Inside the Stellar Train, Chen Mang frowned as he looked at the circle of vents around the edges of the square. There were hundreds of them, and the icy cold air shooting up from them gathered together, forming a tightly sealed cylindrical structure several hundred meters tall!
High above, at an altitude of several hundred meters, there was a much smaller square—that was the endpoint.
At this moment, the countdown had already begun.
「00:02:59」.
Three minutes remaining.
The edges of the square beneath the Stellar Train had already begun to collapse. When the countdown ended, the Stellar Train would plunge into a bottomless abyss. No one knew where it would fall, only the incessant creaking of countless gears turning could be heard from beneath the square.
Falling down there would likely not result in anything good.
Li Shiji, who had just returned to his seat, was quickly called out again. His face tense, he rapidly scanned the square. The only clue was the patterns on the square's floor. Within three minutes, they had to solve the puzzle and find a way to reach the square several hundred meters above them. That was the challenge of this level.
Ten seconds later.
Li Shiji's face began to pale rapidly. His hands trembled as he desperately examined the square, which had already partially collapsed at the edges, hoping to find the solution. But it was clear that his chances were slim.
"It's only a B-level difficulty. Is it really this hard?"
Chen Mang, sitting at the control panel, wasn't in a hurry. He calmly gazed at the cylindrical structure of icy cold air that enveloped the entire square. This thing wasn't a physical entity—there was no place for the Spider Legs to land.
"Xiao Ai, what about you?"
"No good," Xiao Ai quickly shook his head. "I don't have much learning material. There's no simulated space at all. Train Conductor, you need to find me some materials to learn from."
Just then—
The Train Radio crackled with Er Dan's hurried and excited voice: "Bro, don't worry. I've already reached the top."
"Wait for me. I'll fly above you. I have a special steel cable that can hoist your train up."
Chen Mang looked up and saw that the Azure Dragon Train had already successfully flown above the square. Its Energy Shield enveloped the entire train as it prepared to charge through the cylindrical structure of icy cold air.
This cylinder was sealed at the top, and the floating endpoint square was located near the top inside the cylinder.
To escape this icy prison, they had to break through the cold air.
"No need, I—"
He had barely uttered a word when he saw the Azure Dragon Train accelerate sharply and charge into the icy air. In an instant, frost enveloped the entire train, freezing it solid.
It lost control in midair and crashed heavily back onto the square.
"—have a way."
Only then did Chen Mang slowly finish his sentence. It wasn't that he spoke slowly—it was just that Er Dan had acted too quickly, without hesitation. Chen Mang stared blankly at the Azure Dragon Train, which had crashed heavily onto the square. If it hadn't upgraded its Internal Space Stabilizer...
Everyone on board was probably dead.
He grabbed the Train Radio's intercom: "Are you dead?"
"N-not yet, just... really... really cold."
Er Dan's trembling voice came through the Train Radio, along with the sound of his teeth chattering from the cold. Even through the radio, Chen Mang could feel the chill.
"A hint... I've retreated to the spectator seats..."
"There's... one minute left. Hurry and figure something out... or we might die when we fall..."
Then—
Chen Mang saw countless Mechanical Arms extend from the edges of the square, grabbing the Azure Dragon Train, which had been frozen into a block of ice, and carrying it to the side. Numerous flamethrowers emerged and began to thaw it out.
He glanced at the icy prison surrounding them. This thing was even more powerful than he had anticipated.
Li Shiji still hadn't come up with an answer. It seemed they had no choice but to use that method.
He sighed softly. It would cost 50,000 units of Iron Ore, which was a bit painful.
After consuming 50,000 units of Iron Ore, he quickly crafted a Level 3 Energy Stone and placed it in the Generator. The Stellar Train then switched back to its Spider Legs. As the Mechanical Spider Legs bent slightly, the rear sections of the train leapt into the air and stood upright on the ground.
The middle sections followed suit.
With 14 cars, the Stellar Train now stood straight up in the center of the square!
It no longer looked like a train.
It looked more like a rocket ready to launch.
"That guy..."
