Chapter 325: Human Civilization's Stellar Train |
"Phew."
On the Gemini Star, Chen Mang looked at the four fading words of "Human Civilization" on the ground. He stood up, let out a long sigh of relief, and with a slight upward curve at the corners of his mouth, looked up at the light above his head.
This was the fruit of the Human Civilization's very first outward expansion.
A habitable planet.
As well as an abundance of resources.
It was a small step for him, but a giant leap in the progression of his entire life.
The rest of the matters would be handled by his subordinates.
A massive number of robots were distributed across the Gemini Star, taking inventory of the resources and the leftover configurations in each city.
When the war began.
As for clearing away corpses, ruins, and collapsed buildings, that work didn't need to be handed over to the robots at all.
Sitting inside the train cabin, Chen Mang pressed a green button on the control console. A progress bar quickly appeared on the screen. Once the bar filled up, all the debris would be cleared away, and the planet's overall living environment would be vastly improved.
The level 200 Overlimit Effect of the Medical Pod was the ability to repair damaged planets.
It was exceptionally handy.
Especially after a war had ended, there was nothing better for sweeping the battlefield.
Returning his attention to the ruins of the Kasa Civilization Federation galaxy, Chen Mang observed the movements of the Zerg Civilization army on the star map. By now, the two Zerg factions had completely merged without a single sign of a rift between them.
Even though they had been engaged in a bloody slaughter against one another not long ago, today they could unite and fight together.
Across the entire Zerg Civilization, only the Broodmothers—or perhaps a very tiny fraction of the species—possessed any real intelligence. The vast armies below them were nothing but monsters driven by bloodthirsty instincts, blindly following the commands of their queens. Under such conditions, their integration was flawlessly harmonious.
Right now, they were constructing small-scale Wormholes and slowly advancing.
They had dispatched large armies to guard the detected Wormhole exits of the Kasa Civilization, refraining from any overly aggressive pushes for the time being.
It looked as if they were planning a truce.
But that was just an illusion.
The only reason the Zerg Civilization had previously maintained peace with the Kasa Civilization was simply because they had been busy fighting another Zerg faction on the frontlines. They hadn't had the time or resources to deal with the Kasa Civilization. Now that the frontline war was over, it was only natural that they would turn their fangs toward the Kasa Civilization Federation.
As for peace?
The Zerg Civilization was never a species capable of settling down peacefully.
With so many terrifying traits bestowed upon them by the universe, they were born to conquer and plunder.
"..."
Leaning back in his chair, Chen Mang continuously swiped through the mainstream forums of the Kasa Civilization Federation on his screen. He wanted to see everyone's opinions on the Kasa Civilization's cowardly escape. His goal was to absorb the majority of the human civilizations in this group into his own Human Civilization.
Using them as a cornerstone would provide the crucial foundation he needed to advance deeper into the universe.
But—
He had no intention of taking in a bunch of entitled deadbeats.
A sudden exponential explosion in population would bring countless oversights and administrative nightmares. Although Lao Zhu was highly skilled in management and had grown tremendously while overseeing Water Blue Star recently, absorbing nearly ten thousand civilizations at once would still pose a significant challenge for the Stellar Train.
He needed to wait.
Wait until the vast majority of people realized that the Kasa Civilization had truly fled, taking all the resources they had surrendered with them. He had to wait until they understood that they had absolutely no options left against the Zerg Civilization other than waiting to die.
Only then would he step onto the stage as their savior.
This approach would serve as an excellent stabilizer for his ruling authority.
-
"It's really over this time! Verified news just dropped—the Kasa Civilization has completely fled. We've all been abandoned. What do we do now? We're doomed, we're entirely doomed!"
"What are you so afraid of? Civilization wars of this scale easily last for over a century. It took hundreds of years for the Mechanical Civilization to be wiped out. I don't have that kind of lifespan, nor do I have enough money to live that long. By the time the Zerg Civilization pushes through to us, we'll already be dead. After I'm dead, who cares if the whole world floods?"
"Are you fucking stupid? The Mechanical Civilization held out for centuries because they actually fought back! The Kasa Civilization has bolted, so who is going to resist? Besides, the Mechanical Civilization was only facing one Zerg branch at the time. We're dealing with two of them merged together!"
"Can't we send someone to negotiate? Does the Zerg Civilization absolutely have to exterminate everyone? Is there a possibility that if we adopt a policy of non-resistance—if we don't attack or harm a single Zerg monster—we could become citizens of a Zerg Civilization Federation?"
