Translator: AnubisTL
The fortuitous encounter map "Withered Wood Meets Spring" was left behind by Princess Tuotuo of the Mechanical Civilization.
It wasn't just placed on Aquablue Star.
Instead, a large amount of resources were scattered across the galaxy. Whenever a planet was invaded by Zerg eggs, the nearest shuttlecraft would rush to the scene as quickly as possible and leave fortuitous encounters behind.
However, Aquablue Star was special. The Tier 200 AI from Princess Tuotuo's train remained here.
Among these legacies, the most important reward was the special item: the Galaxy Map.
This was a unique technology of the Mechanical Civilization, usable only by inserting it into a train. Each civilization had its own unique methods. For example, the Zerg Civilization's specialty was rapid troop production and the creation of numerous wormholes using extremely cheap resources.
The Galaxy Map was updated in real-time, displaying the current state of the galaxy within a 10,000 light-year radius. It could also detect civilizations below Civilization Level 1.
Normally, the Zerg Civilization's detection methods were completely unable to actively detect civilizations below Civilization Level 1. Therefore, even if a civilization was located within the Zerg's core zone, as long as its Civilization Level remained below 1, it was considered relatively safe, even if it was only a few dozen light-years from the Zerg Homeworld.
"What do you mean?"
Chen Mang stared intently at the Heaven-Slaying Civilization, a Tier 1 Civilization that had suddenly advanced on the Galaxy Map. He silently counted down in his mind, already assuming the Heaven-Slaying Civilization was on the brink of extinction.
But—
After patiently waiting for ten minutes, Chen Mang frowned. "Huh?"
The Heaven-Slaying Civilization's planet remained steadily illuminated on the map, showing no signs of change.
"This Zerg Civilization doesn't seem so formidable after all," Chen Mang mused, raising an eyebrow. "They've already invaded your core territory, yet you haven't wiped them out in ten minutes? I thought they'd be annihilated the moment they showed their faces."
"It's not that simple," Xiao Ai's voice echoed from the locomotive cabin. "Even if we know a civilization has advanced on that planet, reaching it is incredibly difficult. First, you need to identify a stable region of space nearby."
"Only stable space can support the creation of a wormhole."
"Attempting to force a wormhole without knowing the coordinates will cause it to collapse instantly, consuming vast resources in the process."
"This is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. Moreover, since the Heaven-Slaying Civilization is newly advanced to Tier 1, it poses virtually no threat to the Zerg Civilization. Logically, the Zerg Civilization shouldn't even bother with them in the first place, because..."
The next moment—
On the Galactic Radar screen, a purple dot suddenly appeared thousands of light-years away. It was a symbol of a wormhole forming, but it vanished almost as soon as it materialized.
"What's going on?"
Chen Mang frowned, glancing at his Wormhole Radar. He could only detect wormholes within a ten-light-year radius, and his radar had been off. Why was a wormhole thousands of light-years away showing up on his Galaxy Map screen?
However, he didn't have much time to ponder.
This was just the beginning.
Immediately afterward, countless purple dots began to randomly appear across the entire Galaxy Map, with no apparent logic or pattern. They seemed to be opening at random, and within moments, nearly ten thousand of these dots had filled the screen.
The screen was too small to see clearly.
He projected the Galaxy Map onto the massive screen inside the locomotive cabin.
Each purple dot represented a random wormhole.
Thousands, nearly ten thousand, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands...
In just a few minutes, tens of thousands of wormholes had appeared on the Galaxy Map. Most of the purple dots vanished almost instantly after appearing, while a few persisted for a few minutes before fading away. Yet still more purple dots continued to materialize.
Finally—
All the purple light points gradually faded away, leaving only a deeper purple point that hovered near the Heaven-Slaying Civilization's planet.
He didn't know what had happened.
The Galaxy Map showed nothing specific.
He only knew this:
Three seconds later, the name "Heaven-Slaying Civilization" vanished from the map.
A rising civilization, extinguished.
"..."
Chen Mang stood motionless, his face expressionless. After a long silence, he murmured softly, "You said earlier that, according to common sense, the Zerg Civilization would have ignored them."
