Translator: AnubisTL
"..."
A flicker of horror crossed Chen Mang's eyes. He gritted his teeth and stared at the train panel, his mind racing with a single thought: to quickly upgrade to a Tier 9 Train and escape the Zombie Basin. This was practically a death trap!
At the rate those zombies were digging, in no more than a day, an endless tide of them would erupt from the earth!
And even more terrifying—
The entire Zombie Basin was actually a massive volcano. The eruption point was at the basin's core, the lowest point—except instead of magma, it spewed forth an endless stream of zombies.
He couldn't even guess how many zombies were lurking in the vast cavern beneath the surface.
The target acquisition radar screen was completely red. He could already see dozens of Tier 9 Zombies, along with even more 9th-tier monsters he'd never encountered before.
With such a massive zombie eruption, every train in the Zombie Basin, without exception, would be annihilated!
The vertical tunnel leading deep underground was lined with thick steel plates on both sides, laid down by the zombies as they built their human ladders.
Those steel plates could block the target acquisition radar's detection.
But they couldn't block him. His target acquisition radar was a Tier 20, far too powerful for the steel plates to shield against.
He had to escape!
Chen Mang quickly made up his mind. There was no going back to the Sha River Plains. He had to upgrade his train to Tier 9 immediately and flee to a High-level Blue Zone. He glanced at the upgrade requirements for his Tier 8 Train.
Upgrade Requirements: All train components must be fully crafted and 100,000 units of Tier 2 Iron Ore must be consumed. All accessories within the carriages must be above Tier 160 and possess five Overpowered effects.
Chen Mang met all these conditions perfectly.
The train panel showed 1.9 million units of Iron Ore remaining.
But...
It was clear he had enough resources to upgrade to a Tier 8 Train, but definitely not enough for a Tier 9 Train.
No.
He quickly rejected the idea. Tier 10 was a major hurdle. Rushing into a high-level zone without being fully prepared would only lead to disaster, even if he made it there.
If he could upgrade the train's armor to Tier 9, he might survive this crisis.
"..."
Chen Mang's expression darkened as he looked at the "Steel Car Armor" accessory. The Stellaris had 15 carriages and 1 locomotive. Upgrading the armor on each carriage from Tier 8 to Tier 9 cost 500,000 units of Iron Ore.
That meant he needed a total of 8 million units.
He was short by a full 6 million.
This gap couldn't be filled in a single day. Unless they could find a Tier 4 Iron Ore deposit and everyone worked together around the clock, they might extract 6 million units of iron ore in 24 hours.
But Tier 4 Iron Ore deposits were hardly easy to come by.
His train's armor was already among the highest-rated of all trains. Upgrading defensive components was incredibly resource-intensive. The Tier 8 Trains he'd encountered previously only had Tier 7 energy shields, and many Tier 9 Trains still only had Tier 8 or Tier 7 energy shields.
"..."
Chen Mang steered the train out of the ground. He closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and gradually relaxed his facial muscles, striving to maintain a calm state of mind. He began to meticulously analyze every aspect of the train's capabilities.
A minute later, he opened his eyes and gazed out at the howling wind.
He lit a cigarette.
The smoke lingered at the top of the train, refusing to dissipate.
He'd found a solution.
First, he would announce the news. The Zombie Basin was teeming with Tier 9 Trains, most of which were high-attack, low-defense models. While these trains lacked Tier 9 Armor, they were capable of killing Tier 9 Zombies.
He, too, was capable of killing Tier 9 Zombies.
But he didn't have enough copper ore.
He decided to gather all the trains together. The trains with the ability to kill Tier 9 Zombies would take the majority of the copper ore from the other trains. They would be responsible for clearing the Tier 9 Zombies. The remaining Tier 8 and Tier 7 Zombies would be dealt with by everyone working together. Even if the lower-Tier zombies were numerous, they could only trap the trains in place, unable to breach their defenses.
This was the most ideal scenario.
Under this plan, most of the trains could survive.