"Yeah, that's a good point! The Kasa Civilization has already run away, which means the Zerg Civilization has practically won the war. There's no point in killing us anymore. Living people are always more valuable than dead ones, right?"
"It would be great if that were true. I heard the supreme leaders of the Zerg Civilization are female, and their societal structure is matriarchal. If we join their federation, the status of us women might even improve a little."
"My suggestion is to adopt an absolute non-resistance policy. Don't kill a single Zerg monster. When they first arrive, they'll definitely start a massacre, but if we continue to offer no resistance, the Zerg Civilization will eventually see our sincerity. Those who survive the initial wave will be allowed to live."
"To show absolute sincerity, I think we should even destroy all our Mechanical Trains and defensive measures. We can't stop them anyway, so we might as well scrap everything in advance."
-
"..."
Chen Mang sat expressionlessly in his chair, his knuckles tapping an erratic rhythm against the tabletop. He slowly closed his eyes. He realized that his previous line of thinking had been flawed. He had wanted to be the orthodox successor of human civilization.
Therefore.
He had assumed that no matter the civilization, as long as it was primarily composed of humans, it should have the opportunity to join his Human Civilization.
He had only ever looked at race.
He belonged to the human race, and so he showed a natural bias toward his own kind.
But now, he felt his perspective had been far too narrow.
Aside from race, one had to consider the overall societal ethos of a civilization. A civilization that was rotten to its very core, even if it were entirely human, was completely unworthy of joining his Human Civilization.
Human Civilization was an empire he had built from the ground up with his own two hands.
It belonged to him.
It didn't belong to humanity as a whole.
He had expected to see the more than two hundred level-two civilizations step up, forming a temporary wartime command center and rallying all available forces to fight the Zerg Civilization to the bitter end.
Even if they were doomed to extinction, they should have been determined to viciously bite off a piece of the Zerg Civilization before going down.
Instead...
What he saw was a policy of non-resistance being applauded and accepted by an ever-growing number of people.
He couldn't fathom such a pathetic mindset.
Throughout his entire journey.
He had played dirty, acted ruthlessly, avoided battles when outmatched, and met enemies head-on. But not once, in any moment of crisis, had he ever chosen to disarm himself and pin his hopes of survival on the enemy's mercy.
In his eyes.
Over the years under the Kasa Civilization's oppressive rule, these civilizations had been on their knees for so long that they had forgotten how to stand.
What he needed was a Human Civilization that stood tall, not one composed of spineless cowards.
After a long period of silence, Chen Mang finally looked up at the train's screen, focusing on the Zerg Civilization army stationed at one of the Kasa Civilization's Wormhole exits. He had originally wanted to bide his time and wait for absolute despair to set in before lending a hand.
But things had taken an unexpected turn.
Due to the overwhelming hopelessness, the public's mentality had grown alarmingly extreme.
He decided he had to do something right now.
He would become the spark of light in the darkness to give the people a sliver of confidence.
He immediately pushed the control lever, steering the train toward the nearest Kasa Civilization Wormhole.
At this moment—
The Kasa Civilization's Wormhole was completely unguarded and could be entered freely. Of course, every time a train from another civilization entered, the Kasa Civilization's Wormhole Management Authority would still receive an automated log.
The civilization brand inside a Wormhole was incredibly difficult to erase unless the civilization itself went extinct.
Six hours later.
The Stellar Train slowly entered the Wormhole ahead. After shuttling through its interior for a few seconds, it emerged smoothly, like a newborn sliding from the birth canal. But the instant it exited the Wormhole...
The Zerg monsters that had been standing guard nearby swarmed forward, launching a frenzied assault on the train.
Furthermore.
Merely a dozen seconds later, a Zerg Civilization Wormhole materialized at point-blank range. A massive horde of Zerg monsters flooded out of it, and dozens of colossal Zerg motherships emerged right behind them.
In an instant!
The Stellar Train was plunged into extreme peril, tottering dangerously like a fragile wooden boat caught in a raging tempest.
At the same time.
Through the train's broadcasting station, Chen Mang projected this exact scene onto the screens of every single train within a radius of a hundred thousand light-years. The feed was rapidly rebroadcast, swiftly appearing on the televisions and smartwatches of countless residents, as well as on the massive external displays of towering city skyscrapers.
Wherever there was a screen, this footage was playing in real time.
The broadcast was silent.
