Translator: AnubisTL
Seven hours later, night fell.
"..."
Chen Mang stirred groggily, sitting in a chair in the Stellaris' locomotive cabin. He rubbed his sleep-filled eyes, tapped a few times on the control panel screen, and stared at the information that popped up. After a moment of silence, he went to the shower room to wash up. Returning to his chair, he lit a cigarette and murmured, "Is everything taken care of?"
"All 100 shuttlecraft returned to the Stellaris and completed processing 15 minutes ago," Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the cabin.
"During the mission, 100 shuttlecraft ran out of energy stones and returned to the Stellaris. Following your instructions, Train Conductor, all shuttlecraft were refitted with Tier 5 Energy Stones and redeployed."
"Currently—"
"Nearly all monsters on Aquablue Star have been eradicated."
"And they cannot revive."
"Only a few remnants of the zombie horde remain on the entire planet."
"Mm."
Chen Mang nodded lightly and glanced at the resource balance on the train panel.
[50.8 billion units of iron ore 14.22 billion units of wood 43.49 billion units of copper ore 12 billion units of Red Heart Rock 10.87 billion units of titanium crystal ore]
It's time to set sail.
But before they depart, he needs to upgrade some accessories.
Among the six Seven-Colored Grade accessory blueprints obtained from the Seven-Colored Zone's Equatorial Core, the Wormhole Opener and the Akannon Super Energy Main Cannon have already been fully crafted. There's also one other Seven-Colored Accessory:
The SPY-7 Doppler Radar.
It's the ultimate upgrade to the target acquisition radar.
A Tier 100 target acquisition radar has a detection range of 100,000 meters.
But even at Tier 1, the SPY-7 Doppler Radar already boasts a 100,000-meter range, plus the ability to observe additional data, such as cosmic radiation.
Since they're heading to the mining star to see who got there first, intelligence is crucial.
In fact, it's even more important than armor. As the old saying goes, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will never be defeated." The SPY-7 Doppler Radar not only has all the functions of a target acquisition radar but can also detect more data. Even at Tier 1, its range matches that of a Tier 100 target acquisition radar.
But he didn't have enough resources right now.
Upgrading the Seven-Colored Grade Accessory "SPY-7 Doppler Radar" to Tier 50 required 4.5 billion units of iron ore.
Upgrading the green-grade Accessory "Target Acquisition Radar" to Tier 200, however, only needed 800 million units of iron ore.
They weren't even in the same league.
Although he desperately wanted to max out the "SPY-7 Doppler Radar," it was clear that the Target Acquisition Radar offered better value for him at this stage.
"I just hope the range can be a bit wider..." Chen Mang murmured, gazing at the control panel screen.
The Tier 200 overpowered effect would bring about a qualitative leap. He called it the transformation from "Mortal" to "Divine."
But... the Tier 100 overpowered effect of the Target Acquisition Radar was nonexistent, meaning its Tier 200 overpowered effect would also be nonexistent. All he needed was a slight increase in range—a qualitative leap in range. He dared not ask for more.
The next moment!
With 800 million units of iron ore consumed in an instant, the Target Acquisition Radar was upgraded to Tier 200 in one go. Its target acquisition range exploded from the original 100,000 meters to 0.1 light-years, and it gained a brand-new overpowered effect.
"Tier 200 Target Acquisition Radar: None."
Whoosh
Chen Mang exhaled deeply. Tier 200 truly marked a qualitative leap. A detection range of 0.1 light-years was more than sufficient.
However, the lack of a Overpowered Effect at Tier 200 felt like a loss. Once they secured this mining star, the target acquisition radar would likely become obsolete, replaced by the superior SPY-7 Doppler Radar.
Next up was an accessory he often overlooked.
One that rarely proved useful on Aquablue Star but was absolutely crucial in the cosmos—even more important than the target acquisition radar!
The Radar Jammer!
He had only upgraded this accessory to Tier 10 before neglecting it. Its current effects were minimal, but he would bring it to Tier 200 during their upcoming journey.
