Chapter 382: So Fast |
Three days later.
All preparations were complete. The Stellar Train had successfully pocketed all the high-value planets from the Rugged Civilization's thirty-seven galaxies. Now, the sheer number of stars contained within the Stellar Train was incalculable.
A single galaxy alone held hundreds of billions of stars.
One could easily imagine the astronomical number of stars brought in by thirty-seven galaxies.
This vast collection of stars would provide an immense abundance of resources for the Stellar Train.
"Excellent."
Chen Mang gazed at the Space Portals displayed on the train's control console, each brimming with countless planets. He could not help but chuckle. A deep sense of satisfaction welled up within him, akin to watching his armor fully mature—a profound feeling of a bountiful harvest.
He loved this feeling.
Only now could the Stellar Train truly live up to its name. When he first coined the moniker, he never imagined that one day it would be so incredibly fitting.
The Civilization Wonder known as the "New Universe" had finally been completely illuminated when he absorbed that massive number of planets into the Stellar Train. Now, this Civilization Wonder had become a breathtakingly beautiful landscape within Carriage No. 13.
It was a truly spectacular sight.
Once illuminated, its true effects were finally revealed.
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"When the Civilization Wonder 'New Universe' is officially illuminated, all train component levels +1."
-
"Uh-huh."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, toying with the mysterious box in his hands. It was this effect again. This meant that his Train Auxiliary AI and all other max-level components were now exactly at level 10,003.
He originally thought that this Civilization Wonder named "New Universe" would have some sort of connection to the virtual reality game of the same name.
For example, he had guessed the virtual game might be a direct byproduct of this Civilization Wonder lighting up.
Now, it seemed...
Was it merely a coincidence in naming?
He did not dwell on it any longer. Instead, he casually opened the mysterious box he had just obtained from creating the "Creator" Civilization Wonder, pulling out a... token.
"Divine Train Order."
Any train created using this token would automatically come equipped with twelve Prismatic-grade components.
"Whoa."
A flash of surprise crossed Chen Mang's eyes. What a fantastic little trinket. He had thought the Rare Train Order he obtained in the past was the highest tier available, granting a single red-tier component. After all, he had never seen a higher-level component since.
He never expected something like a Divine Train Order to exist.
However...
Coming pre-equipped with twelve Prismatic-grade components... could a novice even afford to use such a thing?
It could only be used by veterans starting over, or to forge an entirely new train.
This special item held little meaning for him now. He had no need for twelve Prismatic-grade components. He was already akin to a max-level boss; such extras offered him almost zero practical utility.
He casually tossed the item into a nearby drawer to gather dust. But then, struck by a sudden thought, he pondered for a moment before solemnly stuffing the token back into the mysterious box and placing it inside the nearby Refrigerator.
He had figured out a use for it.
Just not right now.
It would prove useful in the future.
Just then—
Xiao Ai's voice suddenly echoed through the train. "Captain, an unexpected situation has occurred. The God-Level Civilization 'Human Civilization' has managed to capture some of your information based on your activities in the virtual game 'New Universe' over the past few days."
"They have already dispatched an army to the Rugged Civilization."
"Their intentions are hostile."
"Oh?"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow. "How did they know I was at the Rugged Civilization? They shouldn't be able to detect my train. Was the commotion at the Rugged Civilization too massive these past few days? Did it attract their attention?"
"That is highly likely. This military force is projected to make one more sub-spatial jump and will arrive in our vicinity in three minutes. Shall we counterattack or evade?"
"No need. We will wait for them right here. I want to see exactly what they plan to do."
Three minutes later.
Hundreds of advanced trains abruptly materialized in the cosmos, surrounding the Stellar Train. One by one, their main cannons locked onto the Stellar Train and began slowly charging up. Simultaneously, countless electrical grids flashed through the void, completely solidifying the surrounding space. No jumping, no escaping.
The encirclement was complete.
"Hm..."
Chen Mang stared at the scene in silence. "It doesn't look like they're here to negotiate."
He had originally assumed that after witnessing his strength, the God-Level Civilization "Human Civilization" would want to parley, or perhaps fill him in on what the God-Level Civilizations were up to and invite him to join their ranks.
He would have been more than happy to hear the true purpose behind the game created by these god-tier civilizations.
But...
It did not seem like they had arrived with good intentions.
Didn't these people know he possessed a Max-Level Radar Jammer and a max-level AI? How did they dare to show up?
