Translator: AnubisTL
That concludes the changes and new features added to the Stellaris after it reached Tier 3.
As for the new "Immediate Ejection" button, its function is simple:
When the train faces an overwhelming crisis, pressing this button will launch the train conductor from their seat at the control panel into the high sky. Whether they have a parachute, how the train will cope with the apocalypse if the parachute fails, and other such concerns are beyond this button's purview.
This button is solely for ejection.
Everything else falls outside its scope.
After ejection, the train will automatically initiate an irreversible 10-second countdown to self-destruction.
Enjoying a free-fall bungee jump before death might actually be quite interesting. After all, Chen Mang believed that 90% of the world's population had never experienced such an activity. It was a niche extreme sport, and experiencing it before the end wouldn't be a waste of a lifetime.
"Huu..."
Chen Mang exhaled deeply, leaning back against his recliner with a slight weariness. Though he hadn't done any physical labor, he had meticulously examined the information for each accessory, considered their potential applications, and carefully reviewed every subtle change on the control panel.
It was exhausting work.
Not physically tiring.
But mentally draining.
Chen Mang lit a cigarette, stuck it in his mouth, leaned back in his chair, and pondered for a moment. Deciding he needed to relax, he immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Send Ji Chuchu over here."
Soon—
"Lord Mang."
The locomotive cabin door slowly opened, and the pitiful Ji Chuchu entered obediently, kneeling on the floor with practiced ease, awaiting instructions.
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang glanced at Ji Chuchu, his brow furrowing slightly. He remembered her wearing a different outfit last time. Today, she was in a white, low-cut, backless maxi dress, appearing pure and innocent, like an untouchable fairy.
The stark contrast between her demure kneeling posture and her revealing attire was striking.
"Where did you change clothes?"
He'd been wearing the same outfit for days without changing. How could a slave like her afford a change of clothes?
Did she live better than he did?
"When I heard Lord Mang was looking for me, I borrowed this set from a friend."
"Why?"
"I was worried Lord Mang might get bored. Changing clothes might make things more interesting."
"..."
Chen Mang said nothing more, simply nodded silently. Her actions were both reasonable and thoughtful. He sized up Ji Chuchu, kneeling on the floor, and beckoned her forward. "Come here."
Ji Chuchu behaved impeccably. She walked to Chen Mang, knelt down again, and folded her arms over her legs, patiently waiting.
"Mm."
Chen Mang extended his leg, hooking Ji Chuchu under the control panel. He leaned back in his chair and patted her head. "Let's begin."
Three minutes later.
Chen Mang frowned and reopened his eyes. Something was missing. After fiddling with the control panel screen for a while, he found the variety show Ji Chuchu had once starred in. He clicked play.
Only then did he nod in satisfaction and lean back in his chair.
This felt right.
In the variety show, Ji Chuchu played the role of a Goddess. When she covered her mouth to laugh, her eyes sparkled, making her seem truly untouchable.
Yet beneath the control panel, Ji Chuchu displayed a completely different style.
This contrast was what he loved.
In his past life, he had indulged too much, raising his threshold too high. Ordinary, mundane experiences no longer stirred his heart. He now preferred these more spiritual, mental experiences.
Fifteen minutes later.
Chen Mang propped his feet on Ji Chuchu's shoulders, who was kneeling obediently beside him again. He lit a cigarette, leaned back against the chair, and chuckled, "Tell me, what reward do you want?"
"Lord Mang," Ji Chuchu said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, kneading Chen Mang's calves with her slender fingers. "Chu Chu is now treated as a First-Class Slave and doesn't have to work.
"And Lord Mang, you are the strongest and most charismatic train conductor I've ever met. Since the apocalypse began, Chu Chu has never felt as safe as she does on this train.
"Chu Chu is already very content.
"But... if possible, Chu Chu has a close friend, a female celebrity named Yan Yao.
"She's even more beautiful than me, and she's still a virgin. We lost contact shortly after the apocalypse began. The last time I heard from her, she said she was hiding in the safe room of her villa in Sha River City, on the Sha River Plains. Her food and water supplies are probably running low by now.
"Lord Mang would definitely fall for her if he met her."
"..."
The smile on Chen Mang's face gradually faded, replaced by a calm expression as he gazed at Ji Chuchu. After a long moment, he exhaled a thin, pale blue wisp of smoke onto her face and murmured softly, "You want me to travel so far to save someone?"
