"Where is this place now?"
Sitting in the train compartment, Chen Mang thoughtfully surveyed his surroundings before ultimately deciding to continue heading south. Going north would likely take him back to the ruins of the Mechanical City in the Red Zone.
The tunnel was surprisingly clean.
Dust had been swept to both sides of the path, as if someone had been cleaning it.
Just as he thought he was about to pass through another regional barrier, he quickly spotted the end of the train tunnel. The Stellar had barely started moving, having taken only a couple of steps forward.
At the tunnel's end was a perfectly vertical upward passage—a straight 90-degree climb resembling an "L" shape.
The Stellar extended its Spider Legs and began rapidly scaling the wall.
After ascending several hundred meters,
they arrived at a spacious plaza with a ceiling about 20 meters high, covering an area equivalent to two football fields. What was even more impressive was that the plaza was filled with robots and drones.
"Well, I'll be damned..."
The moment Chen Mang saw these robots and drones, realization struck him. He jumped down from the train compartment and stared at the hundreds of robots standing motionless like terracotta warriors.
How could he not recognize them?
He was all too familiar with these robots—he'd captured two before.
When completing the S-Rank Job Change Quest for the Mechanical Train, a large drone would fly in carrying a robot, drop it on the ground, and then fly away.
Back then, when the drone approached, his screen displayed a message:
「Do not attack! Do not attack!」
「This drone is a mission target! This drone is a mission target!」
「Attacking will result in mission failure.」
He had always wondered where those drones came from.
Presumably, every region had a place —a pre-programmed setup where, when someone triggered the S-Rank Mechanical Train Job Change Quest, a drone would follow a predetermined route, carrying a robot to the designated train's location.
Now he was pondering one question:
Could he take these things with him?
This was clearly another bug exploit.
This tunnel, buried 70,000 meters underground, wasn't supposed to be discovered—and even if someone found it, they shouldn't have been able to enter. But with his level 100 Targeting Radar and level 100 Drill Bit, he had forced his way in.
If he took these items, future players in this region wouldn't be able to complete the S-Rank Mechanical Train Job Change Quest.
But in higher-level regions,
most people would have already completed their job changes. How many would still need it? Unless, like him, they were creating alternate accounts.
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly and soon came up with a solution. "Xiao Ai, find a brave soul among the residents, give them a Train Token, and have them load all those things onto the train. After it's done, grant them first-class resident treatment."
He wasn't sure if there would be penalties for taking these items himself.
So he devised a clever workaround:
Let another Train Conductor take them, then he would rob that conductor. Even if there were penalties, they couldn't blame him, right? After all, he wasn't the one who took the items.
Where there are great rewards, there will always be brave volunteers!
For those new residents who had just joined the Stellar, first-class resident benefits were quite appealing. Following the normal progression path, it would take dozens of days of effort to reach first-class resident status.
The residential area was currently selecting warriors.
Meanwhile, Chen Mang stepped off the train alone and stood before it, gazing at the batch of robots standing quietly in place and the drones parked on the ground. He realized his courage had grown considerably lately.
In the past, he wouldn't have dared disembark at all.
He used to stay in the train compartment all day long.
Especially in places with unknown dangers .
Now he even dared to stroll around outside—mainly because his strength had improved, making him more confident in his actions. Though his range was still limited to about three meters, where he could dash back to the train at the first sign of danger. For farther distances, he'd wait until he grew stronger before exploring.
Xiao Ai's voice came from inside the train compartment: "If you give me all these robots, I'll have several hundred bodies at my disposal. You might need to upgrade the 'Train Auxiliary AI'—I feel my computing power is getting stretched thin."
"That's already not enough?"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow: "Other trains' 'Train Auxiliary AIs' are mostly Level 3. You're Level 20—your computing power should crush theirs. If you're struggling, what about them?"
After a long silence, Xiao Ai replied in a resentful tone.
