"Lord Mang has truly seen dragons, and has definitely slain more than one!"
"Do dragons really exist in this world?"
"Wait... Lord Mang killed dragons before the apocalypse? So does that mean he's now... a Cultivator?"
"This plot twist is a bit unexpected..."
Biao Zi took several deep breaths to calm himself before leading his team toward Guard Carriage No. 7: "Let me process this—my mind's completely scrambled right now."
Third Squad Leader and Zhang Da Mei, standing nearby, were even more bewildered.
After standing dazed for a long while, they too led their teams back to their respective carriages.
"Superpowers or Cultivation?"
Biao Zi shook his head as he looked at everyone in the carriage: "I'm not sure about that. Lord Mang didn't explain in detail, but one thing's certain—even before the apocalypse, there were extraordinary individuals in hidden corners of the world. We just never knew about them."
"And their numbers must have been extremely few."
"Lord Mang was undoubtedly one of the most exceptional among them!"
"Hah..."
Lao Zhu exhaled deeply and nodded in agreement: "This explains so much. I was the first to follow Lord Mang. When I first saw him, I immediately sensed an incredibly strong sense of conviction and presence about him."
"That particular kind of conviction—the absolute determination to accomplish something."
"Most people, when doing something with uncertain outcomes, constantly doubt themselves. They need external validation or small achievements to keep going."
"But there's a rare few who need no outside affirmation. Even when seeing no results initially, they remain utterly convinced their path will eventually succeed."
"That's true conviction."
"And Lord Mang radiates it powerfully."
"I've always wondered—how could someone with Lord Mang's extraordinary presence, clearly no ordinary man, end up as a Slave after just one year of apocalypse? Especially since he'd never been a Train Conductor before. From our conversations, it was obvious he genuinely knew nothing about trains."
"So..."
"Where was Lord Mang during that first apocalyptic year? What was his position? What was he doing?"
"He's never told us any of this."
"But now we have the answer. When doomsday struck, Lord Mang happened to be in seclusion for Cultivation. When he emerged, he found the world already ended. Most likely, the apocalypse caused his Cultivation breakthrough to fail, causing his power to regress."
"These days, his Cultivation has been gradually recovering."
"Only you could piece this together." Biao Zi looked at Lao Zhu with admiration. "Your deductive reasoning has always been sharp. This explanation makes perfect sense. Honestly, I feel even more confident about the Stellar's future now."
"After all, following a Train Conductor who's slain dragons before—even if we encounter dragons again, we shouldn't fear them, right?"
"Exactly."
Lao Zhu sighed emotionally: "Our fortune is truly remarkable, to encounter Lord Mang in this apocalyptic world. Alright, everyone keep this confidential. Lord Mang being a Cultivator mustn't spread for now."
"Understood."
"You all carry on. I need to rush back and record this scene in the 'Train Development History'—it's crucially important!"
However—
The scene that had just unfolded was displayed on screens throughout the train. Everyone inside seemed frozen in place, staring blankly at the now-darkened screens before them.
Their minds kept replaying what they had just witnessed.
Thunder rolling across the heavens, ten thousand swords raining down.
No—
If Lord Mang had simply used the automatic cannon to blast away the Corpse Tide, they would have been excited too—after all, every Zombie killed meant greater safety within the train. But Lord Mang had merely raised his cane and annihilated them all with a single strike of ten thousand swords?!
Does this mean Lord Mang will have to face heavenly tribulation next?
"Big bro..."
The man who had once been part of the Azure Dragon Train stared dazedly at the darkened screen. "Has Lord Mang always been like this?"
The middle-aged man, equally stunned, took a deep breath before nodding firmly. "Yes, exactly like this."
"We once encountered an even more terrifying monster. Lord Mang obliterated it instantly with that same ten thousand swords technique."
"Don't believe me? Ask the others."
The man instinctively turned to another long-time resident beside him, who nodded earnestly. "It's true."
"No wonder the Stellar developed so quickly..."
"So damn cool..."
Yan Yao sat by the window with her legs crossed, her long, snow-white thighs exposed to the air. Gazing at the carnage of Zombie flesh outside, she couldn't help but replay that scene in her mind.
