Having solidified his resolve, Uncle Li now worked with even greater focus and vigor.
Using tongs, he picked up another Redheart Nut and forcefully stuffed it into the mouth of the Zombie tied to the pillar, giving it a few hard prods to ensure it reached the esophagus.
The quickest thod would have been to cut open the stomach directly.
But Biao Zi had specifically instructed him not to damage the Zombie's integrity—Lord Mang needed it intact.
So this was the only way.
Everyone would have a bright future on the train, and Uncle Li was no exception!
One day!
He would make sure Lord Mang rembered his na forever!
Even in this seemingly insignificant role overseeing the Breeding Carriage, he could turn it into sothing extraordinary—that was his talent!
"Do I really have to wear this?"
Inside the refrigerator of Guard Car No. 7, i Jia shyly covered her chest with her hands and whispered, "This outfit makes
feel like a Dealer..."
"What nonsense."
Shan Mao Zi straightened his expression. "You look absolutely stunning in this, like... uh, the epito of cuteness."
"Really?"
A flicker of doubt flashed in i Jia's eyes before she hesitantly added, "I overheard what Zhang Qi said earlier... Are you sure you didn't join in?"
"I swear I didn't!"
Shan Mao Zi raised three fingers solemnly. "I'll stake my life on it—Biao Ge can vouch for ."
"What I ant was, next ti, you should join them."
"Why?"
"Otherwise, you'll seem standoffish, like you're putting on airs. People might not say it to your face, but they'll talk behind your back."
"That won't happen." Shan Mao Zi shook his head with a smile. "You don't have to worry about that. Lord Mang and Biao Ge aren't like that—absolutely not. Let
be honest with you—yes, there's a physical reaction."
"But I genuinely don't want to participate. It's not about self-restraint; I just believe intimacy should involve so emotion."
"When I kiss you, I feel like you lt into . That sense of being loved makes
feel alive and energized every day, even in this apocalypse."
"Loveless sex, to , is as tasteless as chewing wax."
"Shan Mao."
"Yeah?"
"You're really sweet."
"You too, babe. So... can you put on that outfit now?"
"You're still hung up on the Dealer thing!"
"No, I just... well, want to challenge my weaknesses."
"Fine."
Soon...
The stars shifted, and morning arrived.
The sky brightened, the rain stopped, and Mom was getting married.
"..."
Inside the train compartnt, Chen Mang stared at the ssage on the Train Radio, his expression complicated. The news was so absurd he didn't even know how to respond. In the end, he could only reply with:
"So you're inviting
to your mom's wedding?"
Yes.
Er Dan's mom was getting married.
The AI in the Azure Dragon that Er Dan had nad "Mom."
The next mont—
Er Dan's frantic voice crackled through the Train Radio's walkie-talkie.
"Bro, this joke isn't funny at all. We've got a serious problem here."
"My mom—no, this AI in my train—has developed a minor issue. I stumbled into a Serendipity Map a few days ago while mining. Didn't even have ti to tell you about it."
"It's from a Fortuitous Encounter map called 'Eternal Confinent Cell.'"
"Then I failed and exited the map, and the Train was cursed. The curse effect is 'Your AI will be in heat for the next three days.'"
"After my mom ca out of the map, she's been in heat ever since."
"."
Chen Mang was at a loss for words, silently glancing at the access card lying quietly in the drawer nearby. The na 'Eternal Confinent Cell' sounded so familiar...
「Special Item」: Dungeon Access Card.
「Item Effect」: When in the 'Eternal Confinent Cell' Fortuitous Encounter map, this card can be used to open a certain dungeon door within the map.
-
He had obtained this special item a few days ago by trading Murphy Stones.
The sa went for the 「Neon City Ticket」—he'd also acquired it through Murphy Stones. He wondered if the original owner of the ticket would feel a little upset upon learning that, after holding onto it for so long without any reaction, it started glowing red within just a few days of being in his possession.
But then again, there was no real reason to be upset.
Even if the original owner hadn't traded the 「ticket」 to him and had gone in themselves, they'd probably only have managed to play around a bit—certainly not achieved as much as he had, bringing out so many opportunities.
