Translator: AnubisTL
"Huh?"
Chen Mang stared out the window, the shock still lingering in his eyes. He finally understood how the other trains survived in this region. You guys can fly?!
The distance was too great for the Radar to gather detailed information about the train.
But he saw that it had no wheels. Instead, clouds floated beneath it.
Like riding the clouds, it looked down upon the land below.
Was the difference between the White Zone and the Green Zone really this vast? While the White Zone trains were still crawling along the ground, the Green Zone trains were already soaring through the sky?
"Huh?"
Inside the Green Zone's Kunlun Mountain, a bald man stared in stunned disbelief at the train effortlessly traversing the sheer cliff face. His eyes were wide with astonishment.
What the hell is going on?
Why can this guy's train move freely on a ninety-degree cliff?
And...
He glanced at the screen displaying the other train's Tier.
Tier 2 train.
Are you kidding me?! Why would a Tier 2 train dare to come to Kunlun Mountain?
Even among the Green Zones, Kunlun Mountain was notoriously one of the most challenging. Even Fifth-Level trains faced extreme danger here. How dare a Tier 2 train venture into Kunlun Mountain?
He recognized the Mechanical Leg accessory as the "Spider Leg." But if he remembered correctly, it was only a green-grade accessory. Even at max level, it could only traverse the cross-section of a 45-degree slope freely.
Could it be...
The Bald Man frowned slightly. Had this person poured a massive amount of Murphy Stones into the Spider Leg accessory to break its level cap? But a Tier 2 train shouldn't even have access to Murphy Stones, unless...
Unless this was a relative of some big shot.
The Bald Man's frown eased as he confirmed his suspicion. Murphy Stones were special items that allowed an accessory to level up one more time beyond its normal limit, often used to achieve overpowered effects. They could only be obtained in high-level zones.
"Looks like a lot of big shots have come to Kunlun Mountain," he muttered thoughtfully to himself. Yesterday, the Green Dragon Boss had spawned in the Kunlun Mountain Region. Defeating this Tier 5 boss monster would drop the blue-grade accessory, the Deep Sea Shield. While not particularly high-grade, it was extremely rare, as it only dropped from this specific boss.
And this boss often spawned randomly in different zones, making it incredibly difficult to find.
This accessory was mostly useless, only functioning when the train needed to submerge underwater. But few zones had lakes, making the accessory rarely used. As for zones with oceans, they were all at least Blue Zone level, which he dared not enter.
In his own Green Zone, he had stumbled upon the "Underwater Labyrinth" Fortuitous Encounter in a lake. He wanted to obtain the "Deep Sea Shield" accessory to explore it.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the Kunlun Mountain Region. The death rate here was too high, the monsters too dense. It was a pure monster zone, with no mines at all. Who in their right mind would come here?
Except for the Flesh Train lunatics, no one liked this zone.
Normal people would choose to stay in the surrounding Green Zones like the Sha River Plains or the Huan River Basin, where the danger level was significantly lower, and there were many high-grade resource mines. Moreover, each zone had unique terrain and hazards, and trains that had settled in a particular zone for a long time usually developed countermeasures specific to that area. Going to other zones inevitably led to culture shock.
Oh, and there were also many trains that came here to hunt pangolins for the "Drill" accessory to mine underground in their own zones. Aside from these, no one else would come to the Kunlun Mountain Region.
He had initially thought he wouldn't face any competition.
Now it seemed...
"So be it."
The man sighed deeply, glancing at the rearview mirror. The train, which had been climbing the cliff face like a centipede, was no longer visible. He'd give it a try, but if he couldn't snatch it, he'd just give up.
Chen Mang, having narrowly escaped another disaster, finally relaxed his tense nerves slightly when the rock serpent disappeared from his Target Acquisition Radar. But his jaw remained clenched tight.
Just let him find that pangolin!
He would never set foot in this godforsaken Green Zone again, until he upgrades his armor to Tier 6!
Could this really be a place where humans could survive?
But...
Now that he was momentarily safe, he glanced at his Resource Detection Radar, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. He'd been in Kunlun Mountain for hours, yet the radar had never once sounded.
He hadn't seen a single mine along the way.
Neither underground nor on the surface.
