Translator: AnubisTL
"Lord Mang really saw a dragon, and he killed more than one for sure!"
"Do dragons really exist in this world?"
"Wait, Lord Mang killed dragons before the apocalypse... so is he a... cultivator now?"
"The script's gotten a little off, hasn't it?"
Biaozi took several deep breaths to calm himself as much as possible before leading his team toward Guard Car No. 7. "Let me sort this out... my head's still spinning."
The Third Squad Captain and Zhang Damei, standing nearby, were even more bewildered. After a long moment of stunned silence, they too led their teams back to their own carriages.
"Superpower or Immortal Cultivation?"
Biaozi shook his head and looked at everyone in the carriage. "I don't know. Lord Mang didn't go into detail, but one thing's certain: before the apocalypse, there were these extraordinary individuals hidden somewhere in the world, though we were never aware of them."
"And their numbers must have been extremely small."
"Lord Mang is one of the best among them!"
"Hoo..."
Old Pig exhaled deeply, nodding in agreement. "That explains everything. I was the first to follow Lord Mang. The first time I saw him, I sensed an incredibly strong conviction and aura about him."
"It's that kind of unwavering conviction to achieve something."
"Many people doubt themselves when pursuing an uncertain outcome. They need external validation or small victories to keep going."
"But a small minority doesn't need external affirmation. Even without initial results, they firmly believe their endeavor will succeed."
"That's conviction."
"Lord Mang possesses a strong conviction."
"I was pondering something at the time: Why would someone like Lord Mang, who clearly isn't an ordinary mortal due to his strong conviction, end up as a slave a year after the apocalypse? And not even a former train conductor? Through my conversations with Lord Mang, it was clear he truly knew nothing about trains."
"So..."
"Where was Lord Mang during the year after the apocalypse began? What was his position? What was he doing?"
"Lord Mang never told us."
"But now, everything makes sense. When the apocalypse struck, Lord Mang was in seclusion. When he emerged, he discovered the world had ended. It's highly likely the apocalypse disrupted his seclusion, causing his cultivation to decline."
"His cultivation has been gradually recovering these past few days."
"It had to be you, Old Pig," Biaozi said with admiration, looking at Old Pig. "Your reasoning skills have always been so sharp. When you put it that way, it all makes perfect sense. This makes me even more confident about the Stellaris's future. After all, with a train conductor who's killed a dragon, we shouldn't fear even if we encounter another one, right?"
"Indeed."
Old Pig sighed with emotion. "We're truly fortunate to have met Lord Mang during the apocalypse. Alright, let's keep this matter confidential. For now, let's not spread the news that Lord Mang is a cultivator."
"Understood."
"You all go ahead and get busy. I need to hurry back and record this scene in the 'History of Train Development.' It's crucial!"
However—
The scene they had just witnessed had already been broadcast across every corner of the train via the screens. Everyone inside the train was frozen in place, as if under a paralysis spell, staring blankly at the now-darkened screens.
Their minds replayed the scene over and over.
Rolling Thunder, Ten Thousand Swords Unleashed.
No...
If Lord Mang had used the cannon to mow down the zombie horde just now, they would have been thrilled. Each zombie killed meant greater safety on the train. But instead, Lord Mang had raised his cane and unleashed the ancestral return of myriad sword technique, instantly obliterating the horde!
"Big brother," the man who had once been on the Azure dragon Train asked, his gaze still fixed on the now-dark screen, "has Lord Mang always been like this?"
The middle-aged man, equally stunned, took a deep breath before nodding resolutely. "Yes, exactly like this! We once encountered an even more formidable monster. Lord Mang annihilated it with a single technique back then."
"Don't believe me? Ask anyone else!"
The man instinctively turned to the elderly resident beside him, who nodded solemnly. "It's true."
"No wonder the Stellaris developed so quickly," someone murmured.
"So cool," Yan Yao breathed, her legs crossed as she sat by the window, her long, snow-white thighs bare in the air. Her gaze drifted over the bloody remains of the zombies outside, and the image of that moment replayed in her mind.
So cool.
She had seen many handsome men.
