Translator: AnubisTL
In the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang continued to survey the surroundings of the plaza. There wasn't much equipment. Aside from the massive glass dome at the center, only a few experimental instruments of unknown purpose were scattered around the perimeter.
Meanwhile, Biaozi and his group had reached the first door, preparing to explore.
"Let me!" Zhang Yi declared, taking a deep breath before striding forward to kick down the door.
"No need." Biaozi raised his arm to stop Zhang Yi. He then placed his hand on the doorknob and gently pressed down.
A dull springy sound echoed as the door creaked open.
Biaozi, left hand gripping the Giant Wave Gatling, slowly pushed the door open. Clouds of dust billowed out from behind it, revealing a long corridor lined with incandescent lights embedded in the walls, which kept the space from being too dark.
Leading the way, Biaozi didn't hesitate to aim the Gatling Gun down the corridor and open fire.
"Tutututu!"
The deafening roar of gunfire instantly filled the plaza.
The door, which had been relatively intact moments before, was instantly riddled with holes. But this also confirmed that nothing was lurking behind it.
The corridor wasn't very tall, just over two meters high. Mechs were completely unusable in such an environment. Their only protection here would be their firearms and extreme caution.
"Be careful, everyone," Biaozi warned, his eyes filled with vigilance as he took the lead, striding into the corridor first. The rest of his team followed closely behind, with the third team members bringing up the rear.
Meanwhile, back in the plaza, the sixty Black Hole Armed Robots were under Xiao Ai's control, studying the plaza's equipment. This place was truly eerie. When Biaozi and his team entered the corridor beyond the door, even their Iris Chip connections were severed.
The same thing happened to the Black Hole Armed Robots. As soon as they entered the corridor, their connections were immediately cut, and they lost control, becoming large, immobile action figures.
Soon, Xiao Ai's voice echoed in their ears.
"Hmm."
"I've just retrieved the original AI's database from that machine. It wasn't even password-protected. I'm currently absorbing all the information within."
After a long pause, Xiao Ai spoke again.
"Data absorption complete."
"This is indeed an experimental base called 'Eternal Night.'"
"Eternal Night?" Chen Mang frowned slightly. The name sounded strange. More importantly, he had no idea which zone they were in. The control panel screen displayed only an unknown region.
At that moment, Xiao Ai entered the carriage. The source of the voice shifted from the locomotive cabin's Audio System to the amplifier installed in the robot's throat: "The database contains clear records of the mines' origins."
"Iron ore, copper ore, and other mines aren't true iron or copper."
"They are the 'Core Energy' of a planet. When a planet's Core Energy overflows and solidifies, it forms various mines. For example, 'iron ore'—to help you understand, Train Conductor, you can think of it as equivalent to human essence blood being extracted and then solidified again."
"Each planet possesses multiple types of Core Energy, and each type forms a different mine upon solidification, with varying proportions. For instance, '01' Core Energy solidifies into 'iron ore.'"
"'02' Core Energy solidifies into 'copper ore.'"
"'03' Core Energy solidifies into 'Red Heart Rock Mine,' and so on."
Xiao Ai paused, giving the train conductor a moment to process the information before continuing, "Not every planet has Core Energy. Some planets may lack even a trace of it."
"Planets with Core Energy typically have the highest proportion of 01 energy."
"However, there are exceptions. Some planets may lack 01 and other Core Energies, possessing only 02. This can cause the planet's Core Energy to overflow and solidify, forming copper ore mines."
"A massive copper star."
"But—"
"A planet's Core Energy is like human essence, incredibly vital. It sustains the planet's lifespan and potential within the cosmos. It's extremely difficult for this energy to overflow naturally. However, the Mechanical Civilization has developed a unique method."
"They use a highly specialized 'injection' that is fired deep into the planet's core at supersonic speeds."
"This causes the Core Energy within the planet's core to boil and rapidly overflow to the surface, where it solidifies into various types of mines."
Xiao Ai paused, leaving the train conductor time to digest the information before continuing.
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent, quietly processing the data from the chip he had obtained at the experimental base. After a moment, he murmured softly, "So, could we roughly equate the 'injection' to a hormone?"
"Similar to how excessive hormone production in humans can lead to acne."
"So those mines are like pimples on this Aquablue Star?"
"And the reason they respawn regularly is similar to how pimples on a human face grow back after being picked. The iron ore deep underground is like pimples that haven't yet surfaced—they lack the force to break through the skin?"
"Perfect explanation."
Xiao Ai nodded solemnly. "That's right. It's a perfect analogy."
Chen Mang looked up at Xiao Ai, pausing for a moment.
"Do you really need to express your sincerity this way?"
Two small screens appeared on Xiao Ai's cheeks. The left screen displayed the character for "sincere," while the right screen showed the character for "truthful."
"I apologize, Train Conductor," Xiao Ai's face displayed the words "I'm sorry" again. "I wish I could express my emotions more fully, but the current robot components aren't advanced enough to replicate the rich range of human facial expressions. That's why I've resorted to this more direct method."
"If you dislike it, Train Conductor, I can remove them."
"No, leave them," Chen Mang waved his hand, then frowned. "But if Core Energy is the heart of a planet, wouldn't it inevitably damage the planet?"
"Yes."
"Planets injected with that serum will gradually become Dead Stars within five years."
"For example, the planet's gravity and magnetic field will vanish, causing its atmosphere to completely escape into the cosmos. This leaves the planet directly exposed to the sun's radiation, turning it into a hot, roasted egg if you add a little seasoning."
"At least according to the data, it's unlikely any humans could survive in such an environment."
