Translator: AnubisTL
Low-tier trains had few resources to begin with, so Chen Mang didn't expect to make money off them. Their main function was to spread his influence and secure a source of iron ore to quickly advance to a high-level zone, mine High-Grade Ore, and then return to spend.
It was an early investment.
For now, they'd have to endure the hunger.
The items in the shop weren't even meant for low-tier trains. The cost price of a Tier 10 Refrigerator alone was 4,500 units of iron ore. Even if he sold it at cost, few low-tier trains could afford it.
After that, Chen Mang said nothing more.
He simply strolled through the designated Commercial District with Uncle Li and the others. Only about 90 train conductors with their subordinates were shopping there, yet they had already contributed nearly 10 million units of iron ore—specifically, 8,780,000 units.
If the population were to expand further—to 900, 9,000, or even 90,000—
they'd be utterly swimming in profits!
If Neon City truly reached that level, Chen Mang could rightfully claim to be humanity's savior. It would become the only city on this planet where free trade was possible, ensuring the survival of many trains.
This would significantly reduce the rate of train destruction.
"Alright."
After a thorough tour, Chen Mang turned to Uncle Li, Li Shiji, and the others. "You'll stay here for the next few days. Together, we'll make Neon City bigger and stronger. I'm giving you extensive authority."
"Don't hesitate to share your ideas. Be bold and take risks."
"Don't worry about making mistakes."
"Even if major bugs arise, it's fine. With so few users now, bugs are easier to fix. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" Li Shiji and Uncle Li stood ramrod straight, their faces serious as they replied in unison.
"Good. I'll leave now. Report back if you encounter any uncertainties."
"Yes, sir."
With that, Chen Mang didn't linger. He immediately departed Neon City and returned to his locomotive cabin.
The empty cabin.
Floor-to-ceiling windows surrounded him on all sides. Night had fallen, and under a sky ablaze with stars, the Doomsday Cannon's roar echoed incessantly. Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the Single Bed in the corner.
He placed the Single Bed in the corner of the locomotive cabin, with two sides against the walls.
At night, he would fully seal the floor-to-ceiling windows, blocking any view from inside.
He preferred to sleep with his back against the wall, finding it more secure.
This thing...
Could I sell it?
The Tier 5 overpowered effect of the Single Bed allowed him to choose any Pillow and bedding set, such as a buckwheat pillow, silicone pillow, or jade pillow. The Tier 10 overpowered effect granted higher sleep quality and longevity.
He thought these accessories would be quite useful for most train conductors.
For just one stellar coupon, one could significantly improve their quality of life and even extend their lifespan.
However, the former effect was likely more valuable than the latter, since longevity was a moot point in the apocalypse.
The main advantage was its low cost: crafting one required only one unit of Wood.
Crafting the Single Bed consumed Wood, while upgrading it required Iron Ore.
After consuming 502,500 units of Iron Ore, he immediately upgraded his "Single Bed" to Tier 100 in one go, unlocking three brand-new overpowered effects.
Tier 20 Overpowered Effect: Single Bed
When you wet the bed, the urine will be instantly absorbed.
Tier 50 Overpowered Effect: Single Bed
Sleeping in this bed for an extended period will slightly improve your comprehensive physical fitness.
Tier 100 Overpowered Effect: Single Bed
After embedding a Dreamstone, each time you dream, there's a chance you'll bring an item from your dream back with you. The Dreamstone's consumption will vary depending on the item's value.
A Single Bed worth 508,000 units of iron ore!
Tier 100!
This must be the most expensive Single Bed on the planet.
And its effects are surprisingly powerful.
"Dreamstone?"
Chen Mang glanced at the Dreamstone on the control panel, its progress bar now at 100%. He picked up the small, Seven-Colored stone and mused, "The Dreamstone's progress completed yesterday, but it didn't seem to do anything."
He hadn't realized it was for the Tier 100 Single Bed.
There couldn't possibly be a second person with a Tier 100 Single Bed, so the Dreamstone's true purpose probably wasn't for this. But...
He still picked up the Dreamstone and walked over to the Single Bed, inserting the stone into a newly-added slot in the headboard.
Randomly retrieve any item from a dream?
He'd have to try it tonight when he went to sleep and see what he could pull out.
He could also craft a few Tier 5 and Tier 10 Single Beds to put in the shop and see if anyone would buy them. Like the Refrigerator, this was a single-upgrade item.
Just then—
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang's eyes lit up. Mundo was back. His iron ore balance was now 34 million. He still needed 6 million more to upgrade his armor to Tier 15. He had planned to mine for the remaining 6 million after dawn.
But with Mundo's return, he wouldn't have to wait until morning. Mundo must have brought back a fortune from his shady dealings.
"Quick, bring Mundo over here."
