Translator: AnubisTL
"No need."
Biaozi took a deep breath, then turned to the two burly men with a serious expression. "Are you full?"
"Uh... mostly."
"Are you really full?"
"About six or seven tenths."
"Wildcat," Biaozi said, turning his head to Wildcat. "Go heat up some more steamed buns. Today, these two brothers eat until they're stuffed. It's all on me."
Guard Car No. 7.
Everyone gathered around the two burly men, who were surrounded in the center. The steamed buns, which were already quite large, looked small in their hands. They devoured them one after another, clearly enjoying themselves immensely.
"31!"
"32!"
Every time Zhang Yi or Zhang Er ate a bun, the crowd would count aloud in unison.
Finally, when they reached 36, Zhang Yi patted his round belly and said to the crowd with a slightly embarrassed expression, "Thank you all. You're all so kind. I haven't eaten this full in ages."
"Same here," Zhang Er said, grinning contentedly.
"..."
Biaozi looked at the two men with a complex expression, counting on his fingers. "Including the 90 buns from the previous plate, you two ate a total of 126 buns. That means your daily consumption alone requires 126 units of iron ore."
"There are so many people on this train..."
"The two of you are eating almost one-twentieth of the train's daily food consumption!"
"Are you even human?"
"That Tier 4 Train can't possibly afford to feed you two!"
"We were never full at his place," Zhang Yi said, a little embarrassed. "This is the first time we've eaten our fill. We ate so much this time because we were starving for so long. Normally, we don't need this much. Thirty steamed buns a day is enough."
"Or we could eat bread slices. We used to eat bread slices, and we know it's much cheaper than steamed buns."
"We can scavenge for supplies! We won't be useless. We're both really strong. We can carry anything you need us to!"
"Mm-hm."
Zhang Er nodded vigorously. "I can show you right now if you don't believe me."
"No need for that," Biaozi waved his hand, his expression complex as he looked at the two men. President Ai had already sent him their comprehensive physical fitness data. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so envious. He had to get one of them, at least one!
Born melee mecha pilots!
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Mang finished washing up and sat at the control panel, reviewing the Train Log. Nothing had happened the previous night. Thanks to the Zombie Perception Blocker, not a single zombie had approached the Stellaris.
The Azure Dragon Train remained parked quietly nearby.
Ready to depart.
First, we'll go mining.
The Stellaris slowly started moving, beginning its exploration of the zone, with the Azure Dragon quickly following behind.
The zone's overall structure was a basin.
The surrounding terrain was higher, while the center formed a lower-lying plain. However, due to the zone's vastness, the slope was barely noticeable while traveling.
Only ten minutes later, they encountered a dense resource mine.
There was one Tier 3 and three Tier 2 Iron ore deposits.
It truly lived up to its reputation as the Yellow Zone—they'd just entered and already found a Tier 3 Iron Mine. There was nothing left to say. All the mines were surface deposits. Both trains slowly pulled up nearby, and the slaves aboard jumped down to begin their day's work.
The only difference was this:
The residents of the Stellaris charged down with pickaxes in hand, their faces alight with excitement.
Meanwhile, the slaves of the Azure Dragon were driven down by the thugs' whips and prodding.
"Brother Mang," Erdan said from a higher vantage point on the plain, looking at the slaves already hard at work in the mine. He turned his head slightly, a little embarrassed, to Chen Mang standing beside him. "Um... can I tag along with you? The Yellow Zone is a bit too dangerous for me to handle alone."
"You take the Tier 3 Iron Mine. I'll mine the Tier 2 Iron Ore."
"Alright."
Chen Mang smiled but said nothing more. He then turned to Biaozi, who had jogged over, listened quietly, and after a moment's pause, said softly, "Both of them will join your first team."
"This..."
Biaozi was slightly stunned, clearly not expecting this outcome. He had thought the best he could hope for was one new recruit, not two. His face lit up with excitement, and he grinned broadly. "Yes, Lord Mang!"
Chen Mang watched Biaozi's retreating figure with a smile. He had his own considerations. Biaozi had been with him the longest and was the most loyal and capable guard. With the rise of Zhang Damei and the Third Squad Captain, Biaozi's influence within the guard had waned somewhat.
It was time to strengthen Biaozi's position.
