A familiar feeling could be sensed.
For instance, the hospital was just a hastily constructed backdrop inside the Space Gate. The hospital bed was merely a single bed, and the doctors' white coats were all produced from the "Clothing Customization Production Line."
Even the beeping machine beside the bed was an experimental instrument originally taken from the "Geocentric Nuclear Bomb."
The entire scene was extremely crude.
It lacked the polished beauty of a film, but through multi-angle shooting, it instead possessed a kind of raw aesthetic.
In the scene:
The male protagonist, his eyes covered with a black cloth, sat by the hospital bed, gripping the unconscious female protagonist's right hand. He let out a bitter laugh and said, "From now on, you'll have to walk your own path. You wouldn't like a blind man anyway."
"I'm leaving. This farewell might be forever."
Just then—
The curtains fluttered slightly, and the bedside cabinet began to shake violently. It wasn't until the sound of a glass shattering echoed that the male protagonist suddenly snapped to attention. Panicked, he turned his head and roared, "Who's there? Who is it?"
The next moment—
"Raaargh!"
A grotesque Zombie suddenly appeared at the window, swiftly climbing through it, ready to pounce into the ward!
Meanwhile, the TV in the ward crackled with a poorly transmitted, fragmented news broadcast:
«Emergency news: An unknown virus is spreading rapidly through the city. Those infected will turn into mindless, bloodthirsty monsters. We have named them Zombies.»
«All citizens are advised to lock their doors and windows and await government rescue.»
«We believe— Ahh!»
A piercing scream erupted from the TV as the news anchor was suddenly tackled by a Zombie that had appeared out of nowhere. Soon, the broadcast was replaced by the static buzz of electricity and the wet, gnawing sounds of the Zombie devouring flesh.
A few seconds later.
The battered female anchor, her eyes rolled back and veins bulging red, staggered to her feet with a guttural roar—clearly now a Zombie herself.
The apocalypse had arrived!
"Come with me!"
The now-blind male protagonist, his face twisted with urgency, scooped up the female protagonist and rushed out of the ward. But the corridor outside was already in chaos—a dozen Zombies were frenziedly tearing into the medical staff.
The scene ended there.
Clearly, this was just the beginning.
"Lord Mang..." Zhang Yiren spoke cautiously, "Is this... acceptable?"
"Mhm."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, a glint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes as he nodded. "This is much better. When making a movie, just focus on telling the story. Why keep dragging in all those unrequited love subplots?"
"The dialogue still needs tweaking—cut the cringey lines."
"Then the female protagonist leaves."
"Make a proper Zombie survival film set in the apocalypse. I think the overall plot and filming are quite compelling, especially with the lack of excessive special effects. The crude visuals almost give it a documentary-like feel, which actually enhances immersion."
"Those Zombies pouncing on the actors looked incredibly realistic. How was that done?"
"Uh..."
Zhang Yiren hesitated before lowering his voice. "They were real attacks."
"Real attacks? What do you mean?"
"As in, real biting. Since we couldn't do special effects or fake blood, all the splattering blood and screams were real. Most of the actors were actually members of my directing team, and we requested some 'Simple First-Aid Kits' from Lao Zhu to treat the injuries."
"Those uninjured actors were all extras recruited from the residents."
"..."
Chen Mang's expression turned slightly odd as he looked at the director team behind Zhang Yiren, only now noticing that these people were all wrapped in bandages, appearing rather pitiful indeed. After a brief pause, he said admiringly:
"Your dedication to the film industry, sacrificing your bodies like this—I personally find it quite admirable."
"Good, then—"
He pondered for a moment before continuing: "I've already set the direction for the film. After this, refine the script and shoot a roughly two-hour-long movie."
"Then, after leaving here—"
"Try to give every resident a minor role, like panicking survivors running for their lives, and so on. If you need any support, just let me know. I can have Biao Zi and the others capture some slightly higher-level monsters."
"Make a big movie."
"In a while, we'll screen it for all the residents—let everyone relax and see themselves in the film."
"Shared joy is better than solitary joy."
"Alright, then it's settled. Go prepare, and if you need anything, just go straight to Lao Zhu."
"No problem, no problem!"
Zhang Yiren nodded eagerly, his excitement barely contained, before bowing and leading his team out of the train compartment. Since his idea had been approved and he'd even been entrusted with such an important task, he no longer had to worry about being executed.
Damn it!
He'd been scared to death this whole time!
Never making trash films again. As for the first draft, it was entirely the fault of the director behind him, who suggested that the "time-travel" element—which had just become popular before the apocalypse—would be novel and surely please Lord Mang!
As if!
"..."
Inside the train compartment.
Chen Mang stretched lazily in his chair before contentedly stepping into the nearby Combat Training Virtual Space. He planned to challenge another map—the big movie was definitely happening.
In the apocalypse, everyone's nerves were stretched taut.
