Translator: AnubisTL
Three days later.
All preparations were complete. The Stellaris train had absorbed all high-value planets from the Rugged Civilization's 37 galaxies. The sheer number of stars now contained within the train was beyond calculation.
A single galaxy could contain hundreds of billions of stars.
The combined stellar mass from 37 galaxies was unimaginable.
These vast quantities of stars would provide the Stellaris train with an immense supply of resources.
"Not bad," Chen Mang murmured, gazing at the space gates on the train control panel, each overflowing with planets. He couldn't help but chuckle softly, a sense of satisfaction welling up within him, akin to watching armor fully mature—a profound sense of accomplishment.
He relished this feeling.
Now, the Stellaris train truly deserved its name. When he had first chosen the name, he never imagined it would one day become so fitting.
Moreover, the Civilization Wonder known as "New Universe" had finally been fully activated as he absorbed the massive influx of planets into the Stellaris train. This wonder now served as a dazzling spectacle within Carriage 13, a sight of extraordinary beauty.
With its activation, its true effects had also been revealed.
["When the Civilization Wonder 'New Universe' is officially activated, all train accessories gain +1 Tier."]
"Hmm."
Chen Mang leaned back in his seat, idly playing with the Mysterious Box in his hand. Another one of these effects? If this was the case, all his max-Tier train accessories, including the Auxiliary AI, were now at Tier 10003.
He had initially assumed that this Civilization Wonder, named "New Universe," might have some connection to the virtual online game of the same name.
Perhaps the virtual game represented the outcome of activating this Civilization Wonder?
But now it seemed...
It was merely a coincidence in names?
He dismissed the thought and casually opened the Mysterious Box he had just obtained from creating the "Creator" Civilization Wonder, retrieving a token inside.
[God-tier Train Token]
A train built using this token would come equipped with twelve Seven-colored grade accessories.
"Whoa."
A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Mang's eyes. Not bad. He had previously believed the "Rare Train Token" he'd acquired earlier was the highest-tier token, as it came with a Red-Tier Accessory—and he hadn't seen any accessories of higher grades since.
He hadn't expected there to be a God-tier Train Token.
But...
With its built-in twelve Seven-Colored Grade Accessories, could a novice even afford to use this thing?
It seemed more suited for experienced players restarting their progress or for crafting a new train.
This special item held little value for him at his current stage. He already possessed more than enough Seven-Colored Grade Accessories; as a near-max-tier powerhouse, these extras were practically useless to him.
He casually tossed the token into a nearby drawer, intending to let it gather dust. But then he suddenly remembered something. After a moment of contemplation, he solemnly placed the token back into the Mysterious Box and stored it in the refrigerator.
He had realized its potential use.
Not now, but in the future.
Just then—
Xiao Ai's voice suddenly echoed through the train: "Train Conductor, an emergency has arisen. The God-Tier Civilization, the Human Civilization, has detected your presence through your recent activities in the virtual game 'New Universe' and has dispatched military forces to the Rugged Civilization."
"Their intentions are hostile."
"Oh?"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow. "How did they know I was at the Rugged Civilization? They shouldn't be able to detect my train, right? Has the Rugged Civilization been making too much noise lately, drawing their attention?"
"That seems likely. This military force is preparing for another space jump and will arrive in our vicinity in three minutes. Should we retaliate or flee?"
"Neither. Let's wait for them here. I want to see what they're up to."
Three minutes later, hundreds of high-tier trains suddenly materialized in space, surrounding the Stellaris. Main cannons slowly charged, aiming at the Stellaris, while countless energy nets flickered into existence, completely immobilizing the surrounding space—no space jumps, no escape.
The encirclement was complete.
"Hmm..."
Chen Mang silently observed the scene before him. "Doesn't look like they're here for negotiations or anything like that, does it?"
He had initially assumed that the God-Tier Civilization, the human civilization, after witnessing his power, would seek peace talks, perhaps even share their plans and invite him to join them.
He would have been genuinely interested in hearing what this "Game" the God-Tier Civilizations had created was all about.
But...
They didn't seem to be approaching with peaceful intentions.