The Sha River Plains was a Green Zone.
It bordered the Iron Ridge Wasteland, but lay at the northernmost edge of the wasteland, just an hour's journey north across the Doomsday Abyss.
Ji Chuchu dared not meet Lord Mang's eyes. She lowered her head, removed his shoes and socks, and gently massaged his calves.
Chen Mang remained silent for a moment before casually remarking, "Are there still such pure souls in the entertainment industry?"
"Every time an investor approaches her, I take the hit for her."
"You're that noble?"
"Her family is well-off, mine is poor. She helped me a lot in the past. Adding a drop of ink to a piece of paper or adding a whole blotch makes no difference."
"So, without you, she'd be doomed?"
"I'll teach her."
"How?"
Ji Chuchu raised her head to meet Chen Mang's gaze, slowly placing Lord Mang's toes into her mouth. Her voice, muffled and hesitant, whispered, "Is this how you want me to teach?"
"Has she ever been on a variety show?"
"Yes."
"Hmm."
Chen Mang nodded, leaning back against the chair with a weary wave of his hand. "You can leave now. If I ever go to the Sha River Plains, I'll consider making a stop in Shahe City."
Inside Guard Car No. 5.
Old Pig, who had been whispering with Biaozi, immediately cleared his throat and pretended to be looking out the window, as if discussing serious matters, when Ji Chuchu returned.
Only after Ji Chuchu had reached the hard sleeper compartment at the back of the carriage did the two men exchange another worried glance.
"What do we do now?" Biaozi asked, his expression complicated. "Lord Mang called Ji Chuchu in again. This is the second time. How should we handle her?"
"Weren't you the one who claimed to be best at dealing with these kinds of problems?"
"You come up with a solution."
Last time, he had been ready to make a move. But Ji Chuchu had eaten too much, so he held back. Until the Stellaris train reached its destination, no one had touched her.
"Huu..."
Old Pig took a deep breath, his brow furrowed into a tight knot. His voice raspy, he said, "Let's sort this out first. Lord Mang has already sent Ji Chuchu in twice. Clearly, he's very satisfied with her service."
"At this point, neither you nor I can touch Ji Chuchu."
"Becoming a comrade of a superior, even on the periphery, is a major taboo. If Lord Mang had simply lost interest, it would be one thing. But he's called for her again. That's where it becomes inappropriate."
"Yet Lord Mang promised us slaves."
"It's highly likely Lord Mang is now trapped. He enjoys Ji Chuchu's service, but he also made a promise to everyone. He can't publicly break his word without losing face."
"But since Lord Mang likes her, he can't let the other slaves touch Ji Chuchu either."
"So..."
"So spit it out already!" Biaozi urged impatiently. "What's the solution?"
"I don't know!" Old Pig scratched his head frantically. "The main problem is I can't read Lord Mang's true intentions. Maybe he doesn't even care about this at all. Maybe it's just the two of us overthinking things."
"Should we ask Lord Mang?"
"Are you crazy? Even if he really is being held hostage, would he admit it?"
"Right."
After taking a deep breath, Old Pig finally came up with a solution. He said seriously, "If we let Ji Chuchu down and misunderstand Lord Mang's intentions, he might get angry."
"But if Lord Mang never had such a thought in the first place, and we act on our own, he'll still get angry when he finds out."
"Weighing the lesser of two evils, it's clear that the latter scenario would draw less blame. So, let's proceed based on the second assumption. Ji Chuchu definitely can't be let down—in fact, it's impossible to let her down anyway."
"Lord Mang's intention is that the miner who extracts the most ore gets to keep Ji Chuchu."
"But the top hundred miners are all goblins. Those goblins have no interest in women; they only care about mining and don't even glance at Ji Chuchu. Fortunately, this solution works perfectly for both sides."
"This is the best solution I can think of. What do you think?"
Biaozi spread his hands, his face full of helplessness. "Trainmaster Zhu, I'm just a Martial Artist. You're the deputy train conductor. This kind of thing should naturally be your call."
"Alright," Old Pig said, steeling himself and clenching his jaw. "I'll take the fall. I'll shoulder the blame if Lord Mang asks questions later. Just go ahead and do it."
After watching Biaozi's retreating figure, Old Pig finally exhaled deeply, wiping the beads of cold sweat from his forehead. His body slumped weakly into his seat, and he sighed heavily.
Being a deputy train conductor wasn't easy.
Especially...
