Chapter 156: "Wait, Where Did That Flamethrower Come From?"
The Green Dragon wasn't too difficult to kill.
It was only Level 5.
But the problem was that this monster didn't have a fixed territory and kept wandering around. Not long ago, it appeared in the Kunlun Mountains area. At that time, Chen Mang had just entered the Kunlun Mountains for the first time, and the Level 5 Train flying in the sky was none other than Er Dan, who had gone there to hunt the Green Dragon.
There was only one of them.
Once Er Dan killed it, that was it.
The chances of encountering another Green Dragon were about as likely as finding Iron Ore falling from the sky.
"Whatever."
Chen Mang shook his head with a hint of regret, silently comforting himself in his mind. It was just some Murphy Stones—not particularly valuable or important!
Not worth coveting!
Since the "Deep Sea Maze" Fortuitous Encounter map was off the table, after stockpiling some more Iron Ore, he would directly upgrade to a Level 6 Train and prepare to head to the yellow zone known as the "Zombie Basin."
He had already claimed most of the Fortuitous Encounters on the Shahe Plain, and even the ones in the Ice and Snow World zone had been taken by him.
The only exception was the Kunlun Mountains Fortuitous Encounter, which was exclusive to the Flesh Train. Otherwise, it too would have fallen into his grasp.
As night fell.
All Train Residents had already entered their slumber, except for the Guards on night duty, including Chen Mang, who had also drifted off to sleep.
The AI was controlling the Stellar Train as it sped across the Shahe Plain, searching for Iron Ore.
Dawn broke.
Chen Mang, having risen from his sleep, freshened up briefly before looking out the window. There, he saw an open-air Level 2 Iron Ore deposit. Many Train Residents had already started mining, while he turned his attention to the Train Log.
After three hours of travel last night, they had come across this open-air Level 2 Iron Ore deposit.
Along the way, they had encountered three Level 2 Ore deposits and one Level 2 Copper Ore deposit, but those Mines were already occupied by other Trains. Following the program he had set, the AI didn't stop but continued to search for unclaimed Mines.
They had also run over a few insignificant monsters on the way.
Nothing else of note happened.
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair and closed the Train Log. Last night had been largely uneventful.
He then looked at the upgrade conditions for the Train to reach Level 6.
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Upgrade Conditions: All four essential Vehicle Components must be crafted, 40,000 units of Level 2 Iron Ore must be consumed, all Accessory Levels within the Train must exceed Level 120, and a Level 6 monster must be killed.
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The upgrade conditions were mostly unchanged, except for the increased Iron Ore requirement—now needing 400,000 units.
There was also the added condition of killing a Level 6 monster.
As far as he knew.
Many purely development-focused Train Conductors focused solely on growth, fleeing at the sight of slightly stronger monsters. This condition essentially forced all Train Conductors aiming to upgrade to Level 6 to confront a Level 6 monster.
For those Level 5 Trains that had rapidly upgraded without building a solid foundation, this task would likely stall them for a long time.
But for him, this condition was already fulfilled.
To be honest.
He couldn't recall ever actively hunting a Level 5 monster. The ones he had killed were mostly incidental—like when he launched a missile into the Kunlun Mountains area and accidentally took out a few Level 5 monsters.
Then there was Shan Mao Zi and his girlfriend's wedding.
His initial idea was that, as a Level 4 Train at the time, he needed to invite three Trains of the same level to attend. Coincidentally, the Ziyun had also arrived at the Shahe Plain, so it could count as one of the guests since they had some prior interaction and familiarity.
Unfortunately, the Ziyun had fallen in the Kunlun Mountains area.
With that, his list of three guests was left incomplete.
If he upgraded to a Level 6 Train, the Azure Dragon could attend the wedding. He would just need to find two more Level 6 Trains to secure the 500 Inheritance Points.
Chen Mang had just mentioned this to Er Dan, briefly explaining that he was planning a wedding and wanted to invite him, along with two Level 6 Trains.
Er Dan quickly replied.
