Translator: AnubisTL
"This carriage is more of a transit space."
"Carriage 8 and Carriage 9 are Resident Cars, each with four Residential Districts. They can comfortably accommodate up to 10,000 residents, ensuring a decent living environment. In an emergency, we could squeeze in over 100,000 residents without any issues."
"Carriage 10 is the Entertainment Space and Film Studio."
"That movie you watched last time was directed by our train's own director. It's likely the first original film made after the apocalypse. Ahead, Carriage 11 is the Goblin Carriage, where the Red House and Resident Store are located."
Erdan stood hesitantly in Carriage 10, gazing at the space gates on either side. He frowned, puzzled. "Doesn't this layout seem a bit illogical? The Resident Cars are in Carriage 8 and 9, so why is the Resident Store in Carriage 11?"
"Oh, that's a historical quirk," Old Pig explained. "The Goblin Carriage has far fewer residents than the other Resident Cars, so it has more open space. If we put the Red House and Resident Store in Carriage 8 or 9, it would get too crowded with people constantly coming and going."
"Understood, but couldn't we just switch Carriage 11 and Carriage 10? That way, everyone would be happy."
"Theoretically, we could. But Lord Mang is used to it this way, so he hasn't changed it for now. It's just a few extra steps, anyway. The slight detour doesn't really matter."
"Carriage 11 has arrived. The Red House is just ahead. The young celebrities are already waiting inside. You're welcome to go in and have some fun."
"Uh..."
Erdan whispered awkwardly, "Actually, I'd like to check out the Film Studio and Entertainment Space first. We don't have to rush straight to the Red House. It makes us look like a bunch of playboys."
"So, should we cancel?"
"Uh... well, since we're already here, let's go in and take a look."
"...Have fun."
"Oh, right!"
Erdan suddenly remembered something. He turned to Old Pig, his expression puzzled. "When we passed Carriage No. 3, I saw a huge mace crammed inside, almost filling the entire carriage. What's that thing...?"
"That's a long story. I'll tell you all about it when you're done having fun."
"Alright."
The Stellaris train roared across the extreme cold lands.
Biaozi and the other guards were all currently inside the Combat Training Virtual Space. After leaving Neon City, they had brought back a lot of valuable items, though most of them had ultimately remained in the city to enrich the shops.
However, a few rare items had been brought out.
The best items were reserved for the Stellaris.
Even if they were put up for sale, no train could afford their price.
For example:
Ultimate Challenge: Special Item, Rare Map Chip.
A Rare Map Chip.
The normal version increased comprehensive physical fitness by 0.2 after clearing Normal difficulty and 0.5 after clearing Extreme Difficulty.
The Rare version offered even greater rewards.
Clearing Normal difficulty increased comprehensive physical fitness by 0.5, while clearing Extreme Difficulty increased it by 1.0. Of course, the difficulty was also increased.
At the time, the shop had two of these items in stock. Lord Mang had taken one, and the remaining one was displayed in the shop as a high-end item. While some high-end items might never sell, it was still necessary to showcase a few.
In addition, there was another item:
Zombie Kingdom: Special Item, Ultimate Edition Map Chip.
This Virtual Map Chip was truly extraordinary, priced at a staggering 20 million points—forty times the price of the Rare version. There was only one in stock.
Clearing the map on Normal Difficulty increases comprehensive physical fitness by 2.0, while Extreme Difficulty grants a 4.0 increase.
The limit is three times!
In other words, if one could clear this Ultimate Edition Virtual Map Chip, they would directly gain 18 points of comprehensive physical fitness—equivalent to Zhang Damei's initial state.
Of course, the difficulty would be significantly higher.
At this moment, in the Combat Training Virtual Space, Biaozi stood blankly in a white space, undergoing Mental Treatment after dying countless times. The sheer number of deaths had blurred his perception, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and the virtual world.
He was attempting the Ultimate Edition Map, "Zombie Kingdom."
This map was deceptively simple.
The starting point was in the center of a plaza, surrounded by Tier 1 Zombies—the lowest-level zombies. However, their numbers were overwhelming: a staggering 5,000. Successfully killing all 5,000 zombies would clear the map.
Simple and brutal.
Yet...