There were the handsome celebrities, the muscular fitness influencers, and the wealthy businessmen. Each man possessed his own unique brand of masculine charm, whether through looks, demeanor, eloquence, or wealth.
But...
All those so-called masculine charms paled in comparison to what they had just witnessed.
There was no comparison—they weren't even in the same league.
It was the absolute control and unwavering self-confidence born from his immense power that radiated an aura of absolute security. In that moment, she felt that even if she were to die following Lord Mang through the apocalypse, she would die later than if she followed anyone else.
In that instant, she suddenly wanted to knock on the locomotive cabin door and melt into Lord Mang's embrace.
But he had explicitly forbidden them from seeking him out.
"He is rather handsome, isn't he?" Ji Chuchu finally snapped out of her daze and smiled wryly, raising her bowl of millet porridge. "A man this handsome and capable—how did he stay completely hidden before the apocalypse?"
Then she turned to Xiao Fang, who was sitting on the bed behind her, and smiled.
"Thank you, Xiao Fang."
"The millet porridge is delicious."
"You're welcome."
Xiao Fang blushed slightly and whispered, "I'm just returning a favor. Lord Mang gave it to me, and I couldn't finish it all myself."
"But Lord Mang's move just now... it was so cool!"
Unbeknownst to the others, Chen Mang was sitting in the locomotive cabin, constantly switching between the images transmitted by the Mechanical Eyes from various parts of the train. Listening to everyone's discussion of the recent events, he couldn't help but grin with satisfaction.
It really was cool.
He glanced at the screen, replaying the scene recorded by the Mechanical Eyes.
"Hey, tell Old Pig that dry, paper textbooks are boring. Explaining things with supplementary videos makes it much more intuitive."
"Understood."
With the Weather Control Device and the powerful magnet accessories, as long as he held the cane and stood within 10,000 meters of the train, he was an absolute Magneto, a sword immortal!
Beyond 10,000 meters, it wouldn't work.
Only within that range could the cane remotely control the train.
And that wasn't even at full power.
He had used a Tier 50 car blade fragment just now, but his "Vehicle Blade" was already Tier 100. In a few days, he'd build a regular carriage, dismantle some of its car blade fragments, and unleash even greater power.
But not now.
Everyone was still immersed in the emotional aftermath of the battle. Pulling off such a display at this moment would disrupt the atmosphere and damage his image.
That single move had consumed 96% of his energy.
The Tier 3 energy stone in the generator, which had been nearly full, was completely drained. But it didn't matter. He had already crafted a Tier 4 Energy Stone and handed it to Xiao Ai to insert into the generator.
A Tier 3 energy stone only cost 50,000 units of iron ore.
Now that he had an abundance of iron ore, he had to use Tier 4 energy stones. Tier 3 energy stones were beneath his notice.
Theoretically speaking...
If he could eventually upgrade his "Vehicle Blade" to Tier 1000, and his "Powerful Magnet" to Tier 1000, and then equip it with an Tier 8 or 9 energy stone...
He would become an Immortal Emperor!
A Doomsday Immortal Emperor!
With a single "Ten Thousand Swords Unleashed" strike, not a blade of grass would remain standing!
To be honest, this method of killing enemies is quite energy-intensive. It's far less efficient than the Doomsday Cannon or sending out guards. It works well against low-Tier monsters, but against higher-Tier ones, even showering them with car blade fragments is unlikely to inflict a fatal wound, especially on larger creatures.
But it looks so cool!
A man's life is like this:
When he's poor, being frugal and enduring hardship for his grand ambitions is perfectly normal—that's what makes him a true man!
But once he's rich, continuing to pinch pennies on himself? That's just pathetic.
"Not bad," Chen Mang said, a satisfied expression on his face. He was right to upgrade all those seemingly insignificant accessories. You never know whether their overpowered effects will be game-breaking or useless until you've upgraded them all.
Moreover...
Feeling the connection with the powerful magnet, he had secretly experimented earlier. This powerful magnet wasn't just for this purpose; with enough energy consumption, it could launch an enemy train directly into the air and then slam it back down!
Though the Permanent Shock Absorber and Spatial Stabilizer accessories would minimize the risk of death from the fall.