So. Damn. Cool.
She'd seen plenty of handsome men before—those from the entertainment industry, fitness gurus, wealthy businessmen...
Each had their own masculine charm, whether in looks, demeanor, eloquence, or wealth.
But...
All those so-called masculine charms paled in comparison to what she'd just witnessed. There was no comparison—it wasn't even the same league.
That was absolute control, the supreme confidence in one's own power that radiated absolute safety. It made you feel that even in the apocalypse, following behind Lord Mang might still mean death—but you'd definitely die later than if you followed anyone else.
For a moment, she felt the urge to knock on the train compartment door and melt into Lord Mang's embrace.
Except Lord Mang had explicitly forbidden her and the others from seeking him out.
"He is quite handsome," Ji Chuchu murmured with a soft laugh, shaking off her daze as she lifted a bowl of millet porridge. "How could such a capable, impressive man have gone unnoticed before the apocalypse?"
She then turned to Xiao Fang sitting on the bed behind her. "Thank you, Xiao Fang. The porridge is delicious."
"No need to thank me," Xiao Fang replied shyly, cheeks pink. "I'm just sharing what Lord Mang gave me—it was too much for me alone."
"But that move Lord Mang just did... it was really amazing..."
In a place unknown to the others, Chen Mang sat in the train compartment, cycling through footage from the Mechanical Eyes positioned throughout the train. Listening to everyone's awed reactions, he couldn't help but grin in satisfaction.
Damn right it was cool.
He switched to the footage of his own attack, recorded by the Mechanical Eyes.
"Hey, tell Lao Zhu something—dry, text-only training materials are boring. Use video demonstrations with explanations. Much more intuitive."
"Understood."
Under the effects of the "Weather Control Device" and "Powerful Magnet" components...
As long as he held his staff and stood within 10,000 meters of the Train, he was the absolute Magneto, the Sword Immortal!
Beyond 10,000 meters, it wouldn't work.
Only within this range could the staff remotely control the Train.
And that wasn't even its full power just now.
He had used a level 50 Train Blade Fragment earlier, but his "Train Blade" was already at level 100. In a few days, he planned to build an ordinary Carriage and dismantle some more Train Blade Fragments—then the power would be even greater.
Not now, though.
Everyone was still immersed in the current atmosphere. Doing this now would ruin the mood and affect his image.
That last move had consumed 96% of his energy.
It completely drained the nearly full level 3 Energy Stone in the "Generator," but... it didn't matter. He had already crafted a new level 4 Energy Stone and tossed it to Xiao Ai to insert into the Generator.
A level 3 Energy Stone only required 50,000 units of Iron Ore.
Now that he had more Iron Ore, he would only use level 4 Energy Stones—level 3 ones were beneath him now.
Theoretically speaking...
If he could upgrade his "Train Blade" to level 1000, then upgrade the "Powerful Magnet" to level 1000 as well, and pair them with a level 8 or 9 Energy Stone...
He would directly become an Immortal Emperor!
The Doomsday Immortal Emperor!
A single move like "Ten Thousand Swords Descend" would leave no blade of grass standing!
To be honest, the energy cost for such attacks wasn't low. They were far less cost-effective than the "Doomsday Cannon" or deploying Guardians. They worked well against lower-level monsters, but against higher-level ones, even throwing in a barrage of Train Blade Fragments would hardly deal fatal damage—especially to larger creatures.
But it was undeniably cool.
A man's life...
When times are tough, it's normal to be frugal and bear hardships for the sake of greater goals. That's a real man!
But once you're wealthy, if you're still stingy with yourself... that's just pathetic.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang looked quite satisfied. Indeed, he needed to upgrade all those seemingly insignificant components. There was no telling whether their future "Supermodel Effect" would be overpowered or useless—he had to upgrade them all to find out.
Moreover...
He could still feel his connection to the "Powerful Magnet." He had secretly experimented earlier—this magnet wasn't limited to just this use. If he was willing to expend enough energy, he could even hurl an enemy's Train into the air and slam it back down!
Though with components like "Permanent Shock Absorption" and "Space Stabilizer," the chances of them dying from the fall weren't high.
But it was undeniably cool!
