The Azure Dragon Train, which had just landed on the ground, saw this light screen and, without hesitation, immediately turned away from the area.
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the words "Restricted Area," and also left the vicinity.
On the Shahe Plain.
Chen Mang stepped off the train and gazed at the "Tower of Heaven" several hundred meters away. The tower, entirely transparent with countless gears inside, had stopped turning. It had transformed from a Fortuitous Encounter map into a Restricted Area.
Restricted Area.
This was the first time he had seen these words.
Staying for more than 10 seconds would result in severe attacks. From whom? Perhaps there were still some residual firepower weapons in the Mechanical City, but the city had already completely collapsed into ruins.
However, he wasn't foolish enough to test it.
Although all the gears had stopped turning, from a distance, it still looked magnificent and awe-inspiring. The Tower of Heaven resembled the first time humans built the Tower of Babel—absurd yet filled with strong conviction.
The five levels of this Fortuitous Encounter map, including the S-level difficulty, were much simpler than he had imagined.
It didn't feel like levels.
More like a legacy.
A legacy from the mechanical civilization.
Especially the special item, the "Mechanical Heart." Chen Mang looked at his cane, which now had a ruby the size of a baby's fist embedded at the top, adding a touch of nobility to the cane. This ruby was the Mechanical Heart.
When these two items were placed together, they automatically fused.
As if they were originally one.
"Brother!"
At this moment, Er Dan jumped down from the train room of the Azure Dragon, which was parked nearby. After taking a deep breath, he said with some regret, "This Fortuitous Encounter map was probably the simplest one I've ever encountered. Although I don't know the contents of the last two levels, from what you said, the fourth level was just an animation, so it shouldn't be difficult either."
"Of course, the rewards were also quite pitiful."
"I passed three levels and only got 10,000 units of Iron Ore and two blueprints, one of which was even a White Accessory Blueprint."
"I assume the reward for your final S-level challenge was also quite low, right?"
"Hmm."
Chen Mang paused for a moment before replying softly, "I got a Blue Grade Blueprint. Not bad, at least it wasn't a wasted trip. I still have to thank you for this journey."
"No problem."
Er Dan waved his hand, and a group of Slaves jumped down from the carriage, carrying boxes of beer to the Stellar Train: "I noticed your people really enjoy this beer, so I'll give you another 2,000 cans. I don't have much else to offer, just these."
"Actually, the rewards this time weren't bad, but considering it was an S-level challenge, only getting a Blue Grade Accessory Blueprint... Last time, if I had completed that S-level maze, I could've gotten 30 Murphy Stones. The rewards were much better than a Blue Grade Accessory Blueprint."
"But it's fine."
"I've always liked exploring hidden maps. Next time I find a suitable one, I'll contact you, and we can try it together again. This time, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have even passed the third level. Thanks, man."
Chen Mang looked at the sincere Er Dan and smiled, then gestured to Lao Zhu beside him: "I'm afraid I don't have much to offer either. Here's some Bread Slices. Long-term consumption can slightly improve physical fitness. Better than nothing, right?"
"You can store them in the Refrigerator. If you eat them for a year or two, your physical fitness will definitely improve."
"Alright."
Er Dan didn't refuse and accepted the gift generously before walking back to his train room with a grin: "Alright, see you next time, brother."
After bidding farewell to Er Dan.
Chen Mang didn't set off immediately. It was still noon, and they had only spent about two hours in the Tower of Heaven Fortuitous Encounter map.
He had no specific goals next.
Just to continue searching for and mining ore.
But before heading out to mine, Chen Mang sat in the train room and reviewed his gains from this trip. The biggest reward was naturally the special item, the "Mechanical Heart." Although the S-level task was extremely simple, the reward was anything but weak.
Special Item: Mechanical Heart.
Special Effect: Can create basic train accessories such as chainsaws, lighters, display screens, etc. Accessories that require energy can be connected to the Generator. Different accessories consume different amounts of energy.
