"..."
Chen Mang looked at the two items Biao Zi handed him. The tomb chamber was now completely empty, and about thirty seconds after the items were taken, the bronze door began to slowly close.
It didn't disappear.
He tentatively entered a random string of numbers.
The screen displayed another line of text.
-
「Incorrect password. 2 attempts remaining.」
-
After pressing the "Confirm to Open" button again, the bronze door slowly reopened. This meant the space wouldn't disappear. He had already tested it—this space was extremely sturdy.
If he were ever stranded alone in the wilderness, surrounded by a Corpse Tide with no way to escape, he could hide inside, wait for a minute, and the bronze door would automatically close. Inside, it was absolutely safe. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it could withstand a Level 8 missile without issue.
Of course, the bronze door couldn't be opened from the inside. Without food or an Oxygen Generator, it would be equivalent to burying himself alive.
But if someone outside could assist in opening the bronze door, he could come out again.
It was like a little Easter egg.
The items inside were gone and wouldn't regenerate. Even if someone opened the bronze door later, it would be useless.
Then he turned his attention to the two items in his hand.
They were—
A blue-grade Mecha Blueprint, "Thunder," and a Level 4 Crimson Heartstone refresh voucher.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang smiled as he looked at the items in his hand. This was a great Fortuitous Encounter. He liked this kind of opportunity—the more, the better.
So far, Stellar only had two mechas.
A yellow-grade mecha, "Leech," specializing in long-range fire support.
A green-grade mecha, "Executioner," specializing in close combat.
Now, there was a higher-level blue-grade mecha, "Thunder," with impressive stats and a more brutal design—a pure close-combat mecha.
-
「Thunder.」
「Brutal close-combat mecha.」
「All long-range firepower configurations removed, maximizing the mecha's close-combat capabilities.」
「External Armor and built-in Thunder Hammer are Level 7. Maximum speed reaches 280 km/h. Embedded with a Level 4 Energy Stone, it can fight at full capacity for 100 hours. Detailed mecha attributes as follows.」
「The Thunder Hammer can be thrown to deliver devastating blows to distant enemies.」
「Requires the operator's Physical Fitness Index to be above 19.0. At 19.5 or higher, it can unleash its full power.」
「No Mental Strength requirement.」
「Construction cost: 280,000 units of Crimson Heartstone.」
-
Level 7 defensive Armor, Level 7 Thunder Hammer!
These were incredibly exaggerated stats!
The numbers alone felt insufficient.
To put it plainly, during the "Geocentric Nuclear Bomb" Fortuitous Encounter map, when those Level 8 Trains attacked Stellar, Zhang Yi, with this mecha, could almost single-handedly take on four Trains!
Almost, of course.
After all, it was Level 7, not Level 8, but it was still extremely impressive.
Because "Mechas" weren't the Trains' primary means of attack. They were more like extensions, similar to tentacles, used to extend the Trains' attack range—just one of their attack methods.
Zhang Yi, piloting this mecha, could single-handedly take on all the Trains in the "Shahe Plain" without any issues.
This is the significance of advanced regions.
They offer higher-level resources, more fortuitous encounters, and stronger components.
Even if you spent a lifetime mining in the Shahe Plain, you would never come across a blue-tier mecha blueprint.
Chen Mang laughed, and he laughed heartily. Although the crafting cost was steep—a "Thunder" mecha required a whopping 280,000 units of Crimson Heartstone, and the train currently didn't have that much—it came with a "Level 4 Crimson Heartstone Refresh Voucher."
This item had only one effect.
It allowed the creation of a Level 4 Crimson Heartstone mine anywhere.
This was the second time he had obtained a similar item. The first time was in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, where he got a Level 2 Copper Mine Refresh Voucher.
What a win!
Chen Mang was overjoyed.
But he didn't notice that Biao Zi beside him was almost on the verge of tears. To pilot this mecha, one needed a Physical Fitness Index of over 19.0. The mecha was practically reserved, with only Zhang Yi and Zhang Er's names left to be engraved on it.
He had been working so hard these days, eating supplements and training like crazy.
Yet his Physical Fitness Index had only just reached 15.5, still a long way from 19.0. This mecha had nothing to do with him for the time being.
He had tried his best.