Soon after, Mundo and Doba arrived in the locomotive cabin. However, Mundo kept his head down the entire time, not saying a word.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you get dumped?" Chen Mang asked, frowning at the two of them.
"Lord Mang," Doba quickly explained, "Mundo's haul this time wasn't very good. He only managed to earn 7 million units of Iron Ore through merchant activities. He feels he's let you down."
"We had some bad luck this time. Word of his reputation had already spread to the zones we visited."
"It's fine."
Chen Mang shook his head. "It's no big deal. Cheer up. Seven million units of iron ore will be enough. But you've reminded me of something. Do female goblins exist in your clan? With only about 100 members, that's a small population for a whole race. Do you have any plans to reproduce?"
"No."
A flicker of sadness crossed Doba's eyes as he shook his head. "Lord Mang, Doba is grateful for your kindness, but my people and I exist in this world as living corpses. We have lost the right to reproduce in the cosmos."
"Only when we truly rebuild our civilization and formally re-establish the goblin race will we regain our physical bodies and the ability to reproduce."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Chen Mang nodded. "Alright, I understand. You may leave now."
The situation was more complex than he had anticipated.
But it wasn't important for now.
Perhaps because his conversation with Doba had gone so smoothly, he had forgotten that Doba was essentially a zombie-like monster who had awakened his consciousness.
After Doba and the others left, Chen Mang turned to check his Iron Ore Balance.
41,000,000 units of iron ore
This was enough to upgrade his armor to Tier 15.
He should upgrade it first.
This was a purple zone, where the highest monster level was 15. He needed to upgrade his armor to...
"41 million units of iron ore."
This iron ore was enough to upgrade the armor to Tier 15.
Let's upgrade it first.
This was the Purple Zone, where the highest monster level was Tier 15. It felt somewhat unsafe not to have the armor at Tier 15. If he had upgraded the armor to Tier 15 when he first entered the Purple Zone, he wouldn't have had to struggle so much.
He sat motionless, allowing the wind and rain to batter him.
The Stellaris remained unmoving.
Upgrading from Tier 13 to Tier 14 cost 3 million iron ore per carriage.
Upgrading from Tier 14 to Tier 15 cost 5 million iron ore per carriage.
The Stellaris had 14 carriages + 1 locomotive + 1 Giant Beast Car, requiring a total of 80 million units of iron ore. After the cost was halved, the total came to 40 million.
After 40 million units of iron ore vanished from the train's inventory, the Stellaris's armor finally reached Tier 15—an incredibly high level!
But the price was steep:
The train's accumulated Foundation from the past few days was completely depleted. 40 million units of iron ore—gone, all gone.
"It still hurts," Chen Mang sighed, sitting in his chair. He felt sorry for himself, but even more for others. If upgrading his train was this difficult, he couldn't imagine how painful it must be for other trains to upgrade their defensive components.
It's really tough.
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside. He stood up and walked to the side, quickly washed up, and lay down in bed, beginning to hypnotize himself.
Have a dream about a Tier 100 train.
And bring back one Tier 10 iron ore.
His request wasn't excessive—just one piece. Surely that wasn't too much to ask?
Drowsily, he drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, he found himself on a train, or rather, something like a city subway. He was dressed in a suit and tie, preparing to go to work. The details felt hazy, perhaps because he hadn't slept well the night before.
The next moment—
A wave of screams erupted from the front of the subway.
In the panic, he didn't know what was happening, only that he had to run with the crowd.
As he ran, he suddenly plunged into a river.
The water was black.
Numerous colossal sculptures lay scattered haphazardly beneath the water, only partially visible above the surface. The surroundings were eerily silent, and a wave of terror washed over him. He swam frantically, but after five minutes, a horrifying realization struck him: he didn't know how to swim.
His previously stable body immediately began to sink uncontrollably.
The sensation of choking on water and suffocating was agonizing.
Struggling violently in the water, he suddenly saw a woman squatting by the riverbank, washing her hair. In his panic, without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed her hair like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline and began to climb.
But the woman's hair was incredibly long—at least two or three meters.
After finally pulling himself up, he realized the woman was facing away from the river, and she wasn't washing her hair at all. She was washing her anal hair.
TL: wtf
Before he could even react, an earthquake struck. The intense sensation of weightlessness jolted him awake.
"Huu..."
Chen Mang sat up in bed, jolted awake by the nightmare. Looking out the window, he saw it was already noon. He had slept for six or seven hours, but the sleep had been deeply uncomfortable.
Chen Mang wiped the cold sweat from his back.
After taking a shower and changing clothes, he sat at the control panel, lit a cigarette, and stared at the single bed in the corner with a complex expression. He hadn't even bothered to check the Train Log yet.
