"Huff—"
Chen Mang stared at the scene before him, momentarily dazed. After a long pause, he waved with a smile, signaling Xiao Ai and the others to let Lao Zhu come down for a look, then had Doba and his group take a stroll as well.
Everyone needed to stretch their legs.
It was noon, the sky bright, yet standing here and looking up revealed nothing—only a sliver of blue sky. The heavens were azure, the clouds pure white.
Seated atop the Stellar Train, a cigarette pinched between his fingers, Chen Mang gazed at the three mines in the distance with a distant smile. "Lao Zhu, remember this place? This is where we first built our home."
"Back then, no one else could enter the Doomsday Abyss—only our Stellar could."
"The Iron Ridge Wasteland was so dangerous back then, with Zombie hordes constantly attacking the Train. When we first started digging that Level 1 mine, how many times did we get ambushed by Corpse Tides? But in the end, we found two Level 2 Iron Ore deposits in the Doomsday Abyss."
"I remember the Stellar only had 107 Slaves back then—or was it a different number?"
"I can't recall the exact figure, but it had just broken a hundred."
"They were still called Slaves then, not residents."
"Before the mining mobilization, I promised everyone I'd slaughter that old hen we bought at the gathering and make sure everyone got a taste of chicken soup. I also swore I'd buy Ji Chuchu as a reward for the Slave who mined the most."
"But who knew..."
"In the end, the Goblins ended up mining the most."
"Yeah."
Lao Zhu, sitting beside him, sighed nostalgically. "Back then, I was certain the Stellar would one day become the most powerful Train in the apocalypse. And now, just a few months later, it's already a Level 10 Train."
"Many of the Train Conductors we met at those gatherings are probably dead by now."
"Lord Mang."
"You're usually busy, so we don't get to talk much. But deep down, ever since our days in Master Kun's Slave carriage, I knew you'd make it."
"You know how to hold the reins."
"And you hold them steady."
"Alright, alright."
Chen Mang waved him off with a laugh. "Enough of that—I don't take praise well. Is that old hen we bought in the Iron Ridge Wasteland still alive?"
"Yep, we never slaughtered it. Ended up making pork stew with vermicelli instead."
"Let's kill it today. Gather the residents from back then—we'll all share a bowl of chicken soup."
"Got it, I'll arrange it!"
"Huh?"
Inside Carriage No. 15's livestock pen, Uncle Li looked at Lao Zhu with a pained expression. "You're really going to slaughter that old hen? Can't we swap it for another one? She's been laying eggs like crazy lately—it'd be a shame to kill her."
"..."
Lao Zhu gave him a strange look. "You're in charge of livestock, and now you've grown attached?"
"It's just—Train Conductor Zhu, this hen's been laying nonstop! Does it really matter which chicken we use for the soup?"
"Fine, just hurry up."
Then Lao Zhu noticed something odd—inside another refrigerator, two Zombies were stacked one on top of the other. He frowned. "What are they doing?"
"Breeding."
"..."
Lao Zhu looked expressionlessly at Uncle Li: "I put you in charge of livestock, not fucking Zombie breeding. What are you planning to do with those Zombie offspring—make soup or barbecue?"
"And how the hell could Zombies even have reproductive functions?"
"Train Conductor Zhu."
At this moment, the young man who had been following Uncle Li quickly stepped forward to explain: "This is Uncle Li's new research. He's been buying Redheart Nuts at his own expense these days, spending all his Stellar Coupons on them. He's been feeding all those Redheart Nuts to the Zombies."
"Uncle Li is trying to create a Zombie Mob Spawner."
"If the experiment succeeds, it could be a major breakthrough. The train would have an endless supply of Zombies, meaning we could keep getting rewards from killing them—maybe even weaponize them."
"For example, we could mount firepower on Zombies and create a Zombie Tyrant."
"..."
Lao Zhu fell silent for a moment before frowning. "This seems a bit off-topic from livestock breeding, but... it does sound interesting. Still, you guys barely earn anything daily. I'll go talk to Lord Mang. If he's interested, he might provide you with Redheart Nuts for free."
Then he turned to Uncle Li with a sigh.
"Honestly, I don't see the point of this, and I don't have high hopes for its success. But it's good that you like tinkering with stuff."
"Lord Mang likes people who like to tinker."
"I'll go talk to him."
