Translator: AnubisTL
"Indeed, it's a bit troublesome," Chen Mang agreed.
Xiao Ai nodded in agreement and walked to Chen Mang's side, arms crossed as she gazed into the distance. "Creating a wormhole requires the train's Seven-Colored Accessory, the Wormhole Opener. However, we don't have that accessory yet. It can be obtained in the Seven-Colored Zone."
"There's only one Seven-Colored Zone," Chen Mang said.
"Located on the Equator," Xiao Ai confirmed. "All trains that successfully enter the Seven-Colored Zone can ignore regional restrictions and travel freely to any zone."
"Then," Chen Mang continued with a smile, "Neon City will have a surge of customers, and the train will gain many residents, accelerating Dreamstone production."
"Exactly," Xiao Ai agreed. "We can also distribute Neon City Free Entry Tickets on the other two planets currently experiencing the apocalypse, as well as... other planets."
"There's something I've been wondering," Chen Mang said.
"Ask away, Train Conductor," Xiao Ai replied.
"Those two planets aren't far from Aquablue Star. Why didn't Aquablue Star discover them before the apocalypse?"
"I'm not sure about that."
Xiao Ai paused, then continued on the wormhole topic: "There are two ways to enter a wormhole tunnel. One is to enter from the beginning and travel to the end, which consumes very few resources."
"The other is to know the wormhole coordinates and forcibly open a tunnel to that location. This method consumes significantly more resources."
"Besides that..."
"There are many complex considerations. Some wormholes are two-way, while others are one-way, allowing travel in only one direction."
"Let's discuss that later."
Chen Mang interrupted Xiao Ai, then fell silent for a long moment before speaking softly. "Tomorrow, we'll hold a celebration banquet in Neon City. After that, we'll fully extract all fifty Tier 5 Mines and advance into the Red Zone, preparing to push into the Seven-Colored Zone."
"Once we've completely unified Aquablue Star, we'll prepare to travel to that mining star."
"So..."
"Aquablue Star was the Newbie Village all along? I always thought the Iron Ridge Wasteland was the Newbie Village."
Xiao Ai shrugged and chuckled. "Every stage has its own Newbie Village."
"Stop shrugging like that."
"What's wrong, Train Conductor?"
"The way you've set up that action looks really sleazy."
"...I'll adjust it later."
The night was deep and quiet.
The residents were excitedly discussing the day's events, while Xiao Ai had returned to the Mecha Research Center to organize his database. In a way, the database left behind by this AI might be the most valuable asset, containing a wealth of information.
And...
"...?"
Chen Mang stared silently at the control panel screen. Xiao Ai had just informed him that a piece of information in the database was highlighted in red.
"All information regarding the Mechanical Civilization should be based on this database. Any information that contradicts this database is incorrect. This database has not been modified in any way."
This time, the rewards were incredibly generous.
They surpassed the combined rewards from all his fortuitous encounter maps.
Especially the fifty Tier 5 Mine Refresh Tickets.
He'd checked them.
Each Tier 5 iron mine contained a staggering one hundred million units of iron ore. Ten mines would yield a billion units!
This not only replenished everything he'd spent but also provided a significant boost to the train's overall strength!
He intended to lead all humans from Aquablue Star to explore the cosmos, make contact with as many civilizations as possible, distribute more Neon City Entry Tickets, diversify goods, and trade with numerous civilizations to acquire resources.
His goal was to establish human civilization firmly within the cosmos.
He possessed an advantage no one else had. Even Princess Tuotuo of the Mechanical Civilization could only upgrade her AI to Tier 200 before becoming reluctant to push it further. But if he wished, he could fully upgrade his AI to Tier 999.
The only requirement was sufficient resources.
More, more, even more.
Creating a wormhole was an incredibly complex process.
Space in the cosmos was constantly fluctuating. Only certain zones remained stable enough to support the creation of a wormhole that would remain open for safe passage. Without knowing the precise coordinates of these stable zones, any wormhole created would instantly collapse, consuming vast resources in vain.
Therefore, creating a functional wormhole required two conditions:
1: The ability to create wormholes and sufficient resources.
2: Ensure the spatial zones at the initial and destination points are stable and their specific coordinates are known.
"..."
Chen Mang looked up at the starry sky, trying to find the mining star he was planning to travel to.
He couldn't find it.
So many stars...
The cosmos is so vast...
