After pausing for a moment, Chen Mang pointed to the time displayed on the control panel screen and said softly, "Doba, from the moment you entered the Time Rift until your return to the train compartment, a total of 3 minutes and 27 seconds passed."
"Three minutes?"
"There must be a difference in time flow rate," Xiao Ai, standing nearby, chimed in.
Soon.
Doba clearly recounted everything he had encountered.
"..."
After listening, Chen Mang remained silent, leaning back in his chair and rhythmically tapping his knuckles on the table. A Serendipity Map? The endpoint of the Time Rift was a Serendipity Map? And he encountered other Train Conductors?
So...
Could the Time Rift be understood as an entrance to certain Serendipity Maps?
Not a formal entrance, but more like a smuggler's passage?
After a long while.
He finally shook his head, looked at everyone, and stood up with a smile. "We've found the answer to the Time Rift—perhaps not the final answer, but at least we have a preliminary explanation."
"Now, let's give a round of applause to the pioneers of this exploration."
"It is because of them that the Stellar Train continues to move forward."
The train compartment immediately erupted with loud applause from Biao Zi and the others.
Doba, who had been about to say something more, froze at the sound of the applause, Lord Mang's approving gaze, and the admiring looks from Biao Zi and the others. His back instinctively straightened, and his lips curled uncontrollably into a grin.
"It's nothing, really..."
"Lao Zhu, make sure to record the deeds of Doba and that man—these brave pioneers—and spread their stories."
"Understood."
The items Doba brought back weren't spare parts but rather fragments of steel, as if torn from some abandoned equipment. Xiao Ai took them to the Armor Research and Development Center for analysis.
Meanwhile—
The Time Rift in front of the Stellar Train was visibly shrinking until it completely vanished.
The next moment!
Beep beep beep
The familiar sound rang through the train again as the Targeting Radar resumed normal operation, revealing all the people hiding in the City Ruins.
Indeed.
The severe signal interference in this city was due to the presence of the Time Rift.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the Targeting Radar screen, which displayed tens of thousands of Survivors, and raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected so many Survivors to be hiding in this city.
The door of Guard Carriage No. 7 immediately opened, and Biao Zi and the others filed out once more to gather supplies. This time, the task was much easier—with Xiao Ai's guidance, it was like having a full map hack.
He had no intention of taking these Survivors with him.
They had likely been hiding since the apocalypse began. Taking them now would only provoke strong resistance, and he couldn't be bothered to deal with their emotions. The Stellar Train already had enough people.
Even if new residents were to join, they would have to be Slaves from other Trains.
Only with comparison could these people realize just how good the treatment on the Stellar Train was in this apocalyptic world, and thus better integrate into life aboard the Stellar.
Three hours later.
The Stellar Train embarked on its return journey, reaching its top speed of 5,040 km/h as it rampaged through the Stone Man Zone, sweeping the area one by one while the Targeting Radar continuously searched for the Snarling Train.
He hadn't forgotten about that cheating bastard.
Although the area was vast,
with the Stellar Train's speed, finding a single Train wouldn't take too much effort.
Sweep them all!
"Level 4 Iron Ore, Level 4 Copper Ore."
The Resource Detection Radar occasionally picked up some Level 4 mines—either untapped or currently being exploited. In the purple zones, Level 4 mines appeared relatively frequently and weren't too hard to find. A single Level 4 mine typically yielded about 10 million units of Iron Ore.
Only in zones of this caliber could one afford to upgrade defensive accessories.
But even then, it was barely enough.
After all, for anyone else who wanted to maintain a decent number of Train carriages or upgrade their Accessory Levels even slightly, the cost would be measured in the hundreds of millions.
The Train didn't stop.
It merely noted these locations.
The search for the Snarling Train continued.
After roughly two and a half hours,
it was found.
On the Targeting Radar screen, the Snarling Train sat idle in the wilderness, seemingly resting. The Stellar Train gradually slowed as it approached, not intending to ram into it again—though at this speed, the Drill Bit could shatter that Train in one hit!
But...
his external accessories couldn't withstand such a collision.
He only had a few hundred thousand units of Iron Ore left, so he'd have to use Copper Ore instead—he still had nearly 20 million units of that!
Soon,
the corresponding accessory information of that Train appeared on the control panel screen.