"Thank you, Train Conductor Zhu, thank you!" Uncle Li grabbed an old hen by the wing and handed it over, grinning excitedly. "Please put in a good word for me when you mention me to Lord Mang."
"Naturally."
After Lao Zhu left, Uncle Li couldn't help but punch the air in excitement.
"Uncle Li, don't get too excited yet. Your thing hasn't even worked."
"Oh, right, right. I'll go refine it some more."
"Uncle Li."
"Yeah?"
"You're amazing."
"Hmph, not bad, I guess."
Meanwhile—
At the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss.
The original hundred or so residents of the Stellar Train sat beside the iron ore, cross-legged, savoring bowls of chicken soup with floating oil droplets and small chunks of meat inside. They gazed at the iron ore with a mix of nostalgia and emotion.
"I worked the hardest back then. I was the top performer on the first day. Hard to believe so much time has passed."
"You're Zhang Haoping?"
"Yeah, didn't think anyone would remember my name."
"I'm Li Kui. Second place on the first day."
"Ah, no wonder you remember me. Second-place folks tend to remember the first-place guy well."
"You don't remember me?"
"Nope. First-place folks usually forget the second-place ones."
"..."
In front of the wrecked Goblin Train at the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss.
Chen Mang led a group of Goblins to the front of the train, took out three cigarettes, lit them, and stuck them into the ground. He looked solemnly at the Goblin Train and spoke softly.
"Doba."
"I once promised you here that I'd help rebuild Goblin civilization."
"Today, I make that promise again. As long as you stay on the Stellar Train, I will fulfill this vow."
"Mhm."
Doba knelt solemnly on the ground, with a group of Goblin tribesmen kneeling behind him. "I have never doubted Lord Mang. The Goblin tribe will always be Lord Mang's most loyal subjects!"
After completing this ritual, everyone returned to the Train.
Chen Mang then took out a Train Token and had Biao Zi activate it to assume the role of Train Conductor, conducting a small experiment.
Sure enough.
When the Train piloted by Biao Zi lingered near the disguised elevator entrance for several minutes, there was no reaction—no funnel extended to demand Energy Stones from Biao Zi.
This confirmed Chen Mang's hypothesis.
The interaction could only be triggered if a Train emerged from the Train Tunnel, meaning it had to arrive via the Train Elevator and reappear at the elevator entrance. Otherwise, given how long he had spent in the Doomsday Abyss and his numerous visits to this place, he would have triggered it long ago.
From this perspective, the only way to enter the Train Tunnel seemed to be with a level 100 Drill Bit. Alternatively, there might be a hidden entrance in the Mechanical City ruins within the Red Zone of Crisis Valley, though it had yet to be discovered.
The Stellar Train once again boarded the Train Elevator and returned to the Train Tunnel, speeding toward its far end.
"..."
Sitting inside the Train compartment, Chen Mang watched the illusory streaks of light recede rapidly along the tunnel walls, focusing his gaze ahead. Without the level 100 Drill Bit, he wouldn't have been able to access this area—proof of the accessory's usefulness.
This also explained why no Trains were seen underground in Crisis Valley.
Initially, he had speculated that high-level monsters lurked beneath the surface, though his Targeting Radar hadn't detected any. But now, that possibility seemed unlikely.
It wasn't because the Trains in Crisis Valley lacked Drill Bits either.
Nearly all Trains in Crisis Valley had opted for Train Expansion, increasing their size significantly. While this enhanced their firepower and allowed for more powerful weapon attachments, as well as greater space, it came with a drawback:
The Drill Bits became unusable.
The holes drilled by the Bits were too small to accommodate the expanded Trains, rendering underground travel impossible.
Given this, Train Expansion might not be suitable for him. Many of his Fortuitous Encounters had been made possible by the Drill Bit. The level 100 Drill Bit allowed him to breach barriers other Trains couldn't—like this Train Tunnel or the Flesh Train Serendipity Map in the Kunlun Mountains region.
He would have to postpone the expansion for now.
Unless he could find a higher-tier replacement for the Drill Bit—something more powerful and larger.
Losing a few hundred thousand Iron Ore was negligible. He hadn't even used Murphy Stones, and the loss was less than what he'd spend on watching a movie.
This journey lasted unusually long!
At full speed, an entire hour passed before the tunnel's constant white Incandescent Lamps gave way to flashing red warning lights. Ahead lay another Train Elevator—this time not on the sides of the tunnel, but directly in front.