Moreover, the first team had just lost a member. Since he found the first team the most convenient to manage, assigning both recruits to them was the best solution.
He would have two mechas built later and sent to the first team.
"Mechas are amazing," Erdan, standing nearby, said enviously. "I still don't have a single Mecha Blueprint. I don't even know where to get one. Even if I did, it wouldn't matter—I don't have any Red Heart Rock either."
"I haven't seen any resource mines like that in the Sha River Plains," Chen Mang replied.
"Hopefully, there's some in the Zombie Basin," Erdan said.
"This is Lord Mang's order," Chen Mang reminded him.
When good fortune strikes, spirits soar. Biaozi grinned and tossed two suitcases in front of Zhang Yi and Zhang Er. "From now on, you're members of our first team. Go down and familiarize yourselves with piloting the mechs."
"Cough."
"If you don't understand anything, you can always ask your sister for help."
Then he turned to the remaining members of the first team. "Everyone else, come with me to the Combat Training Space. Let's aim to clear all the normal missions in 'Resident Evil' today. Wildcat, you focus on the Mental Power Training map designed by Li Shiji."
"Now, let's move out!"
Since Lord Mang had spoken, neither Zhang Damei nor the Third Squad Captain dared to object. They could only cast envious glances at the two mechs. Who wouldn't want their team to become stronger?
Inside the Combat Training Virtual Space.
Biaozi took a deep breath, gazing at the four large characters of "Resident Evil" before him. His arms trembled slightly. He had already completed all three normal missions in this map, boosting his comprehensive physical fitness by 0.6.
His comprehensive physical fitness now stood at 12.8.
He was only 0.7 points away from the minimum requirement of 13.5 to pilot the "Executioner" mech.
As long as he could clear the Extreme Mission in Resident Evil, he'd be set.
The Extreme Mission would be far more challenging.
And it would be lethal. He'd only have one life.
But...
"Confirm selection of Extreme Mission."
A new holographic screen immediately materialized before him.
[Choosing the Extreme Mission means that death within the map will result in brain death in the real world.
Under the Extreme Mission, zombies will be faster and stronger, but otherwise, the map will be identical to a normal mission map.]
[Please confirm your choice.]
"Confirm!"
In the next instant—
The light screen shattered into countless glowing motes, and the surrounding white space transformed back into the familiar elevator. The elevator was rapidly ascending, a place he had visited countless times before.
Picking up a steel pipe from the elevator, Biaozi stood still, silently counting down in his mind.
Then—
BANG!
A deafening crash echoed through the elevator as it abruptly stopped between the Seventh and Eighth Floors. Without hesitation, Biaozi kicked at the elevator door, wedging the steel pipe into the gap to pry it open. With a roll, he successfully entered the Seventh Floor.
Moving quickly and expertly through the company offices on the Seventh Floor, he located a fireaxe. With a kick, he burst open the fire escape door, roared, and plunged into battle with the horde of zombies.
His adrenaline surged through his veins.
He had experienced this countless times before.
But this time, the adrenaline rush was the most intense he had ever felt. If previous encounters had been mere drills, with the chance to start over after failure, this was the real deal. Death here meant true death, and not even the Jade Emperor himself could save him!
Ten minutes later.
Standing in the fire escape, Biaozi scanned his surroundings. Not a single zombie remained breathing. A wide grin spread across his face as he plunged his blood-soaked right hand into his hair, slicking back his hair into a pompadour. After spitting out a thick wad of phlegm mixed with blood, he strode down the fire escape.
His goal was the rooftop, but there were weapons on the lower floors that could help him reach even higher.
Unlike Zhang Damei and her siblings, or even Li Shiji and the Third Squad Captain, who seemed born with innate strength, Biaozi had nothing. He used to be a contractor for a guerrilla group, just scraping by.
He was as ordinary as they come.
The only way for him to become stronger was to work harder than anyone else!
Where others dared not go, Biaozi would go. What others dared not do, Biaozi would do.
"..."
Inside the Stellaris locomotive cabin, Chen Mang frowned, leaning back in his chair. He watched Biaozi, who was now staggering, on the screen, remaining silent for a long time. His gaze never left Biaozi.