"Two Level 6 Trains? I have two friends on the Shahe Plain who are Level 6 Trains. Would they work?"
"You have that many friends?"
"Not exactly close friends. We've never met in real life, but we've chatted on the Train Radio. I think once they see your Stellar Train, they won't have any ulterior motives. They seemed decent when we talked."
"Alright, I'll give you the specific date later."
"Got it."
Another matter settled.
Chen Mang stretched and turned to the screen to check on Biao Zi's progress. Biao Zi had been training in the Combat Training Virtual Space all night, and it seemed like he was doing well—already reaching the 29th floor.
"Not bad."
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he leaned back in his chair, tossing a Redheart Nut into his mouth. The last time he checked, Biao Zi was stuck on the 12th floor. Now, he was already on the 29th.
He was close to clearing the 31st floor.
On the screen, Biao Zi was fully equipped, wearing armor, a motorcycle helmet, a steel sword at his waist, a flamethrower in his hands, and a large fuel tank on his back.
He also had a rifle slung over his shoulder.
Currently, Biao Zi was on the 29th floor of an office building, using the flamethrower to slaughter the Zombies charging at him. Though he still bore some injuries, they weren't as severe as last night. His demeanor had changed, his eyes now colder and more resolute.
"Wait, where did that flamethrower come from?"
Chen Mang quickly scrolled through the historical records and soon found that during the 14th floor, Biao Zi had grabbed a fire hose from the seventh floor and cleared the Zombies in the fire escape. Instead of heading upward as he had done before, Biao Zi went downward.
He methodically cleared the sixth and first floors, finding the flamethrower and motorcycle helmet before continuing his ascent up the fire escape. On the 12th floor, he obtained the armor and a healing spray.
When the screen switched back.
Biao Zi had already reached the 31st-floor rooftop. After removing all his weapons and equipment, he let out a few fierce roars of triumph before walking to the edge of the rooftop where a zip line was set up.
He tightly gripped the short pole on the zip line, kicked off with his feet, and swiftly swung toward the rooftop of a shorter building.
Then—
The screen began to zoom out.
Biao Zi's figure on the zip line between the two tall buildings gradually shrank, and the perspective shifted from third-person to a bird's-eye view. The city was teeming with Zombies, even scaling the sides of countless skyscrapers like ivy.
As the view zoomed out to the clouds, the Zombies in the city appeared as mere black dots.
Finally, the screen exploded with four large characters:
"Mission Accomplished."
"Not easy."
Chen Mang sighed with emotion as he watched Biao Zi, who was now in the white space, overwhelmed with joy. Clearing it once would make subsequent attempts much easier, and this "Biohazard" map was more impressive than he had imagined.
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It tested many things.
Like timing, choices in desperate situations, the awareness to descend, and life-and-death melee combat.
And so on.
Even someone who had never killed a chicken would undergo a dramatic transformation in demeanor after clearing this map once—developing a certain fierceness.
"..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly, pondering a question. By browsing the historical records, he could see many strategies for clearing the map. So far, Biao Zi was the only one on the Train who knew these strategies. He was considering whether to compile and share these strategies with others.
Doing so would boost the overall combat strength of the Guard team by about ten percent.
But it would be unfair to Biao Zi, as it would mean giving away the strategies he had painstakingly discovered through countless deaths, for others to easily learn.
Moreover.
The map was designed to significantly cultivate one's abilities. If all the strategies were handed out, it would diminish the opportunity for growth.
At that moment—
Xiao Ai suddenly spoke up, "Train Conductor, the Black Market Merchant has returned. I've organized the footage he collected. Would you like to view it now?"
"Go ahead."
Soon.
The screen displayed the footage the Black Market Merchant had collected last night.
There was a lot of footage.
For example.
In a derelict Mechanical City, it was overrun by Zombies. These Zombies even seemed to possess intelligence, as they were actively repairing the city, with Zombie Guards and Zombie Soldiers manning heavy artillery on the city walls.