"This..."
Xiao Ai's confused voice echoed through the locomotive cabin. "According to common sense, they should have ignored them. A Tier 1 civilization with only one Homeworld wouldn't have known how to spend so many strategic resources. It would be like using a missile to swat a mosquito—a complete waste of resources."
"Unless the Zerg Civilization has an extremely strong sense of territoriality and absolutely refuses to tolerate the presence of other civilizations within its core territory."
"In other words, your initial deduction might have been wrong?"
"Which deduction?"
"That the Zerg Civilization was unlikely to come to Aquablue Star."
"According to common sense, that's true..."
"Alright, stop talking like a normal person. My head hurts," Chen Mang said, rubbing his temples wearily. A deep sense of helplessness washed over him. He initially felt that the Heaven-Slaying Civilization could hold out for a day or two. At least they would have a chance. But instant annihilation?
"You're supposed to be a Tier 1 Civilization! You're supposed to be worthy of a seat at the table, ready to clash with other civilizations!" he thought. "How could you be wiped out in seconds by the Zerg Civilization?"
Three seconds? That meant there was no ground invasion, no prolonged battle. It was probably just a single shot from a Mothership's main cannon, melting everything instantly.
He finally understood what the Civilization Token meant by "taking a seat at the table." He also understood what happened when you took that seat too early.
After a long silence, Chen Mang finally rallied, muttering dazedly, "The Zerg Civilization is completely unreasonable. They can designate random wormhole creation across a vast area, completely ignoring coordinates. They just brute-force it!"
"If they hit something, they send their entire army."
"Are wormholes really that cheap to make? The Mechanical Civilization's information said the Zerg Civilization's greatest strength was its ability to mass-produce troops and wormholes cheaply, but this is just excessive."
"No wonder the Mechanical Civilization lost. What civilization could possibly stand against this kind of wormhole production? Considering that, it's actually impressive the Mechanical Civilization lasted for over two hundred years."
"Actually, it makes sense, Train Conductor," Xiao Ai's weak voice came from the locomotive cabin. "After all, 'wormholes' are named after the 'Zerg Civilization.' It's not surprising they have this ability. Insects are naturally good at burrowing, so it's logical."
"Logical, my ass."
"But Train Conductor, I've figured out why our Wormhole Radar can detect the birth of wormholes thousands of light-years away."
"The Zerg Civilization deliberately exposed the wormhole coordinates and transmitted the information to all civilizations in the surrounding zone."
"Deterrence?"
"Yes, deterrence. To make it clear to all civilizations that this is what happens when you advance to Tier 1 in this region. They're willing to destroy any civilization at any cost and as quickly as possible to prevent any uprisings in their backyard."
"It seems the Zerg Civilization knows this zone is home to many civilizations."
"Of course they do. But until a civilization advances to Tier 1, it's not considered a player at the table. The Zerg Civilization can't possibly wipe out every minor civilization one by one."
"So if I didn't have the Wormhole Radar, it would be like winking at a blind man."
"But train conductor, if one can't even receive information, that civilization won't advance to Tier 1 anytime soon."
"Civilization Advancement..." Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and gazed thoughtfully at the galaxy map on the screen. He didn't know what Civilization Advancement was for, but could he just skip it? Couldn't he just keep upgrading his train? Civilization Advancement sounded awfully dangerous.
Once you advance, you become an enemy to the entire cosmos.
The galaxy map only showed a radius of 10,000 light-years.
In the left third of the map, countless deep-red planets were forming a star chain, all clustered together. These planets were the Zerg Civilization's domain, marked with their Civilization Imprint.
The Heaven-Slaying Civilization had achieved Civilization Advancement in this zone.
This area was part of the Zerg's main base, with the majority of it likely extending beyond the map's boundaries.
Chen Mang's current location was at the rear of this base, surrounded by a cluster of insignificant Tier 1 Civilizations.
