Translator: AnubisTL
The burly man, dangling in mid-air by Zhang Yi's grip, froze for a few seconds before erupting into a furious roar.
"I'm fucking pissed right now! The Venomous Serpent Gang from the next street over just stole my entire shipment this morning! If you can help me get it back, I'll reward you handsomely!"
"Got it."
Chen Mang waved his hand, signaling Zhang Yi to toss the man aside, then picked up the bag of goods and headed out of the parking lot.
It seemed that no matter which side they took the mission from, the reward would always be this bag of goods.
On the street, Chen Mang opened the bag and began examining its contents. It contained over a hundred memory chips, and a slight smile tugged at his lips.
This was a profitable haul.
Who could have imagined that what started as a simple attempt to understand the products sold in the convenience store—a way to gain deeper insight into this Mechanical Civilization—would lead to such a pleasant surprise?
Just as the glowing screen of the "Fortuitous Encounter Map" had promised, this city offered not only relaxation but also numerous fortuitous encounters.
"Let's see what kind of chips we've got here," Biaozi said, squatting down with growing excitement. He picked up a chip and read the small print on its surgical packaging: "'One satisfying bowel movement' memory fragment, capacity: 0.2 units."
"'One masturbation session' memory fragment, capacity: 0.4 units."
"'One argument with a stranger where you completely humiliated them' memory fragment, capacity: 1.4 units."
"'One hearty feast' memory fragment, capacity: 1.2 units."
"Hmm..."
The smile gradually faded from Biaozi's face. "Lord Mang, are these things even worth anything?"
"The gangs in this city are all about this stuff. No wonder they're all armed with steel pipes—how could they afford guns with this junk?"
"Let's check with the Memory Bank," Chen Mang said, tossing the bag of chips to Zhang Yi. He then climbed back onto his off-road motorcycle and retraced his route, heading back to the Memory Bank to see how much the chips were worth.
Soon, he arrived at the Memory Bank. After the male attendant finished counting the chips, he smiled and gave Chen Mang a quote.
"If you sell them all, the total comes to exactly 240,000 credits."
"Confirm sale?"
"Confirm."
Chen Mang chuckled, extending his wrist device to receive the transfer from the male attendant. The balance on his device immediately updated to—
389,440.
Nearly 400,000!
This was a massive windfall, even larger than what he'd earned in the entertainment city. It was clear that the fastest way to make money in this city wasn't playing those trivial games in the entertainment city, but rather seeking out robots with abnormal behavior to trigger Story Missions.
"So much..."
Biaozi's jaw dropped slightly as he heard the figure. They had toiled so hard in Sun City to earn less than 150,000, yet this effortless transaction had netted them 240,000.
Now, his Virtual Map Chip for Zombie Siege was guaranteed, and they could afford plenty of other things besides.
The train had grown stronger again.
As always, Lord Mang delivered.
Outside the Memory Bank, Li Shiji sighed with a hint of melancholy. "Lord Mang, if this Mechanical Civilization is anything like I suspect, the wealth disparity must be staggering. Before the apocalypse, even the capitalists in the Federation, while exploiting the working class, only extracted mental and physical labor—making you work harder, at most."
"But in this Mechanical Civilization..."
"The lowest strata of society aren't even allowed to possess memories."
"Even if they manage to acquire a precious memory worth cherishing, they're forced to sell it for survival when they run out of money."
"Not the lowest strata," Chen Mang said, shaking his head casually. "Memory Stripping Surgery requires a mental power score of at least 16.0. According to the shop clerk, the lowest strata of their civilization likely don't meet that threshold."
"But... I clearly jacked off too!"
"Why didn't our initial scan detect my commercially valuable memories?"
"Simple."
Chen Mang straddled his off-road motorcycle, glanced at his wrist-mounted device, and explained, "The memory products we saw at the Memory Bank were all large-scale memories. The memory chips we seized from the gang, on the other hand, were fragmented and didn't appear to have been obtained through legitimate channels."
