The "Survival on the Train" game has bugs, it's really laggy!

[The required materials (Flesh Energy: 5000 units) for upgrading the train to Tier 4 have been collected. Proceed with the upgrade?]

Looking at the pop-up notification on the dashboard, Su Yuan took a deep breath, and the surge of energy in his chest caused by the series of battles finally calmed down.

Five thousand units of flesh and blood energy—a number that would have been astronomical to him a day ago. But now, looking at the overflowing energy reserves of over fifty thousand units in the warehouse, this mere five thousand points is like a drizzle, insignificant.

"Master, do we really want to upgrade now?" The little green boy that Little Fire had transformed into peeked out from the corner of the cockpit, his eyes, made of glistening fruit, gleaming with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

It could clearly sense the enormous, almost tangible, torrent of energy within the warehouse. The feeling was like a beggar who had been starving for three days and three nights suddenly falling into a granary overflowing with delicacies—a blissful illusion.

"Of course." Su Yuan nodded, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "The next stop is Terra City. Who knows what kind of den of dragons and tigers that place is? Now that we have the opportunity to improve our strength, of course we have to seize it immediately."

He walked to the car window, looking at the unchanging, lifeless void outside, his eyes becoming somewhat profound.

From the Black Swan Lake instance, he had already glimpsed a more cruel side of this world.

The Sequencers, the evil gods, and that so-called "Void Predator Alliance"...

Each term felt like a mountain weighing on his heart, making him acutely aware that his current strength was far from sufficient.

He was like a player who had just come out of the beginner village and crashed into a high-level map, surrounded by red-named monsters. If he wasn't careful, he might end up with nothing but bones.

Although he had just confronted a projection of an evil god head-on and successfully killed it, even devouring a wisp of divinity, allowing his talent to undergo a mythical transformation.

But Su Yuan knew very well how lucky he was to have won.

If it weren't for the "Evolution" talent coming through at the last moment, I would probably be dead by now.

And that "playwright of pleasure" is probably just a minor character among the evil gods of all the heavens and myriad worlds.

God knows what even more outrageous and perverted things we might encounter in the future.

Therefore, he must seize any opportunity that can improve his strength!

"But... but won't it be dangerous to upgrade?" From the corner, a chubby figure made of straw, clutching his treasure chest, rolled out of the shadows, trembling.

It is a guardian spirit of wealth.

Its spirit had just been shattered by the oppressive force of that diamond treasure chest, and it had only managed to reassemble with great difficulty. It still looked shaken.

It looked at Su Yuan, its little face filled with worry, its voice trembling with tears: "My lord, I just heard from Little Fire that we swallowed up an entire scavenger army this time! With such a commotion, what if... what if we attract some even more powerful creatures? Shouldn't we find a place to hide and wait until things calm down?"

It is truly afraid now.

I used to follow those weak-willed owners; although we were poor, at least we were safe.

Following this wealthy patron, although it enjoyed the finest food and drink every day and received countless treasure chests, the level of excitement was simply too much for its fragile little heart.

First they clashed head-on with the Sequencers, then they clashed head-on with the projections of evil gods, and now they've even wiped out the legendary outlaws like the "Orbital Scavengers."

If this is upgraded again, who knows what even bigger commotion it will cause.

"Hide?" Su Yuan chuckled upon hearing the money-guarding spirit's words.

He turned around, walked to the guardian spirit, squatted down, reached out and flicked the round head made of straw lightly.

"Hey chubby, aren't you mistaken about something?"

"Huh?" The money-guarding spirit covered its head, looking at Su Yuan with a blank expression.

"In this world, the most dangerous place is not those dungeons teeming with monsters, nor those cities filled with conspiracies and intrigues," Su Yuan said, looking at it and emphasizing each word. "The most dangerous place is within your own heart."

"When you feel the need to hide, you've already lost."

"Because danger is unavoidable. The more afraid you are, the more likely it is to come knocking."

"There is only one way for you to survive."

Su Yuan slowly stood up, and an overwhelming sense of confidence and domineering aura emanated from him.

"That means becoming more dangerous than all the dangers combined!"