The created accessories cannot be upgraded and are not counted in the train's total accessories.
They're more like basic living facilities.
The effect is quite useful.
For example, if he found a pre-apocalypse display in the City Ruins, even if he found it, he couldn't use it. The lack of a host computer was secondary; the main issue was the inability to supply power. The Generator on the Train can only power post-apocalyptic train accessories—they're not from the same system.
But items created with the Mechanical Heart can all be connected to the Generator.
For standalone use, Energy Stones can also be embedded.
Although it can only create basic accessories, the fact that it can create anything based on imagination alone makes this special item inherently valuable. It's definitely worthy of an S-level challenge reward.
If given the choice between the Mechanical Heart and 30 Murphy Stones, he would definitely choose the former.
Murphy Stones are useless to him.
They can only be sold or traded with other trains. With his 0-level permission for Infinite Upgrade, Murphy Stones are essentially redundant.
This special item will greatly improve the current ecosystem within the train.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang played with the cane in his hand, quite satisfied with the rewards from this Fortuitous Encounter map. However, the difficulty of this map was clearly low, and the rewards didn't match the difficulty at all.
It felt more like a legacy.
The second level's memory test was extremely difficult, but in the fifth level, such strong memory wasn't needed. With just his memory, he could remember those words.
He had a feeling.
This Fortuitous Encounter map would reappear one day, and at that time, the images and information stored in Li Shiji's mind would truly come into play. That would be the moment the entire Fortuitous Encounter map was fully unveiled.
Then he looked at the White Accessory Blueprint he obtained from the second level.
Iris Chip.
"..."
When he looked at the accessory information, Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly. This accessory... could essentially upgrade the ecosystem of the Stellar Train from the primitive lumbering phase to the futuristic tech phase.
Stellar Coupons could essentially become entirely digital.
The Iris Chip would be placed on the surface of the train crew's eyeballs.
With just a thought.
The Iris Chip would project a panel onto the crew's cornea, displaying basic information set by the Train Conductor, such as name, ID number, rank, Stellar Coupon balance, etc.
Including when Biao Zi and others are on field missions.
As long as they are within the Targeting Radar's range, the AI can instantly transmit information to the Iris Chip, such as the specific details and weaknesses of the monster in front of them, or the Train Conductor's commands. Previously, they had the Hive Mind, but the Hive Mind had a limit on the number of people it could include.
Moreover, in the future, there would be no need for walkie-talkies or Car Audio to issue commands or call someone to the train room.
Commands could be directly displayed on the panel projected by the Iris Chip.
This was truly cutting-edge technology.
Despite being only a White Grade Accessory, the cost to produce one Iris Chip was only 100 units of Iron Ore.
"Worth it."
Chen Mang smiled lightly as he looked at the blueprint in his hand. Even if this trip's only gain was this blueprint, it was still worth it. Although it was only a White Grade item, it could only be produced in the "Mechanical City," making it inherently valuable. Perhaps because it didn't directly enhance the train's performance, its grade was low.
If it fell into the hands of other trains, it would probably be useless.
But having this blueprint alone wasn't enough.
Since the "Iris Chip" is an information transmission device, an information reception device would be needed for transactions within the train to create a complete ecosystem. So, he looked at the Green Grade Vehicle Component Blueprint he obtained from the second level—
Mechanical Eye.
Similar to a camera, it could be installed inside and outside the carriages, and even on the heads of robots. This way, the AI's information sources wouldn't be limited to the Targeting Radar and Resource Detection Radar. Even when inside robots, it would have better information reception devices. Next time they encounter a flat maze situation, Xiao Ai would handle it better.
It could also transmit real-time footage from each carriage to the control panel screen.
Further enhancing his control over the train.
Additionally!
A Mechanical Eye could be installed in the store, eliminating the need for manual calculation of daily mining quantities or the use of physical "Stellar Coupons" for purchases.
Everything would be fully automated through the "Iris Chip," "Mechanical Eye," and Xiao Ai's computing power.