At this moment, the Azure Dragon Train, which had already been eliminated in the third level, was being carried to the side by Mechanical Arms and thawed with flamethrowers. Er Dan, who had been anxiously watching the Stellar Train on the control panel screen, was now relegated to the spectator seats.
From here, he could only watch the progress of other contestants—specifically, the Stellar Train.
If they fell through the square in this level, they would die. This was no joke!
Beneath the square was a mass of wildly spinning gears. Falling down there would be disastrous.
He had the Bunny Cloud to fly, but the Stellar Train couldn't fly. Unless they solved the puzzle in the last minute, they were doomed.
And just then.
He saw the Stellar Train perform a series of bizarre maneuvers. The entire train leapt into the air, and when it landed again, it stood upright in the center of the square.
But that wasn't all.
The Nitrogen Tailjets on each side of the Stellar Train's cars began to spew blue flames!
"That guy..."
Er Dan couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "Is he really planning to launch his train like a rocket?"
"Those are Nitrogen Tailjets! Even at Level 10, the thrust wouldn't be enough to make the train fly!"
"Hurry and think of something! You can't really die here. You're S-tier potential!"
"There must be a way... Think of something..."
His face anxious, he stared intently at the Stellar Train standing upright on the square. The dozens of Nitrogen Tailjets around the train were already spewing blue flames, but the train showed no signs of lifting off.
He had this accessory too, and he knew exactly how much speed it could provide.
Even at Level 10, it only added 120 km/h to the train's speed. How could that be enough to launch it like a rocket?
Just as he, shivering from the cold, couldn't resist picking up the Train Radio's intercom to say something—
He witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
The dozens of Nitrogen Tailjets on both sides of the Stellar Train suddenly began to expand, merging with the Tailjets of the cars in front and behind them. In the blink of an eye, the dozens of Tailjets fused together.
Forming two massive Nitrogen Tailjets embedded on either side of the train!
They spanned the entire train.
From the first car to the fourteenth!
"This... this..."
Witnessing this, Er Dan's mind flashed with an unbelievable possibility. Frozen in place, his voice trembling, he grabbed the Train Radio's intercom and shouted, "Are you serious?!"
"You can do that?!"
"You never said... you could fly!"
Soon.
Chen Mang's familiar chuckle came through the Train Radio.
"I never said I couldn't."
In the next moment—
The square had already collapsed, leaving only a small patch at the center. The two massive Nitrogen Tailjets on either side of the Stellar Train began to tremble violently. Then, two enormous blue flames shot out from the Tailjets, blasting the ground below!
"BOOM!!!"
Under the immense thrust.
The Stellar Train, standing upright on the ground, slowly rose into the air like a rocket, gradually accelerating. In the blink of an eye, it reached the top of the icy prison several hundred meters high. Then, as the Nitrogen Tailjets suddenly extinguished.
The Stellar Train landed steadily on the endpoint square high above.
Successfully landed.
Level cleared.
「Third level, cleared.」
「Reward: One random green-tier Accessory Blueprint, rolling now... Detected that the previous level's reward was the 'Iris Chip' Blueprint. Obtained the matching 'Mechanical Eye' Blueprint. The fourth level will begin in ten minutes.」
「PS: All Accessory Blueprints obtained in this Fortuitous Encounter map can only be acquired in the Tower of Heaven Fortuitous Encounter map.」
"Phew..."
Inside the Stellar Train, Chen Mang leaned back in his chair and exhaled softly, smiling as he looked at the data on the control panel.
Not bad. The consumption was less than he had expected.
That Level 3 Energy Stone only consumed 17%.
This was definitely more costly than the Bunny Cloud, but that was to be expected. After all, the Bunny Cloud was designed to fly, whereas his method was cobbled together.
First, he used the Level 20 Supermodel Effect of the Spider Legs to make the Stellar Train stand upright on the square.
Then, he used the Level 10 Supermodel Effect of the Nitrogen Tailjets to merge all the Tailjets into two massive Nitrogen Tailjets.
Achieving a rocket-like launch effect.
The downside, aside from high energy consumption, was... they couldn't control the direction. They couldn't fly wherever they wanted—they could only go straight up.
But—
If it was about the shock factor, the Bunny Cloud couldn't even compare.
