Translator: AnubisTL
More and more trains appeared within the range of the target acquisition radar.
The first few trains stopped about 1,000 meters from the Stellaris, a safe distance. They didn't approach further, but remained stationary, as if waiting for something.
As the number of trains increased, the Stellaris was completely surrounded.
About a dozen trains had parked around the Stellaris, each spaced apart. Occasionally, familiar trains parked together.
"Is this even allowed?"
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang paid no attention to the surrounding trains. According to the target acquisition radar information on his train panel, none of them posed a threat. The most powerful weapon among them was a Tier 12 Comet Main Cannon—still not enough to break through his defenses!
He was equipped with Tier 12 armor!
Many of the trains even had Zaibatsu Energy Shields, clearly unable to afford the Star Ring Energy Shield upgrade. This made him pessimistic about the upcoming trade. It seemed everyone was strapped for cash.
Could they even afford his iron ore?
Chen Mang had hoped to sell the Tier 1 Iron Ore for 2 million units.
2 million units for an S-Rank Difficulty Unknown Reward... that's not a bad deal, right?
But now...
It seemed like these people couldn't even scrape together 2 million units. They were all so stingy, so broke. Was the Star Ring Energy Shield really that expensive?
"Xiao Ai."
"Yes."
"Calculate the cost of upgrading the Star Ring Energy Shield from Tier 1 to Tier 12 for a 10-carriage train."
"320 million units of Iron Ore."
"Never mind."
Chen Mang silently lit a cigarette, turning his head to gaze out the window at the trains parked in the distance, watching. This was the second time he'd seen this unit, and the number still shocked him.
320 million...
And that was just for a 10-carriage train. For a 20-carriage train, it would cost 600 million.
He finally understood why these trains had become so short and compact. Many had only four or five carriages, and even those with more than 12 were rare.
In other words...
If he only had a locomotive, upgrading the Star Ring Energy Shield to Tier 12 would cost 32 million units.
That was equivalent to mining four Tier 4 Iron Ore mines.
This price is far more expensive than the armor on his own "Travel Frog"!
Back then, he had used Murphy Stones to upgrade the "Travel Frog" to Tier 9 Armor in one go, costing him only a few million units of iron ore. Even upgrading to Tier 12 would likely have cost less than a thousand or just over a thousand units.
After all, Tier 10 armor had an overpowered effect, and the upgrade cost was halved.
Upgrading the Stellaris's armor from Tier 10 to Tier 12 cost him around 20 million units.
No wonder he hadn't seen a single Tier 12 "Star Ring Energy Shield" at a glance. In fact, there were few trains even using "Star Ring Energy Shields" at all. Many were still using "Zaibatsu Energy Shields."
Some trains hadn't even fully upgraded their "Zaibatsu Energy Shields, with some still at Tier 7.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang suddenly let out a soft sigh. He didn't often interact with other trains, and he truly hadn't realized how difficult their lives were. He had always felt that upgrading his defensive components already consumed a vast amount of resources, often leaving him breathless.
He hadn't expected...
Other trains to survive in such conditions. It was truly remarkable!
Especially that Tier 7 Zaibatsu Energy Shield... he truly couldn't fathom how the other train had survived in Crisis Valley. If he only had Tier 7 Armor, he wouldn't even want to go to the Zombie Basin, let alone Crisis Valley.
He'd always believed that defensive components should match the Regional Restriction Level.
Whatever the highest-Tier monsters that could appear in a zone, that's the Tier of defensive components you should have to feel truly safe.
But others didn't seem to share his view.
He'd noticed many trains were equipped with numerous acceleration accessories. Clearly, their thinking was, "As long as we can outrun them, it doesn't matter if we can fight them."
That strategy worked fine in normal circumstances.
But if they encountered a regional crisis like the Zombie Volcano, those trains would be wiped out entirely. There'd be nowhere to run. Oh, Crisis Valley still had escape routes—the Blue Zones offered a decent amount of maneuverability.
Most of the trains outside had undergone Train Expansion.
Train Expansion was far cheaper than upgrading an energy shield.
