Translator: AnubisTL
Guard Team One had been working tirelessly for 48 hours in the fortuitous encounter map "Neon City," pushing themselves to their absolute limit. Even Cola couldn't keep them going any longer.
While showering earlier, he'd caught sight of the bloodshot veins that had completely overtaken his eyeballs.
It was time to sleep.
Tonight, the second guard team was on night watch. Half of them were maintaining order in the rear carriages, while the other half, along with Zhang Damei, had left Guard Car No. 7 while he was showering to patrol and maintain vigilance around the train.
Inside Guard Car No. 7, only his team and the third team remained, engrossed in lively conversation.
"Brother Biao!" Zhang Qi hurried to his feet, a touch flustered. "I was trying to explain the value of this outfit to the Third Squad Captain, but just saying it's worth a million points doesn't quite convey the concept. He's having trouble grasping it."
"Let me explain," Brother Biao said with a smile, gesturing to Zhang Qi's clothes. "This identity outfit is worth 1.5 million points, while a Virtual Map Chip costs 50,000 points. That's equivalent to 30 Virtual Map Chips."
"A single Virtual Map Chip, if cleared on both Normal and Extreme Difficulty, can increase your comprehensive physical fitness by 2.1 points."
"Thirty Virtual Map Chips would add up to 63 points in comprehensive physical fitness."
"Imagine what it means to gain 63 points in comprehensive physical fitness. Even Zhang Yi and his team, with their current comprehensive physical fitness barely exceeding 20 points, are already considered incredibly strong. If you had over 60 points, you'd be superhuman!"
"You'd be able to punch through load-bearing walls with a single blow."
"In the era of cold weapons, even Lü Bu would have to call you 'big brother.'"
"This—"
"This is the value of this outfit."
"Huh?" The Third Squad Captain's mouth slowly widened in disbelief as he pointed at the outfit Zhang Qi was wearing. His originally handsome face twisted into a near-feral expression. "You traded something so precious for just an outfit???"
"And... and..."
The Third Squad Captain glanced at the similar logo on the First Squad Members' uniforms, a look of bewilderment flashing in his eyes. "Could their outfits be worth the same amount?"
"You guys... has the train really become this luxurious already?"
"My 'Leech' mech has only fired a few shots since I got it. I'm too stingy to use it! It drains energy so fast. Why am I still scraping by while you're living this lavish lifestyle? Lord Mang never told me the train would develop so quickly!"
"Sit down, sit down. Don't get so worked up."
Biaozi chuckled. "Well, that's a long story. These clothes are worth the price. They're from a top-tier luxury brand of the Mechanical Civilization. They can't be exchanged for money, but you can take them. We brought back the whole lot. You can pick out a few pieces later."
"So, what do these clothes do? Temperature regulation? Built-in storage?"
"Neither."
"Neither?"
"Neither."
"Neither means... what?"
"They don't have any of those features. They're just clothes. If you put them on the train, they'd be like the ones from the Clothing Customization Production Line that cost 500 units of iron ore. But the fabric and craftsmanship are still pretty good."
"No special effects at all? How can they sell it for this price?"
"Of course! It's precisely because it's useless that it's considered ultra-luxury. If it were useful and expensive, it would just be a practical item. Wealthy people enjoy the feeling of spending money on useless things. The more useless it is, the more they want to buy it."
"It's not even as good as my combat suit."
"That's true. It's definitely not as good as your combat suit, but you can wear it to show off."
"But..." The Third Squad Captain pointed at the logo on the clothing. "You can't explain the origin and price of this outfit to every person you meet. This isn't a Mechanical Civilization; hardly anyone here recognizes this logo."
"Hmm, you have a point."
Biaozi scratched the back of his head. A key attribute of luxury goods is recognizability. Without it, they seem to lose their meaning as luxury items. "Never mind, let's keep it for now. Maybe when we reach the high-level zone and encounter people from the Mechanical Civilization, word will spread, and they'll be terrified!"
"Think about it," Biaozi said, grinning. "Even we Train Guards are decked out in top-tier luxury. When those Mechanical Civilization folks see Lord Mang, their legs will turn to jelly!"
