The next moment—
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A sky full of fireworks rained down as dozens of artillery shells completely enveloped the little creature.
Half a minute later.
The white smoke dissipated, revealing a pockmarked and devastated area. Yet, the little creature remained unharmed, peacefully sleeping in the crater without even a speck of dust on its fur.
Truly impenetrable.
Chen Mang strode forward, picking up the little creature and examining it thoroughly before laughing in amazement. Now he was certain—this little one truly possessed Level 12 Defense.
The only question was whether it was the Train's Level 12 Defense or a monster's Level 12 Defense.
The Train Armor's Level 12 Defense could completely nullify Level 12 Attacks, requiring at least Level 13 to penetrate.
A monster's Level 12 Defense, however, could still be breached by Level 12 Attacks.
That was why he had only used Level 11 shells.
He hadn't dared to use anything stronger, afraid of accidentally killing the little thing.
"Let's give you a name," Chen Mang murmured, cradling the creature fondly in his hands. "Hmm, let me think of a good one for you..."
Standing nearby, Xiao Ai maintained a deadpan expression while internally grumbling: No surprises here—it's probably going to be Xiao Lu.
By now, he was all too familiar with the Train Conductor's naming conventions.
"Mostly pale green... let me think..."
"As the ancients said: 'The azure sky washes clean as clouds, a stretch of green moistens the heart.'"
"Or: 'Emergent ripples shimmer like jade, verdant hills and waters delight the eyes.'"
"Since ancient times, green has symbolized vitality and vigor."
"..." Xiao Ai froze slightly. Was the Train Conductor actually putting serious thought into naming this time? Then why was I just casually named 'Xiao Ai'? I want a poetic name too—something that sounds cool and profound!
"In that case, let's call you Xiao Lu."
Just as expected.
Xiao Ai pursed his lips, standing behind Chen Mang with silent complaints. The process was a bit different, but the result's the same. All that poetry was pointless—might as well have just named it Xiao Lu from the start.
What does 'Xiao Lu' even have to do with those two lines? Just because they both mention 'green'? I thought he'd go for something like 'Yun Yu'—'green as clouds' and 'green as jade'—wouldn't that sound much nicer?
"Not bad."
Chen Mang nodded in satisfaction, happily cradling the little creature. "This guy's actually pretty cute, isn't he? From now on, he'll be Xiao Lu. Once the Train reaches Level 12, we'll see what he looks like when he wakes up."
"Not too shabby. At least all that iron ore wasn't wasted."
"Going by Mechanical Civilization's market rates, a single A-Grade Potential Behemoth Cub could probably buy ten Neon Cities, right?"
"At least a hundred..."
Xiao Ai quietly added, "Neon Cities might be rare, but they're replicable. They just seem exotic to us—mostly made from renewable resources. But an A-Grade Potential Starry Sky Behemoth Cub? That's completely irreplaceable. Even across the entire universe, they're exceedingly scarce."
"I'm not sure what the highest level a train can reach is, nor do I know the levels of trains in the Mechanical Civilization. But a Starry Sky Behemoth that reaches level 120 just by adulthood is undoubtedly a dominant force in the universe."
"True."
Chen Mang stroked the little creature in his arms contentedly and mused, "But what if this guy grows too big for the train later? The maximum expansion of the train is only a hundred meters tall. As you said, some Starry Sky Behemoths are hundreds of thousands of kilometers long—how could the train possibly accommodate that?"
"I don't know about that. There's no relevant record in the experimental data."
"Hmm."
Chen Mang nodded. He figured Xiao Lu must belong to the smaller category of behemoths, as it didn't seem like it would grow very large. Still, the missing 16th carriage had finally been found!
At this point.
The Stellar Train officially had 15 carriages and one locomotive!
Xiao Lu was the 15th carriage, also known as the 16th carriage—the "Behemoth Car."
However, it wouldn't be attached to the end of the train. Instead, it would stay in his train compartment, serving as a mascot for the time being since the little guy hadn't woken up yet. "Let's head back to the train."
From now on, this little one wouldn't be sleeping in the locomotive anymore but in the cozy train compartment.
On the wilderness.
Amid the howling wind, the voices of Chen Mang and Xiao Ai gradually faded.