"Actually, it's not so bad," Chen Mang said, gazing at the Galaxy Map. "The Zerg Civilization is definitely still engaged in conflict with another civilization. Once we leave Aquablue Star for the Seven-Colored Zone, we'll slowly mine mining stars behind the Zerg's main base and then advance eastward across the map."
"If we can't defeat them, we'll just avoid them. We'll abandon our homeworld entirely and live on the train. You've seen how dangerous having a base is—one main cannon shot and it's all over. Instead, we'll become a Nomadic Civilization, drifting through the cosmos until we're strong enough to return and strike back."
"Time for sleep!"
Chen Mang rose and headed to the shower room to freshen up before returning to his bed. Even if the sky were to fall, sleep came first. There was no point in worrying; the only option was to develop as quickly as possible.
Tomorrow really is coming.
If I die, I die.
What else can I do?
That thing doesn't make sense. Even if Laozi himself came, he'd still die here. If I hadn't had the Wormhole Radar, I wouldn't have realized I'd been living in a death trap all along. I'd still be pondering where to go in the vast cosmos after leaving Aquablue Star.
Now, there's no need to think about that.
Flee.
What followed was a grand escape. The cosmos was vast, yet offered no refuge.
Damn Zerg. I've hated those damn insects since childhood. One day, I'll surround their entire civilization within my domain, forcing them to experience the helplessness I feel now.
"Huh?"
Just then, Chen Mang noticed a resident planet on the Galaxy Map seemed to be moving.
He immediately walked from his bed to the screen.
"Zoom in on this zone of the Galaxy Map."
This time, he saw it clearly.
An inhabited planet belonging to the Qitian Civilization was fleeing at high speed in the opposite direction of the Zerg Civilization.
"Is... it running away?"
Chen Mang stared at the planet on the screen with a strange expression. It seemed like establishing a base might not be such a good idea after all. If you had to flee, you'd have to drag the whole planet with you—what a hassle.
"But why do they all call themselves the Heaven-Slaying Civilization, the Qitian Civilization? They're just a bunch of random names. Don't they have their own racial names?"
"Like the Zerg Civilization or the Human Civilization?"
"They don't dare," Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the locomotive cabin. "The Mechanical Civilization is technically a branch of human civilization, but there can only be one major racial civilization in the cosmos. If the Mechanical Civilization dared to call itself the 'Human Civilization,' the original 'Human Civilization' would likely launch a massive invasion to destroy it, ensuring its own legitimacy and uniqueness."
"Maintaining legitimacy is crucial. A name alone can prove a civilization's strength, attract defectors from other human civilizations, and strengthen the cohesion of its own people."
"Then how does the Zerg Civilization dare to use that name?"
"Because they are the legitimate one. No one can defeat them."
"Who's stronger gets to be the legitimate civilization?"
"That's right."
"Got it."
Chen Mang nodded silently and walked toward his bed. He had been planning to rebuild human civilization, but now it seemed he could just call it "Fuck Everything." If they wouldn't let him call it human civilization, he'd just fuck them all over.
Damn it!
Why did everyone in the cosmos want to take a shot at him?
Did they really think he was just easy to bully?
Just wait.
One day, he'd fuck them all over and rename all their civilizations "Slave Civilization."
The entire cosmos would have only two civilizations: Fuck Everything and the remaining Slave Civilizations.
"What about the Goblin Civilization? Are they legitimate too? Is Doba really that strong?"
"Well, they gave themselves that name. It hasn't been officially recognized. For example, Train Conductor, you could claim to be the human civilization right now, and no one would bother you."
"But I promised Doba I'd help him rebuild the Goblin Civilization. What happens if he actually does?"
"Then you'll have a whole new set of enemies, Train Conductor."
"..."
Chen Mang's lips twitched slightly. He lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling with a sigh.
He hated this feeling of being trampled on by anyone who came along.
He had to hurry... even faster.
He wanted to crush all other civilizations under his heel, so he could finally sleep soundly. Otherwise, he'd never find peace!
Dozing off, he fell asleep.
In his dream, he transmigrated again, this time into the Zerg. He became the Queen Mother, and with an arrogant wave of his hand, millions of random wormholes erupted across the cosmos, unleashing a wave of slaughter against other civilizations.