"This is a mission no human could possibly complete," Biaozi muttered, his gaze drifting down to his right hand. Phantom pain surged through him, his pain mechanisms teetering on the brink of collapse. Without immediate Mental Treatment, he would likely be crippled for life.
Most importantly, he had no weapons—only a single cleaver.
What did this even mean?
It was like being surrounded by a zombie horde on the Iron Ridge Wasteland, then leaping off the train alone with a single knife, dressed in plain cloth, and single-handedly slaughtering the entire horde.
Utterly ridiculous.
His highest record was killing thirty-seven zombies before being overwhelmed by a relentless tide of undead. He had no room to swing his blade and was torn apart.
Even Zhang Yi and Zhang Er, after multiple attempts, could only manage to kill a maximum of forty-odd zombies.
Brute strength was useless. The zombie horde charged forward fearlessly, quickly leaving no room to swing a blade. There was nothing left to do but wait for death. No traps or mechanisms could be used—it was just an open plaza with no exploitable glitches.
Forget about 5,000 zombies.
Even 5,000 chickens, if they attacked him fearlessly all at once, would overwhelm him. Those 5,000 chickens could peck him to death!
"No way."
After a long silence, Biaozi took a deep breath and temporarily abandoned the map. It was impossible to clear it anytime soon. This wasn't a stage that could be overcome through sheer grit. He shouldn't aim too high. He should try the Rare Map, "Ultimate Challenge," instead.
The scene shifted.
Biaozi appeared at the edge of a skyscraper's rooftop. The previously ethereal surroundings gradually solidified.
A holographic screen materialized before him.
"This map consists of nine stages. Successfully reach the finish line before the countdown expires to clear the challenge."
Biaozi glanced at the giant digital timer in the sky—a half-hour countdown. This map seemed to be a straightforward obstacle course with no monsters, requiring only completion.
"Hmm, this map doesn't look too difficult."
The first stage required him to leap from the rooftop he stood on to the rooftop of the opposite skyscraper.
The two buildings were separated by a mere two meters.
The opposite building was slightly shorter, about three meters lower.
This was no challenge at all. Not only could he easily clear it with his current physical fitness, but even his pre-apocalypse physique would have sufficed!
"Hmph!"
Biaozi took a deep breath, stepped back a few paces to prepare for a running jump. But as he took his first step back, a sudden, excruciating pain erupted throughout his body. Blood gushed from his mouth, his body stiffening in place as he struggled to look down.
Countless steel spikes erupted from the ground, piercing directly through his entire body!
A trap.
This was Biaozi's final thought before dying.
But it didn't matter. It was only Normal Difficulty. He'd never lacked the courage to start over.
Reappearing at the edge of the skyscraper rooftop, he decided not to retreat directly for a running start this time. Instead, he'd take a step to the left before backing up.
As soon as he took that step, the steel spikes shot up again.
Restart!
This time, he tried stepping to the right. The steel spikes erupted again.
Restart!
He leaped sideways, figuring there couldn't possibly be a trap now. But the steel spikes still erupted.
Restart!
Fine, he wouldn't take a running start. Could he just jump straight up from where he stood?
Biaozi took a deep breath, planted his feet at the edge, and leaped with all his might. Just as he reached the apex of his jump, a high-speed, spinning saw blade suddenly shot up from between the two buildings, slicing him clean in half.
Another trap.
Restart.
This time, Biaozi draped his entire body over the edge of the rooftop, stretching his legs as high into the air as he could. The instant he heard the sonic boom, he yanked his legs back, luring out the saw blade trap. Only then did he climb back onto the rooftop.
Take a deep breath, aim, and leap!
This time, there were no traps. But just as he was about to land, he suddenly saw steel spikes erupt from the spot on the rooftop of the opposite high-rise where he was about to land.
Biaozi closed his eyes in mid-air, his expression unchanged, and felt the familiar pain surge through his body once more.
After dying over thirty times in a row, Biaozi finally reached the second stage. His eyes reddened as he pressed the red button that had appeared on a pillar on the rooftop, next to a sign that read "second stage."
Pressing this button was apparently the official way to advance to the second stage.
However...
He soon heard a rapid beeping sound, followed by a deafening explosion that engulfed the entire rooftop in flames.
Again!
This time, he ignored the red button trap and was about to charge toward the third stage when he suddenly saw another sign that read "Look Up."