"Wait a minute, Xiao Ai. When I upgraded the train's armor before, this Behemoth Car wasn't included. It only appeared recently. Could it be because it was already at a higher level in another train before?"
"Most likely. Before Master Kun, it must have been on another train."
"That makes sense. Even though there was a bit of a bug, it's pretty much perfectly resolved now."
"Yes, Lord Mang."
Inside the train compartment.
Xiao Ai returned to his "Armor Research Center," leaving Chen Mang alone with Xiao Lu in the compartment.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang gently poked the little creature's nose and said, "From now on, your name is Xiao Lu. Even though you're still asleep, I'll tell you your name when you wake up."
"By the way, Xiao Ai, how intelligent are Starry Sky Behemoths usually?"
"Not very." A white light flashed in the train compartment before Xiao Ai's voice responded.
"Generally, Starry Sky Behemoths are associated with brutality, bloodlust, and mindlessness. They act purely on instinct, with little to no intelligence. This isn't related to their potential, though there are exceptions. Some Starry Sky Behemoths are said to be quite intelligent."
"But regardless of intelligence, as long as it's a Behemoth Car, it will be loyal to the Train Conductor. However, this loyalty is ingrained in its bloodline, not absolute."
"There's still a chance it might disobey or even kill the Train Conductor."
"After all, while patricide or matricide is rare, it's not unheard of. But in most cases, as long as the Starry Sky Behemoth isn't abused, it won't resort to such extremes."
"Xiao Ai."
"Here."
"Only flash the white light when you suddenly speak to me unprompted. If I ask you first, there's no need for the light."
"Understood."
"And in emergencies, you can alert me directly without the white light."
"Understood!"
Chen Mang lowered his head to look at the furry little creature in his arms. Naturally, he was happy to have gained such a thing, though it was a pity it couldn't be traded—otherwise, he'd have seriously considered selling it. Just imagine how much Iron Ore he could have exchanged for it. The thought was almost overwhelming.
Moreover, how did an A-Grade Potential Starry Sky Behemoth Cub, something so rare, end up on "Aqua Blue Star"? A Starry Sky Behemoth wouldn't just abandon its offspring like that. Cubs like these were usually snatched through violent means, and this planet didn't seem capable of pulling off such a feat.
Did it fall from the sky? Or was it one of Master Kun's daily sign-in rewards from his cheat system?
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that Master Kun absolutely had some kind of hack.
Too bad the guy was a bit dim-witted.
If only he hadn't been so reckless and charged straight at the Train, maybe he wouldn't have ended up dying so pathetically.
Even with cheats, he didn't know how to use them properly.
After playing with it for a while, Chen Mang placed Xiao Lu on a nearby chair. The little thing still hadn't moved, remaining in a deep slumber.
He had checked earlier.
No discernible reproductive organs.
No way to tell if it was male or female—completely ambiguous, just like people from a certain region in his past life.
It had no scent either—no stench, no fragrance.
No excretory organs either, as if it didn't even need to poop. Just a round little thing with a nose, mouth, and eyes—no ears. It didn't seem like a creature that could exist in the real world.
"Go on, sleep tight."
Then he turned his attention to the Train Panel. The Train originally had 3.2 million units of Iron Ore. Adding the 7.5 million from selling Grade 1 Iron Ore, plus another 700,000 from miscellaneous items like cigarettes and nuts (after deducting costs), the Train now held a total of 11.4 million units of Iron Ore.
The Stellar Train required 14 million units for full expansion, so they were still a bit short. This time, he carefully noted that the expansion cost was calculated for 14 Carriages + 1 Locomotive—excluding the Behemoth Car.
This little guy didn't need expansion.
However, the control screen still displayed that the Internal Fire Control System had 1,600 Heavy Machine Guns.
Meaning the Behemoth Car also had 100 of them.
And the Behemoth Car was currently lying on the chair—Xiao Lu.
Chen Mang's expression turned slightly odd as he glanced at the cub. Did this thing have 100 Heavy Machine Guns inside its belly? If so, then it must also have a Car Blade, right?
If he wasn't mistaken, the "Behemoth Car" wasn't just meant to shorten the cub's growth period—it probably also equipped the Behemoth with Firepower Accessories. Maybe in adulthood, it could even carry large-scale Firepower Accessories, like a Comet Main Cannon?
