Chen Mang was pondering a serious question—what name should he give to this special position? After some thought, he decided on "Xiao Ai's Caretaker."
He had assigned Lao Zhu to handle the matter.
Now, his priority was upgrading the Stellar Train to prepare for their journey into the purple zone.
He glanced at the train's resource panel:
-
35.4 million units of Iron Ore, 2.57 million units of Wood, 17.64 million units of Copper Ore, 4.48 million units of Crimson Heartstone, 10.29 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine.
After reforging some basic components, a small amount of Iron Ore had been consumed. The Solar Energy Panels had also absorbed some, leaving the total roughly unchanged. Additionally, there were the ores they had brought back from the Goblin Tomb and those mined over the past ten days.
He then crafted several Level 4 Energy Stones for daily use and to supply the two Pope Mecha units.
As for the Iron Ore from the Neon City earlier, he hadn't retrieved it. Those resources would remain there to maintain daily operations. In a way, they had already transitioned into a "corporate system."
Though the Neon City now held an additional 3.79 million units of Iron Ore, these belonged to the company ledger and weren't pure profit. The resources in the Stellar Train, however, were part of his personal account—all of it was profit.
Sorting through these messy accounts was a headache!
But—
As luck would have it, he happened to have a pre-apocalypse accountant with an annual salary of a million in his train.
Before long, Uncle Li entered the train compartment nervously and said uneasily, "Lord Mang, we've made significant progress on the Zombie Spawning Cage, but there's still..."
"No rush."
Chen Mang waved his hand, cutting him off calmly. "You have a more important task now—'Xiao Ai's Caretaker.'"
"Your responsibilities will include staying by Xiao Ai's side, relaying messages promptly, and managing all the accounts in Neon City."
"If you notice any discrepancies in the records or if the Iron Ore reserves drop below a warning threshold, you must report to me immediately."
"For example, if Neon City currently has 300 million units of Iron Ore, you'll need to calculate how much I can withdraw at once without disrupting operations. From now on, you'll oversee all these accounts."
"How does that sound?"
"Does it match your expertise?"
Uncle Li froze for a moment before replying instinctively, "Perfectly, Lord Mang. It couldn't be a better fit. But what about the Zombie Spawning Cage...?"
"The Neon City is still in its early stages, so it won't be too busy yet. You'll have to manage both tasks for now."
"My promise to you still stands. If the Zombie Spawning Cage is successfully developed, you'll still receive first-class high-tier treatment."
"Once things get busier, you've been training an apprentice, right? You can hand over the Zombie Spawning Cage and the Breeding Carriage to them."
"Coordinate the details with Xiao Ai."
"Yes!"
"All good, Uncle Li?"
Inside Carriage 15 of the breeding section, the young man who had been following Uncle Li quickly approached when he saw Uncle Li return looking distracted. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did Lord Mang summon you for something unpleasant?"
"I'm not sure if it's good or bad."
Uncle Li paused blankly for a long moment before continuing, "Lord Mang gave me a new job—Xiao Ai's caretaker, responsible for all the accounts of Lord Mang's latest project, 'Neon City.'"
"Honestly, I never dreamed that as an accountant, I'd find such a professionally fitting role after the apocalypse."
"That's great news!"
The young man said excitedly, "Though the title doesn't sound impressive, Neon City is currently the Stellar Train's biggest project. Managing all its accounts—your position is almost on par with Train Conductor Zhu! Plus, after all that training you went through, you must've learned plenty about cooking the books."
"Hey, hey, hey."
Uncle Li gave the young man a strange look. "You can eat whatever you want, but don't spout nonsense. Who's cooking the books? For Lord Mang? Sounds like you're asking to be separated from the living!"
"Actually, I think it's a good thing."
"It suits my expertise better, and there's more career potential. It's real responsibility with actual power."
"But there's one thing I don't understand."
"What?"
"Lord Mang said he's handing over the 'Zombie Spawning Cage' and 'Breeding Carriage' to you."
"Cough—"
The young man froze for a second, then suddenly coughed lightly, his lips twitching uncontrollably into a grin. "Uncle Li, I really have learned a lot these days. If Lord Mang entrusts me with such responsibility, I'm willing to give it a shot!"