Against the pitch-black canvas of space dotted by tens of thousands of stars, a train with nearly twenty carriages floated in the void. It was completely surrounded by countless Zerg monsters hurling themselves fearlessly against its armor. In the distance, nearly a hundred massive Zerg motherships aimed their cannons directly at the train, glaring like predators ready to open fire at any moment.
And emblazoned across the thick armor of this train were several massive words:
"Human Civilization - Stellar Train."
This was the Stellar Train, and it was also the first time the Human Civilization had ever revealed itself to the public eye!
This scene rapidly triggered an unimaginable sensation across the Kasa Civilization Federation.
Initially, Chen Mang had only broadcast the feed to all the local trains. However, the train captains quickly grasped the gravity of the situation and immediately rebroadcast the feed everywhere. For the vast majority of the populace, this was the very first time they were laying eyes on the Zerg Civilization army in real time.
For many, it was the first time they had ever witnessed what the Zerg monsters truly looked like with their own eyes.
In the dead silence of the cosmos.
The suffocating pressure exerted by millions of Zerg monsters drifting through the void was beyond description. The nearly one hundred titanic Zerg motherships lurking in the back were especially terrifying, watching like hungry crocodiles ready to deliver a fatal strike.
And their opponent.
Was just a single train.
An isolated, helpless, and seemingly destitute train.
Countless pedestrians in cities everywhere stopped dead in their tracks. Some looked up at the giant screens on rooftops, while others stared down at their smartwatches. They subconsciously held their breath as they watched the scene unfold. No one was in the mood to go to work anymore.
Vehicles on the streets halted where they were, yet not a single driver honked in frustration. Almost everyone dropped whatever they were doing to watch the live broadcast.
This was a matter of life and death.
They had no idea if this so-called Human Civilization could hold the line, but at the very least, someone was willing to stand up and fight.
Human Civilization...
It was the exact same civilization that had just been promoted to a level-two civilization a few days prior. It had even made the front page of the Kasa Civilization's daily news. Everyone had been curious as to which civilization had managed to break through the oppressive restrictions and ascend to level two right under the Kasa Civilization's nose.
Especially since no one had ever heard the name of this civilization before.
The civilization's name had spread rapidly.
Many people had been waiting with bated breath for a good show, eager to see how the Kasa Civilization would brutally slaughter this upstart.
However, what they got instead was the news that the Kasa Civilization had run away.
The live feed had been rolling for a full minute.
By now, the Stellar Train was completely obscured from view. It had vanished from the screen as an endless tide of Zerg monsters swarmed over it from every angle, encapsulating the train until it looked like a gigantic sphere of writhing bugs.
Everyone watching the screens unconsciously held their breath, waiting patiently. They didn't know exactly what they were waiting for—perhaps for a miracle to occur.
Just at that moment—
Countless scorching white beams of light flared up at almost the exact same instant!
Like comets, they instantly tore through the cosmos.
The nearly one hundred Zerg motherships locking down the area had chosen to fire a simultaneous volley. Their main cannons, boasting an attack intensity of level 150, rained down like a meteor shower upon the massive ball of flesh. The instant the searing pillars of light struck, countless Zerg monsters were vaporized on the spot.
Immediately after, the people saw the Stellar Train situated at the very core of the insect sphere.
Countless energy beams carrying terrifying coercive pressure slammed into the Stellar Train. The sheer force was enough to distort space itself. Though the vacuum of space transmitted no sound, a deafening explosion seemed to echo in the depths of everyone's minds.
A few seconds later.
The spatial distortions gradually stabilized.
Everyone stared at their screens in absolute disbelief. The Stellar Train on the broadcast was completely unscathed. Even its externally mounted components hadn't suffered a scratch. An attack of such terrifying magnitude hadn't managed to inflict even a single trace of damage on the Stellar Train!
In the next moment—
The deep blue circuitry of the Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon mounted on the roof of the Stellar Train began to emit a blinding glow. After charging for mere seconds, a scorching pillar of light bearing an even more horrifying pressure materialized in space, striking out like a primordial god splitting heaven and earth.
It was like an apocalyptic thunderclap from the dawn of creation.
Wherever the beam passed, absolute annihilation followed.
With just this single shot.
Dozens of Zerg motherships couldn't withstand even a fraction of the blast, instantly detonating into massive fireballs. Countless fragments of debris were sent hurtling through space at extreme speeds. Only then did the surviving motherships finally react, frantically turning to flee toward the nearby Wormhole from which they had arrived.
However!
The Stellar Train's light energy main cannon was faster. Four consecutive blazing pillars of light fired in rapid succession, completely and utterly obliterating the remaining Zerg motherships!
