"Absolutely not!"
The characters "Serious" appeared on Xiao Ai's screen-face: "To be extra cautious, I even made sure all residents were naked in the dream to prevent any clothing from being brought out."
"There are only three things in the entire dream."
"Iron ore, pickaxes, and people."
"Good."
Chen Mang nodded: "You're more careful than I am. I didn't even think about the clothing issue."
"Send a message to that resident and tell him not to move around for now. I'm going over."
Chen Mang exited Carriage No. 10. At this moment, the residents were all mining on the other side of the train, leaving this side relatively quiet.
The train stood like a boundary between motion and stillness in this space.
"Heavens..."
"It's been a while since I visited you. Don't take it personally—I've just been too busy lately. But I remembered today."
Chen Mang knelt on the ground.
He lit three cigarettes and stuck them into the ground, clasping his hands together with a devout expression as he murmured, "Bless me one more time. I know you've always been the best to me."
Three minutes later.
He returned to Carriage No. 10, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to the "Cyber Mine." He glanced at one of the residents sitting nervously on a bed and gently pressed his hand in the air, signaling them to stay quiet and not speak.
The oxygen level in the air was low.
This was to ensure the residents wouldn't suddenly wake from their dreams.
Then, moving as silently as possible, he walked to the resident's bedside and slowly placed his hand on the "Dreamstone" at the head of the bed. Soon, a small portal appeared beside it.
He reached inside.
When he pulled his hand back out.
He was holding a dazzling, translucent piece of iron ore—Grade 9 iron ore.
"..."
Chen Mang's face remained expressionless. He simply waved his hand, signaling that the resident could leave early today, and rewarded them with 1,000 Stellar Coupons as per regulations before striding out of the "Cyber Mine" and heading toward the train's control room.
His pace quickened.
Almost to the point of flying.
Finally—
When Chen Mang nearly burst into the control room, he looked at the Grade 9 iron ore in his hand and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hell yeah, hell yeah!!"
"I'm a damn genius!"
Grade 9 iron ore!
Grade 9!
Seven days had passed, and the Cyber Mine had finally turned its first profit—100 million units of iron ore!
Equivalent to the total output of ten Grade 4 iron ore mines.
His Cyber Mine currently had ten "Cyber Mining Machines." Excluding the cost of building the Space Gate, the total investment was only 6 million. And in just seven days, it had earned 100 million. Was there any business more profitable than this?
"Neon City" was truly his most successful project yet!
Without "Neon City," he wouldn't have been able to acquire so many "Dreamstones."
Without that person trading him a "Neon City Ticket" for Murphy Stone back then, he wouldn't have been able to enter Neon City or claim it for himself.
Cause and effect.
What seemed like sudden windfall profits!
Was actually the accumulation of every step he'd taken along the way. This was the profit reaped from layers upon layers of groundwork—this was what he deserved!
What the Stellar deserved!
Chen Mang sat in his chair, gazing at the 9-grade Iron Ore in his hand, his grin stretching nearly to his ears. He couldn't get enough of it—this thing was just so delightfully pleasing, impossible to put down.
"Xiao Ai, swap out that Dreamstone and embed a new one."
"Understood."
Xiao Ai's voice echoed from inside the Train.
The current Dreamstone's capacity was down to just 5%.
Bringing items out from dreams consumed Dreamstone capacity, with the amount varying based on the item's value. A 9-grade Iron Ore consumed 95% of the capacity.
This Dreamstone could no longer be used—it had to be replaced. If he were on the verge of retrieving something but failed due to insufficient Dreamstone capacity, he'd feel like smashing the mining rig in frustration.
The remaining Dreamstones could be stored for later use, perhaps to enhance the Mental Strength of the Train Guardians if the need arose.
At least it was a way to make use of waste.
Originally, the Train had only a little over 7 million units of Iron Ore. Now, the balance had surged back into the billions. If plotted on a graph, the Stellar's Iron Ore reserves would resemble a rollercoaster.
He had once considered setting up amusement rides like rollercoasters in the "Entertainment Zone," but the lack of Iron Ore had delayed those plans.
For now, he wasn't planning to use this Iron Ore to upgrade the Armor.
