Translator: AnubisTL
Just then—
A message broke through the heated discussion on the train radio.
Breakthrough Train: "You guys need to check the leaderboard! The Stellaris has just upgraded to a Tier 4 Train and officially entered the Green Zone! Holy shit, it's already in first place!?"
Ten Steps, One Kill Train: "First place? What are you talking about? Even if it completed an S-Class job change quest, that just means it has high potential. How could it possibly be in first place already?"
Cosmic Train: "That guy's definitely mistaken. But... the Stellaris is indeed absurd. A score of 6524? Are you kidding me? A newly upgraded Tier 4 Train shouldn't have a score like that. Even many Tier 5 Trains don't have scores that high!"
Only Love One Train: "A score of 6524 is truly outrageous. It's already 34th on the Sha River Plains Faction Value Regional Rankings! That guy just upgraded to Tier 4. He can't possibly have crammed every survivor from the White Zone into his carriages, right? He wouldn't be able to feed them! If they can't find any ore in two days, all the slaves will starve to death."
Breakthrough Train: "You're all looking at the wrong leaderboard! I'm talking about the Overpowered Effect Count Ranking! The Stellaris is in first place! Go check it out!"
Cosmic Train: "I checked. It's true. First place. My only thought is... can we add a question mark?"
Ten Steps, One Kill Train: "?"
Only Love One Train: "?"
"Ah," Chen Mang sighed, glancing at the information displayed on the train radio. He just wanted to develop quietly. Why did they have to keep watching him? His original rating was 5412, but after reaching Tier 4, the train's base rating had become 1000.
He had also obtained a new red-grade train component, the "Groundburst Missile," and upgraded some accessories for the Geothermal Core Furnace. He had just rescued another batch of survivors.
As a result, the train's rating had reached 6542.
It did seem a bit high.
He looked at the Shahe Plains Regional Leaderboard, where the Stellaris train ranked 34th. He was sandwiched between a group of Tier 5 trains, while the Tier 4 trains were all ranked outside the top 100. The highest-rated Tier 4 train had a score of 4500, with most others hovering around 3800.
Moreover—
The Iron Ridge Wasteland had only one leaderboard: the Regional Faction Value Ranking. But the Sha River Plains had several, including:
Overpowered Effect Count Ranking
Top Rank: Stellaris, S-Rank Potential Tier 4 Mechanical Train, 57 Overpowered EffectsSecond Rank: Wife Hunter Train, S-Rank Potential Tier 6 Flesh Train, 28 Overpowered EffectsThird Rank: Bloodbath Train, A-Rank Potential Tier 6 Flesh Train, 26 Overpowered EffectsFourth Rank: Misanthrope Train, A-Rank Potential Tier 5 Mechanical Train, 24 Overpowered Effects
This was Chen Mang's first time seeing the leaderboard. If they were only counting the number of overpowered effects, then yes, he was definitely outmatched. After all, he effectively possessed an infinite number of Murphy Stones—how could he possibly compete?
There was no way he could win.
And most importantly...
Just a few days ago, he'd discovered that overpowered effects listed as "None" still counted toward the overall score and the total number of overpowered effects.
And now—
The Data Emperor's voice crackled over the train radio.
"Let's do some calculations," the Breakthrough Train said. "Yellow-grade Accessories can be upgraded to Tier 5 at most. A Tier 3 train has seven slots for craftable yellow-grade Accessories, a Tier 4 train has three, a Tier 5 train has two, and a Tier 6 train also has two. Only purple-grade Accessories can be upgraded to Tier 10, and even Tier 6 trains don't have purple-grade craftable Accessories."
"In other words, a normal Tier 6 train, with all its yellow-grade Accessories crafted, can have a total of 14 overpowered effects."
"If you manage to obtain a few yellow-grade blueprints or some Murphy Stones, you can gain even more overpowered effects. For example, the Wife Hunter Train, which used to be at the Top Rank, had a staggering 28 overpowered effects."
"But—"
"The Stellaris is only a Tier 4 train, and it just barely reached Tier 4. Its yellow-grade Accessories haven't even been crafted yet. That means it can only have a maximum of seven overpowered effects."
