My Doomsday Train

"Impressive."

Inside the train cabin.

After seeing Biao Zi clear the challenge, Chen Mang also let out a long sigh of relief. Watching had made him break out in a sweat. He planned to try it out himself later, but for now, the most important thing was...

He glanced at the balance of Crimson Heartstone on the train panel.

98,000 units.

The cost of crafting the yellow-quality mech "Leech" was 28,000 units of Crimson Heartstone.

The cost of crafting the green-quality mech "Executioner" was 18,000 units of Crimson Heartstone.

Later, he would give the Leech mech originally intended for Li Shiji to the Third Squad Leader. Li Shiji didn't need it, and he would also have to craft an "Executioner" mech for Biao Zi, which would cost another 18,000 units of Crimson Heartstone.

By then, the train would only have 80,000 units of Crimson Heartstone left.

"Sigh."

Chen Mang let out a helpless sigh. In the past, Crimson Heartstone had no use at all, but now that there was a use for it, it was completely insufficient. However...

He soon smiled again.

The train's overall strength had significantly improved. With these three mechs, future external missions would see a notable reduction in casualties and an increase in success rates.

The sun hung in the sky.

Adding a touch of warmth to the already wintery weather.

"Can I have a bite?"

A Slave from the Azure Dragon Train stared longingly at the bread in the hands of a Slave from the Stellar Train, his eyes filled with desire and greed. "What's the filling in your bread? Is it good?"

"Not good."

The man shook his head firmly. "It's sour, stinky, and bitter."

"Let me try?"

"No."

This scene played out across the entire mine. During mining, it wasn't very noticeable, but when everyone started eating at noon, the contrast became stark.

Looking at the plain bread slice in their hands and then at the filled bread slices in the hands of the Stellar Train crew, the disparity was instantly magnified.

"But..."

The man's heart softened as he glanced around surreptitiously. He handed over his bread slice and the half-drunk soda, whispering, "Drink it quickly, don't let anyone see."

The Azure Dragon Train's Slave's eyes lit up. He quickly devoured the bread and soda, then licked his lips with lingering satisfaction.

"Pineapple jam, so good. I almost forgot what pineapple tastes like."

"Your train's Slave treatment is really good."

"Heh."

The man chuckled, then cautiously whispered, "Your Train Conductor and our Lord Mang seem to get along quite well. Why don't you just join our train? Then you'd get this treatment too."

"Our train has more than just this; there's plenty more."

"I don't have a say in that."

"You're leaving already?"

Chen Mang raised an eyebrow as he bid farewell to Er Dan. "There's still so much Iron Ore left. Aren't you going to dig a bit more?"

"Not a chance."

Er Dan waved his hand with a bitter smile. "I completely forgot about this. If I keep digging, there'll probably be a riot. Let's say our goodbyes now, and if fate allows, we'll meet again."

"If I find any Fortuitous Encounter maps, I'll contact you immediately."

"Alright, take care."

Chen Mang didn't say much more, simply watching as the Azure Dragon Train soared into the sky and departed. As long as it could fly, there wasn't much to worry about in the Zombie Basin. He then sat back in the train cabin and looked at the control panel.

His train was now Level 6.

After the train reached Level 6, a "?" button appeared on the control panel. He had asked Er Dan what it meant, but Er Dan wasn't sure, saying that when his train reached Level 6, he got a "Squad Voice" button instead. He didn't know what the "?" button meant—it might be something exclusive to S-class potential Mechanical Trains.

"Squad Voice."

Within the range of the Targeting Radar, the Train Conductor's commands could be instantly relayed to the thugs via Squad Voice.

A pretty useful feature.

But he didn't need it.

Hive Mind + Iris Chip could completely replace "Squad Voice," and do it even better. Especially the "Iris Chip" component—despite being only white-tier—its effect on the train could rival that of a red-tier component.

A leap across eras.

"..."

Chen Mang shifted his gaze away from the "?" button. Since it hadn't revealed itself yet, there was no need to dwell on it. Instead, he looked at the three components available for crafting after reaching Level 6: two yellow-tier and one blue-tier.