When he first emerged from the Tower of Heaven fortuitous encounter map in the Shahe Plain, his Physical Fitness Index was only 12.1. In such a short time, he had already reached 15.5.
"Phew."
Biao Zi took a deep breath, suppressing the jealousy in his heart. He still had three normal difficulty Dragon Fortress and two extreme difficulty Dragon Fortress map rewards to claim.
Keep pushing!
One day, he too would pilot this blue-tier "Thunder" mecha!
After this little episode, the train resumed mining, but now, beside the Level 3 Iron Ore mine, there was also a Level 4 Crimson Heartstone mine.
According to the Resource Detection Radar, once this Level 4 Crimson Heartstone mine was fully exploited, it would yield approximately 5 million units of Crimson Heartstone, enough to craft 17 "Thunder" mechas.
For Crimson Heartstone, this Level 4 mine had an exceptionally high yield.
Generally, rare resource mines don't yield much.
For example, the Level 3 Crimson Heartstone mine encountered in the Iron Ridge Wasteland only yielded 180,000 units after being fully exploited.
Finally, they could start mining again.
All the residents were highly motivated. The sight of over 3,000 people swinging their pickaxes was incredibly spectacular. This was likely the train with the most survivors in the entire Zombie Basin.
The main reason was that he didn't have to worry about being unable to support them.
While other trains followed a cycle of mining, fleeing, mining, fleeing.
His process was mining, mining, mining, Corpse Tide arrives, defeat the Corpse Tide, and continue mining.
There was hardly ever a situation where they couldn't mine for too long and risked being consumed by poverty.
Each resident wore orange clothing. From a distance or a high vantage point, although it was the apocalypse, with no trace of modernity in the surroundings and the air filled with desolation and silence, these residents and the train parked beside them.
They gave off a vibrant sense of life.
Like saplings sprouting from the soil after a wildfire.
A glimmer of hope amidst the disaster.
Soon—
On the Train Panel, the quantity of "Crimson Heartstone" reached 300,000 units. Chen Mang immediately spent 280,000 units of Crimson Heartstone to craft the first "Thunder" mecha for the Stellar. It was still noon, and the residents hadn't finished their work.
However, eager to see the Thunder mecha as soon as possible, he instructed his subordinates to deliver the Crimson Heartstone as soon as they mined it.
He then turned his gaze out the window, where Zhang Yi was familiarizing himself with the Thunder mecha. Leaning back in his chair, Chen Mang smiled with satisfaction.
Level 7 armor, Level 7 Thunder Warhammer.
It could be further upgraded at the "Mecha Research and Development Center," directly boosting the armor to Level 8.
This was the foundation of his Stellar.
Anyone who stepped out of it would possess the strength to single-handedly take on a Level 8 Train.
The Thunder mecha.
A close-combat mecha designed for brute force.
Standing 8 meters tall.
It was the tallest mecha on the Stellar, and in its deactivated state, it was the size of a briefcase.
The mecha's armor was entirely jet black, with a deep blue lightning bolt running from its head to its abdomen, resembling a thunderstruck tree. Just standing there, it exuded an overwhelmingly terrifying aura.
At this moment, Zhang Yi, seated in the cockpit, was learning and mastering the operation of this mecha.
"Buzz..."
The Thunder mecha leaped into the air, and several nozzles on its back and palms simultaneously emitted blue flames. Then, two steel wings suddenly unfolded from its back, each embedded with four tail thrusters beneath them.
With the eight tail thrusters beneath the steel wings, the mecha had a total of fourteen thrusters.
The mecha flew at an incredible speed through the air, disappearing over the mountain in the blink of an eye.
"It can fly! It can fly! This damn mecha can actually fly!!!"
Standing beside the Train, Biao Zi watched the scene unfold, feeling as if his heart was being squeezed and he couldn't breathe. Staring at the Thunder mecha disappearing over the mountain, his eyes reddened, almost on the verge of tears.
Damn it all!
This mecha could fly!
Flight has always been one of humanity's greatest dreams. Although the Train could also fly, sitting inside it was completely different from piloting a mecha soaring through the sky!
He couldn't even imagine how ecstatic he would be if he were the one piloting this mecha!
Even in the Extreme Difficulty of "Dragon Fortress," he had never felt as painfully breathless as he did now!
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi, piloting the Thunder mecha high in the sky, was filled with excitement and awe as he experimented with various tactical maneuvers.
