Translator: AnubisTL
"Lord Mang, what exactly did you mean by 'civilization' just now?"
"Oh."
Chen Mang suddenly realized he hadn't explained civilizations to Erdan yet. After a brief pause, he pointed to the starry sky above. "See those stars?"
"I see them."
"Those aren't stars."
"Then what are they?"
"They're bombs, ready to explode at any moment."
"The good news is that the monsters currently on Aquablue Star are just Zerg eggs, not the main force. They're not even regular troops. As long as you stick with me, you'll be relatively safe."
"The bad news is that we're behind enemy lines, deep in the Zerg
Civilization's territory."
Ten minutes later, Erdan stood in the Stellaris's locomotive cabin, gazing at the Galaxy Map on the control panel screen. He muttered, "I get it now. Those Federation guys really deserve to be lined up and shot. How could they have completely missed all these civilizations near Aquablue Star before the apocalypse?"
The scene before him, combined with Lord Mang's explanation over the past ten minutes, was shattering his worldview.
But...
During the apocalypse, Chen Mang had destroyed almost everything he could, so he quickly accepted the situation.
"Doesn't this put us in a dangerous position?"
"Yes."
Chen Mang sighed softly. "Theoretically, we're like Schrödinger's cat right now, in a superposition of life and death. The moment the lid is opened, our fate will be sealed."
"We need to reach the Seven-Colored Zone as quickly as possible and prepare to escape. Once we've grown stronger, we'll return to fight the Zerg Civilization."
"So..."
Erdan hesitated before continuing, "Lord Mang, you're the only one capable of rebuilding the Aquablue Star Civilization. Are you planning to name it 'Fuck Everything Civilization'?"
"What do you think? Not very refined, but I like it." Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, gazing at the galaxy map on the screen with a smile.
"Hmm, I think 'Human Civilization' might also be a viable option, Lord Mang."
"Someone won't let me use that name, so I have to fuck them over first. Only after I've fucked them over can I call it 'Human Civilization'."
"That guy is really overbearing," Erdan muttered.
"He certainly is," Chen Mang agreed.
"Alright," Chen Mang said, patting Erdan's shoulder gently. "Go check on the upgrades to your train. There's no way we're actually calling it 'Fuck Everything Civilization.' It would make us sound so vulgar when we interact with other civilizations in the future. I was just teasing you."
"I already came up with a better name for our civilization."
"What is it?"
"The Mang Mang Civilization."
"Huh?"
Erdan's hesitant voice came from behind: "Lord Mang, I actually think 'Fuck Everything Civilization' sounds pretty good..."
Chen Mang chuckled softly without replying. He simply walked out of the locomotive cabin. The name didn't matter; the final name would undoubtedly be Human Civilization. As for the other name... he was just teasing the kid.
The true lineage of humanity.
It should rightfully belong to him. After all, he had lived two lives, both as a genuine human. If his transmigration hadn't been a cross-temporal journey but merely a spatial one, he could have even found Blue Star in the cosmos and incorporated it into his Civilization Domain.
That's great.
All the territories are his, and he enjoys this kind of territorial expansion.
As long as he can keep developing.
At this moment—
Erdan's "Travel Frog" had successfully advanced from Tier 12 to Tier 15!
It had consumed a total of 15 million units of iron ore.
The armor had previously been upgraded to Tier 14.
"Your armor can't be upgraded for now," Chen Mang said, turning to Erdan. "We don't have enough murphy stone on the train. You'll have to delay your armor upgrade. But your train is fast and agile, and you don't need to engage in combat. A slightly lower armor tier shouldn't matter, right?"
"If you encounter any danger, ask for help immediately," Chen Mang instructed. "Even if you can't reach me, Xiao Ai will dispatch a Viper Drone Fighter to support you."
"Alright," Erdan replied, nodding solemnly. "I won't interact with other trains or monsters. I'll just focus on finding fortuitous encounter maps. Tier 14 armor is enough. Many trains in the Red Zone probably don't even have Tier 14 armor."
