Translator: AnubisTL
On a wasteland in the Crisis Valley zone, Chen Mang piloted the Stellaris train back to their previous resting spot. As the train came to a halt, the carriages slowly settled onto the ground.
The Magnetic Levitation wheels were purely theoretical.
The carriages simply landed on the ground. The stairs he had just built were temporarily useless; he could step out in a single stride.
It was dusk.
All the residents emerged from the train, buzzing with excitement and anticipation. Lord Mang had announced a feast for tonight, followed by several days of rest and relaxation for everyone, including movies and thrilling entertainment.
"Ouch, ouch..."
Outside the train, a middle-aged man lay on the ground, grimacing as he rubbed his neck. After a month of intense work, his body ached all over. If his physical fitness hadn't been enhanced by the apocalypse, he would have collapsed long ago.
Despite the physical pain, his expression was ecstatic, especially after checking his Resident Panel.
Name: Big Mao
Number: 4998
Train: Train Resident
Position: None
Balance: 2 Stellar Coupons
Benefits: First-Class Resident Status
Advancement Progress: 100%
Mental Power: 11.4
Comprehensive Physical Fitness: 11.7
He used to be on the Azure Dragon Train. He joined the Stellaris Train less than two months ago and had already successfully advanced to First-Class Resident Status and earned two Stellar Coupons.
Though his whole body ached from exhaustion, his heart was filled with joy.
He kept checking his Resident Panel on his Iris Chip over and over. Nothing ever changed, but he just wanted to look. It felt as though all his hard work these past few days had been materialized into data.
The feedback was immediate.
Most other residents were in the same state: grimacing in pain, yet beaming with smiles. The Azure Dragon group was especially ecstatic. Nearly all of them were on the verge of advancing to First-Class Resident Status and would soon start earning Stellar Coupons themselves.
Including the 1,200 slaves who had originally belonged to Master Shen, everyone had completely integrated into the Stellaris within the past month. Influenced by the atmosphere, mining had become quite energetic.
If one person were forced to eat shit, they would refuse.
But if hundreds of people were fighting over a single bite, that person would surely join the scramble to taste its saltiness.
Humans are creatures easily swayed by their environment and the atmosphere.
Under specific circumstances, they often perform actions that defy logic.
Solitude is the only guarantee of absolute rationality.
"The Sunset is so beautiful," a middle-aged man murmured, sitting on a hillside with a cigarette between his fingers, gazing at the sun slowly sinking behind the mountains in the distance. His expression was dazed, and he chuckled softly. "It's been nearly two years since the apocalypse. Time really flies."
"When the apocalypse struck," he continued, "my wife and I were still arguing. I've forgotten what we were fighting about—just some petty domestic squabble. I was on my way out to buy her durian as a peace offering when the apocalypse erupted.
"When I rushed back, I searched the entire house but couldn't find her. I finally found her mangled body in the community garden. She had come looking for me after the apocalypse began."
"Because whenever I sulked, I'd hide in the community garden."
"When I saw her body, I was truly heartbroken and terrified. Screams and the roars of monsters filled the air, and all I had in my hand was a kitchen knife."
"I used to wonder if she truly loved me."
"At that moment, seeing her lifeless, I knew for sure. She did love me. She risked her life to find me when the apocalypse broke out. That proved her love was real. But knowing this now was utterly meaningless."
"I considered suicide, but I lacked the courage."
The young man sitting beside the man paused before hesitantly asking, "So, Uncle Li, what happened later?"
"Later?"
Uncle Li shook his head, gazing at the crimson glow flickering on his fingertips. After a long silence, he continued in a soft voice, "I just drifted through life in a daze. Someone in the community killed a zombie and dropped a train token. Everyone rushed toward the train, desperate to escape the city."
"We got stuck in traffic, so we jumped off and kept running."
"It was chaos."
"I don't want to think about it. It's not a pleasant memory."
"Oh," the young man nodded, then wrapped his arms around his knees, gazing at the sunset sinking behind the mountains in the distance. "I also want to find a woman I truly love."
"Don't even think about it."
Uncle Li stubbed out his cigarette on the ground, stood up, and waved his hand dismissively. "After the apocalypse, making such a request is a bit ungrateful. While you're young, listen to a few more of your urges and go have some fun at the Red House."
"Don't wait until you're my age."
