Translator: AnubisTL
"What do we do now?"
As the question hung in the air, everyone exchanged glances in silence. After a moment, the middle-aged man who had spoken earlier broke the tense atmosphere.
"What else can we do? Just wait and see."
"Everyone, prepare yourselves. We don't have specific details about this Zombie Volcano. All we know is that there are a lot of zombies. We'll deal with it when it erupts."
In the Zombie Basin, the Stellaris train sped through the night.
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang watched the private messages from several Tier 9 Train Conductors on the train radio and chuckled silently. He wasn't in a hurry. Now, it was up to them to panic.
After all, no one could leave the Zombie Basin.
Let's take our time.
Just then—
A private message from Erdan popped up on the train radio.
"Lord Mang, is this crisis really that serious? I only have 300,000 copper ore. I don't know if it's enough. Send me your coordinates, and I'll deliver it to you."
Chen Mang glanced at Erdan's message, thought for a moment, and replied, "No need to rush. I'll contact you later."
"Alright, just let me know if you need anything. But Lord Mang, wouldn't I be safe flying in the air? Could the monster count really reach the point of covering the entire Zombie Basin?"
Chen Mang considered the vast, almost absurdly large cavern and the many monsters he had never even seen before. He replied, "Prepare for the worst."
The next moment—
The target acquisition radar detected a train—a Tier 6 train—currently mining at a Tier 2 Iron Ore deposit.
Chen Mang frowned slightly. He immediately pushed the control stick to turn the Stellaris's nose toward the Tier 6 train.
As he approached, a piercing horn blared repeatedly, followed by a mandatory private message:
"Stop mining and flee to the Sha River Plains immediately! A major crisis is about to erupt in the Zombie Basin—you won't survive!"
Then, the Stellaris brushed past the Tier 6 train.
Unlike the Sha River Plains, anyone entering the Zombie Basin could join the train radio, even Tier 6 trains. This meant the Tier 6 train had clearly seen the message on the train radio yet still dared to mine here, which was quite bold.
If one were to predict which tier of train would have the highest survival rate in this crisis, it would likely be the Tier 6 trains.
Before upgrading to Tier 7, Tier 6 trains could still return to the Green Zone.
For the next few hours, Chen Mang steered the Stellaris across the wasteland, encountering no Tier 9 trains but discovering a 3rd-tier copper mine.
Although the Stellaris had a decent copper ore reserve, the Zombie Basin was far smaller than the Sha River Plains, making it less likely to encounter other Tier 9 trains. Chen Mang immediately stopped the train beside the 3rd-tier copper mine.
This was the first 3rd-tier copper mine he'd encountered in the Zombie Basin.
Copper ore was far rarer than iron ore.
After each resident downed a bottle of Cola, they grabbed their pickaxes and jumped off the train to continue mining.
Every bit helped.
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang glanced at the resources displayed on the train panel:
"4.341 million units of iron ore, 2.815 million units of copper ore."
He was still short on iron ore to upgrade to Tier 9 Armor. With the Tier 10 Zombie Shield, he had nothing to fear from the zombies, no matter how many there were, unless he was caught in the crossfire. But besides the zombies, the vast cavern was teeming with monsters he'd never even seen before.
And...
He still hadn't figured out the reason for the village's nightly tremors. It wasn't caused by tunnel digging.
Perhaps Zhang Yiren was right: the tremors were caused by the breathing of some terrifying creature.
If so, that monster had remarkable lung capacity, breathing only once a day, each breath lasting an entire day.
Many train conductors couldn't sleep that night.
They had no concrete information about the crisis, relying solely on the Stellaris for updates. Panic, like a plague, spread rapidly.
A crowded commercial street.
If just a few dozen people in front started screaming and fleeing backward, panic would instantly spread through the entire commercial street. All the pedestrians would join the stampede, even those in the rear who had no idea what was happening.
Tier 8 Mechanical Train, Survivalist: "I don't think we need to panic too much. Most people in this zone came from the Sha River Plains and have the 'Drill' accessory. If things get bad, we can just hide underground."
Tier 7 Mechanical Train, Unity No.: "You're only calculating the oxygen generator's consumption. What about food and other daily necessities? My train consumes a fixed 3,800 units of iron ore daily. There's almost no ore underground in the Zombie Basin. How long do you think your iron ore will last underground?"