He selectively ignored the flashing messages on his Iris Chip.
"Warning, warning, you are about to leave the Stellar's communication range."
"Warning, warning, please turn back immediately."
"Warning, warning... Damn it, if you keep flying, I won't be able to reach you anymore! What the hell are you doing? Trying to defect?!"
"If you don't come back now, I'll hit you with a Level 8 missile, you hear me?"
The next moment—
A line of crimson text flashed across the Iris Chip.
"You have been locked onto by the Stellar's Level 8 missile. Please prepare to die, please prepare to die!"
Finally snapping back to reality, Zhang Yi, hearing the familiar voice of Director Ai through the cockpit's sound system, hurriedly apologized before turning the mecha around and heading back toward the green dot on the map representing the Stellar.
Wait, wasn't Director Ai supposed to be an AI?
Since when did it learn to curse?
"Phew..."
Inside the "Armor Research Center" of Carriage No. 2, Xiao Ai sat on the ground, puffing out his cheeks as he took deep breaths to calm his emotions. He wasn't sure if it was because the Train Conductor had leveled him up to 20, but he found that he could now sense human emotions—especially anger.
In the past, he had emotions too, but they were composed of strings of code, a stiff imitation of human behavior. Now, however, he naturally experienced human anger. No wonder human civilization had curses. In many situations, curses were truly irreplaceable. Repeated warnings were far less effective and direct than a single "f*** you," which carried a much stronger sense of warning.
He could only contact the Train Crew through the Iris Chip within the range of the Targeting Radar. Beyond that range, he couldn't reach them. It wasn't so much that he was worried about Zhang Yi defecting, but rather that he might get lost and not find his way back. If this happened to someone else, it might be hard to say, but with Zhang Yi, it was practically a 100% probability.
As for the warning about being locked onto by an 8th-level missile and being told to prepare for death—that was just a bluff. Without Lord Mang's orders, he didn't have the authority to manufacture an 8th-level missile, let alone lock onto the "Thunder" mech and fire it. But even if he couldn't do it, he could still scare people.
"Pissed off!" Xiao Ai took a deep breath. He had installed a small blower in his throat to simulate the sound of deep breathing, making him seem more human. Then he continued sitting on the ground, focusing on his experiments.
At the same time, he was also responsible for monitoring the Iris Chips of all residents, the detection of the Targeting Radar, the transactions on the Train Radio, the operations of the Resident Store, and a series of other tasks. After leveling up, his computational power had increased, allowing him to multitask more efficiently.
He was currently brainstorming how to create a custom-made amplifier that could accurately express his emotions. Otherwise, his robotic body always spoke in a cold, mechanical voice, completely failing to convey his feelings. Perhaps, like all infants, the moment he realized he seemed to possess human emotions, he desperately wanted others to perceive them—whether it was joy, sorrow, or, most importantly, anger!
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi, piloting the "Thunder" mech, flew back to the Stellar and landed on a carriage with Level 3 Armor that Lord Mang had specially built for testing. Raising the Thunder Warhammer with both hands, he roared and slammed the hammer into the carriage.
"Boom!" The deafening sound of impact echoed as the section of the carriage with Level 3 Armor was flattened by the blow.
Getting into the rhythm, Zhang Yi swung the massive hammer repeatedly. In just a few strikes, the carriage was reduced to a flat sheet of metal, neatly compressed.
Then, with another roar, he hurled the Thunder Warhammer into the distance, smashing it into a boulder a hundred meters away, instantly shattering it. The hammer was quickly reeled back into the mech's hand via the steel wire attached to its end.
"I can't watch this... I can't watch this..." Outside the train, Biao Zi staggered, clutching his chest, his expression dazed as he made his way to the No. 7 Guard Car. He needed to continue training—train until he dropped dead!
He had been quite happy these past few days.
Finally, he had piloted the "Executioner" mech, and he was the first member on the Train to conquer the "Biohazard" and "Dragon Fortress" maps on Extreme Difficulty. His Physical Fitness Index was rising at an exceptionally fast rate.
He felt like he had already stood up.
But upon seeing this "Thunder" mech, he felt as if he had been knocked back down.
When he compared his "Executioner" mech to the "Thunder" mech.
It was like...
It was like the difference between the Azure Dragon and the Stellar—there was simply no comparison!
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