Translator: AnubisTL
"..."
Chen Mang turned his gaze from the screen next to the control panel, no longer paying attention to the sudden mission. His sole focus for the time being was to extract both resource mines beneath the Doomsday Abyss as quickly as possible.
And—
"Hmm..."
He fell into thought, staring at the refrigerator inside the train. That thing was also a major energy hog.
Initially, the train's generator only needed to power a few lights in the carriages, allowing a single Tier 1 Energy Stone to last over three hundred days. But after connecting the Vehicle Blade, Audio System, Radar, and now the refrigerator—all accessories requiring energy—to the generator...
The screen now showed that a single Energy Stone was estimated to last only 100 days.
Still, he didn't need to unplug the refrigerator to save power. After all, making an Energy Stone cost only 500 Units of iron ore, and he wasn't short on iron ore at the moment.
He was pondering a different question.
After upgrading the Refrigerator to Tier 10, its second Overpowered Effect unlocked space expansion technology. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary refrigerator, but inside was a cosmos—a small house measuring a full 100 square meters.
In other words, he could build several more to use as warehouses.
Production lines, harvested wood, mined minerals—all could be stored inside, freeing up valuable space in the carriages. He could even house the slaves inside, all sleeping on communal bunks.
The only downside was the high construction cost.
Building and upgrading a single refrigerator required 4,500 units of iron ore.
Later, when the train was filled with supplies, he could build more refrigerators and unplug them to use as storage boxes.
There was also another matter.
The number of energy-dependent accessories on the train was steadily increasing. The Tier 1 Circuit System was no longer sufficient. The screen displayed a warning that the system was nearing overload and needed immediate upgrading.
The Generator also needed upgrading to provide more power to support the growing demand.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the Train Panel. The train currently held 1,603 Units of iron ore. The tens of thousands he had accumulated over the past few days had been almost entirely consumed by the Tier 2 Armor, which had devoured 25,000 Units of iron ore alone. That thing was a true resource hog!
This meager amount of iron ore wouldn't get him far. He needed to gather more for a few more days. He planned to upgrade the Circuit System and the Generator simultaneously. These two components were essential for the train's operation. If they failed, all energy-dependent accessories would disconnect, rendering the train completely useless.
Just then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Inside the train, Chen Mang suddenly heard a rumbling sound echoing in his ears. He instinctively turned toward the source, which was clearly coming from the wall at the bottom of the Abyss.
His first reaction was to check the Target Acquisition Radar.
But even now, the radar remained eerily silent, showing no signs of activity.
"Damn it!"
His expression immediately darkened. He swiftly shut off the Audio System, grabbed the walkie-talkie, and ordered all the slaves to board the train immediately. They had to be ready to escape at a moment's notice. Something was clearly trying to break through the wall, yet it wasn't even registering on the Target Acquisition Radar.
What does that mean?
Clearly, we've hit a major haul!
What are we waiting for? We need to get out of here now! As all the slaves scrambled into the train like their lives depended on it, the Stellaris had already deployed its spider legs. With the roar of its engine, the train began to slowly accelerate, preparing to flee the scene at the earliest opportunity.
But—
It was too late.
Just as the train was starting to move, a train like a long Dragon, its drill spinning furiously, burst out of the cliff wall and slammed into the Stellaris at breakneck speed.
"Boom!!"
A violent collision shook the train.
Thanks to its spider legs, the Stellaris managed to maintain its balance despite the brutal impact, preventing it from capsizing. A piercing screeching sound filled the air.
Chen Mang watched with his own eyes as the drill of the other train spun at high speed, as if trying to bore a hole through his carriage. But...
It had no effect.
His carriage remained almost completely undamaged.
At that moment, the Train Auxiliary AI displayed a message on the screen:
"Tier 2 Goblin Train detected. Initiating attack on the Stellaris."
"Tier 2 Goblin Train?"
Chen Mang glanced at the information on the screen, but it was already too late to dwell on it. He only knew that someone had attacked him, and the two trains had already collided. He immediately activated his Vehicle Blades. Spinning at high speed and coated with electricity, the blades sliced the Goblin Train's drill in half almost instantly.
Next, he maneuvered his train to the right, creating a gap between the two vehicles. Then, he chose the most primitive attack method.
He repeatedly brushed past the Goblin Train, using the Vehicle Blades on both sides of his carriages to deliver devastating blows. He could see that the Goblin Train's armor was only Tier 1. Against his Tier 10 Vehicle Blades, it offered no resistance, easily sliced through.
The Goblin Train had virtually no means of retaliation.
There wasn't even a machine gun mounted on top of its carriages. The only offensive accessory it had was the drill, which posed no threat to his train.
The battle ended swiftly.
Biaozi and the others, all armed and their consciousnesses linked to the Train Auxiliary AI's Cluster Mind, left the Stellaris after the fighting to clean up the mess. "Cleaning up" really meant rescuing the unconscious goblins from the wreckage of the abandoned train, which had been overturned several times and nearly sliced to pieces.
"..."
At the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss, Chen Mang knelt silently on the ground, gazing at the unconscious goblin merchant before him, draped in a golden cloak. Could this be the very goblin merchant who had caused such a stir on the Train Radio this morning?
And judging by appearances...
He was likely the wealthy merchant as well.
The golden cloak was certainly eye-catching, and the chosen route had been remarkably hidden. Chen Mang had thought his location in the No-Man's Wilderness was already secluded enough, but clearly, there were even more skilled operators out there.
A train... why wasn't it sticking to the ground? Why was it digging a tunnel six thousand meters underground?
Can this even be called a train?
He turned his head to look at the dilapidated train not far away, his brow furrowing slightly. "Old Pig, have you ever heard of a Goblin Train before?"
"No."
Old Pig shook his head, his expression equally complex. "After the apocalypse, information became severely fragmented. Even the Train Radio only allows people within this Zone to communicate with each other. Most survivors have no idea about Train Upgrades, only vaguely hearing rumors about Train Tokens."
"This is the first time I've seen a Goblin Train too."
"This is the first time I've seen monsters building trains."
"From the initial despair, humanity has gradually found a glimmer of hope, thanks to the existence of trains—like lone boats offering a sense of security in the vast, apocalyptic sea. If monsters can build trains too, then humanity's..."
"...pressure will only intensify."
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c116. [+14/+33.3k]
🎁All [3] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [600] Chapters and [1.05M+] Words.
🔔 Become a member before 8 August to enjoy 50% off. Just $3.