Forget the Tier 3 iron ore he'd imagined; there wasn't even a Tier 1 iron ore mine to be found.
Weren't high-level zones supposed to have high-grade resource mines?
Where had all the mines gone?
Just then—
A piercing alarm blared from the train's audio system, followed by the Train Auxiliary AI's mechanical voice.
"Pangolin monster detected on Target Acquisition Radar: twelve Tier 2, one Tier 3."
"Finally found you!"
Chen Mang's eyes lit up. He had risked his life entering Kunlun Mountain for this very moment—to hunt down that damned pangolin. After hours of pursuit, he had finally cornered the elusive creature!
In the distance, on a hilltop, a group of hedgehog-like monsters, each the size of a jackal, were fleeing for their lives. Hot on their heels, a Tier 4 rock serpent was rapidly closing in across the grassland.
"Hold on! Hold on! Don't die! I'm coming!" Chen Mang gritted his teeth and began climbing the hill, positioning himself directly in the pangolins' path.
Just as the two groups were about to collide, the four Heavy Machine Guns mounted on the train's roof slowly swiveled their barrels. When the AI inside the train announced, "Target locked," the deafening roar of gunfire erupted through the mountain range: "Tutututu!!"
He hadn't used his crossbow. Instead, he had loaded the guns with Tier 3 bullets. Now that he had finally found the pangolins, this wasn't the time to worry about conserving copper ore. The crossbow's rate of fire was too slow. In this situation, the Heavy Machine Guns were the more reliable choice.
Hundreds of heavy machine gun bullets rained down like a torrential downpour, engulfing the dozen pangolins.
In an instant, the creatures exploded into bloody mist in the air. Chen Mang maneuvered the train to brush past the Tier 4 rock serpent, using the "Powerful Magnet" to collect the dropped items. But the distance was too close, and the serpent's speed was too great.
Thwack!
The rock serpent, enraged at having its prey stolen, lashed its tail against the train with tremendous force. The impact reverberated through the carriages, sending the train flying through the air. One carriage visibly crumpled inward in an instant.
This was the first time a Tier 3 armored train had been so thoroughly humiliated.
The train, now airborne, was completely unable to stabilize itself. The cliff face was a staggering thousand meters high, and a free fall from that height into the valley below was almost certainly a death sentence.
But in the face of such peril, Chen Mang's breathing grew even steadier. Ignoring the train's chaotic tumbling through the air, he pressed his back firmly against his seat, his eyes fixed on the cliff face ahead. Now!
In the next instant, two strands of Spider Silk shot from his spider legs like arrows loosed from a bowstring, their targets the cliff face directly in front of him. The Spider Silk adhered firmly to the rock, halting the train's descent. Under its momentum, the train swung like a pendulum, pulled by the Spider Silk toward the opposite cliff face.
Boom!!
The train slammed into the cliff face with a deafening crash. Chen Mang felt a dull thud in his chest, but at least he had avoided the fatal plunge into the valley. Without a moment's hesitation, he rapidly scrambled his spider legs across the cliff face.
Meanwhile, the screen on the control panel flashed red incessantly.
"Warning! Warning!"
"No. 4 Living Compartment has sustained a severe impact. External armor integrity has dropped to 62%."
"Cola Production Line accessory integrity has dropped to 78%."
"Steamed Bun Production Line accessory integrity has dropped to 81%."
"Spider Leg accessory integrity has dropped to 71%."
Chen Mang casually glanced at the warnings flashing across the screen. He quickly grabbed the fallen items that the Powerful Magnet had retrieved, and his eyes immediately landed on the white-grade accessory blueprint, "Drill." A grin spread across his face.
He picked up the blueprint and planted a fierce kiss on it before tucking it into a nearby drawer.
"Damn it, for your sake, this old man almost lost over a thousand lives here."
"Let's go home!"
"I swear, I won't set foot in a high-level zone again until I've forged Tier 6 Armor!"
The Spider Leg's original maximum fixed speed was 170 kilometers per hour, but after sustaining damage, its top speed had been reduced to just 120 kilometers per hour. However, the mission had been perfectly completed. Now, all he needed to do was escape Kunlun Mountain as quickly as possible.
He glanced in the rearview mirror at the rock serpent, its massive body stretching over a dozen meters across the mountaintop.