This massive-scale encounter, which had seemingly started with overwhelming odds, ended with the Stellar Train sweeping the enemy away like dried leaves in a hurricane.
A formidable Zerg army—boasting nearly a hundred motherships and millions of monsters, a force so potent that even the Kasa Civilization would have had to deploy their main fleet to combat it—was reduced to cosmic dust with just five shots from the Stellar Train.
The broadcast gradually dimmed until it completely vanished.
Before the screen went black, the final image branded into everyone's minds was the Stellar Train floating proudly in the pitch-black cosmos. Surrounding it were the fleeing remnants of the Zerg swarm, scattered bits of scorched flesh, and the floating wreckage of shattered motherships.
Those were the lucky few that hadn't been completely vaporized.
In the abyssal void of the universe.
The Stellar Train emitted a faint glow. That tiny speck of light was almost negligible in the grand scale of the cosmos, yet it stood unyielding, an eternal flame that no storm could extinguish.
"..."
Sitting inside the Stellar Train, Chen Mang looked at the real-time data flashing across his screen. Since ancient times, war had always been the fastest way to amass immense wealth in human history. Fundamentally, it was no different from robbery.
It was simply the act of using plunder to line one's own pockets with someone else's resources.
The only difference was that the perpetrators had escalated from individuals to entire civilizations.
But—
The immense wealth generated by war was only ever tallied up after the conflict ended. Before a war concluded, it consumed a staggering amount of resources. If one's reserves were insufficient, they could easily be dragged to ruin by the deficit.
Those few main cannon shots just now had cost him a total of two trillion units of iron ore.
Although he had successfully annihilated a Zerg Civilization vanguard.
He hadn't earned a single cent of profit from it.
Until he could conquer and occupy the planets held by the Zerg Civilization, this war would yield nothing but sheer consumption without any tangible gains.
Even though the inventory of the Gemini Star's resources hadn't been fully calculated yet, he anticipated it wouldn't be exceptionally large—certainly not enough to fund this entire campaign. Relying solely on that batch of resources, he would find it extremely difficult to contend with the full might of the Zerg Civilization.
His plan was quite straightforward.
He would use the current resources to build himself up, and then he would go snatch up every last scrap of resources the Kasa Civilization had left behind.
By conveniently inheriting the massive wealth abandoned by the Kasa Civilization, he would have more than enough funds to fight this war to the very end.
Afterward, his attention returned to the 27th Galaxy of the Kasa Civilization Federation. He glanced at the forum discussions on his tablet. He was confident that his live broadcast had caused quite a stir. If it could ignite the suppressed fighting spirit within the populace...
Then that would be even better.
He didn't want any spineless cowards in his Human Civilization. If, even after he had stepped up and displayed such overwhelming strength, there were still people preaching a policy of non-resistance, he would have no choice but to abandon them. Let them see for themselves whether their non-resistance policy actually worked against the Zerg.
In the next moment—
His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of several glaring, condemnatory posts on the forums.
-
"Does this newly emerged Human Civilization love showing off that much? Sure, you get to act all high and mighty now, but when the Zerg Civilization main army arrives, won't they just slaughter even more people in the Kasa Civilization Federation out of revenge? You think those cannon blasts hit the Zerg? You just blasted us!"
"For a civilization that just reached level two, having this kind of firepower is impressive. But they clearly can't read the room. There is absolutely no way to hold the line against the Zerg. I suggest we all issue a joint statement severing all ties with the Human Civilization. That way, when the Zerg Civilization finally gets here, they won't vent their anger on us."
"I agree with that."
"I've already sent emissaries out of the Wormhole to find the Zerg Civilization and initiate negotiations."
"Are you people out of your minds? When the Mechanical Civilization lost the war, their entire race was purged. Not a single survivor was left. Do you seriously not know that?"
"That's because the Mechanical Civilization resisted until the bitter end! It's only natural that the Zerg wiped them out to vent their rage. If we don't resist at all, why would the Zerg feel the need to vent their anger on us?"
-
It had only been six hours from the time he first checked the forums to the moment he engaged the enemy. Yet, within those brief six hours, the non-resistance policy had garnered a massive following, practically becoming the definitive and only solution to surviving the impending Zerg apocalypse.
Some civilization leaders had even publicly announced their unyielding commitment to enforcing the non-resistance policy.
Even after he had made the effort to stand up—stepping into the limelight for the very first time just to awaken the fighting spirit in their blood.
All he received in return was alienation and severed ties.
