"Alright."
Chen Mang rubbed his temples with a slight headache, interrupting their back-and-forth banter. He realized he might have been too soft-hearted—their coordinated act was making him feel oddly guilty.
"Hey, Xiao Ai, go grab some more nuts and cigarettes. Get a set for my buddy here too."
"These are good stuff."
"Cigarettes help with pain relief, and nuts make great snacks."
"Keep them for yourself or sell them—either way, they're useful. Take them."
"Alright, I've got things to do. I'm off now. See you next time if fate allows."
With that.
Chen Mang strode back into the train cabin, sat at the controls, and pushed the lever. The Stellar Train slowly moved toward the light screen labeled "Tower of Heaven," preparing to return to his train tunnel once more.
He stuck his arm out the window and waved goodbye.
Quite the dashing exit.
Life was like this—friends you clicked with, if you parted ways at the peak of your bond, would always bring a smile to your face when remembered in the years to come.
But if you stayed together too long, once conflicts surfaced, that initial magic would often fade.
As the saying goes.
"Lord Mang is truly incredible."
The Dwarf Man gazed enviously at the heavily armored Stellar Train: "That area clearly says 'No Entry'—linger for ten seconds and you'll get blasted. Yet Lord Mang dared to go in."
"You didn't see it earlier."
"Lord Mang flew down from that Tower of Heaven up there."
"Huh?"
The Young Man froze, staring at the Tower of Heaven towering into the clouds ahead: "You can actually go up there? Did you ask Lord Mang how he did it?"
"I did."
"What did he say?"
"Lord Mang said it was sheer luck. And guess what level his train is now?"
"Last time you said Level 7, so it should be Level 8 now. Wait—if Lord Mang has a Level 8 train, why'd he come to the green zone of Shahe Plain?"
"It's Level 10!"
The Dwarf Man sighed with emotion: "A Level 10 train—can you even imagine? I don't know how Lord Mang got here, but if it's him, it's no surprise he has special methods. After all, back then, he killed the Level 3 boss Man-Eating Spider right after barely reaching Level 2 himself."
"And when I first saw the Stellar, it was just a tiny Level 1 train. Look how fast time flies—I went from Level 2 to Level 4, while Lord Mang shot straight to Level 10."
"It's insane."
"Hey, wait..."
Just then, the Young Man frowned in confusion as he watched the distant Stellar Train: "Why did Lord Mang suddenly leave the Tower of Heaven and head west? Isn't that the direction of the Kunlun Mountains?"
"No idea. Maybe something urgent came up."
"Lord Mang's always busy."
"Big shots are like that."
"Like you'd know anything about big shots."
"Heh, I've fought alongside Lord Mang before. I know better than you."
"Lord Mang just told you to stop spreading rumors about him."
"Fine, but I did fight in front of him once. That's not a rumor—it's true."
"That doesn't sound impressive at all."
"Then why don't you try fighting in front of Lord Mang?"
"..."
The young man stared expressionlessly at the dwarf man. "Since you insist on competing with me, I'll tell you a secret."
"What secret?"
"I saw you kissing that porn magazine I gave you last time."
"And then?"
"My dad used that magazine."
"What do you mean 'used'?"
"Literally."
"..." The dwarf man fell silent for a moment before whispering, "He didn't... get anything on it, did he?"
"What do you think?"
The dwarf man said nothing more, striding purposefully toward his train compartment.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Fuck your mom, let's fight! One of us is dying today!"
"What about the assembly? Aren't we going?"
"Assembly my ass! I'm killing you first today!"
"Don't be mad, Dwarf Bro! I was just messing with you! It's not true—think about it, how could it be real?"
"I don't believe you! With your dad's character, he'd totally do something like that!"
On the Shahe Plain.
The Stellar sped across the plain, heading straight for the Kunlun region.
Inside the train compartment, Chen Mang silently watched the control panel screen.
The moment he entered the Tower of Heaven area, a 10-second countdown for imminent violent attacks appeared on the screen. Clearly, there was no issue with him appearing above the Tower of Heaven via the Train Elevator.
But entering through any other means would still trigger those attacks.
