Translator: AnubisTL
"Impressive."
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang let out a long sigh of relief after seeing Biaozi complete the challenge. The sight had left him drenched in sweat. He planned to try it himself later, but for now, the most important thing was...
He glanced at the train panel, checking the balance of Red Heart Rock.
98,000 units.
The crafting cost for the Yellow-Grade Mech "Leech" was 28,000 units of Red Heart Rock.
The crafting cost for the Green-Grade Mech "Executioner" was 18,000 units of Red Heart Rock.
He would give Li Shiji's Leech Mech to the Third Squad Captain, as Li Shiji didn't need it. He would also need to craft another Executioner Mech for Biaozi, costing another 18,000 units of Red Heart Rock.
That would leave only 80,000 units of Red Heart Rock in the train.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice. Before, Red Heart Rock had no practical use. Now that it did, they didn't have nearly enough. But...
He quickly smiled again.
The train's overall strength had improved significantly. With these three mechs, their casualty rate and mission success rate on future Field Missions would be effectively reduced and enhanced.
The sun hung in the middle of the sky, adding a touch of warmth to the already wintry air.
"Can I have a bite?"
A slave from the Azure Dragon Train stared longingly at the bread in the hands of a Stellaris slave beside him, his eyes filled with desire and greed. "What kind of filling does your bread have? Is it good?"
"Not good," the man shook his head firmly. "Sour, stinky, bitter."
"Can I try a bite?"
"No."
This scene played out across the entire mine. It wasn't particularly noticeable during the mining itself, but when everyone gathered for lunch, the contrast became stark.
Looking down at his plain slice of bread, then seeing the Stellaris slaves with their filled loaves, the disparity was instantly magnified.
"But..."
The man glanced furtively around, his heart softening. He quietly handed over his slice of bread and half-finished Cola, whispering, "Hurry up and drink it before anyone sees."
The Azure Dragon Train slave's eyes lit up immediately. He devoured the bread and Cola in a flash, then licked his lips, still unsatisfied.
"This Pineapple Jam is delicious! I'd almost forgotten what pineapples even taste like."
"You Train Slaves really have it good here."
"Hehe."
The man chuckled softly before cautiously whispering, "It seems like your train conductor and Lord Mang get along pretty well. Why not just have your train join ours? Then you'd all get this kind of treatment."
"Our train offers more than just this. We have plenty more to offer."
"That's not up to me to decide."
...
"Leaving already?"
Chen Mang looked at Erdan, who was bidding him farewell, and raised an eyebrow. "There's still so much iron ore left. Aren't you going to dig for a bit longer?"
"I can't dig anymore."
Erdan shook his head with a wry smile. "I completely forgot about this. If we keep digging, there's bound to be a riot. Farewell for now. We'll meet again when fate allows."
"If I find any fortuitous encounter maps, I'll contact you right away."
"Alright. Stay safe on your journey."
Chen Mang didn't say much more, simply watching the Azure Dragon Train soar into the sky and disappear. As long as it could fly, there was little to fear in the Zombie Basin. He then sat in the locomotive cabin and gazed at the control panel.
His train had already reached Tier 6.
After the train upgraded to Tier 6, a "?" button appeared on the control panel. He asked Erdan what it meant, but Erdan couldn't explain, saying that when his train reached Tier 6, a "Team Voice Chat" button had appeared instead. He didn't know what the "?" button meant, but it might be exclusive to S-rank potential mechanical trains.
Team Voice Chat.
Within the target acquisition radar's range, this feature allowed the train conductor's orders to be relayed instantly to the thugs' ears through team voice chat.
It was a pretty useful function.
But he didn't need it.
Cluster Mind + Iris Chip could completely replace Team Voice Chat, and even do it better. Especially the Iris Chip accessory, which, despite being only white-grade, had an impact on the train comparable to a red-grade accessory.
It was an era-defining upgrade.
"..."
Chen Mang turned his gaze away from the "?" button. Since it wasn't yet active, there was no need to worry about it. Instead, he focused on the three accessories that could be crafted after reaching Tier 6: two Yellow-grade and one Blue-grade.