-
"Level 14 Mechanical Train": Highest defensive accessory—Level 11 Star Ring Energy Shield. Highest offensive accessory—1 Level 14 Comet Main Cannon. Other special accessories include a red-tier "Space-Time Leap," which can be activated once per day. Upon activation, a portal appears in front of the Train, transporting it to a random location within the zone. Overall threat assessment: zero.
-
When the distance closed to just a few kilometers,
the Stellar Train came to a smooth halt without warning. Nine Doomsday Cannons locked onto the other Train. With a deafening roar, a barrage of shells traced graceful arcs through the afternoon sunlight before raining down upon the target.
Then—
a line of text flashed on the control panel.
"Detected high-intensity firepower approaching rapidly. Estimated arrival in one second."
"Attack strength: Level 14."
"Recommended response... ignore it."
The next moment!
A crimson beam several meters wide shot straight from the Snarling Train, slamming into the Stellar Train's Armor.
"Warning, warning—"
"Car Audio integrity reduced to 12%. Powerful Magnet integrity reduced to 22%. Headlights integrity reduced to 9%. Mechanical Tentacles integrity reduced to—"
Meanwhile, all of his shells missed, exploding against the ground in bursts of dust and flames.
That Train was gone.
It had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.
"Well, damn."
Chen Mang stared slightly stunned at the data flashing across the control screen—this was his first failure. What shocked him most was that red-tier component, the "Comet Main Cannon." The way this thing attacked was seriously cool!
A crimson light beam nearly five to six meters wide!
If this thing was used to fight bosses, it would pierce right through them!
Far more effective than his Doomsday Cannon. When battling bosses, the firepower wasn't even in the same league. He hadn't upgraded this component mainly because he didn't have enough iron ore.
Now, he was tempted.
But goddammit, was there any way to protect those damn external components?!
Every time a fight broke out, the first casualties were always the Powerful Magnet and that blasted sound system!
Was there really no other way besides the Energy Shield?
"Repair!"
Chen Mang glared at the message on the screen: "Full repair requires 168,000 units of iron ore. Proceed?" He cursed under his breath before steering the Stellar Train to continue racing across the wasteland, searching for the escaped train.
"Space-Time Leap."
"What kind of red-tier component is this? Where do people even get these? Such good stuff. Wonder if it can be dismantled..."
The Level 1 train that had explored the Time Rift had already been devoured by him, and the Internal Space Stabilizer had been reinstalled on the Stellar.
"Damn it!"
Inside the Snarling Train, the old man scowled at the messages flashing across his control screen. Level 16 artillery shells? That guy's Doomsday Cannons were actually Level 16—and not just one, but multiple!
No grudges, no enmity.
Why attack without a word?
Luckily, he had "Space-Time Leap," or else he would've been finished. Was this about the bounty?
He found it hard to believe. When he left Neon City, he had indeed seen the casino put a bounty on him, but he hadn't taken it seriously. He was only worried that Neon City might not let him exchange normally, but the process had gone smoothly without any issues.
As for that bounty, he'd treated it as a joke.
He was a Level 14 Mechanical Train—a 2 million Stellar Coupons bounty on him?
Who would risk provoking him for just 2 million units of iron ore? Did they even calculate how many resources a single battle would consume?
A fight between Level 14 Trains would burn through far more resources than that. No one would take such a loss-making deal.
But that train had attacked him without warning—had someone actually taken the bounty? Were they insane? The shells they'd just fired must've cost nearly a million units of copper ore!
An hour later.
Seated in the Stellar Train's cabin, Chen Mang grinned. He'd spotted the Snarling Train again on the Targeting Radar. Run all you want—the area's only so big. Where could you hide?
And you even cheated!
Think you're special just because you've got a Special Item?
The Doomsday Cannons locked on again, and nearly a thousand shells tore through the sky like a metallic storm, engulfing the train.
That Space-Time Leap trick could only be used once a day. You're not escaping this time.
The next moment—
Flames erupted into the sky as the train's front carriage was instantly blown to smithereens. The remaining carriages, carried by momentum, skidded to a halt after sliding some distance.
The Stellar Train slowly came to a halt nearby.
The No. 7 Guard car opened, and Biao Zi's team jumped out with practiced ease to clean up the post-battle scene—this was their specialty.
"Team One, approach Carriage 2 in a fan formation. Team Three, guard the rear carriage. Team Two, provide fire support."
Biao Zi piloted the Thunder mecha, cautiously advancing toward the burning train. His eyes were full of vigilance. This was an expanded train, with carriages towering seven meters high.
Soon.