He turned his head to Xiao Lu beside him, cradling the creature in his arms and gently pinching its pink nose. "You've been lucky following me, Xiao Lu. You can eat as many stars as you want from now on."
The data contained information about Xiao Lu:
S-Class Cosmic Behemoth: Star-Devouring Beast.
Feeds on mining stars.
Can reach Level 180 upon maturity. Its normal form remains the same as its juvenile state, but its swallowing and combat forms can expand to 0.01 light-years wide!
That description wasn't very intuitive. It made the creature sound like a tiny thing.
Let's put it another way:
A distance of 0.01 light-years could fit 3 million Aquablue Stars side by side.
That might make it seem more tangible. With such a terrifying swallowing form, it could swallow mining stars whole, crunching them down like Maltesers.
In the AI's database, the most powerful Giant Beast Car in the history of the Mechanical Civilization belonged to its final leader. The Cosmic Behemoth bred by this car was B-Tier.
Upon reaching adulthood, it reached Tier 80.
On the battlefield, it was invincible, slaughtering Zerg armies with ease!
As for A-Rank Cosmic Behemoth cubs, the Mechanical Civilization had never even seen one. It was said they had paid a heavy price to obtain the B-Tier cub.
And yet...
He had picked up an S-Class Cosmic Behemoth cub?
The cub had originally been on Master Kun's Train. Who was this Master Kun? He couldn't be a reincarnated individual, could he? Otherwise, Chen Mang couldn't imagine why an S-Class Cosmic Behemoth cub, something even the Mechanical Civilization had never encountered, would be on Master Kun's Train.
But now, it was his.
"Good luck!"
Chen Mang patted Xiao Lu's head. "One day, let's get Xiao Lu to pull our carriage. We'll imitate the Nine Dragons Coffin Pull. That would be an awe-inspiring sight."
He once said that Xiao Lu's value might surpass that of the entire Aquablue Star.
Now, it seemed his vision had determined his understanding. Not only was Xiao Lu worth more than the entire Aquablue Star, but if you were to put a price on it, it might even be worth more than the entire Mechanical Civilization. After all, the strongest train in the Mechanical Civilization was only Tier 91.
Once Xiao Lu reached adulthood, she would be Tier 180, easily capable of taking on both the Mechanical Civilization and the Zerg Civilization simultaneously.
One against two.
Even with both civilizations pouring all their resources into the fight, they couldn't even break through Xiao Lu's defenses.
Where did this little creature come from? Surely she didn't just fall out of thin air. Would her parents or someone else come seeking revenge later?
Two S-Class Cosmic Behemoths, the Star-Devouring Beasts, both at Tier 180 in their adult forms, were now causing trouble for the Stellaris.
Honestly, he didn't know how the Stellaris could survive this.
The cosmos was filled with so many dangerous elements. Fortunately, the Zerg Civilization's main forces were engaged in battle ahead. He could develop slowly in the rear, reach his peak, and then launch a devastating surprise attack on the Zerg Civilization.
The night passed.
That night...
All the residents were mining within the space gate. Chen Mang used one Tier 5 Iron Ore Refresh Ticket and one Tier 5 Copper Mine Refresh Token. After all, the celebration banquet the next day was to be held in Neon City.
The Stellaris was completely out of supplies.
Leaving no iron ore or copper ore on the train would leave Xiao Ai defenseless if he encountered danger while everyone was at the banquet.
Though it would be tiring, everyone's spirits were incredibly high.
Especially—
The children!
These children, who had been receiving education on the Stellaris, were originally not meant to participate in combat. But yesterday's chaos had left no one to watch them, and several had charged into the carriages to help carry zombies into the space gate.
Though their role was merely cleanup, and posed no real risk—the Stellaris and the guards had borne the brunt of the danger—the children's first close encounter with zombies, especially Tier 19 high-level ones, had left them sleepless and eager to wield pickaxes and join the mining effort.
They insisted on fighting alongside their "brothers."
"I've made up my mind," one of them declared.
The little fatty grinned widely. "I'm going to become a guard! I want to kill zombies! I don't want to do management anymore."
"You?"
A girl with a ponytail, hefting a hoe, slammed it heavily into the ground and pouted. "Your belly is so fat, you probably can't even squeeze into a mech cockpit. I don't know how you managed to get so round even after all this time in the apocalypse, when we've been starving for so long."
