Translator: AnubisTL
"..."
With the Mechanical Eye, Chen Mang could clearly observe the scene outside the train. It wasn't a three-dimensional map or a radar display, but a clear, direct view like a television screen.
Chen Mang glanced at the green dragon quietly perched atop the train's locomotive, a strange expression slowly forming on his face.
This guy can't swim?
You live in the underwater labyrinth, and you can't swim? No wonder you can't go home.
So, when the green dragon kept turning back at the Azure dragon Train, it wasn't actually taunting them. It was genuinely trying to lead the train home, but Erdan had clearly misinterpreted it as a challenge.
Flying along and glancing back every few seconds—isn't that just blatant contempt?
"But..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly, still puzzled. According to Erdan, green dragons were creatures that wandered between zones. In all his time in the Kunlun Mountain Region, Erdan was the only one who had ever seen a green dragon; they had never come to Kunlun Mountain before.
But if the green dragon's home was in the underwater labyrinth, it should have been staying in this area all along.
Wait a minute!
Chen Mang's lips twitched slightly. He had probably figured out the situation. The system panel indicated that the monster had long since died, with only its fragmented soul animating its decayed flesh, allowing it to revive repeatedly.
So, as expected, each time the green dragon died, it would try to fly toward its home.
But its revival location was never fixed.
It kept reappearing in random, desolate places. This planet was far larger than the one in its previous world, making it highly likely that even a year after the apocalypse began, it had never even reached the Sha River Plains.
The distance was simply too great.
And it was too easy to be killed along the way.
Finally—
After enduring eighty-one trials and tribulations, overcoming countless obstacles, and more than a year after the apocalypse began, it finally reached the Kunlun Mountain Region, ready to embark on its long-awaited journey home. But then, the Azure dragon Train, having somehow learned of its arrival, ambushed it with a ferocious attack, sending it back to the afterlife once more!
It revived again in some forgotten corner.
This time, perhaps it was luckier. The revival location wasn't too far from the Kunlun Mountain Region. It didn't take long to reach the area, and then, by sheer coincidence, it encountered Chen Mang, finally setting it on the path to success.
If it had been anyone else...
This poor green dragon had likely embarked on another journey to find a home.
At the bottom of the lake...
The light was dim, but the train's powerful locomotive provided a strong beam. Xiao Ai steered the Stellaris toward the coordinates Erdan had provided. The green dragon had shown no signs of life since entering the water.
Clearly, without Erdan's coordinates, he would have spent a long time searching the lakebed before finding the "Underwater Labyrinth" fortuitous encounter map.
Chen Mang sat in his chair, quickly jotting down a brief summary of what had just happened.
This was another incident worthy of inclusion in the textbooks.
Under his keen insight, he had once again led the Stellaris to victory.
After about fifteen minutes, the Stellaris finally reached the lakebed. Directly ahead, a magnificent golden palace stood in the center of the lake, radiating an aura of profound antiquity and historical decay.
A straight road led from the palace entrance.
At the end of the road stood a massive circular archway, easily wide enough for a train twice the size of the Stellaris to pass through. Markings on the ground guided the way, and above the palace entrance floated several white glowing characters:
"Underwater Labyrinth"
It looked somewhat like a zone boundary, only not as large.
"So this is the Underwater Labyrinth?"
Chen Mang examined his surroundings with considerable curiosity, maneuvering the train to slowly land on the road and drive straight into the palace. As the train approached the archway, it automatically opened, just like Ji Chuchu had forced it open the night before.
Upon entering the palace, a vast plaza came into view. The ceiling soared to an astonishing height of over ten meters.
From the outside, the palace appeared large, but its ceiling couldn't possibly be that high. Clearly, some form of spatial folding technology was at play here, similar to a "space gate."
Moreover, there wasn't a single drop of water inside the palace.
The air was remarkably dry, yet still rich in oxygen.
Then—
A line of text appeared on the train control panel screen:
"Please disembark and select your maze difficulty."
Chen Mang opened a drawer, retrieved the long-unused special item, the "Salted Fish Hairpin," and placed it on his head. He then donned the "Individual Exoskeleton Armor" beneath his clothes, and finally, clutching his cane and the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle loaded with Tier 6 bullets, he jumped out of the train.