These two accessories undoubtedly elevated the train's ecosystem by more than one level.
Without hesitation.
He immediately spent 4,400 units to upgrade the "Iris Chip," a White Grade Accessory, to Level 10.
Iris Chip Level 5 Supermodel Effect: Can self-destruct, with enough force to damage the eyeball. Control authority lies with the Train Conductor.
Iris Chip Level 10 Supermodel Effect: Can manifest the Physical Fitness Index.
"Hmm?"
Looking at these two Supermodel Effects, Chen Mang raised an eyebrow. Honestly, he wasn't worried about riots anymore. The train had over a hundred Heavy Machine Guns, and with a series of other measures, he didn't think anyone would riot.
This Supermodel Effect further reduced the risk of riots to almost zero.
But this effect has its pros and cons.
It's best not to use it unless absolutely necessary. If a gun can directly execute someone, it's better not to use this effect, as it could easily cause panic. After all, no one wants to have something on their eyeball that could self-destruct at any moment. It's best used only in critical moments.
He immediately spent around 150,000 units of Iron Ore to produce 1,500 Iris Chips, planning to distribute them later, one for each person.
The upgrades for the "Iris Chip" accessory had no additional effects.
He then spent another 4,400 units to upgrade the "Mechanical Eye" to Level 10.
Mechanical Eye Level 5 Supermodel Effect: None.
Mechanical Eye Level 10 Supermodel Effect: None.
This accessory had no special effects, but he still upgraded it to Level 10. Each upgrade increased the frame rate. For example, a frame rate of 25 means it can capture 25 images per second, essentially dividing a second of video into 25 photos, which are then combined to form a stop-motion animation-like video.
The higher the frame rate, the more images captured per second.
And the clearer the motion trajectory.
Most pre-apocalypse household cameras had frame rates of 25 or 60. Some professional cameras could reach tens of thousands, and specialized cameras for specific purposes could even reach hundreds of thousands or more.
This accessory's initial frame rate was 1,000, and after upgrading to Level 10, it reached 10,000.
This frame rate is more than sufficient for now.
At least, if they encounter a maze like the one in the third level, Xiao Ai can instantly record it into the database and quickly analyze the best route without forgetting. As long as the database isn't destroyed, even someone like Li Shiji couldn't match the AI in this aspect.
It's a complete game-changer.
With this accessory, Xiao Ai finally has a pair of eyes of its own.
Next.
If Xiao Ai could be given enough data to learn from, it would become a truly complete entity. Currently, Xiao Ai's knowledge is mostly limited to what's in its database.
1,000 units of Iron Ore each.
He spent 50,000 units to produce 50.
Two in each carriage, even the weaponized carriages had two, one on each side of the exterior roof, one on the front, and one on Xiao Ai's head.
Chen Mang looked at Xiao Ai standing beside him with satisfaction. On its head was a round camera about the thickness of a finger, with a wire extending from the back of its head to connect to the camera.
The camera was extremely small.
Not very noticeable.
But the image transmission quality was excellent.
"Hmm..."
Xiao Ai looked at the camera on its head in the mirror, then after a moment, its mechanical voice sounded: "Could you make some basic tools like a pickaxe? I'll modify it and put it in my eye socket. This looks too ugly."
"AI cares about its appearance?"
"A bit."
"Alright, what do you need? I'll make it for you."
Soon—
He spent another 5,000+ units of Iron Ore to make some miscellaneous tools for Xiao Ai, who then picked up a pickaxe and prepared to disassemble its own head.
"Do it later."
Chen Mang interrupted Xiao Ai: "First, go and distribute these Iris Chips to everyone."
"Understood, Train Conductor."
From this day forward.
The Stellar Train's resident ecosystem has completely transitioned away from physical currency. There's no longer a need to crush Mineral Water Bottle Caps with train wheels—anti-counterfeiting measures have been fully implemented.
(End of Chapter)