"..."
Chen Mang walked over under the gazes of the two, reached out to lift Ji Chuchu's chin, and softly said, "You are quite beautiful."
"Such beauty is truly remarkable."
"..."
Under the moonlight.
Raising a cup to invite the moon, their shadows formed a trio.
An hour later.
Chen Mang returned to the train compartment, leaned back in his chair, let out a long sigh, propped his feet on the table, and lazily lit a cigarette, gazing absentmindedly at the starry sky through the skylight.
As the Train Conductor.
He couldn't stay in the train compartment all the time; he had to visit the grassroots level occasionally.
This inspection of his train gave him a clearer understanding of it. Although he could see the three-dimensional model of the train on the control screen, it wasn't as intuitive as seeing it directly.
He looked at the conditions for upgrading the train to Level 7.
-
「Upgrade Conditions」: All 3 essential vehicle components must be crafted, consume 50,000 units of Level 2 Iron Ore, all accessory levels in the train must exceed Level 140, and clear a Fortuitous Encounter map.
-
These conditions had already been fully met.
The train still had 732,000 units of Iron Ore, which was more than enough for the upgrade. The conditions were immediately satisfied.
Without waiting any longer.
He directly chose to upgrade.
After consuming 500,000 units of Iron Ore.
The next moment—
A panel appeared on the control screen.
-
「Your Train Has Been Upgraded to Level 7.」
「More Craftable Components Will Be Unlocked.」
-
As long as the train met the upgrade conditions, he would usually upgrade it immediately without waiting. Others would wait because they were worried about the train's level being inflated, wasting resources, since upgrading the train required consuming 500,000 units of Iron Ore.
After the upgrade, the train basically didn't improve at all.
But those 500,000 units of Iron Ore invested in any component would result in a solid improvement. Therefore, many trains would choose to prioritize upgrading components, and only upgrade the train level after the components were almost fully upgraded.
He didn't have this concern.
His foundation was extremely solid, and his speed of acquiring Iron Ore far surpassed others. This depended on many factors, such as his train being fast enough, his Resource Detection Radar having a wide enough range, his residents being numerous, and him having many Fortuitous Encounters to obtain Iron Ore, like the Goblin Tomb.
Most importantly, his strength was sufficient.
The Iron Ore he occupied was not dared to be taken by anyone. Even if a Corpse Tide came, he didn't need to run; he could just slaughter the Corpse Tide directly, unlike others who had to flee when they saw a Corpse Tide while mining.
All these factors led to his train being unstoppable among those of the same level.
He didn't need to waste resources on "transitional components."
Of course.
There were also gamblers, like the Level 7 train he destroyed in the "Geocentric Nuclear Bomb" Fortuitous Encounter map. Because they didn't want to waste resources on transitional components, even though the train was Level 7, the defensive component "Energy Shield" was only Level 5.
Pure gamblers.
Such trains basically had no combat power and would be immediately destroyed at the slightest crisis. Therefore, he was surprised that this train dared to attack him in the Fortuitous Encounter map.
Not everyone had the means to detect other trains' components; this was the Level 10 Supermodel Effect of the "Targeting Radar."
This led many people to not realize that they were actually hitting a rock with an egg.
Chen Mang looked at the control panel and let out a helpless sigh. "No way."
When the train reached level 6, a "?" button appeared on the control panel. Now that the train had reached level 7, the "?" button remained unchanged, as if it were permanently fixed.
Normally, after the train reached level 6, the additional button should have been "Squad Voice," not a "?" But it didn't matter much to him. He wasn't lacking the Squad Voice function, and even if it were missing, it wouldn't be a big deal. He refused to believe that the button would remain a question mark forever.
After the train reached level 7, no new functions or buttons were added.
These days, he had been paying attention to the messages exchanged by other trains on the "Train Radio."
The reason he responded to the Wild Bull was entirely because that train kept sending pleas for mercy in the group chat all day long, severely affecting his efficiency in gathering information. He wanted to see what other trains were discussing, but all he found were the Wild Bull's incessant, neurotic apologies and pleas for forgiveness.
He was forced to reply just to stop the Wild Bull from spamming the chat.
It was like dealing with a lunatic—someone who would keep spamming unless he responded.