The second option was a last resort. If no one listened to him, he would focus on accumulating 8 million units of iron ore during the crisis. The fastest way to achieve this was, of course, to plunder other trains.
As long as he plundered enough iron ore resources to reach 8 million units, he didn't care whether the other trains survived. He was certain he could survive this crisis.
After a moment's thought, he steered his train away from the area and began speeding back the way he had come. He headed towards the Tier 2 Iron Ore mine he had encountered earlier. Though it was only a Tier 2 mine, in the current situation, he couldn't afford to be picky. Every bit of ore he could mine was valuable.
He also sent a pinned message over the train radio:
[Stellaris]: I've detected the largest zombie horde in history about to erupt from Zombie Basin. Within a day, countless zombies will spew forth from the basin's central area like a volcanic eruption.
The zombie count could reach hundreds of thousands, even nearly a million. Precise figures are unavailable, but dozens of Tier 9 Zombies have already been detected.
This is a catastrophe that will affect every train.
Only by uniting can we hope to survive this disaster.
I urge all Tier 9 Trains to respond.
I possess the ability to kill Tier 9 Zombies.
If we eliminate all Tier 9 Zombies, the remaining zombies, though numerous, won't pose a significant threat to the surviving trains. However, I lack sufficient copper ore, and neither do the other Tier 9 Trains.
I request that all trains quickly gather and transfer their copper ore to those of us capable of killing Tier 9 Zombies.
We will take the lead.
"..."
After sending this message, Chen Mang sighed. It was all too idealistic. First of all, he'd have a hard time proving the "zombie outbreak" had even happened. The other trains' Radars couldn't detect zombies at all.
Unless he was willing to open the locomotive cabin door and let every train's conductor come in to see the screen of his target acquisition Radar.
But aside from whether he was willing to do that...
Even if he were, no train conductor would be willing to leave their own train and go to another's. That would be like handing over their life completely.
And by the time people realized it was true, it would be too late. There wouldn't be time to gather all the trains together for discussion.
As expected, as soon as he sent the message—pinned at the top because the Stellaris had the most overpowered effects and was fairly well-known—many people noticed it.
But...
Most responses were skeptical or confused.
Tier 8 Mechanical Train, Good Cat: "Dude, you might want to rephrase that. Say you'll hold the copper ore for us and pay us high daily interest. That might actually tempt people. As it is, you're offering nothing—just trying to freeload."
Tier 7 Mechanical Train, Purple Aster: "Brother, illegal fundraising is against the law. Oh, it's the apocalypse? Never mind. Just ask around and see if anyone's willing to give you their ore."
9th-Tier Flesh Train, Godslayer: "If only that were true. We'd be eating like kings."
Tier 7 Mechanical Train, Nepal: "Seriously, Brother? Don't scare me like that. I just arrived in this zone. With so many 9th-tier zombies, a Tier 7 train like mine is doomed!"
Tier 8 Mechanical Train, Tiger Descending the Mountain: "I don't think this brother is lying. After all, the deadline is only one day. If it's a scam, his reputation will be ruined forever. Who would ever buy anything from him again? He wouldn't risk his reputation for a bit of copper ore. That's what logic tells me. But my gut tells me I hope he's lying."
9th-Tier Mechanical Train, No. 1: "Stellaris, send me your coordinates. If what you're saying is true, you should have the courage to meet me and discuss it in person."
Tier 8 Mechanical Train, SpongeBob: "I believe this brother, but... copper ore is hard to mine. Even if this is true, you should be offering something in exchange. Why should we just give it to you for free? Our copper ore didn't fall from the sky."
Chen Mang had already stopped the train beside the Tier 2 Iron Ore they had encountered earlier. All the residents had disembarked and begun mining. Normally, after a full day's work, it would be time for them to rest, but clearly, that was no longer an option.
He glanced at the train radio.
It was in chaos.
Every emotion imaginable was on display.
There were doubts, fear, confusion, helplessness, and a few mocking voices.
After a moment of silence, he finally transmitted a set of coordinates over the train radio.
"Urgent! Zombie Basin: There are eleven Tier 9 Trains. I need all eleven train conductors to converge at these coordinates as quickly as possible. Time is running out."