To remain undetected while still detecting others—that was the key to invincibility.
To fight or retreat—the choice would always be his, the initiative firmly in his hands.
Among the six Seven-Colored Accessories, the SPY-7 Doppler Radar Jammer served as its superior replacement. The blueprints for these six Seven-Colored Accessories were all incredibly vital.
The Radar Jammer's overpowered effect, starting at Tier 5, was nothing special, naturally lacking any God-Tier Overpowered Effect.
This was a yellow-grade Accessory.
After consuming 1.3013 billion units of iron ore, Chen Mang instantly upgraded the accessory to Tier 200!
With this, target acquisition radars below Tier 200 could no longer detect him. He was essentially untouchable.
While the Zerg Civilization might possess detection methods exceeding this level, the Unknown Civilization that had arrived on the mining star before him, yet dared not reveal itself, certainly did not.
Once both accessories were fully upgraded, Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. He stubbed out his cigarette in a Cola can, paused for a moment, and then spoke. "Xiao Ai, about that Research Project I mentioned earlier, find suitable candidates among the people on Aquablue Star. Include those who have discovered fortuitous encounter maps. Many zone maps on Aquablue Star contain ruins of the Mechanical Civilization."
"Cosmic travel takes an enormous amount of time."
"During this time, form several 'Special Task Forces' led by Erdan. They will thoroughly explore all fortuitous encounter maps left behind by the Mechanical Civilization on Aquablue Star. Any maps with research value will be transferred to the Mecha Research Center."
"If white-grade and green-grade accessories could achieve Overpowered Effects at Tier 200, they would undoubtedly be incredibly effective."
"I will re-roll the overpowered effects of these accessories and create our own accessory blueprints."
The overpowered effects of different accessories are completely random.
This phenomenon is known as Cosmic Empowerment—a completely random and uncontrollable process.
Many accessories on the train have no overpowered effects at Tier 5 or Tier 50. Once a 'no' effect appears, all subsequent effects will also be 'no.' Obtaining satisfactory overpowered effects requires a massive investment of murphy stones and resources to test the overpowered effects of the newly created accessory blueprints.
This process is extremely costly in terms of murphy stones.
Fortunately, he doesn't need them.
Especially for Seven-Colored Grade Accessories, the resources consumed during testing are astronomical. As a result, most Seven-Colored Grade Accessories have mediocre overpowered effects.
Building a Research Team wasn't something that could be done overnight.
But Chen Mang wasn't in a hurry.
This was about pushing the limits.
It was like he and his opponent each had a cup filled with pebbles, both unable to add another pebble. But Chen Mang could still pour in sand, and after the sand, he could add water. With enough resources, he could even extend the cup's height.
"Understood," Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the locomotive cabin.
Chen Mang continued to stare at the control panel screen. With these two accessories, the Stellaris was essentially invisible in the cosmos. Now, it was time to focus on the main defense of Stellaris:
Train armor.
Upgrading from Tier 21 to Tier 22 cost 1.4 billion units of iron ore per carriage.
Upgrading from Tier 22 to Tier 23 cost 1.6 billion units of iron ore per carriage.
The Stellaris train, including the locomotive, had a total of 16 carriages. The Tier 10 Overpowered Effect reduced the cost of each upgrade by half.
The train still had 48.7 billion units of iron ore remaining.
After spending 12.8 billion units of iron ore, the armor was upgraded to Tier 23.
Then—
A series of data began flashing across the screen.
Consumed 1.6 billion units of iron ore to reach Tier 24.
Consumed 2.4 billion units of iron ore to reach Tier 25.
Consumed 4 billion units of iron ore to reach Tier 26.
Consumed 6.4 billion units of iron ore to reach Tier 27.
Consumed 8 billion units of iron ore to reach Tier 28.
Consumed 9.6 billion units of iron ore to reach Tier 29.
Consumed 12 billion units of iron ore to reach Tier 30.
When upgrading from Tier 29 to Tier 30, the cost of a single carriage's armor reached 1.5 billion units of iron ore.