"By then, you won't be able to play anymore."
"Let's go, the evening banquet is about to start." Uncle Li said no more. He was feeling a bit down today. On the one hand, he missed his wife; on the other, his "Zombie Grinding Cage" still hadn't made any progress.
Especially when he saw the residents gathered in small groups.
He often wondered:
If his wife hadn't died... if they were still together on the Stellaris, how happy they would be.
But then he thought, if his wife hadn't died, they might not have survived until now. She was quite beautiful, and in the apocalypse, beauty was a sin.
It might sound crude, but that was the reality.
In the apocalypse, women rarely fare well unless they're like Zhang Damei.
I've yet to see a train with a female conductor. The few exceptions are women who are exceptionally capable, even more formidable than many men. Such a structure—where a female conductor relies on her body to secure her subordinates' loyalty—is utterly impossible.
Pure nonsense.
Such a structure simply couldn't exist in the apocalypse.
The sun had officially set.
The evening feast began.
This time, the feast was quite lavish. Ten residents gathered around a table laden with dishes.
"Diced meat stir-fried with steamed bread cubes," "Pig Trotter Soup," "Stewed Pig Trotters and Potatoes," "Pig Trotters stir-fried with steamed bread cubes," "Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls," "Sour Bean Sprouts stir-fried with Pig Trotters," "Cola-braised Pig Trotters," and "Iced Cola" were among the offerings.
It was truly a feast.
They had been working tirelessly all day.
Every resident sat at the feast, rising on tiptoe to gaze at Lord Mang standing on the stage in the distance. For many, this was their first time seeing him; the train was simply too vast, and the population too large.
"..."
Standing on the stage, Chen Mang looked out at the hundreds of tables of residents below, a vast sea of people illuminated by the headlights of the train's locomotive. He chuckled as Old Pig handed him the microphone, his voice amplified by the external speakers.
"Is the food to your liking?"
"Delicious!"
A chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd, who eagerly shouted and clamored.
"Not bad for a meal during the apocalypse, right?"
"Absolutely, Lord Mang!"
Chen Mang paused, waiting for the cheers to subside before continuing. "On the Stellaris, everyone who contributes will be rewarded. As long as you work diligently, I will give you corresponding rewards."
"The banquet is officially underway."
With that, he handed the microphone back to Old Pig and, leaning on his cane, walked toward a nearby round table.
At the same moment—
"Boom!!"
A missile roared out from Carriage 14, exploding in a dazzling display of fireworks in the sky. Then, one after another, a dozen more missiles followed, each bursting into a colorful spectacle.
Festive music began to play.
The banquet had begun.
Chen Mang sat at the round table, glanced at the others, and picked up his chopsticks first. He speared a piece of chicken and popped it into his mouth, smiling. "Let's eat."
Only a few people were seated at this table: Old Pig, Biaozi, Zhang Damei, the Third Squad Captain, and Li Shiji.
The dishes on this table were noticeably richer and more refined than those on the other tables. A chicken had been stewed with potatoes, and a pig had been slaughtered to make ribs braised with potatoes—all prepared by the chef in a private kitchen.
Everyone reacted differently. Old Pig immediately stood up to refill Chen Mang's glass with cold tea, as Lord Mang preferred it. Biaozi, on the other hand, was visibly excited and thrilled. Zhang Damei, the Third Squad Captain, and Li Shiji remained somewhat reserved, sitting rigidly upright, as if they weren't there to eat.
Chen Mang quickly finished his meal and didn't linger. His presence made everyone eat with restraint, and the conversation topics remained rather "green" and guarded. Once he was full, he returned alone to his locomotive cabin.
Sitting in his chair, he gazed at the train panel, which displayed the current resources. Outside, the overall noise level had clearly increased several decibels since he left.
"Xiao Ai."
"Here," Xiao Ai's voice replied from within the cabin.
"Keep an eye out for anyone badmouthing me," Chen Mang said, curling his lip. "If anyone gets drunk and starts talking trash about me, write it all down."
"Understood."
After Erdan was relieved of his duties as conductor of the Azure Dragon Train, he had dismantled all the removable accessories. For example, he had taken down the beer production line and stored it in the Stellaris. At the banquet, he had provided plenty of alcohol for everyone to drink their fill.
And while they're at it, see if anyone spills their true feelings while drunk.