With Train Expansion, a single carriage could theoretically accommodate more accessories. That meant fewer carriages were needed to build an energy shield, making it a more cost-effective solution.
Slaves and production lines could naturally be stored within the space gate.
However, some accessories that needed to be embedded in the train required it to be large enough or have enough carriages.
"..."
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang patiently continued to wait. Not enough trains had arrived yet, and the protagonist hadn't even appeared. He glanced at the train's screen, and for some reason, after entering the Blue Zone, all the leaderboards vanished.
The Power Value Ranking, the Overpowered Effect Count Ranking, and everything else was gone.
It felt as if...
everything had become more real.
"Fifteen carriages, no expansion. This guy's a complete newbie."
Inside the Tier 12 Mechanical Train Iron Dragon, a middle-aged man stood in the locomotive cabin, using a telescope to carefully observe the configuration of the nearby Stellaris train. He sighed in exasperation. "What a waste of a trip!"
He had been extremely excited about the Stellaris train.
With its remote trading capabilities and the ability to pin messages on the train radio, its owner's tone had seemed quite assertive.
The train radio announcements also identified it as an S-Class Potential Train.
He had been convinced Stellaris must have something special.
Not just an ordinary person.
He didn't even need the Tier 1 Iron Ore; he had already completed that Serendipity Quest long ago. He had only come to take a look out of curiosity. But...
Fifteen carriages.
How many materials would it take to upgrade that energy shield? It would bankrupt three Tier 12 trains without a problem.
Why are there so few flesh trains in this zone?
Because there are so few monsters here. Those flesh train guys are practically starving. They all ran off to other zones long ago.
"Huh?"
Just then—
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly. He noticed a mechanical train, entirely crimson, slowly approaching in the distance. He recognized it: Lord Shen's train!
A notorious train in Crisis Valley.
Rumor had it that it started out in the low-level regions, pulling petty scams and cons at gatherings. After being chased out, it stumbled into Crisis Valley and, through sheer dumb luck, managed to establish itself.
Now, it had even reached Tier 12, boasting a Tier 10 Star Ring Energy Shield.
In Crisis Valley, it was among the top-tier trains.
Lord Shen's train was the only one in Crisis Valley that was entirely crimson. Customizing carriage colors was a feature available to Tier 2 trains, and they could even have their train's name printed on the carriages. However, few bothered to do so.
First, they didn't want to waste resources on something completely pointless.
Second, it was a bit too flashy and ostentatious.
"Hmph."
The middle-aged man snorted coldly. This train had a terrible reputation in Crisis Valley, but its strength and speed made it untouchable. It was likely here with ill intentions, but...
Lord Shen's eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing within them. He quickly sent private messages through the train radio to his trusted contacts.
In Crisis Valley.
Lord Shen wasn't the only formidable presence here. This train, usually arrogant due to its unmatched speed, had grown accustomed to being untouchable. Now that they were here, if they could form a complete encirclement, they might finally eliminate their target today.
Meanwhile—
On the wasteland.
Over twenty trains had surrounded the Stellaris.
Sitting in the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang silently scanned the accessory information of each train. He realized he should have been more proactive in exchanging information with other trains; his knowledge was woefully limited.
If necessary, I'll build a dedicated Information Train.
Its sole purpose will be to scout out the capabilities of other trains.
He had always believed he wasn't particularly strong.
But...
After comparing his train to the others, he realized he was ridiculously overpowered. To put it bluntly, if he had just a little more copper ore, he felt he could single-handedly take on every train in Crisis Valley.
One against many.
Just then, a private message crackled through the train radio.
"Brother, I'm here. Where's the Tier 1 Iron Ore? I don't see it. Are you playing games with Lord Shen?"
Immediately, the train control panel began flashing red, accompanied by a warning alarm.
"Detecting incoming rapid-fire attack. Estimated arrival in two seconds."
"Attack intensity: Tier 10."
"Recommended response: Ignore."
The next moment!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of shells erupted from the cannon atop the crimson train in the distance, instantly engulfing the Stellaris in a sea of smoke and flames.