He couldn't wait to upgrade the Train to Level 12 and see what this little guy would look like when it woke up.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang checked the requirements for upgrading to Level 11.
-
Upgrade Conditions
:
-
Craft all 3 Mandatory Vehicle Accessories.
-
Consume 20,000 units of Grade 3 Iron Ore.
-
Ensure all Accessories in the Carriages exceed Level 200.
-
Possess ten Supermodel Effects.
Not too harsh of a requirement.
2 million units of Level 3 Iron Ore, which is 2 million units in total.
He hesitated for a moment—should he upgrade the Train straight to Level 12 first, or prioritize Train Expansion? Most of those attending the Convocation this time had already expanded their Trains.
There still wasn't enough Iron Ore. Only 11.4 million units.
If only he had a little more.
Just then—
A private message came through his Train Radio.
"I was at your Convocation earlier. I didn't bring enough Iron Ore at the time, but I've gathered enough now—1.5 million units. Do you still have that Level 1 Iron Ore for sale?"
"Yes. Same coordinates."
"Got it. On my way."
"Huh?"
Chen Mang's expression turned slightly odd. Was this person really here to hand over money, or was there trouble brewing? Not that it mattered—he had the confidence to handle either.
He made his decision.
Forget Train Expansion. Forget Train upgrades.
He'd raise the Train Armor by another level.
Though this was a Blue Zone, where monsters maxed out at Level 12, and the current Armor was more than enough against them, it was a different story when facing other Trains. Upgrading Firepower Accessories was far cheaper for them. According to the Train Conductor of the Iron Dragon, several Trains already had Level 13 firepower weapons.
Only by raising the Armor another level would he feel truly secure.
Even if Level 13 weapons could breach his defenses, they wouldn't instantly destroy him—his Armor could hold out for a while. Still, nothing beat the peace of mind that came with being outright impenetrable.
Upgrading from Level 12 to Level 13 Armor cost 2 million units of Iron Ore per Carriage.
For 15 Carriages plus the locomotive, that came to a total of 32 million units.
With Halved Consumption, it'd be... 16 million units.
Still not enough.
"..."
Chen Mang's lips twitched. He glanced out the window at the few Trains still mining his Level 1 Iron Ore. Once they were done, he'd have to hurry and find a Level 4 deposit—Iron Ore was running low! If only a hundred million units would fall from the sky right now.
As he waited, a wild idea suddenly struck him.
How was Iron Ore formed? It condensed from the planet's Core Energy leaking to the surface. Even the Starry Sky Behemoths soaring through space fed on Core Energy escaping from planets.
The so-called insectoid swarms launched massive invasions for the same reason—Core Energy.
Cola, cigarettes, steamed buns—all were formed from Core Energy.
Everything, everything, was Core Energy.
Core Energy was the essence of this world, the very thing everyone was fighting to plunder! And where was Core Energy? At the planet's core! If he drilled straight down to the heart of Aqua Blue Star and mined Core Energy directly, wouldn't that solve everything? Other Trains couldn't convert Core Energy directly into Iron Ore—they lacked the necessary accessories and capabilities. But he could. He had the Cosmic Receiver. If this thing could convert scattered Core Energy from space into Iron Ore, then surely it could do the same with Core Energy from the planet's core, right?
Wouldn't the conversion speed be far faster than mining on the surface?!
Immediately, he shared this genius idea with Xiao Ai and had him run a feasibility assessment.
Strike straight at the heart of the problem!
"Hmm."
Xiao Ai's voice quickly echoed through the train cabin: "Train Conductor, that's a great idea, but I need to add some data based on the information I obtained from the 'Library' in the last City Ruins."
"The radius of Aqua Blue Star is 28,371 km, which is 28.371 million meters."
"And the deeper we go, the slower the train's speed will be due to the increasing density of the underground. Based on the speed decay data from the surface to a depth of 70,000 meters, the train can only descend a maximum of 280,000 meters below the surface."
"Calculating it this way..."
"We still need to go another 371,000 meters deeper to reach the core of Aqua Blue Star and collect the Core Energy."
(End of Chapter)