan was no longer just a friend; he was now his Subsidiary Train.
Well, scratch that. He didn't even have a single friend anymore.
However, when the Stellaris landed and intercepted the Tier 4 Train, Chen Mang realized it was an old acquaintance.
The King of Electronic Music train.
The first train that had left a lasting impression on him.
The one that had blared arrogant DJ music as it sped past his train in the dead of night in the wilderness!
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c282. [+2/+5.6k]
🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [700+] Chapters and [1.42M+] Words.