Translator: AnubisTL
"Are you saying..." Li Shiji gazed thoughtfully at Biaozi. "After failing eight consecutive times on the normal difficulty of 'Dragon Fortress,' you somehow selected the Extreme Difficulty in a daze. Then, in a state resembling a third-person perspective, you entered an exceptionally calm state and managed to clear it by sheer luck?"
"Mhm, mhm," Biaozi replied earnestly. "It's like that trick you taught me—tricking my brain to unlock my potential."
"I never taught you anything like that," Li Shiji countered, falling silent for a long moment before speaking again. "I have some understanding of this state. Many call it 'Flow State.' When you're completely immersed in something, your brain dedicates all its resources to that task."
"During this process, your self-awareness diminishes."
"And you lose track of time."
"At the peak of Flow State, you can experience perspective detachment, controlling yourself as if from a third-person view. This is common among writers and in competitive domains."
"Like gaming."
"If you were playing games before the apocalypse, under the right circumstances—perfect timing, favorable terrain, and harmonious synergy—you might have entered a state akin to oneness with the universe. Your body would instinctively execute flawless movements, and your mind would be filled with unwavering confidence, making you feel like you could take on ten opponents at once."
"However, this state is extremely difficult to achieve and even harder to maintain manually. It requires a perfect alignment of all contributing factors."
"Although you failed eight consecutive times, based on your description, you were actually very close to succeeding each time. The only reason you failed was because the monsters managed to make a sound before you killed them, alerting their comrades and trapping you in a deadly encirclement."
"Monsters in Extreme Difficulty are significantly stronger."
"But they're still killable for you. The challenge lies in delivering a swift, fatal blow without allowing them to make a sound before death. And remember, in Extreme Difficulty, death in the Dragon Fortress is permanent."
"When you enter Flow State, your mind becomes completely focused, forgetting everything else—even the fact that death in Extreme Difficulty is permanent. By immersing yourself completely in the task, you genuinely have a chance of succeeding."
"In Flow State, humans can unleash extraordinary potential."
"You're quite ruthless."
Li Shiji gazed at Biaozi with a hint of emotion. "If you hadn't entered a Flow State back then, or even if you had but made a single mistake, I'd be attending your funeral right now."
"Speaking of which..."
"Stellaris has hosted weddings, but never a funeral. If you keep playing like this, I reckon I'll be attending yours before long."
"My hands are still shaking."
Biaozi sat beside him, his eyes wide with lingering fear as he shakily lit a cigarette and brought it to his lips. "I almost died. Thankfully, it turned out well. But now I'm confident I can breeze through the Dragon Fortress map on normal difficulty."
"That's for sure."
Perhaps Biaozi's initial intentions weren't quite like this.
But the final result was undeniable.
Every member of Guard Team One had cleared the Resident Evil map on Extreme Difficulty—a feat unmatched anywhere on Stellaris.
In truth, Extreme Difficulty wasn't much harder than Normal Difficulty.
If you could clear Normal Difficulty, a little more focus and caution would see you through Extreme Difficulty.
The real challenge lay in the psychological pressure of knowing death was permanent in Extreme Difficulty.
Overcome that mental hurdle, and conquering the map became almost trivial.
The outcome was nothing short of remarkable.
Of course.
While Biaozi and his team could now relax, the second and third teams were suddenly under immense pressure.
The Third Squad Captain, on patrol outside, glanced at the information on his Iris Chip, his lips twitching slightly.
Congratulations to Biaozi for becoming the first member of the Stellaris to clear the Extreme Difficulty "Dragon Fortress" map.
Congratulations to all members of Guard Team One for clearing the Extreme Difficulty "Resident Evil" map.
This message, sent by President Ai to all guards and management personnel via their Iris Chips, served as a reward.
It was practically screaming, "Lord Mang is very pleased!"
"Is the competition really this fierce?" the Third Squad Captain muttered, glancing helplessly at his team members patrolling nearby. His squad wasn't ready yet; they had only cleared the "Resident Evil" map on Normal Difficulty.
Even if they took their time, it wouldn't matter. He refused to let his team members die needlessly in the maps.
That would be a truly pointless death.
No problem.
"Phew..."
