When the spiked club in the hands of this two-headed monster, after spinning continuously for seven hours, was finally flung away—
The monster, which had been filled with despair moments ago, suddenly regained a trace of clarity in its eyes. It frantically tried to rise and lunge toward its spiked club.
However...
After kneeling for seven hours, its legs gave out the moment it stood, causing it to stumble and collapse onto the ground.
At the final moment, the monster turned its head to see the countless artillery shells already descending upon it. It let out a desperate roar.
But—
The outcome was already decided!
The instant the spiked club was flung away, Chen Mang swiftly switched from Level 1 artillery shells to Level 17 shells. With a single volley, the monster, now defenseless, was riddled with thigh-thick projectiles that exploded inside its body.
In an instant!
Countless bursts of blood erupted across the monster's body, and chunks of flesh scattered through the air.
The scene was both tragic and eerily beautiful.
The two-headed monster, its eyes brimming with despair, couldn't even withstand a single volley before its massive body crashed to the ground like a collapsing mountain. Even in death, its gaze remained fixed on the enormous spiked club lying nearby.
The battle—was over!
The Stellar Train, which had been suspended from the cavern ceiling, finally descended. As soon as it landed, hundreds of residents, directed by Biao Zi, rushed out armed with Train Blade Fragments, ready to dismember and carve up this Level 15 boss.
This was standard procedure.
The flesh of high-level monsters had to be carefully sectioned and stored in refrigerators for future use.
"Exhausting..."
Inside the train, Chen Mang glanced at the control panel's clock and shook his head helplessly. It was already 6 a.m., nearly dawn—he had been at it all night.
The last time he'd endured such a prolonged battle was back in the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
But there was no denying it—
This was what a duel between experts felt like. After slaying this Level 15 boss, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. It was deeply satisfying.
This was a Level 15 boss! The strongest creatures in the Blue Zone capped at Level 12. Even in the Purple Zone, a Level 15 monster would be a dominant force!
Yet he had soloed it with ease!
Thankfully, Shen Ye had supplied him with plenty of copper ore. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to pull this off today and would've had to return another time.
Now—it was time for the harvest!
A large number of residents had already disembarked, pickaxes in hand, heading toward the nearby mines. Their eyes gleamed with excitement!
It had been ages since they'd seen so many mines in one place!
Just how many Stellar Coupons could they earn from this?!
Though the entire battle had been broadcast live inside the train last night, leaving many sleepless, who cared? A couple of colas later, and they were ready to work!
Chen Mang promptly activated the purple-tier accessory, Vitality Aroma, to help the residents quickly recover their stamina.
There were dozens of mines here.
-
[Four Level 4 Iron Ore Mines, One Level 4 Copper Ore Mine, One Level 4 Titanium Crystal Mine.]
[Nine Level 3 Iron Ore Mines, Two Level 3 Copper Ore Mines.]
[Fourteen Level 2 Iron Ore Mines, Eleven Level 2 Copper Ore Mines.]
-
This was the most densely packed resource area he had ever seen, bar none!
What more was there to say?
Until these mines were exhausted, he wasn't going anywhere. For the next stretch of time, he would stay right here, going into full seclusion. By the time he emerged, his Train would have reached level 12!
The three Oxygen Generators began working furiously, transforming the cavern into a high-oxygen environment, making labor more energetic.
The Headlights were turned on at full power, illuminating the entire cavern brightly.
The once brutal battlefield.
Almost instantly and seamlessly transitioned into a scene of production, vibrant and thriving!
Though it was exhausting.
Seeing this, Chen Mang couldn't help but laugh—it was all worth it!
After wandering all night in Crisis Valley the previous evening without finding a single level 4 Iron Ore, here he had discovered four!
Only then did Chen Mang turn his attention to the three items in his hand.
This was the highest-level boss he had ever killed.
Naturally, the rewards were substantial.
-
1: Red-grade Accessory Blueprint, "Magnetic Levitation."
2: Special Item, "Hell Hat."
3: Purple-grade Mecha Blueprint, "Pope."
-
The rewards were absurdly generous, perhaps due to the challenge of fighting above his level, or maybe because this was a hidden boss in an unexplored region. But the rewards were so lavish that he almost felt unworthy.
First reward: Magnetic Levitation.
A type of wheel.