The lack of transportation would've been a major issue right off the bat. Good luck exploring that massive city on foot.
As for the Fortuitous Encounter map Er Dan had just visited, it just so happened that Chen Mang had an access card for it. He wasn't sure what was inside that 「dungeon,」 but generally, access cards unlocked hidden quests or rewards.
Like the hidden reward in the 「Geocentric Nuclear Bomb」 lab.
Only then did he pick up the Train Radio's walkie-talkie.
"AI in heat... huh. How does an AI even go into heat?"
"My AI started displaying lines of code on the control panel screen. She wants
to tap those codes on the virtual keyboard to help her vent energy."
"That's a... unique way to express heat."
"Tell
about it."
"So why don't you just tap them?"
"How could I? She's my emotional anchor in this apocalyptic world!"
"Then what happened?"
"Then she just kept acting like she was in agony."
"She wouldn't press the 「Imdiate Self-Destruct」 button, would she?"
"Nah. My Train isn't A-rank potential, so my AI isn't that advanced. She doesn't have human-like logic—just basic functions. She's only expressing her discomfort through the Car Audio and so other thods."
"Well, if you won't do it, why not have your Train's Thug do it?"
"Absolutely not! That'd be... that'd be... you know!"
"So... you're saying you want
to do it for you?"
"Definitely not!" Er Dan's flustered voice crackled through the walkie-talkie. "This curse isn't a huge deal on its own, but in this situation, it's a bit problematic. After thinking it over, I decided to co to you. Your Train's AI has its own robotic body, right? I was hoping it could help
out."
"Since they're both AIs, it shouldn't be an issue."
"Well, it's not impossible, but isn't it only for three days? If it bothers you that much, why not just tough it out?"
"It's complicated. You'll understand when we et. Since you're okay with it, should I co find you?"
"Alright, coordinates sent to you. Co on over."
After concluding this sowhat absurd conversation.
Xiao Ai's crisp voice suddenly sounded in his ears: "Looks like I'm going to be Er Dan's dad now."
Chen Mang was about to respond when he suddenly realized sothing. Turning to look at Xiao Ai standing in the corner, he said in surprise, "Your voice sounds emotional now. It's not just that chanical electronic tone anymore."
"Is that so?"
Xiao Ai coughed lightly with evident pride before speaking: "How about that? My cough sounds realistic, doesn't it? I can also sigh. Watch this."
"Huff huff huff"
"Why the hell would you program a sighing function into your robot?"
"Because the Train Conductor sighs often. With this function, I can sigh along with you in the future."
"That's just my habit."
"The Train Conductor's habits are my learning benchmarks."
"...Any other new functions?"
"Not for now. Just these modifications. Oh wait, there's one more. I sewed a garnt with built-in storage space inside my body. Now whenever you want sothing to drink—mineral water, cola, tea—I can serve it to you imdiately. There are both chilled and piping hot options. I installed a small energy generator I brought from the lab inside ."
"Let
demonstrate—"
"Wait—"
A terrible possibility flashed through Chen Mang's mind. His expression darkened as he was about to say sothing when he saw Xiao Ai take out a cup, place his finger above it, fold the fingertip back, and steaming hot water began pouring from between his fingers.
"What's wrong, Train Conductor?" Xiao Ai looked at Chen Mang with confusion in his eyes. "Did you want
to wait for sothing?"
"Nothing. I don't want that hot water right now."
Chen Mang waved his hand awkwardly. "I overthought it. Anyway, didn't I give you a 'Robot Parts Grab Bag'? See if you can modify your face to show expressions. Right now only your voice has emotions—your face stays blank. It's uncomfortable to watch, like audio-video desync."
"Oh."
Xiao Ai nodded. Then gear sounds ca from between his legs as a steel pipe extended out, placing the cup of hot water between his thighs. Soon the water was sucked into his body. "About those parts—"
"Wait!"
Chen Mang took a deep breath, stood up from his chair, and stared expressionlessly at Xiao Ai. "Goddammit, I knew it! What the fuck is that?"