Biaozi instinctively looked up and saw the massive countdown in the sky hurtling straight toward him!
His final thought before dying was:
Why the hell is this countdown a physical object?!
"..."
Chen Mang sat in the locomotive cabin, grimacing as he watched Biaozi's completion screen on the monitor. A flicker of anticipation shone in his eyes, not for Biaozi's success, but to see what new and creative ways he would die.
So far, Biaozi had died over thirty times.
Each time in a different location.
This map was clearly designed as a trial-and-error gauntlet, devoid of monsters but requiring players to sacrifice their lives to learn its secrets. Anyone could clear it, as long as they died enough times. Once the strategy was spread, later players could even clear it in a single attempt by following the guide.
"Who designed this map?" Chen Mang mused, leaning back in his chair, watching the scene unfold.
The Stellaris was currently on autopilot, its target acquisition radar constantly scanning for targets.
Chen Mang's journey to the Blue Zone's Extreme Cold Lands had two objectives.
First, to experience the unique scenery and learn more about the different zones.
Second, to find a Tier 11 or Tier 12 Extreme Cold Monster and obtain the Sled and Snowmaker accessories.
The Sled was a type of wheel, similar to a Track, designed to allow the train to traverse deep snow. However, the Sled offered greater speed in specific conditions.
For example, downhill slopes.
And it's also more energy-efficient.
This accessory was useless to him. He had no need to worry about the train getting stuck in the snow. He could simply use Magnetic Levitation for contactless travel. The Weather Control Device could also create heavy snow, making a Snowmaker unnecessary.
But since he was here, and these two accessories were most likely to be found in this zone, he might as well take them. It was like the drill, which initially had a decent chance of being found only in the Kunlun Mountain Region.
If you didn't find it there, your chances of obtaining it in other zones were practically nonexistent.
It had already been several dozen minutes since he entered the Extreme Cold Lands.
He still hadn't encountered any high-grade monsters, only Tier 8 and 9 creatures, with the highest being Tier 10.
He was still searching for a Tier 12 monster, driven by a personal desire.
He wanted to test the full-speed power of the train's special skill, "Death Spin," at 5,000 km/h.
Just then—
The target acquisition radar suddenly began beeping urgently.
The screen displayed a Tier 12 Extreme Cold Monster, sprinting rapidly across the snowy landscape 100,000 meters away.
"Found you!"
Chen Mang's eyes lit up instantly. He straightened up, no longer caring how Biaozi might have died. He slammed the control lever forward, and a massive, powerful push against his back slammed him into his seat!
It took only 1.4 seconds.
The train instantly accelerated to 5,000 kilometers per hour.
That's equivalent to 1,390 meters per second.
A minute later, the Stellaris train was hurtling toward the rapidly flashing red dot on the target acquisition radar screen.
A stream of information scrolled across the screen:
"Distance: 5,000 meters."
"Distance: 3,000 meters."
"Distance: 1,000 meters..."
With only a few hundred meters remaining, Chen Mang didn't hesitate. He slammed his fist down on the red button on the Special Skill Console!
The entire train leaped into the air.
Its vehicle blades and drill simultaneously extended and began spinning at high speed!
Then—
The Stellaris train began to rotate rapidly, spinning at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow. It hurtled straight toward the Snow Monster, a creature over twenty meters tall.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, the deafening collision, accompanied by a sonic boom, echoed across the vast, white snowscape.
The Stellaris train rapidly decelerated and slowly hovered back down to the snow.
Behind it lay a gruesome spectacle: a feast of blood and shredded flesh.
The Snow Monster, a creature over twenty meters tall, had barely reacted to the impact. Its entire body had been instantly pulverized into countless pieces, meeting a gruesome end.
Instant kill.
Instant annihilation of a Tier 12 Snow Monster.
But...
"Hmm..."
Chen Mang stared at the lines of text scrolling across the control panel screen.
"WARNING! WARNING!"
"Vehicle blade integrity reduced to 11%. Drill integrity reduced to 97%. Vehicle Audio System integrity reduced to 0%. Powerful magnet integrity reduced to 0%. Headlight integrity reduced to 0%. Mechanical Tentacles integrity reduced to..."
(End of the Chapter)
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