"Train Conductor, you might not fully grasp my current workload. Let me give you a rough idea. Other trains' 'AIs' basically only handle the 'Targeting Radar' and 'Resource Detection Radar' components—that's about it for their workload."
"Let me tally mine for you."
"Targeting Radar, Resource Detection Radar, Oxygen Generator, Central Air Conditioning—these basic components require my computing power 24/7 to ensure oxygen levels and temperature remain optimal and comfortable for humans."
"Our train has way more basic components than others—far more."
"For all these days the train has been running, do you know exactly how much food is consumed daily? I have to calculate the required living supplies, then produce them on schedule."
"Then there are the Iris Chips of over 5,000 residents. Every purchase, every Stellar Coupon transaction, today's excess mining output, real-time changes in their Physical Fitness Index—all these require computing power."
"Not to mention the 80 armed patrol robots, plus the several hundred more coming soon."
"I also oversee the Armor Research and Development Center, upgrading the 'Executioner' mech suits for Biao Zi and the others with better armor materials. I handle debugging the 'Cosmic Receiver,' analyze experimental data brought back from the Geocentric Nuclear Bomb Laboratory, and continue the unfinished experiments you assigned for the 'Cosmic Receiver.'"
"Through the Mechanical Eye, I monitor each resident's emotions and rule violations, reporting them promptly to Lao Zhu and Biao Zi."
Chen Mang cleared his throat and interrupted: "I know you're working hard—I see it. I wasn't refusing to upgrade you. Iron ore is plentiful—I was just curious, that's all."
"Hey, when we get back, I'll upgrade you to level 100."
By the end of his sentence, Xiao Ai's voice even carried a hint of sobbing.
Upon closer consideration, Xiao Ai's workload did seem excessive—but that was from a human perspective. Once upgraded to level 100, with increased computing power, he could handle multiple processes simultaneously.
Chen Mang suddenly felt a pang of reflection. What if other trains had this many components? How would they manage?
But he quickly realized—other trains probably didn't need to worry about this issue.
The things Xiao Ai was responsible for... other trains didn't have them.
Iris Chip, Armor Research and Development Center, Cosmic Receiver, Black Hole Armed Robot, monetary system... Newest update provided by novel~fire~net
These were all beyond standard.
At least among all the trains he'd encountered so far, his was the only one with a monetary system. In stages where resources weren't abundant, a monetary system simply couldn't function.
The "brave one" was chosen.
"Lord Mang, he's willing to give it a try."
Chen Mang turned to the middle-aged man following Lao Zhu and nodded in satisfaction, about to say something. But upon seeing the man, he paused, frowning slightly.
"Isn't this the guy who opened the safe last time? Doesn't he already have first-class resident privileges?"
"No." Lao Zhu shook his head, leaning in to whisper, "That middle-aged man has a twin brother. This is his younger brother. Rumor has it they used to work together in the funeral business."
"Fine." Chen Mang didn't press further. He simply pulled out a Train Token from his pocket and tossed it to Lao Zhu. "Go. The task is simple—activate the Train Token, become the Train Conductor, and move all those drones and robots onto the refrigerators in your train alone."
Chen Mang nodded. After all, this move was somewhat like robbing an NPC's treasury in an online game—clearly a violation. If there were any penalties, it was unclear whether they'd target just the Train Conductor or the entire Train Crew. If it was just one person, the losses wouldn't be too severe if something went wrong.
The middle-aged man lay on the ground, panting and nearly limp, while Lao Zhu jogged over to report, "Lord Mang, everything's been handled."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, waiting patiently for a moment. When no reaction came, he cleared his throat.
"Today, passing through this area, I encountered a train full of robots. I don't know what they are, but treasures belong to those destined to find them."
"Lao Zhu, send someone to move everything from that train onto the Stellar."
Who knew if it would work? But saying it couldn't hurt—it wasn't like he'd lose flesh from just flapping his lips.