"You didn't drink the water, Train Conductor. It'd be wasteful to throw it away, so I'm recycling it into the water pouch in my clothing storage."
"I'm asking about that fucking steel rod between your legs!"
"Well... if there's an outlet, there needs to be an inlet too."
"Then why did you put the outlet on your finger?!"
"Because according to human sensibilities, that area would be inappropriate. People might find drinks from there hard to accept."
"Your mom knows that too! So you think having the inlet there is any fucking better?!"
"...Generally speaking, the intake process isn't easily visible."
"Well I'm fucking seeing it right now!"
"I'll be more careful in the future."
"Careful your mom's ass!"
Chen Mang took a deep breath and wearily sat down on the chair. After a long silence, he gently massaged his temples and said, "Xiao Ai, I specifically bought you the 'Robot Parts Grab Bag' for modifying your body, but I think you're going in the wrong direction with these modifications."
"Xiao Fang handles these trivial daily tasks."
"Your job is to beco a researcher. Shouldn't you be modifying yourself toward that goal?"
"I'm working on it."
Xiao Ai pondered seriously for a mont before replying, "I'm sorry, Train Conductor. I understand now."
"You can leave now. Remove that water-pouring system of yours as soon as possible. These tasks don't need you to do them."
"And I suppose the cigarette-lighting system isn't necessary either?"
Xiao Ai tentatively raised his left index finger. As the fingertip folded back, a small fla suddenly flickered to life: "This modification was prepared for lighting your cigarettes, Train Conductor."
"What kind of nonsense is this—"
Chen Mang pointed angrily at Xiao Ai's nose, about to unleash a torrent of scolding, when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence as if struck by a thought. After a mont of contemplation, he said, "Actually... how much space does this cigarette-lighting system take up in your body?"
"Not much. Very little."
"Then you can keep this one. Remove the water-pouring system, though. Focus less on daily-life modifications and more on engineering upgrades."
"Understood!"
"Add a command: from now on, when I snap my fingers, you co to light my cigarette."
"No problem."
"Alright, you can go now."
After Xiao Ai left.
Chen Mang sat alone in the train compartnt, taking stock of their recent gains. Er Dan was still two hours away, which gave him enough ti to sort through the items obtained from the Serendipity Map.
In terms of pure value.
The rewards from this Serendipity Map were probably the most substantial he'd ever obtained from any such map.
And there were many hidden benefits too.
Like emotional fulfillnt, the rather impressive Sister Qi, the future prospects of "Neon City," and the various shops there with their unique functions.
The four Map Chips were straightforward.
Each Map Chip provided the sa Physical Fitness Index boost, and their difficulty levels were similar. Theoretically, the first map was the hardest, but as one's Physical Fitness Index increased, clearing subsequent maps beca easier—like a snowball effect.
Take Zhang Yi and Zhang Er, for example.
They brute-forced their way through.
Of course, this required having enough Map Chips, which were relatively rare. Er Dan's "Azure Dragon" train didn't even have a single Map Chip yet. Without this Serendipity Map, Chen Mang himself would only have two.
The "Stellar" now had six Map Chips in total.
Theoretically, clearing all of them would provide a 12.6-point boost to Physical Fitness Index, aning everyone could reach over 20 points—effectively making them all as capable as Zhang Yi.
Equipping everyone with a "Thunder" ch would be no problem at all.
Not bad.
And then there were the five "Random White Grade Accessory Blueprints."
Chen Mang didn't hesitate.
He imdiately placed all five on the control panel and began crafting them. He looked forward to seeing what these five accessories would be—the last batch of five White Grade Accessory Blueprints he'd obtained from the "Black Market Store" had been quite good.
Items like the "Cigarette Production Line" and "Rice Noodle Roll Production Line" were all obtained during that ti. Especially the cigarette production line, which not only solved the issue of cigarettes being a non-renewable resource on the Train but also earned him a considerable amount of Iron Ore.
He wondered what it would be this ti.
The next mont—
Information about five components appeared on the control panel screen.
--Support
in Patreon for more chapters 35
chapters in there
patreon/LegendaryTL
Thanks!
Reviews
All reviews (0)