"Yeah, that's what confuses me the most. How did even you suddenly rise up like this? You're managing an entire carriage now."
"You were just some small-town kid who didn't know anything at first."
"Circumstances make heroes. Joining Lord Mang's train and following you, Uncle Li—it'd be hard not to rise up! Don't worry, Uncle Li, I won't forget your guidance, mentorship, and the chance you gave me!"
"Used up all the fancy words you've learned in your life, huh?"
"Pretty much."
Uncle Li took a deep breath before grabbing a nearby Space Pocket and tucking it into his coat. "I need to report to Director Ai first. Neon City isn't too busy right now, so I'll still come back often to finish up the 'Zombie Spawning Cage.'"
"Oh, and over there—did Shen Ye forget to administer the Cardiotonic Injection? He's practically dying!"
"Oh, right, I'll do it now, I'll do it now."
Stellar Train, First Floor of the Train Cabin.
Several thugs following Er Dan carried crate after crate of resources to the Traveling Frog docked on the first floor.
Upgrading to Train Level 11 required 2 million units of Iron Ore, and Level 12 required 3 million units.
Just like that, 5 million units of Iron Ore were gone.
Another 6.75 million units were spent to upgrade the Armor from Level 9 straight to Level 14.
Total consumption: 11.75 million units of Iron Ore.
"Alright."
Standing nearby, Chen Mang patted Er Dan on the shoulder: "Level 12 Train, Level 14 Armor now. That should be more than enough even in the purple zone. Probably not many people in the purple zone have Level 14 Armor. Is that batch of 1 million Iron Ore I gave you last time still enough?"
"Enough, enough." Er Dan nodded hurriedly. "I just use the Iron Ore to make some food and Energy Stones and such. Basically, there's not much consumption. It's plenty."
"Alright, then get on board. After we enter the purple zone later, we'll split up."
"Yes!"
Chen Mang turned and walked toward the nearby elevator, taking it up to the second floor of the train compartment. He looked at the massive light screen not far ahead—the boundary between the Land of Extreme Cold and a purple zone.
Two large characters appeared on the light screen:
「Stone Men」.
There were six purple zones available for him to choose from, and he had ultimately selected the 「Stone Men」 zone. This zone was rather special. Before the apocalypse, it had been an urban area, with one main city and three satellite cities—extremely prosperous.
After the apocalypse, in this zone, any detection equipment like Targeting Radars would temporarily fail upon entering the city ruins.
Based on his experience, such special circumstances usually meant there was something big hidden in those city ruins. Naturally, he had to go take a look.
The next moment—
As the Train slowly started up, a line of text appeared on the control panel screen.
-
「Ahead lies the purple zone: Stone Men.」
「Maximum monster level: 15. Current Train level: 12. Danger level: high. Proceed with caution.」
-
The Stellar Train didn't advance too quickly.
After all, this was a relatively unknown area, so recklessness wasn't an option. As the Stellar Train slowly passed through the light screen and entered the plains ahead, the doors on the first floor of the train compartment gradually opened.
Immediately after, the Traveling Frog shot out from the train compartment like a streak of light, speeding into the distance before soon vanishing beyond the horizon.
The Stellar Train didn't venture further in.
Instead, it set up camp where it was.
The Targeting Radar and Resource Detection Radar quickly activated to survey the surroundings first.
Lines of information scrolled across the screen.
-
「Within 100,000 meters: no underground mines. Three Trains are currently mining one Level 4 Titanium Crystal Mine and two Level 4 Iron Ore mines. Within range, there is also one unclaimed Level 4 Iron Ore mine and seven Level 3 Iron Ore mines.」
「Within Targeting Radar range: highest monster level is 15, located 72,800 meters from the Stellar Train. Appears to be... mating. Uh, the mate seems to be a Level 2 rabbit.」
「The Level 15 monster is also a rabbit.」
-
"A rabbit?"
Chen Mang frowned slightly. Could a rabbit-type monster really reach Level 15? He looked at the boss's information on the control panel screen.
「Red-Skinned Rabbit, Level 15. Monster traits: extremely fast, usually docile and won't actively attack Trains, but holds grudges fiercely. Will aggressively pursue any creature that disturbs it, including Trains carrying the scent of slain Red-Skinned Rabbits.」
The next moment—
Alarms blared throughout the train compartment.