-

"Tycoon Energy Shield": Blue-tier component, requires 10,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.

"Tidal Gatling Production Line": Yellow-tier component, requires 1,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.

"Parachute Production Line": Yellow-tier component, requires 1,000 units of Iron Ore to craft.

-

Only three components, two yellow-tier and one blue-tier.

Yellow-tier components could be upgraded to a maximum of Level 5, while blue-tier components could be upgraded to Level 8.

After the train reached Level 4, one of the craftable components was the "Energy Shield," but it was yellow-tier and could only be upgraded to Level 5.

Similarly, the "Doomsday Cannon" was a blue-tier component, upgradable to Level 8.

For all trains, after reaching a certain level, it was necessary to upgrade both defense and attack components—for example, switching from "Armor" to "Energy Shield" and then to "Tycoon Energy Shield" to obtain higher-tier defenses.

The same applied to attacks.

Of course, you could also choose not to craft the "Energy Shield" when the train reached Level 4, holding out until Level 6 to directly craft the "Tycoon Energy Shield." This would indeed save a lot of Iron Ore.

But the problem was that "Carriage Steel Armor" could only be upgraded to Level 3.

From Level 3 to Level 6, there was a long gap.

Unless you could find a large amount of Iron Ore and focus solely on development without worrying about others, this was entirely possible. But for most people, it wasn't feasible, so they had to upgrade their defense and attack components as their train leveled up.

But...

The Stellar Train didn't need to.

He only needed to keep upgrading the "Armor." It was cheaper, and defensive components were already expensive to upgrade, especially higher-tier ones.

The Armor was also more effective.

It could block both physical and energy attacks. Combined with "Permanent Shock Absorption," unless the enemy was a particularly high-level monster, it was nearly impossible to inflict any damage on the train.

But he still crafted all three components, as they were necessary to reach Level 7.

The "Tidal Gatling Production Line" and "Parachute Production Line" were quite useful.

The former was a single-soldier weapon, essentially an upgrade over the "Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle."

As for the latter...

Hmm.

It was probably to ensure that when the Train Conductor pressed the "Immediate Ejection" button and was launched into the air, there would be a parachute for a safe landing. Quite thoughtful.

He crafted all three components.

But only the latter two were upgraded to Level 10, consuming a total of 90,000 units of Iron Ore.

-

"Tidal Gatling Production Line Level 5 Supermodel Effect": Consumption halved.

"Tidal Gatling Production Line Level 10 Supermodel Effect": Consumption halved.

-

"Parachute Production Line Level 5 Supermodel Effect": None.

"Parachute Production Line Level 10 Supermodel Effect": None.

-

"Consumption halved."

Chen Mang, now quite curious, walked to Carriage No. 2. He spent 1,000 units of Iron Ore to craft a Level 10 Gatling Gun. Like other components, weapon upgrades only increased fire rate and range, while the actual damage depended on the bullet's level.

However, the "Tidal Gatling" didn't have a corresponding bullet production line.

Nor did it have belts, drums, or boxes for ammunition.

There was only a small indentation in the stock where Energy Stones could be inserted. This was the Stellar Train's first Energy-based single-soldier weapon.

He hefted the Gatling Gun in his hands, then inserted a Level 1 Energy Stone and selected Level 1 bullets on the screen. He then carried the Gatling Gun to the train door, stood on the train, aimed at the sky, and pulled the trigger.

Instantly—

"Rat-tat-tat!!!"

A sharp, intense roar erupted as hundreds of energy bullets shot into the sky. With the two "Consumption Halved" Supermodel Effects, the consumption was minimal. He held the trigger for a full minute, and the Level 1 Energy Stone only dropped by 2%.

It was practically unchanged.

Of course, if he wanted to fire Level 6 bullets, he'd need to use Level 2 or even Level 3 Energy Stones.

"Not bad."

After satisfying his urge, Chen Mang put the Gatling Gun aside with a satisfied expression. The Gatling Gun was silent when used, producing no sound at all. The roaring sound earlier was entirely optional.

It could simulate the roaring sound of a Gatling Gun.

