Translator: AnubisTL
"Is this right?"
In the Kunlun Mountain Region, a man sitting in the Purple Cloud train stared blankly at the empty canyon before him, a sense of profound confusion washing over him. It was as if he had drawn his sword only to find himself utterly lost.
He had emerged from the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
Once, he had clashed with the Stellaris train, but he had quickly yielded. The Stellaris had forgiven him, but the blow to his pride was devastating.
His years of painstaking development, the Stellaris had caught up in a single month, rising from obscurity to the top of the Regional Rankings. A month later, it had advanced to a Tier 4 Train and moved on to the Green Zone.
This had utterly crushed him.
So, he made a drastic decision: to hell with mechanical trains! He would embrace the Dao through his own flesh and blood, becoming a flesh train!
The Kunlun Mountain Region was teeming with monsters. After his class change, he planned to hunt down the weaker ones and slaughter them mercilessly.
The plan was sound.
He successfully class-changed into a C-grade potential flesh train. B-Tier potential required killing a Tier 5 Monster, which he knew he couldn't handle. He had no idea how others had managed it.
Just as he was about to gleefully head to the Kunlun Mountain Region to start his hunt, he found every monster gone. The train radio was filled with the desperate wails of flesh trains, none of them offering a solution.
"..."
The man stared blankly for a long time before finally turning his gaze to the "Skull" on the control panel. Ever since his class change to the Flesh Train, most of the mechanical accessories within the train had vanished. The Train Auxiliary AI had been replaced by the Flesh Intelligence.
Functionally, there was no difference.
It was just a cosmetic change. Moreover, he was now the sole occupant of the train. All the slaves, thugs, and even the deputy train conductor had been devoured by the Flesh Train the moment his class change was complete.
To be honest, if he'd known this would happen, he might not have changed classes at all. After all, the class change process hadn't told him exactly what would happen after becoming a Flesh Train.
The deputy train conductor had been quite loyal, and he'd grown fond of him.
But the class change was done, and there was no turning back.
He lowered his head to examine the seat cushion, which resembled the raw, crimson flesh of an everted lip. It was surprisingly comfortable to sit on, with no sticky bloodstains or unpleasant sensations.
The interior of the carriage had also transformed into a fleshy mass, resembling the convoluted folds of an intestine.
His "third-rate heavy machine gun" had become the "Bone Spike Machine Gun."
He could now control all accessories with his mind. For example, he could use his thoughts to direct the Bone Spike Machine Gun to precisely target enemies through Sensory Tentacles, giving him far greater control over the train than before.
For now, the biggest drawback remains:
When he falls asleep, grotesque faces begin to appear on the ceiling, staring down at him. It's driving him to the brink of mental exhaustion. These faces belong to his former slaves. And whether it's just his imagination or not, he feels as if he's controlling this flesh train as if it were his own limbs, the movements becoming increasingly fluid.
It's as if...
It's as if...
It's as if he and this flesh train are gradually merging into one.
"Sigh."
After a long silence, the man finally sighed deeply, gazing at the Overpowered Effect Count Ranking. At the top stood an s-rank potential mechanical train.
That bastard is still incredibly strong, even in the Green Zone.
Back in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, he had consistently ranked among the top five in the regional rankings, not far behind the Stellaris. But since arriving in the Sha River Plains, the gap between them had begun to widen rapidly.
"Hmm?"
Just then—
The man's eyes widened slightly. He sensed a Tier 2 monster flash past 300 meters away. His face lit up with joy, and without hesitation, he steered the train in pursuit!
With its multiple spider legs bristling with barbs, the train—a grotesque fusion of centipede, spider, and worm—charged after the zombie wolf!
A Tier 2 monster was practically negligible to the flesh train.
However, this was the first monster he'd encountered in the Kunlun Mountain Region. By following it, he might finally discover where all the monsters in the area were hiding.
After his class change to flesh train, the control panel screen vanished. All information now surfaced deep within his mind, including the Sensory Tentacles, an accessory converted from the target acquisition radar. Two short tentacles extended from the locomotive's front, and all sensory data was instantly relayed to his mind.
