"Ah?"
Chen Mang looked out the window, his eyes filled with a lingering sense of awe. He finally understood how other Trains managed to survive in this area—you guys can fucking fly?!
The distance was too great for the Radar to gather specific information about that Train.
But he saw that the Train had no wheels; beneath it were clouds.
It soared above the earth as if riding on mist and clouds.
Was the difference between the white and green zones really this vast? Trains in the white zone were still running on the ground, while those in the green zone were already flying in the air?
"Ah?"
In the green zone of the Kunlun Mountains, inside a Train flying through the air, a bald man stared in shock at the Train that was navigating the sheer cliffs as if they were flat ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.
What was going on?
How could this person's Train move so freely on a 90-degree cliff?
And...
He glanced at the opponent's Train level displayed on the control screen.
"Level 2 Train."
What a joke! How dare a Level 2 Train come to the Kunlun Mountains?
You should know that even within the green zone, the Kunlun Mountains are considered one of the most challenging areas. Ordinary Level 4 or 5 Trains would find it extremely dangerous to come here, yet a Level 2 Train dared to venture into the Kunlun Mountains?
He knew about the Mechanical Legs accessory—it was called "Spider Legs." But if he remembered correctly, this accessory was green-tier, right? Even at max level, it could only move freely on slopes with a 45-degree incline.
Unless...
The man's brow furrowed slightly. Could it be that this person had poured a large amount of Murphy Stones into the Spider Legs accessory? Using them to break the level cap? But a Level 2 Train shouldn't have any means of obtaining Murphy Stones unless...
Unless this person was related to some big shot.
Thinking this, the man's brow relaxed, and he confirmed his inner thoughts. Murphy Stones were special items that allowed a certain accessory to ignore the level cap and upgrade once more, often used to break limits and achieve a supermodel effect.
They were special items that could only be obtained in high-level zones.
"It seems like a lot of big shots have come to the Kunlun Mountains," the man muttered to himself thoughtfully. Yesterday, a Green Dragon Boss had spawned in the Kunlun Mountains. Killing this Level 5 boss would drop a blue-tier accessory, the Deep Sea Shield. While not the highest tier, it was extremely rare, as only this boss dropped it.
This boss often spawned randomly in various zones, making it hard to find.
Most of the time, this accessory was useless. It only came into play when a Train wanted to submerge underwater. But few zones had lakes, so the accessory was rarely useful. As for zones with seas, those were at least blue-tier, and he didn't dare venture there.
In his own green zone, he had stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter in a lake—an Underwater Labyrinth. He wanted to obtain the Deep Sea Shield to explore it.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the Kunlun Mountains. The mortality rate here was too high, with an excessive density of monsters. This was a pure monster zone, with no Mines. No sane person would come here.
Except for the lunatics in Flesh Trains, no one liked this zone.
Normal people would choose to stay in surrounding green zones like the Shahe Plain or the Huanhe Basin, where the danger level was significantly lower, and there were plenty of high-level resource Mines. Moreover, the terrain and threats varied across different zones, and Trains that had long resided in a particular zone would have corresponding strategies. Venturing into other zones often led to discomfort.
Oh, and there were many Trains that came to hunt pangolins for the Drill Bit accessory to dig Mines in their own zones. Other than these people, no one would come to the Kunlun Mountains.
He had thought there wouldn't be much competition.
But now...
"Whatever."
The man sighed deeply, glancing at the rearview mirror. The Train, moving like a centipede, had already disappeared from the cliffs. He would give it a try. If he couldn't get it, so be it.
Chen Mang, who had narrowly escaped once again, relaxed slightly when he saw that the Rock Snake had disappeared from the Targeting Radar. But his jaw remained clenched.
As long as he could find the pangolin!
He wouldn't step foot in this damned green zone again until he upgraded his Armor to Level 6!
Was this really a place where humans could survive?
However...
Now that he was relatively safe, he glanced at the Resource Detection Radar, a hint of confusion in his eyes. He had been in the Kunlun Mountains for several hours, and the Resource Detection Radar had never once gone off.
He hadn't seen a single Mine along the way.
Neither underground nor on the surface.