Team One reached the broken section of Carriage 2. The locomotive had long vanished. The armored vanguard led the way, while the rest of the team followed closely behind, wielding Tidal Gatling Guns.
Just as they reached the fracture.
Before they could assess the situation inside Carriage 2.
Biao Zi suddenly spotted three heavy machine guns mounted on the carriage roof, their barrels spinning rapidly as they aimed at his team. His face darkened as he roared, "Execute Plan 6!"
Without hesitation, he stomped hard and leaped into the air, swinging his massive axe toward the roaring heavy machine guns on the ceiling!
Internal Fire Control System!
"Director Ai, the Train Conductor is still alive!" Biao Zi shouted from the mecha's cockpit after swiftly destroying the three heavy machine guns. When a Train Conductor died, all components of the train would become unusable, turning into scrap metal.
The fact that the Internal Fire Control System was still operational meant only one thing: the Train Conductor was alive.
Those heavy machine guns fired Tier-3 bullets.
His mecha was completely unfazed.
But his teammates behind him had no mecha for defense. He quickly turned to check on them and sighed in relief when he saw Team One had taken cover inside refrigerators as per the drill, with no casualties.
Director Ai's voice crackled in his earpiece.
"Carriage 3 is the disguised locomotive. Retreat now!"
"Understood!"
At that moment—
The Doomsday Cannon on the train's roof immediately targeted the Stellar Train's Guardians nearby, unleashing a barrage of fire. However, having received Director Ai's warning, they had already taken cover inside refrigerators, emerging unscathed.
Within the Targeting Radar's range.
These refrigerators boasted defensive capabilities equivalent to Train Armor.
The puny Doomsday Cannon couldn't penetrate them.
The Stellar Train's Doomsday Cannon swiftly locked onto Carriage 3 and unleashed a devastating bombardment!
The next instant!
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted across the wasteland as the six-carriage "Gnashing Teeth Train" chose to self-destruct. A massive fireball shot skyward, hurling countless steel fragments in all directions.
The blast instantly obliterated a dozen zombies that had come to spectate.
Several refrigerators and mechas were sent flying like kites with severed strings.
"..."
In the train control room, Chen Mang silently watched the towering fireball and billowing black smoke. The explosion had just reduced the durability of his newly repaired sound system back down to 78%.
This was the most powerful train self-destruction he'd ever witnessed.
Did higher-tier trains have greater self-destruct yields?
This was all for nothing. The slaves on this train were basically all dead. In such a situation, there couldn't possibly be any survivors, let alone resources—everything had been blown to dust. But these were secondary concerns. The most critical issue was that Biao Zi was severely injured, and there was no iron ore left on the train to treat him.
"Xiao Ai, contact Lao Zhu. Tell him to return to Neon City and bring out 1 million units of iron ore."
"Yes!"
Only then did Chen Mang, his expression grim, head toward Carriage No. 2. By now, all the Guardians had crushed their train tickets and returned to the Guard Car in Carriage No. 7. Everyone looked frantic as they carried Biao Zi, rushing toward the medical pod in Carriage No. 2.
Though this would mess up the accounts, a living man couldn't let himself be defeated by such trivialities.
Soon—
Lord Mang saw Biao Zi, his body riddled with steel shards, his legs completely gone, reduced to half a human wreck. Blood continuously bubbled from his mouth as he struggled to speak: "Mang... Mang..."
"Enough, don't talk."
Chen Mang waved his hand impatiently, his face dark. "Get him into the medical bay quickly. Lao Zhu has already gone to Neon City to fetch the iron ore. Just hold on a little longer—give him a few more shots of stimulants."
He glanced at the treatment cost: "357,000 units of iron ore." Not expensive, but the train had none left.
Biao Zi might look like a mess, but with the stimulants, he wouldn't die anytime soon. As long as Lao Zhu brought back the iron ore, he'd be easily healed.
"Mang..."
Biao Zi seemed anxious, struggling to prop himself up in the medical bay, only to realize his arms wouldn't obey. Trembling, he forced out his words: "Lord... Lord Mang..."
"Relax. With me here, you won't die."
"Mang..."
"Stop talking. Talking speeds up death."
"Re... refrigerator!"
Just then—
Lao Zhu came rushing back, carrying a refrigerator, his face tense. "Lord Mang, I'm back! I was worried it wouldn't be enough, so I brought 2 million units of iron ore."
The next moment—
The medical pod's lid sealed shut, and a flood of nutrient fluid surged out, completely submerging Biao Zi.
