Translator: AnubisTL
The train conductor, seated at the control panel, ignored the battered man huddled in the corner. He merely toyed with his cigar, gazing at the multitude of red dots on the target acquisition radar screen with a satisfied grin.
He was a patient man.
For months, he hadn't gone anywhere else, remaining here like a patient viper stalking its prey.
Coincidentally, he hadn't found a satisfactory mine recently, leaving him with ample time to linger. The swamp held three Tier 2 Iron Ore mines and two Tier 2 Copper Mines—a dense concentration of high-grade resource mines for the Sha River Plains.
He had been here for three months, and so far, he had only managed to luck into mining one Tier 3 Iron Mine.
That Tier 3 Iron Mine had yielded him 1.7 million units of iron ore.
He had eaten his fill.
Since then, he hadn't encountered another Tier 3 Iron Mine. Even when he did, other trains he dared not provoke had already claimed them. Tier 2 Iron Ore mines were the norm on the Sha River Plains; Tier 3 Iron Ore mines were mere flukes. When desperation struck, even Tier 1 Iron Ore mines were worth digging.
He upgraded the green-grade train component, the "Target Acquisition Radar," to Tier 5, granting it a detection range of a full 5,000 meters. This range virtually guaranteed he would always be the first to spot enemies on the Sha River Plains, giving him complete control over whether to engage or evade.
Moreover, he gained a Tier 5 overpowered effect that allowed him to detect the specific information of any Boss within range. Upgrading this component to Tier 5 had cost him two murphy stones.
But most importantly—
The man glanced at the detailed specifications of each train component displayed on his control panel screen, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Yellow-grade train component: "Advanced Nano Armor Paint," Tier 5.
This wasn't a component found on human trains; it was exclusive to goblin trains. Its effect was to block detection by target acquisition radars—a blueprint he had obtained during a fortuitous encounter map in the Goblin Ruins some time ago.
Furthermore, after the train reached Tier 4, a yellow-grade Accessory called the "Radar Jammer" became craftable. This accessory also blocked radar detection, and he had upgraded it to Tier 5 as well.
The Tier 5 overpowered effect of the Advanced Nano Armor Paint allows its effects to stack with those of other accessories with similar effects.
This means that any target acquisition radar Tier 10 or lower would be unable to detect his train. And on the Sha River Plains, there were no target acquisition radars above Tier 10.
In other words, with these two accessories and his Tier 5 target acquisition radar, he could move through the Sha River Plains like a ghost, spotting his opponents instantly while remaining undetectable, even if they possessed a Tier 5 radar of their own.
This was the allure of fortuitous encounter maps.
As the train leveled up, the number of craftable accessories dwindled. To truly deepen the train's foundation, one had to venture into these maps, seeking opportunities.
---
Stellaris.
In the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang stared at the 120,000 units of spider silk on the train panel, deciding to enhance the spider leg accessory once more. Currently at Tier 13, it allowed the train to traverse 90-degree cliffs with ease.
Half a month later...
He was preparing to venture into the "Heaven-Piercing Tower" fortuitous encounter map with the Azure Dragon Train. This was his first time entering such a map, and he couldn't help but feel nervous. It was always wise to prepare thoroughly.
120,000 units of spider silk was far too much. The spider leg was only a green-grade accessory, and it wouldn't even come close to using that much.
After consuming 38,000 units of spider silk, he upgraded the spider leg accessory all the way to Tier 30 in one go!
At Tier 30, its fixed maximum speed reached 340 km/h.
Normally, the spider leg accessory would actually reduce the train's maximum speed. In other words, no matter what other acceleration accessories you had, as long as you were using the spider leg, the train's top speed would be capped at this number.
At Tier 1, it was only 50 km/h.
At Tier 30... it had become 340 km/h! That was faster than a Windfire Wheel!
And those were just minor upgrades. The main effect of the upgrade was that the Tier 30 spider leg accessory could now freely traverse slopes at 180 degrees.
Hmm.
The 180-degree slope might be hard to grasp.
Let's put it simply: you can drive upside down on the ceiling, completely ignoring gravity. What kind of thing is that? I've never heard of it. I'm not familiar with it.