Not even a Level 1 Iron Ore Mine, let alone the Level 3 Iron Ore Mine he had imagined.
Weren't high-level zones supposed to have high-level resource Mines?
Where did all the Mines go?
Just then—
A piercing alarm sounded from the Train's sound system, followed by the mechanical voice of the Train Auxiliary AI.
"The Targeting Radar has detected the presence of pangolin monsters—twelve Level 2 and one Level 3."
"Finally found you!"
Chen Mang's eyes lit up. He had risked his life to enter the Kunlun Mountains for this damned pangolin. After being chased for hours, he had finally found the damn thing!
Not far away, on a mountain peak.
A group of monsters, resembling porcupines but the size of jackals, were frantically running across the peak, pursued by a Level 4 Rock Snake swiftly chasing them through the grass.
"Hold on, hold on, don't die, I'm coming."
Chen Mang gritted his teeth, quickly climbing toward the peak, aiming to intercept the pangolins. As the two were about to meet.
The four Heavy Machine Guns on the Train's roof slowly rotated their barrels. When the AI's voice confirmed the lock-on in the Train's cabin.
"Ratatat!!"
The dull sound of gunfire echoed sharply through the mountains.
He didn't use the Train Ballista, opting instead for Level 3 Bullets. After finally finding the pangolins, this wasn't the time to worry about saving copper. The Ballista's rate of fire was too slow; in this situation, the Heavy Machine Guns were the safer bet.
Hundreds of Heavy Machine Gun Bullets rained down like a torrential storm, engulfing the dozen or so pangolins.
Almost instantly.
The pangolins exploded into a mist of blood in the air. Chen Mang maneuvered the Train close to the Level 4 Rock Snake, using the Powerful Magnet to collect the dropped items. But he had gotten too close, and the Rock Snake was too fast.
"Whack!"
The Rock Snake, furious at having its prey stolen, lashed its tail hard against the Train. The immense force transmitted through the Train, sending it flying. One of the carriages visibly caved in on impact.
This was the first time the Level 3 Armor had been so humiliated.
The Train, thrown into the air, struggled to stabilize itself. The cliff was a thousand meters high, and a free fall from such a height into the valley below would almost certainly be fatal.
But, the more critical the moment.
The calmer Chen Mang's breathing became. As the Train tumbled through the air, he pressed his back firmly against the seat, his eyes fixed on the cliff ahead. Now!
In the next moment—
Two strands of Spider Silk shot out from the Spider Legs like arrows, aiming for the cliff face. The strands adhered firmly to the cliff, and the Train, which had been in free fall, stabilized mid-air. Swinging like a pendulum, the Spider Silk pulled the Train toward the opposite cliff face.
"Boom!!"
When the Train collided heavily with the cliff face, Chen Mang felt a dull impact in his chest. But at least the danger of plummeting into the valley was averted. Without a moment's delay, the Spider Legs quickly resumed their climb up the cliff.
Meanwhile, the screen on the control panel was flashing red repeatedly.
"Warning! Warning!"
"Carriage 4, the Living Carriage, has sustained severe damage. External Armor integrity has dropped to 62%."
"Cola Production Line accessory integrity has dropped to 78%."
"Steamed Bun Production Line accessory integrity has dropped to 81%."
"Spider Legs accessory integrity has dropped to 71%."
Chen Mang glanced briefly at the warnings on the screen, quickly grabbing the items collected by the Powerful Magnet. His eyes immediately fell on the white-tier Accessory Blueprint for the Drill Bit. He couldn't help but grin.
He picked up the blueprint and kissed it fiercely.
Then stuffed it into a nearby drawer.
"Damn it, for this thing, I almost got my entire crew of over a thousand people killed."
"Let's go home!"
"I won't step foot in a high-level zone again until I've crafted Level 6 Armor!"
The Spider Legs' original maximum speed was 170 km/h, but after damage, it was reduced to 120 km/h. But the mission was perfectly accomplished. Now, all he had to do was escape the Kunlun Mountains as quickly as possible.
Then he glanced in the rearview mirror at the Rock Snake, which was over ten meters long, still on the mountain peak.