After the train reached levels 7, 8, and 9, no new functions or buttons were added.
Level 10 was a major hurdle.
Once the train reached level 10, there would be earth-shattering changes.
That's what the Train Radio said.
As for what those changes would be, he didn't know. All he knew was that several level 9 trains in the Zombie Basin hadn't ventured into the blue zone to upgrade to level 10, and this was the reason.
"..."
Chen Mang didn't dwell on it too much. Instead, he turned his attention to the new craftable parts that appeared after the train reached level 7.
This time, there was even fewer—only one part.
-
"Space Stillness": A purple-tier part. Requires 10,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.
-
This was the first purple-tier part he had ever seen. Purple-tier parts could be upgraded up to level 10, meaning anyone who crafted this part could gain two Supermodel Effects.
However, he wasn't entirely sure what this part was for.
At level 1.
Activating this part would freeze all living beings and AI inside the train, except for him, for 30 minutes.
Time itself wasn't frozen; it continued to flow.
But everyone's thoughts would be suspended at that moment, and their bodies would remain motionless, completely maintaining the state they were in before "Space Stillness" was activated. After the effect wore off, they would have no memory of the elapsed time, only feeling as if 30 minutes had suddenly jumped forward.
"..."
Chen Mang furrowed his brow slightly as he sat in his chair, pondering the effect of this part. It couldn't be a useless part—this was a must-craft part for the "Train," so it couldn't be without purpose.
So far, every must-craft part for the train had proven useful in some way.
But...
Even the AI would be frozen during this period, while time outside continued to flow. It was as if it gave the Train Conductor 30 minutes of uninterrupted thinking time?
And it was a purple-tier part.
The only use he could imagine for this part was for an A-tier Mechanical Train. It could instantly freeze the thoughts of everyone, including the AI, and during that time, the "Train Auxiliary AI" part could be dismantled and recrafted.
Breaking free from the relationship with the AI.
It was like forcing a divorce.
At other times, if one wanted to force a divorce, it was easy to end up in a tragic love-suicide with their AI.
But for other trains, this component seemed completely useless. If the goal was to enhance control over the train, the regulations and the "Internal Fire Control System" were already more than sufficient.
He shook his head and didn't dwell on it further.
Instead, he got up and headed toward the "Combat Training Virtual Space." When the time came to use it, he would naturally know how. For now, he wanted to practice more in the "Biohazard" map.
He had already cleared the Biohazard map on normal difficulty five times.
He was familiar with all the key points, and his route was fairly standard—the same points Biao Zi had initially figured out.
He planned to clear it a few more times before attempting the Biohazard map on Extreme Difficulty. If the entire Guardian team could pass it, there was no reason he couldn't. But just to be safe, he wanted to familiarize himself with the route a bit more.
After all,
though he hadn't been in action for a long time, when he first established himself in this world, it wasn't through mere talk.
Surely, no one really thought of him as a powerless Train Conductor, did they?
"Lord Mang is so fierce," Ji Chuchu murmured, lying sideways on the bed, exhausted. She tucked the blanket between her legs and couldn't help but laugh as she watched Yan Yao across the room, busy folding the bedsheet. "You're so old-fashioned. I've only ever seen girls in movies collect bedsheets stained with their first blood."
Yan Yao didn't respond, only bit her red lip lightly as she continued her task.
"You remind me of a friend I used to have. She was an escort."
"Once, she found a sugar daddy and wanted to secure him, so she used her period blood to fake her virginity. But she was caught on the spot and got slapped a few times."
"When she told me about it, I almost died laughing."
"But in the end, whether it was because of superstition or something else, that sugar daddy's career actually started to decline."
Ji Chuchu didn't seem to mind that Yan Yao wasn't responding. She just kept talking to herself, her expression distant, as if lost in thought.
Before she knew it,
she had fallen asleep.
Leaving Yan Yao alone, sitting on the edge of the bed, her head tilted as she gazed out the window, lost in her own thoughts.
Dawn broke.
The train had stopped beside a Level 3 Iron Ore deposit, ready to continue its mining journey for the day.
"Is this really necessary?" Chen Mang glanced at Xiao Ai standing beside him, his tone annoyed. "Such a trivial matter, and you had to announce it to everyone?"