Had they never stopped to consider whether his armor and main cannons were max level as well?
The next moment—
"Boom!"
A silent explosion suddenly erupted in the cosmos. Like a scene in slow motion, hundreds of blinding, searingly hot energy beams shot toward the Stellar Train from every conceivable angle, locking down almost all avenues of evasion.
Tens of seconds later.
Seventy percent of the beams completely missed. These shots were predictive, meant to cut off escape routes. Yet, the Stellar Train remained perfectly motionless in its original spot, as if casually basking in the sun.
As for the remaining beams that actually struck the Stellar Train, they were annihilated instantly, much like a child firing a squirt gun into a blazing star. They failed to create even a single ripple, nor did the Stellar Train shudder in the slightest.
There were no dramatic visual effects.
No Two-Way Foil effects, no sudden black holes formed. It looked just like a barrage of ordinary light cannons.
These beams were uniformly at level 5000.
Not a low level by any means.
If it were any other train, facing an attack of such magnitude would mean almost certain destruction.
Unfortunately for them, this was the Stellar Train.
"Yeah."
Chen Mang nodded slightly and murmured, "Well, that confirms it. They definitely aren't here with good intentions. I suppose it's time to give them a little return gift."
"Let's see... the condition for ascending to a Tier-9 Civilization is for the strongest attack energy output to exceed 700,000..."
The next moment—
Out in the cosmos.
The intricate patterns of the Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon, mounted atop the pitch-black Stellar Train, slowly began to light up. A massive amount of power gathered at the muzzle as terrifying levels of energy condensed rapidly.
Until...
"Boom!"
For the first time, the Stellar Train vibrated. A level 10,000, max-level blast from the Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon surged outward, carrying apocalyptic flames hundreds of billions of times more intense than a supernova, swallowing all the enemy trains in a near-instant.
Following that...
Much like the dawn of the Big Bang, everything plunged into absolute silence and darkness. Countless undercurrents surged violently through the void.
Emitting an aura of sheer terror.
Like a flock of birds suddenly taking flight from a forest, it was an unmistakable omen of impending dread.
Ten minutes later.
A sector of space with a diameter of a million light-years began to rapidly collapse, forming an unfathomably horrifying black hole. This was the true might of a max-level main cannon.
The Stellar Train raced through the very center of the black hole. Standing by the window and watching the spectacle unfold, Chen Mang couldn't help but laugh. "The max-level Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon really is the most satisfying."
With the Stellar Train's current capabilities, it could naturally escape the black hole's gravitational pull with ease, entirely immune to any localized temporal distortions.
A notification panel slowly materialized on the control console.
A panel he used to see quite often, but would never see again.
-
"Human Civilization has met the ascension requirements and automatically upgraded."
"The range of this Ascension Ripple encompasses the entire universe."
"All biological entities within Tier-1 civilizations and above will receive this Ascension Ripple in their respective manners."
"The transmission speed of the Ascension Ripple is at the speed of light."
-
"Tier-8 Civilization 'Human Civilization' has successfully ascended to a Tier-9 Civilization."
-
Indeed.
That single cannon blast had satisfied the final condition for ascension. The Human Civilization was now a Tier-9 Civilization, leaving no further ranks to climb.
A Tier-9 Civilization was the absolute zenith.
The so-called God-Level Civilizations were, in reality, simply Tier-9 Civilizations—just the most powerful faction among them.
Becoming a God-Level Civilization was quite simple: one merely had to obliterate an existing God-Level Civilization, seize all its territories, and subsequently gain the recognition of the remaining God-Level Civilizations. It was, in essence, a self-proclaimed title.
Theoretically speaking...
Even an unranked civilization, not even qualifying as Tier-1, could totally call itself a God-Level Civilization.
Meanwhile, the civilization dashboard underwent a new transformation.
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"Civilization Name": Human Civilization.
"Civilization Level": Tier-9.
"Civilization Leader": Chen Mang.
"Civilization Planets": Water Blue Star, Xuanwu Star, Mining Star No. 1, Mining Star No. 2, Mining Star No. 3, Mining Star No. 4... etc.
"Civilization Population": 61 trillion people.
"Civilization Abilities": The production of Dream Stones is uncapped. The rate of resource generation within the civilization's territory is substantially increased. The lifespan of all citizens is massively extended, with a drastically reduced probability of illness. Furthermore, upon death, individuals can be resurrected by consuming specific resources.
-
It was not his first time seeing this panel.
But this would be his last time seeing it.