He gritted his teeth.
When he returned to the Kunlun Mountains, if he didn't exterminate the Rock Snakes, he'd be damned.
"Mommy..."
In Carriage 5, the Thug Car, Biao Zi was clutching the iron railings of his bunk bed, his eyes filled with terror as he watched the lightning-fast scenes outside the window. His voice was even trembling.
"I wish the Thug Car didn't have windows."
"If there were no windows..."
"Maybe I'd feel a bit more at ease."
This was the first time he had seen a snake made entirely of rock. That massive tail had almost hit Carriage 5. If it had struck their carriage, the force of the impact would have certainly killed a few unlucky people among them.
At first.
When Lord Mang had planned to venture into the high-level zone, he had fully supported it. After all, he thought that with their Train's current strength, as long as they were cautious, there wouldn't be too much danger.
But after actually coming here, he realized what it meant to dance on the edge of a blade.
Turns out...
What he had experienced in the Iron Ridge Wasteland wasn't the apocalypse—it was just the tutorial. Only by coming to the high-level zone could one truly feel what the apocalypse and despair were really like.
Could any Train really survive in such an environment?
Did the Train Conductor dare to close his eyes at night?
Wasn't he afraid of opening them to see his ancestors?
"Hallelujah..."
Beside him, Lao Zhu was praying devoutly with his hands clasped together, though his trembling body clearly indicated he wasn't entirely calm either.
"Train Conductor Zhu, does your sudden conversion to religion actually work?"
"That's why I didn't suddenly turn to Buddhism."
The Train was now climbing vertically at a 90-degree angle. Lao Zhu leaned against the wall, gripping the bed's railing tightly, forcing a bitter smile. "I think I heard my mom's voice."
"She seems to miss me."
"Uh..."
At this moment, Hei Hao leaned over and whispered, "Biao Ge, my stomach hurts. I don't think now's a good time to go to the bathroom, right?"
Their hard sleeper carriage had a built-in bathroom.
"What do you think?"
"Don't you feel any fear?"
"Uh..."
Hei Hao scratched his head. "Lord Mang is much stronger than me. If he's not afraid, then I don't need to be afraid. If he's afraid, then being afraid won't help me either. Why should I be afraid?"
"..."
"..."
Lao Zhu and Biao Zi exchanged glances, both falling silent for a long moment before suddenly relaxing.
"That makes sense."
"If the tall ones aren't afraid, why should we be?"
The Kunlun Mountains.
Although the Train had sustained damage, the journey back was much safer than the trip in. After all, they now knew where the powerful monsters were and could avoid them on the way back.
Finally.
Several hours later.
When the Stellar Train smoothly passed through the white light barrier and returned to the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
Chen Mang, who had been on high alert the entire time, suddenly slumped, collapsing onto the control panel. A long-lost sense of security washed over him. The Iron Ridge Wasteland was indeed a good place.
His trip to the Kunlun Mountains had left him with a bit of a shadow regarding high-level zones.
He wouldn't set foot in a high-level zone again until he had Level 6 Armor.
And even with Level 6 Armor, it wouldn't be enough. Under severe impacts, the people inside the Train would still be injured. He needed to find some accessories related to shock absorption.
"..."
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, his back drenched in sweat. He didn't continue operating the Train, instead just slumping in his chair, lighting a cigarette, and staring absently at the smoke curling up to the ceiling, lingering stubbornly.
Safe.
In the Iron Ridge Wasteland, he could still maintain his absolute dominance.
Basically, no Train or monster could harm him here.
Right now, he didn't want to think about anything, didn't want to do anything. He just wanted to sit here quietly, finish this cigarette, and calm down from the adrenaline of that perilous journey.
The damaged Stellar Train sat quietly at the border between the Iron Ridge Wasteland and the Kunlun Mountains, like a wounded veteran sent to the rear, gazing at its injuries in a daze.
After a long while.
Chen Mang's emotions gradually stabilized. The cigarette between his fingers had burned out. He pulled out the white-tier Accessory Blueprint for the Drill Bit from the drawer, examining it carefully for a while before finally grinning and muttering four words.
"It was worth it."
(End of Chapter)