"Indeed."
As soon as Hei Hao stepped out of the Train Room, he couldn't help but laugh, tilting his head towards Lao Zhu beside him. "Thanks for the heads-up, Train Conductor Zhu. I'll need your continued support in the future."
After a brief pause, Lao Zhu responded with a natural, friendly smile.
"Sure, sure."
"Lord Mang will probably kill Biao Zi, right? After all, Biao Zi hid the fact that he once served as a Train Conductor."
"Normally, according to the customs of the wasteland, he should be killed."
"Then it's settled."
At that moment—
Biao Zi had just received the message and bumped into Lao Zhu and Hei Hao as he approached Carriage No. 2.
"Biao Zi," Hei Hao said, hands in his pockets, smiling at the approaching figure. "Thanks for telling me that Lord Mang only needs the position, not the person sitting in it. If you can sit there, why can't I?"
"I've already reported you to Lord Mang."
"Nervous?"
"When people have something to hide, they look just like you do now. Look at your face—it's gone pale."
Biao Zi, who had no idea why Lord Mang had summoned him, was struck by Hei Hao's words like a bolt from the blue. His face turned deathly pale, and he stared at Hei Hao's smiling face in disbelief.
Hei Hao looked utterly unfamiliar at that moment.
Biao Zi never expected Hei Hao to betray him.
His body trembled, barely able to stand, his eyes red as he clenched his teeth and spoke word by word: "Hei Hao, I've treated you well!"
"Well?" Hei Hao's expression instantly turned grim. "When we first followed Lord Mang, why did you make me stand guard that first night? There were so many others, but you chose me?"
Biao Zi took a deep breath, not caring that Lao Zhu was right there, and laid it all out.
"At that time, no one respected me. Only you and Er Gou stuck with me—you were my trusted aides. Who else would I have sent to stand guard? And you fell asleep on duty that night, leading to the Train being surrounded by Zombie Wolves."
"When Lord Mang held me accountable afterward, I took the blame for you!"
"Have you fucking forgotten that?!"
"Haha."
Hei Hao let out a cold laugh, not bothering to say more, and turned to Lao Zhu. "Train Conductor Zhu, do you have a cigarette? Lend me one."
"I do."
Lao Zhu's face showed no expression as he quietly pulled a cigarette from his pocket and handed it over.
Hei Hao took the cigarette, walked up to Biao Zi, stuffed it into his mouth, and lit it for him. Then he lightly patted Biao Zi's cheek.
"Don't worry, brother. I know you like to smoke a 'death cigarette' before you go. Didn't I just take yours earlier?"
"Here's a replacement."
"Finish it, and then you can go in peace."
Biao Zi's face was pale, his eyes red, as he spat the freshly lit cigarette into Hei Hao's face. Then he looked past Hei Hao to Lao Zhu, his voice trembling with fear as he forced himself to stay calm.
"Train Conductor Zhu, what's Lord Mang's stance? Can you give me a hint?"
Lao Zhu shook his head, his face expressionless.
"I don't know."
"What do you think my chances are?"
"I don't know."
"Not even one percent?"
Lao Zhu shook his head again.
"Unclear."
As a subordinate, it wasn't a good habit to speculate on the thoughts of one's superior. He had been a subordinate for too long. While he might not be the best at getting things done, he knew how to survive.
After all, when it came to most tasks, unless they required specialized skills, it didn't really matter who did them.
Even if someone else did it, the result wouldn't be much different.
Getting no hints from Lao Zhu, Biao Zi took a deep breath, steadied himself, straightened the wrinkles in his clothes, and then bent down to pick up the freshly lit cigarette from under Hei Hao's feet. Ignoring Hei Hao's cold laugh, he put it in his mouth.
Standing at the entrance of the Train Room, he took two deep puffs, treating it as his death cigarette.
Then he extinguished the cigarette butt in his palm.
With a heart heavy as ash, he slowly pushed open the door to the Train Room. Inside, he saw Lord Mang with his feet on the table, completely absorbed in watching a movie.
He didn't dare speak.