It was much the same as before, except that instead of appearing on a screen, the information now surfaced in his mind.
Moreover, after the class change, he felt his mind had become more agile. He could now think about multiple things simultaneously, control numerous accessories at once, and process vast amounts of information without feeling overwhelmed or experiencing mental overload.
Half an hour later, the man's smile grew wider. He could now see with his own eyes a valley ahead filled with monsters. They were all kneeling on the ground, as if performing some ritual.
Though he could see them with his own eyes, the Sensory Tentacles remained silent.
Just then—
The valley before him was teeming with monsters. Suddenly, every single one of them turned to stare directly at him. Their crimson, bloodthirsty eyes sent a jolt of clarity through the man. His expression instantly changed, and he immediately ordered the train to make a rapid U-turn and head back the way it had come!
Damn it!
What was he doing?!
He was only in a Tier 4 flesh train! The Kunlun Mountain Region was known to have many Tier 5 and even Tier 6 monsters. How could he have dared to venture so deep?!
Run!
The thought consumed every inch of his mind. If he didn't flee now, he was doomed.
The valley was filled with high-grade monsters. If they caught up to him, he wouldn't stand a chance.
But before he fled, he quickly pressed the green "Flesh Cushion Button" on the control panel, recording the coordinates. Perhaps... perhaps he could cooperate with that guy.
He would provide the coordinates, letting that guy come and kill all the monsters. That guy could take the dropped blueprints and special items, while he would take the monsters' flesh.
But...
Even though that guy was incredibly strong, he was still only in a Tier 4 train. Could he really handle so many monsters in this valley?
In just that brief glance, he had seen at least four Tier 6 bosses kneeling in the center, surrounded by over a dozen Tier 5 boss monsters. The rest were all high-grade Elite Monsters, with only a few scattered low-level monsters on the outermost perimeter.
This was just a small portion of the monsters. If all the monsters from the Kunlun Mountain Region were here, this tiny valley wouldn't be able to contain them.
Time passed quickly.
Three days flew by in the blink of an eye.
Night had fallen.
It was already the third day since the Stellaris had arrived at this mountain peak. In these three days, the train residents had produced a staggering 510,000 units of iron ore.
They had already completely mined out one and a half of the five Tier 2 Iron Ore mines.
The results were quite impressive.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the train radio messages. There had been no changes in the Kunlun Mountain Region over the past few days. The monsters had completely vanished, and most of the flesh trains had crossed Kunlun Mountain into another Green Zone.
After all, the Sha River Plains offered a significantly higher safety factor compared to other zones, with very few wandering monsters.
Fortunately, he was in a mechanical train.
This didn't affect him.
Monsters might hide after being consumed, but mines couldn't hide for any reason. That wouldn't make sense. Mines didn't have legs to run away.
He looked at the resource count on the train panel. They currently had exactly 700,000 units of iron ore.
It was a bit short. At this rate, they would likely exhaust the mines within another ten days.
Just then—
"Brother!"
Erdan, the train conductor of the Azure Dragon Train, sent a private message: "I've upgraded to a Tier 6 train! Hahahaha! You better get moving, too. It's been so long, and you're still stuck at Tier 4."
"..."
"Long? It's been barely a month since I first set foot in the Sha River Plains, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, you're right. But you've got S-rank potential, after all. Keep it up, Brother. I'll be waiting for you on a Tier 6 train. Build up your foundation, and once you reach Tier 6, we can check out the Yellow Zone together and see what's up."
Chen Mang didn't reply. Instead, he glanced at the "Radar Jammer" accessory displayed on the train control panel screen.
It was yellow-grade.
He had only crafted it, never upgraded it. After consuming 90,000 units of iron ore, he upgraded the accessory to Tier 10 in one go.
Once it reached Tier 10, any target acquisition radar at Tier 10 or below would be unable to detect his train. Although the upgrade cost slightly more than other yellow-grade accessories, the cost-effectiveness was still high.
Of course, this only applied to the train itself. If all train crew members remained inside the train, it would effectively become invisible to enemy radars. However, if the crew left the train, their figures would still be detectable.
