Translator: AnubisTL
As for the head fixed to the seat inside the flesh train, it roared at anyone who entered.
"Run... run fast!"
It was likely another trigger key to activate the storyline, but being part of a mechanical train, it couldn't trigger it.
Unless something unexpected happened.
If the flesh train were to arrive here, it would probably be like the Sky Piercing Tower, requiring the completion of five trials of varying difficulty. And in the Fourth Trial, there would likely be a "Relive the Past" sequence—a cutscene showing how the monsters created the worm creatures and then controlled them to attack the mechanical city.
Chen Mang remained silent for a moment before turning to look at the drill-bored hole behind him. He had wondered why such a difficult-to-access area existed in the Green Zone, thinking it might lead to some grand opportunity.
Turns out he had simply stumbled into the wrong place.
It was like a virgin stubbornly forcing his way in with brute force—and somehow miraculously succeeding.
He scanned the cavern again. Sure enough, he spotted the words "Fourth Trial" on the wall, along with eight long, pitch-black tunnels disappearing into the depths. Not only had he blundered into this fortuitous encounter map, but he had also jumped straight to the Fourth Trial.
Looks like there were no opportunities left to claim.
Judging by the current situation, whether the Flesh Train was originally a monster faction or the worm monster was created using it, one thing was clear: this place had nothing to do with him.
Moreover, this fortuitous encounter map probably wasn't meant to be activated yet; he had forcibly intruded.
He glanced at the Mantis-like Monsters busily working nearby, then turned and retraced his steps through the hole he had blasted open earlier. But while making the hole had been easy, sealing it would be impossible. Oh well.
Besides, the mechanism above the Fourth Trial had already malfunctioned.
Half of this fortuitous encounter map was ruined; he suspected it would be riddled with bugs later on.
How could a fortuitous encounter map be so fragile? It crumbled at the slightest touch.
An hour later, the Stellaris had left the Kunlun Mountain Region and was speeding across the Sha River Plains. He had a pretty good idea why the monsters in the Kunlun Mountain Region had disappeared and why the Purple Cloud Train had been attacked.
The anguished screams of the head inside the Flesh Train proved at least one thing: it hadn't willingly transformed into a worm monster.
In other words, the Flesh Train and the mechanical trains weren't necessarily enemies.
It was highly likely that long ago, during the apocalypse, a new path was forged to combat the monsters: fighting magic with magic. This led to the creation of the flesh trains, though it was clear there were some complications during their development.
The monsters quickly realized the immense utility of the flesh trains. They absorbed the technology and plundered the trains to manufacture their own "worm" war machines.
As for why all the monsters were clustered in that valley...
If he had to guess, there were probably multiple valleys in the Kunlun Mountain Region that served as entrances to the fortuitous encounter map. The monsters were massing there to prevent other flesh trains from entering.
"Hmm," Chen Mang murmured, dismissing these thoughts from his mind. He had more information to speculate with, but ultimately, his knowledge was still too limited. There was no point in dwelling on it; he'd rather find a safe place to examine his loot.
He glanced at the refrigerator beside him, overflowing with dropped items, and chuckled softly.
This haul was quite impressive.
Before leaving the Kunlun Mountain Region, he spent over half an hour searching for other valleys to launch another missile strike. However, the target acquisition radar couldn't detect the monsters massing inside the valleys. The vastness of the Kunlun Mountain Region made it like a blind man feeling an elephant, so he eventually gave up.
Inside the Stellaris train, the AI piloted the vehicle across the Sha River Plains, scanning for potential Tier 2 iron ore deposits, while Chen Mang began cataloging his recent haul.
First, he had three Vehicle Component Blueprints:
Swarm Platform (blue-grade train component)
Holographic Projection (yellow-grade train component)
Propeller (green-grade train component)
A special item: White Gloves.
Two murphy stones.
And a miscellaneous assortment of rare resources, including things like "Snake Fang."
Finally, the highlight of his collection: the train special effect, Absolute Defense.
"Not bad at all," Chen Mang grinned, surveying his loot with satisfaction. The Swarm Platform was essentially a drone platform, finally granting him drone capabilities. The Holographic Projection was an auxiliary accessory capable of creating immersive holographic animations similar to those seen in "Mechanical City." The Propeller was a specialized wheel designed for underwater travel.