"This belly isn't from overeating. I got seriously ill before the apocalypse. After the medicine, it just stayed like this."
"What illness?"
"My parents didn't tell me. They just said it was nothing and not to worry."
Just then—
"Hey," a mischievous young boy approached, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. "I just had a dream where I performed a great deed. Lord Mang asked me if I wanted one trillion stellar coupons or Eternal Life."
"Which should I choose?"
"Take the trillion stellar coupons," the girl said, tilting her head, her eyes filled with longing. "That's a trillion! I'd hand it straight over to Lord Mang. Wouldn't that count as another great deed? Then I could choose another trillion, hand it over again, perform another great deed, and keep repeating the process."
"If we keep doing this..."
Teacher Qiu, walking by, lightly patted the little girl's head, her tone slightly exasperated. "If you keep going like this, the Stellaris will inflate to an alarming degree. Hurry up and go to sleep. You have classes tomorrow."
"Ah..."
Little Fatty immediately drooped his ears, looking aggrieved. "Teacher Qiu, it's the celebration banquet today. We want to go too."
"What would you do there? You didn't even earn any merit."
"We did! We pushed a zombie into the space gate!"
"Does that even count as merit?"
"Even if it doesn't, we just want to join the fun! Can't we skip class today?"
The next moment—
A voice echoed through the space gate, reaching every resident's ears:
The celebration banquet is about to begin. All residents are to line up in orderly groups of ten, following instructions to collect their Neon City Free Entry Tickets and proceed to the venue. Please be seated in order of your resident ID number.
The celebration banquet is about to begin...
The announcement repeated three times.
The residents, who had been mining all night, erupted in excited cheers. Despite their sleepless night, not a trace of fatigue showed on their faces.
Neon City Central Plaza.
The temporary stage erected overnight stood before rows of benches arranged below. Resident ID numbers were marked on the ground, with lower numbers indicating seats closer to the front.
"..."
Chen Mang stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of Sun City, gazing down at the residents gradually taking their seats below. Leaning on his cane, he remained silent, his expression calm.
"This celebration banquet is quite grand. It seems the Stellaris must have made significant progress outside," Sister Qi said, her cheongsam and shawl accentuating her alluring figure. She swayed her hips as she approached, a glass of red wine in hand, following Chen Mang's gaze. A faint smile played on her lips. "Am I right, Lord Mang?"
Chen Mang glanced at Sister Qi, paused for a moment, then continued, "Last time I asked if you knew the Mechanical Civilization had been completely annihilated. You said you didn't."
"Now I can tell you the answer."
"They've been utterly wiped out."
"But how long ago this happened remains unknown. Your Mechanical Civilization's calendar has become quite strange."
"There's virtually no chance of any Mechanical Civilization survivors. After their defeat, all their planets' wormhole coordinates were clearly revealed to their enemies. Perhaps some high-ranking Mechanical Civilization officials, having received advance warning, managed to escape their planets. But they only prolonged their suffering by a few days."
"The master of this city is undoubtedly long dead."
"Annihilated?" Sister Qi's eyes widened in momentary confusion. After a long pause, she murmured, "Then it must have been thousands of years ago. Before you arrived, this city hadn't been activated in ages."
"The celebration banquet has begun," Chen Mang said, glancing at the host on stage—the same person who used to sing otaku songs. Chen Mang had later assigned her to sing daily to boost the progress of the Civilization Token. Now, it seemed, her hosting skills had also been discovered.
Ever since the creation of mining robots, Old Pig had launched a comprehensive survey of all residents on the train, cataloging every ability, no matter how useless it seemed. He believed they might prove useful someday. Eventually, residents would retire from mining, replaced by the robots.
When that day came, their skills would determine their new roles.
With that, Chen Mang fell silent, turning to leave. Biaozi stood guard at the door, his expression grim.
Old Pig, responsible for maintaining order at the banquet, occasionally glanced at a chair in the front row, where the resident ID on the floor read "0002."
On the train, he was the second-highest-ranked resident after Lord Mang.
Lord Mang's ID was—
"0001."
When he and Uncle Li had first discussed the numbering system, they debated for a long time whether to assign Lord Mang ID "0000" or "0001." Ultimately, Uncle Li convinced him. Uncle Li argued that four zeros sounded unlucky, like everything was empty.
But "0001" sounded much better. As the saying goes, "From one comes two, from two comes three, and from three comes all things."