"That should be secure now."
Chen Mang glanced at the accessory information on the control panel screen with satisfaction. According to the Azure Dragon, the "Heaven-Piercing Tower" fortuitous encounter map was located over 5,000 meters above sea level. In such conditions, upgrading the spider leg accessory's Tier would provide a greater sense of security.
He still had over 80,000 units of Spider Silk remaining.
He didn't plan to upgrade it further.
Continuing to upgrade would be pointless. He doubted he'd ever encounter a 181-degree slope in reality. Tier 30 Spider Silk was more than enough to ignore most geographical challenges. He could save the remaining Spider Silk to activate the Tier 10 overpowered effect of the Spider Silk, which had saved his life in the Kunlun Mountain Region.
After reaching Tier 30, the spider leg accessory gained another Tier 20 overpowered effect. There was no overpowered effect at Tier 30; the next one would be at Tier 50.
[Spider Leg Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Allows for bouncing locomotion, with a maximum jump height of 10 meters. It is recommended to upgrade the Built-in Space Stabilizer to Tier 5.
A decent overpowered effect, Chen Mang thought with a grin, gazing at the new ability. This gave the train another method of movement, providing more options for navigating harsh and varied terrains.
At the current efficiency of the train residents, they should finish mining all the Tier 1 Ore mines within half a month. By then, all the train's accessories that needed upgrading would also be complete. That would be the perfect time to attempt the Heaven-Piercing Tower.
Time flew by.
Five days passed quickly.
Everyone worked with exceptional enthusiasm, and the 400 survivors quickly integrated into the Stellaris. Some of the fastest among them were already close to achieving 2nd-Tier Resident Benefits.
During these five days, all three Tier 2 Ore mines were fully exploited. The progress was quite rapid, as these Tier 2 Iron Ore mines contained a substantial amount of ore.
Sitting in the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang glanced at the train panel displaying the iron ore resources. Including the ore already stored on the train, they now had a staggering 1.481 million units of iron ore—enough to start spending lavishly!
"Hmph!"
He took a deep breath and immediately spent 95,000 units of iron ore to upgrade the open-air carriage of Missile Car No. 14 to Tier 6. Then, he spent another 1.05 million units of iron ore to upgrade the missile to Tier 6.
This accessory was currently the most iron ore-intensive component he had, proving that red-grade accessories were indeed resource-hungry. However, it was also undoubtedly worth the investment.
He was barely able to restrain himself from launching the missile into the Kunlun Mountain Region.
The loot that would drop...
Monster Armor and Train Armor were fundamentally different. A Tier 6 missile could pierce the armor of Tier 6 monsters, but it couldn't penetrate Tier 6 armor, as armor completely nullified all damage of the same tier.
However...
How many people could actually upgrade Steel Car Armor to Tier 6?
After the train reached Tier 4, a new craftable accessory became available: the energy shield. He had encountered this accessory during the collision with the other train deep underground.
It was a high-grade defensive component, with a maximum upgrade level of Tier 5.
However, the "Energy Shield" accessory could only block certain energy attacks, such as the "Energy Cannon" and "Dragon's Breath." It was ineffective against physical attacks like monsters getting close to the train.
There was only one way to defend against physical attacks:
Upgrade the "Energy Shield" to Tier 5 to unlock its overpowered effect. Activating this effect would allow the energy shield to block physical attacks, but it would consume a large amount of energy stones.
"What a bunch of unnecessary complications," Chen Mang muttered, rolling his eyes. Aside from Tier 6 trains, most trains on the Sha River Plains had a maximum Defense Rating of Tier 6. His Tier 6 missiles would be more than sufficient as long as they didn't encounter a Tier 6 train.
But using them just to blow up trains felt like a waste.
After all, a Tier 6 missile wasn't cheap. It cost a whopping 300,000 units of copper ore.
Tier 5 missiles were cheaper, costing only 200,000 units of copper ore. He hadn't crafted any yet, planning to build the appropriate grade missiles when he needed them.
"Huuu..."
Chen Mang exhaled deeply, gazing out the window at the train residents working diligently. All that remained was for them to finish mining the last 2 copper ore deposits. Their progress had been much faster than he'd anticipated.