He then turned his gaze to an accessory within the train.
Space Stasis
The Stellaris's only purple-grade accessory, and the only one craftable upon reaching Tier 7, he had only crafted it, not upgraded it. Its effect was to freeze all living beings within the train for half an hour, excluding the train conductor.
Monsters, livestock, outsiders—all would be immobilized.
In other words, every Tier 7 and higher train possessed this accessory. Under its deterrent effect, no one would dare board another train. However, he could project the target acquisition radar's information onto a screen.
The coordinates he provided led to the heart of Zombie Basin.
Without Tier 9 Armor, he wasn't eager to confront these Tier 9 Trains directly, at least not until they had a clear understanding. If they harbored ulterior motives, he could be in serious trouble.
The train's special skill, Absolute Defense, had a cooldown of ten days and was still active, with nearly three days remaining.
Perhaps these Tier 9 Trains had experienced more.
Or perhaps they were simply more timid.
Chen Mang saw that nearly half of the Tier 9 Trains had responded on the train radio. For safety, none of them were approaching the coordinates directly. Instead, they were spreading out around the perimeter, leaving each other room to react and sending their most trusted subordinates to negotiate.
In reality, if Chen Mang's train were a Tier 7 Train, they could have simply communicated directly within the Combat Training Virtual Space.
Two hours later, several Tier 9 Trains announced their arrival at the coordinates.
Chen Mang had already ordered all residents back into the train and resumed their journey toward the coordinates. They stopped 15,000 meters away, and Xiao Ai dismounted alone, preparing to meet the others.
As long as Xiao Ai remained within the target acquisition radar's range, he could maintain contact with the robot.
Sending anyone else would be too dangerous; they might never return.
Xiao Ai was the best choice.
Even if something went wrong, only a robot would be damaged. Xiao Ai's true form would remain unharmed.
Buzz!
With the roar of the engine, Xiao Ai sped towards the coordinates on his off-road motorcycle.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the target acquisition radar. Two Tier 9 Trains were within range. He carefully examined their accessory information and, as expected, their weapon accessories were top-tier.
One train even had Purple-grade weapons. It had upgraded all three of its "Doomsday Cannons" to Tier 10, requiring six Murphy Stones.
The "Doomsday Cannon" was a Blue-grade accessory, normally capped at Tier 8. Upgrading it to Tier 10 granted two overpowered effects that halved its consumption. A Tier 10 Doomsday Cannon was currently the most effective accessory available.
It had sufficient firepower and minimal consumption—provided it was Tier 10. At Tier 8, it would be slightly less impressive.
Both Tier 9 Trains had Tier 8 "Zaibatsu Energy Shields."
Meanwhile, the train radio remained a chaotic mess. Many people were starting to believe Chen Mang's words, especially after seeing numerous Tier 9 Trains respond. Two main voices emerged.
The first was pure fear, a release of emotions with no clear plan.
The second voice argued that while they could hand over the copper ore, it shouldn't be given for free. They demanded an exchange of other resources. Furthermore, they insisted that the supplies dropped by slain zombies should be divided equally among everyone. It was unacceptable for the Stellaris to take all the copper ore and hoard all the valuable loot.
When Xiao Ai arrived at the coordinates on his off-road motorcycle, six men were already standing there. Each man wore different clothing, representing different trains.
Without wasting a word, Xiao Ai stopped his motorcycle and pulled out a screen from his pocket. It displayed a recording of the target acquisition radar screen: "You can't detect them because your target acquisition radars aren't high enough Tier."
"The video is right here."
"There's no doubt about this."
"The Stellaris's proposal is that we all cooperate, gather all the trains together, and have the low level trains hand over all their copper ore to us. We will handle the Tier 9 Zombies, while the rest of you deal with the remaining zombies."
"Otherwise, we're all doomed."
Xiao Ai spoke decisively. His main consciousness was on the train control panel, allowing for seamless communication with Chen Mang. The words he spoke now were Chen Mang's instructions.
(End of the Chapter)
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