Then, Chen Mang turned his gaze to the "Sunny Doll" (dreamstone) ornament on the train control panel. Nearly a month had passed, and the progress had only reached 78%.
Perhaps the slow progress is because it's hard to dream when you're physically exhausted?
But he didn't dwell on it. After all, he didn't even know what the ornament was.
Instead, he turned his attention to the resources he had acquired this time.
In addition to the initial 28 million units of iron ore he had mined, he had later obtained another 35 million units of iron ore, 17 million units of copper ore, and 10.29 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine.
The train's total resources now stood at:
55.02 million units of iron ore, 2.57 million units of Wood, 18.04 million units of copper ore, 4.48 million units of Red Heart Rock, and 10.29 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine.
Overnight riches.
He favored the high-level zone.
Only in the high-level zone could one stumble upon such a windfall. Even if he were to monopolize all the iron ore in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, he wouldn't be able to mine this much, no matter how hard he worked himself to death.
And this was just from the Blue Zone.
He was even more excited about the Purple Zone.
The Purple Zone should have Tier 5 Iron Mines, right?
He'd never seen a Tier 5 Mine before, so he didn't know how much ore it would contain. But he figured a single Tier 5 Iron Mine would easily hold tens of millions of units.
Because they were underground, they never saw the sun. The Solar Energy Panels had no chance to function, so he hadn't used them at all. The Cosmic Receiver had also been unable to absorb any energy. At tens of thousands of meters underground, it was impossible to pick up any signals.
But these were minor concerns, completely insignificant compared to his current windfall.
Tens of millions of units of iron ore and copper ore filled him with a deep sense of security.
"First, let's upgrade the armor," Chen Mang said, settling comfortably into his chair and gazing at the screen on the control panel.
Upgrading from Tier 12 armor to Tier 13 armor cost 2 million units of iron ore per carriage.
Upgrading from Tier 13 to Tier 14 armor cost 3 million units of iron ore per carriage.
The Stellaris had a total of 14 carriages + 1 locomotive + 1 Giant Beast Car, requiring 48 million units of iron ore to upgrade. However, the Tier 10 overpowered effect of the Steel Car Armor halved the upgrade cost.
After consuming 24 million units of iron ore, the Stellaris's armor reached Tier 14!
"Now I feel much safer," Chen Mang said, exhaling a long breath as he gazed at the train's Three-Dimensional model on the screen. Tier 14 armor provided a strong sense of security. Upgrading to Tier 15 armor would require 40 million units of iron ore.
The train's iron ore reserves were insufficient.
The train currently had 31.02 million units of iron ore remaining.
Tier 15 armor could wait for later. Tier 14 armor would be more than adequate in the Blue Zone Crisis Valley. First, he would upgrade the train to Tier 12 to see what Xiao Lu looked like after awakening.
He checked the Train Upgrade requirements.
Upgrade Requirements: Both required train components must be fully crafted, 30,000 units of Tier 3 Iron Mine must be consumed, and all accessories within the carriages must be at least Tier 220.
The conditions weren't particularly difficult.
Fully satisfied.
After consuming 100,000 units of iron ore to craft the Dark Matter Resonator and the Resource Tracker, another 3 million units were spent to upgrade the train to Tier 12!
In just one month, the train had jumped from Tier 10 to Tier 12.
With this, the Stellaris finally became a Tier 12 Mechanical Train, truly joining the ranks of the elite in Crisis Valley. It had essentially been there before, but while its combat power had been up to par, its Tier hadn't. Now, both its Tier and combat power were fully aligned.
The next moment, familiar lines of text appeared on the train control panel screen:
[Your train has reached Tier 12.
No further accessories are available for crafting at this time.]
Whew
That was tough.
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, propped his feet up on the control panel, lit a victory cigar, and gazed at the lines of text on the screen with a sense of accomplishment.
He was finally ready to head to the Purple Zone.
Once he left Crisis Valley, he wouldn't be able to return to the Train Tunnel. That meant he couldn't go back to the Sha River Plains after leaving Crisis Valley. He planned to visit the dwarf man in the Sha River Plains in the next few days to give him a gift.
Even a small amount of what he could casually produce now would be a tremendous boon to a low-tier train.
And while he was at it...
He'd show off his Tier 12 train.
(End of the Chapter)
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