MDT Chapter 133 Part 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 133 Part 2: The Black Market Merchant

For the rest of the day, the Stellar didn't go anywhere, staying put to rest and reorganize until the afternoon.

Only then did the train slowly start, its speed gradually increasing as it sped toward the depths of the Sand River Plains.

"..."

Inside the control car, Chen Mang had completely handed over the driving control to the AI. With Xiao Ai's current computing power, it could simultaneously control the train, modify its brain, operate various accessories, and handle transactions at the train's shop.

This was something a human could never do.

He, on the other hand, was looking at the constantly scrolling chat in the "Train Radio." Normally, the Train Radio wouldn't be this lively. When it was, it usually meant something had happened.

The last time it was this active was when he became the first in the Sand River Plains to complete the S-rank mechanical job advancement mission.

At first, he thought it might be the incident at the Babel Tower that had caused a commotion.

But it turned out...

"Kunlun Mountains region?"

Chen Mang's brow furrowed slightly. The Flesh Trains, which rarely spoke, were all now active, constantly scrolling messages on the Train Radio, making it extremely lively. These Flesh Trains were usually quite aloof.

The Train Radio had three usage modes.

One was this "chat room" style mode, for text chat. Another was a forced private chat between two nearby trains, which could only send text. And the third was a one-on-one private chat, which could use text or voice communication via walkie-talkie.

However, most of the time, text communication was the standard. After all, this kind of communication was more accurate and wouldn't cause misunderstandings due to accents. Private voice chat could only be used after the other party had replied to you. The first private chat initiated with a stranger could only be text.

And the reason the "Train Radio" had become so lively was—

The monsters in the Kunlun Mountains region had all disappeared.

The number of monsters in this region had been rapidly decreasing since this morning, and by noon, they had completely vanished. Not a single monster was to be seen. Many Flesh Trains had circled the Kunlun Mountains region today, and their Search Radars were as silent as if they had malfunctioned.

And for a Flesh Train, this was a fatal blow!

No matter what potential a Flesh Train had, to upgrade the train and its accessories, they needed to hunt large numbers of monsters. But now the monsters were gone—it was as if all the iron ore in the Sand River Plains had suddenly disappeared.

Although the Sand River Plains also had monsters, they weren't as numerous or dense as in the Kunlun Mountains region. The Kunlun Mountains region was also known as the holy land for Flesh Trains. In the several regions near the Sand River Plains, no other region had as many monsters as the Kunlun Mountains region.

"..."

Chen Mang's brow furrowed slightly as he quickly sorted through the messages on the Train Radio. This was unusual and strange news. This was the apocalypse, and the main threat of this apocalypse was caused by these monsters. If the monsters all disappeared, wouldn't the apocalypse just end? This was impossible.

Then there was only one reason...

This was the calm before the storm.

"They can't be massing troops, can they?"

He suddenly thought of a possibility and murmured in a daze. Were the monsters in the Kunlun Mountains region all hiding in some corner, gathering their numbers, until they rushed out of the Kunlun Mountains region and attacked the Sand River Plains?

Monsters from a green region definitely couldn't go to a white region.

But...

Whether monsters from a green region could go to another green region, he didn't know.

Thinking of this, Chen Mang couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. These monsters couldn't be massing troops to attack the Babel Tower, could they, just like in that cutscene he had watched?

He quickly threw this unrealistic idea out of his mind.

This was impossible. After all, just that extremely terrifying worm monster—the Search Radar couldn't even detect its level, which was enough to show that it couldn't possibly be a monster that could be born in a green region.

If that monster came to the Sand River Plains, everyone who was too slow would die on the spot.

But—

The smile on Chen Mang's face slowly froze. His current area of activity was basically locked to the "Sand River Plains" and "Kunlun Mountains." The adjacent regions of the Sand River Plains were all white, while the Kunlun Mountains region was adjacent to a yellow region and another green region.

Although the possibility of that terrifying worm rushing to the Sand River Plains was extremely small...

But if it did happen, his only chance of survival would be to cross the Kunlun Mountains and escape to that other green region. He couldn't enter the yellow region; at least a Level 6 train was needed to enter a yellow region.

"..."

Chen Mang looked at the screen on the control console and was silent for a moment. As long as there were no unexpected situations, even if all the monsters in the Kunlun Mountains region rushed out, he wasn't afraid. After all, he had Level 6 armor, and they couldn't break his defense.

What he needed to do now was—

Find a mine first.

The train was heading north. When he was on the Babel Tower, he had seen an extremely steep mountain to the far north, like a sharp sword thrust into the ground, its hilt exposed above the clouds.

His target was that mountain.