Tier 8 Mechanical Train, Survivalist: "We can easily hide for a month or two."
Tier 7 Mechanical Train, Unity No.: "And what about after two months?"
Tier 8 Mechanical Train, Survivalist: "We die."
Tier 7 Mechanical Train, Unity No.: "..."
"Drills?"
Chen Mang silently prayed for those planning to hide underground. His own drill accessory was Tier 50, and he would still not be safe below the surface.
The only way to deal with this crisis was to kill every single monster.
Hiding temporarily wouldn't solve the problem permanently.
Would they stop mining? Just hide forever?
The highest-tier drill accessory most others had was Tier 3, allowing them to travel underground at only a few dozen kilometers per hour. He didn't believe those zombies wouldn't be able to burrow through the earth, especially since they had been dug up from underground in the first place.
They were clearly smarter than other zombies, even using steel plates to block Radar signals and move stealthily through tunnels.
Nevertheless, Chen Mang posted a pinned message on the train radio:
"Tier 7 Mechanical Train, Stellaris: Those willing to follow me, contact me privately. Hand over two-thirds of your train's iron ore and copper ore, and I'll send you coordinates. There's a high chance I can protect you through this crisis, at least ensuring the survival of your train conductor and closest confidants. If things get truly dire, you can join my train."
Perhaps it was the departure of the two Tier 9 Trains from the Zombie Basin that had sent the remaining survivors into a panic.
Or perhaps it was because he was the first to discover the Zombie Volcano, known for his integrity in trade and topping the Overpowered Effect Count Ranking.
He received numerous private messages.
The first was from Erdan.
"Why didn't you say so earlier, Brother? Give me a bottle of Cola, and I'll trade you my iron ore and copper ore remotely. My life depends on you protecting me, Big Bro."
Ten minutes later, 14 trains had completed trades with him.
In total, he received 2.8 million units of iron ore and 2.1 million units of copper ore.
The area surrounding the Zombie Basin was high ground, sloping downward toward the center.
He set his coordinates on a high point.
"Reputation and fame are hidden wealth," Chen Mang chuckled, gazing at the resource count on his train panel.
With the 2.8 million units of iron ore now in his possession, his train held a total of 7.14 million units. He could easily gather the remaining iron ore needed to reach his goal, effectively securing his position.
Ten hours later, as the morning sun rose, painting the horizon crimson, Chen Mang stood in the locomotive cabin of the Stellaris.
All residents were recalled to the train, and the Stellaris began its voyage toward the deepest part of the Zombie Basin. He needed to check on the progress of the zombie horde.
In the past ten hours, they had mined another 2.2 million units of copper ore.
With a full complement of 3,000 residents working together, and this being a rare 3rd-tier copper mine, the result was a staggering 2.2 million units of copper ore mined. This was the advantage of having a large population: production efficiency soared.
And this was even with the 1,500 survivors they had just rescued still locked in the refrigerator, unable to work.
More than half of the 3rd-tier copper mine remained unmined.
But he couldn't afford to worry about that now.
His unease grew stronger with each passing moment. He had to see how the zombies were progressing.
The distance wasn't short, but the train's speed was more than sufficient.
In less than an hour, the train successfully reached the deepest part of the Zombie Basin. The target acquisition radar screen clearly showed a dozen trains already gathered there, clearly sent to gather intelligence. Unfortunately, their target acquisition radars weren't up to the task.
Moreover...
Seven or eight trains were moving underground, their high-speed drills carving tunnel after tunnel.
"No!"
Chen Mang's expression suddenly shifted. One of the trains was nearing the point where its tunnel was about to intersect with the tunnel the zombies had dug underground. The train's target acquisition radar couldn't detect the zombies ahead, and it was still blindly drilling forward.
He immediately activated the train radio and sent a private message:
"Stop! Zombies are ahead! Run!"
But it was too late.
The two tunnels had already broken through the final barrier and connected. The train was instantly dragged into the zombie tunnel, engulfed by an endless tide of undead.
In that moment, Chen Mang finally understood why Zhang Yiren had kept the male and female leads apart in the script. Sometimes, meeting wasn't a good thing.
