The entire process was devoid of any crisis.
This was an uninhabited zone.
No monsters, no people—just a dilapidated and abandoned laboratory.
Though the journey was somewhat arduous,
the outcome was ultimately favorable.
"..."
Chen Mang grinned as he looked at Xiao Ai, who was tinkering with an instrument inside the Armor Research and Development Center. "Leave this task to you. Get it powered up and running as soon as possible—I want to see the results."
The most crucial items had already been transported.
The others were busy moving the remaining materials and equipment from the laboratory, including beds from the staff dormitories, diaries, daily supplies, and everything else that remained.
Once all of that was cleared out,
he would try to pry off the materials lining the laboratory walls. Whatever they were, their shielding effect was remarkably effective.
Later, he'd also test whether the drill bit could penetrate the glass casing to fully extract the three mines inside.
"Biao Zi, come with me for a walk upstairs."
"Yes, sir."
Soon—
The two of them took the service elevator all the way up to the surface, arriving at the center of the valley.
Chen Mang leaned on his cane as he surveyed the surroundings. The surrounding mountains completely enclosed the area, blocking all lines of sight. There was no telling which region they were in, but the Train Radio displayed it as "Unknown Territory."
He had a rough idea, though.
After the apocalypse,
the entire planet had been divided into countless regions. But... there were always remote corners that fell outside any designated zone. This must be one of those unknown territories.
"..."
He chuckled as he looked around. By now, he had fully grasped the nature of the apocalypse and just how chaotic this planet had become. But none of that mattered.
As long as his Train continued growing stronger bit by bit,
no matter what happened to this planet,
he would survive.
Even if death was inevitable one day, he would make sure to live spectacularly until then—to stir up enough commotion to match this brief yet dazzling life.
"Let's head back."
"Huh? Oh—yes, Lord Mang."
Biao Zi, standing behind Lord Mang, had been eagerly waiting for some heartfelt words from him. He'd even rehearsed what he would say in response. But before he could utter a word, after standing there for just a short while, they were already leaving.
Hadn't Lord Mang called him up here alone for a heart-to-heart?
"Watch your step, Lord Mang."
Though countless thoughts raced through his mind, Biao Zi quickly snapped back to attention, holding the elevator door open. "I'll insert the Energy Stone. You go ahead, Lord Mang. There's a refrigerator inside—standing in it will make the descent much more comfortable. Otherwise, the rapid drop can cause intense weightlessness."
An hour later,
the laboratory had been completely emptied.
Chen Mang maneuvered the Train, its level 100 drill bit spinning at high speed as it bore into the glass casing, quickly carving out a large hole. Immediately, a group of residents leaped down with pickaxes, squeezing through the opening to begin mining.
Though the glass casing was vast,
it could only accommodate a maximum of 1,000 residents mining at once—there simply wasn't space for more.
These days, mining on the Train had become a competitive affair. If you took a smoke break, you'd return to find no spot left for you.
These three level 4 Iron Ore mines were estimated to hold a staggering 30 million units of iron ore!
An enormous haul!
But after all, it was a Level 4 Iron Ore deposit. One unit of Level 4 Iron Ore was equivalent to 1,000 units of Level 1 Iron Ore, so the mining speed would still be much faster—not too slow at all.
"Tsk tsk."
Sitting inside the train compartment, Chen Mang couldn't help but grin ear to ear as he watched the scene outside the train. "A single swing of that pickaxe is like getting dozens of units of iron ore. Three Level 4 Iron Ore deposits—this is great."
"Not bad at all. If only such opportunities came more often."
He hadn't found any Energy Stones in the lab.
That meant the energy hub powering the entire Train Tunnel and the lab's light fixtures wasn't located here—it was likely somewhere else.
After the first batch of residents mined for 10 hours, they were replaced by a second group. Once the second group finished their 10-hour shift, another 1,000 residents took over.
Roughly 26 hours later...
After continuous, uninterrupted mining for 26 hours, all three Level 4 Iron Ore deposits were completely exhausted!
A total of 30 million units of Iron Ore had been secured!
Chen Mang glanced at the resource totals displayed on the Train Panel.
「40.21 million units of Iron Ore, 2.19 million units of Copper Ore, 2.47 million units of Timber, 4.48 million units of Crimson Heartstone.」
He had never been this rich before.