"That's true," Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully. He was right—many trains in the Red Zone didn't even have Tier 14 defensive components. Despite their impressive firepower, they were all glass cannons.
"By the way—" he suddenly remembered something and asked, "I recall your train's top speed is 6,000 kilometers per hour. Does that speed have any requirements for your armor tier?"
"Yes, but Tier 14 is sufficient. My top speed is achieved through a 'Train Special Skill.' When the skill is activated, it provides the train with protection."
"Understood."
Chen Mang didn't linger to chat further with Erdan. They each turned back to their own trains.
"Let's go!"
Chen Mang sat in the control room, gazing at the four large characters "Twilight Coast" displayed on the massive holographic screen before him. He slowly pushed the control lever forward, and the Stellaris, a mechanical dragon of a train, roared to life as it entered the Red Zone for the first time.
The higher the zone's tier, the higher the monster levels and mine tiers.
As the train entered the Red Zone and came to a stop at the edge, the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs echoed like thunder in the clear sky. This zone bordered the sea, and Erdan's train had already transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting off into the distance!
"Let's go see the sea."
He turned the Stellaris around, maneuvering the train toward the cliff overlooking the ocean.
The target acquisition radar and resource detection radar inside the train beeped incessantly.
He glanced at the train panel.
Mostly Tier 16 low-level monsters and some Tier 4 waste ore.
But then, he paused, a slight flicker of surprise in his eyes. The highest monster level in the Red Zone was only Tier 18. Tier 16 monsters weren't exactly weak, and a Tier 4 Ore deposit typically held around ten million units—not a small amount.
He chuckled wryly, a touch of helplessness in his voice.
The Withered Wood Meets Spring fortuitous encounter map had raised his standards. He'd killed a thousand Tier 19 zombies. How could he possibly care about Tier 16 monsters now? He'd already mined fifty Tier 5 Mines. A Tier 4 Ore deposit barely registered on his excitement meter.
That's how it is with people. Once they've tasted the good life, it's hard to go back.
Beneath a sky ablaze with stars, the Stellaris slowly came to a halt on the cliff's edge. The deep blue-black sea seemed to merge with the heavens, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure. The salty tang of the ocean air, sharp and pungent, filled his nostrils like the open maw of a Cosmic Behemoth.
Chen Mang stepped out of the locomotive cabin alone, standing on the edge of the cliff overlooking the undulating sea in the distance.
It had been a long time since he'd seen the ocean.
Perhaps because he was born inland, he had always been drawn to the sea since childhood.
He loved this zone.
Just then—
Xiao Ai emerged from the locomotive cabin and whispered, "The target acquisition radar has detected many high-grade monsters and some rare minerals on the seabed."
Chen Mang turned his head to look at Xiao Ai, his expression unchanged. After a long silence, he finally said softly, "I'm the train conductor. If you know, how could I not?"
"Do you always have to report for duty when I'm trying to relax?"
"Really..."
"Forget it. Let's go back."
Returning to the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang studied the information on the screen. Deep beneath the sea before him were numerous Tier 18 high-grade monsters, the maximum level for this zone. This sea wasn't entirely within the Twilight Coast zone; only a small portion belonged to it, while the rest fell under other zones.
On the seabed, there was a unique mineral he had never seen before: Sea Green Ore.
At a depth of 30,000 meters beneath the ocean floor, approximately 10,000 meters from the coastline, lay a Tier 5 Sea Green Ore mine.
"The ocean floor is surprisingly deep," Chen Mang murmured softly, before finally asking, "Does your database have any information on the uses of Sea Green Ore?"
"Yes!" Xiao Ai, his eyes brimming with aggrieved urgency, immediately replied. He had only gotten out of the car to warn Chen Mang about the ore's immense value, only to be scolded for his trouble. He was utterly crestfallen.
"Before that, I need to explain how mines are formed, Lord Mang," Xiao Ai continued. "You already know that mines originate from the leakage of a planet's core energy. However, the mines on Aquablue Star were artificially accelerated. A Mechanical Civilization Shuttlecraft injected a special reagent into the planet's core, rapidly maturing various mine formations."