For some reason...
He felt a twinge of melancholy.
It felt much like his graduation years ago. Gazing at the girl he had secretly loved for three years, knowing perfectly well that they would likely never meet again, that near-bursting yet intensely suppressed affection had tormented him like a cancer.
After the final class gathering, he had gone home that night, hid under his covers, and finally mustered the courage to send a text to that familiar yet alien phone number, simply saying, "I like you."
A reply came quickly. She said, "I like you too."
The good news was that three years of unrequited love had received a perfect answer. All that suppressed affection had finally been quietly acknowledged.
The bad news was that they never saw each other again. It started with relentless texting back and forth, but due to their physical distance, the connection slowly faded. In the end, that memory rose and fell with the wind.
If only he had gathered his courage a little sooner.
A little more courage, a little less lingering regret.
That was exactly how he felt staring at the panel now.
The interface no longer displayed any prompts for ascension conditions.
"Captain, there is something I must remind you of. When the battle started earlier, you activated the Neural Share. I can currently hear everything you are thinking."
"Turn it off."
"Yes, sir. But if I may add, your analogy was remarkably accurate."
"Shut up."
"I was merely admiring the descriptive precision of humanity. I meant nothing else by it."
"Slap yourself."
"Yes, sir!"
The Human Civilization, as of today, had officially ascended to a Tier-9 Civilization.
It would now officially compete against the God-Level Civilization "Human Civilization" for the absolute uniqueness and ownership of that very name.
Water Blue Star.
Teacher Qiu stood at the podium in a university lecture hall, looking out at the vibrant, youthful faces of the college students. She was explaining a lesson plan she had hastily put together during the overtime break right after the last class.
"Teacher Qiu..."
A student in the audience raised a hand in bewilderment. "During the previous period just ten minutes ago, didn't you say our Human Civilization was a Tier-8 Civilization, and that we were going all out to charge toward Tier-9?"
"You also mentioned that this process would be incredibly arduous, a monumental event requiring the united efforts of all humanity."
"So how is it that, in the time it took me to use the restroom between classes, the Human Civilization has already ascended to Tier-9?"
"It doesn't exactly sound... all that difficult."
"..."
Standing at the podium, Teacher Qiu fell silent, momentarily unsure of how to explain. She certainly could not tell her students that ascending a civilization was just that easy, no different from sipping a glass of cold water. Yet reality made it hard for her to speak. She could only bite the bullet and reply.
"There are great terrors involved in civilization ascension. The trials and tribulations the Stellar Train faces in the outside universe remain unknown to us. It is nowhere near as simple as you think."
"But... Teacher Qiu, when I first enrolled, the Human Civilization was still Tier-6. Not even half a semester has passed, and we've already ascended to Tier-9. I think maybe we should just skip this segment of history for now."
"I have a feeling that before finals roll around, the Human Civilization will have already ascended to a God-Level Civilization."
"By then, the curriculum will just have to change again."
"..."
Teacher Qiu remained silent for a long time before nodding. "Fair enough."
Deep down, she entirely agreed. There was no point in delving deeply into the Tier-9 Civilization era anyway, as they would likely become a God-Level Civilization in no time.
"Oh, right, there is one more thing I need to tell you all. Following our ascension to a Tier-9 Civilization, there is a change that affects every single one of you. Your lifespans have increased significantly, and the chances of falling ill have plummeted."
"The government is currently considering pushing back the retirement age."
"So fast..."
Inside a prestigious university, Uncle Li stood in his office, overflowing with emotion. He glanced at the "Principal" nameplate resting on his desk, then peered out the window. He had just received the news of the Human Civilization's ascension to Tier-9.
This also meant...
Boss Mang was practically standing at the very pinnacle of the universe.
Just one final step remained.
Soon, Boss Mang would be the undisputed master of the entire cosmos.
And he, Uncle Li, would become the most badass principal of the most badass university within the most badass civilization in all of existence.
Finally—
Reflecting upon his life's journey, he truly felt the essence of the proverb: hardship before success, sifting through endless sand before finally striking gold. From starting out as a mere mining slave under Boss Mang, step by painstaking step, he had finally arrived at this moment.
The bitter trials and sweet triumphs of that long road were known to him alone.
Countless times, unemployment had nearly ousted him from the core circle of the Stellar Train. Yet, in the end, relying on his skills, his seniority, and that unwavering, tenacious heart that refused to yield to adversity, he had fiercely carved out a place for himself.