Like now.
The zombie tunnel was far larger than the train's tunnel.
But then—
Boom!
A deafening tremor erupted from the depths of the earth. A torrent of violent, chaotic energy surged from the underground cavern, blasting through the zombie tunnel and into the train's tunnel.
The ground instantly fractured into countless fissures.
Then, a crater roughly twenty meters in diameter appeared on the surface. Powerful, violent gusts of air erupted from the crater, sending hundreds of zombies soaring a hundred meters into the sky.
This was only the beginning.
Scoured by the raging air currents, the crater grew larger with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, its diameter had expanded to dozens of meters, and it continued to widen. More and more zombies were blasted hundreds of meters into the air.
In an instant!
A wave of putrid stench washed over the area, and a cloud of pale yellow dust instantly enveloped the entire sky. Countless zombies, seemingly endless, erupted from the depths below. Not only zombies, but also a variety of monstrous creatures he had never seen before.
Their numbers far exceeded his expectations!
In just a few seconds, nearly ten thousand monsters had already surged forth.
As for the dozen or so trains that had been surveying the surface moments earlier, four of them were swallowed by the expanding crater before they could react, then launched into the sky. Other monsters swarmed the carriages, launching a fierce assault. The remaining trains, paralyzed by terror, scattered in panic in all directions.
The moment cracks appeared in the ground, Chen Mang had already activated the Bunny Cloud wheels, speeding away from the danger zone and flying towards the coordinates he had set. Erdan and a dozen other trains he had taken under his protection were waiting for him there.
"It's already erupted," Chen Mang muttered, his face pale. He leaned out of the sunroof and gazed back at the endless stream of zombies being spewed into the sky. In just a few dozen seconds, the ground was already covered in a dense mass of them.
Among them was a two-meter-long bat—not particularly large, but its wingspan, fully extended, reached six or seven meters. The target acquisition radar showed its Tier as 9.
A 9th-tier Death Bat.
Perhaps because he was flying in the air, the bat hovered in place after erupting from the ground, emitting a piercing shriek before accelerating towards the Stellaris train at an even greater speed! It completely ignored the numerous trains fleeing across the land below, focusing solely on Chen Mang.
"Prepare the cannons," he ordered.
Chen Mang withdrew his body and sat back in his chair, his voice grave.
The ten Doomsday Cannons mounted on the carriage roof began to rotate slowly, awaiting the moment the 9th-tier Death Bat entered their target acquisition radar range. Once locked on, they would open fire!
The 9th-tier Death Bat was incredibly fast, even surpassing the Stellaris, which used Bunny Cloud Wheels. It was closing in at breakneck speed.
Lines of information scrolled rapidly across the radar screen:
Out of range. Unable to lock on. 9000 meters remaining.
Out of range. Unable to lock on. 5000 meters remaining.
Out of range.
Just then—
The Death Bat, which had been relentlessly pursuing them, suddenly emitted a piercing shriek. Its wings flapped violently, and thirty or forty Juvenile Bats erupted from its embrace, hurtling toward the Stellaris at an even greater speed!
Each of these Juvenile Bats was a 9th-tier monster!
In an instant, nearly forty 9th-tier monsters locked their targets onto the Stellaris train.
"..."
Chen Mang's expression darkened slightly as he stared at the control panel screen. The target acquisition radar clearly displayed the monsters' Tier and their abilities. These Juvenile Bats were one of the 9th-tier Death Bat's methods.
These cubs had only a five-minute lifespan.
After five minutes, they would die.
But within those five minutes, they were genuine 9th-tier monsters.
"Fire!"
By this point, the bats had entered the target acquisition radar's range. Under the AI's control, ten Doomsday Cannons swiftly predicted the Juvenile Bats' trajectories and unleashed a furious roar!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"
One after another, 9th-tier shells formed a long chain of fire in the air, engulfing the Juvenile Bats. Though the bats were incredibly fast, their defenses were notably weak for 9th-tier monsters.
Almost any direct hit from a shell would instantly kill them.
In a flash, hundreds of 9th-tier shells streaked across the sky, leaving trails of fire in their wake.
(End of the Chapter)
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