"But—"
"The mines produced through this method are generally of low Tier and limited in quantity."
"Aquablue Star's core energy was originally sealed deep within the core, preventing any leakage. In the cosmos, only planets with such locked-in core energy possess the fundamental conditions to become habitable worlds."
"Such planets are rare."
Most planets' "core energy" leaks into the cosmos, becoming sustenance for Cosmic Behemoths. A few planets, however, have their core energy leak but remain trapped within their own boundaries—these are known as "mining stars."
Every mining star boasts numerous mines of high Tier and vast quantities. The most productive mines can yield a mineral at every step.
Mines come in various types, such as iron ore, copper ore, and others. Iron ore is the most crucial and in highest demand. Rare minerals are used in niche domains, and Sea Green Ore is one such rare mineral, found only deep beneath the ocean floor of certain planets.
Sea Green Ore is essential for upgrading and crafting the Seven-Colored Grade Accessory, the Annihilator Ion Cannon.
...
Chen Mang frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before asking, "The Annihilator Ion Cannon?"
"Yeah, it's super powerful!"
"How powerful?"
"In the database, Princess Tuotuo's main cannon on her Princess Train is a Tier 8 Annihilator Ion Cannon. It's incredibly powerful."
"Tell me about its effects."
"What effects?"
"Like, in your database, what did Princess Tuotuo's weapon actually do? Did it kill a Cosmic Behemoth, or destroy a planet?"
"Um..."
Xiao Ai, standing nearby, hesitated before speaking. "It hasn't been fired. Princess Tuotuo has never used it. We just know it's powerful. Most firepower accessories consume iron ore and copper ore, but this one requires Sea Green Ore."
"What a waste of resources," Chen Mang couldn't help but sigh again. "That old crone, she never even went to battle. Why did she keep pouring resources into the train like this?"
But then he remembered something else.
"What's the maximum upgrade level for Seven-Colored Accessories?"
"The maximum level for Red-Tier Accessories is Tier 20, for Gold-Tier Accessories it's Tier 30, for pink-grade accessories it's Tier 50, and for Seven-Colored Grade Accessories it's Tier 100."
"Tier 100..." Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully. "The highest level is Tier 100. Princess Tuotuo only reached Tier 78, so it's not too wasteful of resources."
"Upgrade!"
He took a deep breath, temporarily ignoring the Sea Green Ore mine deep beneath the ocean. That mine was currently unexploitable. His train could dive down there, but how could he mine? The Mining Robot would turn into a flattened steel pancake the moment it left the train's waterproof shield.
As for the residents, they'd become meat pancakes instantly.
He had no mining method for now.
First, he needed to upgrade the train to Tier 16. He was already impatient to reach the Seven-Colored Zone, unify the world, leave Aquablue Star, and then start mining that mining star.
He glanced at the requirements for the train upgrade to Tier 16 train.
Upgrade Requirements: Consume 70,000 units of Tier 3 Iron Mine; all carriage accessories must be Tier 240 or higher.
The requirements were far simpler than those for Tier 15. Only 7 million units of iron ore were needed.
As the 7 million units of iron ore vanished from the train, two familiar lines of small text immediately appeared on the control panel screen:
[Your train has reached Tier 16.
No new craftable components have been unlocked.]
Tier 16.
Chen Mang stared blankly at the train panel, muttering to himself. The Mechanical Civilization's leader had the strongest train, at Tier 91. It didn't feel like they were that far off. A Tier 16 train wasn't that far behind a Tier 91 train.
When the train reached Tier 16, no new buttons appeared on the control panel.
This meant no new functions had been added.
There were no new craftable components either. This meant that, aside from a basic speed increase, the train's upgrade had brought virtually no changes. He turned his gaze to the upgrade requirements for Tier 17.
They were almost identical to the requirements for Tier 16, except the iron ore requirement had increased to 8 million units.
Upgrade again.