He couldn't fathom Lord Mang's intentions. While he wouldn't speculate on the motives of those above him, he could usually read their intentions with a fair degree of accuracy. But with Lord Mang, he was truly baffled.
He genuinely had no idea what Lord Mang was thinking.
As the second-in-command, his primary duty was often to observe and anticipate the needs of his superiors, taking action on matters they couldn't or wouldn't explicitly state.
It's not easy to hold the position of second-in-command for long. Often, when a crisis erupts, the explosion detonates right over the second-in-command's head.
Soon—
It was time for the slaves to finish their work for the day.
The Stellaris train was bustling. The slaves had already turned in their pickaxes and were lining up to receive their evening meal.
Meanwhile, Chen Mang sat in the locomotive cabin, gazing at the train panel.
Before upgrading to a Tier 4 Train, the train needed to complete a Class Change quest. Only after determining its Class Change direction could it upgrade to Tier 4, and this quest could only be completed in the Green Zone.
Once the Class Change quest was successfully completed and the train upgraded, it could never return to a low-level region.
Chen Mang wouldn't move to a high-level zone until he had completely mined out the resource mines beneath the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
However—
That didn't stop him from previewing the Class Change quests.
The Flesh Train had five Class Change quests to choose from. Completing any one of them would successfully advance the train's Class Change.
Flesh Train Class Change Mission
S-Rank Difficulty: Defeat three Tier 6 monsters.
A-Rank Difficulty: Defeat three Tier 5 monsters.
B-Grade Difficulty: Defeat one Tier 5 monster.
C-Rank Difficulty: Defeat one Tier 4 monster.
D-Rank Difficulty: Defeat one Tier 3 monster.
That S-Class Job Change Quest was utterly absurd. A Tier 3 train defeating three Tier 6 monsters? Honestly, he couldn't imagine anyone else pulling it off. Perhaps only he could.
If the resource mines in the Iron Ridge Wasteland provided enough resources to upgrade his armor to Tier 6, and he could raise the level of his firepower accessories, he might just be able to do it.
As for other trains...
He couldn't fathom how they could complete this mission without the Tier 0 Authority of "Infinite Upgrade." Green-grade train components could only be upgraded to Tier 3 at most, while yellow-grade components could reach Tier 5.
Without blue-grade firepower accessories, their firepower would be suppressed, making it impossible to even break through the monsters' defenses.
Even with blue-grade firepower accessories, without sufficiently high-level armor, a Tier 6 monster could easily withstand the onslaught and tear the train to shreds.
This S-Rank Difficulty job advancement quest was practically impossible to complete.
The D-Rank Difficulty job advancement quest, on the other hand, was quite simple. A normally developed Tier 3 train—not one that focused solely on leveling up—could easily kill a Tier 3 monster.
However, job advancement quests could only be completed in the Green Zone. Even there, killing a Tier 3 monster wasn't easy. While you might not provoke high-level monsters, they would still come chasing after you.
The grade of the "Unknown Large Firepower Accessory" you received after completing the job advancement quest depended on the difficulty level you chose:
D-Rank Difficulty: GreenC-Rank Difficulty: YellowB-Rank Difficulty: BlueA-Rank Difficulty: PurpleS-Rank Difficulty: Red
Furthermore, completing different levels of job advancement quests would display different potential levels on your train panel. Higher potential levels would lead to more Fortuitous Encounters in the future.
On the high-level zone leaderboards, the train's Class Change path and potential level would be displayed before its name.
This explains why the dozen or so Tier 3 trains in the Iron Ridge Wasteland have been reluctant to leave for the Green Zone.
First, the Iron Ridge Wasteland is relatively safe, while the Green Zone presents a much higher level of danger. They're waiting until they've accumulated sufficient resources before venturing into the Green Zone.
Second, they're aiming to complete a more challenging job advancement quest to obtain a higher-grade "unknown firepower accessory."
After upgrading to Tier 3 trains, none of the nine craftable accessories are external firepower accessories. From Tier 1 to Tier 3 trains, the only firepower accessory available is the "Third-Rate Heavy Machine Gun." Even at Tier 3, the Third-Rate Heavy Machine Gun remains their primary offensive weapon.
In other words, this unknown firepower accessory is the only firepower accessory for Tier 3 trains, and it's a heavy firepower accessory at that. It's likely their greatest asset for venturing into the Green Zone.
Naturally, the higher its grade, the better.
(End of the Chapter)
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