Everything was ready.
Today's mission: explore the Time Rift!
However,
Before that, a small experiment needed to be conducted to determine the exact time flow situation—whether thirty years inside the Time Rift corresponded to three seconds outside, or if thirty years passed inside regardless of how much time elapsed outside.
If it was the latter,
Then they couldn't enter for even a minute. Who knew how many years would pass? The steel cable would have long turned to dust, and that Train would be permanently lost in the "Time Rift."
Soon—
Everything was prepared.
Zhang Yi, piloting his Mecha, held the steel cable with a heavy weight tied to the other end. With a forceful throw, he hurled the cable into the Time Rift ten meters away. This time, he waited a full minute before retrieving it.
"..."
Inside the Train compartment, Chen Mang examined the steel cable handed to him by Zhang Yi, comparing it carefully with the previous one. There was almost no difference, meaning that even if a minute passed outside, thirty years had still passed inside the Time Rift.
"Is this correct?"
He frowned slightly, momentarily confused about the nature of the Time Rift. But at least it confirmed the former scenario—Li Shiji and the others could safely stay inside the Time Tunnel for a minute without any issues.
"Tell that warrior and Li Shiji to prepare for departure."
"And Xiao Ai, send one of your bodies in to check the situation."
"Yes!"
A minute later.
As the steel cable was abruptly retracted, a Level 1 Train engine was pulled out of the Time Rift. The Time Rift was nearly impossible to observe with the naked eye, making the entire scene look as if the Train engine had materialized out of thin air.
The sight was incredibly sci-fi.
As soon as the Train was retrieved, Xiao Ai, standing inside, spoke up: "Lord Mang, my body didn't bring back any information. The database shows zero entries, with no signs of deletion—it's as if nothing was recorded at all."
"Hmm."
Not long after, Li Shiji pushed open the Train compartment door and entered the second level. He walked straight to Chen Mang, who stood before the control panel, and spoke in a hoarse, serious tone, his eyes filled with awe.
"Lord Mang!"
"That Time Tunnel—just as the warrior described—is indescribably vast. By rough estimate, it must be at least tens of millions of kilometers wide. Humans have no frame of reference for such distances, yet it also feels strangely close."
"Without a clear point of reference, it's impossible to determine exactly how wide the tunnel is. It just feels enormous."
"Both sides of the tunnel are lined with flowing light, moving forward."
"But strangely..."
"The flow is slow, like a river."
Li Shiji glanced around, picked up a flashlight from a nearby table, aimed it at the ground, and turned it on before continuing: "Look, when I turn on this flashlight, the beam instantly hits the ground. You can't see the path of the light, right? That's the speed of light."
"But in that tunnel..."
"You can clearly see the light beam flowing forward like a stream of water."
"Aside from our train, there's nothing else in the entire tunnel. Behind the train, there's only half a steel cable, with no sign of any portal or similar existence."
As he spoke, he used his fingers to sketch on the nearby screen, soon stopping his movements. "Lord Mang, this is roughly what it looks like inside."
"..."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the depiction of the time tunnel on the screen. To be honest, he wanted to see the grand spectacle for himself, but the Stellar Train was simply too large to enter this time rift.
"Earlier, I threw a telescope into the time rift. Did you see it?"
"No."
Li Shiji shook his head. "Although our Level 1 train can't fly, inside the tunnel, the train hovers in mid-air. You can faintly feel a slight push. If it weren't for that steel cable holding the train back, we'd probably keep moving toward the end of the space-time tunnel."
"At the end of the space-time tunnel, there might be another world."
"Or we might just end up in outer space."
Chen Mang fell silent, no longer speaking. Though he was eager to see what lay at the end of the time tunnel, it was clearly unrealistic. The "Solar Energy Panel" was an immovable component and couldn't be sent in either.
There was actually one way to find out what was at the end of the time tunnel.
But...
It was a bit risky.
"Goblin Ticket."
Theoretically, according to the panel information of this component, no matter where you were, you could teleport back to the train.
It was far superior to the "Train Ticket" used by humans—no distance limitations and almost never blocked. There were places where train tickets would be blocked, preventing return, but so far, there had never been a case where a Goblin Ticket was blocked.
However, the goblin race consisted of over a hundred laborers, all of whom were like the living dead, completely devoid of their own thoughts and incapable of conversation. The only ones with the ability to think and speak were "Mundo" and "Doba."