"Too bad," he muttered as dawn broke.
Chen Mang woke up, turning his head to look at the Dreamstone beside his bed with a hint of regret. "The Zerg Civilization is too overpowered. Can I switch factions or something?"
"That feeling of digging tunnels like crazy was truly exhilarating."
He then got up to wash and dress, lit a cigarette, and sat down to read the Train Log.
Residents had already begun their mining work, both inside the carriage's space gates and outside in the wasteland surrounding the train.
The space gate couldn't accommodate too many residents.
Chen Mang established the remaining 48 mines separately: some within the train's space gate, others on the wasteland surrounding the train. The 6,000 residents and 2,000 Mining Robots had already begun working frantically.
But...
The efficiency was still too slow.
"..."
Chen Mang stared at the screen. The train currently had 26 million units of iron ore remaining—what was left after yesterday's mining of the Tier 5 iron ore deposit. After upgrading the Wormhole Radar and repaying Neon City over 20 million units of iron ore, this was all that was left.
He needed to build more Mining Robots.
Otherwise, these 50 mines would take him another month to fully exploit.
He didn't have that much time to waste.
Each Mining Robot cost 2,500 units of iron ore to manufacture.
Last time, he had spent 5 million units of iron ore to build 2,000 Mining Robots.
This time, he would build more.
He poured 15 million units of iron ore into the project, creating 6,000 Mining Robots.
Another 3 million units of iron ore were consumed to craft a Tier 1 Energy Stone for each robot. These Mining Robots were incredibly energy-efficient, with a single Tier 1 Energy Stone capable of powering them for 180 consecutive days.
As an endless stream of cheap robots disembarked from the train, mining progress accelerated severalfold.
Chen Mang activated all his Mine Refresh Tokens, surrounding the Stellaris with over forty Tier 5 Mines.
"I can't wait any longer," he said, glancing at the control panel screen. "Tell Old Pig to prepare. When Neon City officially opens next time, announce that it will be open daily from then on."
"From now on, all mining operations on the train will be handled by the Mining Robots."
"Have the train crew arrange their respective duties: those responsible for daily life on the train, Cyber Mining, sales in Neon City, and madam duties. Old Pig needs to have all this sorted out within the next few days."
"Time is short, and the mission is heavy."
"Yes," Xiao Ai's voice echoed from the locomotive cabin. "There's one more thing. All ten Cosmic Receivers in Carriage 12 have been completed. Considering how many materials we produce daily, building them shouldn't have been that difficult."
"We operate nearly around the clock. If we don't go to fortuitous encounter maps, we can produce 4.8 million units of iron ore per day." (TL: Cosmic receivers gather core energy of the world to generate ores, fortuitous encounter maps cannot provide that)
"Hmm."
Chen Mang frowned slightly. That wasn't a small amount—over a hundred million units of iron ore per month. But it was only equivalent to a single Tier 5 Mine, far short of his needs.
Ah, well. Every little bit helps.
"Is there any progress on Uncle Li's Zombie Grinding Machine?"
"We've hit a snag and haven't broken through yet."
"Sigh."
He sighed softly, then after a long moment of thought, murmured, "Let's leave it for now. We should focus on finishing these mines and then head to the Red Zone."
Meanwhile—
The train radio in the Purple Zone's Stone Man train had exploded into chaos!
Ever since a train accidentally stumbled upon the Stellaris and detected over forty Tier 5 Mines nearby, its train conductor had gone mad. Just as he tried to approach, a warning flashed across his control panel screen:
"Warning! Warning!"
"Detected incoming high-intensity firepower attack. Estimated time of arrival: two seconds."
"Attack intensity: Tier 20."
"No recommended countermeasures."
In that instant, despair washed over him. Fortunately, at the last moment, the shell veered off course, landing beside his train. Looking up, he saw a fighter jet diving past overhead, while forty more fighter jets circled in the distance.
Without hesitation, he immediately fled.
Anyone who approached would be dead.