Inside the Wild Bull Train, the man sighed in relief as he read the Stellaris's reply to his private message. They had finally seen his message on the train radio, and this feud should now be considered settled.
He would temporarily stop selling cigarettes.
After all, the Stellaris couldn't stay in the Yellow Zone for long. Once it left the area, he could resume his business.
He had no intention of venturing into the Blue Zone; he planned to spend the rest of his life in the Yellow Zone.
While the Blue Zone offered higher-tier mines, more abundant resources, and rarer accessory drops, none of that mattered to him.
He had no ambition to become stronger.
Surviving the apocalypse was enough. Staying in the Yellow Zone and developing peacefully was perfectly acceptable. Just look at that 9th-tier train—it had been 9th-tier since he first entered this zone and showed no signs of leaving, as if it intended to retire in the Zombie Basin.
Losing the cigarette sales was a minor setback, but it didn't matter. He still had the Cigar Production Line.
The man smiled and typed another message into the train radio:
Temporarily discontinuing cigarette sales. Now selling cigars. Pre-orders accepted for pickup at the next gathering.
The next moment—
The Stellaris train's pinned message reappeared on the train radio.
Stellaris Train: Selling cigars, cigarettes, pig's trotter rice, steamed rice noodle rolls, and other daily necessities. Remote transactions available. DM for inquiries.
...
The man silently reopened his private chat with Stellaris.
Brother, I'm not selling cigars anymore. You take over.
Mm.
Chen Mang glanced at the message from Wild Bull in the chat box, a slightly puzzled expression on his face. Is this guy misunderstanding something? I never said he was the only one allowed to sell cigars, did I?
Didn't he start by monopolizing the market, then Wild Bull barged in, provoking him?
I have no intention of monopolizing anything. Fair competition is the way to go.
Chen Mang only occasionally updated the text on the [Train Radio]. Xiao Ai handled everything else, automatically processing transactions and occasionally pinning messages.
The [Cigar Production Line] was a yellow-grade accessory.
By consuming 46,000 units of iron ore, he successfully upgraded it to Tier 10, unlocking two corresponding overpowered effects.
Cigar Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Cigar quality significantly improved.
Cigar Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Provides mental clarity and alertness.
His cigars were of superior quality compared to others, so he decided to raise their price, just like he had done with his cigarettes. The cigarettes produced by his [Cigarette Production Line] even had pain-relieving properties, allowing him to sell them at a slightly higher price.
However, he couldn't raise the price too much, as these were merely supplementary products, not his main focus.
It was like a milk tea's packaging—no matter how beautiful, it was just an add-on. No one would buy a cup of milk tea solely for the packaging. Well, almost no one.
Two days later, the Tier 3 Iron Mine had been completely exhausted, yielding a decent output that brought the train's total iron ore reserves to 1.1 million units.
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang glanced at the [Civilization Token] in his hand. In just over ten days, he could once again enter the Goblin's Tomb dimension to mine resources—a far more rewarding experience than mining outside.
He gazed at the 1.1 million units of iron ore stored within the train and decided to upgrade some of the basic white-grade and green-grade accessories. Meanwhile, Xiao Ai continued piloting the train through the night, searching for other mines.
First, he upgraded the [Resource Detection Radar] to Tier 20, extending its detection range to 20,000 meters.
The [Target Acquisition Radar] was also upgraded from Tier 15 to Tier 20, matching its detection range to 20,000 meters.
Resource Detection Radar Tier 20 Overpowered Effect: Half Consumption.
Target Acquisition Radar Tier 20 Overpowered Effect: All ranged weapons can lock onto enemies within radar range via the Train Auxiliary AI.
The half consumption effect would save on expenses.
The Target Acquisition Radar's Tier 20 Overpowered Effect proved quite useful. Upgrading these two accessories cost a total of 180,000 units of iron ore.
In addition to these, he also upgraded:
Moldy Bread Slice Production Line, Steamed Bun Production Line, Generator, Circuit System, Pure Water Filter, Clothing Customization Production Line, Cola Production Line, Train Auxiliary AI.
All nine accessories were upgraded to Tier 20, granting him nine Overpowered Effects.
The total cost was only 188,000 units of iron ore, as most were white-grade accessories, requiring minimal resources for upgrades.