"Let those who want to cause you trouble think twice before they make a move, wondering if they're even worthy of becoming your...prey!"

"..."

The money-guarding spirit stared blankly at Su Yuan, at his eyes that seemed to burn with golden flames, and for a moment, it was speechless.

It felt as if its heart, chilled by fear, had been drenched by a torrent of molten lava.

An emotion called "hot-bloodedness," which it had forgotten for countless years, surged uncontrollably from the depths of its soul.

"I...I understand!" The money-guarding spirit suddenly leaped up from the ground, and for the first time, a flame called "fighting spirit" ignited in its round little eyes!

It puffed out its little chest, mimicking Su Yuan's manner, and shouted loudly in a tone full of heroic spirit, "Our benefactor is right! Forget hiding! Let's just do it!"

"Anyone who dares to cause us trouble, we'll eat them up too! And turn them into a treasure chest!"

"..."

Su Yuan looked at the chubby boy in front of him who suddenly seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, and his eyes twitched involuntarily.

Is this guy getting a little too into character?

However, he didn't say anything more.

He walked back to the dashboard, staring at the still-flashing notification box, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

"upgrade."

Su Yuan confirmed the instruction without hesitation.

[Train upgrade begins, estimated to take ten minutes.]

As he confirmed it, the entire "Emperor's Path: Devourer" once again emitted that familiar, terrifying roar, like the awakening of an ancient behemoth!

"Boom!"

This commotion is more intense than any before!

Inside the carriage, the already lush and exotic flowers and plants began to grow wildly at an even more frenzied and unbelievable speed under the infusion of this enormous energy!

The dark green vines became thicker and stronger, and even began to show some natural, strange patterns like dragon scales.

On the floor, the emerald-green grass blades began to spread outwards, quickly covering the entire metal floor and turning it into a soft and elastic "grass".

On the ceiling, the glowing mushrooms, emitting a soft light, began to grow larger and brighter, illuminating the entire carriage as if it were daytime.

The biggest changes are to the exterior of the carriages.

The dark green plant armor that originally covered the vehicle body began to become thicker and the color changed to a deep, almost black, dark green.

The car's lines have become smoother and more aggressive.

The entire train was raised and lengthened on top of its original dimensions!

A brand new fifth carriage, made entirely of that dark green, metallic-looking plant fiber, is taking shape at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"This...this is..."

Su Yuan looked out the window at the rapidly changing car body and felt the powerful vibrations of life coming from under his feet, and he was also shocked.

He could clearly feel that his train was undergoing a complete, transformative metamorphosis, from the inside out!

He even had a feeling that after this upgrade, this train would probably completely separate itself from ordinary trains.

Become a true... Void Predator!

"Boom!"

The roar of the train grew louder and louder, no longer just the sound of metal rubbing against metal and plants growing, but a deeper, more complex sound, like the heartbeat and roar of life during its most primal transformation!

Su Yuan stood in the driver's seat, gripping the edge of the control panel tightly with both hands to steady himself.

The floor beneath my feet, like a living sea, was undulating violently.

On the walls of the carriage, the newly formed, strange patterns resembling dragon scales emitted a faint green light, like veins flowing with life energy, transmitting immense power to every corner of the train.

"Master! I...I feel...so hot!"

The sound of the small fire came from the heart-shaped fruit that was beating violently below the control panel. The sound contained a trace of pain, but more than that, it contained an indescribable excitement and desire!

It could clearly feel that torrents of energy, purer and more abundant than ever before, were continuously flowing into its core from the direction of the warehouse, washing over every single one of its "cells".

The feeling was like a long-parched riverbed suddenly being flooded!

Although the process was somewhat painful and agonizing, after each wash, it could feel its power increasing exponentially!

Its core fruit, whose surface originally had only faint golden patterns, has now become incomparably dazzling and solid, as if it were cast from pure gold, exuding an aura of majesty that makes people dare not look directly at it.

Closely connected to it, the entire "Imperial Path Devouring Wasteland" train is also undergoing even more astonishing changes under the nourishment of this enormous energy.

The length of the car body is constantly increasing.