Never.
This stroke of luck in the Train Tunnel, combined with swindling Mundo, had directly inflated the train's mineral reserves to astronomical levels.
"Today is a good day, a very good day..."
The Stellar Train, now fully loaded, once again entered the Train Tunnel, following the tracks back toward the Blue Zone—Crisis Valley.
Seated inside the train compartment, Chen Mang couldn't help but hum a cheerful tune.
The corners of his lips kept curling upward uncontrollably.
Almost reaching his ears.
It was pure, unrestrained joy.
He wasn't someone who usually wore his emotions on his sleeve. He had always believed he could keep his feelings tightly locked away—that as long as he didn't want to show them, they would never leak out.
But...
Now he realized that when someone suddenly comes into a windfall, it's impossible to contain.
"Once we're back, I'll offer three sticks of incense to the heavens!"
"Roll three of the finest cigars!"
"And splurge on a feast—have Uncle Li round up some cattle, sheep, and pigs to slaughter so everyone can eat well."
"Train Conductor..."
Xiao Ai interjected gloomily, "The train isn't like before when there were only a hundred or so people. Now there are over 5,000 residents. Even if you slaughter a few cattle and sheep, the portions per person would be tiny."
"Not to mention, according to your own plans, isn't that supposed to be the breeding stock? If we slaughter them all, who'll be left to breed?"
"Fair point."
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully, then chuckled. "But we still have to celebrate good news. Launch a vote on all residents' Iris Chips—tell them the boss is in a great mood today and wants to celebrate. Ask everyone how they'd like to mark the occasion."
"Should we watch another movie? Or wait until I upgrade to Level 12 Armor and see if we can scavenge some supplies from the City Ruins to throw a proper banquet."
"Understood."
"What's up?"
In the Resident Carriage, Lao Zhu, who had been chatting with a resident, turned his head toward a rather handsome young man sitting by a laptop and asked casually, "What is it?"
This young man was responsible for writing novels aboard the train—one of the residents' entertainment activities.
"Well..."
The young man said somewhat nervously, "A few days ago, I slipped and fell backward while taking a shower. My whole body hurts. I've been enduring it, but it's been affecting my writing progress a bit. So I was wondering if I could apply for some medicinal spray to treat the bruises and sprains."
"..."
Lao Zhu slightly furrowed his brows and waved his hand. "Go ahead. Just tell the clerk at the Resident Store. I'll inform Director Ai later to give them the instructions. Go on."
Then he turned his attention to the middle-aged man in front of him.
"Aren't you a stand-up comedian? How's the script I asked you to prepare last time coming along?"
"It's ready."
The middle-aged man hurriedly pulled a script from his pocket and handed it over. "This is something I worked on during my free time, centered around the theme of the apocalypse. I've rehearsed it several times in private. Train Conductor Zhu, I can perform it whenever you need."
"Not bad."
After skimming through it briefly, Lao Zhu looked up at the man. "Can you do facial expressions? Show me one—something excited."
The middle-aged man immediately put on an exaggerated expression of excitement, wide-eyed, his right hand pressed against his jaw, his face quickly flushing red.
"Hmm."
Lao Zhu frowned slightly. "Lacks emotional intensity. Watch me and learn."
"Uncle Li."
The young man standing by the entrance of the Resident Store in the corner of the carriage watched the scene from a distance, confused. "Why does Train Conductor Zhu even know how to do facial expressions? Do side jobs these days require performing stand-up for the main boss?"
"Does he also have to start meetings with, 'Well, well, look who's here today—now that's what I call authentic!'"
"It's called 'many skills make light work.'"
"But isn't he a bit too skilled? Feels like he can do everything."
"You think everyone's like you, a small-town youth?"
"Hey, Uncle Li, that's not fair. You know how much I hate that term. Just because I earn a little less and live in a small town doesn't mean I deserve that label. I used to be perfectly happy until people started calling me a 'small-town youth'—that's when I began feeling down."
Uncle Li patted the young man's shoulder apologetically. "Don't take it to heart. I didn't mean it like that."
"I've always thought you're highly driven and very goal-oriented."
"Most of the time, it's not your fault you don't earn much—it's society's fault. But, well, it's the apocalypse now. No point talking about this."