Right at that moment—
He even saw on the forum that several civilization leaders had transmitted broadcasts into the depths of space. The contents of their messages varied, but almost all of them explicitly declared a complete disassociation from the Human Civilization.
They firmly proclaimed their support for the Zerg Civilization's rule, pledging to become their most loyal and devoted subjects.
"Universe Broadcast."
It was a special item that only a civilization leader could use. Once activated, it could transmit a message, audio clip, or video across the cosmos in the form of a broadcast, traveling at the speed of light.
However, its primary function wasn't communication.
The territory of the Kasa Civilization Federation spanned tens of thousands of light-years.
For a light-speed signal to cross the entire federation—let alone reach the core of the Zerg Civilization—would take tens of thousands of years. The true purpose of this broadcast was to create a permanent record.
A Universe Broadcast transmitted a message within a hundred-thousand-light-year radius. Until it reached its ultimate destination, the signal would never dissipate. It became ironclad proof—a permanent, unforgeable record drifting through space that could be intercepted and verified at any time.
These civilizations weren't actually trying to deliver this message directly to the ears of the Zerg leadership.
Their main goal was to formally state their position on the record.
So that when the Zerg Civilization eventually arrived, they could pull up this undeniable evidence and prove that they had embraced Zerg rule long before the invasion even began.
"How wonderful,"
Chen Mang muttered. Sitting in his cabin and observing the spectacle, he couldn't help but chuckle. He lit a cigarette, leaned back against his seat, and said no more. He had originally just wanted to stir up whatever dormant fighting spirit they had left. He never expected them to actually offer any tangible help. He just didn't want them polluting the societal atmosphere if they joined his Human Civilization later.
But looking at it now.
Some people were just born with soft bones that could never stand straight.
Such people weren't fit to join the Human Civilization. They were better off being fried into crispy chicken—soft enough not to chip a tooth or get stuck in the throat.
Just then—
Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the train cabin.
"Captain, the inventory of all resources on the Gemini Star has been completed."
"There are a total of 170 trillion units of iron ore, 80 trillion units of copper ore, 10 trillion units of wood, 370,000 Murphy Stones, 37 miscellaneous special items, 3,709 component blueprints, along with a small cache of rare resources."
"Additionally, we located the Kasa Civilization's research laboratories."
"Inside, we found a massive quantity of experimental equipment that can be used to forge component blueprints. This includes the Kasa Civilization's proprietary black technology capable of repairing gravity, as well as the 'Planetary Wormhole'."
"The Planetary Wormhole is the exact method the Kasa Civilization used to stuff their planets into Wormholes and flee. It was also the very technology they used to forge the Kasa Civilization Federation's Wormhole network, gathering countless civilizations together to form their civilization galaxy."
Chen Mang nodded lightly. It was excellent news. This haul of resources would last him a very long time. In truth, he wasn't particularly angry about the current situation.
Though the fact that civilization leaders could be so spineless and idiotic did make him want to laugh.
But honestly, it was par for the course.
After all, looking back at the histories of both the Kasa Civilization and the Mechanical Civilization, the overall strength of a civilization rarely had any direct correlation with the stupidity of its upper management.
"Can we use this Planetary Wormhole technology?"
"Yes, it is available for immediate use."
"Good."
Chen Mang nodded slightly and issued his orders. "Keep a close eye on the civilizations that broadcast their disassociation from the Human Civilization. Later on, I want all of them repositioned to the locations closest to the Zerg army."
"Since they're so eager to execute their policy of non-resistance."
"Let's grant their wish."
"Who knows, maybe the Zerg Civilization will be feeling merciful and actually spare them."
If this war were against any other civilized species, a non-resistance policy might have actually worked. Even if the enemy hadn't planned on leaving survivors, they would have likely given the surrendering faction preferential treatment to fracture their opponents from the inside.
Unfortunately, the enemy was the Zerg.
Trying to reason with the Zerg?
What you considered "non-resistance" didn't even register in the eyes of the swarm. Non-resistance? Never heard of it. To them, it just looked like a convenient speed bump.
Forget it, let them take their complaints to God.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the forum screens once more. By now, intense arguments had broken out all over the boards. His public display of force had clearly been effective. He had swiftly gained a group of staunch supporters, and quite a few civilizations were officially declaring their intent to pool their forces and follow his lead in resisting the Zerg invasion.
The majority of people still possessed some basic common sense.
Surrendering to the Zerg was a far worse fate than a quick and painless suicide.
To be honest.