"Train Conductor," Xiao Ai's mechanical voice cut through the silence. "If you were so worried about Biaozi dying in the map, why didn't you stop him before he made his choice?"
Xiao Ai, standing nearby, spoke in a mechanical and icy voice: "If you were so worried about Biaozi dying in the map, why didn't you stop him from making that choice in the first place?"
Chen Mang remained silent for a long time before finally whispering, "Everyone has the right to choose their own death."
"I couldn't have stopped him."
On the screen, Biaozi had reached the 17th floor. He looked completely exhausted, with a long way still to go to the 31st-floor rooftop. It was impossible for him to make it. Even if they forcibly pulled him out of the Combat Training Virtual Space now, it would result in brain death.
If Biaozi dies, who should take his place?
Chen Mang silently considered the succession plan, but he couldn't bring himself to settle on a specific candidate. He was waiting, hoping for a miracle. He still wanted Biaozi to remain the First Team Captain.
Biaozi was his most trusted confidant. The others just didn't feel right.
Just then—
Biaozi on the screen suddenly fumbled for an injection from his pocket and plunged it into his arm. Immediately, he seemed to regain all his strength, charging back into the horde of zombies and unleashing a furious slaughter.
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow, both happy that Biaozi had found a way out of his predicament and curious about where the injection had come from. He remembered Biaozi using it on the 12th floor, hadn't he?
"Biaozi didn't actually use it on the 12th floor. He just pretended to inject himself."
"He was lying to me? Did he know I was watching him?"
"No. He was lying to his own brain, making it believe he'd injected himself when he hadn't." Xiao Ai said, slightly astonished. "At the time, I thought he was reluctant to use it. Now it seems he actually pulled it off."
"Humans are amazing. They can even deceive their own brains." "AI can't do that."
"...Is that even possible?"
Chen Mang closed his eyes with a strange expression and poked his arm with his finger, trying to trick his brain into thinking he'd given himself an injection. But perhaps because his brain was too clever, the deception failed.
"That won't work," Xiao Ai said, shaking her head. "I think I understand the logic. It requires an incredibly strong sense of conviction and the ability to instantly shift your perspective to a third-person view. You shouldn't focus on the injection itself. Instead, use the pain to trick your brain into believing the injection has been administered. Hmm... something like that, anyway."
With the aid of the injection, Biaozi quickly regained his vitality.
Half an hour later.
Biaozi, his eyes bloodshot and face contorted in a savage snarl, only realized he had cleared the stage when the surrounding scenery gradually transformed into the familiar white space.
A white light curtain stood before him.
"Congratulations on becoming the first member of the Stellaris train to clear the Resident Evil map on Extreme Difficulty."
"Pioneers are always worthy of commendation."
"You have received an additional 1.0 increase to your comprehensive physical fitness."
When Biaozi saw the light screen before him, he froze for a moment. Then, his body finally gave way, and he collapsed to his knees, completely drained of strength. Yet, his expression was one of unrestrained excitement and exhilaration as he burst into laughter!
It had to be him!
Big Biaozi!
Clearing the Extreme Mission had already granted him a 0.5 increase to his comprehensive physical fitness. Now, with an additional 1.0, his comprehensive physical fitness had soared to—
14.3!
This value exceeded the prerequisite for perfectly piloting the Executor mecha!
"That Zhang Damei is nothing! I'll take her down!"
Perhaps because he had successfully completed the Extreme Mission, Biaozi now exuded a confidence far more intense than before—the kind born from surviving a seemingly certain death.
Though his talent was inferior to Zhang Damei's, he was rapidly closing the gap!
After sitting on the ground for a brief moment to recover, he dove back in.
He wanted to seize the momentum and use his remaining two Extreme Mission attempts immediately, then seek Lord Mang's approval for a mecha.
Add Zhang Yi and Zhang Er to the equation.
Guard Team One would soon have three mechas!
As the saying goes, good things often come in pairs.
Meanwhile, in the Combat Training Virtual Space, the Third Squad Captain's mental power had also reached 14.0—the threshold for piloting the "Leech" mecha.
The overall strength of the Stellaris was visibly and rapidly increasing.
Like strands of DNA, all train crew members intertwined, gradually coalescing into a single rope that swiftly ascended.
(End of the Chapter)
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