At the same time, he obtained two overpowered effects.
Radar Jammer Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: None.
Radar Jammer Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: None.
Both overpowered effects were listed as "None," but this accessory didn't really need any. Its upgraded effects alone were already powerful enough. The train that had ambushed him outside the swamp had evaded his Tier 10 Radar detection through some unknown means.
He had examined the armor of that train. It was coated with the exact same spray paint used on the goblin train's armor back then.
Seven more days passed.
All five Tier 2 Iron Ore mines on the mountain peak had been fully depleted. The train panel now showed a total of 1.75 million units of Iron Ore.
This much Iron Ore was enough to accomplish a lot.
First, he spent 95,000 units of Iron Ore to upgrade Breeding Car 15 to Tier 6.
Then, he turned his attention to the cost of upgrading the armor to Tier 7.
Upgrading the armor on a single carriage from Tier 5 to Tier 6 required 100,000 units of Iron Ore, and from Tier 6 to Tier 7, it would cost 200,000 units. With the locomotive and 15 carriages needing armor upgrades, fully upgrading all of them to Tier 7 Armor would require a staggering 3.2 million units of Iron Ore.
In the Green Zone, Tier 6 Armor was sufficient. Tier 7 Armor wasn't necessary for now.
After a moment's thought, Chen Mang took out 405,000 units of iron ore and upgraded the remaining nine Combat Training Virtual Spaces in the Guard Car to Tier 10. This brought the total number of Tier 10 Combat Training Virtual Spaces on the Stellaris to ten, including the one in his locomotive.
This would allow the guards' training in the virtual space to enhance their physical fitness in reality, further boosting their individual combat capabilities.
Next, he spent another 600,000 units of iron ore to have all thirty guards on the Stellaris move to Carriage No. 2, where custom-made Individual Exoskeleton Armor would be crafted for each of them, further enhancing their individual combat capabilities.
This million units of iron ore were almost entirely dedicated to improving individual combat effectiveness.
That left him with 740,000 units of iron ore.
As Chen Mang gazed at the train accessory information on the control panel screen, contemplating which accessory to upgrade next, a sharp, urgent voice filled with fear and tears suddenly crackled through the train radio's walkie-talkie.
"..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly. Only those he had replied to in private chat could directly address him so abruptly over the walkie-talkie. But he didn't remember ever replying to such an impolite person.
This could easily frighten someone.
But after listening, he was slightly stunned.
"Brother... I... I can't escape... I'm going to die..."
"I've sent you coordinates. Many monsters from the Kunlun Mountain Region are hiding there. If you're able, kill them. They drop a lot of good stuff, and it'll be like revenge for me."
The voice was extremely harsh and shrill, yet it conveyed deep fear and despair.
It was also mixed with sounds like flesh being chewed—the sound of bones breaking.
"AH!!"
A piercing scream of agony suddenly erupted from the walkie-talkie, quickly fading as the speaker's breath rapidly dissipated.
"Brother..."
"A few days ago, I saw them... They chased down my train... dragged me and my train back to that valley... pulled me out of the train, but didn't kill me. I just found a chance to rush back onto the train..."
"I didn't have time to run. I can only send you the coordinates."
"It hurts so much... it really hurts."
"They're not killing me outright. They're slowly devouring my flesh."
"If I'd known the Green Zone was this dangerous, I would have stayed in the Iron Ridge Wasteland forever."
"Brother, are you listening?"
"..."
Chen Mang frowned, opened the train radio, and stared at the string of coordinates sent by the Purple Cloud No. train. He said in a low voice, "I'm listening. Do you have any last words?" "Maybe you should try smashing your head against something sharp... that might be quicker, less painful."
"I..."
The voice on the train radio, which had started in utter terror and despair, had become almost inaudible, like a mosquito's murmur.
"I... I miss my mother."
"She didn't give birth to me so I could be... slowly devoured by monsters."
"It hurts so much..."
The next moment—
Crack.
A sound like a skull being crushed echoed through the radio. The call was instantly cut off. With the train conductor dead, the train fell into a leaderless state, and all its systems, including the train radio, automatically shut down.
(End of the Chapter)
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