He had also tested controlling bullets, but only those made from "Copper Ore." He couldn't control energy-based weapons like the "Tidal Gatling Gun," which consumed Energy Stones.
Those were energy weapons.
But he needed sufficient distance and reaction time. If someone fired point-blank at his head, he wouldn't be able to react—his reflexes weren't that fast yet.
Still, it was a decent self-defense measure.
Good.
Chen Mang turned his attention back to the unupgraded components on the control panel's screen.
1,348,750 units of Iron Ore remained.
Time for more upgrades!
The "Resource Detection Radar" and "Targeting Radar"—two of the more important ones—would both be upgraded!
In one go, he upgraded from level 20 directly to level 100, consuming a total of 4.8 million units of iron ore. Although these two accessories were green-tier, they cost slightly more to upgrade compared to other green-tier accessories—though of course, they still couldn't compare to armor.
He had never seen green-tier accessories that consumed more upgrade resources than "Armor."
Four supermodel effects were directly obtained!
And the detection range expanded from the original 20,000 meters to 100,000 meters.
-
"Resource Detection Radar Level 50 Supermodel Effect": None.
"Resource Detection Radar Level 100 Supermodel Effect": None.
"Targeting Radar Level 50 Supermodel Effect": Can more accurately lock onto fast-moving enemies.
"Targeting Radar Level 100 Supermodel Effect": None.
-
Excellent.
After the radar upgrades, even while the train remained on the surface without delving underground, the radar now displayed a "Train Tunnel" located 30,000 meters below. Future detection ranges would be even greater.
Moreover—
He also detected another "Train Tunnel" at a depth of 70,000 meters underground.
"There's more?"
Chen Mang was slightly stunned. Who else could possibly find something so deep besides him?
At the speed of a Level 3 drill bit, how long would it take to reach 70,000 meters underground?!
Let's check it out.
Without further upgrades, he immediately switched the train to drill mode and drove straight toward the depths of the earth!
He suddenly realized that everything seemed to have entered a positive feedback loop.
The higher the accessory levels, the more opportunities he discovered. The more opportunities he discovered, the higher the accessory levels rose. The higher the accessory levels, the more opportunities he found.
A perfect virtuous cycle.
Just then—
Xiao Ai's voice suddenly came from inside the train: "Train Conductor, the 'Cosmic Receiver' we brought from the 'Laboratory' has been fully calibrated and is ready to activate at any time."
"Good."
Chen Mang nodded with a smile. "We'll check it out later."
What was going on lately? Weren't there just too many good things happening? Back in the Zombie Basin, he had worried about using up all his good luck—was this some kind of premature overdraft? After arriving at "Crisis Valley," it had been nothing but crises.
But now—
"Crisis Valley" seemed a bit misnamed. He really hadn't felt any crisis here.
The train rapidly descended deeper.
Only then did Chen Mang notice for the first time that as the train went deeper underground, its speed gradually decreased. He nodded thoughtfully—it seemed he didn't need to worry about anyone discovering the train tunnel at 30,000 meters.
That place would remain his secret base.
The deeper underground, the harder the terrain became. The Level 3 drill bit seemed unable to penetrate such depths effectively.
As for the train tunnel at 70,000 meters—forget about it.
No one else could possibly find it.
After more than half an hour—
The Stellar Train finally arrived at the "Train Tunnel" located 70,000 meters underground. Once again, the Level 100 drill bit pressed roughly against the tunnel's outer shell and began spinning rapidly.
None of that nonsense about restricted access.
Anywhere his drill could break through was a place he could enter!
One minute later.
A hole was successfully breached in the train tunnel, and the Stellar Train smoothly entered, floating mid-tunnel before gently landing on the ground. The layout here was somewhat similar to the train tunnel at 30,000 meters—
Only smaller.
The Train Tunnel above was nearly a hundred meters wide and tall, spacious enough for a skyscraper to run through—if buildings could run, that is.
But this Train Tunnel.
Was only ten meters high and five meters wide.
Much more compact.
And it didn't seem like a Train Tunnel at all, with no markings on the ground, though there were quite a few constantly lit Incandescent Lamps on both sides of the tunnel.
(End of chapter)