Zaibatsu Energy Shield: Blue-grade accessory, requires 10,000 units of iron ore to craft.
Giant Wave Gatling Production Line: Yellow-grade accessory, requires 1,000 units of iron ore to craft.
Parachute Production Line: Yellow-grade accessory, requires 1,000 units of iron ore to craft.
There are only three accessories: two yellow-grade and one blue-grade.
Yellow-grade accessories can be upgraded to a maximum of Tier 5, while blue-grade accessories can reach Tier 8.
After the train reaches Tier 4, one of the craftable accessories is the "Energy Shield." However, this "Energy Shield" is yellow-grade and can only be upgraded to Tier 5.
The "Doomsday Cannon" is also blue-grade and can be upgraded to Tier 8.
Generally, as trains level up, players must cycle through defensive and offensive accessories. For example, they might switch from "Armor" to "Energy Shield" and then to "Zaibatsu Energy Shield" to gain higher-tier defense. The same applies to offensive accessories.
Of course, you could choose not to craft the "Energy Shield" at Tier 4 and instead save up until Tier 6 to craft the "Zaibatsu Energy Shield directly." This would indeed save a significant amount of iron ore.
However, the problem is that the "Steel Car Armor" can only be upgraded to Tier 3. This leaves a long gap between Tier 3 and Tier 6.
Unless one could find vast iron ore deposits and develop in isolation, ignoring everyone else, this approach might be feasible. However, for most, it's impossible. Therefore, they must replace their defensive and offensive accessories as their Tier increases.
But...
The Stellaris doesn't need to.
It only needs to keep upgrading its armor, which costs even less. Upgrading defensive components is already expensive, especially for higher-quality ones.
And the armor effect is even better.
It completely blocks both physical and energy attacks. Combined with the Permanent Shock Absorber, it's virtually impossible for any monster below a particularly high Tier to inflict even a scratch on the train.
Still, he crafted all three accessories. After all, they were essential for upgrading the train to Tier 7.
The Giant Wave Gatling Production Line and Parachute Production Line were actually quite useful.
The former was a personal weapon—a superior replacement for the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle.
As for the latter...
Well...
It was probably designed to ensure the train conductor could safely deploy a parachute and land safely after pressing the Immediate Ejection button and being launched high into the air. Quite ingenious.
He crafted all three accessories.
But only the latter two were upgraded to Tier 10, consuming a total of 90,000 units of iron ore.
Giant Wave Gatling Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Halves consumption.
Giant Wave Gatling Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Halves consumption.
Parachute Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: None.
Parachute Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: None.
"Halves consumption."
Chen Mang, intrigued, immediately walked to Carriage No. 2. He spent 1,000 units of iron ore to craft a Tier 10 Gatling. Like other accessories, upgrading the weapon only increased its firing rate and range; its actual power still depended on the tier of the bullets it fired.
However, the Giant Wave Gatling didn't have a corresponding Bullet Production Line.
There were no bullet belts, drums, or boxes.
Instead, it had a small slot in the stock where energy stones could be inserted. This was the Stellaris's first energy-based personal weapon.
He hefted the Gatling, then inserted a Tier 1 Energy Stone into the slot. On the screen, he selected Tier 1 bullets, then walked to the carriage door, stood on the train, aimed the Gatling at the sky, and pulled the trigger.
The next moment—
"Tutututu!!!"
A deafening, violent roar erupted as hundreds of glowing projectiles shot into the sky in a flash. Thanks to two "Half Consumption" overpowered effects, the energy drain was minimal. Chen Mang pulled the trigger for a full minute, and the Tier 1 Energy Stone only dropped by 2%.
It was practically negligible.
Of course, firing Tier 6 bullets would require Tier 2 or even Tier 3 Energy Stones.
"Not bad."
After satisfying his trigger finger, Chen Mang set the Gatling gun aside with satisfaction. This Gatling was silent in operation, making virtually no noise. The roaring sound he'd just produced was entirely optional.
It was a simulated Gatling gun roar, similar to how electric trains use speakers to mimic the rumble of a gasoline engine.