Instead, he intended to expand the Cyber Mine to 50 units after tonight's shift of Cyber Miners finished work.
With 102 Dreamstones left, the surplus could be used to replenish the supply.
If all these Dreamstones were successfully depleted, he'd gain 10 billion units of Iron Ore!
"Xiao Ai, inform Neon City to keep acquiring Dreamstones!"
"Buy as many as possible."
"Understood."
With enough Dreamstones, he could expand the Cyber Mine even further, increasing the daily odds of obtaining a 9-grade Iron Ore. With sheer volume, even the lowest probabilities could be overcome.
"No way, this has to be fake!"
Outside the Train, a Young Man stared at the resident panel shared on his Iris Chip by the Strong Man in front of him, his voice rising in disbelief. "You must be cheating! I know you used to be a programmer—you definitely hacked your Stellar Coupons! I'm reporting you!"
"You've got some nerve pulling stunts like this here!"
-
「Name」: Da Mao.
「ID」: 4998.
「Train」: Train Resident.
「Position」: Cyber Miner.
「Balance」: 1,014 Stellar Coupons.
「Benefits」: Tier 1 Resident Privileges.
「Promotion Progress」: 100%.
「Mental Strength」: 12.2.
「Physical Fitness Index」: 12.1.
-
"You have to be cheating! Everyone else's position is 'None,' so how is yours 'Cyber Miner'?!"
"And how the hell do you have over 1,000 Stellar Coupons?"
"You just got promoted to Tier 1 Resident Privileges not long ago—tell me the truth! Where did you get these coupons? Listen, you can't pull these tricks on the Train. Director Ai will find out, and you're dead!"
"Stay the hell away from me—don't drag me into this."
"Tch."
Da Mao grinned nonchalantly and said, "I earned this fair and square. What's there to fear? Any real-time changes to the resident panel have to go through Director Ai's database. Who could alter it except Director Ai himself?"
"A few days ago, wasn't Train Conductor Zhu recruiting cyber miners? I signed up."
"For every ore mined, you get a reward of 1,000 Stellar Coupons."
"Not bad, right?"
"And my Mental Strength has increased a lot too. I feel like my brain works faster now. If I had to write code again, I might even do it better and quicker than before."
"Alright, alright."
"Just showing off a bit. We both came from the Azure Dragon train. Look at me now, then look at you—still stuck with second-tier resident benefits. Tsk, I don't even know what to say."
"Gotta step up your game."
The strong man patted the young man's shoulder meaningfully, then walked away with his hands behind his head, muttering in mock distress.
"How should I spend these 1,000 Stellar Coupons?"
"Ah, so conflicted."
"Suddenly being this rich feels kinda weird."
"..."
The young man stared blankly at Da Mao's retreating figure. After confirming that the other hadn't cheated to modify his Stellar Coupon count, he hurried over to Lao Zhu with an ingratiating smile, respectfully offering a cigarette.
"Train Conductor Zhu, uh... I also want to be a cyber miner. About that—"
"You?"
Leaning against the train, Lao Zhu took the cigarette casually. "Cyber miner positions are full for now. No vacancies. But we'll probably expand later."
"If you sign up now, I'll put your name on the list for the next recruitment."
"Cyber mining happens while you sleep. You wake up once every hour."
"Once you join, you can't quit without Lord Mang's approval."
"I'm definitely not bothering Lord Mang over something this trivial. If you dare bring it up when he comes for inspection, don't expect life to be easy for you afterward."
"Got it?"
"Uh..."
The young man ventured cautiously, "I heard you get 1,000 Stellar Coupons for every ore mined. Is that true?"
"Yep. Plus a daily base pay of 1 Stellar Coupon."
"I've made up my mind, Train Conductor Zhu! I've always had strong willpower. Unless I die in the Cyber Mine, I won't quit voluntarily!"
"Leave your resident ID."
"My ID is 5012. Sorry for the trouble, Train Conductor Zhu."
"Go on, then."
"Sure, sure."
Leaning against the train, Lao Zhu lit the cigarette and watched the young man leave with a slightly odd expression. He knew how the Cyber Mine operated—it felt a bit torturous to him.