Strange.
This was the first fortuitous encounter map he'd encountered that required the train conductor to disembark.
Without bringing extra gear, he felt completely insecure.
A Tier 5 boss monster was still perched on the locomotive's roof. Though it currently appeared docile and harmless, who knew what might happen later? If it suddenly attacked, he'd be finished.
He even brought the Salted Fish Hairpin, a special item he'd always considered embarrassing. It allowed him to breathe underwater for ten minutes, with a 24-hour cooldown. While the palace had oxygen, it was still at the bottom of a lake. In case of an emergency, it might come in handy.
Whew...
The palace was enormous. Even his Stellaris train looked insignificant inside, and he felt even more insignificant.
Standing beside the train, Chen Mang glanced up at the green dragon on the roof, his finger resting on the rifle trigger, ready to react instantly.
He was also wearing white gloves.
Another special item, they temporarily enhanced his physical attributes. He even donned the badge he'd always thought was useless.
The next moment—
Five massive light screens suddenly materialized in the palace's center, with an even larger screen hovering above them.
"Welcome, Train Conductor of the Stellaris! The underwater labyrinth is located in the Green Zone's Sha River Plains."
"For trains operating in the Green Zone, the underwater labyrinth isn't easily accessible. Yet, countless train conductors still find their way here through various means."
"Human civilization is like a centipede—though crushed, it refuses to die."
"Perhaps one day, the planet you call home will face destruction."
"But I believe that the shattered remnants of human civilization will transform into a constellation of stars, searching the depths of the cosmos for a suitable new home."
"Please select your maze difficulty. Once chosen, it cannot be changed."
"..."
Chen Mang stared blankly at the panel. Can't it even speak properly? What does 'dead but not yet decayed' even mean?
But he wasn't concerned about that for now. Instead, he turned his attention to the five difficulty levels of the maze.
S-Rank Difficulty Maze: Your consciousness will be transferred into a robot's body and appear on a random train. The train conductor will meticulously set up a static maze for you. If you reach the finish within half an hour, you pass.
Note: Accessories and armed personnel on this train cannot harm you, and you cannot attack any accessories or personnel on the armed train. The Train Auxiliary AI on your train will possess the robot, granting you superhuman thinking abilities. The robot will also have the running speed of an adult male, and the train's carriages are limited to a maximum of 18.
Reward: 30 Murphy Stones
A-Rank Difficulty Maze: You will now fall into a deep sleep and enter a 99-layer Dream Realm. If you awaken within 24 hours, you will successfully clear the maze.
B-Grade Difficulty Maze.
C-Rank Maze.
D-Rank Difficulty Maze.
Chen Mang's attention was primarily focused on the S-Rank Difficulty Maze. This S-Rank maze hadn't disappeared—it was the same mission Erdan had chosen on his previous attempt, which had ended in failure.
"Too bad," he murmured, shaking his head regretfully. If he had been the first to enter, he could have used his experience from the Goblin Ruins. As the first to enter, completing a mission wouldn't cause it to disappear. He could have attempted it again before it vanished.
That would have effectively allowed him to complete the mission twice.
No, perhaps there were other restrictions preventing him from completing it twice. Otherwise, during the Goblin Ruins incident, one of the missions should have remained available even after completion. After all, the master who possessed the Goblin Ruins key could have simply reattempted the missions he had already cleared.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately chose the S-Rank Mission. He only glanced briefly at the remaining four difficulty levels.
Just like Erdan had been that day, he was brimming with confidence.
This mission...
Li Shiji couldn't help him this time. He would have to rely on himself and the AI. He wasn't particularly knowledgeable about mazes, but he knew everything there was to know about trains. He didn't believe anyone could create a maze on a train as intricate as his.
If someone truly was that skilled...
Then I'll admit defeat.
But train space was limited. Without a "space gate," the space was virtually fixed. A Tier 3 train didn't have any space-related accessories, so how complex could a maze possibly be?
Even Li Shiji, without a Tier 10 Refrigerator, would struggle to design a maze.
