Translator: AnubisTL
In reality, Chen Mang was the only person among the top-ranked individuals on the Regional Rankings whose power value was entirely built on accessory Tiers. Most others relied on slave numbers and the base power value bonus from their Tier 3 trains.
Seven more days passed.
The Tier 2 Copper Mine was completely exhausted. With over 200 slaves working overtime, they had extracted a total of 140,000 units of copper ore.
Chen Mang stored all the copper ore in a specially crafted Tier 10 Refrigerator—a strategic reserve resource.
With this stockpile, even if ballistae and vehicle blades proved ineffective against a threat, he could rely on rocket launchers and heavy machine guns to obliterate it. However, such a scenario was highly unlikely.
In the Iron Ridge Wasteland Zone, there was currently no entity capable of posing a threat to him.
The train now held 60,000 units of iron ore and 140,000 units of copper ore.
Chen Mang withdrew another 45,000 units of iron ore and upgraded the Resource Detection Radar to Tier 10 in one go, expanding its detection range to 10,000 meters and gaining two overpowered effects.
Tier 5 Overpowered Effect of the Resource Detection Radar: Predicts the exploitable quantity of resources within a detected mine.
Tier 10 Overpowered Effect of the Resource Detection Radar: Reveals the next respawn time of a depleted mine.
Chen Mang hadn't even had time to thoroughly examine these two overpowered effects when the control panel began beeping frantically.
"Damn it!"
Chen Mang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The radar screen displayed two Tier 2 Iron Ore mines located 2,000 meters underground, near an underground river cavern.
Estimated exploitable quantity: 380,000 units of Tier 1 Iron Ore.
He was genuinely tempted!
And it wasn't just at 2,000 meters. Another 5,000 meters deeper lay a Tier 3 Red Heart Rock mine, estimated to yield 1,800 units of Tier 3 Red Heart Rock.
He still had some Red Heart Rock left from the man-eating spider he'd killed before, but he hadn't found a use for it yet. It was a rare, high-grade resource.
Why were these high-grade resource mines all spawning underground?
But...
He could only look, not possess. His Stellaris train lacked the ability to traverse underground.
"..."
He gazed out the window at the abandoned goblin train. This goblin train did possess the ability to traverse the Underground, but it was now completely derelict and beyond repair—totally scrapped.
Should I send Doba back to that dark space and have him build another goblin train?
No.
He quickly dismissed the thought.
It was impractical. Not only would it take an unknown amount of time, but even if Doba succeeded, he wouldn't necessarily emerge in this Zone. Who knew where he'd be teleported?
Was he doomed to watch wealth slip through his fingers, unable to claim it?
Meeting! Let's brainstorm!
Soon, the train's interior was packed with people.
Old Pig stared at the Resource Detection Radar screen, which displayed two Tier 2 Iron Ore deposits located 2,000 meters below the surface. After a long moment of hesitation, he spoke first: "2,000 meters below the Doomsday Abyss, which means 8,000 meters from the surface."
"These iron ore deposits are located within an underground river. If we can find the source of this river, we might not need the train's Underground traversal capabilities. We could simply follow the river all the way to the mine."
"Cough," Biaozi cleared his throat. "That's a bit unrealistic. The underground river is incredibly complex. In some places, it's as wide as a lake mouth, while in others, it's only as thick as a bucket. A train simply couldn't navigate such a waterway. The whole idea is a fantasy."
"Even if the underground river channel were perfectly smooth, the train still wouldn't have the ability to move underwater."
"..."
Chen Mang scanned the room, seeing that after all this discussion, no one had come up with a useful idea. He waved his hand dismissively. "Bring Doba to me."
"Drilling?"
Doba, his skin entirely green, stood in the locomotive, his brow furrowed as he strained on tiptoe to peer out the window at the abandoned goblin train. "My old goblin train might have worked... but, um..."
"The 'Drill' white-grade accessory is a built-in component of goblin trains. I honestly don't know where we could even acquire that accessory."
"And..."
"Wait, I remember! Killing a monster called a 'Pangolin' has a chance of dropping its Component Blueprint. But those monsters usually live in mountain ranges, and... we don't seem to have any mountains around here."
Old Pig, Biaozi, and the others exchanged glances, each seeing the urgency in the others' eyes.
This was Lord Mang's first time calling all the management staff together to discuss a matter. They were all desperate to offer a viable suggestion to prove their competence.
But...
This matter was just too thorny. They couldn't think of a solution.
Old Pig, in particular, was on the verge of losing his mind. He had always prided himself on his skills in internal affairs and management. It was understandable that Biaozi couldn't come up with an idea, but for him to be stumped felt like a failure of his abilities.
"Pangolin?"
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, his eyes half-closed in thought. He tapped his knuckles rhythmically on the table. He actually knew where to find mountains—in the westernmost part of the Iron Ridge Wasteland, in the Kunlun Mountain Zone.
That area was covered in endless mountain ranges, where pangolins should be plentiful.
But...
It was a high-Tier zone.
Low-Tier trains could enter high-Tier zones, but only if they didn't mind risking their lives. The danger Tier increased exponentially.
His Stellaris train could traverse the Iron Ridge Wasteland with relative ease, but in the Kunlun Mountain ranges, Tier 3 Monsters might be everywhere, and even higher-Tier creatures were possible. The danger was clear.
However, he possessed the "Spider Leg" accessory, which would allow him to move with relative ease in the Kunlun Mountains.
He didn't make an immediate decision.
Instead, he dismissed the meeting, instructing everyone to return to their carriages and put the matter aside for now. Their first priority was to head to the ruins of Taiping City to acquire some slaves.
With the "Target Acquisition Radar," finding survivors hiding in the ruins would be a simple task.
The two resource mines at the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss had been completely depleted. Thanks to the overpowered effect of the "Resource Detection Radar," their next refresh time was set for 62 days from now. For the foreseeable future, they wouldn't be returning to this place.
Boom!
The engine roared to life. The Stellaris train, which had been dormant in the Abyss Valley Bottom for a long time, extended its Mechanical Legs and quickly scaled the cliff face. It began ascending the steep wall at an astonishing speed.
When sunlight finally shone into the carriage after a long absence, the Stellaris train reappeared on the surface, switching back to its Windfire Wheel mode as it roared toward the ruins of Taiping City!
An hour later...
"..."
Chen Mang took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the distant wasteland. He had made up his mind: he absolutely had to venture into Kunlun Mountain. In the past hour, the Resource Detection Radar had sounded three times.
Vast deposits of iron ore and copper ore lay buried deep beneath the Iron Ridge Wasteland!
The entire wasteland was essentially a massive resource mining area, though many of the high-grade resource mines were buried deep underground.
He couldn't just stand by and watch these resources remain buried forever.
Once he officially entered the high-Tier zones, returning to the Iron Ridge Wasteland would become impossible.
Kunlun Mountain—he had to brave it!
(End of the Chapter)
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