"As everyone knows, Murphy Stones can bypass Tier restrictions. The most cost-effective way to use them for overpowered effects is on green-grade Accessories—just two Murphy Stones grant one overpowered effect."
"The Stellaris train boasts a staggering 57 overpowered effects, exceeding the normal limit of 50."
"In other words!"
"He either possesses an additional 50 yellow-grade accessory blueprints or has consumed 100 Murphy Stones."
"You can decide which scenario is more realistic."
Cosmic Train: "? Can I just say that both conclusions sound equally unrealistic? Are yellow-grade accessory blueprints and Murphy Stones as common as cabbages? When did the units of measurement get so high?"
Breakthrough Train: "Maybe he's cleared a lot of fortuitous encounter maps."
Azure Dragon Train: "Just to clarify, there aren't any fortuitous encounter maps in the White Zone."
"You're really sensitive to data, aren't you?"
Chen Mang sighed helplessly. These people were truly meticulous about digging up information on other people's trains. Unfortunately, their logical reasoning was flawless, but their answers were completely wrong.
100 Murphy Stones?
That was practically insulting him.
If he had unlimited resources, he could whip up 9,999 overpowered effects in minutes. But...
His gaze drifted to the "Misanthrope Train," ranked fourth on the Overpowered Effect Count Ranking. It was a Tier 5 mechanical train with A-Rank potential. Only two mechanical trains had ever made it into the top ten of this leaderboard.
One was his own, and the other was the Misanthrope Train. The other eight were all flesh trains.
After all, flesh trains spent their days hunting monsters, so they were bound to have a higher chance of dropping Murphy Stones than others. It was unlikely that he'd find one while mining. But Chen Mang was particularly interested in the Misanthrope Train.
It wasn't just because it was one of the only two mechanical trains in the top ten. It was because it had A-Rank potential.
He remembered the A-Rank Difficulty job advancement quest for mechanical trains very clearly: it required training an AI to develop human emotions and then falling in love with it. This guy was a real tough customer.
He admired people who were willing to entrust their lives to others.
What if they broke up someday?
The AI could just press the "Immediate Self-Destruct" button—that would be hilarious. After completing this job advancement quest, the AI would gain full administrative control over the train, equivalent to the train conductor's authority.
But...
This sacrifice wasn't without reward. The fact that a Tier 5 train could dominate the leaderboard, outperforming numerous Tier 6 trains, proved the returns were quite substantial.
The "Mechanical Train" and the "Flesh Train" were simply different embodiments of the train. The only distinction was that the Mechanical Train had a more sci-fi aesthetic, while the Flesh Train looked terrifying—even more monstrous than some monsters.
The Flesh Train didn't require mining or slaves.
Upgrading the train and its accessories only required monster Flesh. As long as you kept killing monsters, you could keep leveling up. You could even run the train entirely on your own, as long as you didn't mind the loneliness.
The Mechanical Train, on the other hand, couldn't function properly with just one train conductor. It absolutely needed a crew.
And in terms of mortality rates...
Mechanical trains were far inferior to flesh trains. Mechanical trains could be avoided—just steer clear of the monsters. But flesh trains were unavoidable. If you dodged it this time, would you dodge it next time? If you dodged it every time, how would the train ever level up?
For this reason, all flesh trains on the Sha River Plains only stopped there during their rest periods. Otherwise, they were constantly charging through the monster-infested zone of Kunlun Mountain.
The more bosses they killed, the higher the drop rates for murphy stones and yellow-grade accessory blueprints. Naturally, they also ranked higher than others on the overpowered effect leaderboard.
Mechanical and flesh trains actually got along quite well. After all, flesh trains didn't need mines or slaves, so they had virtually no points of conflict with mechanical trains—except for the occasional muttered grumble about flesh trains being a bunch of lunatics.
Chen Mang watched the train radio for a moment before turning away, not paying much attention or feeling the urge to speak. His current focus was on developing steadily, striving to survive and live a better life.
Just then, someone initiated a private chat with him.
"Azure Dragon Train: Hello, I'm the one who was shouting for my mom on your train earlier. I went on an Underwater Labyrinth Adventure and chose the S-Rank Difficulty maze mission. I was fortunate enough to be transported to your train, but of course, I failed the mission."
