Chapter 50: "Spider Leg Level 10 Supermodel Effect."

A cigarette burned out.

The crimson glow vanished into the desolate wilderness, like a fleeting meteor across the sky, or the restrained affection of a young boy—gone in an instant, unnoticed by anyone.

"."

Chen Mang entered the Train compartment and sat at the control panel. He pressed a red button on the console, and with the mechanical clatter of gears turning, spider-like mechanical limbs extended from the bottom of the carriage, replacing the Wind-Fire Wheels.

In an instant, the entire Stellar Train transformed into a giant centipede-like creature.

"Phew."

He exhaled softly, his eyes carrying a hint of determination. The desolate wilderness was mostly flat, with no obstacles in sight, leaving him no place to conduct experiments. Although this part's effect allowed for free movement on a 90-degree vertical surface, he had yet to experience it firsthand.

He slowly pressed down on the accelerator.

The Train began to inch forward like a caterpillar toward the edge of the cliff.

Meanwhile, the "Train Auxiliary AI" on the control panel scrolled through several streams of information.

"Slope ahead: 90 degrees downward. Safe to proceed."

When the first mechanical limb at the front of the Train touched the cliff face, Chen Mang felt a jolt inside the Train. Immediately, the entire vehicle began to move naturally and steadily along the cliff face, like a centipede clinging to the rock.

There were no headlights.

In the darkness of the night, the abyss below was pitch black, as if the gates of hell itself, sending shivers down the spine.

The intense sensation of weightlessness made Chen Mang feel a tightness in his chest. The seatbelt held him firmly in place, but the others in the carriage weren't as fortunate.

He had warned them in advance. There were no seatbelts or anything to secure themselves in the carriage, so they had to huddle together on one side, maintaining the best posture they could.

While there was no immediate danger to their lives, it was still far from comfortable.

To prevent his Slaves from suffocating, Chen Mang opened all the doors at the rear of the carriages as the Train descended vertically down the cliff like a centipede, ensuring adequate airflow inside.

Ten minutes later.

Not a single glimmer of light remained.

The pitch-black abyss engulfed the entire Train. Only the dim lights inside the carriages burned like defiant fighters in the tide of history, struggling to fend off the encroaching darkness with their limited lifespan.

Visibility was practically zero.

Chen Mang couldn't see anything ahead, relying entirely on the "Train Auxiliary AI" to assure him that the path was safe and to continue moving.

They had descended 2000 meters.

He maintained a steady speed, as a rapid descent could cause discomfort to the Slaves.

Finally—

After thirty minutes.

As the "Train Auxiliary AI" signaled they were about to reach the bottom, another jolt resonated through the Train, and it came to a stable halt at the base of the cliff.

"."

Chen Mang jumped out of the Train compartment and stood in the abyss, where not even his hand was visible in front of his face. He looked up at the narrow slit of starry sky above, feeling a sense of disorientation. This was the first time he had found himself in such an environment, like standing in the mud yet still gazing at the stars, imbued with a unique sense of lonely romance.

Meanwhile, the "Resource Detection Radar" beeped incessantly.

It indicated that there was an untouched Level 2 Iron Ore deposit just 800 meters away.

He had been monitoring the Targeting Radar throughout the journey. From the start until now, as they reached the bottom, not a single red dot had appeared on the Radar. This place was a natural fortress—no monster could reach here.

Perhaps flying monsters could, but he had yet to encounter any that could fly.

At that moment, Lao Zhu finished his headcount and came jogging over.

"Lord Mang, no casualties among the Slaves. Just some minor scrapes, nothing that'll affect their work."

"Good."

Chen Mang nodded and said softly, "Everyone rests here tonight. We start work at dawn."

"Understood."

After Lao Zhu left, Chen Mang turned his attention to the spider-like mechanical limbs beneath the Train. He had spent a total of 8100 units of Spider Silk to upgrade the "Spider Legs" part from Level 4 to Level 13.

At Level 5, the first Supermodel Effect was unlocked.

"Spider Leg Level 5 Supermodel Effect": Can switch to Spider Mode, reducing movement noise by 100%.

Then, at Level 10, the second Supermodel Effect was unlocked.

"Spider Leg Level 10 Supermodel Effect": The Spider Legs can shoot two strands of Spider Silk up to 100 meters long, lasting for one hour, allowing the Train to move steadily along the Silk. Each 100 meters of Silk shot consumes 100 units of Level 1 Spider Silk.

"."

He stood calmly at the bottom of the abyss, leaning on his cane as he observed these two Supermodel Effects.

The first Supermodel Effect was somewhat mediocre. The noise of the Train wasn't just from the wheels; it included the engine's roar and the clattering of carriage hinges. Unless other parts could also reduce these sounds, along with Radar invisibility or even spatial distortion techniques, the Train would truly move like a ghost, silently traversing the darkness.

The second Supermodel Effect, however, had many potential applications.

For instance, if he wanted to reach the other side of the Doomsday Abyss, this effect would allow him to bypass the need for detours. He could simply shoot Spider Silk to the other side of the cliff, and the Train could traverse the Silk like walking a tightrope.

Or, in a city, with this effect combined with the inherent capabilities of the Spider Legs, he could maneuver the Train freely across the skyline.

Whether for escaping or scavenging resources, it would be incredibly useful.

"Not bad."

Chen Mang chuckled before returning to the Train compartment. He would start work early the next morning.

Several hours later.

Daybreak.

The Train had come to a stop beside the Level 2 Iron Ore deposit. This deposit was open-air, not underground, eliminating the need for mining tunnels and significantly boosting mining efficiency.

Looking up, he could see the sunlight filtering through like a narrow slit in the sky.

However, the sunlight barely reached the bottom of the abyss. The abyss remained shrouded in dimness, with only faint sunlight visible when looking up, accompanied by cool gusts of wind sweeping over everyone.

Each Slave received a bowl of hot water, several warm buns, and a packet of pickled vegetables shared among every ten people.

Of course, these Slaves were the original Level 2 Slaves of the Train. The newly acquired Level 3 Slaves received slices of bread instead.

Today, everyone's meal standards had been upgraded by one tier. Normally, buns were reserved for enforcers and the Train Conductor.

To ward off the chill.

The previous night, Chen Mang had spent 100 units of Iron Ore to upgrade the "Pickaxe Production Line" to Level 2. Now, the production line could manufacture pickaxes capable of mining Level 2 resources, though crafting a single Level 2 pickaxe required 10 units of Iron Ore.

He only had 70 units of Iron Ore left, enough to produce seven Level 2 pickaxes.

But this wasn't a big issue.

After all, there was a Level 2 Iron Ore deposit nearby. A little digging would yield enough Iron Ore to craft more Level 2 pickaxes.

The Stellar Train's doors stood open nearby, its dim lights providing a faint source of illumi

nation.

This was the best resource these Slaves had enjoyed in days.

It was also the best the Train could currently offer them.

All of it was for—

this Level 2 Iron Ore deposit.

(End of Chapter)