[Your train has reached Tier 17.
No additional craftable components have been unlocked.]
Tier 17!
Still no new functions or accessories.
With barely a pause, Chen Mang once again produced 9 million units of iron ore and immediately upgraded his Tier 17 train to Tier 18. This time, something finally changed.
[Your train has reached Tier 18.
More craftable components have been unlocked.]
A new button appeared on the control panel, along with several new craftable components. The requirements for upgrading to a Tier 19 Train had also become significantly more stringent, clearly marking Tier 18 as a major hurdle.
"..."
Chen Mang sat back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and gazed at the control panel screen. After consuming 24 million units of iron ore, he had upgraded his train all the way to Tier 18 in one go.
At last—
He finally had a Tier 18 train!
He had always considered Tier 18 trains to be the domain of the elite, and now he had finally become one of the "elite" he had once admired.
Just as he had suspected.
The train conductor who had been so frantically collecting kitten cubs in Neon City was indeed doing so for the Cosmic Behemoths.
After the train reached Tier 18, a new button appeared on the control panel labeled "Cosmic Behemoth," a newly added feature.
He placed it in Xiao Ai's "Mecha Research Center."
The function was simple: by feeding different animal cubs, there was a chance to mutate them into different Cosmic Behemoths.
For example—
Feeding a tiger cub could mutate it into a D-rank Cosmic Behemoth, the Star-Treading Sword Tiger, with a success rate of 0.0007%.
Feeding a kitten cub could mutate it into a D-rank Cosmic Behemoth, the Nine-Tailed, with a success rate of 0.004%.
Feeding a crocodile cub to the system could mutate it into a C-Class Cosmic Behemoth, the Heaven-Turning Crocodile, with a success rate of 0.00009%.
Those were the only three options.
Chen Mang thoughtfully considered the three choices. No wonder that man had been collecting Kitten Cubs in bulk. Their mutation success rate was indeed the highest. With enough luck, one could be mutated from every seventy or eighty thousand cubs.
However...
The full title of the mutated Cosmic Behemoths was "Mutated Cosmic Behemoth."
Their potential and combat power would be weaker than normal Cosmic Behemoths, but they would remain absolutely loyal to the train and its conductor, becoming killing machines.
"They're all pretty underwhelming," Chen Mang commented before picking up Xiao Lu, the S-Class Cosmic Behemoth, and cradling him in his arms. He poked at the cub's pink, pouty mouth, then turned to Xiao Ai. "Does the database have any information on the Star-Devouring Beast's habits?"
"I get the feeling Xiao Lu might be depressed," Xiao Ai replied. "Ever since he woke up, he hasn't gone anywhere, just sleeps or stares blankly all day."
"There's no record of its habits, but that's probably normal. Xiao Lu doesn't seem depressed; he's just lazy. After all, he's still a cub. Isn't sleeping and staring blankly what cubs do?"
"True."
...
Chen Mang placed Xiao Lu on a nearby chair. "You're still the best. Even if they managed to create that Nine-Tailed thing, it wouldn't stand a chance against you."
He glanced at the time on the control panel screen and murmured, "Is Old Pig ready? Today's the first official full-scale opening of Neon City."
"Almost ready. We just need to wait for midnight to open."
"Alright."
According to plan, mining the 50 Tier 5 Mines had taken him over ten days. During those ten days, Neon City had opened twice, and he had reinvested all the profits back into the city without withdrawing any. After tonight's opening, Neon City would open daily.
The number of Neon City Train Conductors had already reached 5,172.
Daily openings were now feasible.
He looked at the Iron Ore Balance on the train panel.
525 million units.
He had no plans to linger in the Red Zone, the Twilight Coast, for mining. He intended to head straight to the Golden Zone and upgrade his train as quickly as possible to craft Seven-colored grade firepower accessories.
For example:
Gold-grade accessory, requires 100,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.
Particle Shield: Gold-grade accessory, requires 100,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.
Particle Main Cannon: Gold-grade accessory, requires 100,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.
Particle Wheels, requires 100,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.