This perfectly illustrated that it was Lord Mang who made the Stellaris what it is today.
To be honest, Old Pig had always considered himself quite skilled at flattery. But after a few conversations with Uncle Li, he realized the old man was no slouch either. Uncle Li's ideas were fresh and innovative, and his flattery wasn't stiff or forced. He could actually construct a logically sound argument to support his praise.
Flattery was a delicate art.
Overly obvious flattery would only backfire, but if it was delivered with logical coherence, it was the perfect compliment.
As Old Pig directed his subordinates to quickly address any shortcomings, he kept glancing at his chair. He just wanted to savor the sight of that number—it looked so auspicious, so comforting.
The Stellaris might officially embark on its interstellar journey in three to five years.
After all, when he'd visited the locomotive cabin earlier and seen the Galaxy Map, he'd been completely stunned.
It was clear that the Stellaris's population base would soon explode. And the first 6,000 residents, who had followed the Stellaris from the start, would form its core backbone. The earlier their resident IDs, the higher their status and benefits would become.
His resident ID, #0002, placed him truly second only to one person, perhaps even more influential than the train conductor himself. This was his seniority, openly displayed for all to see. He had been Lord Mang's second-in-command since the very beginning of his rise to power.
Just then—
Old Pig's eyes lit up as he spotted Lord Mang approaching with Biaozi. He hurried forward to greet him. "Lord Mang, we've been waiting for you to give the opening remarks."
"Mm."
Chen Mang nodded slightly before walking alone to the stage, leaning on his cane. He gazed at the expectant residents below, paused for a moment, and then chuckled softly.
"Victory!"
"This is the Stellaris's first celebration banquet, but certainly not the last. I won't waste time with formalities. Let's get straight to the point."
"Everyone contributed significantly to this fortuitous encounter map. Among them, Resident #3778, whose resident ID you may not recognize, single-handedly pushed twelve zombies into a refrigerator last night."
"This feat ranks him first among all residents."
"Let's give him a round of applause as he comes on stage!"
In the crowd below...
Old Pig quickly glanced at his notebook. The list of honorees and the award ceremony procedures for the celebration banquet had been finalized long ago. He turned to the young man behind him and said urgently, "Remember to answer exactly as I taught you. Don't mess up, understand?"
"Hurry up and go on stage! Stand up straight!"
Last night, when he reported the banquet's agenda to Lord Mang, the lord had insisted on selecting a meritorious resident to be honored on stage. After searching, the young man was the only one who even remotely fit the bill.
He was only seventeen or eighteen years old—a time of youthful vigor. Old Pig was genuinely worried the young man might say something shocking.
To prevent him from making a mistake, Old Pig had repeatedly drilled him. No matter how Lord Mang questioned him, these few generic phrases should suffice. Old Pig understood why Lord Mang wanted to honor a resident and why he had specifically chosen the young man to be the first on stage. This meant the young man held particular significance.
It was a pity, though. If the young man who wrote novels, Resident No. 1999, had completed his mission at the last moment, he would have been the most deserving honoree. But now, it felt somewhat inappropriate.
"A handsome young man," Chen Mang said with a smile, sizing up the young man who had just walked up from the crowd. "Last night, among all the residents, you pushed the most zombies through the space gate—a full twelve. You've got some strength, young man."
"Looks like the food on the Stellaris is pretty good?"
"Good?" The young man stammered, slightly flustered. "I was always hungry on the old trains. I almost starved to death, too weak to move. It wasn't until I came to the Stellaris that I finally knew what it felt like to be full."
"The Stellaris is like a savior in this apocalypse, pulling me out of hell."
The residents in the crowd burst into laughter at the young man's awkwardness, and the solemn atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed.
At that moment, Xiao Fang walked onto the stage, carrying a tray in both hands. On the tray lay a medal. Chen Mang had crafted it overnight using his Mechanical Heart. The design was quite impressive: entirely black, lacking the ostentatious gold of other medals, but exuding a quiet, domineering aura. It felt heavy in the hand.
Chen Mang picked up the medal from the tray, stepped forward, and personally pinned it to the young man's chest. He then put his arm around the young man's shoulder and turned to the crowd, smiling. "This is the first 'Ordinary Medal' issued by the Stellaris."
"This medal was crafted, designed, and named by me personally. It's a medal exclusively for our residents."
