Translator: AnubisTL
"Cough."
Noticing Biaozi's dejection, Wildcat followed him and cleared his throat before offering comfort. "Brother Biao, don't be too down. They're both on our team. The Stellaris only has three people who can pilot the Thunder Mech."
"And we have two of them on our first team."
"Wouldn't that make our first team even stronger?"
"..."
Brother Biao shot Wildcat a resentful glare. "Of course I know that! Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Then, he strode toward the Combat Training Virtual Space. He wanted to continue training, but with only two maps, even completing them all had its limits. If he could get two more Virtual Map Chips, his potential would be even greater.
But he knew that Virtual Map Chips were incredibly rare. Many trains didn't have even one. The Stellaris having two was already a testament to Lord Mang's influence. Obtaining a third wouldn't be easy.
In the short term, he had no way to rapidly increase his comprehensive physical fitness limits.
This meant he was unlikely to get his hands on the Thunder Mech anytime soon.
Could he help but feel resentful?
He was utterly miserable, feeling like he was turning into Lin Daiyu. (TL: Chinese folklore tragic character)
"Is it reacting already?"
Inside the Stellaris's locomotive cabin, Chen Mang looked at the Neon City Entry Ticket, which was flashing red under the walkie-talkie. He had exchanged it for a murphy stone on the train radio a while ago.
Special Item: Neon City Entry Ticket
Item Effect: A ticket to the fortuitous encounter map 'Neon City'. When this ticket emits a red glow, crush it to enter the map.
The ticket finally reacted, flashing with a crimson light.
The flashing slowed, and it was expected to fade completely in a minute. If Chen Mang didn't crush the ticket within that time, he would miss this opportunity.
He immediately crushed it.
A panel appeared before him.
Fortuitous Encounter Map: Neon City
The train cannot enter. Maximum capacity: 11 people. The train conductor must select 10 crew members to accompany them. The train conductor must participate.
"The train can't go in?"
Chen Mang picked up the walkie-talkie and contacted Xiao Ai. "Have the nine members of Guard Team One and Li Shiji report to the locomotive cabin. While I'm away, you have full authority over all firepower accessories and resource allocation. Any train that approaches without heeding a warning, open fire immediately. If you can't win, evacuate the residents first."
By this time, the "entry ticket" had dissolved into countless motes of light, forming a portal beside him. When he emerged from the fortuitous encounter map, he would reappear in the locomotive cabin.
Soon—
The nine members of Guard Team One and Li Shiji had all arrived, fully armed. Biaozi's eyes were filled with relief; fortunately, he had just entered the Combat Training Virtual Space and hadn't yet entered the map. Otherwise, he would have missed this field mission.
Such a golden opportunity for merit would have vanished.
"This fortuitous encounter map is unknown. Everyone, stay safe."
Chen Mang had brought every special item he could carry. He even had Zhang Yi carry a refrigerator filled with supplies, including enough food and water, as well as fifteen off-road motorcycles.
Then—
Biaozi strode boldly through the portal, followed by the rest of the guards.
After passing through the portal, the scene before them opened up dramatically, evoking a sense of entering a paradise. The portal led to a plaza in the heart of a bustling City, where nearly a thousand people were gathered.
An air wall surrounded the plaza.
Above the plaza, a holographic screen displayed the rules of this fortuitous encounter map.
"Fortuitous Encounter Map: Neon City"
"This map prohibits mutual combat and contains no offensive elements. It is designed purely for entertainment."
"Built by the 'Mechanical Civilization' as a paradise, this city has only one purpose: relaxation."
"But..."
"It has been a long time since anyone has come here seeking respite, and the city has long awaited its master's return."
"If you grow weary during the apocalypse, come here to unwind."
"This city offers not only relaxation but also numerous fortuitous encounters awaiting your exploration."
"Maximum stay: 48 hours."
"Go forth and taste the forbidden fruit."
After quickly absorbing all the information on the light screen above his head, Chen Mang surveyed his surroundings. Nearly a thousand people were whispering to each other, creating a cacophony of noise. They were all clearly train conductors.