Similar to an accessory, there was the red-grade "Inferno Wheels," which could be crafted once the Train reached level 10. Both were red-grade wheels, but in terms of speed, the "Inferno Wheels" were slightly faster.
The advantage of "Magnetic Levitation" was that it eliminated the need for wheels altogether—the Train would hover directly above the ground, ignoring certain obstacles.
Whether hills or swamps, it didn't matter.
In theory, it could even partially replace "Rabbit Wheels," though it could only hover up to three meters above the ground, unable to fly too high. It seemed to have its own merits compared to the red-grade wheel accessory "Inferno Wheels!"
But—
The red-grade Accessory Blueprint for "Magnetic Levitation" explicitly stated that if paired with a level 100 "Powerful Magnet" accessory, the combination would yield unexpected special effects.
What more was there to say?
"Good stuff."
Chen Mang nodded in satisfaction. Next was the second item, the "Hell Hat," a bowler hat. When worn, within a 10,000-meter radius of the Train, the wearer's body would gain a defensive rating equivalent to the Train Armor.
Even better stuff.
In his mind, this Special Item could almost tie for first place with the "Hell Staff" as the most incredible item.
He had previously obtained another item called "Hell Sunglasses," which slightly increased the wearer's Physical Fitness Index. The three items had such similar names—could they be part of a set?
He thought renaming them to "Heaven" might be more auspicious.
The last item went without saying—the purple-grade Mecha Blueprint, "Pope"!
Biao Zi hadn't even gotten to pilot the blue-grade mecha "Thunder" yet, and now the purple-grade mecha "Pope" had appeared.
To be fair, Biao Zi's growth rate was already impressive.
And he was working incredibly hard.
But sadly, in the rapid development of the Train, individual progress seemed somewhat insignificant.
And that.
Was the entirety of this haul.
Chen Mang chuckled as he cradled Xiao Lu in his arms, leaning on his cane while stepping through the air one foot at a time until he landed on the ground. In high spirits, he strolled through the cavern, observing the scene—residents on the left butchering the boss's flesh while those on the right mined.
A harmonious and thriving atmosphere.
Everything was being rebuilt.
Excellent.
The oxygen levels in this cavern had originally been extremely low. It was unclear how long that monster had stayed here, surviving without needing oxygen. There were no other exits either, suggesting the creature had simply been dormant here all along.
No traces of excretion were found.
Did it sustain itself solely on these iron ores?
Just like those Zombies?
"Lord Mang!"
Not far away, Biao Zi ran over excitedly to report: "We've finished cutting everything up."
"Well done." Chen Mang nodded with a smile.
"Lord Mang, there's something else. Over these past few days, I've completed the normal difficulty of the remaining five maps, including Dragon Fortress. I've also cleared the Extreme Difficulty of Dragon Fortress twice. My Physical Fitness Index has reached 19.9 now."
"I was wondering..."
Biao Zi scratched his head, both excited and a little embarrassed. "I'd like to request a 'Thunder' mech."
The blue-tier mech, Thunder.
「Requires the operator's Physical Fitness Index to exceed 19.0. Full power can be unleashed when above 19.5.」
He had been pushing himself relentlessly for this goal, even neglecting sleep and meals!
Every day, he chugged down his self-brewed "Man's Drink" like crazy.
With the dual support of technology and sheer effort, his progress had been nothing short of revolutionary.
Finally, he had caught up to Zhang Yi and Zhang Er.
"..."
Chen Mang fell silent for a moment before patting Biao Zi's shoulder and speaking softly, "You've been training Zhang Yi and Zhang Er all this time. Have you noticed what their Physical Fitness Index is now?"
"N-no..."
"Your request is approved. But I also have some news for you—the Train now has a purple-tier mech called 'Pope,' which is even more powerful than 'Thunder.' So far, only those two can operate it in the entire Train."
"Tell them to go see Xiao Ai later to collect their new mechs."
"You can pick whichever one of their old ones you prefer."
"Go on."
With that, Chen Mang didn't linger any longer and continued walking into the distance, surveying the cavern. The dark round-top hat on his head filled him with an immense sense of security. It had been so long since he arrived in this world.
This was the first time he had ever felt so at ease leaving the Train to wander around.
He had actually been itching to conduct an experiment.
If the hat could grant him the same defense as the Train Armor, what would happen if he jumped from 100 meters in the air and landed on the ground...?
