"One night."
"Just one night's work."
Lao Zhu looked earnestly at the young man sitting under the pavilion: "The moment the market economy is implemented will be the day you strike it rich. You'll immediately rise to the middle class of the Stellar, envied by countless people, enjoying the train's abundant rare resources, with numerous women vying for your attention."
"The hardships you endure now will transform into the luxuries you enjoy later."
"Young man."
"Don't talk about exhaustion."
"Who hasn't struggled through such fatigue?"
"Train Conductor Zhu, were you this exhausted when you were young?"
"Well, not quite this exhausted, but these are the end times after all." Lao Zhu said meaningfully: "Go on. Among everyone on the train, I have the highest hopes for you. You'll be the Stellar's bestselling author someday."
"..."
The young man took a deep breath before gritting his teeth slightly: "Alright, Train Conductor Zhu, I'll do it!"
In truth, since Train Conductor Zhu had come to him personally, he didn't really have the option to refuse. This was just a minor complaint. After several conversations with the conductor, he'd grown bold enough to grumble a little. If it had been Lord Mang who came, he wouldn't have dared utter a single word.
He'd be pounding his chest promising twenty thousand words was no problem, fifty thousand at minimum.
"Go on then."
Lao Zhu nodded in satisfaction: "But remember not to repeat what we just discussed to others. I've only shared this with a few trusted people. Plans fail when they're exposed—too many people knowing won't do us any good."
"I understand, Train Conductor Zhu."
Dawn broke.
Last night had been peaceful.
After washing up and sitting in his chair, Chen Mang lit a cigarette and reviewed the Train Log as usual. Glancing out the window at the residents laboring enthusiastically in the mines, he then turned his attention to the screens displaying the Cyber Miners.
Shift was almost over.
The Cyber Miners worked nights—from 9 PM to 9 AM—a remarkably humane schedule.
They could play freely during the day.
"No output last night?"
"None."
"Hmm."
Chen Mang nodded without disappointment. After all, they'd just produced one. With 50 mining rigs, each having 12 output opportunities per night, that meant 600 chances total each night.
"Our current setup has them dreaming twelve times per night, one hour per dream. One hour happens to be exactly the time needed to mine one iron ore, maximizing output potential."
"Last night I dreamed up an idea."
"What if we eliminate the mine?"
"Just create an empty space in the dream with a single Grade 9 iron ore unit. Then we wouldn't even need pickaxes. We could reduce dream time to one minute."
"Fifty-nine seconds to fall asleep, one second in the dream, then wake them immediately."
"If we optimize sleep onset enough,"
"We might reduce it to ten seconds per cycle."
"One sleep cycle every ten seconds."
"This way—"
"A single rig could have 4,320 opportunities per day. Fifty rigs would mean 216,000 daily chances. We should produce several Grade 9 iron ores per day at minimum?"
"..."
In the train compartment, Xiao Ai didn't respond immediately. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "That's a genius-level idea."
"But unfortunately."
"I just conducted some experiments and found it impossible to create such a dream. I can't directly generate a level 9 iron ore unit alone—only the entire mine can be created."
"Not possible?"
Chen Mang shook his head regretfully. If it couldn't be done, then so be it: "Ask Zhang Yiren if he's finished writing the script. I'm in a hurry to upgrade the train."
"Train Conductor, you only gave that order yesterday. How could he possibly finish it today? Normally, completing a script takes at least a week, and that's under—"
Just then—
Xiao Ai's voice suddenly cut off. After a pause, he said quietly, "Train Conductor, Zhang Yiren is requesting an audience outside the compartment. He says he's finished both scripts."
"Genius."
Chen Mang nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "Let him in quickly. This is why you should have faith in the people I value. Since I appointed him as the scriptwriter, he's bound to be exceptional. Look at this efficiency."
"Solid!"
"I like it."
"Quite solid indeed." Xiao Ai fell silent. This efficiency was even scarier than an AI's. Was he even human?
Zhang Yiren, with dark circles under his eyes, cautiously entered the compartment and presented two thick notebooks: "Lord Mang, here are the two romance scripts you requested yesterday."
"I wrote them in a murder-mystery-party style."
"Whoever acts them out will be completely immersed, and by the end, they'll be sobbing uncontrollably, utterly devoted to their partner."
"Good."
Chen Mang took the scripts, skimmed through them briefly, then tossed them back into Zhang Yiren's arms with a smile. "Take these to Xiao Ai in Carriage 2. Well done. You may leave."
In the space.
The Stellar Train remained stationary.