Only after putting distance between himself and the danger did he broadcast the earlier warning over the train radio. Without the ability to transmit photos or videos, no one believed him. How could over forty Tier 5 Mines possibly be clustered together?
Driven by the principle of seeing is believing, several trains cautiously approached the area and confirmed the truth. The train radio erupted into chaos.
The Stellaris was powerful.
They all knew that.
But in their minds, the Stellaris was merely a train in the Stone Man Zone. How could its strength have suddenly surged so dramatically? Forty-plus Tier 20 fighter jets? Who could possibly stand against that?
Many people stared expectantly at the train radio, hoping a brave soul would step forward and declare their intention to join the fray, followed by a chorus of agreement.
But...
After a long wait, no such hero emerged.
Those who followed might survive, but the first warrior to step forward was certain to die.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the information on the train radio, but paid it no mind. He reached for a bayberry from the tray Xiao Fang was holding and popped it into his mouth. After witnessing the Zerg Civilization's overwhelming power, he had lost interest in this childish squabble.
His goal was to crush the Zerg Civilization!
With the Stellaris' current strength, it was no match for the Zerg Civilization. However, wiping out the entire Stone Man Zone in three minutes would be no problem at all.
A bunch of weaklings.
And that guy on the train radio... he was still thinking about buying women when the sky was about to fall. What the hell was wrong with him?
Chen Mang was different.
He had three pounds of meat to worry about, so he had to think.
Today was a crucial day in the History of Train Development.
Many residents watched the massive swarm of Mining Robots with complex expressions. They all understood one thing: if there had only been 2,000 Mining Robots, they could have continued mining. But now that 6,000 more had disembarked from the train...
They would be completely unemployed.
They would lose their jobs.
What would happen next, they didn't know. But they knew one thing: the hard-won stability and sense of security they had built during the apocalypse would be shattered. They had grown accustomed to their daily mining routine. Though tiring, it had given them purpose and a sense of safety.
What lay ahead was now a complete mystery.
"That's just how the tides of the Era flow," a middle-aged woman said softly, leaning on her pickaxe as she watched the Mining Robots diligently at work nearby. "Human labor can't resist the relentless current of technological progress. But I believe that while robots may replace this mechanical work, they can never fully replace humanity."
"I've already found a job in Neon City. When it officially opens for daily operations, I'll become a madam at a Customs Shop."
"Madam... doesn't sound like an easy job," a man standing nearby said with concern.
"It's not too bad," she replied.
The middle-aged woman said softly, "I did this before the apocalypse. Generally, madams are women. Male clients feel less threatened by a female madam. Before the apocalypse, we had to pay a lot of protection money to the authorities. There's none of that in Neon City. We can just focus on serving our customers."
"We need to find work somehow."
"My goal is to double the Customs Shop's profits in the next phase."
"I don't even know what I'm good at."
"Take it slow."
"Besides, we're both Tier 1000 residents. Lord Mang won't let us starve. The train is developing rapidly, but there's bound to be a period of stagnation. No major power rises in a straight line; they leapfrog over several plateaus and surge forward."
"There will inevitably be gaps and periods of adjustment."
"If we can weather this period, our status as Tier 1000 residents guarantees us a high position and treatment on the Stellaris in the future."
"That's true."
Twelve days later.
Under intense mining efforts, all fifty mines were fully depleted.
Beneath a starry sky, the Stellaris rested on the wasteland of the Stone Man Zone, preparing to depart for the Red Zone tonight. Before leaving, they needed to further refine the train's accessories.
Chen Mang sat alone in a chair, gazing at the control panel screen.
At this moment—
Ten thousand Mining Robots were quietly stationed within a newly constructed Tier 10 Space Gate in Carriage 10, which he had named the Miner Base.
He had later spent another 5 million units of iron ore to build 2,000 more, bringing the total to ten thousand.
That should be enough for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, the Stellaris's internal resources had reached their peak.
[960 million units of iron ore, 1.1025 billion units of Wood, 990 million units of copper ore, 1.123 billion units of Red Heart Rock, and 1.101 billion units of Titanium Crystal Ore.]
900 million units of copper ore was more than enough for a tough battle.