This weapon was definitely worth equipping. And perhaps because it was an energy weapon, it had virtually no recoil. His comprehensive physical fitness allowed him to handle it with ease, and its weight wasn't excessive, making it perfectly suitable for solo use.
It could essentially replace the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle.
Two consecutive "Half Consumption" effects were the strongest overpowered effect any firepower accessory could have—period. The primary concern with almost all firepower accessories wasn't insufficient firepower, but rather their excessive energy consumption.
The parachute, however, had no overpowered effects.
For the next ten days, the Stellaris remained stationary, diligently mining.
In that time, one Tier 3 Iron Mine and three Tier 2 Iron Ore deposits were nearing complete depletion. The Tier 3 mine wasn't particularly rich in resources.
"...?"
Chen Mang glanced at the train panel. The Stellaris now held 2.51 million units of iron ore.
He first withdrew 460,000 units to build another ten Tier 10 Combat Training Virtual Spaces. These would allow the guards to train and improve their comprehensive physical fitness during their downtime. Ten units were still insufficient, but it was a start.
He saved the remaining iron ore, not using it for the time being.
He planned to use it to upgrade his Tier 8 Armor.
His current Tier 7 Armor wasn't quite sufficient for this zone. He needed at least Tier 8 Armor to feel truly secure.
But...
Tier 8 B-Tier Potential Mechanical Train, Wild Bull: "So you're really that eager to die? If I find you, I'll show you what true torture is, you little bastard. Remember that."
He glanced casually at the private message in the train radio but didn't reply.
The message had been sent three hours ago.
Because he hadn't responded, the sender could no longer send him private messages and was now left to hurl threats, curses, and insults at him over the train radio.
The reason for the feud was simple.
He had pinned a post in the train radio offering cigarettes and other daily necessities for sale. Many trains had traded with him, but the Wild Bull train had reacted with extreme fury. Apparently, the Wild Bull was the only train in this zone with a Cigarette Production Line.
At every gathering, he made a tidy profit.
But his interference, combined with his ability to trade remotely, had effectively stolen the Wild Bull's livelihood. Naturally, the Wild Bull couldn't stand for this and had been relentlessly insulting and threatening him.
He didn't reply or engage, simply continuing to sell his cigarettes.
You're allowed to sell, but no one else is?
If they came looking for trouble, he wasn't particularly intimidated. He was a Tier 8 train, after all, with plenty of resources to back him up.
And...
An A-Rank potential mechanical train had also sent him a private message, saying only one sentence:
"My brother told me you called him a little boy who sells his ass to AI?"
It's also a Tier 8 train.
He didn't reply.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang sat in his chair, his face serious as he pondered. Why does it feel like I've offended so many people? Should I go fight them first, or keep mining?
Mining first, probably.
He was only on a Tier 6 train. Fighting now seemed too risky. He'd raise his train's Tier first, then worry about settling scores.
"Is that really necessary?"
At the same time, in a corner of the Zombie Basin, several trains were parked nearby. Their conductors had gathered to discuss something.
"You saved the last spot for the 'Geocore Nuke' for your younger brother. Are you sure you want to enter early and give the spot to that kid?"
All eyes turned to a man in a tracksuit.
"Yes."
The man in the tracksuit nodded, his eyes gleaming with cold malice. "For my brother, that insult was the worst kind. And for me, it's no different."
"I believe even if my brother were here," the man said, his voice cold, "he wouldn't want this fortuitous encounter. Instead, he'd choose to have me kill the Stellaris train conductor for him. I want to teach that loudmouth a lesson he'll never forget."
With that, the man strode toward his train, leaving behind a chilling command: "Clean up. We depart in an hour. I'll send that bastard out of this world in the Geocore Nuke fortuitous encounter map."
The remaining few members of the Heavenly Balance Organization exchanged bewildered glances, unsure what to say. They had all joined the organization together and had a decent relationship, often teaming up to tackle fortuitous encounter maps for fun.
Just recently, they had acquired a special item:
Special Item: Key to the 'Geocore Nuke' Fortuitous Encounter Map
Special Effect: Grants access to the map, accommodating up to five trains.
(End of the Chapter)
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