In total, 44 billion units of iron ore were consumed to upgrade the armor from Tier 22 all the way to Tier 30 in one go.
The train was left with only 4.7 billion units of iron ore.
This remaining iron ore would serve as his reserve.
Finally, he upgraded a green-grade Accessory, the "Nitrous Tailpipe," to further increase the Stellaris's speed in the cosmos. This upgrade would essentially complete the train's enhancements.
"Magnetic Levitation" was a red-grade Accessory that he couldn't afford to upgrade for now.
Green-grade Accessories were cheap.
After spending 8 billion units of iron ore to upgrade the Nitrous Tailpipe from Tier 100 to Tier 200 in one go, the boost was immediately apparent!
The accessory originally increased speed by 1020 km/h. After reaching Tier 200, the increase became—
51,000 km/h.
This was an absurd number, a 50-fold increase!
The Stellaris's planned wormhole coordinates were a staggering 3 million kilometers away from the mining star. At the train's original speed, it would have taken 24 days of non-stop travel. Now, it would take only 54 hours—just over two days.
The speed had increased dramatically!
Moreover, the maximum speed remained well within the armor's Tier 30 limits.
If the uninvited guests from the unknown civilization were weaker, he might even arrive at the mining star before them, despite leaving ten days later.
And he had gained an overpowered effect.
Nitrous Tailpipe Tier 200 Overpowered Effect: Can absorb drifting core energy from the cosmos, drastically reducing the train's energy consumption during operation. Estimated to cut energy usage by 99.9%.
"Huu..."
Chen Mang exhaled deeply, rubbing his cheekbones to release the tension in his chest. His spirits lifted, he grinned at the screen.
He loved the Tier 200 Overpowered Effect.
Next—
Once he had enough resources, he would upgrade all the train's accessories to Tier 200!
Even without the Overpowered Effect, accessories at Tier 200 would undergo a fundamental transformation in their effectiveness.
Everything was ready!
Tier 200 Target Acquisition Radar.
Tier 200 Radar Jammer.
Tier 30 Armor.
Tier 50 Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon.
Ready for both offense and defense.
The screen flashed rapidly with rows of data.
"Final inspection."
"All accessories on the Stellaris train are at 100% functionality."
"The Tier 7 energy stone embedded in the locomotive is at 100%. The Tier 5 energy stone supplying the Armored Research Center is at 90%. The Tier 7 energy stone providing energy to the train's accessories is at 100%."
"Sufficient energy reserves."
"All residents have boarded the Stellaris. Resident ID verification complete—no one is missing."
"galaxy map shows no significant changes."
"Prepare for voyage."
"10."
"9."
"8."
As the countdown began, the Stellaris slowly lifted off the ground and hovered in mid-air. Its nose tilted upward, the entire train's angle growing steeper until it reached 90 degrees.
Nitrogen thrusters embedded along the sides of the carriages continuously spewed pale blue flames, ready to unleash their full power at any moment.
"3..."
"2..."
"1..."
"Launch!"
Chen Mang slammed his hand down on the red button on the control panel. The nitrogen thrusters on both sides of the train immediately erupted in thick, blinding white flames. The Stellaris shot forward like a comet, accelerating from nearly zero to 50,000 kilometers per hour in an impossibly short time!
It hurtled toward the edge of the atmosphere!
Chen Mang's entire body was pressed firmly against his seat, feeling the immense thrust. He couldn't help but grin with excitement. This was the kind of power he loved!
He could feel the force, but he wasn't experiencing any chest tightness or shortness of breath. The Built-in Space Stabilizer had long ago been upgraded to Tier 100. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to accelerate so abruptly. If it had only been Tier 10 or 20, such a sudden burst of speed would have turned everyone on board into mush.
He wasn't foolish enough to kill himself with his own recklessness.
The Stellaris raced toward the edge of the atmosphere at breakneck speed, the friction against the air creating blinding sparks around the train.
Three minutes later.
The Stellaris train slowly hovered in the cosmic sea.