「Warning, warning」
On the Targeting Radar, a red dot was rapidly closing in on the Stellar Train!
He clearly passed by another train but completely ignored it, his target unwavering—he was dead set on taking down the Stellar.
"Huh?"
Chen Mang chuckled lightly as he pushed the control stick. There was no turning back to the Blue Zone, the Land of Extreme Cold now, but it didn't matter. Even though his armor couldn't withstand a Level 15 monster, his train was fast enough—and he could fly!
Instant acceleration!
In the blink of an eye, the Stellar Train reached its maximum speed of 5,000 km/h.
"Hmph."
Chen Mang snorted coldly, sitting inside the train cabin as he watched the rabbit on the Targeting Radar gradually fall behind. Fast? You think you can outrun me?
But—
Soon, he realized something wasn't quite right.
Why were there three more red dots charging toward him on the Targeting Radar?
One Level 15, two Level 12s.
All red-skinned rabbits.
"Tch!"
"I refuse to believe this shit!"
Three hours later.
"I believe it now."
The Stellar Train came to a stop in the wasteland. Chen Mang sat expressionlessly in the cabin, staring at the two dozen red dots that had reappeared on the Targeting Radar. After a long silence, he wordlessly pushed the control stick again.
He was out of fight.
Over a dozen red-skinned rabbits—three of them Level 15, five Level 14—had been chasing him relentlessly for three whole hours!
His speed was more than enough to shake them off.
But these rabbits seemed to have some kind of aimbot. The moment he slowed down even slightly, they'd reappear on the radar before long. He knew this area had a lot of rabbit monsters, but he never expected them to be so hell-bent on hunting him down.
And, goddamn it, these rabbits could fly too!
Flying rabbits?
That was even more unbelievable than Adam being allergic to apples!
Truthfully, there were probably thousands of rabbits chasing him.
Only these dozen or so were in the lead pack—the rest either couldn't keep up due to low levels or had to drop out from exhaustion, replaced by fresh pursuers.
His Bunny Cloud wheels were nowhere near as fast as Magnetic Levitation. Flying in the air meant they'd catch up, but on the ground, he could widen the gap.
The worst part?
The Land of Extreme Cold bordered five other zones—some white, yellow, and green, plus one red.
Not a single purple zone. He couldn't even escape to another area.
"You like chasing me, huh?"
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing as he stared at the dozen dots on the Targeting Radar. He had to eliminate these damn rabbits—otherwise, he'd never be able to operate normally in this zone.
The Doomsday Cannon was useless.
He'd tried closing the distance and firing, but their evasion speed was ridiculous. Xiao Ai could lock onto them, but the shells couldn't hit unless he had thousands of Doomsday Cannons blanketing the area.
He didn't have the funds to build thousands of Doomsday Cannons right now.
But—
He had a better idea.
The Stellar surged forward again, putting distance between itself and the pursuing rabbits before landing smoothly. He constructed an ordinary carriage and attached it to the rear of the train, leaving the door wide open.
Then, hovering just above the ground, he shot forward once more!
"Xiao Ai, tell Uncle Li and Mom to move to the resident car."
"Got it!"
Chen Mang maneuvered the Stellar Train, gradually slowing its speed to allow the pursuing rabbits to catch up while constantly changing direction to align them in a straight line.
At this moment.
The three fastest Level 15 rabbits were already within a few hundred meters of the Stellar Train.
And closing in steadily.
Though both the Stellar Train and the rabbits were moving at incredible speeds, their relative velocities were nearly matched, creating a state of near-stasis. Seizing an opening wasn't too difficult!
The next instant—
The Stellar Train suddenly braked hard
.
The fastest Level 15 and Level 14 rabbits, caught completely off guard, barreled straight into the newly constructed last carria
ge.
"Now!"
"Damn those fucking rabbits!"
"Chasing for a bit is one thing, but they just won't quit!"
With lightning reflexes, Chen Mang—his face twisted in fury—slammed his fist onto a button on the control panel he had never touched before.
A purple-tier component: Space Stasis.