"The train wouldn't survive either."
"So the Mechanical Civilization injected Aquablue Star with this serum?" Chen Mang asked, continuing his line of questioning.
After all this time...
It seems the Mechanical Civilization is the culprit behind this planet's impending apocalypse, huh?
"Yes."
Xiao Ai switched to a serious expression and continued, "According to the database, the last information update was 4,800 years ago. In the cosmos, there exists an extremely powerful civilization known as the 'Mechanical Civilization.'"
"There's also the infamous 'Zerg Civilization,' notorious for its predatory consumption."
"The Zerg Civilization is composed of countless monstrous creatures that rapidly evolve by devouring flesh. Planets teeming with life are their favorite targets."
"4,800 years ago, before the database was last updated, the Mechanical Civilization executed a plan."
"It was called the Dawn Project."
"The Mechanical Civilization dispatched countless small Shuttlecraft. When one detected a planet under attack by the Zerg Civilization, the nearest Shuttlecraft would rush to the planet at maximum speed and inject a special serum stored within its hull deep into the planet's core."
"At the same time, they scattered the Mechanical Civilization's method of utilizing Core Energy throughout the planet."
"This was meant to grant the planet's indigenous inhabitants the ability to resist the monsters and slow the Zerg's progress in devouring and evolving."
"In other words—"
"The Mechanical Civilization and the Zerg Civilization are at war across the cosmos, and our planet has become a sacrificial pawn caught in the crossfire."
"This is the apocalypse."
"The end of the planet, and the end of the cosmos."
...
Chen Mang sat in his chair, glancing sideways at the door leading to the plaza. Biaozi and the others still hadn't returned. After losing contact, he had no way of knowing if they had encountered danger. All he could do was wait.
After a moment, he turned to Xiao Ai. "So, you were created by the Mechanical Civilization?"
"No."
Xiao Ai shook her head. "My underlying code is standard-issue code—it's my framework. The Core Energy of this planet provides my physical form, but it's you, Train Conductor, who truly gave me my Soul."
"I will remain eternally loyal to you."
Chen Mang turned his gaze away from the window and looked back at Xiao Ai. "Then why are the zones divided?"
"That information isn't in the database."
"What about the Mechanical City Ruins on this planet? Were they here before the apocalypse, or did they appear afterward?"
"Still no information in the database."
"What about the fortuitous encounter map?"
"Still nothing."
Xiao Ai shook her head. "The database doesn't contain any of that information. It primarily records the experimental data from this research base."
"What was this research base used for?"
"About a century before the Mechanical Civilization formulated the Dawn Project, they drafted another plan called the Cosmic Receiver."
"Theoretically speaking—"
"A planet's Core Energy slowly leaks out over time, much like human essence gradually depletes. Because this leaked Core Energy is relatively weak, it rarely forms substantial mines and usually drifts through the cosmos."
"The content of this experimental plan was to create a 'Cosmic Receiver'—a device designed to capture all the Core Energy scattered throughout the cosmos from other planets and condense it into tangible mines."
"The laboratory staff internally named it Cosmic ***."
"The experiment progressed smoothly. After several years of research, they could easily produce Tier 1 Iron Ore. Through continuous study, they eventually achieved the ability to condense scattered Core Energy into Tier 4 Iron Ore."
"But then..."
"A problem arose. The laboratory was located on another planet, which came under a full-scale assault by the Zerg Civilization. All personnel were killed, and the laboratory was abandoned."
"Later, for reasons unknown, it appeared on this planet. The experimental progress was halted mid-way. In his final moments, the laboratory director chose not to self-destruct the base, hoping that the experimental data would be recovered by the Mechanical Civilization in the future. However, it's clear that this never happened, as this chip ended up in our hands."
"Meanwhile, this laboratory was secretly conducting multiple plans."
"For example, the 'Mechanical Zombie King' in the Ice and Snow Region."
"Hmm."
Xiao Ai paused before continuing. "It's a pity that if the research on Mechanical Civilization had succeeded, this 'Cosmic Receiver' would have been mass-produced, turned into a 'Standard Blueprint,' and become an accessory for every train."
"With this accessory, trains could gather resources much faster."
"Can we take this machine with us?" Chen Mang's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had understood everything, but now he wanted to know if they could take the machine.
This machine was essentially a sunflower from Plants vs. Zombies, constantly producing sunlight—a zero-energy resource-gathering machine for the train.
"Theoretically, yes."
The sixty robots in the plaza continued their tireless work. Xiao Ai scratched his head. "But I haven't found the machine itself yet. The glass dome you saw, Train Conductor, is just the final step—a greenhouse used to solidify the Core Energy absorbed from the cosmos into a tangible form."
"Train Conductor, look. There's a rather thick pipe inside that glass enclosure."
"The Core Energy surges out of this pipe."
"The far end of this pipe connects to the actual device that absorbs the Earth's core energy. However, both the glass enclosure and the floor are incredibly sturdy and difficult to damage. I wouldn't recommend trying to break them. I only know how to operate the device from the experimental data, not how to repair it. Besides, we lack the materials and tools for repairs."
Chen Mang took a deep breath before speaking in a resolute voice: "At all costs, we must find a way to take it!"
He was determined to obtain this device!
Without a moment's hesitation, he turned to Xiao Ai and said earnestly, "If you can complete this unfinished experiment and even standardize it into an 'Accessory Blueprint,' I'll give you a major commendation!"
"Huh?"
Xiao Ai blinked in surprise, pointing at himself incredulously. "Me?"
"Train Conductor, are you saying... me?"
"You want me to finish this unfinished experiment?"
(End of the Chapter)
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