As for the special item, the White Gloves, wearing them would slightly enhance his overall physical fitness. Since he hadn't installed an Iris Chip, he couldn't see the exact numerical values of his physical attributes.
What pleased him most was the train special effect, "Absolute Defense."
This was the second train special effect he possessed.
He immediately upgraded the "Special Effects Control Console" accessory to Tier 10. Instantly, nine triangular slots appeared on the console. Normally, a train could only have a maximum of five special effects, as the console's maximum upgrade tier was Tier 5, granting one additional slot per tier.
But he was clearly not normal.
He could potentially have twenty or even more slots, provided he could acquire that many train special effects.
Train Special Effect: Absolute Defense
Effect: When activated, this special effect combines the tiers of the train's "Steel Car Armor" and "Energy Shield" defensive components to create a higher-tier energy shield. It lasts for ten seconds and has a ten-day cooldown.
He had never prioritized upgrading the "Energy Shield" accessory, mainly because his armor tier was already high enough.
But now...
Upgrading the Energy Shield had become a priority. By upgrading it to Tier 5, he could achieve a combined defense tier of Tier 11, albeit for only ten seconds. Still, that should be enough. If he couldn't shake off a monster in ten seconds, delaying it for ten minutes wouldn't change the outcome.
He glanced at his remaining iron ore reserves.
595,000 units.
After a moment's thought, he spent 125,000 units of iron ore to instantly upgrade the white-grade "Vehicle Blade" accessory to Tier 50.
A Tier 50 drill and a Tier 50 vehicle blade.
Bring it on.
With the train's special ability "Death Spin" activated, he dared to confront even Tier 7 monsters.
This also granted him four overpowered effects.
Drill Tier 20 Overpowered Effect: Harder and faster drilling.
Drill Tier 50 Overpowered Effect: Harder and faster drilling.
He wasn't surprised by the drill's overpowered effects, having anticipated them based on its Tier 5 and Tier 10 effects. It was purely a stat-boosting accessory, offering only numerical enhancements without any new mechanics.
As for how much harder and faster it had become, his forced entry into the "Flesh Train" fortuitous encounter map spoke volumes. He doubted he could easily infiltrate the "Mechanical Train" Sky Piercing Tower Encounter Map.
Oh well.
If the Sky Piercing Tower had opened even a little later, he would have already stormed it. He wondered what would happen if he entered early, but suspected nothing significant would occur.
The vehicle blade's two overpowered effects, however, were entirely different.
Vehicle Blade Tier 20 Overpowered Effect: Width fixed at ten meters, significantly increased sharpness.
Vehicle Blade Tier 50 Overpowered Effect: The blades on both sides can be swung, enabling short-distance gliding and hopping on the ground. In mid-air, rapid swinging allows for increased airspeed.
Hmm.
The vehicle blade's width was now fixed at ten meters, and its sharpness had been enhanced. This wasn't quite what Chen Mang had imagined; he had expected the width to continue increasing with each upgrade.
But the Tier 50 overpowered effect...
That made sense.
With ten-meter-wide blades, using them as wings shouldn't be a problem. Plus, the airspeed boost was substantial—a full 100 km/h increase.
If that's the case...
Chen Mang glanced at the three-dimensional holographic projection of the train on the control panel screen. It seemed he could finally craft the "Bunny Cloud" wheels. He figured the speed should be sufficient.
Without hesitation, he spent 90,000 units of iron ore, upgrading both the yellow-grade "Super Energy Tailjet" and the "Bunny Cloud" accessories to Tier 10 in one go.
To successfully launch the "Bunny Cloud" into the air, the train's maximum speed had to reach 650 km/h while equipped with these components—the minimum speed required for takeoff.
The base speed of a Tier 4 train is 160 km/h.
A Tier 10 green-grade accessory, the "Nitrous Tailpipe," adds 120 km/h.
A Tier 10 yellow-grade accessory, the "Super Energy Tailjet," adds 240 km/h.
A Tier 10 yellow-grade accessory, the "Bunny Cloud," adds 120 km/h.
Combined with the 100 km/h airspeed boost from the Tier 50 "Vehicle Blade," the total speed reached a staggering 740 km/h, fully meeting the requirements for takeoff.