As for the Wood and Red Heart Rock, he wouldn't run out of them anytime soon.
First, he would upgrade his armor.
Tier 18 armor wasn't enough; he needed to go up another tier.
Upgrading from Tier 17 to Tier 18 cost 30 million units of iron ore per carriage, while upgrading from Tier 18 to Tier 19 cost 50 million units per carriage.
There were a total of 16 carriages.
With the consumption halved, the total cost was 400 million units of iron ore.
As the 400 million units of iron ore turned to powder and merged into the carriages, the "Armor" accessory reached Tier 19!
The area he planned to enter, the Red Zone known as the Twilight Coast, had monsters whose highest grade was only Tier 18.
He had originally intended to upgrade all the way to Tier 20 in one go.
But after checking the cost, he found that upgrading to Tier 20 would cost 100 million units of iron ore per carriage, totaling 800 million units of iron ore.
He didn't have enough.
"Sigh..."
Chen Mang sighed, gently rubbing his temples with a weary expression. "This Tuotuo Princess has clearly never been to the front lines, nor has she ever built anything from scratch."
"If you're leaving resources for inheritance, why leave so much Wood and Red Heart Rock?"
"Old hag, it would have been much better to just leave fifty Tier 5 iron ore mines."
"That would have been far more effective than leaving a little of every resource."
He could already imagine how Princess Tuotuo had built her train.
From a young age, she had received a Rare Train Token and a massive amount of resources. With these, she had immediately built a top-tier train, completely oblivious to the resources most needed in the early stages of train development.
She was simply throwing resources around carelessly.
It was like how only a handful of people in the Mechanical Civilization had managed to level their Train Auxiliary AI to Tier 200, yet this princess, who never set foot on the front lines, also had a Tier 200 Train Auxiliary AI.
In Chen Mang's opinion, this was pure, voluntary waste—something that needed to be corrected.
"Old crone, you don't even go to the front lines, yet you're hoarding so many resources. It's a complete waste! According to the AI Database, before Tier 100, you could level up by consuming one murphy stone and the corresponding upgrade resources. But after Tier 100, leveling up requires more murphy stones, and the number increases with each tier."
But—
After reaching Tier 100, breaking the level cap to advance a tier requires more than just one murphy stone. The number needed increases exponentially with each level gained.
Of course, in theory, if the Mechanical Civilization mobilized its entire population, it could upgrade an accessory to Tier 800 or even Tier 1000. But this would be pointless. A battlefront spanning tens of thousands of light-years cannot be swayed by a single high-level accessory. If one area becomes too strong, the rest of the battlefront will inevitably collapse, leading to a faster defeat.
The higher the tier, the more pronounced the diminishing returns.
For example, a meal costing 100,000 yuan might taste better than a 10-yuan meal, but the difference in flavor is unlikely to be more than two or three times better. Yet the cost difference is far greater.
Unless...
Unless someone could upgrade accessories without needing murphy stones.
This was the ultimate source of his confidence in slowly developing behind enemy lines in the Zerg's heartland!
He had many Tier 100 life accessories that he hadn't upgraded further for this very reason.
For example, upgrading the "Moldy Bread Slice Production Line" from Tier 1 to Tier 100 required 505,000 units of iron ore.
But leveling up from Tier 100 to Tier 101 required 500,000 units of iron ore.
Tier 100 was the bottleneck for all accessories. Once past this point, the resources needed for upgrades and the consumption of Murphy Stones would increase dramatically. Naturally, he wouldn't spend hundreds of millions of units of iron ore just to get a slightly better-tasting Moldy Bread Slice.
No wonder Tuotuo was so proud of her Tier 200 Train Auxiliary AI.
It was indeed something to be proud of.
But it was also a waste.
Moreover, according to the database, the Mechanical Civilization was deeply corrupt internally at the time. It was highly likely that many officials had embezzled resources intended for the front lines.
Each person probably thought, "With such a vast battlefront, what difference will my little bit of resources make?"
One or two people might not have made a difference.
But when everyone did the same, it would significantly hasten their defeat.