He didn't know if there was a mine on the top of that mountain, or if this mountain was even in the Sand River Plains, but he would go and see. If there were a mine on the top, he would have struck gold. That mountain was extremely steep; no one but him could get up there.

It was on par with the Babel Tower in height, so it would not be low.

If he detected a Level 2 iron mine on the way, he would get off and mine. If he didn't, he would go straight to that high mountain. He was looking for those mines that only he could dig. Generally, such geographically perilous mines would have richer mineral resources.

For example, the mine in the middle of that swamp.

Those mines would refresh in 61 days. If he still hadn't left the Sand River Plains in 61 days, he could go back and dig the mines in that swamp region again.

....

The train raced north.

Both Nitro Boosters roared at full throttle, spewing brilliant blue flames that propelled the train to unprecedented speeds. From a distance, adorned with dozens of pale blue jets of fire, it resembled a land-bound rocket streaking across the wasteland.

The velocity was extreme.

Any opposing train lacking advanced "AI Auto-Targeting" systems—or whose AI possessed insufficient processing power—would find landing a hit nearly impossible. Of course, maintaining this speed in a straight line would allow even basic AI to calculate the intercept point with ease.

Chen Mang had departed as dusk approached in the afternoon.

Now, with night fallen, a canopy of stars shared the sky with both moon and sun hanging overhead. In the distance, he could clearly make out the silhouette of a massive mountain. By his estimation, another half hour would bring them there—the Sand River Plains proved no smaller than the Ironridge Wasteland.

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During the journey, he'd spotted several Level 2 iron mines, but other trains were already working the deposits, so he hadn't lingered.

Then—

"Hm?"

Chen Mang's brow furrowed as he instinctively ordered the Stellar to decelerate. His targeting radar had always displayed only red and green dots—green representing Stellar crew members, red indicating other living creatures.

This marked the first time he'd ever seen a yellow dot.

Soon, a figure came into view: cloaked and hooded, face obscured, standing in the distance and waving slowly toward the Stellar.

Could it be a Black Market Merchant?

Chen Mang thoughtfully guided the Stellar to a gentle stop beside the mysterious figure, though he kept the carriage doors sealed. Simultaneously, the external weapon systems swiveled their barrels to lock onto the target.

Once a train acquired Legacy Value, it could exchange that currency with Black Market Merchants for rare accessory blueprints, items, and more. There was also the possibility of accessing the Doomsday Black Market, and certain accessories required specific Legacy Value thresholds before installation.

The moment the train halted, Chen Mang studied the enigmatic cloaked figure who had ceased waving. The corner of his mouth twitched. Despite the concealing cloak and hood that completely obscured the face, he recognized the visitor instantly.

The damned Goblin Merchant!

Even through black gloves, he caught a flash of green skin at the cuffs. Combined with the diminutive stature and pointed ears that even the hood couldn't entirely hide...

If not a goblin, then what?

Just yesterday, he'd been fortunate enough to obtain a special item: map coordinates to a "Goblin Ruin." His plan had been to mine additional iron, upgrade the train somewhat, then investigate the location.

He'd never imagined the so-called Black Market Merchant would turn out to be a Goblin Merchant. These creatures certainly got around.

Then—

The mysterious cloaked figure beside the Stellar held its ground, voice raspy and cold: "Foolish human, congratulations on encountering the mysterious, elusive, and great Black Market Merchant. You may exchange your Legacy Value for any item in my inventory."

"Here is my catalog."

"Please state which item you wish to purchase."

"Remember—state the item number. The great Black Market Merchant has no time for idle conversation."

"You have one minute to decide."

Instantly!

Four items materialized on the control console screen. The most expensive cost 100 Legacy Value—apparently, the offered goods wouldn't exceed the train's current Legacy Value capacity.

At the very top, a line of crimson text appeared:

"Doomsday Encounter: The Black Market Merchant."

"Its movements are unpredictable. Any train may encounter a Black Market Merchant, but only those possessing Legacy Value can purchase rare and precious items."

"Attacking, imprisoning, or harming the Black Market Merchant is prohibited."

1: Special Item 'Mofei Stone,' 100 Legacy Value.
2: Random Yellow-Grade Accessory Blueprint, 100 Legacy Value.
3: Random White-Grade Accessory Blueprint, 10 Legacy Value.
4: Special Item 'C-Rank Difficulty Trial  Exemption Pass,' 100 Legacy Value.

"..."

Chen Mang glanced first at the four items displayed on the console screen, then at the Black Market Merchant standing beside his train. A peculiar expression crossed his face as he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. Rather than making a selection, he turned to Xiao Ai.

"Let Duo Ba out. Have him greet our guest."

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