In the next instant, the vehicle blades on both sides of the Stellaris train suddenly extended and began to spin rapidly, like giant wings. Simultaneously, the original "Windfire Wheels" were instantly replaced by "Bunny Clouds," transforming the train's undercarriage into fluffy, cloud-like structures.
Then, as the train tilted its nose upward, the entire vehicle soared freely into the sky, its massive vehicle blades flapping rhythmically like colossal wings.
"Finally, true flight!" Chen Mang murmured from the locomotive cabin, gazing out the window at the shrinking landscape below. Leaning back in his seat with a sigh of relief, he thought, This wasn't easy. This is real flight, not just a rocket-like vertical ascent.
His flight altitude had soared to an impressive 5,500 meters.
The maximum altitude for a Tier 1 Bunny Cloud was a mere 1,000 meters. Erdan had upgraded his Bunny Cloud to Tier 5, reaching 3,000 meters, but now, at Tier 10, his flight ceiling had skyrocketed to 5,500 meters.
He glanced at the energy consumption.
It was indeed substantial—far greater than the Windfire Wheel. Continuous flight for 24 hours would deplete 10% of a Tier 3 energy stone, equivalent to consuming 5,000 units of iron ore.
Quite expensive, he thought.
But compared to the ability to fly, the cost seemed negligible. After all, he didn't need to fly every day.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but admire Erdan.
Erdan had to upgrade so many accessories to Tier 10 just to meet the Bunny Cloud's takeoff requirements. Unlike him, Erdan didn't have the Infinite Upgrade ability. That meant the guy must have sacrificed numerous train acceleration accessories to achieve flight.
After all this time, aside from the Azure Dragon Train, he hadn't seen any other train capable of flight.
Moreover, after upgrading both the Super Energy Tailjet and the Bunny Cloud to Tier 10, he had unlocked their respective overpowered effects.
Super Energy Tailjet
[ Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: ] Halves energy consumption.
[ Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: ] Merges into one, granting a massive speed boost!
Bunny Cloud
[ Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: ] Halves energy consumption.
[ Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: ] During thunderstorms, the cloud transforms into a dark thundercloud, granting a massive speed boost!
"Not bad," Chen Mang thought.
He glanced at the four overpowered effects, stretched lazily, and, quite satisfied, stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed.
He was tired.
He could leave the rest to Xiao Ai. She would alert him when she detected Tier 2 iron ore.
The train would continue speeding across the wasteland automatically.
He was quite pleased with this haul, mainly because the monsters had all clustered in the valley. Combined with the Tier 5 overpowered effect he had gained when the Groundburst Missile reached Tier 6, it had been a clean sweep.
He hoped more opportunities like this would come his way in the future.
Groundburst Missile Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Enhanced explosive power.
Like the drill, this upgrade only boosted numerical values without altering the underlying mechanics.
Chen Mang owed a debt to Purple Cloud No. Although they'd once been at odds, the man had promptly apologized, especially in his final moments, bestowing this fortuitous opportunity upon him.
He was a good man.
If Purple Cloud No. hadn't contacted him, Chen Mang would never have stumbled upon this windfall.
In return, he resolved to light an incense stick for him tomorrow.
And Master Kun—he was another good man.
Soon enough, dawn broke.
After Chen Mang finished washing up and stood by the window, the train residents were already hard at work at the Tier 2 Iron Ore mine outside. This wasn't an open-pit mine, but a subterranean mine with an entrance on the surface, leading to a vast mining chamber dozens of meters underground.
Its structure resembled the first iron ore mine he'd encountered in the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
The train had discovered the mine early that morning, and Xiao Ai had immediately broadcast the news to all the residents. By the time Chen Mang woke up, everyone was already at work.
He'd instructed Xiao Ai the night before: if a new mine was discovered and the surrounding area appeared safe, there was no need to wake him; she could simply get everyone started right away.
Another new day had begun.
After finishing his meat sandwich breakfast brought by Xiao Fang, Chen Mang settled back at the control panel, gazing at the train's three-dimensional holographic projection on the screen.
The Tier 10 Overpowered Effect of the Steamed Bun Production Line allowed for the production of steamed buns filled with either minced meat or spicy sauce.
They could be called baozi or rou jia mo.
But Chen Mang preferred to call them meat sandwiches.
(End of the Chapter)
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