Three minutes later.
The pod reopened. Biao Zi, now clad in tattered scraps of cloth, climbed out, stretching his limbs before solemnly dropping to one knee. "Thank you for saving my life, Lord Mang. But... next time, could you let me finish speaking?"
"I was trying to say Lao Zhu didn't need to go back. I found a storage box with iron ore in Carriage No. 2. At the last moment, I stuffed it into the refrigerator."
"That's why I wasn't hurt so badly."
"The refrigerator got blown away. I wanted you to send someone to retrieve it before someone else picked it up..."
"Did I stop you from speaking?"
Chen Mang shot him an exasperated look. "Your throat was full of blood, gurgling away. I was afraid you'd choke to death. Xiao Ai invited you into the hive mind, but you didn't join."
"Ah? I didn't receive..."
"Third Squad Leader."
"Here!"
"Go retrieve all the stuff that got blown away."
The Third Squad Leader seemed to hesitate, wanting to say something, but swallowed his words and responded firmly, "Yes!"
Then he quickly turned and left.
At the moment the train self-destructed, those inside the carriage had little time to react. However, upon learning that the Train Conductor was still alive, Biao Zi had already heightened his vigilance and stuffed the train ticket into his mouth.
Originally, when he heard Director Ai's order, he had planned to retreat.
But then he spotted a storage box.
Almost instinctively, he shoved the storage box into the refrigerator. Just then, the train self-destructed. The massive explosion nearly vaporized his "Thunder" mecha in an instant. Fortunately, it managed to block the blast for a split second, giving him enough time to crush the train ticket in his mouth.
However, due to the proximity of the explosion,
his legs were blown off.
As for the Guardians outside the train, they had all taken cover inside the refrigerator, so none were harmed—except for Zhang Yi and Zhang Er. Those two had been chewing on steamed buns at the time and couldn't crush their train tickets immediately.
But thanks to their Level 12 armor, their mechas only suffered 27% damage, and they weren't seriously injured. A few bandages and stitches later, they were mostly fine.
Soon—
All the refrigerators and the two Pope Mechas that had been blasted away were recovered, along with a pile of twisted scrap metal found in the ruins, now compressed to just one meter in height.
"This..."
Inside Carriage No. 2, Biao Zi stared in disbelief at the charred lump before him. "Are you sure this is my Thunder mecha? My mecha wasn't this short. Director Ai, can this still be repaired?"
"..."
Xiao Ai, standing nearby, displayed the characters "idiot" and "dumbass" on the screen of his face, remaining expressionless and silent.
"Director Ai, why do you always curse at people?"
"What do you think? Do you honestly think this can be fucking repaired? Go on, tell me your repair plan. Let's hear it."
"If it can't be fixed, then just say so. No need to be so harsh..." Biao Zi shrank his neck slightly, sounding meek.
Then he turned to Chen Mang hesitantly. "Lord Mang, how much iron ore did my treatment cost?"
"357,000 units of iron ore."
"Huh?"
Biao Zi blinked in surprise. "That much? Then how much iron ore is in the storage box I brought back? Did I at least break even?"
"Too much?"
Chen Mang pointed at the nearby Medical Bay. "We pulled 106 shards out of your body. One more, and you could've traded 107 brothers for an official position."
"Can't you feel pain?"
"Surviving this is a miracle. If your Physical Fitness Index were any lower, you'd be long dead."
"Lao Zhu."
"Here."
"Gather all these shards, collect the wrecked mecha, and set up a display in Residential Area No. 8. Then ask Xiao Ai for front and back photos of Biao Zi's injuries and frame them too. Make a Wall of Honor."
"Understood, Lord Mang. I know what to do."
"..."
Biao Zi stared blankly at the scene before him. Huh? Huh... Huh? He felt like... he felt like he was about to stand up? He couldn't contain his joy inside, but he kept his face calm, suppressing his excitement as much as possible.
After everything was done,
Chen Mang patted Biao Zi on the shoulder and smiled. "You more than broke even. That storage box had exactly 17 million units of iron ore. A great achievement—well done!"
"But—"
"The Stellar will earn countless times 17 million units of iron ore in the future."
"And if you die, there will never be another Biao Zi on the Stellar in the future."
"Compared to 17 million units of iron ore, you are far more important to the Stellar. From now on, try not to be reckless for the sake of credit—prioritize survival, understand?"
"Understood!"