The Particle Trio.
All Gold-grade accessories.
They were superior replacements for the Star Ring Energy Shield, Comet Main Cannon, and Infernal Wheels, but they also consumed vast amounts of resources. Chen Mang had no intention of upgrading them. He aimed to leap straight to the Seven-Colored Zone to obtain Seven-Colored Grade Accessories. This approach would allow his train to skip the intermediate development phase and experience explosive growth.
Of course—
That depended on surviving.
Other trains dared not attempt this because their Train Defense Components were too low-level. They couldn't risk skipping tiers like this, as it would likely lead to their destruction. But Chen Mang had no such concerns.
With his exceptionally high Armor Tier, he planned to bypass the intermediate development phase and reach the Seven-Colored Zone directly.
If he were going to upgrade, he would upgrade to the best.
Wasting resources on intermediate upgrades was completely pointless.
Chen Mang glanced at the Upgrade Requirements for his Tier 19 Train.
Upgrade Requirements: Consume 100,000 units of Tier 3 Iron Mine; all carriage accessories must be Tier 300 or higher; have completed an S-rank difficulty mission; and have at least one Gold-grade accessory upgraded to Tier 20.
All requirements fully met.
While these Upgrade Requirements might seem harsh to others, they pose no challenge to the Stellaris, given its vast Foundation.
Especially the condition of completing an S-rank difficulty mission.
Back then, he had sold a Tier 1 Mine to help other trains complete that S-rank mission and obtain the Drill Manipulation Token. If those trains that had purchased his mine could one day reach Tier 18, they might look back and be grateful for their past choices.
"Once Neon City closes tonight, I'll withdraw all the profits, upgrade the armor to Tier 20, and then head to the Golden Zone."
"So soon?" Xiao Ai, standing nearby, was slightly taken aback. "Aren't we going to mine that Tier 5 Sea Green Ore in the sea? It's a rare ore!"
"Once I reach the Seven-Colored Zone, the Stellaris will no longer be restricted by zone boundaries. We can go anywhere we want. We can always come back and mine it later. Besides, no other train can steal it from us anyway."
"Erdan," Chen Mang said.
"Before he leaves, have him buy some murphy stone in Neon City and upgrade his Train Armor to Tier 18. Then, have him stay at Twilight Coast for now and slowly search for a map."
"Understood."
"By the way, Mundo just returned, didn't he? Have him come over."
"After replenishing his supply of Neon City Entry Tickets and resting for a few dozen minutes, he's already set off again."
"Good work."
Neon City officially opened today.
...
Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window of a high-rise in Sun City, Chen Mang looked down at the bustling crowds below. After months of trial operations, Neon City had gradually improved in many ways. Today marked its first official day of business.
The Free Trade Market had already begun charging transaction fees.
For trades between train conductors, a 1.5% fee was deducted from both the buyer and seller, totaling 3%.
The streets were far more crowded than they had been at the beginning.
Even in the AI database of the Mechanical Civilization, Seven-Colored Grade Accessories were the strongest—there were no higher grades. Now that they had reached this stage, the game had truly begun.
In other words...
From here on, the curtain would rise.
Until now, it had all been a transitional period of adaptation.
It was similar to Dragon Nest, a game he had played in his previous world. In that game, the real fun only began once you reached the maximum level.
His train's development speed was remarkable.
In less than a year, it had advanced from a Tier 1 train to a Tier 18 train. He believed no other train on Aquablue Star could match his progress. Yet, he wasn't satisfied; he wanted to go even faster.
As the saying goes, "How can one sleep soundly with a sword of Damocles hanging overhead?"
The Zerg Civilization loomed over him like that very sword. He couldn't rest until he found a safe place to hide.
"Is Tier 20 the highest train level in Neon City?"
"Yes."
Uncle Li, sitting beside him, quickly flipped through his notebook.
Tier 20.
That meant a train in the Golden Zone, likely nearing its maximum level. Assuming someone had obtained a train token at the start of the apocalypse, continuously upgraded their train, encountered numerous opportunities, and enjoyed good luck, they would likely be around Tier 20 by now.