But he was just too handsome!
And he'd tested it: he could control bullets, but only those made from copper ore. He couldn't control energy-stone-powered weapons like the Giant Wave Gatling.
Those were energy weapons.
He needed a certain distance and enough reaction time. If someone fired a bullet right at his head, he wouldn't be able to react at all—his reflexes weren't that fast yet.
Still, it was a decent self-defense tactic.
Good.
Chen Mang turned his attention back to the control panel screen, where the remaining unupgraded accessories were displayed.
He still had 13.4875 million units of iron ore left.
Time to upgrade!
He upgraded the two most important accessories: the Resource Detection Radar and the Target Acquisition Radar.
He upgraded them directly from Tier 20 to Tier 100 in one go, consuming a total of 4.8 million units of iron ore. Although these accessories were Green-grade, they cost more to upgrade than other Green-grade accessories—though still nothing compared to armor.
He'd never seen a Green-grade accessory that cost more to upgrade than armor.
He immediately gained four overpowered effects!
And their detection range increased from 20,000 meters to 100,000 meters.
Tier 50 Overpowered Effect for Resource Detection Radar: None.
Tier 100 Overpowered Effect for Resource Detection Radar: None.
Tier 50 Overpowered Effect for Target Acquisition Radar: Can more accurately lock onto enemies with high movement speed.
Tier 100 Overpowered Effect for Target Acquisition Radar: None.
Excellent.
After upgrading the radar, the train remained on the surface, never venturing deep underground. Yet the radar displayed the "Train Tunnel" at a depth of 30,000 meters, and its detection range would only grow further.
Moreover, he had detected another "Train Tunnel" at a depth of 70,000 meters.
"Another one?"
Chen Mang was momentarily stunned. Who else could possibly find something so deep underground?
At the Tier 3 Drill's speed, how long would it take to drill down 70,000 meters?
He decided to investigate. Without further upgrades, he immediately switched the train's drill and plunged straight down into the depths of the earth!
He suddenly realized that everything seemed to have fallen into a virtuous cycle.
Higher accessory tiers led to more discovered opportunities, which in turn led to higher accessory tiers. Higher accessory tiers meant more discovered opportunities.
A perfect positive feedback loop.
Just then—
Xiao Ai's voice suddenly echoed from the locomotive cabin: "Train Conductor, the Cosmic Receiver we brought from the laboratory is fully calibrated and ready to activate at any moment."
"Excellent."
Chen Mang smiled and nodded. "I'll be there shortly."
What's going on lately? he wondered. Are good things happening too often? He'd been worried in the Zombie Basin that he'd used up all his good luck, that he'd somehow overdrawn his fortune. After arriving in Crisis Valley, it had been nothing but danger.
But now it seemed...
Crisis Valley was living up to its name. He hadn't felt any real sense of crisis at all.
The train plunged deeper.
Only then did Chen Mang notice for the first time that as the train descended further underground, its speed was gradually slowing. He nodded thoughtfully. It seemed he no longer needed to worry about anyone discovering the Train Tunnel at 30,000 meters.
That place would remain his secret base.
The deeper they went, the harder the ground became. The Tier 3 Drill seemed to struggle to penetrate such depths.
As for the 70,000-meter Train Tunnel, it was even more impossible for anyone to discover.
Half an hour later, the Stellaris finally reached the Train Tunnel located 70,000 meters below the surface. Its Tier 100 drill violently pressed against the tunnel's outer shell and began to spin rapidly.
What nonsense about not being allowed in! Chen Mang thought. If my drill can break through it, then I can go in!
A minute later, the tunnel was successfully breached. The Stellaris smoothly entered and floated in mid-air before slowly descending to the ground. This Train Tunnel was similar to the one at 30,000 meters, but smaller.
The upper tunnel was nearly a hundred meters wide and high, large enough for a skyscraper to run through—if skyscrapers could run.
This Train Tunnel, however, was only ten meters high and five meters wide, making it quite compact.
Moreover, it didn't even look like a Train Tunnel. There were no lines on the ground, but bright incandescent lights lined both sides of the tunnel.
(End of the Chapter)
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