So far, a total of 178 level-one civilizations and a single level-two civilization had transmitted Universe Broadcasts explicitly severing ties with him. However, he could actually understand the level-two civilization's reasoning.
That level-two civilization was the "Mantis Civilization."
Their people possessed a generally humanoid appearance, but they were definitely not human. Their external limbs featured distinct mantis-like skeletal structures, such as scythe-like mantis blades. Back when the Kasa Civilization was still in charge, the quickest way to infuriate them was to say they looked like bugs.
They had always aggressively touted themselves as part of the human race.
Absolutely human.
Even their civilization leader had publicly declared on multiple occasions that they were human, with true human blood coursing through their veins. Yet now, in a stunning reversal, they firmly proclaimed that they were, in fact, part of the Zerg race.
Zerg since ancient times.
The leader of the Mantis Civilization had even gone out of their way to include a plethora of evidence in their Universe Broadcast to prove their deep biological ties to the Zerg.
He could genuinely understand why this specific civilization chose a path of non-resistance and cut ties with him. It wasn't completely idiotic; there was at least a shred of logical basis behind it.
But as for the remaining 178 level-one civilizations...
Thirty-seven of them were alien species.
The remaining hundred or so were pure human civilizations. For human civilizations to choose to place their blind faith in the benevolence of a ravenous alien species—that was something he couldn't begin to comprehend.
The difficulty for a level-one civilization to ascend to level two wasn't actually that monumental.
Had it not been for the Kasa Civilization deliberately suppressing everyone, the number of level-two civilizations would have been far higher than it currently was.
However, there was still a substantial hurdle to cross.
The other level-two civilizations were noticeably sharper. Aside from the Mantis Civilization, not a single one had broadcasted any cowardly messages. It was abundantly clear that these higher-level civilizations fully grasped the ruthless brutality of a civilization war.
In almost all inter-civilization wars.
The outcome was guaranteed to be total extermination.
If a race hadn't been exterminated.
It wasn't because the victor showed mercy; it simply meant the war wasn't over yet.
If the war was between the same species, there might be other possibilities. But in a war between different species, the conflict would never cease until one side was completely erased from existence.
"However..."
Chen Mang's expression remained placid as he gazed at the star map and muttered, "These level-two civilizations are getting a bit restless, aren't they?"
"Send out a general broadcast."
"All Ore Stars left behind by the Kasa Civilization now officially belong to the Human Civilization. I am claiming these resources. Anyone who vacates my Ore Stars immediately will be pardoned for past transgressions. Those who defy this order will be killed."
How should he put it?
Sometimes, a person could even find themselves empathizing with their enemies.
He had previously thought that the Kasa Civilization's casual slaughter of its own federation members was incredibly absurd. Treating human lives like worthless weeds was one thing, but mainly, they were actively damaging their own profits.
Yet, now that he was sitting in the exact same seat of power.
He suddenly found himself understanding the Kasa Civilization.
These civilizations were an absolute chaotic circus of clowns and fools.
If he didn't suppress them with an iron fist, the entire structure would crumble in an instant.
Was there even a single normal person among them?
Was there even a single normal civilization?
The territory of the Kasa Civilization Federation held numerous Ore Stars. While the Kasa Civilization had relentlessly mined them over the years, there were still many that had been discovered but left untouched, or hadn't been completely drained yet.
There were roughly sixty or so such Ore Stars.
The very instant news broke of the Kasa Civilization's flight, the civilizations located near these Ore Stars had immediately dispatched massive fleets of trains to begin illegal mining operations.
A single casual strike of a pickaxe on an Ore Star was worth months of their usual income. The potential profits were staggering.
Such staggering profits naturally bred desperate outlaws.
Chen Mang pushed the control lever, and the Stellar Train shot out rapidly toward the depths of space, heading for a nearby Wormhole coordinate. He prepared to jump to another sector within the Kasa Civilization Federation's borders. He needed to physically secure all the Ore Stars inside his train first.
They represented a massive chunk of resources.
Erasing the civilization brands on these Ore Stars was a much simpler task. When the Kasa Civilization had made their hasty retreat, they hadn't had the time to drag away the Ore Stars scattered across every corner of their vast federation.
Over the years.
The Kasa Civilization had hollowed out an immense number of Ore Stars, accumulating an astronomical stockpile of resources. It was this vast wealth that had funded the Kasa Civilization's explosive growth and prosperity.
It was just that...
Compared to the legendary rise of the Mechanical Civilization, the Kasa Civilization was still leagues behind.