Ever since he upgraded the Single Bed to Tier 10, he'd barely had any nightmares. The Tier 10 overpowered effect of the Single Bed was supposed to improve sleep quality, but he hadn't felt any improvement in his sleep last night.
Just then—
He noticed the Dreamstone embedded in the headboard faintly flickering, as if signaling something. Could this thing be the culprit?
Just to make him have a dream?
After a moment of silence, Chen Mang stood up and walked over to the Single Bed. He gazed at the Dreamstone embedded in the headboard, gently placing his hand on it. Immediately, a small portal materialized beside the headboard.
A strand of hair fell out of the portal.
This was exactly what he had dreamed about.
Wait!
That's not hair—it's anal hair!
But what use could this thing possibly have? Chen Mang frowned, pondering its relevance as his thoughts raced. It couldn't be completely useless; if it were, it wouldn't be a special feature of a Tier 12 Train.
Dreamstone Tier 100 Single Bed
A vague hypothesis began to form in his mind.
In the course of a civilization's development, two fundamental mysteries inevitably demand exploration: death and the Dream Realm.
This exploration might proceed through scientific methods, or through philosophical, even theological approaches. Regardless of the method—whether through hypothetical models or self-sacrifice—the quest for understanding must be undertaken.
Unsurprisingly, the Mechanical Civilization had also delved into the Dream Realm, achieving certain breakthroughs and integrating their findings into the train to serve the train conductor.
This Dreamstone seemed similar to an energy stone, serving as an energy source. The Dreamstone embedded in the headboard currently displayed 99% capacity remaining.
I'll try it again tonight.
Chen Mang silently resolved before speaking. "Xiao Ai, come take this strand of hair and see if there's anything special about it."
"Yes, sir!"
He watched Xiao Ai's retreating back in silence.
In this world, nothing can be created from nothing. The memory of last night's dream was already fading, and Chen Mang wasn't sure if the strand of hair he held was the one he'd caught in the river in his dream. But he was certain of one thing: things from dreams could manifest in reality, a phenomenon that was already utterly bizarre.
If that were the case...
The Mechanical Civilization's Civilization Level might be even higher than he'd imagined.
They had already comprehended "death" and the "Dream Realm."
Doba and the others were dead, yet they could still exist normally as monsters.
Chen Mang shook his head, clearing his mind of these thoughts. His primary mission now was to level up quickly, strive to reach the Seven-Colored Zone as soon as possible, and upgrade the train to a high enough Tier. Only by standing tall could he see far.
He had just picked up Xiao Lu from the bed, intending to set him aside, when a thought struck him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down at the sleeping Xiao Lu in his arms.
Xiao Lu remained sound asleep.
He wouldn't fully awaken until the train reached Tier 15. And since the Single Bed didn't specify that only humans or the train conductor could lie on it...
He wondered what Xiao Lu dreamed about. Could there be a chance of bringing something out of Xiao Lu's Dream Realm?
He also wondered if it was possible to bring out living creatures.
If Xiao Lu could bring living creatures out of his dreams, he'd probably miss his cubhood playmates. Bringing back a few S-Class Starry Sky Behemoth cubs would be too risky—he'd better not bring his mom out, or things would get disastrous.
The scene...
Aquablue Star was supposed to have four years left before its destruction. If his mother appeared on this planet, it would immediately trigger the apocalypse.
Congratulations, you've significantly shortened the countdown to the destruction of human civilization.
Chen Mang slowly pushed the control lever, steering the train toward the city ruins at the center of the Stone Man Zone. Today's objective: gather supplies and investigate why this area could block target acquisition radar. There might be something big here.
As the saying goes, "Skill breeds courage."
With his Tier 15 armor, Chen Mang wasn't afraid of anything the zone might hold. Even if there were Tier 15 monsters, while other trains might fear them, Chen Mang wouldn't.
Just look: the refrigerator beside him was piled high with rabbit carcasses. If monster meat were edible, he'd have thrown a rabbit feast long ago.
Everything that dropped was sent to Neon City.
The train maintained a steady pace as it advanced toward its destination.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Purple Zone's Stone Man area, inside a Tier 14 Mechanical Train, an elderly man leaned back thoughtfully in his chair. A mermaid sat on his lap. He stared at the "Neon City Free Entry Ticket" in his hand, slowly chewing on a freshly purchased Red Heart Nut.
Red Heart Nut
1,000 stellar coupons per nut
Specifically treats male sexual dysfunction
He tried buying two nuts and eating them. To his surprise, the effect was truly remarkable. At seventy-something, he finally regained his firmness, though not as strong as in his youth, it was more than enough.
"Neon City... a good place."
After giving the woman in his arms a firm squeeze, several thoughts flashed through the old man's mind.