"Named 'Mortal,' it represents the belief that even the most ordinary person will eventually have their moment to shine."
"The Stellaris is a magnificent platform!"
"Here, everyone can find meaning and purpose in their lives amidst the apocalypse. My goal is to make this platform bigger, and bigger, and even bigger still."
"Each medal represents the highest honor."
"The contributions of every medal recipient will be forever recorded in the 'History of Train Development,' for future generations to study and admire."
"Is there anything you'd like as a reward?"
"No reward is necessary."
The young man shook his head firmly, reciting a line he had rehearsed countless times: "It's my honor to contribute to the Stellaris. Without Lord Mang, I might have perished in the apocalypse long ago. I wouldn't have had the chance to stand here today."
The crowd of residents below stared intently at the awards ceremony on stage, some casting envious glances at the medal pinned to the young man's chest.
That's no medal, Mom!
It's a Golden Death Exemption Token!
As long as that young man doesn't betray us or occasionally slacks off while mining, who would dare say a word to him?
Many eyes were filled with jealousy. They knew this might have been the easiest time ever to obtain the "Ordinary Medal." This nameless nobody had lucked out, and it stung.
Others secretly encouraged themselves, reminding themselves that Lord Mang saw every contribution, even from residents. Sooner or later, they too would claim this medal.
Standing below the stage, Old Pig nodded with satisfaction. The young man had performed well. Perhaps he could be used more often in the future.
"Rewards are essential," Chen Mang said with a chuckle, pausing before asking, "Do you have any minor health issues that have been bothering you?"
"Yes," the young man replied.
The young man hesitated, glancing sideways at Old Pig in the audience. This line wasn't in the script, but seeing the encouraging look in Old Pig's eyes, he answered honestly, "I have rhinitis. Whenever I eat something hot, my nose starts running and I start sneezing uncontrollably. I tried many treatments before the apocalypse, but nothing worked."
"No problem," Chen Mang said with a smile. "Afterward, go find Old Pig and get a full body repair in the medical bay. You'll never have that problem again."
"Oh, that's not necessary," the young man said quickly, shaking his head. "Thank you for the kind offer, Lord Mang, but I eat cold bread every day. I haven't had anything hot in ages, so my rhinitis hasn't flared up in a long time."
"Really, it's not necessary, Lord Mang."
Chen Mang's smile slowly froze.
The previously harmonious atmosphere in the audience suddenly fell silent.
"It's over, it's all over!" Old Pig, standing in the audience, pinched his index finger tightly against his philtrum. His vision blurred, and he wished he could faint and wake up to find it was all just a nightmare. It was completely ruined.
Why did you have to say that now?
It was practically the same as pointing at Lord Mang and shouting that the Stellaris's food was terrible, so bad that they couldn't even get a hot meal.
"Do you have any idea how luxurious it is to eat a full meal every day in the apocalypse?"
I can understand him saying that in private.
But to say it in front of all the residents, in front of so many people... this guy is definitely not making it through the night. And his professional record will be permanently stained.
"I..."
The young man finally realized what he'd said. His voice trembled with tears as he stammered, "Lord Mang, I... I didn't mean it like that. I meant it's fine if we don't get hot food. I have rhinitis anyway, and I don't like hot food. No, no... I..."
Chen Mang patted the young man's shoulder, cutting him off. He then turned to the residents below, smiling. "Is that so? From now on, all residents can choose between bread and steamed buns for their daily rations."
He turned to Old Pig below. "Get the boiler room to heat up everyone's food."
"Old Pig, you were wrong to handle things this way."
"Everyone has worked hard for the train. Shouldn't they at least get one hot meal a day?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Old Pig, standing below, nodded frantically. "I'll take care of it right away. I didn't consider that properly."
He managed to keep a straight face, but his heart was as cold as ashes.
So the residents' daily ration of thirty slices of bread only cost three units of iron ore.
Now, residents, you'll each receive fifteen meat sandwiches every day. That's fifteen units of iron ore per person.
Daily basic food consumption alone now stands at 90,000 units of iron ore, a threefold increase from before. While the Solar Energy Panels can still cover this, and the Stellaris train can easily handle such resource consumption, there's a crucial difference.
A decision made by Lord Mang himself is entirely different from one forced upon you by someone like me, leaving you stuck in a no-win situation.