Based on this, it's highly likely that there are no trains at all in the Pink Zone.
As for the Seven-Colored Zone, there's no need to even mention it.
"After tonight's business closes, move all the day's and previous two days' profits onto the train."
"Understood."
Inside Neon City.
Tonight, the city was bustling with activity. Thousands of train conductors, each accompanied by their thugs, walked the streets, eyeing the shops lining the road and chatting among themselves. Residents who had already found work in Neon City were energetically hawking their wares.
In an instant, the atmosphere became even livelier than the commercial streets before the apocalypse.
There wasn't a trace of the apocalypse's desolation.
It felt like a peaceful era.
Two men, surrounded by their thugs, huddled in a corner near a restroom, their expressions grim. "I'm telling you, this Neon City definitely belongs to Lord Mang."
"What else could it be?"
The other man's face fell. "I started suspecting it when I saw so many Stellaris-exclusive items in the Mechanical Train Parts Store, even the currency was stellar coupons. But I wasn't sure."
"It was only when I saw those guys on the streets that I was completely sure."
By "those guys," he meant the residents of the Stellaris train.
Few people had ever seen Chen Mang, and even fewer had seen the residents of the Stellaris train. But as luck would have it, both men had. When the Stellaris residents started hawking their wares at shop entrances, there was no room for doubt.
The matter was essentially settled.
The two men were the train conductors of the "Only Love One" and "Ten Steps, One Kill" trains, both now Tier 7 trains located in the Zombie Basin Region.
They had once had a close connection with Chen Mang.
Back in the Green Zone's Sha River Plains, they had attended a train wedding hosted by Chen Mang for his train residents, at Erdan's invitation. They had even enjoyed a lavish meal. The stark contrast in treatment between the slaves on Chen Mang's train and their own had left a lasting impression, causing significant discontent among their slaves back home.
"At the time, it felt like Lord Mang had a good impression of us," the conductor of the Only Love One Train sighed. "We went there hoping to hitch our wagon to Lord Mang's star. We thought we made a good impression, even brought him gifts. He smiled and chatted with us the whole time, acting completely without pretense. When we left, he even gave us parting gifts."
They had always believed they'd established a connection with Lord Mang.
But for some reason, contact faded after the wedding. By the time they confirmed the city belonged to Lord Mang, the gap between them had widened far beyond their previous level, becoming an unbridgeable chasm.
Their train, in this city, was just a small fry—far weaker than many others.
Yet the city itself was directly under Lord Mang's control.
There was no comparison.
"How could there be any follow-up?"
The train conductor of the Ten Steps, One Kill Train saw the situation clearly and sighed. "Relationships aren't built on goodwill alone. There needs to be a mutual exchange of resources. We have nothing to offer the Stellaris. More importantly, after the wedding, Lord Mang immediately left for the Zombie Basin. How could we even try to get closer if we couldn't even reach him?"
Just then—
A naked man, bent over at the waist, sprinted out of a nearby restroom. After stepping out, he immediately ducked back inside.
It was a comical sight.
But the two men were already accustomed to such scenes.
Neon City's public restrooms operated on a timed fee system: free for the first five minutes, then 100 stellar coupons per half-hour thereafter, with any time under half an hour rounded up.
Some people on the train would do this: halfway through their business, they'd pull up their pants and rush out to reset the free timer, then hurry back to finish. If they had stomach cramps and needed to go more, they'd repeat this process several times.
Of course, they couldn't just relieve themselves anywhere; that would result in a fine.
This behavior was common among passengers on lower-Tier trains. After all, in the apocalypse, people's sense of shame had diminished considerably. What did it matter if someone saw them?
"Wait!"
This scene was perfectly normal until the train conductor of the "Only Love One" Train noticed the man's face. He froze, his expression a mixture of disbelief and recognition. "I know this person. He was just at the Free Trade Market, spending 2 million stellar coupons on three purple-grade accessory blueprints."