He clenched his jaw.
When he returned to Kunlun Mountain, he vowed to wipe out the rock serpent's entire clan. If it managed to survive, he'd consider it a miracle.
"Mother of God..."
Inside Guard Car No. 5, Biaozi clutched the iron railing of his bunk with terrified eyes, gazing at the lightning-fast flashes of scenery outside the window. His voice trembled.
"I wish this Enforcer Car didn't have windows."
"If there were no windows..."
"I might feel a little safer."
This was the first time he had seen a snake entirely composed of rock. Earlier, its massive tail had nearly slammed into Guard Car No. 5. If it had hit their carriage, the impact would have been devastating, likely killing several unlucky souls among them.
At first, when Lord Mang had proposed venturing into the high-level zone, Biaozi had wholeheartedly agreed. He believed that with the train's current strength, they could navigate the high-level zone safely if they were cautious.
But after arriving, he realized what it truly meant to dance on the edge of a blade.
It turned out that what he had experienced on the Iron Ridge Wasteland wasn't the apocalypse at all. It was just a beginner's tutorial. Only in the high-level zone could one truly grasp the meaning of the apocalypse and despair.
Could a train truly survive in such an environment?
Could the train conductor even close his eyes at night?
Was he not afraid of waking up to find his Great-Grandmother staring at him again?
"Hallelujah."
Old Pig, standing nearby, was praying with his hands clasped together in devout supplication. However, his trembling body clearly betrayed his inner turmoil.
"Trainmaster Zhu, will this sudden, last-minute conversion to religion actually work?"
"That's why I didn't convert at the last minute."
At that moment, the train was climbing vertically at a ninety-degree angle. Old Pig leaned against the wall, gripping the bed's railing tightly. He forced a bitter smile. "I think I faintly heard my mother's voice."
"It sounds like she misses me."
"Um..."
Just then, Black Rat sidled over, whispering, "Brother Biao, my stomach hurts a bit. I don't think I can go to the bathroom right now."
Their hard sleeper car had its own private restroom.
"What do you think?"
"Aren't you even a little scared?"
"Uh..." Black Rat scratched his head. "Lord Mang is much stronger than me. If he's not scared, I don't need to be either. And if he is scared, then it's pointless for me to be scared. What am I even afraid of?"
"..."
"..."
Old Pig and Brother Biao exchanged glances, remaining silent for a long moment before suddenly relaxing.
"Makes sense."
"If the tall ones aren't afraid, why should we be?"
Kunlun Mountains.
Though the train had been damaged, the return journey was far safer than the trip there. After all, they now knew where the powerful monsters lurked and could avoid them.
Finally.
Hours later, as the Stellaris train smoothly pierced the white curtain of light and returned to the Iron Ridge Wasteland, Chen Mang's nerves, which had been stretched taut for hours, finally gave way. His body went limp, and he collapsed completely onto the control panel. The long-absent sense of security flooded his heart once more. The Iron Ridge Wasteland is still the best place to be.
His trip to Kunlun Mountain had left him with a lingering sense of dread toward high-level zones. Until he acquired Tier 6 Armor, he wouldn't dare set foot in one again. Even with it, the violent impacts could still injure those inside the train. He'd have to find a way to acquire some shock-absorbing accessories.
Chen Mang sat slumped at the control panel, his back soaked through with sweat. He made no further attempt to steer the train, simply remained slumped in his chair, lit a cigarette, and stared vacantly at the smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling, refusing to dissipate.
Safe.
In the Iron Ridge Wasteland, he could still maintain absolute dominance.
Virtually no train or monster could harm him.
He didn't want to think or do anything at the moment. He just wanted to sit quietly, finish his cigarette, and calm the adrenaline from the perilous journey.
The damaged Stellaris train stood silently at the intersection of the Iron Ridge Wasteland and the Kunlun Mountains, like an injured veteran sent to the rear, gazing at its wounds in a daze.
After a long while, Chen Mang's emotions gradually stabilized. The cigarette between his fingers had burned to ash. He took the white-grade Component Blueprint, "Drill," from the drawer, examined it carefully for a long time, and finally couldn't help but grin and murmur, "Worth it."
(End of the Chapter)
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