"But it doesn't matter. I've found a new fortuitous encounter. Would you be interested in exploring it with me?"
"..."
Chen Mang looked at the person who had messaged him privately with a slightly strange expression. He now realized that the consciousness within the robot he had encountered earlier was actually a real person's consciousness. Had this person intercepted an S-Rank Difficulty maze mission from somewhere and then boarded his train?
"What's a fortuitous encounter?"
"Well, how to put it... they're hidden maps that often contain missions. Completing these missions grants substantial rewards. I actually discovered this particular fortuitous encounter over a month ago, but I've been searching for the right person to explore it with. You're the perfect candidate."
"Why?"
"Was that your train I saw traversing the nearly vertical cliffs of Kunlun Mountain that day?"
"And was that you flying in the air?"
"Yes, that was me. The fortuitous encounter map is called the Heaven-Piercing Tower. Only your train can ascend to it; no one else can reach it."
"But you can fly, can't you?"
"...My maximum flight altitude is only 3,000 meters. The map is located at 5,000 meters. You can tow my train up there with yours. I'll provide the coordinates, and you provide the means. If it's a cooperative mission, we'll split the rewards 50-50. If it's a solo challenge, we'll each fend for ourselves."
Sha River Plains.
The bald man sitting in the locomotive cabin of the Azure Dragon train sighed deeply, a look of profound emotion on his face. He hadn't expected it to be true, but when he heard that the Stellaris train had completed its S-Class job change quest and entered the Sha River Plains, he knew the two trains were one and the same.
If they were in different zones, it wouldn't have mattered.
But in these adjacent zones, how could they not be the same person?
That guy...
He'd secretly calculated that he'd need to upgrade the Spider Leg accessory to at least Tier 13 to gain the ability to traverse cliffs. Where on earth did he get so much murphy stone?
And he knew more than the people on the train radio.
That guy had upgraded at least a hundred refrigerators to Tier 5 or Tier 10, consuming far more Murphy Stone than even the Data Emperor on the train radio had estimated.
Wait!
He slapped his forehead. The other party must be on high alert right now. After all, the Stellaris train had caused his S-Rank Mission to fail, and the other party had a lot of Murphy Stone. They'd surely suspect he was planning something.
But in truth, he hadn't even considered such a thing.
His only pleasure came from exploring fortuitous encounters and unlocking hidden maps.
The rewards were one thing, but more importantly, it brought a long-lost joy to this wretched, damned world. He had found the "Towering Sky Encounter Map" long ago but had never been able to ascend. Now that he had finally caught the Stellaris, he naturally wouldn't miss the chance to reach the summit and see what lay at the top.
Just as he was about to say something more, hoping to dispel the other party's lingering doubts, he received an immediate reply:
Stellaris: Yes, but you'll have to wait two weeks.
"Huh?"
Now it was his turn to be stunned. The other party had agreed so readily? He was a Tier 5 train! Didn't this guy fear him? Either he was supremely confident or just plain foolish.
Then he remembered the agonizing half-hour he had endured in the other train and the first impression he had formed of this unseen train conductor.
The other party clearly wasn't intimidated by him.
He was just... stubborn.
Now it seemed he should be more worried about being double-crossed.
...
After replying and confirming the time, Chen Mang stopped checking the train radio.
He was genuinely curious about the "Fortuitous Encounter Map" and wanted to see what it was like. He hadn't encountered anything like it in the White Zone. He was also intrigued by the special features of the Iron Ridge Wasteland, such as the Doomsday Abyss, but those seemed to be merely unique locations, not true fortuitous encounter maps.
But he wouldn't go now.
His train had just reached Tier 4, and he hadn't crafted many upgrades yet. His armor was already Tier 6, and once he upgraded the Groundburst Missile to Tier 6, he'd see who dared to mess with him!
He was even eager to test the missile's power.
Before that, though, he needed to upgrade the Tier 3 train's optional accessories to Tier 10. With half a month's work, he could have a nearly fully equipped Tier 4 train ready to explore. Then he'd venture out and make a name for himself.
The Stellaris was currently overflowing with copper ore. He needed to find an opportunity to fire it up and see what it could do.
(End of the Chapter)
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