Sleeping 12 hours a day, only to be jolted awake every hour.
All while in a low-oxygen environment.
Anyone would crack under that long-term.
But—
He thought it over. Maybe he'd grown too comfortable, finding even this level of hardship unbearable. It was still much better than the conditions back on Master Kun's train.
The profits, though, were staggering.
Just one day in, and they'd already mined 100 million units of iron ore.
He was delighted by the news Director Ai had shared with him. It wasn't just Lord Mang who was happy—he felt the same joy, especially since the Stellar would undoubtedly develop at an even faster pace from now on.
"100 million units of iron ore… That's an astronomical number."
Lao Zhu sighed with emotion.
Just a few months ago, they had been fighting Zombies in the Iron Ridge Wasteland over mere thousands or tens of thousands of units of iron ore. Yet now, they were capable of producing 100 million units.
It felt like a lifetime ago.
As if years, not months, had passed.
He didn't say anything more, simply standing there and watching the residents mine. Whenever he had nothing else to do, he enjoyed observing them—it gave him a sense of fulfillment.
Before long,
the Cyber Mine shift ended. As the Cyber Miners left, each of them picked up a spray bottle from the nearby table and spritzed their buttocks a few times, healing the needle marks before exiting the mine.
About ten minutes later,
Chen Mang, accompanied by Lao Zhu, Xiao Ai, and the others, returned to the area.
After consuming 20.4 million units of iron ore, they produced another forty Level 100 Single Beds.
With that—
the number of Cyber Mining Machines reached fifty.
Each Single Bed now had a brand-new Dreamstone placed at its headboard. This would be the cradle of dreams, the launching point for the Stellar.
"Lao Zhu."
Chen Mang turned his head toward the man beside him. "Go find forty more miners."
"Yes, sir!"
The day was growing late.
Chen Mang didn't do much else, simply washing up and preparing for bed. He didn't craft a dream for himself—lately, his dreams had been filled with endless mining, leaving him sore and exhausted upon waking. Now that they had the Cyber Mine, he could sleep naturally.
He was utterly exhausted.
Just as he lay down, Xiao Ai's voice suddenly echoed through the Train's interior.
"Train Conductor, there's an urgent matter you should probably know about."
"What is it?"
Chen Mang, already in bed and ready to sleep, replied wearily. "There aren't any monsters in this space. What kind of emergency could there be?"
"It's about that strand of hair. You might need to come to Carriage No. 2."
"Ugh."
Chen Mang sighed tiredly, but upon hearing about the strand of hair, he forced himself up, dressed again, and headed toward Carriage No. 2.
He remembered that strand of hair.
Back when he had first upgraded the Single Bed to Level 100, he'd had a bizarre, illogical nightmare. That strand of hair—or rather, pubic hair—had been brought out from that dream. After all, when he had climbed out of the river, the Woman had been facing the water with her backside.
Inside Carriage No. 2,
Chen Mang leaned on his cane, expressionless as he observed the scene inside the Mecha Research and Development Center. The Makeshift Heavy Machine Gun within the space began to slowly rotate.
"Xiao Ai," he said flatly, "don't tell me some supernatural event has invaded this carriage."
"Move everything that can be moved. I'll blow up this Space Gate."
"I don't particularly like the idea of supernatural phenomena existing here."
Inside the Mecha Research and Development Center, the strand of hair seemed to be growing uncontrollably. Thick locks of it had spread across the steel frame brought back from the Ice and Snow World zone, creating an unsettling sight.
"It's not a paranormal event."
Xiao Ai, standing nearby, explained: "Anal hair is quite a mysterious thing. Not everyone has it, and the vast majority of people will never get a chance to see what their own anal hair looks like in their lifetime, since people can't see their own anal hair."
"Over the past few days, I've collected anal hair and regular hair from many residents for comparison. That wasn't anal hair—it was head hair."
"Genuine head hair."
"But at that time, she was facing the river with her buttocks."
"Then it's hair growing on her buttocks."
"Fine, let's set that aside for now. I only gave you a small strand back then. Why has it turned into so much now?"