Quietly closing the door behind him, he stood silently in the corner, patiently waiting. The room was filled with the dialogue of the movie characters, like white noise, making his legs feel weak.
After what felt like an eternity, when the end credits of the movie began to play, Chen Mang reluctantly switched to the next film. He pulled two cigarettes from the pack, casually tossed one to Biao Zi, lit one for himself, and then spoke indifferently.
"Anything to say?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Biao Zi's legs gave out, and he fell to his knees. His eyes red, his voice hoarse and trembling, he said, "Lord Mang, I hid it from you because I was afraid you'd think I wasn't content being subordinate since I once served as a Train Conductor."
"But—"
"It was precisely because I served as a Train Conductor and failed multiple times, nearly dying in the wasteland, that I realized how difficult it is to be a Train Conductor."
"These past days, I've seen the development of the Stellar Train—it's leagues ahead of what I achieved back then."
"Lord Mang, I truly see the Stellar Train as my home. Late at night, when I think about being a part of it, I feel so proud I can't sleep."
"Since following you, Lord Mang, I've done nothing to betray you or the Stellar Train. I've been diligent and never let my guard down."
"There's a saying in my village."
"'When a prostitute goes ashore, she becomes the most loyal.'"
"The same goes for me. Having experienced the dangers of the wasteland, I know how fortunate I am to follow you, Lord Mang."
"Lord Mang!"
"If you can give me one more chance, just watch my performance. If there's even a hint of dissatisfaction from you, I'll take my own life—no need for you to lift a finger."
With that, Biao Zi buried his head in the floor, trembling as he awaited his final judgment. He had always feared this bomb would go off, but he never imagined it would actually happen.
After a long silence, Chen Mang, still lying in his chair, casually stubbed out his cigarette in a nearby Coke can and spoke in a calm, soft voice.
"That person you mentioned, Hei Hao, right?"
"I don't like him."
"Go handle it."
Biao Zi's body stiffened, then he kowtowed three times heavily. His eyes red, tears streaming down his face, he rose from the ground and said in a hoarse voice, "Lord Mang, just watch my performance."
With that, he slowly exited the Train Room.
Outside the Train Room.
Hei Hao, held down by two thugs and forced to kneel, stared at the dark muzzle of the gun in front of him, his eyes filled with terror as he struggled violently and screamed at Lao Zhu, "You've got it wrong! You're supposed to kill Biao Zi, not me!!"
"I reported him! I did a good deed!"
"If you kill me, who will dare to report in the future?!"
"You can't kill me! You can't kill me!!"
Lao Zhu sighed as he watched Hei Hao's desperate struggle. He had warned Hei Hao a few days ago, but it seemed Hei Hao hadn't listened, instead walking himself into a dead end.
Hei Hao had placed too much faith in the rules.
Normally, it should have been Biao Zi who died.
But Hei Hao still didn't understand that while the wasteland had its own unwritten rules, the final decision in every Train still lay with the Train Conductor. What the Train Conductor said was law. This wasn't the pre-apocalypse, where everything followed strict regulations.
He had brought this upon himself. No one else was to blame.
"Hei Hao."
Biao Zi, his eyes red, walked up to Hei Hao with a Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle in hand, pressing the muzzle against Hei Hao's head as he spoke word by word, "Or should I say, Hei Wa—that was your childhood name in the village. After we all left, you earned the nickname 'Hei Hao' because you were always stealing chickens and dogs."
"All these years, I've treated you well. That we've come to this is your own doing."
"Biao Zi—no, Biao Ge, Biao Ge!"
Seeing that no one was speaking up for him, Hei Hao's eyes flashed with despair as he pleaded in a tearful voice, "Give me a chance, let me live, please. I'll listen to you from now on, I swear. I'll never do it again, I really won't."
"Er Gou, we came from the same village. Say something for me!"
"I can't."
Er Gou, who wasn't good with words, shook his head, his face grim as he muttered, "You betrayed your own people. If this were the village, your family's reputation would be so ruined people would be pointing fingers at you every day."
Biao Zi crouched down, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag. Then he stuffed the cigarette into Hei Hao's mouth, patted his cheek, and said softly,
"This is a death cigarette."