This day was one for the history books.
It was the Stellaris's first time in the cosmic sea, its first time suspended in the cosmos, and its first time observing the Aquablue Star from this perspective.
"So this is the cosmic sea...?"
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang gazed out at the unfolding panorama, his mind drifting away. Having lived two lives, his life experiences far surpassed those of most his peers, yet... he had never witnessed the cosmos from this vantage point before.
Words failed him.
First to envelop his senses was the boundless darkness. He wasn't a designer, and he didn't know if seven-colored black truly existed, but this darkness was deeper, more profound than the darkness he had seen in the Goblin's Tomb.
It was a pure, dense, almost tangible darkness.
A darkness that seemed to swallow all sound and warmth.
Against this inky canvas, countless stars glittered like scattered sand. The stars he saw with his naked eye far outnumbered the planets shown on the galaxy map, resembling a sky filled with shimmering grains.
Now—
These stars no longer twinkled like they did when viewed from the Aquablue Star. Instead, they were frozen, sharp as coffin nails hammered into the black curtain.
Spectacular?
Yes, it was undeniably spectacular.
But more than fear, it was helplessness.
A fear of not knowing where to go or how to survive.
To the right of the locomotive cabin, spanning an entire glass wall, hung a colossal, sapphire-blue planet—the Aquablue Star—suspended in the cosmos like a giant gemstone.
Clouds swirled around it like wisps of gauze.
The continents' outlines were half-lit, half-shadowed by the dawn-dusk line.
There was no wind.
No scent.
No sound.
Not even an up or down. There was no sense of solid ground beneath his feet. Only the sound of his own breathing echoed in the cabin, with no reference points or gravity to anchor him.
Thanks to the Built-in Space Stabilizer, he could stand perfectly still.
Yet, whether it was psychological or not, the ground beneath his feet felt strangely false.
Behind him, a colossal white flame—the sun—burned with a ferocity far greater than any fire he had ever witnessed. The Aquablue Star appeared tiny in comparison.
"..."
Chen Mang rose and walked to the locomotive cabin's panoramic window, gazing at the countless stars scattered across the cosmos. After lighting a cigarette and remaining silent for a long time, he murmured, "The closer you get, the less beautiful it becomes."
Back on the Aquablue Star, he had loved gazing up at the starry sky, as if the twinkling stars could guide his path forward.
He was in the Doomsday Abyss when he saw stars that warned him Aquablue Star had five years left. (TL: the countdown, if you remember)
But when he truly reached the depths of the cosmos and could observe these celestial bodies with his naked eye, stripped of the distortions caused by the atmosphere, they lost all their gentleness, leaving only a stark and piercing truth.
It was like his wife, who was all smiles and warmth to everyone outside but turned cold and distant toward him at home.
He had assumed that once he left Aquablue Star, he would be able to see the stars he had seen in the Doomsday Abyss, the ones carrying messages. But when he truly arrived in space, he found no trace of them. He didn't even know who had left those messages. The Mechanical Civilization AI's database made no mention of the matter.
Chen Mang stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, silent for a long time.
He struggled to imagine how a high-Tier civilization could exist. The Zerg Civilization's territory alone, as shown on the galaxy, spanned tens of thousands of stars—a vast domain.
Spanning tens of thousands of light-years.
Yet what he saw, covering less than 0.01 light-years, had already left him utterly stunned.
Could civilization truly conquer the cosmos?
Before leaving Aquablue Star, he had secretly nurtured a desire to conquer the cosmos and create human civilization, even while adhering to the main storyline. But now, self-doubt began to creep in.
Could he really do this?
Could he truly conquer this cosmos, or even survive within it?
After a long silence, he finally laughed.
"I like explosive chicks."
"Fucking them is invigorating."
"Xiao Ai, let's get to work!"
"Yes!"
Xiao Ai's voice immediately filled the locomotive cabin, without the slightest pause, as if the awe-inspiring sight before them had no effect on her.
What a clueless AI.
But as an AI, perhaps she didn't need to understand such things.