In an instant, every train conductor in the surrounding trains froze in stunned disbelief.
When the Stellaris announced its claim to three Tier 1 Iron Ore mines and broadcast its coordinates, everyone knew the truth: a Tier 10 Mechanical Train had no right to sell those mines.
The quickest and easiest solution was to seize them by force.
But no one wanted to be the first to strike. After all, if the Stellaris dared to put itself up for sale, it clearly wasn't a fool. It must have some hidden strength to back up its claim.
Especially since it had broadcast its coordinates on the public channel, which hardly seemed like the move of someone lacking confidence.
Though they had arrived early, they had all been waiting.
Waiting for a first mover.
And here it came.
And this bird was a big one: Lord Shen, a Tier 12 Mechanical Train with formidable power.
The first probing attack was a Tier 10 Doomsday Machine Gun barrage, which was perfectly normal. Just as they were preparing to see whether the Stellaris would retaliate, deploy a Tier 10 energy shield, or unleash some unique "Train Special Skill,"
The battle ended.
Nothing remained.
The Stellaris sat there like a sleeping giant, motionless as flames consumed it.
"Huh?"
Lord Shen, seated in the locomotive cabin, stared at the scene before him, slightly bewildered. He had been about to press a button, but he hesitated. The energy shield should have automatically activated upon detecting the attack.
Where was their energy shield?
Why hadn't it even activated?
He had only intended to test them, but had been instantly defeated?
He had prepared for a counterattack, but they had simply fizzled out.
Just then—
The flames and smoke gradually cleared, revealing the Stellaris once more, standing exactly where it had been, completely unscathed. It looked as if it hadn't even been attacked.
The previously calm train radio suddenly erupted with messages.
Train conductors from nearby trains began frantically expressing their confusion and bewilderment. What was going on?
"Tier 10 Armor?"
Inside the Iron Dragon train, the middle-aged man gazed thoughtfully at the undamaged Stellaris. He had noticed the armor looked different from his own, but hadn't given it much thought. Now, it seemed likely that the entire train was clad in Tier 10 armor.
This... must have cost a fortune in murphy stones.
Wouldn't it be better to use the murphy stone to upgrade the Doomsday Cannon?
But to be fair, Tier 10 Armor does give you a seat at the table.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang, sitting in the Stellaris's locomotive cabin, sighed wearily. His initial plan was to intimidate everyone and secure absolute control over the trade, but he hadn't anticipated his opponents being so weak.
He was tempted to pay out of his own pocket to upgrade their target acquisition radars.
Please, just look at my accessory tiers! Why can't you even see the accessory tiers of other trains?
Without further delay, he decided to cut to the chase.
A Tier 12 Mechanical Train isn't too bad. Let's wrap this up and get to the trade. I need Train Expansion!
The next moment—
Buzz... buzz... buzz...
A deafening roar erupted from Carriage 14 of the Stellaris. Flames burst forth, and a missile shot into the sky!
"It's a missile!"
Train conductors in nearby trains paled, scrambling to flee in the opposite direction of Lord Shen to avoid being caught in the blast. Only Lord Shen stood frozen in place, utterly bewildered. He'd almost forgotten why he'd come in the first place. Everything about this encounter was so Eerie.
His train's screen displayed:
Attack Intensity: Tier 1
Tier 1?
Are you sure the screen isn't broken and missing a zero?
But then—
A clear male voice boomed from the Stellaris's external speaker. For some reason, the Audio System on this thing was exceptionally loud; even from this distance, and while still inside the locomotive cabin, they could hear every word distinctly.
"Greetings, everyone. Let me introduce myself."
"My name is Chen Mang, the train conductor of the Stellaris. I'm the one who invited you all here for this trade."
"Friends arrive with fine wine; jackals arrive with hunting rifles."
"To ensure our trade goes smoothly later, I'll first clear away some of the clowns."
In the next instant—
Everyone finally saw the missile's trajectory.
Instead of striking Lord Shen's train, the missile arced through the air in an eerie, twisting path, spinning rapidly in place until it formed a massive character composed of black smoke:
「莽」—Mang.
(End of the Chapter)
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