"I thought he was the conductor of a Tier 14 Train! How could he possibly be short on 100 stellar coupons?"
Even he and his companion, despite being on a Tier 7 Train, could easily afford the fee. They always stayed until they were completely finished, never worrying about the timer.
The two men exchanged glances, each seeing a complex mix of emotions in the other's eyes.
"Now I finally understand how these strong individuals become so powerful," the conductor murmured. "They spend wisely, only spending what's necessary and investing every last unit of iron ore into their steel blades."
"We need to start being more frugal too. We can't keep spending so recklessly."
"I'm sure Lord Mang is the same way."
"Lord Mang definitely isn't."
"Why not?"
"If he were, his slaves wouldn't be eating so well. Look over there—they're all flushed and rosy-cheeked. They look healthier than I do."
"But you have to admit, Lord Mang's slaves work incredibly hard. They all seem so dedicated."
As midnight approached, Neon City remained open, but the streets had thinned considerably.
From today onward, Neon City would operate 24 hours a day.
Anytime, anywhere.
You could come to Neon City.
Inside the Stellaris train, parked in the wasteland, Chen Mang listened to Uncle Li's report. Neon City's total earnings for the period were 124 million units of iron ore—a substantial profit that continued to grow steadily.
The train's total iron ore balance had now reached—
「649 million units」.
His Train Armor was Tier 19. Upgrading to Tier 20 required 800 million units of iron ore. He was still a bit short.
"Let's mine some ore," Chen Mang said after a moment's thought. He walked toward the shower room to wash up and prepare for bed, then instructed, "Tonight, search for Tier 5 iron ore. Deploy the Mining Robots to work if you find any. If not, Tier 4 will do."
"Understood."
Xiao Ai's voice echoed from the locomotive cabin.
But the next moment—
"Train Conductor, the Cyber Mine has produced a shipment, and it's a double shipment!"
"Finally!"
Chen Mang, who had just been about to take a shower, quickly threw on his clothes and strode to the rear of the carriage. After ten days of mining, the Cyber Mine had been as silent as a ghost town, leaving him utterly frustrated.
He didn't even know the exact odds of a successful haul.
Without a shipment, all he could do was wait.
"Let's take a look!"
Based on the 50% chance of a double shipment, even if one item was a pickaxe, the other should still be a 9th-grade ore. Dreamstone had become incredibly difficult to acquire lately, as if his initial purchase had completely depleted everyone's stock.
In the short term, there was no hope of expanding the Cyber Mine.
In Carriage 10, Chen Mang frowned as he examined the two 9th-Tier Iron Ores in his hands. While a double shipment of 9th-Tier Iron Ore was good news, he couldn't shake a nagging feeling.
He looked up at the man he had summoned through the space gate, who stood rooted to the spot, his face a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. "Wasn't it him who dug up the last 9th-Tier Iron Ore too?"
"Yes," Xiao Ai replied. "His name is Big Mao. He not only unearthed the last 9th-Tier Iron Ore but also the first one."
"Show me his resident panel."
"Understood."
The next moment—
On the screen embedded in the carriage wall, Big Mao's resident panel appeared.
Name: Big Mao
Number: 4998
Train: Stellaris
Occupation: Cyber Miner
Balance: 3,031 stellar coupons
Benefits: First-Class Resident Status
Advancement Progress: 100%
Mental Power: 13.1
Comprehensive Physical Fitness: 12.2
"..."
Chen Mang stared at the resident panel before him, his brow furrowed. The Cyber Mine had a total of 50 Cyber Miners, and over the past few days, he had only obtained 4 pieces of 9th-Tier Iron Ore. Three of them had been brought out of dreams by Big Mao.
The odds were absurd.
Over 3,000 stellar coupons—an outrageous sum. Few residents on the train could boast such wealth.
While goods in Neon City were expensive, they were primarily sold to the train conductor, not ordinary residents. With over 3,000 stellar coupons, one could live like a king on the train, provided they didn't need to buy a refrigerator. They could buy whatever they wanted from the resident store.