If that's the case, we can make a detour to Shahe City before heading to the Heaven-Piercing Tower.
Maybe we can find some cabbage and vermicelli to give everyone a meat-filled meal. Even if each person only gets a small portion, just the smell of meat will be a treat. Many haven't smelled meat since the apocalypse began, with no oil or fat in their diets—they've practically become vegetarians.
"Is this really a good idea?"
In the locomotive cabin of the Azure Dragon Train on the Sha River Plains, the bald man frowned at the deputy train conductor. "In ten days, we'll be heading to the Heaven-Piercing Tower with the Stellaris. You can't see the leaderboard, so you have no real understanding of how strong other trains are."
"But let me be clear."
"The Stellaris has S-Rank Potential and has completed an S-Rank Difficulty mechanical train class change—the first of its kind on the Sha River Plains. Though it's currently only a Tier 4 Train, its rise to power could be faster than you or I can imagine."
"Moreover, their current strength might not be much weaker than our Tier 5 Azure Dragon Train."
"We should tidy up the train's appearance in the next few days to make a good impression. We might even be able to make friends with them later."
"Brother Dan," the deputy train conductor began cautiously, "didn't you say the Stellaris was responsible for your maze mission failure? Is it really appropriate for us to explore the Heaven-Piercing Tower together?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" The bald man glared at his deputy train conductor before picking up his razor to continue shaving the stubble on his head in front of the mirror. "Am I supposed to hold a grudge against the Stellaris and make it my lifelong enemy?"
"That would be pure idiocy."
"Why provoke an opponent for no reason? The apocalypse is already dangerous enough, with monsters everywhere. Why would you deliberately make a life-or-death enemy? It's like you're afraid of living too long."
"What if the fortuitous encounter map for the Heaven-Piercing Tower is cooperative? We might have to interact with them. I've heard of cooperative maps that require everyone from both trains to work together."
"We're at least a Tier 5 train."
"While it's not wise to keep fighting, it's good to show them who's boss. Get new clothes made for all the slaves and have them wear them."
"You can handle the rest yourself."
"I think I understand," the deputy train conductor nodded thoughtfully. "Brother Dan, you're saying you want to save face?"
"Exactly."
The bald man gazed at his gleaming bald head in the mirror with satisfaction. "We'll put on a show. I want that guy to know that even though I lost to him once, the old train still has its foundation."
"Understood. I'll go make arrangements immediately."
Soon after—
The last two copper mines in the Swamp Wasteland were completely depleted. The train now held a total of 1.05 million units of copper ore in reserve.
"Voyage!"
Chen Mang sat in the locomotive cabin, his eyes fixed on the resource numbers displayed on the screen. A satisfied grin spread across his face as he pushed the control lever, switching back to the "Spider Leg" configuration and shooting out of the swamp toward Shahe City.
The moment Chen Mang moved, the middle-aged man waiting in the other train, alerted by the target acquisition radar, snapped awake with excitement. His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Damn it... he finally came out."
"I've been waiting for you for eight whole days. Having so many slaves really pays off—the mining speed is incredible. Soon, all those slaves will be mine."
"Heh."
The battered man in the corner couldn't help but sneer. "If you'd done your calculations, you'd know you couldn't afford to feed even a thousand slaves, even if they were all yours."
"If I can't afford to feed them, I'll sell them."
The train conductor, seated at the control panel, completely ignored the taunt. He quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Summon all the thugs. Get ready to work. Once I've blown up the train, it'll be your turn to disembark."
On the other end of the walkie-talkie was his younger brother. After seizing control of the train, he'd gone over the plan with his brother, successfully reclassifying the train for a C-Rank Difficulty mission.
Now, he stood up, hands resting on the control panel, his face flushed with barely contained excitement as he watched the red dot on the target acquisition radar rapidly approach.
He was well aware of the Stellaris' recent fame.
But—
He wouldn't have dared to come out here without a few tricks up his sleeve.
The instant the red dot on the target acquisition radar closed in—
Boom!
Amidst the grinding of gears, a massive cannon, its barrel as thick as two or three gasoline drums, slowly emerged from one of the carriages!
(End of the Chapter)
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