"Smoke it before you go. That's the proper way."
"Since we were brothers once, I'll send you off myself."
The next moment—
Before Hei Hao could say anything more.
"Ratatat."
The sharp sound of gunfire rang out, barely noticeable amidst the clanging of mining tools. They were on the other side of the Train, and the Slaves didn't even know what had happened.
"Tsk."
Lao Zhu, standing to the side, clicked his tongue as he looked at Hei Hao's body lying in a pool of blood. "A few days ago, your hands were shaking when you killed your mother's idol. Now, killing your former brother, your hands are so steady."
"Train Conductor Zhu."
Biao Zi forced a bitter smile. "Don't tease me. I was just scared that day, worried that if my bomb went off, I'd end up like that too."
"Alright, alright."
Lao Zhu couldn't help but laugh as he patted Biao Zi on the back. "Go calm down. I know you're feeling bad—after all, you were brothers once. But you've also turned misfortune into opportunity this time."
"I'll find a place to bury him."
"Alright."
In Carriage No. 5, Ji Chuchu sat by the window, clearly witnessing the scene. However, her face showed little emotion. She hummed softly as she combed her hair. Since the apocalypse began, she had seen too much of this.
It had almost become routine.
"Sister Chu Chu."
A girl beside her leaned in, full of gossip, and whispered, "That day, when Lord Mang called you in alone, did he... touch you?"
The other girls nearby also pricked up their ears.
Although Ji Chuchu was a first-class Slave, she was allowed to live in the Thug Car. The girls around her were minor celebrities, though not as famous as her. While they couldn't live in the Thug Car, they could occasionally visit.
"He did."
Ji Chuchu stuck out her tongue and smiled. "Lord Mang was quite satisfied."
"Huh?"
The girl who asked the question was puzzled. "If he touched you, why didn't he take you in? If he had, you'd be the second-in-command of this Train, and we could all benefit. This Train is so much better than our old one."
"Lord Mang asked me how many men I'd been with. I told him the truth. I guess he thought it was too many."
Ji Chuchu wasn't shy about it, speaking bluntly.
"You idiot."
The girl clicked her tongue in frustration. "If you'd said you were a virgin, Lord Mang might have taken you in."
"A virgin?"
Ji Chuchu picked up a mirror, admired her reflection for a moment, then tilted her head and smiled. "With this face, even if I were pure before the apocalypse, after a year in the wasteland, what are the odds I'd still be a virgin?"
"Even if I'd lied, would Lord Mang have believed me?"
"And even if he had taken me in, I'd have immediately distanced myself from you all. Getting involved in politics is a big no-no. I'd have spent all my time in the Train Room serving Lord Mang—no time to chat with you."
"Sister Chu Chu."
The girls around her pretended to wipe away tears. "You're so heartless."
"You can't hold the C-spot without being ruthless."
Ji Chuchu looked out the window at the men throwing the body into the underground river, her eyes narrowing as she smiled without speaking. She had once fantasized about this scenario, but after realizing Lord Mang had no such intentions, she decided to change her approach.
No matter how ruthless men were, they still needed a touch of tenderness.
All she had to do was provide that touch, and she could live comfortably on the Train. This was the capital her looks gave her. She never understood why some beautiful women were so opposed to relying on their looks.
For a beautiful woman not to use her face to get by was like a rich kid insisting on starting from scratch.
Trying too hard to prove yourself to others only wastes the capital you already have.
Inside the Train Room.
Chen Mang didn't pay much attention to this little episode. After watching another movie in its entirety, he leaned back in his chair, satisfied. This time, no one interrupted his movie-watching.
In the apocalypse, having such a moment of relaxation was rare.
Pure satisfaction.
Just
then—
The Train Radio began beeping. Someone had privately messaged him. After receiving the Oxygen Machine, he had removed the demand for it but kept the message pinned.
Pinning a message lasted about ten minutes.
He had the Train Auxiliary AI keep repinning the message at regular intervals. Finally, after watching two movies, someone had privately messaged him again.
(End of Chapter)