All the refrigerators from that train were moved onto the Stellar, and the train itself was fed to the Geothermal Furnace as a snack. Zhang Yi and Zhang Er were the ones sent to handle the task, but now they glared at Lao Zhu with resentment in their eyes.
They had volunteered earlier.
But Lao Zhu had rejected them.
All those neatly lined-up robots and drones...
If they'd been the ones moving them, how satisfying would that have been? Was there anything more thrilling?
Yet the job had been given to some random resident.
If they had been the ones to do it, it would've been finished long ago! The efficiency simply wasn't on the same level.
Now all they could do was move what others had already moved—utterly unsatisfying. What's the damn difference between this and washing dishes?!
This space was all that existed at the end of the Train Tunnel, seventy thousand meters underground.
There was nothing else.
The Stellar, fully loaded, returned to the hole it had just emerged from and ascended back to the surface. Chen Mang wasn't ready to explore the Mechanical City area yet. Meals should be eaten bite by bite, and roads walked step by step. He still had a pile of unfinished tasks.
Once back on the surface,
the Stellar remained parked where it was. There were no mines nearby, and none of the residents disembarked.
No mining today—today was for rest and recuperation.
The first thing Chen Mang did upon returning to the surface was upgrade the "Train Auxiliary AI" directly from level 20 to level 100!
It consumed 1.28 million units of Iron Ore.
And unlocked two Supermodel Effects.
"Train Auxiliary AI Level 50 Supermodel Effect": Enhanced Thought Logic.
"Train Auxiliary AI Level 100 Supermodel Effect": Enhanced Learning Ability.
"A comprehensive upgrade."
Chen Mang looked at the "Train Auxiliary AI" on the control panel: "Is the computing power sufficient now?"
Soon, Xiao Ai's excited voice echoed through the train's interior.
"More than enough! I feel incredibly clear-headed now. All the train's components only consume 7% of my computing power—it's practically unused!"
"Let's go check out the Cosmic Receiver."
Chen Mang stretched, loosened his limbs, and then rose from his chair, heading toward the "Space Gate" in Carriage No. 2. This Armor Research and Development Center had been named the "Armor Research and Development Center."
Xiao Ai spent most of his time here.
Much of their communication happened through the "Train Auxiliary AI's" mainframe.
No faces, just voices.
As Chen Mang pushed the door open, the whirring noise of mechanical gears filled the air. Hundreds of robots stood there, stretching their limbs, and all turned their heads toward him in unison, speaking as one.
"Just control one," Chen Mang frowned slightly. "Don't control so many—it's a bit unsettling."
Almost instantly, the hundreds of robots fell silent and still. Only one robot—distinct from the others, the one Xiao Ai had been modifying—strode toward Chen Mang. "Perhaps due to the passage of time, many of the robots are damaged. To restore them to working condition, we'll need to salvage intact parts from other robots for repairs."
"Train Conductor, follow me."
Xiao Ai led the way, stopping beside the large red instrument that was the "Cosmic Receiver." He began explaining, "This device is divided into three parts."
"The Receiver, the Converter, and the Condensation Zone."
"The Receiver is that old-fashioned antenna-like structure. It just needs to be placed on the surface or atop the train. The Converter is this red instrument—it compresses the Core Energy drawn from the cosmos. Finally, the energy is transported through pipes to a completely sealed and airtight space."
"When the compressed Core Energy reaches a critical density in this space, it solidifies into tangible Iron Ore."
"Currently, it can only produce Iron Ore."
"The exact reason is still under investigation. It can generate Level 1 Iron Ore, Level 2 Iron Ore
, Level 3 Iron Ore, and Level 4 Iron Ore. The time required for upgrading varies depending on the level of the Iron Ore."
"A sealed and enclosed space."
"Yes, similar to that huge glass cover in the Laboratory."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly, deep in thought, and said, "Wouldn't a Refrigerator be the most suitable choice?"
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