From this perspective, the Zerg Civilization's ruling philosophy was far more advanced. A pure one-party dictatorship, where the Queen Mother's word was law and those below had no choice but to obey, with no room for corruption.
Such a civilization might have a low happiness index, but its military strength would undoubtedly be top-tier.
"Poor child."
Chen Mang stepped off the train and stuck three cigarettes into the ground as an offering for Tuotuo's safe passage. He could easily imagine her: a pampered little princess who, before the collapse of civilization, had wanted to do something meaningful and had restarted the Dawn Project.
He owed her a debt of gratitude.
So he wouldn't criticize her actions. It was fine.
But if anyone on the Stellaris dared to waste his resources like that, he'd send them to Zhang Yiren tomorrow to play the male lead in his movie about Louis XVI.
A Tier 20 Viper Drone Fighter cost 2.5 million units of Titanium Crystal Ore.
And Chen Mang currently had 1 billion units.
As Chen Mang pressed the button on the control panel, the Viper Drone Fighter production line in the Fighter Hangar of Carriage 10 began to hum to life. Fighters rolled off the assembly line at a rapid pace.
He allocated 100 million units of titanium crystal ore to build more Viper Drone Fighters.
This produced another 40 fighters.
Adding to the original 41, he now had 81 Viper Drone Fighters with Tier 20 attack power.
Eighty Viper Drone Fighters with permanent endurance circled above the train. Once they entered the Red Zone... Just thinking about it, Chen Mang's confidence soared.
The Viper Drone Fighters were fully recyclable—every resource used to build one could be recovered. Theoretically, he could have used all his Titanium Crystal Mines to build them, and if Titanium Crystal ore ever became useful for something else, he could simply recycle the fighters.
But...
Each Viper Drone Fighter required a Tier 4 Energy Stone, which cost 500,000 units of iron ore.
His billion Titanium Crystal ore could build 400 fighters, but the energy stones needed for those fighters would cost 200 million units of iron ore. It was too expensive—he could afford to build them, but not to use them.
An escort formation of eighty fighters was more than enough.
Chen Mang sent coordinates to Erdan via the train radio before heading toward the border between the Twilight Coast and the Stone Man Zone in the Red Zone. He planned to upgrade the train to Tier 16 before entering the Red Zone.
To advance to a Tier 16 train, one must level up within the Red Zone.
Before leaving, Chen Mang still had some matters to attend to.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the few Doomsday Marriage Certificates in his drawer. He needed to help Erdan's train reach Tier 15 so they could enter the Red Zone together, with Erdan exploring fortuitous encounter maps for him.
However, upgrading to Tier 15 was more complicated, requiring resident restrictions and three couples within the train who had used Doomsday Marriage Certificates.
Without his help, Erdan would struggle to reach Tier 15.
Beneath the starry sky, the Fuck Everything · Travel Frog train stood beside the Fuck Everything · Stellaris train, a stark contrast in size.
Chen Mang lit a cigarette, leaned against his train, and gazed at Erdan's train, smiling. "Actually, it's not bad, right? At first glance, it seems a bit vulgar, a bit crude. But after a few more glances, doesn't it start to grow on you?"
During their mining days, Chen Mang had been...
He had already commissioned Zhang Yiren to write another script, bringing the total to three. He gave these scripts to three couples among the train residents, who had all entered the Combat Training Virtual Space to dream. They could wake up at any moment. The moment they woke up, he would transfer the residents to the Er Dan Train and issue them Doomsday Marriage Certificates. This would essentially complete the mission successfully.
"It really does feel that way."
Erdan stood beside him, leaning against the train, and sighed in agreement. "It feels like a defiance against the hardships of fate. Like every curse we utter isn't meant to insult someone, but rather a silent roar of rage against this damned life."
"If you're actually shouting, how can it still be silent?"
"Uh... it's a matter of artistic expression."
"And..." Erdan paused, his expression serious. "Now that we share the same prefix as the Stellaris, it really feels like we're closer to it. Standing next to the Stellaris feels like coming home."
"It's completely different from how it felt before."
(End of the Chapter)
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