Data began to stream across the screen.
[Carriage 10, Level 200 Space Gate: Currently uninhabited by a planet.
Unowned planet with water detected within a 10-million-kilometer radius.
Planet diameter less than 100,000 kilometers.
Meets containment criteria.
Commencing containment...
Stellar Compartment begins simulating planet's current environment.
Progress: 0%. Estimated containment time: 8 minutes.]
Chen Mang tapped lightly on the control panel screen, silently recording the coordinates of this location.
Perhaps one day, he would return.
The planet's assimilation took far less time than he had anticipated. He had originally expected it to take several dozen hours.
As the progress bar gradually filled, a massive wormhole, like a black hole, slowly materialized out of thin air beside the Aquablue Star.
"Did I create this thing?"
Chen Mang stared at the sudden appearance of the colossal black hole, taking a deep breath. The energy stones in the generator weren't depleting quickly, suggesting that assimilating a planet didn't consume much energy.
To create such a large wormhole with so little energy...
What a bargain.
At the moment the progress bar reached 100%!
The entire Aquablue Star was completely swallowed by the wormhole, which vanished from its original location at the same instant.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Tier 200 Space Gate in Carriage 10, a slowly rotating planet had appeared.
The train control panel screen clearly displayed this scene: a planet nestled deep within the Stellaris.
Standing before the Tier 200 Space Gate in Carriage 10, Chen Mang pushed open the door and gazed at the sight before him.
Inside, the Aquablue Star rotated slowly in the darkness.
The simulated star still provided Aquablue Star with its day-night cycle.
Everything seemed normal.
Except for one thing:
He was now like a Divine being of Aquablue Star!
At his will, the planet could be plunged into eternal day or night. With a mere thought, billions of survivors could perish—a far more efficient method than any "Built-in Security System."
He had personally killed few.
At most, a handful of deaths could be attributed to him—easily counted on one hand.
He once thought killing a million people made him a tyrant.
But in the Civilization War, the deaths of hundreds of billions or even trillions of beings seemed commonplace.
There were simply too many lives.
They could never all be extinguished.
Aquablue Star was now entirely under his control. To reach the planet's surface, he only needed to press the "Red" button next to the space gate, revealing the hidden two-way wormhole. This would allow him to freely travel between the Stellaris train and Aquablue Star.
The landing location could be adjusted at will.
"Xiao Ai," Chen Mang said. "Rename this space gate to 'Aquablue Star.' Begin receiving all survivors from the planet and implant Iris Chips. Leave behind some high-tier trains as a vanguard force, with Erdan as captain. His mission is to explore all remnants of the Mechanical Civilization on Aquablue Star."
"Understood," Xiao Ai replied.
Chen Mang then strode toward the locomotive cabin!
The target acquisition radar's range had reached 0.1 light-years.
Within that radius, there was no sign of life.
No monsters, no members of other civilizations, no Cosmic Behemoths—everything was eerily silent.
Extremely safe.
Civilizations in the starry sea were as numerous as grains of sand, yet when viewed against the backdrop of the entire cosmos, they were incredibly rare.
The final preparations had been completed successfully. Now it was time to investigate the mining star and uncover its secrets.
...
My name is Wang Qi.
I was born into a family on Violet Cloud Star.
You may not have heard of me, but that doesn't matter. I believe the day will come when my name echoes throughout the entire starry sea!
A year and a half ago, the apocalypse descended.
Countless people perished at the jaws of monsters, but I miraculously survived and obtained a train token, setting me on a path of desperate escape.
I lost both my parents when I was still a child.
Through countless trials and tribulations, I recently completed the "Withered Wood Meets Spring" fortuitous encounter map, standing victorious at the end and claiming a wealth of rewards. This victory solidified my belief that I am the Chosen One, destined to one day stand center stage.
The greatest reward from the legacy inheritance was undoubtedly the special item: the galaxy map.
Though my Tier 18 mechanical train couldn't venture into the starry sea anytime soon, I often gazed at the galaxy map, monitoring the movements of nearby planets and the Zerg Civilization.