This was a one-way passage, just like the Geocentric Nuclear Bomb—exit only, no entry.
He was now heading toward the Ice and Snow World.
But...
Just as he was about to enter the Kunlun Mountains area, a line of text appeared on the control panel:
-
"Warning: Low-level area ahead. Your train's level is too high for entry."
-
"Damn."
Chen Mang's lips twitched slightly. It was like he'd glitched himself into becoming a glitch!
The Tower of Heaven was a one-way passage—exit only, no entry. There was no going back now.
The only way back was to head to that secret factory in the Ice and Snow World and enter the Train Tunnel from there. But now, because his level was too high, he couldn't even get into the Kunlun Mountains area, let alone the Ice and Snow World.
He seemed to be trapped in the Shahe Plain.
After a long while...
He sighed lightly, lit a cigarette, and leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. At this point, there seemed to be only one solution. Although no Train Tunnels could be detected on the Shahe Plain, he knew there was one beneath the Tower of Heaven. If he drilled all the way down and made a new hole in the tunnel, he could re-enter the Train Tunnel.
But the problem was—
For some reason, no trains could be seen underground in Crisis Valley. But on the Shahe Plain, there were plenty of mining trains underground. He worried that sooner or later, someone might accidentally stumble upon that Train Tunnel and find the hole he'd dug into it.
And then enter the Train Tunnel.
Wouldn't that expose his secret base?
He really liked this Train Tunnel.
If any major crisis arose in the future, he could just hide in the Train Tunnel—who would ever find him? He'd already turned this tunnel and the elevator shafts leading to it into his secret base. Like how he was hiding in the Tower of Heaven on the Shahe Plain.
Not even level 12 monsters could find him—hell, not even level 20 monsters!
What did he have to fear?
Whatever.
There was no other way but this. The probability was so slim—he refused to believe anyone would go digging for ore 30,000 meters underground. Most mines were only around 10,000 meters deep; beyond that, there was usually nothing.
The Stellar Train, having already reached the edge of the Kunlun Mountains, immediately turned around and headed back toward the Tower of Heaven.
When the Tower of Heaven came into view,
he swiftly deployed the drill bit and burrowed underground. He really didn't want to run into those two again—it was downright embarrassing. Besides, he'd already promised a "gift" for their next meeting. If they crossed paths now, would he have to give it or not?
Soon, he located the train tunnel 30,000 meters beneath the Tower of Heaven.
It didn't show up on the targeting radar.
He had to feel his way there.
Luckily, it was right beneath the Tower of Heaven, so it wasn't too hard to find.
After drilling another hole through the tunnel's outer shell, the Stellar Train proceeded forward inside.
Today, he was determined to see what lay at the end.
Inside the train compartment,
Chen Mang summoned Badan and Mundo, his expression complicated as he looked at Mundo. "Who set that rule for you? The one about using no more than a third of the train's iron ore to buy Murphy Stone? I never gave you that rule, did I?"
"I came up with it myself."
Mundo replied gruffly, "A train without iron ore will perish quickly. We're in this for the long haul—not just a one-time deal. Only by keeping the train thriving can we have stronger purchasing power next time."
"But... how could any train let you... uh... trade with them twice?"
"Some do. Goblins all look the same to them."
"Fair enough."
Chen Mang sighed softly before speaking seriously, "From now on, try to trade with higher-level trains. For them, losing a few hundred thousand units of iron ore isn't even a scratch. But let this Level 4 train go next time."
"If they lose 100,000 units, they might actually die."
"Understood!"
"Alright, you're dismissed. You've worked hard these days. Hey, Doba, make sure to reward Mundo properly when you get back. He did well this time."
"No problem," Doba said solemnly. "Leave it to me."
"Again?! Again!!!"
In the purple zone known as "Deadman's Island," a colossal train over 30 meters tall ground to a halt. A red-haired man, seething with rage, flung open the train compartment door. Twin jets of pale blue flame erupted from his backpack, propelling him into the air before he landed firmly on the ground.
The moment his feet touched down, the man pointed furiously at the black-market merchant in a dark cloak standing before the train and roared, "You've scammed me twice already! What the hell do you want now? Trying to pull a third one?!"