Both of them were extremely important to the Stellar Train, especially the former. Chen Mang even planned to reform him, so he'd stop engaging in shady activities and instead seriously distribute "Neon City Free Entry Tickets" like handing out flyers.
The latter was even more indispensable.
The entire goblin race could only understand Doba's words. If Doba died, the goblins wouldn't understand a word he said.
If they ended up in the time tunnel, would the Goblin Ticket still work?
Although these goblins could be revived after death, who knew where they'd respawn? And would they even die at the end of the time tunnel? What if they were just trapped there indefinitely? That would be a complete disaster.
"Forget it."
Chen Mang shook his head, dismissing the idea. He wouldn't explore the time rift for now. Once the train reached a higher level, there would surely be better ways to explore.
Just then—
The train compartment door suddenly swung open.
Doba strode in with Mundo, his expression grave as he said solemnly, "Lord Mang, I heard you're exploring the time rift. I believe our goblin race can help!"
"..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly. He hadn't mentioned the idea of using the Goblin Ticket to anyone—it had only flashed through his mind. How did Doba know?
"Lord Mang, there's something you don't know."
"In the universe, there are many races, each with their own unique talents. The talent of our Goblin race is immunity to the effects of the 'Distorted Time Magnetic Field,' meaning we can disregard Time Rifts."
"Let me go. If something happens to me and I die, only to resurrect in another region, I'll find a way to contact the Stellar and return home!"
"My memories haven't fully recovered yet."
"But the moment I saw the Time Rift, some of them suddenly came back to me."
Hearing Doba's resolute courage, Chen Mang paused before turning to Xiao Ai. "Pull up the surveillance footage from Carriage 11 during those thirty minutes."
He wanted to know whether the Goblins had been in stasis during the half-hour of his Space Stasis.
"Can't do it, Train Conductor. Didn't you permanently delete that segment of the surveillance footage?"
"Oh, right. Forget it then."
Chen Mang didn't press the matter further and instead turned back to Doba. "No need to rush. First, send one of your kin. Tell them to crush the Goblin Ticket in their hand one second after entering the Time Tunnel."
"Let's test whether the Goblin Ticket can be used inside the Time Tunnel."
"Yes!"
On top of the train, Zhang Yi, piloting the Pope Mecha, swung the steel cable in his hand once more, hurling the Green-skinned Goblin into the rift. After holding it there for a second, he yanked the cable back—only to find the other end empty. The Goblin was gone.
Moments later, the Goblin reappeared on the train.
"Good, very good."
Inside the train's control room, Chen Mang uttered these words twice upon hearing the news, his eyes flickering with renewed hope. If the Goblin Ticket worked, then perhaps Doba really could give it a try.
The Mechanical Eye was useless—the one they'd sent in earlier hadn't brought back any information or footage, just static-filled noise.
But still...
The Goblin Ticket was far superior to the Train Ticket in this situation! With a Train Ticket, there'd be no coming back!
"In that case, Doba, go ahead and try. If you die and resurrect in another region, I'll issue a bounty to search for you across all possible areas."
"Yes, Lord Mang. The great Goblin race fears no unknown risks. If everyone were afraid of the unknown, civilization would forever remain stagnant. Someone must step forward and shoulder this responsibility."
With utmost solemnity, Doba pulled out a strip of white cloth from his pocket and tied it around his pointed ears before striding out of the control room.
As for the naked Goblin who had entered the Time Tunnel earlier, there were no signs of aging on its body. Goblins truly were born immune to the effects of Time Rifts.
It was a racial gift.
"Why don't humans have a similar racial gift?" Chen Mang muttered before glancing at Li Shiji, who stood nearby. "What happened to the old man tied to the outside of your train when it entered the rift the second time?"
"Turned to dust. The moment the train entered, the old man withered into bones, then crumbled into ashes and vanished inside the tunnel."
Doba didn't operate any train controls, nor did he carry any weapons.
Just covered in space pouches, each containing a Goblin Ticket, even one stuffed in his mouth—in case of emergencies, if severely injured, he could bite down on the Goblin Ticket between his teeth.
"Bro, you're braver than I am."
Zhang Yi's buzzing voice came through the Pope Mecha's speakers. "Whether you make it back alive or not, I, Zhang Yi, respect you. Third Sister told me before that you're arrogant, always calling yourself the greatest Goblin."
"At the time, I thought she was right."