In a freezing canyon, a battered robot crouched on the ground, welding a completely wrecked Train.
A Train stopped and traded with the Black Market Merchant. This Train had over forty carriages, resembling a mechanical dragon traversing the wasteland. Its Train Conductor was a burly man with a scarred face and a menacing expression, who had stared thoughtfully at the Black Market Merchant's chest camera for a long time.
Who knows what wild conspiracy theories were running through his mind—perhaps he thought the Black Market Merchant was some high-dimensional civilization's spy or something equally absurd.
There was also a deserted forest where the Black Market Merchant had been swinging on a tree branch in the night before being startled by a sudden snake and teleporting away.
And a gathering of roughly thousands of humans on a sea-surrounded island, where they had built numerous wooden huts and tents. Occasionally, Trains could be seen emerging from the sea around the island.
And so on.
Chen Mang exhaled slowly, lit a cigarette, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. His understanding of this world had deepened with these images. The world was more complex than he had imagined.
Or rather.
More diverse.
For instance, the "Mechanical City" was designed to help human civilization better control Trains for survival. If there was a Mechanical Civilization, it would likely be friendly toward humans. But the Mechanical Zombie King was clearly creating even more terrifying monsters.
Perhaps these monsters were meant to fight other monsters?
Using poison to counter poison, magic to fight magic.
But one thing was undeniable—the Black Market Merchant was truly free, going wherever he pleased. Without him, it would have taken Chen Mang much longer to see these scenes.
After a while, he spoke.
"Call them over."
Soon.
Doba and the Black Market Merchant arrived in the Train's interior.
"Well done."
Chen Mang looked at the Black Market Merchant with a serious expression. "Go rest for now. Keep doing this—I want more of this information. Do you have a name?"
"I forgot."
The Black Market Merchant shook his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "I had one, but I can't remember."
"Alright, I'll give you a name. From now on, you'll be called Mundo."
"Okay."
"Go on."
A new day had begun.
All Train Residents had started their daily tasks.
Everyone was contributing in their respective roles, including the teachers. Three women, who had been teachers before the apocalypse, were now responsible for teaching the children theoretical knowledge. Once they grew older, they would begin practical training.
Currently, everyone on the Train was in a role that suited them best.
And today—
Something significant happened for the Train Residents.
The first "Refrigerator" had found its buyer. The price of a Refrigerator was a staggering 1,000 Stellar Coupons. Currently, no one on the Train had that many Stellar Coupons except for one person—Doba.
All Train Residents had gathered near Carriage 11 to watch the commotion.
Lord Mang had created a "Space Gate" in Carriage 11. Inside, the space was vast, with clouds and a sun in the sky, and an endless expanse of grassland on the ground. Trees surrounded the perimeter, making it look like a utopia.
On the grassland sat an open Refrigerator.
Inside the Refrigerator, Doba and over a hundred Goblins were decorating the space with various household items they had purchased.
Doba had made himself a small stool to serve as his throne.
He had also bought many rugs to cover the entire floor of the Refrigerator, allowing the Goblins to sleep on the ground at night. Since Goblins were short, the space was more than enough.
It was roomier than being in the Train.
Most importantly.
This territory belonged to the Goblins, giving them a stronger sense of home.
Doba stood resolutely at the Refrigerator's entrance, gazing out at the vast grassland. He planned to buy two more Refrigerators, ensuring his people could sleep even more comfortably!
Meanwhile, in Guard Carriage 7, Biao Zi looked at his physical stats—12.4—and grinned with satisfaction.
Finally!
After an entire night, he had finally cleared the map!
Currently, he was the only one on the Train to have succeeded. This morning, his team was on duty. He planned to share the clearing strategies with everyone after his shift. Initially, he had considered sharing them only with his team.
But then he thought, strengthening the other teams would strengthen the Stellar Train.
Holding back might earn Lord Mang's disapproval, so he decided to share with everyone, earning some goodwill. In the future, the other two team leaders might remember him when they had something good to offer.
You give to receive.
(End of Chapter)