Earlier that morning, when he went out for a stroll, he noticed that all the Guardians were treating him with even more respect than usual, their admiration practically overflowing. At first, he didn't know what had happened, but after asking around, he found out.
Xiao Ai had sent out an announcement to all the Guardians and management through their Iris Chips that morning.
-
"Lord Mang has successfully cleared the Biohazard map on Extreme Difficulty."
-
"Train Conductor,"
Xiao Ai's mechanical voice echoed from the corner of the train compartment. "This is the instruction you set. Whenever a member of the train crew performs a commendable act, it must be announced to the entire train as an encouragement."
"As the Train Conductor, you took the risk to clear the Biohazard map on Extreme Difficulty."
"This is a completely commendable act."
"Train Conductor, why don't you reset the settings so that announcements about you aren't necessary in the future?"
"Hmm."
Chen Mang paused for a moment before clearing his throat lightly. "Well, that's not really necessary. Although it's just a small matter, I didn't pay much attention to it. But since it's been mentioned, let it be. It boosts everyone's morale."
Last night, after passing the "Biohazard" map twice on normal difficulty, he dove straight into the Extreme Difficulty. It went well; he managed to clear it without resorting to any brain-tricking methods. He was just cautious enough to minimize injuries, maintaining his position through spatial manipulation.
He had tried these spots many times in several normal difficulty runs.
Apart from the increased psychological pressure, there wasn't much difficulty.
The psychological pressure was much greater than when he first arrived in this world. Back then, he had nothing and was willing to fight recklessly, ready to die if necessary. But now, he was the conductor of a Level 7 train. The negligible boost to his Physical Fitness Index didn't enhance him at all, and he didn't need to enter the map.
But—
He always felt that whether it was the Train Conductor or the Guardians, they had to keep that fighting spirit alive.
When the Train Conductor becomes timid and avoids facing crises, the development speed of the train would inevitably slow down.
However, this was only limited to the "Biohazard" map. He had no plans to tackle the Extreme Difficulty of Dragon Fortress anytime soon. After watching Biao Zi's entire run, it was clear that it was like walking on a knife's edge, with several near-death experiences—it was just too dangerous.
"Achoo!"
In Guard Car No. 7, Biao Zi sneezed, rubbed his nose, and muttered, "Am I getting sick, or is someone thinking about me?"
Then he downed the cup of dark liquid in his hand in one gulp.
This was his newly concocted drink, which he named "Man's Drink."
He mixed cola with mineral water, then brewed tea, and finally ended up with this drink.
It was a last resort.
Long-term consumption of mineral water could increase Physical Fitness Index.
Long-term consumption of tea could increase Mental Strength.
Long-term consumption of cola could increase Physical Fitness Index.
Since everyone's daily water intake was limited, how could he possibly drink so much water every day? So, the solution he found was to mix all these things together and gulp it down in one go.
Although the taste was a bit strange.
But... the effect was great.
Speaking of which, he was truly envious of Zhang Yi and Zhang Er. Long-term consumption of "steamed buns" could also increase Physical Fitness Index, but a person's stomach capacity was limited. Even if they ate themselves to death, how many could they consume in a day?
And those two guys, Zhang Yi and Zhang Er, were almost always seen eating steamed buns whenever he saw them.
At this rate, the Physical Fitness Index they gained from "dietary supplements" would far surpass everyone else, leaving them far ahead.
There was one phrase he had always disliked.
"To those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance. From those who have not, even what they have will be taken away."
But what was infuriating was that this was the way the world worked.
Even Zhang Da Mei had a big appetite, but her two brothers' appetites were much larger than hers.
In the train compartment of the Stellar, Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, pondering the purpose of the newly crafted purple accessory. Perhaps it was meant for someone like the Black Market Merchant—lure them onto the train, immobilize them, and then start looting.
Alternatively, it could directly initiate a 30-minute fixed-point concentrated fire using the "Internal Fire Control System."
Moreover, this component refers to all living beings inside the Train, not necessarily the Train Crew. Therefore, it is most likely not intended for use on the Train Crew, but rather for something that might infiltrate the Train in the future.
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