Around it, 2,000 mining robots and over 6,000 residents were rapidly extracting resources from the surrounding mines. It was estimated that in six days, all the mines in this space would be fully depleted, allowing them to leave this area completely.
But before that.
He needed to upgrade the train to level 15. To do so, those two marriage certificates had to be used.
"How's it going?"
In the Mecha Center of Space 2, Chen Mang looked at the four "Combat Training Virtual Spaces" in the corner. "How's the dream creation progressing?"
"Everything was created exactly according to the scripts."
Xiao Ai, standing nearby, explained. "But we can't see how things unfold inside the dreams from the outside. The actual effects will only be known after the dreams conclude. These two scripts will last five days."
"Perfect."
Chen Mang pondered silently. Five days later would be exactly when the Stellar would leave this space and return to the Stone Man Zone.
Inside these four "Combat Training Virtual Spaces" lay two young couples from the Stellar Train.
However, their love wasn't deep enough—so he was helping them fall harder.
But...
He was mulling over a small issue.
The conditions for upgrading the train were mostly met, but what about the Golden Wedding?
-「Golden Wedding」: Requires a wedding ceremony witnessed by 1,000 people, with three trains of the same level attending the banquet. Must provide food and drinks for all attendees, along with basic items like wedding dresses, red carpets, artificial flowers, and fireworks.
After successfully holding a golden wedding, the train can gain 500 Inheritance Value and 20 Reputation Points.
-
A golden wedding awards 500 Inheritance Value and 20 Reputation Points.
The most basic bronze wedding only yields 100 Inheritance Value.
Since they had already gone through the trouble of using two Doomsday Marriage Certificates, it would be a waste not to claim the Inheritance Value—1000 points was no small amount.
However—
Witnesses, food, and alcohol weren't an issue.
But where could he find three trains of the same level?
He was currently Level 14.
He didn't have any acquaintances in the Stone Man Zone, nor did he want to approach unfamiliar trains—that would be too risky.
Unless—
"Got it."
A gleam flashed in Chen Mang's eyes as he smiled. "Xiao Ai, have Sister Qi and the others set up a wedding hall in Neon City."
Neon City was the perfect location.
Finding three Level 14 Train Conductors in Neon City wouldn't be difficult. Plus, it could serve as a special facility in the future. He was sure other trains also struggled with using the Doomsday Marriage Certificates, so charging a reasonable fee would be perfectly justified.
Safe, convenient, and completely worry-free.
As expected.
Identifying a pain point and solving it would always create market demand.
However, the next opening for Neon City was in six days, while these two would wake up in five—one day too early.
"Xiao Ai, extend their dream state to six days later."
"Uh…"
Xiao Ai flipped through the script in his hands. "The script only goes up to five days later."
"Call Zhang Yiren over and have him extend it to six days."
Dragged out of bed, Zhang Yiren hurried to Carriage No. 2, the Mecha Research Center. He glanced blankly at the script in his hands, then looked up at Lord Mang and Director Ai.
For a brief moment, he really wanted to say that scripts were works of literature.
The ending was already set—it wasn't like stacking blocks where you could just add things arbitrarily.
How was he supposed to extend it?
It would ruin the narrative tension.
These thoughts flashed through his mind and vanished just as quickly. Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yiren said with determination, "No problem, leave it to me!"
Chen Mang nodded approvingly. "I knew you could do it."
Time passed quickly—
In the blink of an eye, six days had gone by.
All the mines in this space had been fully exploited, and the Stellar Train was preparing to depart.
All the residents gathered in front of the train.
Chen Mang stood alone atop the carriage, overlooking the crowd. Over 6,000 people stood below—so many that their faces blurred into a sea of heads.
On either side of the train,
two massive screens had been set up.
Chen Mang's figure appeared on these screens, allowing those standing farther back to see Lord Mang clearly. His voice would also be broadcast through the sound system, reaching every ear.
The scene was utterly silent—not a single person spoke.
Everyone waited for Lord Mang to begin.
The setup had improved significantly.
This wasn't his first time addressing the residents, but he'd never had such conditions before.
Perhaps sensing the weight of their gazes upon him.
Chen Mang stood ramrod straight atop the carriage, as upright and unyielding as a blunt heavy sword. Leaning on his cane, he remained silent for a moment before his voice echoed through the sound system to every resident's ears.
"Everyone has worked hard this past month."
"The Stellar Train's development to this point is thanks to each of your contributions—whether you're residents mining on the frontlines or handling logistics in the rear. You've all done well."
"Take the next two days off."