"That's true," the Third Squad Captain said with a sigh. "You guys worked hard this time. Zhang Qi told me all about it."
"It wasn't that hard, really," Biaozi said cheerfully.
"..."
The Third Squad Captain retorted, exasperated, "I was talking about your kidneys! This is the apocalypse! Why are you throwing parties? Does that fit the mood at all?"
"An apocalypse party? Now that sounds perfectly fitting, doesn't it?"
"Maybe if you add a prefix? What if we call the train the Doomsday Train?"
"Doomsday Train?" Biaozi chuckled again. "That's perfect for the apocalypse! Wildcat even has a Doomsday Marriage Certificate and a little heart tattoo on his hand."
"Oh, right! Where's Wildcat? I haven't even asked him if that little heart tattoo has any special effects."
"He went back to cuddle up with his wife in their warm bed long ago."
"Next time, I want to go too."
"You're not qualified, lord Mang said only his most trusted confidants have the right to accompany him. Your seniority is still lacking. Not to mention, you haven't even earned any merit."
"I haven't had a chance to earn any merit," Biaozi replied.
"You have to create your own opportunities,"
"Back in that valley in the Kunlun Mountain zone, you all crushed your Train Tickets to return. Who was the only one who jumped down?"
"Before the mission, President Ai said this was an exploratory operation. If we encountered danger, we were to crush our Train Tickets and return immediately," the Third Squad Captain retorted.
"See? That's the difference between us. Opportunities are seized, not waited for."
Biaozi, wrapped in a towel, leaned back comfortably in his chair. He stubbed out his cigarette in an empty Cola can and propped his legs up on the bed, smiling. "Lord Mang personally declared me his confidant in the fortuitous encounter map this time."
"If I recall correctly, even Trainmaster Zhu hasn't been called that," Biaozi said.
"And I even threw a party with Lord Mang."
"That's even closer," Biaozi said.
"Lord Mang just got four more Virtual Map Chips this time. Once I clear the first-time rewards for all four, our team's status on the train will be undeniable. Need I even say it? All the best mechs and weapons will be reserved for First Squad Members."
The Third Squad Captain looked at Biaozi with envy. "It's great to have been with Lord Mang from the start."
"No, no, no," Biaozi said, his expression serious. "You're mistaken. While I did start with Lord Mang, my current position isn't just about seniority. It's about my ability. I secured the first Extreme Difficulty clears for both maps inside the train."
"There are four maps left. Can you take one?"
"My mental power is higher, but my comprehensive physical fitness isn't as good as yours."
"You're wrong again. My comprehensive physical fitness was only slightly better than Old Pig's when I started. I've gotten this strong by risking my life."
"When I cleared the Extreme Difficulty of 'Resident Evil' for the first time, my comprehensive physical fitness wasn't even as high as yours is now."
"That's no excuse."
"As long as you have my drive, that burning determination to succeed even if it means dying, you wouldn't still be where you are now. Lord Mang probably doesn't even know your name."
"Ask Wildcat. He knows. I lost count of how many times I died in the 'Resident Evil' map. Now, even seeing an elevator gives me PTSD. I keep expecting a monster to jump out of the elevator shaft and land on top of the car."
"When I first tried the Extreme Difficulty 'Dragon Fortress' map, I hadn't even cleared the Normal Difficulty. I went in with the mindset that I'd die before I failed."
"This..."
"It's all about spirit!"
"I ask you, would you dare to attempt the extreme difficulty without even clearing normal difficulty?"
"..."
After a long silence, the Third Squad Captain finally looked up at Biaozi with a complex expression. "Brother Biao, I deeply admire you for that."
"I truly don't have that kind of courage."
"But I've learned something. Starting tomorrow, I'll try to learn from you as much as possible. I'll focus on clearing all the normal difficulty maps first, and I'll strive to reach your position on the train as soon as possible."
"Hey, you're aiming too high again. Your top priority right now is to make Lord Mang remember your name. You're doing worse than Uncle Li! At least Lord Mang knows the pig farmer as Uncle Li. You're just a nameless Third Squad Captain."
"Alright."
Biaozi, satisfied, stood up and patted the Third Squad Captain on the shoulder. "We're all exhausted from the map. I'm going to rest first. We'll head back in tomorrow."