Sunflower seeds, fruit, cigarettes, meat—all within easy reach.
He was just one step away from becoming a "Ten Thousand Stellar Coupon Household."
Chen Mang sized up Big Mao, his eyes narrowing slightly. After a long pause, he patted Big Mao's shoulder. "Don't be nervous. You've done great. Do you have any special techniques to increase your chances of bringing out 9th-Tier Iron Ore from the Dream Realm?"
"I... I'm not sure," Big Mao stammered.
Big Mao nervously clutched the hem of his shirt. "Before I fall asleep every night, I hypnotize myself. I tell myself I'll definitely bring back 9th-Tier Iron Ore. I tell myself I'll definitely bring back 9th-Tier Iron Ore. Maybe it's the power of self-hypnosis that makes my chances higher?"
Chen Mang remained silent for a long moment before turning and walking away. "I'll go back to the locomotive cabin. Have someone take him to Neon City, and tell Li Shiji to come along too."
This probability was clearly abnormal.
There were only two possibilities.
First, a strong sense of conviction might enhance the chances of bringing back 9th-Tier Iron Ore.
Second, this guy's luck was simply far beyond the ordinary.
They'd know which was true after running an experiment in Neon City. They could test it using the prize pools Li Shiji had created. Luck was such an ethereal thing. Could someone really be born with naturally good luck?
Chen Mang found it hard to believe.
Inside Neon City, Chen Mang, Old Pig, Biaozi, Xiao Ai, Uncle Li, Li Shiji, and the other high-ranking members of the Stellaris gathered in a shop, watching Big Mao prepare to start the lottery.
"Begin," Chen Mang said calmly, leaning on his cane at the shop entrance. "Just keep spinning this wheel until you win the grand prize."
Chen Mang leaned on his cane and looked at Big Mao calmly. "Keep spinning this wheel until you win the grand prize."
Li Shiji, standing nearby, was preparing to record the earnings. All the revenue from this wheel needed to be accounted for, or the books would be a mess.
"This guy doesn't look like he has good luck," Biaozi whispered. "I remember he started on Erdan's Azure Dragon Train. If he were lucky, he wouldn't have been a slave for so long. He'd have become a train conductor long ago."
"That's not necessarily true," Old Pig said meaningfully, glancing at Biaozi. "It was precisely because he was a slave on the Azure Dragon Train that he had the opportunity to come to the Stellaris. Besides, what's so great about being a train conductor? Plenty of conductors die every day. Being a resident on the Stellaris is far better than being a small-time conductor."
"And you probably don't know how he got his Second-Tier Resident Status."
"I know," Biaozi replied. "Lord Mang created a Tier 1 Iron Ore mine in Carriage 10 to help the Travel Frog complete that S-Rank Difficulty fortuitous encounter map mission. He had some residents come mine the ore, and Big Mao was among them. He made a good impression on Lord Mang back then."
"After that comes Second-Tier Resident Status."
"Doesn't this prove that this kid's luck is actually better than the average person's?"
"Now that you mention it..." Biaozi scratched his head, grinning. "Our luck seems pretty good too."
"Mine's the best. I'm #0002."
"I'm not bad either. I'm #0003."
"I must remind you that I'm the real #0002. You only got #0003 because you were the thug captain when they were assigning numbers."
"Forget how we got them. Just say whether it's true or not."
Just then—
"Congratulations on winning!"
A clear, cheerful voice rang out from the shop.
Big Mao held up the murphy stone in his hand, turned to Chen Mang, and said hesitantly, "Chen Mang, we won the grand prize."
"How many times did you draw?"
"Seven hundred and ninety-seven."
Chen Mang frowned slightly, paused for a moment, then continued, "Try one more time."
With a one-in-a-thousand chance of winning, it took 797 draws to finally hit the jackpot. This didn't feel like the work of pure luck.
Could it be...
...that he really had to hypnotize himself with belief?
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c344. [+2/+11.5k]
🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [1k+] Chapters and [2.17M+] Words.