Didn't these people know he possessed a Max-Tier Radar Jammer and a Full-Tier AI? Why would they still dare to attack?
Had they never considered whether his armor and main cannon were also at maximum level?
The next moment—
Boom!
A silent explosion suddenly erupted in the vacuum of space. In slow motion, hundreds of blindingly bright, scorching-hot beams of light shot toward the Stellaris from all directions, almost completely locking down every possible evasive maneuver.
Tens of seconds later,
70% of the beams missed their target. These were predictive strikes meant to block escape routes, yet the Stellaris remained motionless, as if basking in the sun.
The remaining beams struck the Stellaris, vanishing instantly like a child's water pistol stream hitting the sun. They left no ripple, not even a tremor in the train itself.
There were no special effects.
No Two-Dimensional Foil, no black hole formation—it was just like an ordinary Light Cannon attack.
All the beams were uniformly Tier 5000.
It wasn't weak.
Any other train facing such an attack would have been destroyed.
But this was the Stellaris.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang nodded slightly and murmured, "Now we can be certain they didn't come in peace. It's time to return the favor."
"Let's check the Advancement Conditions for a Tier 9 Civilization: peak attack energy range exceeding 700,000."
In the next moment—
In the cosmos,
The Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon, mounted atop the pitch-black Stellaris, began to glow. Massive amounts of energy converged at the cannon's muzzle, rapidly coalescing into a terrifying force.
Until—
Boom!
For the first time, the Stellaris shuddered. A fully charged Tier 10,000 Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon unleashed a fiery blast thousands of times more intense than a stellar explosion, instantly engulfing all the enemy trains.
Immediately afterward,
the universe plunged into absolute silence and darkness, reminiscent of the early moments after the Cosmic Big Bang. Countless dark currents surged rapidly through the cosmos, radiating an aura of terrifying dread.
Like a flock of birds suddenly taking flight from a forest, they symbolized the impending arrival of terror.
Ten minutes later, this region of space, spanning a million light-years in diameter, began to collapse rapidly, forming an utterly terrifying black hole. This was the full power of a max-tier main cannon.
The Stellaris train sped through the heart of the black hole. Chen Mang stood by the window, gazing at the spectacle and couldn't help but chuckle.
"The max-tier Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon is still the most satisfying."
With the Stellaris train's current capabilities, it could easily escape the black hole's gravitational pull and remain unaffected by any temporal distortions.
A panel slowly materialized on the control panel.
A panel he had once seen frequently, but would never see again.
["The human civilization has met the Advancement Conditions and has automatically been promoted."]
["The Advancement Ripple's range covers the entire universe."]
["All living beings within First-Level or higher civilizations will receive the Advancement Ripple in their own way."]
["The Advancement Ripple propagates at the speed of light."]
["The Tier 8 Civilization, 'Human Civilization,' has successfully advanced to a Tier 9 Civilization."]
Yes.
That last shot had already met the advancement conditions. The "human civilization" was now a Tier 9 Civilization, the highest possible tier.
Tier 9 Civilization was the pinnacle of civilization.
The so-called God-Tier Civilizations were actually just Tier 9 Civilizations, but the most powerful among them.
Becoming a God-Tier Civilization was relatively simple: destroy another God-Tier Civilization, seize all its territory, and gain recognition from the remaining God-Tier Civilizations. In essence, it was a self-proclaimed title.
Theoretically, even a low-tier civilization that wasn't even a First-Tier Civilization could declare itself a God-Tier Civilization.
The Civilization Panel had also undergone new changes.
[Civilization Name]: Human Civilization
[Civilization Level]: 9th-tier
[Civilization Leader]: Chen Mang
[Civilization Planets]: Aquablue Star, Black Tortoise Star, First-Class Mining Planet, Mining Star Two, Mining Star Three, Mining Star Four, etc.
[Civilization Population]: 61 trillion
[Civilization Means]: Unlimited Dreamstone production capacity; significantly increased resource generation rate within the civilization's territory; greatly extended lifespan for all members of the civilization; reduced risk of illness; and the ability to revive individuals after death by consuming a certain amount of resources.