He finally understood the feeling Lord Mang got from showing off in the map with that dwarf.
It was exhilarating.
"Time to sleep, time to sleep."
After exchanging goodbyes with the First Squad Members, they linked arms and headed towards the showers.
"..."
"..."
The remaining members of the third team exchanged glances, envy evident in their eyes. The First Squad Members enjoyed higher status and better treatment, largely because Brother Biao was stronger.
If their captain could be stronger too, they could have the same.
"What the hell are you all staring at me for!"
The Third Squad Captain's face darkened. "The First Squad Members all cleared the Resident Evil map on Extreme Difficulty. Look at you lot—don't even think about sleeping tonight. Come with me to the Combat Training Virtual Space for special training right now!"
"Achoo!"
Inside Breeding Car 15, Uncle Li, busy at work, suddenly sneezed. He instinctively reached to wipe his nose, but seeing his gloves covered in sticky liquid, he raised his arm and wiped his sleeve instead. He muttered, "Did I catch a chill? Or is someone talking behind my back?"
Inside the carriage, seven or eight refrigerators stood in a row. Some were filled with soil, used for growing crops with an automated watering system built from spray heads. Others housed various livestock. Uncle Li was currently securing the zombies Zhang Yi had handed over, chaining them to the pillars inside one of the refrigerators.
These zombies were easy to feed. Aside from refusing to eat corpse meat, they were completely omnivorous, consuming anything else.
At this moment, Uncle Li was using tongs to stuff Red Heart Nuts into the mouth of a zombie. It had started when he accidentally fed a zombie a Red Heart Nut a few days earlier, only to discover that the zombie's nearly rotten member had actually stiffened.
A wild possibility exploded in his mind!
Perhaps...
With the combination of Red Heart Nuts and the Breeding Carriage, zombies could reproduce?
This became his latest research project.
Though the project had no practical research value, as the administrator of the Breeding Carriage, he needed to find meaningful work to feel fulfilled. Simply raising livestock would make him feel like he was wasting his time.
"Uncle Li," the young man helping him said with a complicated expression, "you're spending all your daily stellar coupons on cigarettes and Red Heart Nuts. Aren't you planning to save up for anything else?"
"What should I buy? A refrigerator?"
"There are so many refrigerators in the Breeding Carriage! Haven't you been sleeping in one these past few days? Just squeeze in!"
"You little brat, you don't understand at all! If my research succeeds... succeeds!"
"And then?"
"Then... then we'll..." Uncle Li's eyes suddenly lit up. "We can build a Zombie Breeding Machine! By doing this, we can obtain a massive supply of zombie flesh and blood!"
"It's like building a monster spawner inside the train!"
"Exactly! The chance of zombies dropping good loot is incredibly low."
"But with enough numbers, probability becomes irrelevant."
"And we can even sell the flesh and blood to the flesh train!"
"Isn't this a major project worth researching?"
"Huh?"
The young man paused, propping his chin with one hand as a glint flashed in his eyes. "A monster spawner on the train? Wait, Uncle Li, your idea is a bit too... fantastical. If it really works, though..."
"Tier 1 zombies are indeed generally weak."
"But what about higher-Tier zombies? A high-tier zombie grinding cage?"
"If you actually pull this off, Uncle Li, you'll be forced to level up!"
But the sticky sensation on his chin jolted him back to reality. He quickly removed his gloves and rushed to a nearby shower to wash himself thoroughly.
"Hmph."
Uncle Li let out a self-satisfied snort, turned away from the boy, and resumed his work. "That's right, that's exactly what I'm thinking. We'll start with Tier 1 Zombies for our experiments. Once we succeed, we'll move on to the High-Level Zombies."
"I've even given it a name."
"It'll be called 'Uncle Li's Monster Spawner'!"
The idea for the monster spawner had just struck him.
It was a flash of inspiration.
But it perfectly aligned with his current project!
His life philosophy was this: when you feel lost and directionless, just pick something to do and start working on it. Don't worry about where it might lead or whether it will yield results.
Just do it.
Just bury yourself in the work.
As you keep working, the answers will naturally emerge.
(End of the Chapter)
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