"Huh?!"
"Can't you scam someone else? Why keep targeting me?!"
"Think I'm an easy mark?!"
"If attacking you wasn't forbidden, I'd crush you into goddamn cookie crumbs! Screw off! I'm not buying anything! Get the hell out of here!"
"Wait a second—"
Suddenly, a scheming glint flashed in the red-haired man's eyes, and he grinned. "Stay right there. I won't trade, but I'll call a friend over to deal with you. Just wait."
He immediately returned to the train compartment and contacted his longtime rival—the one he never got along with.
Soon,
a heavily armored, bright pink train tore through the air with a deafening sonic boom, approaching from the distance.
The moment it came to a stop—
A small elevator descended from the train to the ground. When the doors opened, a bearded strongman led a group of thugs, eyeing the red-haired man with suspicion before cautiously approaching the Black Market Merchant.
"I've got some Inheritance Value here."
"..."
Ten minutes later.
The bearded strongman grinned in satisfaction as he turned to the red-haired man. "Not bad, brother. I always thought you were stingy, but turns out you don't hesitate when it comes to the big stuff."
"I've been sitting on these 1,000-plus Inheritance Points for over half a year, couldn't spend them. Finally got rid of them today."
"Thanks, brother. Let's forget past grudges. From now on, just watch how I handle things—you'll see I don't mess around."
"Now that's what I call a real man!"
"..."
The red-haired man gaped at the departing pink train before hurriedly jogging over to the Black Market Merchant. "Uh... I already used up all my Inheritance Points last time with your colleague. But don't you have a hidden shop where you can buy items at a 90% discount with Iron Ore?"
"That's what I want to buy."
The Black Market Merchant gave him an impassive glance.
"Foolish human. The great Black Market Merchant serves only one customer at a time."
With that, he vanished on the spot.
"..."
Left alone, the red-haired man stomped his feet in frustration, his face full of regret. Who knew this Black Market Merchant was the real deal? Were there even fake ones? Next time, he'd have to test it first—maybe it'd be genuine.
He'd already spent all his Inheritance Points the first time he encountered a Black Market Merchant.
Only to be scammed when trying to buy from the hidden shop.
And besides...
"Hmm..."
The red-haired man made a solemn resolution: he needed to stock up on more Doomsday Marriage Certificates. He was starting to think he had a knack for attracting Black Market Merchants. Many trains hadn't encountered one since the apocalypse began, yet he'd already run into three.
The first two Black Market Merchants had fake hidden shops, but their Inheritance Value Shops were undeniably real.
If not for these encounters, his Inheritance Points would still be gathering dust. The Inheritance Value Shop sold Murphy Stones, high-level Accessory Blueprints, and other rare Special Items—all incredibly valuable.
Meanwhile, inside the train tunnel...
The Stellar was speeding ahead.
After what felt like an eternity, the ever-lit incandescent lamps lining the tunnel walls flickered out, replaced by flashing red warning lights. The train gradually slowed as a "Train Elevator" appeared once more on the right-side wall.
They had returned to the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
Straight back to the beginner's zone.
When he dropped a Level 2 Energy Stone into the elevator's funnel, the doors slid open. The train swiftly entered, and the elevator began its ascent.
Ding.
As the elevator settled into place, a chime sounded. The doors parted to reveal the base of the Doomsday Abyss, the elevator cleverly concealed within the surrounding walls.
And there, not far away, was the battered wreck of a Goblin Train.
The very same one Doba had piloted that day!
When he left that day, he hadn't devoured it but kept it here as a memento. Several months had passed since then, and the battered Goblin Train was now covered in dust, bearing heavy marks of time's passage.
"This is... coming home."
Chen Mang stepped out of the train compartment, leaning on his cane as he stood at the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss. Gazing at the nearby Iron Ores that had respawned, he suddenly found himself smiling for no apparent reason.
Two level 2 Iron Ores, one level 1 Copper Ore.
Still the same three mines.
These very mines had provided him with substantial support during his early days, and now they had fully respawned.
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