"I accidentally discovered earlier that this strand of hair has remarkable extensibility. So I conducted an experiment to test just how far it could stretch. I kept pulling until it reached its current length. This strand of hair is peculiar—it can extend continuously while maintaining almost the same diameter."
"It's now stretched to 3.9 kilometers."
"..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly, looking at the large amount of hair tangled around several steel frames in the distance. "Are you saying this hair didn't grow disorderly on its own, but was stretched by you?"
"Yes."
"As long as it's not a paranormal event, fine. Then what?"
"Moreover, this strand of hair has incredible load-bearing capacity. It's estimated to be able to pull objects weighing up to 1 ton."
"That experiment shouldn't be too hard to conduct, right?"
"It's actually very difficult. The moment force is applied, the hair just extends. It's impossible to lift anything—the hair just keeps stretching. We haven't yet calculated exactly how far it can stretch."
"..."
After a long silence, Chen Mang finally said softly, "It is indeed remarkable. But this isn't urgent. Couldn't you have told me after I woke up?"
"Uh..."
Xiao Ai was momentarily at a loss for words. After a while, he awkwardly replied, "Train Conductor, don't you think this is fascinating?"
"Fascinating. Anything else?"
"No."
Without another word, Chen Mang turned and walked back toward the train compartment. "Next time you disturb my sleep over something non-urgent like this, I'll smash your head in."
Left alone, Xiao Ai scratched the back of his head.
Was this really not urgent?
This completely defies the law of conservation of energy. How can hair extend infinitely without any noticeable change in diameter? Where does the extra hair come from? It can't just appear out of thin air, can it?
"Whatever."
Xiao Ai shook his head and went back to working on his "Cosmic Receiver." Nearby, the "Robot Research Center" glowed green as it continued operating.
This component could not only produce two basic models of robots but also be used to develop new ones.
However, it required a "Development AI Chip" as the core and would consume his computational power.
"Keep at it, Xiao Yi."
The next moment—
The display screen of the "Robot Research Center" showed a cute rabbit and emitted a crisp voice: "Understood, Director Ai."
This "Development AI Chip" had been retrieved from the "Geocentric Nuclear Bomb" some time ago. After reactivating it and setting its core permissions to loyalty to the Stellar, Xiao Ai had inserted it into the Robot Research Center.
It could be used to develop better robots.
After all, he really didn't want to see any more industrial junk.
In his aesthetic judgment...
Those robots belong in the garbage disposal shredders!
He hadn't mentioned this to the Train Conductor, deeming it unimportant for now. He'd bring it up once results were achieved.
He was also his first subordinate.
Worked tirelessly.
Just a bit lacking in intelligence—nowhere near his own, barely capable of basic communication.
This time.
Finally, no one disturbed his sleep. Chen Mang lay on the bed and quickly drifted into a deep, satisfying slumber.
When he woke naturally.
There were only ten hours left before the Neon City's fourth business session closed. In half a day, Uncle Li would come to report the data and bring out another large batch of iron ore.
"Hah."
Chen Mang stretched as he got up, instinctively glancing at the Dreamstone on the bedside table. Seeing no reaction, he washed up and sat down in a chair, even forgetting whether he'd dreamed at all the night before.
Sometimes, his dreams lingered in memory for hours; other times, they vanished the moment he opened his eyes.
Sitting in the chair, he lit a cigarette and began flipping through the Train Log.
Everything was normal.
No noteworthy emergencies.
He then picked up Xiao Lu from the nearby chair, cradling her and teasing her pink lips with a smile. "Once we're out, the Train should be able to reach Level 15. By then, you'll wake up too."
"A juvenile S-class Starry Sky Behemoth… I'm really looking forward to seeing you awake."
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
After a moment of silence, he muttered, "S-class should be the highest tier, right? There aren't any r, sr, or ssr tiers, are there?"
Xiao Ai's voice soon echoed through the Train's interior.
"According to my data, S-class Starry Sky Behemoths are the highest tier. There's no record of r, sr, or ssr tiers—but that's just based on my database. I can't confirm whether the Mechanical Civilization has corresponding classifications."
"Hope not."