Old Pig wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and glanced at the residents, who remained silent, too afraid to celebrate. Taking a deep breath, he forced a wide smile and shouted, clapping loudly, "Excellent!"
"Thank you, Lord Mang!"
With his lead, the residents erupted in cheers, their faces flushed with excitement. Upgrading their daily food intake was a massive leap in their quality of life.
"Thank you, Lord Mang!"
"Long live Lord Mang!"
"Lord Mang is awesome!"
Shouts of all kinds filled the air, though disorganized, the collective roar still sent shivers down the spine.
"Alright," Chen Mang said, patting the young man's shoulder with a smile. "Now you can finally get that rhinitis treated. Go on down. Next up is Biaozi, whom you all know well from last night's fortuitous encounter map. He completed eleven missions."
"You completed the most tasks."
"Without Biaozi, the Stellaris might have suffered a crushing defeat in last night's fortuitous encounter map."
"Lord Mang!"
Biaozi, who had specially tailored a guard uniform for himself, strode onto the stage with a solemn expression and erect posture, stopping before Lord Mang.
"Well done."
Chen Mang picked a medal from Xiao Fang's tray and pinned it to Biaozi's chest, brushing off the dust from his collar with a smile. "Seriously, you did great. You truly surprised me this time. You've shown the fastest progress on the train these past few days."
"Someday," Chen Mang continued, "you'll truly be able to stand on your own."
"Lord Mang..."
Biaozi's eyes reddened as he stared intently at Chen Mang, shouting, "I swear to serve you faithfully for the rest of my life!"
This was the first time Lord Mang had praised him so formally, and he was doing it in front of so many people. The thing he had been striving for all these days had finally arrived.
"Alright, next up, Xiao Ai."
Xiao Ai had also dressed up for the occasion.
With eyes filled with anticipation, he walked up to Chen Mang and waited patiently, blinking expectantly.
"Well done."
"You played a crucial role in last night's fortuitous encounter map. In fact, you could even be considered the primary contributor."
"Keep up the good work."
Chen Mang stared impassively at Xiao Ai, who was beaming with anticipation. He pinned the medal to Xiao Ai's chest, fully aware of what was going through the young man's mind. But forget it—he would never utter such embarrassing words, especially not in front of so many people.
The award ceremony concluded amidst lively applause.
Next—
A female idol group took the stage, dancing to music as a seemingly endless stream of dishes was served. The celebration banquet officially began. What kind of celebration would be complete without a feast?
"..."
Old Pig turned to his assistant, his expression grim. "Take him to the medical bay and get that damn rhinitis of his properly treated."
"Then..."
The assistant tentatively made a slicing motion across his own throat, asking, "Should we follow protocol?"
"Follow protocol. Don't do anything I haven't instructed."
"Understood."
"I..." At that moment, a young man with trembling legs stumbled forward and dropped to his knees before Old Pig with a thud. His eyes were filled with terror as he stammered, "Trainmaster Zhu, please don't kill me! Please! I... I've always been tongue-tied. Please give me another chance!"
"Get up."
Old Pig glanced at the residents nearby, who were watching with curious eyes. His face stiffened into a forced smile as he helped the young man to his feet, then laughed loudly. "Alright, alright, I know you're excited about receiving the award. Get up first, and we'll talk in the back."
"What do you want?"
Chen Mang sat at a gambling table in Sun City, glaring at Biaozi and Old Pig, who had come to report. "I just received my medal. Are you trying to get someone killed?"
"Lord Mang means..." Old Pig ventured cautiously, "Let him live for a few days, then have the guards deliberately release a monster one night, framing him for the murder?"
"No need. Don't overthink it." Chen Mang shook his head, pushing all his Chips into the pot with a casual air. "It's a minor matter. We were already planning to upgrade the residents' rations soon. We're not short on iron ore right now. Letting them eat better every day won't be a problem."
"Young man," Chen Mang continued, "it's normal to make mistakes sometimes. We should give young people opportunities. Don't jump straight to killing them at every turn. Have I killed you every time you've messed up?"
"I've always left internal train matters to you. The train is developing rapidly. Just handle this small issue as you see fit."
"Yes, understood." Old Pig nodded and retreated.
After leaving Sun City, Biaozi hesitated, leaning close to Old Pig's ear to whisper, "What does Lord Mang mean by 'handle it as you see fit'?"
"Handle it as you see fit."
"What does 'handle it as you see fit' even mean?"