"The day after tomorrow, we'll enter a miraculous city—a modern metropolis—where your celebration awaits!"
"Residents with IDs in the top 1000 will arrive early tomorrow to attend the wedding of two newcomers aboard the train. Remember: avoid engaging with strangers and strictly refrain from disclosing any of the Stellar's secrets."
"Xiao Ai will monitor and remind you via the iris chips."
"Now."
"All aboard—we're heading home!"
Amid the cheers, Chen Mang descended from the carriage and returned to the train's interior. Transporting over 6,000 people to Neon City was no simple task—it required over 600 uses of the "Neon City Free Entry Tickets," each allowing ten passengers.
But it didn't matter.
These tickets didn't drain his energy reserves; they consumed the Level 8 Energy Stone powering Neon City—and that stone had plenty to spare.
Worth noting:
The "Neon City Free Entry Ticket" was typically restricted to the Train Conductor. Crushing one would allow entry for up to ten people. But on the Stellar, anyone could use them—like Uncle Li, who often traveled solo by ticket.
After all, since they controlled production, customization was only natural.
Once all residents had orderly returned to their carriages, the Stellar Train slowly rumbled to life, preparing for departure.
A larger population had its downsides.
Boarding and disembarking were such hassles. If iron ore supplies ever became abundant, issuing personal "Train Tickets" for instant returns would simplify things—though it might feel unnecessarily redundant.
The next moment—
A massive portal materialized ahead of the train.
Without hesitation, the Stellar Train charged straight through!
The scenery abruptly shifted.
Familiar sunlight.
Familiar wasteland.
Familiar air.
And familiar Zombies.
"Long time no see, Zombies."
Chen Mang glanced at the control screen, where a crushed Zombie lay beneath the train, and mused, "Almost feels nostalgic."
The void between worlds lacked monsters—utterly safe, yet somehow lacking.
After all, his train's armor was now Level 17!
Why had he worked so hard to upgrade it, if not to withstand monster attacks? With no enemies to resist, what was the point? Where was the achievement in reinforced armor?
They needed some monsters around.
Just not overly strong ones.
The Stellar Train glided out of the portal, settling once more on the wasteland. Today was a day of rest. At midnight, they'd head to Neon City for the wedding. Afterward, the train could ascend to Level 15.
And then—
"My dear Xiao Lu..."
Chen Mang picked up Xiao Lu from the chair beside him, cradling and playing with the little one in his hands, repeatedly flicking its pink mouth. "You'll wake up soon. After sleeping this long, it's time to get active again."
Only then did he turn his attention to the Train Radio.
He wanted to see if anyone had contacted him during the month he'd been missing.
No one had.
Er Dan hadn't sent him any messages either, which meant everything was going smoothly—though also fruitlessly. Er Dan only reached out when facing unsolvable difficulties or when there were gains to report. The fact that Er Dan hadn't come to Neon City to find him these past few days indicated nothing major had happened.
Casually, he sent Er Dan an invitation.
An invitation to join the "Overturn Everything" fleet.
Quickly!
A message came back from Er Dan.
"Lord Mang, who came up with this fleet name?"
"I did."
"Great name! So domineering! Totally your style!"
"Spray-paint the fleet prefix on your carriage."
"Huh?"
"What, got a problem?"
"Not really, it's just... my 'Traveling Frog' only has one locomotive, and it's not expanded—just a tiny little engine car. Won't spraying so many words make it look cramped?"
"Spray it even if it's cramped."
"Alright, no problem!"
Soon, Er Dan's excited voice came through the Train Radio again: "By the way, Lord Mang, one more thing—was Neon City your doing? I went in there, and damn, it's been ages since I've seen such a modern city. Especially with those Stellar Coupons—my thugs were practically drooling."
"They kept asking me when they could get official resident status, with access to Stellar's resident panel and Stellar Coupons."
"Lord Mang, you should've seen them."
"My thugs were strutting around like they owned Neon City. Honestly, I kinda want the resident panel too. Without it, it feels like wearing a condom—like there's this barrier between us and Stellar."
"No rush on that. We'll figure it out later."
"Oh, and don't forget to come tonight for Neon City's grand opening. There'll be wedding hall passes. Two couples from my train are getting married tonight."
Chen Mang added this last reminder before ending the call.
After a moment of thought, he spoke again: "The Iris Chips can't be used by other Train Crew members, right?"
"No."
Xiao Ai, standing nearby, shook his head. "Iris Chips are only for Train Residents, and they have to be near me for real-time updates. Er Dan and his crew are too far away—real-time updates are impossible."
"Unless..."