Biao Zi grinned, unable to suppress his excitement. Ah, he really still couldn't keep his composure.
After cleaning up the battlefield,
the Stellar slowly departed from the area. Along with the self-destruction of that Train, everything turned to fragments—nothing remained. According to the casino's intel, that guy had exchanged 20 million Stellar Coupons for chips at the time.
Before leaving, they also took away 8 million units of iron ore.
There should have been even more inside the Train.
There were at least 14 million units of iron ore left, but they all turned to ashes in the explosion.
But.
17 million units of iron ore were more than enough.
Although it was 17 million units, it wasn't 17 million individual pieces—they were all high-grade ore, just converted into the equivalent of 17 million units.
"..."
Inside the train, Chen Mang finally spoke after repairing the sound system again: "Tell Lao Zhu to return the 200,000 units of iron ore we brought out."
"Also, have Mundo and Doba come here. There's something important I need them to do."
"Yes."
Biao Zi was ecstatic today, happier than ever, even feeling like he was floating as he walked.
The grin on his face stretched uncontrollably to his ears.
Today was the first time Lord Mang had formally praised him, acknowledging his worth. A man's life was essentially a pursuit of one thing—recognition.
Especially when he saw Carriage No. 8.
The scrapped mecha displayed on the platform and the nearly hundred steel shards extracted from his body made him nod in satisfaction, pretending not to hear the gasps of the surrounding residents.
After clearing his throat, he turned to Lao Zhu beside him: "When will you get a chance to be hung up here?"
"Only after I die and turn into a black-and-white photo," Lao Zhu muttered. "I don't even get the chance to get injured. My contributions aren't as tangible as yours—as if the worse the injury, the greater the merit."
"Hey, hey, hey, Lao Zhu, I hear jealousy in your voice!"
"Things really have changed. You're calling me 'Lao Zhu' now. You used to call me 'Train Conductor Zhu.'"
"Heh, are you jealous?"
Lao Zhu paused before shaking his head. "A little. But you should be careful. Don't keep chasing merit like this—you'll get yourself killed sooner or later."
Biao Zi chuckled without responding, simply standing there and staring at the two photos hung on the wall.
At the time, he hadn't felt much.
But now, it did look pretty gruesome.
His front and back were riddled with steel shards, looking horrifying—almost like a porcupine.
"Huh? Train Conductor Zhu, why was the photo cropped below me? I was so big—hang it up properly to show off!"
"Don't be an idiot." Lao Zhu turned expressionlessly and walked toward Carriage No. 7. "Can't be bothered with you."
Biao Zi didn't mind, just muttering to himself cheerfully.
"Don't chase merit?"
"Lord Mang already said it—try not to be reckless in pursuit of merit. That's basically a yes. For the train to develop quickly, someone has to dance on the edge of a knife... What do you, a bureaucrat, know?"
Lao Zhu wasn't happy today—he was a little gloomy.
Sitting alone in his room in Carriage No. 7, as the deputy train conductor, second in command, he handled all the daily management and administrative tasks of the train. Under his leadership, the nearly 10,000 residents had never faced any major chaos.
All the trivial matters were arranged by him.
But.
His contributions were hard to showcase directly.
Unlike Biao Zi—17 million units of iron ore, undeniable merit, and those injuries were undeniable medals.
His, though...
Distracted, Lao Zhu picked up a pen and scribbled aimlessly on paper. His thoughts were a mess. He even considered asking Lord Mang to let him join the Guardians.
Just then—
Someone suddenly pushed the door open.
"Who's there?!"
Lao Zhu instinctively looked up and, upon seeing that the visitor was Lord Mang, quickly rose to his feet and said respectfully, "Lord Mang."
"Sit."
Chen Mang was carrying two bottles of liquor in his hands and had two cigarettes dangling from his mouth as he sat down somewhat indistinctly at the table. He pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket and placed them on the table, then took one of the cigarettes from his mouth and handed it to Lao Zhu with a grin. "What? Feeling resentful?"
"N-no."
Lao Zhu's ears turned red almost instantly. He awkwardly averted Lord Mang's gaze and forced himself to say, "I was just recording this incident in the Train Development History."
Chen Mang chuckled but didn't say anything, simply pulling out a lighter from his pocket. As the flame flickered to life, he held it out toward Lao Zhu. "Remember the
first time we met?"
Seeing this, Lao Zhu hastily stood up and bent over to shield the flame.
"Of course I remember, Lord Mang."
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