Not long ago, the Zerg Civilization used terrifying methods to destroy a Tier 1 Civilization's home planet. I was terrified and vowed to develop in secret.
I've been keeping an eye on the two habitable planets closest to me, as well as a mining star just 0.1 light-years away. The galaxy map shows that 78% of the mining star's composition is iron ore, with an extremely high concentration.
I've been thinking:
The other two planets must also be facing their own apocalypses. Sooner or later, the three of us will inevitably compete for control of this mining star. Whoever succeeds will be able to use it as a springboard to reach more distant galaxies.
But—
Right now, I only have one question:
"Where the hell did that damn planet go?"
The young man sitting in the Tier 18 mechanical train leaped from his seat, staring at the screen displaying the galaxy map. His eyes widened in shock, and his voice rose in alarm: "Where did it go?"
"Did the Zerg Civilization attack?"
"Unlikely, Train Conductor," a cold, mechanical voice replied from the locomotive cabin. "If the Zerg Civilization had attacked, there would have been a significant disturbance. It couldn't have vanished so silently."
"What about that planet?"
"Just...vanished?"
"Yes."
"What caused it?"
"I do not know"
"..."
The young man sat back down, his expression shifting like a storm. The situation seemed more dire than he'd imagined. A planet just 0.4 light-years away had vanished without a trace.
What the hell? This was utterly absurd!
It couldn't have simply collapsed into a black hole, could it? That seemed impossible. It was a Habitable Planet, and if it had truly collapsed, his Violet Cloud Star would be in imminent danger.
How had it been destroyed?
The cosmos held far more unknown dangers than he'd realized.
The Stellaris train hurtled through the cosmos at high speed, slicing through the inky blackness that seemed to solidify around it.
Creating a wormhole required stable space at both its beginning and end.
The nearest stable space zone to the mining star was 3 million kilometers away.
The zone where he was establishing the wormhole's beginning point was just five minutes ahead.
Almost there.
"Xiao Ai."
Sitting in the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang gazed at the countless angular stars embedded in the dark curtain before him and murmured, "How's progress on the Neon City project?"
"Not good," Xiao Ai reported promptly. "As you envisioned, allowing people from other civilizations to shatter each Neon City Free Entry Ticket to enter Neon City comes at a steep price."
"Each time a Neon City Free Entry Ticket is shattered, it's equivalent to creating a small, one-way, disposable wormhole. This method is not only incredibly difficult to develop but also consumes vast resources."
"I'm currently researching an alternative solution."
"We could manufacture large Neon City Free Entry Tickets and distribute them evenly across the home planets of other civilizations. These large entry tickets would function as permanent, oversized Two-Way Stable Wormholes."
"The advantage of this approach is its simplicity in development and lower resource consumption."
"The drawback is that the deployed large Neon City Free Entry Tickets would be immobile, fixed in specific locations. Train Conductors from other civilizations wouldn't be able to enter Neon City anytime, anywhere. They would need to reach the vicinity of a deployed large entry ticket to gain access."
"It should resemble a giant gate."
"Mm."
Chen Mang nodded slightly. "Once we've secured the mining star, I'll upgrade the Train Auxiliary AI to Tier 200. I can't let you be a tier below Tuotuo. You'll eventually become the highest-tiered AI in the entire cosmos."
"Let's go with your plan."
"Finish the development as soon as possible."
"Before we exhaust the mining star's resources and move on to more distant territories, we'll deploy large Neon City Free Entry Tickets on those two habitable planets. This will ensure a continuous stream of various resources."
"We still favor peaceful approaches."
"When interacting with any civilization, we should always prioritize trade and peaceful coexistence whenever possible, especially when there's no existing animosity."
"Since we're implementing Plan B, the name 'Neon City Free Entry Ticket' is no longer suitable. Let's change it."
"Let me think..."
"Immobile, fixed in place, resembling a giant gate..."
"Let's call it the 'Star Gate.'"