After some thought, he figured he'd probably end up dead.
After all, his body didn't have components like "Permanent Shock Absorption."
Against larger monsters, he'd still have to flee. But when it came to attacks like firearms—if their level wasn't higher than his Train Armor—he could probably ignore them. He'd test it out later.
"..."
Chen Mang left, leaving Biao Zi standing rigidly in place, his expression frozen in bewilderment. The smile on his face slowly faded. After a long while, he finally snapped out of it, lowering his head to stare at his hands, his face twisted in despair.
Why?!
He had given it his all!
After finally catching up, he thought he could have the Thunder mech just like Zhang Yi and Zhang Er, only to find out the train now had a new purple mech called the Pope.
He was still one step behind.
Just then—
Zhang Yi and Zhang Er walked past him side by side, munching on stuffed buns and muttering.
"Boss, Director Ai wants us to pick up the new mech—something called the Pope. I don't really feel like taking it, though. I've gotten used to the Thunder mech, and I'm kinda reluctant to switch."
"Same, but we have to. Director Ai said our Thunder mechs need to be handed down to Biao Ge. If we don't switch, he won't get one."
"Alright then. But why doesn't Biao Ge want the Pope mech?"
"Probably just doesn't like it."
"Hah—"
Biao Zi took a deep breath, hands pressed to his chest, forcing a smile as he watched the two walk away. "It's fine, it's fine. Biao Zi, don't worry about what others have. Didn't you originally just want the Thunder mech?"
"Your dream has already come true, and you've done it perfectly. What others have doesn't concern you."
"Doesn't con—"
In the end, he couldn't hold back and slammed a fist into the ground, his face twisted in anger as he stormed toward Carriage No. 2. After claiming the Thunder mech, he was heading straight for the Extreme Difficulty maps!
He had a new goal now!
He wanted the Pope too!
He was the captain—how could he keep getting overshadowed by his own subordinates? If he didn't vent this frustration, his resolve would waver!
"..."
Inside the cavern, Chen Mang watched Biao Zi's furious retreating figure and shook his head with a helpless chuckle. It was just too hard for Biao Zi to catch up to those two freaks of talent. But in a way, that was a good thing.
Without those two ahead of him,
Biao Zi wouldn't have improved this fast.
A few months ago, Biao Zi was just a former contractor before the apocalypse, with only slightly more combat experience than others—nothing special. But now...
In such a short time,
he had already become someone who could hold his own.
His growth speed was actually insane. The problem was, Biao Zi couldn't see his own progress, too fixated on chasing those two freaks. He had no idea how much pressure his rapid improvement was putting on the rest of the first team!
Which, in turn, forced the first team to keep up at an equally breakneck pace.
And the first team didn't realize their own growth was putting immense pressure on the other two teams!
So—
Under this kind of competition, everyone was being pushed to improve at an extreme speed... except for those two idiots.
Natural talent—nothing you could do about it.
Especially under Biao Zi's leadership, where they had both talent and relentless training intensity. How could Biao Zi possibly keep up with that kind of growth rate...
"Hey."
Chen Mang, sitting back in the train compartment, suddenly sighed and smiled wryly.
"Make a new Thunder mech for Biao Zi. The ones Zhang Yi and Zhang Er are handing down can go to the others. A few in the first team are almost ready for them anyway."
"That guy's been looking forward to the Thunder mech for so long."
"Let him have a new one to play with."
"Understood." Xiao Ai's voice echoed from within the compartment.
Then Chen Mang looked up at the distant, shimmering mine—a special one, structured similarly to iron ore, with jagged resource deposits jutting sharply from the ground.
However, it wasn't pitch black, nor was it brass-colored.
Instead,
it was transparent, shimmering brilliantly under the light, quite beautiful to behold.
This was a level 4 Titanium Crystal Mine.
He had never seen this ore before, nor did he know what it was used for, but he understood it was rare and might prove useful in the future.
Just like when he first mined the Crimson Heart Rock Mine, he hadn't known its purpose either—only later did he learn it was used to construct mechas.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang sat inside the Train's cabin. After washing up, he headed to his bed to sleep, feeling drowsy after staying up all night.
The remaining tasks no longer required his involvement.
His part was done.
Once they left this mine, the Train would reach level 11, and most likely even jump straight to level 12.
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