"They probably completely dismantled some poor kid's memories and kept these scraps."
"Let's go."
His next target remained the next "entertainment city."
Of course.
He also planned to stop at some seemingly unusual shops to inquire about potential Story Missions.
He couldn't stop at every shop; he didn't have that much time.
If he missed any opportunities, so be it. He couldn't monopolize all the good fortune.
"Ah, that was refreshing!"
Private Custom Brothel.
The train conductor of the King of Electronic Music train, a dwarf, descended the stairs with a refreshed look, stretching his limbs. He had to admit, a three-meter-tall woman was quite the experience.
He enjoyed it.
Next time, if he had the chance to return, he'd try a five-meter one. Maybe he could even crawl inside entirely, like camping in a sleeping bag.
Just then, he suddenly heard a faint sobbing nearby. Slightly startled, he pushed open a low door beside him, revealing a cramped space where a young woman was curled up, crying.
She looked around eighteen years old, utterly pitiful.
Noticing the door opening, the girl hurriedly wiped away her tears and forced a smile as she looked up at the dwarf. "Is there anything I can assist you with?"
"Um..."
The dwarf man gazed at the girl huddled in the corner, hesitating for a long moment before cautiously asking, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Is this Customs Shop forcing you to entertain clients?"
"Wait, aren't you a robot? I..."
"Really?"
The moment the words left his lips, the girl's eyes lit up. Her voice trembled with a hint of grievance as she whispered, "Seventh Sister is missing. I'm so heartbroken. If you can help me find her, I'll reward you handsomely."
"Seventh Sister is my cat."
"..."
The dwarf man expressionlessly closed the door again, rolling his eyes in exasperation. Crying so dramatically in a brothel, almost made me feel guilty. I thought something sinister was going on, but it's just a goddamn missing cat.
Just then—
A cat sauntered past the shop's entrance, its deliberate steps almost taunting.
At the same moment, his thugs descended the stairs.
"Go get that cat back for me!"
"Damn it."
"I'm such a softie."
Half an hour later, the dwarf twisted the cat's tail expressionlessly. He knew it was a wind-up robot cat all along, but he didn't say anything. He simply returned to the Private Custom Brothel, opened the hidden door beneath the counter, and looked at the girl still curled up there, sobbing.
"Here, your Seventh Sister is back."
"Thank you," she said, her tears instantly turning into a smile. "I don't have much to repay you with, but I can give you a Free Ticket for Neon City. With this ticket, you can have anyone in the city serve you according to your whims, but it can only be used once."
"..."
The dwarf took the Free Ticket from the woman, remaining silent.
Why didn't she give it to me earlier? I've already had my fun.
But he definitely couldn't use it now. Middle age was different from youth. Back in his younger days, he could easily go seven or eight rounds in a night without breaking a sweat, never knowing fatigue.
Before even starting, he would sneak off to the bathroom for a quick release to lower his sensitivity, hoping to last a bit longer when the real thing began.
Now, in his middle age, after just one session, he felt like he'd renounced worldly desires and entered a Buddhist monastery.
There was no second round.
I'll save it for later. I'll use it again when I'm about to leave this fortuitous encounter map.
"Alright."
The dwarf seemed satisfied, tucking the voucher into his chest pocket before leading his subordinates out of the shop. They planned to wander around, but his pockets were nearly empty, with only 129 points left.
I'll grab some food and water at the convenience store later. If we're stuck here for 48 hours, we'll get hungry.
The train conductors who could access this fortuitous encounter map were generally of high Tier and possessed a strong desire to improve themselves.
While some conductors were more curious about the "Customs Shops," most were actively searching for fortuitous encounters or ways to earn money. Thus...
The train conductors, in a massive wave, began searching every shop and office, even those in the office buildings. Most doors were locked, with only a few offices left open.
This was a fortuitous encounter map with a high degree of freedom.
Players could go almost anywhere, as long as the door wasn't locked.