"The Zerg Civilization sows Zerg eggs, bringing disaster and death. Human civilization will deploy Star Gates, bringing peace and trade."
"Setting aside everything else," Chen Mang continued, "simply in terms of its underlying concept, we're already a step ahead."
With this decision made, Chen Mang turned his gaze to the Civilization Token in the drawer, which was emitting a faint white glow. All five progress bars behind it were now at 100%.
Human Progress: 100%
Culture Progress: 100%
Military Progress: 100%
Agriculture Progress: 100%
System Progress: 100%
As the survivors from Aquablue Star continued to join the Stellaris, becoming its residents and receiving Iris Chips, the five progress bars rapidly surged, eventually reaching 100% across the board!
Chen Mang could now rebuild his civilization at any moment and give it a name.
However, he wasn't ready to rebuild just yet.
First, he wanted to investigate the mining star. Once he had confirmed that everything was safe and secure, he would begin rebuilding his civilization.
With so many residents, the train's daily Dreamstone production had become astronomical.
The Cyber Mine could also begin its massive expansion.
Soon, the Stellaris successfully reached the nearest space stabilization zone.
Chen Mang pressed a button on the control panel.
The Wormhole Opener began rapidly activating, scanning for stable zones suitable for opening a wormhole. After confirming that both zones had remained stable over the past few days, he gave the order.
"Clang!"
With a resounding clang, the 50 million units of iron ore stored in the locomotive cabin vaporized into dust.
The inky black curtain that had hung before the train suddenly began to warp and tear under an invisible force, revealing a shimmering wormhole portal. Its edges sparkled with starlight.
At first glance, the internal passage wasn't straight but resembled the elongated neck of an hourglass.
The exit, curled into a blurry speck of light in the distance, looked like a person with astigmatism peering through the water at a bikini-clad beauty above the surface—both indistinct and clear.
"..."
Chen Mang stared intently at the scene before him, his breath instinctively catching in his throat. This was the first wormhole he had ever created, a moment of immense significance.
The wormhole's entrance wasn't a smooth tunnel. Instead, it resembled...
a vortex composed of countless shattered mirror fragments, like... like a "cyber umbilical cord."
Though he knew his description wasn't entirely accurate, that was the feeling it evoked. The wormhole's interior seemed to constantly stretch and contract.
The next moment—
The undulating passage within the wormhole suddenly stabilized, and a flash of white light erupted from the vortex at the exit. His wormhole was complete!
A one-way, disposable wormhole had been successfully constructed, spanning 0.3 light-years to a point 3 million kilometers from the mining star!
"Hoo..."
Chen Mang took a deep breath, gazing at the massive opening of the wormhole before him. He slowly pushed the control lever forward, and the train plunged directly into the wormhole's maw, entering its interior.
The exit lay just ahead.
It seemed within arm's reach, yet after three seconds of travel, the distance remained unchanged.
Inside the wormhole tunnel, humans lose their sense of distance.
He couldn't even tell how far the tunnel walls were, appearing within reach one moment, then light-years away the next. Countless streaks of light flashed past at incredible speeds, creating a dazzling spectacle.
He felt no discomfort.
The Stellaris's Tier 100 Built-in Space Stabilizer's overpowered effect ensured the train remained unaffected during wormhole jumps.
He had once thought he might never need this effect, but here it was, proving its worth sooner than expected.
The Mechanical Civilization's AI database held no information on this phenomenon.
He wasn't sure what would happen to a normal train without a Tier 100 Built-in Space Stabilizer upon entering a wormhole. He only knew that entering a temporal rift without protective accessories would result in a significant difference in time flow between the inside and outside.
The principle behind a wormhole is simple.
Lay an A4 sheet of paper flat on a table, fold it, and then poke a hole through both layers with a pencil. That hole is the wormhole.
It drastically shortens travel routes, allowing for near-instantaneous travel across vast distances.
After about ten seconds, the Stellaris finally reached the wormhole's end, emerging into the inky blackness beyond.