"But now I think she was wrong. You really are a great Goblin."
"From now on, I'll never eat Goblins again."
Standing in the mecha's palm, Doba was taking deep breaths to calm his nerves when he heard this. He froze for a moment, then turned his head incredulously toward Zhang Yi sitting in the mecha's cockpit, shouting angrily, "You fucking ate Goblins?!"
"Of course not."
Zhang Yi grinned, raising his right arm slightly in a shot-put stance. "Just a little humor to ease your nerves. Ready? Here we go."
The next moment—
Doba was hurled straight into the Time Rift, vanishing midair.
"Who the hell would eat green meat?"
Sitting in the cockpit, Zhang Yi sighed, stuffing a Roujiamo into his mouth and mumbling, "This Doba… really is something."
Inside the Time Rift.
The scenery shifted almost instantly from the abandoned City Ruins to a tunnel of flowing light.
Feeling the faint pull ahead, a trace of fear flickered in Doba's eyes. A crushing sense of loneliness and helplessness engulfed him. Looking back, the Stellar Train was already out of sight—like being tossed into the middle of the ocean at night, clinging to a piece of driftwood for survival.
That near-death sensation made his breathing quicken.
He wasn't as brave as he'd made himself out to be.
Goblins were indeed unaffected by the "Distorted Time Magnetic Field." It was said that after the apocalypse, it took some time for the Goblin race to discover this innate ability through experimentation.
But.
He had never used this ability before. Back in his clan, he was just an ordinary Goblin. Now that he was king, he had to show the courage of a king.
A king dies in battle, never in fear.
Perhaps the title "King of Goblins" reignited his courage, as Doba's breathing gradually steadied. He began observing his surroundings, but without any reference points, he couldn't gauge his speed.
Only a dull pressure in his chest.
His speed seemed to match the flow of the light beams around him.
No sound.
Utter silence.
He could even hear the blood rushing through his veins, his heartbeat as loud as thunder. Oxygen wasn't an issue.
So he drifted. And drifted. And drifted.
Floating through the tunnel of time.
From fear, to calm, and now—to bewilderment.
He didn't know how long he'd been drifting.
It felt like ages. A month? Two? Maybe longer.
He glanced down at the "Goblin Ticket" in his Space Pouch, recalling his experiences aboard the Stellar Train. A powerful wave of homesickness surged through him again—he wanted to go home, but... his mission wasn't complete yet.
He still hadn't seen the end of the time tunnel.
Perhaps far more time had passed than he realized.
In his mind, Lord Mang's face was beginning to blur, though he could still vividly remember the moment in the Doomsday Abyss when Lord Mang had declared with absolute certainty that he would become the king of the Goblins and help rebuild their civilization.
He had believed it.
Still believed it now.
Never once doubted it.
Goblins didn't lie—except for the "Black Market Merchant."
A pang of regret struck him. Before entering, he should have bought a gaming console from the Resident Store—at least it would have helped pass the endless, dull hours.
He opened his mouth to speak but found that he had gone so long without talking that the words wouldn't come. Had he been here even longer than he thought? By the time he got out, would the Stellar Train already be a level 20—or even level 30—train?
Without him, would his people still obey Lord Mang?
Just then—
The steady flow of light surrounding the time tunnel suddenly twisted into chaos. Before he could react, a massive Time Rift tore open at the tunnel's end.
His body was yanked uncontrollably toward it.
The scene shifted.
Doba's body slammed heavily onto the ground—the first solid surface he'd felt in what felt like an eternity. The sharp pain jolted his nearly stagnant brain back to life.
"Wah—ah! Lord Mang! Lord Mang! Doba—greatest of Goblins!"
Standing unsteadily, he struggled to form the words, forcing his long-dormant voice to work again. Once his speech returned, he quickly scanned his surroundings. He was in a wasteland of city ruins—a garbage dump?
And this ruined city was nestled inside a massive cavern.
No sky above—only dirt.
It reminded him of the abandoned Mechanical City from the Zombie Basin's "Geocentric Nuclear Bomb" Serendipity Map, but this place was different—smaller, much smaller.
After stretching his stiff limbs, he pulled out the Goblin Ticket from his Space Pouch, gripping it tightly as he explored. The dump held no food waste—just piles of scrap metal.
Just as he was about to investigate further—
Footsteps.