Even the most skilled chef can't cook without ingredients.
As soon as he made his choice, the five light screens above the palace slowly dispersed and merged into a single screen.
"The Captain of the Stellar Train has successfully selected an S-Rank Difficulty maze."
"No suitable train for descent has been found in the corresponding train search. No trains are currently available for descent."
"A one-time special item, the 'Consciousness Transmitter,' has been issued."
"When a suitable train for descent is found, the Consciousness Transmitter will emit a piercing alarm and flash red. Pressing the button on the Consciousness Transmitter within one hour will transport your consciousness into a robot's body, regardless of your location, officially initiating the S-Rank Difficulty maze."
The light curtain slowly shattered, forming a walkie-talkie made of lines in mid-air.
As the lines solidified, the walkie-talkie materialized out of thin air.
It landed in Chen Mang's hand.
"Thirty murphy stones. Not bad."
Chen Mang chuckled, weighing the walkie-talkie in his hand. Now his mission in the Sha River Plains was complete, leaving no regrets. All he had to do was wait for someone to take the bait. When someone chose the S-Class Mechanical Train job advancement quest, he would appear on their train just like Erdan had.
Success would earn him thirty murphy stones—a fortune.
Even killing the Tier 7 Mechanical Zombie King had only dropped ten murphy stones. This S-Rank Mission was essentially a free thirty murphy stones for any train conductor who could reach this point.
The opportunity was immense.
While the underwater labyrinth might be unique to this zone, similar fortuitous encounter maps likely existed in other zones as well.
Now, it was time to wait.
There was no rush for this.
He tossed the walkie-talkie into the locomotive cabin and turned to the green dragon perched on the locomotive. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the dragon's flesh rapidly decaying.
No blood flowed.
The rapidly decaying flesh turned to dust and scattered into the air.
Then, the green dragon staggered to its feet on the locomotive and collapsed heavily in the center of the palace. In less than half a minute, the entire dragon had turned to dust and vanished into the air.
At the same time—
The plaza began to tremble slowly. Then, the center of the plaza suddenly sank, revealing a dark hole. Stone steps led down into the darkness.
Dim oil lamps hung on either side of the walls.
The opening wasn't large enough for armor or trains to pass through—only humans could enter.
This hole likely led to the substantial reward from the "Apocalypse Fortuitous Encounter: Hell Green dragon" quest—the reward for sending the green dragon home.
"..."
Chen Mang strode back to the train and turned to Xiao Ai. "Send the first team down to investigate."
Then, he turned his gaze back to the line of text on the control panel. His eyes narrowed slightly as his thoughts raced.
[Because before dying, the Hell Green dragon swallowed the Accessory Blueprint for the Deep Sea Shield, the only way to obtain the shield is now to kill it.]
Accessory Blueprint?
This sentence was packed with information, sparking numerous possibilities.
Before dying... If the timeline was as expected, the dragon must have died before the apocalypse struck this planet. It was likely an alien creature, like Doba, from another world that had also perished in an apocalypse, its civilization wiped out.
But why would this green dragon swallow the Deep Sea Shield accessory blueprint before dying?
He quickly shook his head.
Pushing these thoughts aside, he decided to ponder the origins of the apocalypse later. For now, he was more concerned with what rewards he could claim.
Biaozi wore the Mechanical Eye on his chest. Within the Radar's range, everything he saw was transmitted directly to the control panel screen.
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, gazing at the image on the screen. It resembled a first-person tomb exploration game. The long corridor was empty except for stone steps.
Even the oil lamp wasn't real.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was an electric light bulb shaped like an oil lamp. It was cleverly designed to mimic the flickering light of an oil lamp, swaying slightly.
"Lord Mang," Biaozi's voice came from the locomotive cabin. "I... I think I saw a dragon."
Chen Mang remained silent, for he had seen it too. Below the stone steps lay a vast plaza, dominated by the colossal skeleton of a dragon.
This place...
It looked strangely similar to the Goblin's Tomb!
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c226. [+6/+14.3k]
🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [700+] Chapters and [1.42M+] Words.
[MASS RELEASE: +46 | 01AUG25] ✍REQUESTING REVIEWS🙏