"Damn it..."
Inside the Azure Dragon Train, Er Dan was still in shock, his mouth hanging open. It took him a while before he could shake his head with a bitter laugh.
Before coming here.
He had planned to vent his frustration. After all, he had been completely humiliated in the maze earlier. How could he not want to get back at them? From the moment they met, he had wanted to one-up the Stellar Train, but...
No matter what he compared, he couldn't win.
The train environment, the women, even his most proud flying ability—none could match.
As for attack and defense, he hadn't even considered those. With over sixty Supermodel Effects, how could they be lacking?
In other words...
His Level 5 veteran train was completely outclassed by Chen Mang in every aspect. A total wipeout.
Is this what S-tier potential is like?
Isn't it a bit too terrifying? And he remembered that even for S-tier potential, aside from a red-tier heavy firepower accessory and a Train Stunt, there weren't any other special perks.
If that's the case, then it's not S-tier potential that's terrifying—it's Chen Mang who's terrifying.
Whatever.
He took a deep breath, picked up the Train Radio's intercom, and couldn't help but sneeze. Shivering from the cold, he stammered, "The next level... will be even harder. It's A-tier difficulty."
"Even if I weren't in the spectator seats, it would be hard for me to clear it."
"The rewards for the later levels will definitely be better. That's the main event. Do your best to clear them all!"
"Afterwards, I'll give you some beer... Just don't forget about me..."
"Let me... follow you and get a taste..."
"Did we... just fly?"
In Car 5, Yan Yao looked at Ji Chuchu with wide eyes, full of shock. "Isn't the Stellar a train? How can it fly? Can all trains in this world fly now?"
"Of course not."
Ji Chuchu shook her head. "After the apocalypse, trains became the only mobile shelters for all survivors to escape the monsters. How could everyone's train fly? It's just that Lord Mang is amazing."
"You haven't been to other trains. Seeing Lord Mang only makes you feel like a frog looking up at the moon from the bottom of a well."
"But when you've struggled through the apocalypse for a year and then see Lord Mang, you'll understand what it means for a mayfly to glimpse the vast sky."
"Do you think so many people are grateful to the Stellar just because of the treatment on the train?"
"The biggest reason is—"
"They've witnessed the Stellar's power. They believe that following the Stellar will lead them to a brighter future, until they can establish an absolutely safe mobile shelter in this hopeless apocalypse."
"You're really lucky. After the apocalypse, you hid in a safe house for a year and then came to the Stellar. You don't truly realize how fortunate you are."
"That's what I envy most about you."
"It's truly unbelievable."
In Guard Car 7, Biao Zi looked out the window with a complex expression. The shocking scene from earlier still lingered in his mind, refusing to fade. For a moment, he even felt like he was riding a rocket.
He had never imagined that one day he would get to ride a rocket.
"It is unbelievable."
Lao Zhu smiled as he looked out the window, his eyes filled with pride and nostalgia. He was the first to follow Lord Mang and had witnessed the Stellar's development from the very beginning. It felt good. He had poured so much sweat into this train.
If one day he had to choose between sacrificing himself or the train.
He would choose himself.
He had come to regard the Stellar as his home. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like without it—perhaps he would return to the same aimless, hopeless existence in the apocalypse, barely clinging to life.
He didn't want to live like that again.
"Such a pity..."
Lao Zhu suddenly shook his head regretfully. "It's a pity the residents' cars don't have windows. They can't see what's happening outside."
"There are too many people," Biao Zi said helplessly. "Even if there were windows, only a few could see. And if everyone wanted to look, there'd be a risk of stampedes."
"Yeah."
Lao Zhu nodded with a smile. "Maybe we can install some screens in the residents' cars later. When the Stellar shows its might, let everyone see. That way, they can truly feel the Stellar's power."
"Don't make it seem like we're small-time nobodies."
"Like any random loser can brag about being able to fly in front of us."
Clearly, Lao Zhu was still holding a grudge. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "At lunch today, that guy bragged about being able to fly right in front of Lord Mang. It made me so angry."
"Who doesn't know how? Damn it!"
"Lord Mang is the real deal."
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