If each train conductor could bring ten train crew members, that meant there were roughly a hundred train conductors present.
His eyes narrowed as he examined the City. Everyone had spawned in the central plaza, which reminded him of the two mechanical cities he had visited before. However, this time, the skyscrapers weren't cold, pitch-black structures.
There was no oppressive feeling.
Excellent.
It seemed the Mechanical Civilization wasn't just about repression.
But...
Every building was painted in dopamine colors—blue, purple, green, red, and every shade in between. Combined with the neon lights that could be called light pollution, the entire City looked like a rainbow, resembling the wildly colored hair of non-mainstream youth.
All the billboards and building lights were constantly illuminated.
He could even hear music playing on the streets.
Yet, not a single pedestrian was visible.
Chen Mang looked down at the wristwatch that had appeared on his wrist at some point. It displayed "Balance: 10,000 points," the currency of this city, which could be used for purchases in its shops.
Just then—
The air wall slowly vanished.
The crowd in the square immediately scattered in all directions, each person in a hurry. Clearly, entertainment wasn't their priority; they were far more interested in the fortuitous encounters this city offered.
Chen Mang was no different.
He glanced at the extremely conspicuous billboard to the west:
"Mechanical Train Parts Store."
Damn!
There's even a shop for this stuff?
Well, what was there to hesitate about? Of course he had to go spend some points! He wondered how much 10,000 points could buy.
The billboard was about a thousand meters away.
Nearly half the crowd was already sprinting down the street toward the shop, afraid of being left behind.
"Tsk," Chen Mang chuckled, shaking his head at the sight. Then, he straddled his off-road motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and roared down the wide street toward the shop a kilometer away!
Vroom! Vroom!!
Biaozi and the others, riding off-road motorcycles, twisted their throttles and followed closely behind Lord Mang.
No matter how fast their legs ran, they couldn't outrun wheels!
In the blink of an eye, Chen Mang's group had already overtaken the main force, speeding down the empty, wide street toward the Mechanical Train Parts Store at the end.
Zhang Yi, with a refrigerator slung over his shoulder, was particularly conspicuous.
"Huh?"
A train conductor, who had been running head down in a frenzy, suddenly heard the roar of engines behind him. He paused, slightly stunned. Before he could react, a group of people on off-road motorcycles whizzed past him, leaving him dumbfounded.
He instinctively stopped.
Turning to look back at the square, he wondered if there were motorcycles available for rent there.
How had he missed them?
But still standing in the crowd, he had barely stopped when he was knocked to the ground from behind, trampled by countless pairs of large feet.
Three minutes later, the man finally struggled to his feet. He felt no pain or injury. This map prohibited any attacks. The instant he fell, a pale yellow barrier had enveloped him, protecting him from harm, leaving him only slightly disheveled.
Most importantly—
He had lost contact with his thugs. Looking around, he realized he was alone. His face darkened as he shouted at the marathon-like scene unfolding down the street.
"King of Electronic Music train crew, don't you dare run! Come back here!"
But it was clear that in this chaotic scene, his voice didn't carry as far as he'd hoped.
Cursing under his breath, he continued to chase after them.
Why do they have motorcycles? That's cheating!
And was it just his imagination, or did the person leading the pack look familiar? He'd only caught a fleeting glimpse as they passed, so he couldn't be sure.
Soon—
Chen Mang pulled up on his off-road motorcycle in front of the Mechanical Train Parts Store. The group he was chasing was still frantically sprinting down the street behind him. He jumped off his bike and strode toward the shop with Biaozi and the others.
Zhang Yi, meanwhile, was carrying the refrigerator, responsible for storing all the off-road motorcycles inside. Otherwise, they'd surely be stolen—or, more likely, robbed—sooner or later.
The shop's entrance was massive, with the door alone stretching ten meters wide.
As Chen Mang stepped inside, a melodious voice suddenly greeted him. "Welcome."
He turned to see a woman standing at the entrance, smiling warmly. She was strikingly beautiful, but her robotic appearance was unmistakable.