Although the Mechanical Civilization's internal conflicts had been incredibly volatile, one had to admit that they were indisputably the supreme powerhouse of this region for a very long time—bar none. Even the Zerg Civilization hadn't been a match for them. Had the Zerg not suddenly acquired their monstrous 'Infinite Resurrection' trait, they never would have stood a chance against the Mechanical Civilization.
In terms of sheer developmental peak.
The Mechanical Civilization soared far higher than the Kasa Civilization ever did.
Very quickly—
The Stellar Train arrived at the very first Ore Star. Currently, this Ore Star's total reserves sat at 78%. It offered a relatively comfortable mining environment, peacefully orbiting its local star.
By now, the surface of the Ore Star was completely swarming with countless trains.
They were mining with absolute frenzy.
"..."
Chen Mang carefully steered the Stellar Train to land gently on the Ore Star. Watching the crazed fleets of mining trains around him, he shook his head slightly. "Good swimmers drown, and good riders fall from their horses."
"The ultimate fate of an outlaw is always a violent end."
In the very next moment!
A message materialized on the screens of every single train parked on this Ore Star.
"This Ore Star is the exclusive property of the Human Civilization. All trains are ordered to vacate the premises immediately. There is no need to surrender any resources; everything you have mined up until this point belongs to you. Anyone who has not departed within three minutes will be considered to have declared war against the Human Civilization."
The instant the message was received.
Several trains instantly recalled all their mining robots and blasted off the planet. Their decisiveness was so swift it was almost frightening.
However, the vast majority simply continued to mine.
Some squeezed in an extra minute, others squeezed in two.
Most of them cut it down to the exact second before fleeing.
If Chen Mang had set a ten-minute timer, this greedy bunch would have undoubtedly mined until the nine-minute and fifty-nine-second mark before leaving.
They were certainly putting a lot of faith in his patience.
As the three-minute countdown approached its end, roughly a fifth of the trains completely ignored the warning, continuing to mine without the slightest intention of leaving. To top it off, his train received a private message.
"This Ore Star originally belonged to the Kasa Civilization, not your Human Civilization. Who do you think you're scaring?"
"The rightful ownership of this Ore Star belongs to whoever finds it."
"We all mine together. However much we can take depends entirely on our own abilities."
"..."
Chen Mang sighed softly. "These people..."
"In the universe, the ownership of all resources always belongs to the strong."
Concepts like 'rightful titles' and 'claims' were just pretty words.
Back when the Stellar Train lacked genuine power, he had never once dared to stand at the main table and demand a slice of the pie. He had always huddled in the corners, scrounging off scraps and leftovers to slowly develop his strength. If you were a rat, you needed to have the self-awareness to stay in the gutter.
Just then, the countdown struck zero.
Nearly a hundred high-level Shuttlecraft launched from the Stellar Train, darting toward the defiant trains that hadn't left. Simultaneously, he permanently disabled the feature allowing messages from strangers.
He looked toward the distant sky, where several trains were only now attempting a delayed takeoff to flee. They were instantly blasted into brilliant fireworks by the intercepting Shuttlecraft. Calmly lighting a cigarette, he observed the slaughter with utter indifference and murmured,
"Didn't you say it belongs to whoever finds it?"
"Why did you suddenly end up dead?"
The Stellar Train now wielded enough raw power to forcefully inherit the Kasa Civilization's entire legacy. That meant this batch of resources naturally belonged to him.
Aside from these sixty or seventy Ore Stars.
There were also quite a few Ore Stars situated in environments so harsh that even the Kasa Civilization hadn't bothered to mine them. He fully intended to pack every last one of them into his train to mine at his leisure.
"Hmm..."
Chen Mang sat in his chair, frowning slightly as he stared at the control console screen. He was currently pondering a very serious dilemma.
A level 200 Space Portal could only contain a single planet with a diameter exceeding one hundred thousand kilometers. The diameter restriction wasn't a big deal—after all, Ore Stars or habitable planets larger than that practically didn't exist. Any celestial bodies exceeding that size were usually chaotic, uninhabitable anomalies.
Forging a level 200 Space Portal wasn't expensive. It only cost 1.3 billion units of iron ore.
Given the Stellar Train's current colossal resource reserves, it could even be considered pocket change.
But—
The problem was...
A Space Portal had to be physically installed directly inside a carriage. Even with his carriages fully expanded to maximum capacity, and even if he embedded Space Portals directly into the ceilings, a single carriage could only hold a maximum of 100 Space Portals.