"Unless they first convert to Stellar residents and get the Iris Chips implanted. Then, even if they return to the Traveling Frog, as long as they come near Stellar, I can connect to their Iris Chips and update their data in real time."
"That works too."
Chen Mang nodded. "Next time Er Dan and his crew come over, we'll implant Iris Chips in all of them. What Er Dan said makes sense—without the resident panel, there's this sense of separation from Stellar."
"With Iris Chips, even if they can't update remotely, at least when they return to Stellar, it'll feel like coming home. Plus, it'll be easier for me to reward them with Stellar Coupons."
"Even at a distance, though real-time updates aren't possible, the resident panel can still pop up, right?"
"Yes."
"That's enough. Remember this matter, and remind me if I forget later."
The mining expedition had come to an end.
The "Cyber Mine" had been operational for over ten days. After obtaining that Level 9 Iron Ore, the remaining six days yielded nothing.
Wait.
That's not entirely accurate.
They did bring back a Level 9 Pickaxe.
This thing... if you say it's useless, well, a Level 9 Pickaxe is actually quite valuable. Just its appearance alone is extraordinary—extremely heavy and semi-transparent. Crafting it from the "Pickaxe Production Line" would cost a fortune.
But if you say it's useful...
The highest-level ore he'd encountered in reality was Level 4. He hadn't even come across a Level 5 ore, let alone a Level 9. Where would he even find a Level 9 ore? This thing definitely wouldn't be of any use in the near future.
And selling it was out of the question.
Who would buy a Level 9 Pickaxe?
He genuinely wanted to know—which Train could possibly find a Level 9 Iron Ore? Where did they find it? Why couldn't he?
But—
He wasn't in a hurry.
After this trip to the Neon City, while upgrading his Train to Level 15, he planned to expand the "Cyber Mine" once more. The only reason for low probabilities was insufficient quantity.
Once the numbers were high enough, he refused to believe probability would remain an issue.
There was still some time before nightfall.
The residents had disembarked and were lying on the wilderness around the Train, their lively chatter filled with hopes for the future. This was a purple zone—a region where Level 15 monsters could appear. Few Trains would dare let their residents lounge on the open plains like this.
One mishap, and it would be a major casualty incident.
But the Stellar? Unfazed.
A group of Black Hole Armed Robots began patrolling the perimeter, while Biao Zi and the others were still inside the Combat Training Virtual Space, having trained relentlessly for a full month. Their progress was nothing short of astounding.
Inside the Train.
Chen Mang stood before the control panel, glancing up at the Viper Unmanned Fighter still circling overhead. He murmured, "Seems no one got trigger-happy."
"No, someone definitely did," Xiao Ai said quietly. "This Viper Unmanned Fighter's Level 4 Energy Stone capacity is only at 72%."
"The fighter's endurance is supported by the Solar Energy Panels on its wings—it doesn't consume the Energy Stone's capacity. This clearly means it's already fired. But without a Mechanical Eye, I can't see the combat process."
"Later, install a few Mechanical Eyes on the fighters in Carriage 10's Fighter Hangar."
"Understood."
"If someone did get trigger-happy, how is my fighter still flying? I remember it only has Level 0 Defense—it shatters at a touch."
"True, its defense is low, but its top speed is 5,040 km/h. Even if it shatters at a touch, you'd have to catch it first."
"That strong?" Chen Mang scanned the surroundings and remarked, "I don't see any wreckage of a destroyed Train nearby."
"That Train must have fled. After losing contact with the Stellar, this fighter's default command is to circle at high altitude and repel any intruders. Once the enemy retreats, the fighter won't pursue."
"Wonder which Train it was—so weak it couldn't even take on a single abandoned fighter."
"Train Conductor, you need to acknowledge your own strength. That fighter jet has a 20 Level Attack intensity and a speed of 5040 km/h. In the entire purple zone, there are only a handful who can defeat the Stellar's fighter jet before its Energy Stone runs out."
"How weak."
Chen Mang let out a long sigh. The purple zone and red zone were only one level apart, yet the combat power of the Trains in these two zones differed so drastically. The Trains in the red zone were each equipped with overwhelmingly fierce firepower.
"..."
He didn't speak further, merely glancing at the Black Hole Armed Robots outside the window.
Built in the past.
All level 8.
They were no longer sufficient, but they could be recycled. After returning from this trip to Neon City, he would recycle this batch entirely and then forge a new group of high-level robots. Level 20 should be enough.
That way, when he went to the red zone, whether they flew in the sky or ran on the ground.
He would have them all.
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