Somewhat like an electric car using a sound system to mimic the engine roar of a gasoline car.

This could basically be equipped now. Perhaps because it was an Energy-based weapon, the recoil was almost nonexistent. With his physical fitness, he could easily handle it, and it wasn't too heavy, making it suitable for single-soldier use.

It could basically replace the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle.

Having two "Consumption Halved" effects was the strongest Supermodel Effect for any firepower component, bar none. The main issue with most firepower components wasn't insufficient power but the sheer amount of consumption.

The parachute, however, had no Supermodel Effects.

For the next ten days.

The Stellar Train stayed put, peacefully mining.

In ten days, one Level 3 Iron Ore mine and three Level 2 Iron Ore mines were nearly depleted. This Level 3 mine wasn't particularly abundant in output.

"..."

Chen Mang looked at the train panel. The train now had 2.51 million units of Iron Ore.

He first used 460,000 units of Iron Ore to craft ten Level 10 "Combat Training Virtual Spaces" for the Guardians to train and improve their Physical Fitness Index. Ten was a bit too few, not quite enough.

The remaining Iron Ore was saved, not used.

He planned to use it to upgrade the Armor to Level 8.

His Armor was only Level 7, which wasn't quite sufficient in this area. He needed at least Level 8 Armor to feel somewhat secure.

But...

"Level 8 B-class potential Mechanical Train, Raging Bull": "Are you really in such a hurry to die? If I find you, I'll show you what real torture feels like, you little brat. Remember that."

He casually glanced at the private message on the Train Radio and didn't reply.

The message had been sent three hours ago.

Since he hadn't replied, he couldn't engage in further private chats. The other party could only continue to threaten, curse, and insult him on the Train Radio.

The reason for the feud was simple.

He had pinned a post on the Train Radio selling cigarettes and other daily necessities. Many trains had made deals with him, but the "Raging Bull" was furious, apparently because it was the only train in the area with a Cigarette Production Line.

During every gathering.

It made a lot of profit.

But he had interfered, and with remote transactions, he had essentially stolen the "Raging Bull's" business. Naturally, the guy couldn't sit still and started hurling threats and insults.

He didn't reply or engage, simply continuing to sell his cigarettes.

You're allowed to sell, but others aren't?

If he came looking for trouble, he wasn't too afraid of a Level 8 train. The foundation was there.

And...

Another A-class potential Mechanical Train had also privately messaged him, saying just one thing.

"My brother says you called him a little sissy selling his ass to AI?"

Also a Level 8 train.

He didn't reply.

"Hmm..."

Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, seriously pondering. It seemed like he had offended quite a few people. Should he go fight first, or continue mining?

Better keep mining for now.

The train was only Level 6. Fighting now wasn't too safe. He'd level up the train first, then think about fighting.

"Is it really necessary?"

Somewhere in the Zombie Basin, several trains were parked nearby, their Train Conductors gathered together discussing something.

"Wasn't the last spot for the 'Geocentric Nuclear Bomb' reserved for your brother? Are you sure you want to enter early and give the spot to that guy?"

Everyone's gaze turned to a man in a tracksuit.

"Yes."

The man in the tracksuit nodded, his eyes filled with malice. "For my brother, such an insult is the most severe. And for me, it's the same."

"I believe if my brother were here."

"He wouldn't want this opportunity."

"But would choose to have me kill the Train Conductor of the Stellar Train for him."

"I want him to know the consequences of speaking without restraint."

With that, the man strode towards his train, leaving behind a cold statement.

"Pack up."

"We'll set off in an hour."

"I'll send that guy out of this world in the 'Geocentric Nuclear Bomb' Fortuitous Encounter map."

The others exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

They had all joined the "Balance" organization and got along fairly well. Whenever there was a Fortuitous Encounter map, they'd explore it together for fun.

A few days ago.

They had obtained a Special Item.

-

"Special Item": Key to the Fortuitous Encounter map 'Geocentric Nuclear Bomb.'

"Special Effect": Allows entry into the Fortuitous Encounter map, can accommodate up to 5 trains.

(End of Chapter)