This wasn't the first time he had seen this panel.
But it would be the last.
For some reason, he felt a pang of melancholy.
It reminded him of graduating years ago, when he had gazed at the girl he had secretly loved for three years, knowing they would likely never meet again. The nearly overflowing yet fiercely suppressed affection had tormented him like a cancer.
That night, after the final class meeting, he had finally mustered the courage to text her from under his blanket, confessing, "I like you."
She replied almost immediately, "I like you too."
The good news was that his three-year secret crush had received a perfect response, and his suppressed affection had finally found reciprocation.
The bad news was that they would never see each other again. Their initial flurry of texts gradually faded as the lack of face-to-face interaction eroded their connection. The memory eventually drifted away like dust in the wind.
If only I had mustered the courage sooner.
More courage, less longing.
That was the sentiment that filled him as he looked at the panel now.
This time, the Civilization Panel displayed no prompts regarding advancement conditions.
"Train Conductor, I must remind you that you activated Brain Domain Sharing during the battle. I can now hear your thoughts."
"Disable it."
"Yes, I apologize for the intrusion. Your description was remarkably accurate."
"Shut up."
"I was merely admiring the precision of human language. No offense intended."
"Slap yourself."
"Yes, sir!"
The human civilization had officially advanced to Tier 9.
It would now formally compete with the God-Tier Civilization "Human Civilization" for the uniqueness and ownership of that name.
Aquablue Star.
Teacher Qiu stood at the lectern in a university lecture hall, gazing at the vibrant students below as she explained the lesson plan she had hastily prepared after class.
"Teacher Qiu," a student raised his hand, looking bewildered. "Just ten minutes ago, in the previous class, you said our human civilization was an Eighth-Tier Civilization, currently making a full-fledged push toward Tier 9.
"You even said this process was exceptionally arduous, requiring the united efforts of all humanity—a civilization-defining endeavor."
"How did human civilization advance to Tier 9 Civilization just while I went to the bathroom after class?"
"It doesn't sound that hard, actually."
"..."
Standing at the podium, Teacher Qiu fell silent, unsure how to explain. She couldn't possibly tell her students that civilization advancement was as simple as drinking water, but the reality made it difficult to speak. She forced herself to continue.
"Civilization Advancement involves great terrors. We don't know what the Stellaris train experienced in the outside world. It's not as simple as you think."
"But... Teacher Qiu, when I first enrolled, human civilization was still at Sixth-Tier Civilization. It hasn't even been half a semester, and we've already advanced to Tier 9 Civilization. I think we should skip this part of history for now and not teach it."
"I bet human civilization will advance to God-Tier Civilization before the final exams."
"Then the curriculum will change again."
"..."
After a long silence, Teacher Qiu nodded. "Alright."
She secretly agreed. There was no point in dwelling on Tier 9 Civilization anyway, since God-Tier Civilization was just around the corner.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing I need to tell you. After advancing to Tier 9 Civilization, there's a change that affects each of you personally: your lifespans have been significantly extended, and your chances of falling ill have decreased."
"The government is currently considering raising the retirement age."
"Time flies, doesn't it?"
In his office at a prestigious university, Uncle Li stood gazing at the "Principal" plaque on his desk, then turned to look out the window. He had just received news of the human civilization's advancement to Tier 9 Civilization.
This meant...
Lord Mang had nearly reached the pinnacle of the cosmos.
Just one final step remained.
Then Lord Mang would become the ultimate ruler of the entire universe.
And Uncle Li himself would become the principal of the most prestigious university in the most powerful civilization in the cosmos.
Finally—
Reflecting on his life's journey, he felt it had been like sifting through sand and gravel, enduring hardship to finally strike gold. From his humble beginnings as a mining slave under Lord Mang's command, he had climbed step by step to his current position.
Only he knew the full spectrum of joys, sorrows, and hardships he had endured along the way.
Countless times, unemployment nearly pushed him out of the Stellaris train's Inner Circle. Yet, through his own abilities, seniority, and unwavering determination to never give up in the face of adversity, he stubbornly carved out a place for himself.
(End of the Chapter)
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