That was the absolute physical limit.
It was certainly enough space to carry away this batch of Ore Stars.
However, there were quite a few local civilizations that still possessed a strong backbone. He valued them highly and had already set his sights on folding them into his Human Civilization. There were thousands of such civilizations, and his original plan had been to stuff all of their home planets into his Space Portals.
But now, it looked like he simply didn't have enough room to carry them all.
Unless he forged several more carriages, but if he did that, the cost of upgrading the train's overall armor would instantly skyrocket.
After racking his brain for a long time, Chen Mang finally let out a soft sigh. "Xiao Ai, how do other civilizations handle this problem?"
"..."
Xiao Ai's slightly helpless voice drifted from the train's comms. "Captain, other civilizations do not have this problem. According to the information currently in my database, absolutely no other civilization attempts to cram this many planets inside a single train."
"Furthermore, I believe that even if you search the entire universe, the number of individuals capable of accomplishing such a feat can be counted on one hand."
"Captain, you could simply dismantle the civilizations entirely and only retain a fraction of their habitable planets. There's no need to take every single one."
"No."
Chen Mang shook his head, instantly rejecting the proposal. "Once they join the Human Civilization, they will definitely be broken up and unified under centralized management. But these habitable planets are absolute rarities, even on a universal scale."
"They're extremely hard to come by."
"It takes millions of years, if not longer, for a single one to naturally form."
"The only reason we have so many available right now is entirely due to the sheer accumulation of time across this sector. They're all priceless treasures. I can't just toss them away."
"That would be far too wasteful."
"Such reckless waste invites the wrath of heaven."
"Even if we don't need them right now, we can store them. There will definitely be a use for them in the future. We can use them as backup planets, or maybe even sell them for a fortune later on. Let me think..."
Indeed.
According to his overarching plan.
Once the decisive battle with the Zerg Civilization was over, he would stay in this region to develop for a while. After devouring every last drop of resources in this sector, he would inevitably move on to other regions. When that time came, he intended to bring his entire foundation—and all his hoarded planets—along with him.
After all, a civilization's primary method of obtaining resources was through Ore Stars.
Ore Stars were technically a renewable resource in the universe, it was just that the regeneration cycle was excruciatingly long.
When all the resources in a given sector were completely exhausted, the only option was outward expansion. This was an inevitable, destined outcome, which also meant that civilization wars across the universe would never truly cease.
A moment later.
He stared thoughtfully at the level 200 Overlimit Effect of the Space Portal displayed on the screen.
What if...
What if he upgraded it to level 500 to see what its "Universe Level Extraordinary Effect" was?
Maybe it would grant him a miracle.
The Space Portal was a yellow-grade component. Upgrading it to level 500 required 700 billion units of iron ore. To his past self, that would have been an astronomical figure, but to the current him...
It was merely acceptable.
A price he could comfortably afford.
In the next moment—
A brand-new Overlimit Effect materialized before his eyes.
-
"Space Portal Level 500 Overlimit Effect": Capable of housing a star and utilizing it as a driving energy source for the train, massively increasing the train's travel speed. Requires a level 500 Prismatic-grade acceleration thruster component.
-
"..."
A trace of dazed awe flashed across Chen Mang's eyes.
It was incredibly powerful.
Just from this simple line of text, he could tell that the Stellar Train's speed would experience a monumental surge. It was an excellent Overlimit Effect. Having a faster train never had any downsides.
But the problem was...
He had assumed that the level 500 Overlimit Effect of the Space Portal would be the ability to house multiple planets, or perhaps even an entire star system.
So what was he supposed to do with all his planets now?
This thing couldn't be stacked, nor could it be built inside the Refrigerator. It could only be physically embedded inside a train carriage.
Wait—
His expression turned slightly odd. He seemed to have just realized something. The Space Portal could only be installed inside a train carriage, but there was no restriction on the carriage's level. He could just build several separate trains, pack those trains to the brim with Space Portals, and then place those trains inside his own Space Portals.
Like a set of nesting dolls, this loophole loop would grant him perfect, limitless storage capacity.
This shouldn't be considered exploiting a bug, right? It was just creative use of mechanics.
Would that actually work?
It somehow felt a bit wrong.
Packing was a fucking exhausting chore, especially when it involved packing this many entire planets!
If all else failed, maybe he could just tether them to the back of his train and drag them along like the legendary Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin.
It would just look a bit unsightly.
Stringing thousands of massive beads on a line and dragging them behind the train's rear... it would look exactly like a certain something...