Chen Mang exhaled in relief. His biggest worry was that Xiao Lu still wouldn't wake up even after the Train reached Level 15. Stronger Starry Sky Behemoths weren't necessarily better—greater strength meant raising the juvenile would consume even more iron ore, and he didn't have enough to spare for Xiao Lu's development.
S-class was plenty. He hoped there wouldn't be any unexpected complications.
The conditions for upgrading the Train to Level 15 were quite demanding, and he wasn't quite there yet. These requirements would likely stall him for a long time.
-
「Upgrade Conditions」: Consume 60,000 units of Level 3 Iron Ore; all accessories in the Carriage must exceed Level 240; possess over 500 Survivors; have three pairs of Train Residents married via 'Doomsday Marriage Certificate,' with at least one child under the age of 16.
-
The first few conditions were easy—he'd already met them. But the latter ones…
It was clear.
The Mechanical Civilization likely wanted high-level Trains to shoulder greater responsibility—to consider the continuation of their race and the inheritance of civilization while striving for survival. Though children contributed little in the present, they were undeniably the backbone of civilization's legacy.
The future of civilization depended on their inheritance.
The Stellar had plenty of children under 16.
But three pairs of Train Residents married via 'Doomsday Marriage Certificate'? That was a bit tricky.
First—
The "Doomsday Marriage Certificate" was not something easily obtained. He was very curious where other Trains got theirs from when they reached level 15.
Inside the Stellar, there were still three Doomsday Marriage Certificates left.
But there had never been anyone suitable to use them—the phrase "truly in love" seemed like an insurmountable chasm.
Shan Mao Zi and Mei Jia were already married.
Just two more would do.
But...
"Xiao Ai, I remember quite a few people have gotten together on the train these days. None of them are truly in love?"
"Tried them all. None worked."
"They knew the other wasn't sincere, yet didn't break up?"
"Well, Train Conductor, this is the apocalypse. People pair up just to get by. No one cares if the other is sincere or not."
"I know."
Chen Mang sat on the chair, frowning slightly. After a long moment of contemplation, he spoke softly, "Call Zhang Yiren here."
Soon—
"Lord Mang."
Zhang Yiren stood inside the train compartment, cautiously glancing at Chen Mang seated on the chair. Tentatively, he asked, "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes. Remember that corny movie you filmed last time? The one where the male protagonist and female protagonist kept missing each other, hundreds of times, until they each married someone else, then reunited and fell in love again? That ridiculous tearjerker?"
"Lord Mang, rest assured."
Zhang Yiren's expression turned earnest and serious. "I've turned over a new leaf. The scripts I've been working on lately are nothing like that. Even dogs wouldn't write such melodramatic plots."
"Write it. Of course, write it."
Chen Mang tapped the table with his knuckles. "Produce two more scripts like that. Make the plot as melodramatic as possible. Ensure the male and female protagonists end up so madly in love they can't live without each other."
"Well, I can write it..." Zhang Yiren glanced uneasily at Director Ai beside him, seeking silent support. He couldn't figure out Lord Mang's intentions—was this some kind of test?
"You better write it. Once it's done, hand the scripts to Xiao Ai."
"Alright, you're dismissed. That's all."
After Zhang Yiren left, Chen Mang turned to Xiao Ai. "Once those two scripts are ready, find two young couples and take them to your Mecha Research and Development Center. I'll place two 'Combat Training Virtual Spaces' there. Implant the scripts into their dreams. If they can't fall in love sincerely, this will definitely make them crazy about each other."
"Keep them at it for seven days and seven nights."
"The moment they wake up, drag them straight to get married."
"Understood."
Xiao Ai nodded in sudden realization. Though those scripts were absurdly melodramatic, if they became the protagonists and experienced it firsthand, they'd undoubtedly fall madly in love.
People grieve over losing something, even if it's worthless to them.
Just like a simp who texts "goodnight" to his goddess for three years straight—if he suddenly stops one day, she won't sleep well that night.
Even if she never needed that simp in the first place.
As the male protagonist, even if he doesn't like the woman, after missing her hundreds of times, he'll grow deeply attached.
Love
isn't some sacred, untouchable thing. It can be artificially manipulated.
For example—
The simplest way to pursue a girl isn't through heartfelt gestures or contrived coincidences. Just use technology.