Originally, there were only four carriages, but now the fifth carriage has been fully formed, and the prototype of the sixth carriage has begun to slowly take shape at the rear of the train!

The materials used in the train carriages are also undergoing a qualitative change.

It is no longer the simple plant fiber of the past, but a brand new composite material that is half plant and half metal, full of eerie beauty!

Su Yuan could even see that on the surface of those dark green plant armors, strange "scales" that were as thin as cicada wings yet incredibly tough, like obsidian, were "growing".

These scales, layer upon layer, densely covered the surface of the armor, reflecting a chilling, metallic luster in the dim light of the void.

"This defensive capability... it could probably withstand a few hits from a battleship's main guns, right?"

Su Yuan looked out the window at the brand-new car body and was speechless with amazement.

He even had a feeling that his vehicle could no longer be called a "train".

It's more like a... absurd and terrifying biological warship disguised as a train!

And just then...

"Snap!"

A crisp sound, like an eggshell breaking, came from the Heart Fruit below the cockpit.

Su Yuan suddenly looked down.

The heart-shaped fruit, which was originally only the size of a fist and crystal clear, now had a tiny crack on its surface!

Immediately afterwards, the crack, like a living vine, rapidly spread outwards!

"A small fire?!"

Su Yuan was startled, thinking that something had gone wrong during the upgrade.

However, the next second.

"boom!"

A life force far greater than ever before erupted from the shattered fruit!

A dazzling golden light instantly engulfed the entire driver's cab!

When the light fades.

The little green boy, who was only a little over a meter tall and looked like a five or six-year-old child, has disappeared.

Instead, there was a new form of Little Fire, whose height had grown to Su Yuan's chest, looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, with long, dark green hair casually draped over his shoulders, and whose features had become more defined and handsome!

The simple clothes he wore, woven from leaves, transformed into a strange, dark green suit of armor, brimming with the vitality of nature.

What's most striking is his forehead.

There, at some unknown time, a strange rune, emitting a faint golden light, appeared, resembling the sun.

"Owner."

Little Fire… no, it should be said that Little Fire in his youth form slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes, which were originally like lustrous fruit, had now turned into the same deep, molten gold as Su Yuan's!

His voice has also shed its previous immaturity, becoming clear and magnetic, carrying an innate and convincing sense of power.

He looked at Su Yuan, a confident and radiant smile appearing on his lips.

"I feel... like I've grown up."

Su Yuan looked at his "son" whose style had suddenly changed, and for a moment, he was also a little taken aback.

He looked Xiao Huo up and down several times before finally confirming that the handsome and cool-looking boy in front of him was indeed the same snotty-nosed kid who used to follow him around and cry all the time.

"You've changed so much...!" Su Yuan couldn't help but complain.

This is more than just growing up; it's like taking a rocket and skipping directly from kindergarten to high school!

"Hehe." Little Fire scratched his long, dark green hair, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face, but his golden eyes were filled with undisguised excitement and confidence.

"This is all thanks to you, Master!"

"The energy of that 'War Centipede' is simply too immense! It not only contains a massive amount of metal and flesh energy, but also thousands of 'core fragments' from different trains!"

"I ate them all, and then... and then it turned out like this."

As Xiao Huo spoke, he stretched out his hand, and in his palm, a golden flame, as intense as the sun, appeared out of thin air.

The flames were no longer the simple orange-red they used to be, but a sacred, vibrant gold.

Su Yuan could clearly sense the terrifying energy contained within that small flame.

If the previous flames were a pile of campfires...

So what we have now is a miniature... star!

"It seems that the biggest beneficiary of this upgrade is neither me nor this car." Su Yuan looked at Xiao Huo's transformative change and felt a surge of emotion.

"It's you."

Just then, the loud roar that had lasted for nearly ten minutes finally subsided.

A brand-new, terrifying war machine, brimming with science fiction and fantasy, resembling a colossal, dark green beast from the abyss, silently floated in this desolate void.

The cold, impersonal system notification also arrived late.

【ding dong——】

Congratulations! Your train has been successfully upgraded to Level 4!

[The train's basic attributes have been comprehensively upgraded!]