They had reached the end.
This was the end of the Train Tunnel. There was no path ahead. Chen Mang looked at the control panel screen, which showed that he was in an unknown area, no longer within the "Iron Ridge Wasteland."
"Huff."
Chen Mang took a deep breath, slightly nervous as he parked the Train at the elevator entrance. He pulled out a Level 2 Energy Stone from his pocket and tossed it into the exposed slot, watching as the elevator doors slowly opened.
Still, he maneuvered the Train into the elevator.
The elevator began its slow ascent.
He had no idea what lay beyond this elevator, where it led, or whether this was a beginning or an end. All he could think was how absurdly long this Train Tunnel was.
With so many Incandescent Lamps lining the way, who knew how long they had been lit?
The Energy Stones powering this tunnel had to be at least Level 5!
Anything lower would have been depleted long ago.
A single Level 5 Energy Stone required 5 million units of Iron Ore.
Inside his Train, he had one such Level 5 Energy Stone—but it was only at 19% capacity. He had been reluctant to use it. This stone had been salvaged from a secret factory buried in the snowy mountains of the "Ice and Snow World."
Lost in thought—
"Ding."
The elevator stopped, its doors gradually sliding open.
Before him stretched an enormous plaza, large enough to hold several football fields. There were no support pillars in the center, and the entire space felt starkly desolate, devoid of any human touch. The walls and ceiling were pure white, while the perimeter of the plaza was lined with various high-tech experimental instruments.
Yet the floor was blanketed in a thick layer of dust.
The walls weren't so white anymore.
The ceiling and walls bore countless dried, rust-brown bloodstains. A horrific disaster had unfolded here, claiming many lives—yet not a single corpse remained.
And at the heart of the plaza—
A massive glass enclosure.
It resembled the laboratory beneath the "Geocentric Nuclear Bomb" military base, also shielded by glass.
Inside this enormous glass enclosure stood three Iron Ore deposits.
Three Level 4 Iron Ore deposits!
"Holy hell."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, glancing at the data flickering on the Resource Detection Radar before slowly guiding the Train out of the elevator and into the vast plaza. The ceiling towered ten meters high.
The Train's presence didn't feel cramped at all.
According to the Radar, the estimated yield from these three Iron Ore deposits was around 30 million units.
This trip was already worth it.
He had no clue where this place was, but if he could mine all three Level 4 Iron Ore deposits, he'd be set. It would be enough to upgrade the Train Armor straight to Level 12!
Once he returned to the "Crisis Valley" region, he could practically swagger through without a care.
But—
This place was eerie. The walls surrounding the plaza were lined with materials that blocked Radar detection. His Targeting Radar and Resource Detection Radar couldn't pick up any information beyond the plaza.
Yet, embedded in the walls were six small doors, their destinations unknown.
The "massive glass enclosure" at the center of the plaza looked incredibly sturdy, its surface marred by bloodstains. Someone had clearly tried—and failed—to break it open by force.
He wondered if even a Level 100 Drill Bit could crack it.
But now, the most important thing is to figure out what this place actually is and how it relates to the other areas—the "Doomsday Abyss," the "Tower of Heaven," and that secret factory in the Ice and Snow World.
Why are these places connected by a single Train Tunnel?
The Stellar slowly came to a stop.
Amidst a hiss of steam, the door of Guard Car No. 7 opened.
Biao Zi, his expression stern, was the first to jump down, followed by members of the first and third squads.
The six doors surrounding the square weren't tall—just normal-sized, making them inaccessible to mechs.
Their mission was to investigate what lay behind these six doors, whether there were any dangers, and what this place truly was.
"Xiao Ai."
Chen Mang sat calmly in the control room, tilting his head slightly as he watched Biao Zi and the others quickly assembling outside the train. He murmured thoughtfully, "If you let your imagination run wild, what do you think this place is?"
"It looks like an experimental base."
"But do you know what comes to mind if I let my imagination run wild?"
"What?"
"I'd think of the Six Gates."
"What are the Six Gates?"
"Well, how should I put it... something like a secret agency within a nation's system."
"Oh, oh. That's a pretty obscure association. I'll try to learn more."
Chen Mang didn't respond.
He had already begun to suspect what this place might be. It could very well be a secret organization similar to the Six Gates, and that Train Tunnel was likely the secret passage used to continuously transport large quantities of Iron Ore to the other locations.