"This is the Mechanical Train Parts Store. You can purchase any item here."
"You're free to browse the first-floor zone. The second-floor zone is restricted to Tier 10 and above train conductors. Unfortunately, your current Tier doesn't meet the requirement, sir."
"Are there any living humans in this city?" Chen Mang asked, scanning the shop before speaking.
The woman remained silent, her smile unwavering. Clearly, his question had exceeded her programming; her intelligence was limited, far inferior to Xiao Ai's.
Chen Mang didn't press further. He strode into the shop with Biaozi and the others.
The shop was vast.
A single row of three-tiered display cases lined the walls. Each shelf was spaced ten centimeters apart, with a screen displaying product information, prices, and stock levels.
Drill Blueprint: White-grade train component, priced at 15,000 points, 2 in stock.
Lighter Production Line Blueprint: White-grade train component, priced at 8,000 points, 1 in stock.
Custom Screen Production Line Blueprint: Green-grade train component, priced at 30,000 points, 4 in stock.
...
Murphy Stone: Special item, priced at 100,000 points, 18 in stock.
...
Zombie Siege: Special item, Virtual Map Chip, requires a Tier 5 Combat Training Virtual Space to use, priced at 50,000 points, 1 in stock.
...
The shop was filled with a dazzling array of nearly a hundred different items, but most had very limited stock. Many were listed as having zero inventory, likely because they hadn't been restocked in a long time.
This city had been abandoned for a long time.
Perhaps the neon lights hadn't flickered to life here since before they arrived.
Even though it was just a single zone, the shop was stocked with valuable items. Chen Mang spotted several things he desperately wanted, like the "Zombie Siege" Virtual Map Chip. But the price...
He glanced down at his wristwatch, which showed a balance of 10,000 points. This was the starting balance given to every train conductor—a privilege not extended to their train crew. At this price, he could only afford a white-grade accessory blueprint, and even then, only the most basic ones.
Slightly better white-grade accessories cost over 10,000 points, far beyond his reach.
In other words, this shop was essentially just for show. It wasn't meant for them to actually buy anything. Despite this, several train conductors, panting heavily, rushed into the shop with their crews, their eyes blazing with excitement and anxiety.
It was as if they feared Chen Mang would buy up all the good items before they could.
But soon, the train crew fell into an uneasy silence after seeing the prices of the goods. The items in the shop were far beyond their financial reach.
A train conductor cursed under his breath as he stormed out of the shop, sneering at Chen Mang as he passed.
"What good is being fast if you can't afford anything?"
Chen Mang ignored him, leading Biaozi and the others out onto the street. Standing there, he looked up at the towering skyscrapers flashing with neon lights and laughed.
He had always believed one thing: nothing was truly useless.
If a shop had appeared, it was meant to serve them. If they didn't have enough money, they would simply earn points.
"How's your gambling skill?" he asked Li Shiji with a smile.
"If it's gambling..." Li Shiji shook his head firmly. "I'm completely clueless."
"Let's give it a try anyway." Chen Mang waved his hand, signaling Zhang Yi to retrieve the off-road motorcycle from the refrigerator. "This is a city built for entertainment. There must be casinos and entertainment centers somewhere. This map has to have places where we can earn points."
"Go look around."
"Our advantage is that we have transportation and can reach more places in this City."
"How much Cola did you bring? Don't sleep for the next 48 hours."
"Over 200 cans."
"That's enough."
Chen Mang mounted his off-road motorcycle, one foot on the ground as he gazed ahead. He twisted the throttle again, roaring down the street. He planned to first find a small shop or newsstand to see if he could get a map of the city.
A newsstand was unlikely; the term didn't fit the City's architectural style.
If things went as expected, the city was completely deserted, inhabited only by robots programmed to serve as shopkeepers in every store.
Just then, Biaozi revved his motorcycle to catch up, licking his lips with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
"Lord Mang, this city doesn't seem to have any firepower accessories."
"Should we just try robbing them?"
"Let's hit them big!"
(End of the Chapter)
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