"It means handle it as you see fit, damn it!" Old Pig spat in frustration and strode away.
The night sky was ablaze with stars.
Night had fallen, and the celebration banquet had naturally concluded.
After the banquet, all the residents went to sleep, having worked through the night. The remaining 2,000 mining robots had been busy all day within the space gate in the carriage.
By afternoon, they had completely mined out the two Tier 5 Mines.
The iron ore and copper ore reserves had once again reached 100 million units.
"..."
Chen Mang sat in his chair, staring at the computer screen. Scattered Cola cans littered the table. He hadn't slept in days, and his mind felt heavy and sluggish.
Wormhole Radar: Seven-Colored Grade Accessory. Requires 1 million units of iron ore to craft.
Above red-grade accessories are gold, pink, and then Seven-Colored.
This was the highest-grade accessory he had encountered so far.
The crafting cost was also exorbitant.
Just crafting it required 1 million units of iron ore—enough to upgrade two white-grade accessories to Tier 100.
Infinite Upgrade
This system allowed a single accessory to be upgraded infinitely, continuously increasing its stats and granting overpowered effects that amplified its power.
However, it seemed difficult to achieve a qualitative leap.
For example, even if the Target Acquisition Radar were upgraded to Tier 1000, it might still fail to detect the presence of wormholes.
This accessory was already the highest-grade accessory on his train, a level above all others.
He checked his Iron Ore Balance and pondered for a long moment.
Then, he spent 45 million units of iron ore to upgrade it to Tier 10 in one go.
At Tier 1, the Wormhole Radar could only detect wormhole information within a 1-light-year radius and could only detect Tier 1 wormholes.
Wormholes also had tiers.
Higher-tier wormholes were generally more stable, more concealed, and harder to detect.
A Tier 1 Wormhole Radar could only detect Tier 1 wormholes.
Once it reached Tier 10, its detection range expanded to 10 light-years. The nearby mining stars and inhabited planets all fell within its range, and it could now detect wormholes up to Tier 10. Upon reaching Tier 10, it gained two overpowered effects.
[Wormhole Radar Tier 5 Overpowered Effect]: Halves energy consumption.
[Wormhole Radar Tier 10 Overpowered Effect]: Can assess wormhole stability.
Unlike the target acquisition radar, the Wormhole Radar isn't constantly active. It's activated only when needed because each scan consumes a significant amount of energy, with energy consumption increasing with the scan range.
If energy consumption wasn't a concern, keeping it active all the time wouldn't be a problem.
He glanced at the current settings.
The scan range was set to 10 light-years, and each scan required two Tier 5 Energy Stones, equivalent to 10 million units of iron ore.
The price was steep.
He didn't need the Wormhole Radar right now. Even if he discovered a wormhole, he couldn't use it; his current goal was the Seven-Colored Zone.
But—
He wanted to take a peek ahead of time.
After consuming 10 million units of iron ore to craft two Tier 5 Energy Stones and inserting them into the Wormhole Radar, a wave of purple light erupted from the control panel, surging toward the starry sky.
Within a few hundred meters, the purple light became nearly invisible to the naked eye.
"Huh?"
Chen Mang stared at the scene before him, slightly stunned. Are they really using this purple light for detection? How long will that take? Twenty years for a round trip?
This technology is incredibly primitive!
But the next moment—
Beep beep beep
On the control panel screen, a purple dot slowly appeared on the Galaxy Map, gradually followed by more purple dots emerging from the depths of space, not all at the same time.
Within a 10-light-year radius, the Galaxy Map displayed a total of three purple dots.
In other words...
Three wormholes.
All three were naturally formed wormholes.
The closest wormhole was a mere 0.3 light-years away, right next to the mining star with a 78% iron ore content.
[Naturally formed, One-Way Wormhole. This is the terminal end, established 267 days ago. Internal stability: 23%. Other end's wormhole coordinates unknown.]
A line of time slowly appeared on the screen.
Natural wormholes might vanish in a second or last for a billion years. No one knows when a natural wormhole will collapse, but one thing is certain: when it does, everything inside will be reduced to nothing.
Escape is impossible.
In the vast cosmos, no one would willingly enter a natural wormhole unless truly cornered. Even if they were lucky enough for it not to collapse, they'd have no idea where it led.
A complete unknown.
Even if the destination proved habitable, there'd be virtually no chance of returning home.