And at that moment—
Chen Mang stood before a factory entrance. The factory was surrounded by towering walls topped with electric fences, heavy machine guns, and anti-aircraft guns—the first firepower accessories he had seen in the city.
Next to the main gate was an iris scanner.
They couldn't crack it, and they couldn't get in.
But...
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, studying the iris scanner. Since leaving the Memory Bank, he had been exploring the city for over three hours without encountering another robot with an interactive mission. Instead, he had discovered this mysterious factory, its purpose unknown.
There was no name on the exterior.
But he had discovered something crucial: all the city's cash registers, entertainment cities, robots, and other systems were interconnected via a network. This was the first networked environment he had encountered since the apocalypse.
The train had no network.
Nor had the previous fortuitous encounter maps.
Only this city had a network.
This meant that the Train Auxiliary AI's long-unused overpowered effect finally had a purpose.
Train Auxiliary AI Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Capable of network intrusion, decryption, and bypassing most network firewalls.
If he brought Xiao Ai into this fortuitous encounter map next time, he could unlock more zones he couldn't access on his own.
There were bound to be valuable treasures hidden within.
The only two challenges he needed to overcome were:
Xiao Ai wasn't a train crew member and couldn't be brought here.Xiao Ai's true form was the Train AI, capable only of controlling robots through accessories. Once a robot moved beyond a certain range from the train, Xiao Ai's connection to it would be severed.
But he believed solutions existed for both problems.
After all, when Erdan's consciousness descended into a robot and boarded his train, the AI had also followed remotely, inhabiting the robot. This proved that a solution was possible, even if he hadn't yet discovered it.
Once he resolved these issues and brought Xiao Ai to this city, it would practically become his private playground, free for him to explore at will.
He hoped the city's backup energy reserves were still sufficient. The energy consumption of an entire metropolis must be astronomical, far beyond what he could afford. And why were the lights still on in deserted areas? Such a waste of energy!
Chen Mang, utterly clueless about household thrift, turned and led Biaozi and his crew away, mounting their off-road motorcycles to continue exploring the city.
The "Neon City" fortuitous encounter map had a 48-hour duration.
With only 4 hours remaining, they had encountered only one robot offering an interactive mission, earning 120,000 credits for helping the Law Enforcement Bureau recover a stolen aircraft.
How peculiar.
This city actually had a Law Enforcement Bureau.
They had also located the police aircraft, stolen by a gang, and received the 120,000-credit reward.
After that, they hadn't encountered any more robots with interactive missions.
Now, they stood before the Law Enforcement Bureau.
"Thank you," a middle-aged woman with an air of intelligence, dressed in uniform, emerged from the bureau. She gazed at Chen Mang and his group with earnest sincerity. "Eden is a better place because of you."
"One day—"
"I will eradicate all crime and lawlessness from this city!"
"You've worked hard."
Chen Mang smiled at the mature woman. Though 120,000 points wasn't much, it was still decent. He didn't mind giving her a smile, though he felt a slight pang of regret. With only four hours left until the map chip expired, it seemed he'd only reach 500,000 points.
Still, not bad.
500,000 points could buy quite a few things at the Mechanical Train Parts Store.
"..."
Biaozi glanced at the earnest-looking woman and curled his lip in silent disdain. If they truly eradicated all crime in this city, what would be left? Would it become a ghost town?
This woman was the director of the Law Enforcement Bureau.
She certainly looked serious.
But...
Suddenly, something occurred to him. He tentatively poked the woman.
In an instant—
"Sir, would you like to come? 1,000,000 points."
The woman tilted her head, her expression earnest as she looked at Biaozi.
"Damn it!"
"I fucking knew it!"
Biaozi took a deep breath, immediately turned, and followed Lord Mang away. He'd known all along that in this city, regardless of status, any physical contact would trigger this interaction!
Fucking hell!
He dared not harbor any other expectations. He'd tried countless times, and every single person was the same—no exceptions!
(End of the Chapter)
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