[Moldy Bread Slice Production Line Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Optional: Add smoked sausage. Price remains unchanged.
[Steamed Bun Production Line Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Optional: Add donkey meat. Price remains unchanged.
[Generator Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: None.
[Circuit System Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: None.
[Pure Water Filter Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: None.
[Clothing Customization Production Line Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Clothes produced will have a small pocket with a miniature spatial dimension.
[Cola Production Line Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Long-term consumption will slightly enhance physical fitness.
[Train Auxiliary AI]: None.
This upgrade consumed relatively few resources, but it directly enhanced most of the train's living accessories. The "Generator," for instance, increased its power output with each upgrade, now fully capable of meeting the train's energy demands. The "Circuit System" was also upgraded to accommodate even greater energy throughput.
The "Train Auxiliary AI" upgrade boosted the AI's computational power.
However, the "Clothing Customization Production Line" was particularly noteworthy.
Chen Mang walked to Carriage No. 4 and examined the produced clothing. Regardless of how many pockets a garment had, only one pocket possessed an internal space-expanding effect, and its location could be freely chosen.
The spatial capacity wasn't vast—roughly enough for a briefcase, a pickaxe, or a Giant Wave Gatling. It was far smaller than a refrigerator.
But...
It was perfectly sufficient.
Whether it was storing a mech's briefcase in a pocket, carrying the Giant Wave Gatling and energy stones, or allowing residents to stow their pickaxes, this feature proved immensely practical.
After a moment's contemplation, Chen Mang spent over 6,000 units of Wood to re-craft two sets of clothing for every train resident, allowing for rotation between washes. The original garments were retained, allowing residents to switch between them as they pleased, without any restrictions.
Afterward, Chen Mang made his way toward the rear carriages, rarely having walked through the entire train from the locomotive cabin to the end.
First, he visited Carriage 5, the high-tier female talent carriage.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Ji Chuchu and Yan Yao, both wearing camisole nightgowns, sitting by the window, chatting and gazing at the scenery outside. They immediately stood up when he entered, greeting him with, "Lord Mang."
"Hmm," Chen Mang replied, his gaze sweeping over them.
He swore his original intention was merely to inspect his train, to admire the masterpiece he had forged in the apocalypse. But when Ji Chuchu's red camisole nightgown inadvertently revealed a glimpse of her fair skin, and Yan Yao's snow-white silk nightgown clung to her figure, leaving nothing to the imagination, they appeared utterly captivating under the moonlight.
He glanced at the moonlit sky outside the window—perfect.
Then, he slowly approached Yan Yao and Ji Chuchu, pulling Yan Yao into his arms and inhaling the shampoo scent lingering in her hair.
He sat down in a chair, perhaps entering a trance-like state. He lost track of time, captivated by the beautiful moonlight, and the fatigue of the past few days melted away in that moment.
An hour later, Chen Mang rose and looked at Ji Chuchu and Yan Yao, who were kneeling side-by-side on the bed. He smiled and patted each of them lightly.
After casually picking up a bottle of mineral water by the window and drinking half of it, Chen Mang sat down, lit a cigarette, and lazily tilted his head to gaze out the window.
Ji Chuchu, meanwhile, climbed out of bed, picked up the half-empty bottle of mineral water, and took a sip.
Ten minutes later, Chen Mang stubbed out his cigarette in the water bottle, looking refreshed, and continued toward Carriage 6, the high-tier male talent carriage.
He pushed open the door and entered.
Li Shiji and the others were still awake, immediately scrambling to their feet. "Lord Mang!"
"Hmm," Chen Mang replied with a casual wave. "Go back to sleep."
The moonlight in this carriage was unremarkable, offering nothing worth observing.
He continued to Guard Car No. 7.
The second guard team was already asleep, while the first team patrolled the rear carriages to maintain order. The third team was training in the Combat Training Space within the refrigerator, so he didn't disturb them.
After strolling through the four Resident Cars at the back, he retraced his steps.
When he returned to Carriage 5, he found Ji Chuchu and Yan Yao whispering secrets to each other, their faces flushed. Whether it was the moonlight or the silk nightgowns, Chen Mang couldn't help but feel that Ji Chuchu and Yan Yao looked particularly alluring tonight.
Exceptionally beautiful.
(End of the Chapter)
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