The easiest method is to analyze her eating habits to predict her menstrual cycle, then reach out during ovulation right after her period ends.
Women in this phase often crave male presence due to hormonal changes.
Timing and opportunity—these two matter most.
The right time and the right place—these two factors were the most crucial. On the final day, it didn't matter who you were; as long as you weren't too ugly and cleaned up decently, you could usually strike up a conversation.
"..."
Chen Mang curled his lips and stopped paying attention to the matter. Personally, he didn't believe in love or any of that nonsense.
Not bad.
Another problem solved.
After finishing his work for the day, he strode over to the nearby Combat Training Virtual Space to check out just how difficult the Zombie Nation map was—how it could have killed Biao Zi and the others so many times.
Was 5,000 Zombies really that hard to kill?
Three hours later.
Chen Mang crawled out of the Combat Training Virtual Space with a blank expression. It was indeed hard to kill them.
He couldn't even imagine what kind of person could clear that map. Anyone who could do it would practically be a superhuman, comparable to someone who could single-handedly take on a nation.
You'd need a Mecha to stand a chance in there. Relying on just your physical strength? No hope of clearing it at all.
There weren't any new movies to watch either.
He'd heard that Zhang Yiren was currently filming a Zombie movie, which he was looking forward to. He still enjoyed Zombie films.
Sitting in his chair, Chen Mang glanced at the Train's resource display on the console screen, planning to use up all the Titanium Crystal Mine reserves first.
"Wait—"
He rubbed his temples lightly. There was something important he seemed to have forgotten—his Level 20 Viper Unmanned Fighter was still flying outside. When he'd entered this space, his fighter hadn't returned.
He could only hope no trigger-happy idiot decided to take a shot at it.
As long as no one got reckless, his infinitely fueled fighter could stay airborne indefinitely.
Then he turned his attention to the Viper Drone Fighter Production Line. Producing one Level 20 Viper Unmanned Fighter required 2.5 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine.
He had this facility installed in the Fighter Hangar in Carriage No. 10.
The Train currently held a total of 101.07 million units of Titanium Crystal Mine.
After a brief moment of thought, he allocated 100 million units to produce 40 Level 20 Viper Unmanned Fighters.
Area No. 10, Fighter Hangar.
Chen Mang looked at the 40 fighters neatly parked in the space and nodded in satisfaction. Each of these fighters was equipped with four Level 20 Automatic Cannons and, just like the Black Hole Robot, could be recycled.
If their levels became insufficient later, they could be reclaimed and used to produce higher-level fighters.
Extremely practical.
These 40 fighters were one of his key assets for venturing into the red zone—Twilight Coast!
Of course, his greatest confidence still lay in his Level 17 Armor!
The Titanium Crystal Mine reserves were nearly emptied, leaving only 1.07 million units.
But for now, aside from manufacturing fighters, the Titanium Crystal Mine didn't have any other significant uses.
Time always passed quickly.
When the clock struck midnight, the fourth business cycle of Neon City had also come to an end. The mines in this region were nearly exhausted, and in a few days, the Stellar would depart from the area.
"Lord Mang."
Uncle Li stood inside the Train's cabin, reporting earnestly, "This time in Neon City, all 5,000 Mining Robots were sold out, netting a pure profit of nearly 37.5 million."
"All sold out? How many were bulk purchases?"
"Three. The rest were small purchases—some bought one or two, others bought seven, eight, or even a dozen."
"How many people came from Neon City this time?"
"1,492."
"Nearly 1,500..." Chen Mang mused to himself. These Train Conductors had impressive spending power. With just over 1,400 of them, they managed to buy out all 5,000 Mining Robots—meaning they shelled out 50 million units of Iron Ore.
These high-level Trains seemed wealthier than he had imagined.
And their Iron Ore reserves were substantial.
"The crowd keeps growing."
"That's all thanks to your planning, Lord Mang."
"True enough."
Chen Mang smiled and nodded, leaning back in his chair as he gazed at the control panel screen, lost in thought. At this rate, they could soon open daily. It had been a while since he'd seen Mundo—he wondered if the guy was exhausted from roughing it out there.