Last night, he had been locked in a protracted battle with a boss. After kite-ing it for a long time, he finally managed to kill it. However, this boss was peculiar; it dropped no items, only a "Neon City Free Entry Ticket."
A fortuitous encounter map.
He had entered it last night.
He discovered that the "Neon City Free Entry Ticket" was actually quite common; everyone could claim twenty free tickets each week. Initially, he thought he had wasted his time, but he soon realized that this map was unlike any other.
Not only could train conductors freely trade with each other here, but there were also many shops selling unique goods. For him, the Red Heart Nut was like nectar after a long drought.
He was back in action.
Besides exchanging iron ore, stellar coupons could also be earned by recruiting new train conductors. Each new train recruited in the Purple Zone earned a reward of 50,000 stellar coupons.
But he had a better plan.
The old man withdrew his hand from the woman's embrace and pulled a King of Diamonds from the drawer, tucking it into his pocket. His eyes gleamed as he crushed the Neon City Free Entry Ticket in his hand once more.
Recruiting? The rewards were too meager.
This special item, which he had never used before, was finally about to serve its purpose.
Special Item: King of Diamonds
Item Effect: Once activated, this item can transform into any playing card, perfectly matching the card's suit, markings, and details. Usable twelve times per day.
The perfect cheat!
His target was the casino. He was going to make a killing there!
The remaining stellar coupons, whether exchanged for iron ore or used to buy goods, were more than enough to make him rich.
To win big, he needed a big stake. At that moment, several burly men strode in carrying several storage boxes. His chips for this round: 20 million units of iron ore!
If he was going to play, he was going to play big!
Neon City.
Sun City, high-rise suite.
Xiao Ai stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the pedestrians on the street below. "Someone's cheating at the casino. They've already won 4 million."
"Huh?" Uncle Li tilted his head, looking confused. "President Ai, weren't you watching the street? How did you know someone was cheating at the casino?"
Xiao Ai turned to Uncle Li, her expressionless face betraying no emotion. "Because I'm an AI. The casino's cameras feed directly into my database. Are you stupid?"
"Oh, then I'll go tell Lord Mang."
"No need."
Just then—
Sister Qi, standing nearby, smiled and said, "There's no need to bother Lord Mang with such a trivial matter. Casinos have been operating for so long that they inevitably encounter cheaters. We have a specialized plan for dealing with them."
"Xiao Ji, please escort this guest to the VIP Room."
"What plan? Chop off his hand?"
"No. All robots in Neon City have an unchangeable command: they cannot attack humans. Our plan is to win all his chips by betting in increments of a thousand."
"Really? I heard Lord Mang say he once fought the Venomous Serpent Gang over something like this."
"That was a special case."
"If you lose and have to pay out a large sum of stellar coupons, it could cripple Neon City," Xiao Ai said, turning to Sister Qi with a hint of coldness in his voice.
"Don't worry," Sister Qi replied confidently. "There won't be any mistakes."
Xiao Ai shook his head without speaking further, instead turning to Uncle Li. "Go back and inform Lord Mang about this."
"Yes."
"Lord Mang."
Chen Mang nodded, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window and gazing at the old man at the starting point who was exchanging stellar coupons for iron ore. He murmured, "Is this the guy who took my 8 million units of iron ore?"
"Yes."
Xiao Ai whispered, "Sister Qi invited him to the VIP Room for a high-stakes gamble, but he refused and just walked away. A lot of people were watching, so we couldn't force him."
"No matter," Chen Mang said, shaking his head. After a moment, he continued, "That person's train name seems familiar. I think I saw it on the train radio in the Stone Man Zone. Let him go. I'll find him myself."
"Do you know how he cheated?"
"Likely a combination of skill and a special item."
"Many people have special items, especially on High-Level Trains. They come in all sorts, and you never know what they're carrying. Be careful out there."
"Yes."
Chen Mang didn't linger. He immediately left Neon City again.
The train now had less than 1 million units of iron ore left. Meanwhile, the iron ore reserves in Neon City hadn't decreased; they had actually increased. After all, the casino wasn't gambling against its customers. The cheater had only won money from other players.
The casino merely took a cut.
But...
Since he had cheated in Chen Mang's establishment, that money was now Chen Mang's!
The next moment, every train conductor in Neon City saw all the shop screens simultaneously switch to the same image.
Bounty Board
Top Rank: Eliminate the "Grin and Bear It Train." Reward: 2 million stellar coupons.
Issuer: Scum Train
Reason: He cheated me out of my stellar coupons in the Casino!
Second Rank: None
We were planning to launch the Bounty Board anyway. Might as well do it now, ranking bounties by their reward amounts. Anything can be listed on the board.
Since he just happened to be in the same zone...
I'll take care of him on the way.
(End of the Chapter)
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