"No matter what others say about you..."
"You'll always be that bright, cheerful, and hardworking young man in Uncle Li's eyes."
"Uncle Li."
"Yeah?"
"Your compliments are so cringey—they reek of middle-aged cheesiness."
"Uh..."
"You can do this too?"
After Lao Zhu finished giving instructions, Biao Zi sidled up to him, winking and nudging. "Did you just pick this up recently? Planning to perform a solo stand-up for Lord Mang?"
"..."
Lao Zhu remained expressionless for a moment before speaking softly. "My mother was intellectually disabled, and my father was deaf and mute. People like them tend to have exaggerated expressions because communication is hard. They worry others won't understand their emotions or goodwill."
"Especially smiles."
"Have you ever seen a deaf-mute person's smile?"
"They were laughing quite exaggeratedly, accompanied by various gestures. Because they couldn't express themselves through words, deaf-mutes worry that you might not sense their goodwill, so their expressions tend to be exaggerated. This technique is also known in comedy as 'making faces.'"
"'Making faces' means conveying your emotions as clearly as possible to the audience at a glance."
"Both comedians and deaf-mutes strive to achieve this."
"If you also had a deaf-mute father, you'd know how to make faces too."
"Huh?"
Biao Zi froze slightly in place, his smile quickly fading as he scrambled to stand up straight, stammering incoherently: "Uh... my condolences, my condolences. I've got some stuff to do over there, I'll head off now."
"Don't take what I just said to heart, okay? I was just talking nonsense."
"Uh, take it easy, I'll go handle my business now."
After passing through the long tunnel, Chen Mang didn't continue along the Train Tunnel toward the Mechanical Train. Instead, he stopped at the edge of Crisis Valley, switched to Bunny Cloud Wheels, and found the hole he had drilled earlier.
He made his way back up from deep underground to the surface.
Planning to stay and rest for a while.
He didn't bother sealing the hole. If someone detected it, so be it—there was no way to completely block it off. Still, it was a shame; his secret base was now at risk of exposure.
"Upgrade the Armor first!"
The Stellar Train was parked on the wasteland. Night had just fallen, the sky darkening not long ago.
Sitting inside the train, Chen Mang looked at the series of data on the control panel screen. Naturally, upgrading the Armor was the priority. It didn't require much—just reaching Level 12 Armor, and he'd be absolutely safe in this area. Even if he encountered a Level 12 monster, he wouldn't fear it!
Worth mentioning:
The Supermodel Effect of the Drill Bit after reaching Level 100 showed no changes—it was still getting harder and faster.
Pure hardness and speed.
He hadn't yet found a way to perfectly integrate the "Drill Bit" and "Train Expansion." He wanted to keep the Drill Bit as an attachment while also transforming the train into a heavy-duty one. He refused to compromise, pondering whether there was a middle ground or a perfect solution to have both.
Upgrading from Level 8 to Level 9 Armor cost 500,000 units of Iron Ore per Carriage.
From Level 9 to Level 10, it was 700,000 units per Carriage.
From Level 10 to Level 11:
1 million units of Iron Ore.
For 15 Carriages and one Train Head, the total cost was 16 million units of Iron Ore. With Halved Consumption, it only required 8 million units!
After spending 8 million units of Iron Ore, the Stellar Train's Armor successfully reached Level 11!
And the Stellar Train still had 32.21 million units of Iron Ore left.
Barely a scratch.
Without hesitation.
Upgrading from Level 11 to Level 12 Armor cost 1.5 million units per Carriage.
A total of 24 million units of Iron Ore!
With Halved Consumption, that was 12 million units!
After another expenditure of 12 million units, all 15 Carriages and the Train Head of the Stellar Train had their Armor upgraded to Level 12.
Thus—
In this area, the Blue Zone "Crisis Valley," not a single monster will be able to harm the Stellar Train.
Oh, well, they can still damage the external accessories like the "Powerful Magnet" and "External Loudspeaker."
What a curse.
Every time there's a fight, these accessories inevitably get damaged and have to be repaired repeatedly. The cost of repairing just the "External Loudspeaker" alone could have been enough to completely rebuild several new ones.
Fortunately, they're all low-grade accessories, so they don't cost much.
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!