The other two wormholes were artificial.
They lay 0.4 and 0.8 light-years away, respectively, precisely on the two Inhabited Planets.
"Artificial construction, bearing the mark of the Zerg Civilization. One-way, one-time random wormhole. This is the terminal end, formed 212 days ago. Internal stability: 47%. Other end's wormhole coordinates unknown."
It was obvious.
These two wormholes were one-way random wormholes created by the Zerg Civilization. Zerg eggs would emerge from them, landing on planets and bringing about the apocalypse.
Logically, there should have been a wormhole from the Zerg Civilization near Aquablue Star as well.
However, Aquablue Star's apocalypse lasted more than 212 days. This suggests that Aquablue Star was the first to experience the apocalypse, and after a certain period, the wormhole automatically dissipated. Therefore, the duration of a one-time wormhole is likely around 300 days.
Even a one-time wormhole lasts this long.
The resources required to create wormholes, from most to least expensive, are:
Two-Way Stable Wormhole > Two-Way One-Time Wormhole > One-Way Stable Wormhole > One-Way One-Time Wormhole > One-Way Stable Random Wormhole > One-Way One-Time Random Wormhole.
The "One-Way One-Time Random Wormhole" is the cheapest option.
It's also the Zerg Civilization's unique method of exploration.
After all, not every civilization's people are as expendable as those of the Zerg Civilization, who can casually throw their own kind into wormholes without regard for their survival. Moreover, the Zerg Civilization's technological advancements remain largely unknown. Their wormhole creation costs seem far lower than those of other civilizations.
According to the Mechanical Civilization, the leader of the Zerg Civilization—the Queen Mother—might be a high-Tier Cosmic Behemoth, though her exact Tier remains unknown. She has never appeared on the battlefield, making it highly likely she is A-Rank or even S-rank.
Generally speaking, artificially constructed wormholes boast a stability rating of at least 90%. This stability means the wormhole tunnel is relatively safe, with few occurrences of crises like Particle Storms. In contrast, the wormholes created by the Zerg Civilization have a stability rating of only around 50%.
This isn't due to a lack of ability. It's a matter of resource conservation.
Using the cheapest resources possible, they mass-produce wormholes and cubs, spreading like locusts. Once a high-resource zone is detected, they establish a Two-Way Stable Wormhole to launch a full-scale invasion.
In other words, the apocalypse of Aquablue Star was a completely random disaster. It can hardly be considered a declaration of war by the Zerg Civilization. Billions died, yet the entire cosmos remained oblivious, as if an ant had been crushed—no one cared.
"..."
Chen Mang stared silently at the three wormholes marked on the Galaxy Map. Their coordinates had been recorded, though they were unlikely to be needed. Still, it was always wise to keep them on file. The entire cosmos felt like a subterranean world riddled with holes, carved out by countless drill-equipped trains that had bored through it, creating countless tunnels.
Except these weren't three-dimensional tunnels; they were four-dimensional.
On the surface, everything appeared normal. But who knew how many wormholes truly existed in the cosmos? Countless wormholes were born and vanished every moment.
His goal was the mining star 0.3 light-years away. Once he was prepared—equipped with the means to create wormholes and survive in the vast sea of stars—he would journey there.
Most importantly, no one knew when some strange entity might emerge from those three wormholes. Nor could anyone predict whether the mature Ant-Zerg on this planet would transmit its coordinates back to its hive, establishing a Two-Way Stable Wormhole, and then launch an invasion.
We have to hurry!
Chen Mang lit a cigarette and glanced at the information on the control panel screen. Xiao Ai's assessment was that the resources here were completely beneath the Zerg Civilization's notice, and their military would never come here.
But he couldn't put all his hopes on that.
What if?
What if they really did come? What would he do then?
Just stand here and wait for death?
He had to finish mining this batch of resources as quickly as possible, upgrade the train again, and then head to the Red Zone, before finally advancing toward the Seven-Colored Zone!
Just then.
Chen Mang stared at the suddenly changing Galaxy Map, slightly stunned. An unusual light spot had suddenly appeared on the map, 7,892 light-years away. A new civilization had established itself.
Heaven-Slaying Civilization, 1.0-Tier Civilization.
"What a domineering name."
"But—"
"Brother, you're deep in the Zerg territory!"
"You're doomed!"
"You dare to start a raid? No one will dare to follow you!"
(End of the Chapter)
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