His expression darkened. He dove into a nearby heap of garbage, burying himself inside. Through the gaps, he watched as a middle-aged man and three or four strong men trudged into the dump, grumbling all the while.
"Worthless Serendipity Map. No quests, no rewards."
"Only one train allowed in, and the map self-destructs in 24 hours. Thought there'd be something good here, but we've searched the whole damn city ruins and found nothing. Only place left is this garbage pile—but what the hell could be in here?"
"Three minutes left."
"Just look around. Total waste of time. Let's get ready to leave."
The middle-aged man grumbled a few more words under his breath before finally pulling out a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it, and taking a drag as he sat on a nearby rock, exhaling smoke. But the next moment, he seemed to suddenly notice something and looked down at his feet.
"A telescope?"
The man picked up the rather worn-out telescope that looked like it had seen better days. Just as he was about to say something, a flash of shock crossed his eyes. "A level 10 telescope?"
"This is insane!"
"What idiot would waste 8 Murphy Stones to enhance a telescope?! Their brain must be fucking waterlogged!"
Still, the man couldn't help but painstakingly wipe the dust off the telescope with his sleeve. What pained him was the thought of those 8 Murphy Stones—what a damn waste!
After testing the telescope, he chuckled.
"Not bad, at least this trip wasn't a total loss."
"Search carefully, all of you! We've got two minutes left. Hurry up—there might be other good stuff here."
"Damn it!"
"Should've come to the dump first instead of wasting time in the City Ruins."
Two minutes passed quickly.
Finding nothing else, the middle-aged man spat a thick glob of phlegm in frustration but didn't dare delay any longer. He immediately led his group of strong men back the way they came. Only when the sounds outside faded did Doba finally emerge from his hiding spot.
He shook off the trash clinging to him.
Scanned his surroundings.
Without hesitation, he stuffed anything visible and suitably sized into his Space Pouch. He had no idea what use these things might have, but Lord Mang might find them valuable back home.
Five minutes later.
A crisp cracking sound suddenly reached his ears.
Instinctively, he looked up.
A fissure had appeared in the sky above the city—not a crack in the cavern ceiling, but a rift in space itself?
The fissure spread at a visible speed, spiderwebbing across the entire skyline of the city.
Boom!
A fragment broke away, revealing an inky black void dotted with faint, flickering starlight.
"..."
Doba's expression darkened. He knew this must be what the man had called "map collapse." With no time to waste, he shoved the last item into his Space Pouch and swiftly crushed the Goblin Ticket in his hand.
Yet...
Nothing happened.
He was done for.
A flicker of despair crossed his eyes. There was no returning to the Stellar now. It might be ages before he found it again. But then, a thought struck him, and he turned to look behind him.
Upon closer inspection, a patch of space seemed to ripple as if scorched by flames.
It was the Time Rift he'd come through.
By now, the fissures had spread rapidly throughout the cavern, even reaching the dump. The entire Serendipity Map was on the verge of total collapse. Without another thought, Doba roared, channeling every ounce of strength in his body as he sprinted toward the Time Rift.
The next instant—
Doba vanished.
At the same time, the fissures completely engulfed the cavern. The entire city, including the dump, seemed to trigger a detonation sequence. A massive black hole swallowed everything in an instant, leaving not a trace behind—even the Time Rift shrank as it was consumed.
Having returned to the space-time tunnel once more, Doba gazed at the rapidly contracting passage around him with a glimmer of faint hope in his eyes. Trembling, he pulled out another Goblin Ticket and crushed it between his hands.
A flash of white light erupted, and in an instant, Doba found himself back inside the Train. The spacious interior of the Stellar greeted him, where Lord Mang stood waiting, with Biao Zi and the others watching him from the side.
Doba froze for a moment, overwhelmed by a surge of emotions. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees, suddenly bursting into loud, pitiful sobs.
"Lord Mang... I thought I'd never make it back. I was starting to forget what you even looked like..."
"Lord Mang."
Inside the Stellar's Train compartment.
Chen Mang looked at Doba, who was frantically gulping down water, and gently patted his back. "Drink slowly, no need to rush. Tell me what happened after you finish."
After downing two bottles of Mineral Water in one go, Doba let out a burp. Recalling how he had been seen by so many people in that state, his mind filled with regretful embarrassment as he whispered, "I don't know why, but after several months, I wasn't hungry at all—just a bit thirsty."
"Lord Mang, have you all been waiting here for me all this time?"