Inside the Stellaris train, Chen Mang gazed back at the temporary wormhole that had yet to dissipate. It was a wormhole he had created himself. Temporary wormholes, by their very nature, remained stable for a period after their formation.
When it would finally collapse, no one could say.
Perhaps in ten minutes.
Perhaps in a hundred thousand years.
Theoretically, if one were exceptionally lucky and daring, they could treat a temporary wormhole as a permanent one, praying each time they entered the wormhole tunnel that it wouldn't vanish while they were still inside.
Not far away, another wormhole of identical construction floated in space, visible to the naked eye.
This was the one-way temporary wormhole created by the Unknown Civilization!
The Stellaris was currently 3 million kilometers from the mining star.
Chen Mang's Tier 200 target acquisition radar had a detection range of 0.1 light-years, or 946.1 million kilometers.
The moment he arrived, Chen Mang scanned all the information from the pioneers of the Unknown Civilization. They were also using mechanical trains, equipped with train accessories. The Tiers of both the trains and their accessories flashed clearly on the control panel screen.
After seeing the stream of data scroll across the screen, Chen Mang chuckled.
Unknown Civilization.
They were making it sound so mysterious and unfathomable. Next time, he'd just call them the "Little Scum Civilization."
Where did these beggars even come from?
He'd known all along that powerful civilizations wouldn't bother with such a tiny mining star. Their weakness was utterly ridiculous.
This wormhole had been completed fifteen days ago, yet the pioneers hadn't even reached the mining star yet. They were still 2.4 million kilometers away, having covered only 600,000 kilometers in fifteen days.
It was like watching a snail crawl.
At this rate, it would take at least another sixty days to reach the mining star, even if they traveled non-stop.
Tier 26 Mechanical Train: Gold-grade Particle Shield (Tier 23), Gold-grade Particle Main Cannon (Tier 27)
Tier 27 Mechanical Train: Gold-grade Particle Shield (Tier 24), Gold-grade
A fleet of 37 mechanical trains.
The most powerful Tier 27 Mechanical Train in the fleet only had a Tier 24 Particle Shield and a Tier 28 main cannon.
The Stellaris' current armor was Tier 30, its energy shield was Tier 10, and when its special train skill, "Absolute Defense," was activated, its defense strength could reach Tier 40.
This imposing fleet couldn't even scratch the Stellaris' defenses.
"Time to get to work," Chen Mang said.
The "Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon" on the Stellaris' roof roared to life, firing a beam of light as bright as a star toward the wormhole created by the Unknown Civilization. Even at Tier 4 attack strength, the beam completely destroyed the wormhole.
The wormhole was of a low Tier.
It was only Tier 4.
First, cut off their escape route.
This would prevent the Unknown Civilization from sending reinforcements. The fleet didn't look like a regular military force; it resembled a mercenary team.
Boom!
Chen Mang abruptly pushed the control stick forward, and the Stellaris train instantly accelerated to maximum speed, hurtling toward the fleet of vehicles displayed on the target acquisition radar screen. He glanced at the control panel screen, which estimated he would catch up to the fleet in approximately 13 hours.
"Should I upgrade the train radio to Tier 200? How else will we communicate?"
"I wonder if they speak Mandarin."
"What if we can't understand each other? Should we have Old Pig use sign language?"
The Stellaris train was racing through the cosmos at full speed.
Chen Mang stared blankly ahead, muttering to himself.
A faint thrill coursed through him.
This was his first encounter with beings from another civilization. He planned to approach them peacefully, hoping to glean information from them, such as insights into cosmic civilizations.
However, if they opened fire first, he wouldn't hesitate to let them experience the power of the Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon.
If they were stronger than him, he wouldn't even consider engaging. He'd remain at a distance, slowly closing in until they were unaware of his presence, then launch a surprise attack to eliminate them in a single shot.
But since they were far weaker than him, they could sit down and have a leisurely chat.
Once he had the upper hand, he wouldn't mind hosting a tea party and chatting for a while. After all, he was benevolent.
(End of the Chapter)
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