Watching a movie together, having some fun, would help everyone unwind.
"Which map to choose..."
Standing in the white space, he looked at the maps before him and finally selected "Doomsday Paradise." Before confirming, he scrutinized it again and again before firmly pressing the button for normal difficulty.
He didn't want to end up like Biao Zi.
Pushing his limits?
No need.
If he died, it wouldn't just be him—so many others would perish too. The position of Train Conductor could only be transferred. If the Train Conductor died suddenly, the train would become scrap, and no one else could inherit it.
As the words "Doomsday Paradise" dissolved into white dots and vanished into the air,
he soon found himself in a place resembling an amusement park.
Thick clouds loomed overhead.
Night had fallen.
The atmosphere was oppressive and eerily silent. Not a sound came from the park—only he stood at the entrance, as a screen appeared before him displaying the mission objective.
-
「In this desolate, silent amusement park, countless Zombies roam.」
「You must enter the park, reach the highest point of the Ferris wheel, retrieve the key placed there, and return to the entrance to complete the mission.」
-
"Hmm."
Chen Mang stood in place, gazing at the rust-covered iron gate before him before scanning his surroundings. Behind him lay an empty stretch of forest—this amusement park was nestled deep in the mountains, no wonder it had been abandoned.
The realism was impressive.
He patted his pockets but found no starting weapons. However, he spotted a crowbar inside a nearby security booth. Without hesitation, he smashed the glass, grabbed the crowbar, and armed himself.
The sound of shattering glass woke the zombies.
Several guttural roars pierced the night air.
Dozens of zombies charged toward the entrance from deep within the amusement park. Unfazed, Chen Mang simply hefted the crowbar in his hand, assumed a fighting stance, and prepared to meet them head-on.
Whether he could pass through didn't matter to him.
As long as he got to kill to his heart's content.
Meanwhile—
In the Zombie Basin.
Er Dan, inside a deserted village, anxiously scrutinized every corner. "Is finding a Serendipity Map really this hard?" he muttered.
He had never considered it difficult before—he'd always stumbled upon them effortlessly. Serendipity Maps were usually hidden in the most obscure places, like mountaintops or lakebeds. The harder a spot was to reach, the more likely it was to hold one.
But three days had passed now.
Not a single Serendipity Map in sight. The mounting pressure was getting to him.
All his usual calm had vanished.
He just felt overwhelmed.
He had taken the Rare Train Token, secured S-Class Potential, and gathered a wealth of resources—all for the purpose of finding Serendipity Maps and bringing back valuable loot. If he failed now, he might as well hang himself with a white silk noose.
"Egg Lord," the Deputy Train Conductor trailing behind him hesitated before speaking softly, "I don't think this village will spawn a new Serendipity Map until that mine refreshes. Besides, two Serendipity Maps rarely appear in the same location."
"It's like how two artillery shells almost never land in the same crater."
"I suggest we look elsewhere."
"Yeah."
Er Dan sighed heavily and strode back toward the train. It figured—once a hobby turned into work, the pressure became unbearable.
Just then—
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring at an anthill on the ground. A steady stream of ants emerged, marching in a distant line like an expeditionary force, hauling bits of monster flesh back to their nest.
But when passing a certain spot, the ants detoured in a wide arc rather than crossing directly.
"Could it be...?"
A glint of excitement flashed in Er Dan's eyes. He walked over to the spot, took the pickaxe handed to him by a nearby thug, and swung it down hard. Clumps of dirt flew as he dug furiously—only for nothing to happen under his eager gaze.
"..."
After a long, silent wait, Er Dan's expression turned blank. He turned on his heel and marched back to his train.
Fine. They'd search somewhere else!
He refused to believe he couldn't find a single Serendipity Map.
48 hours later.
The Stellar Train departed the Goblin Tomb and returned to the Zombie Basin.
This time, it brought back 2.8 million units of copper ore and 2.1 million units of iron ore—all from Level 2 mines.
Their resources had been replenished substantially.
Er Dan then spent 1 million units of copper ore to manufacture 20 Level 8 standard robots, bringing the Stellar Train's total to 60. Now, everything was truly foolproof.
"Not bad."
Inside the train carriage.
Chen Mang looked at the 60 robots patrolling outside the train and smiled in satisfaction. It was a shame the Zombie Basin had no cities—otherwise, these robots would have been perfect for exploring abandoned urban areas.
He had already planned out the next phase of work.
Mining for about half a month.
Stockpiling as many resources as possible. Currently, there were very few trains in the Zombie Basin, leaving many mines untapped. Finding mines wasn't difficult, especially once the deposits in this area refreshed—there would be even more to exploit.
However,
The trains on the Shahe Plain were about to have a rough time. The only yellow zone accessible from the Shahe Plain was the Zombie Basin, meaning any train from there wanting to advance further would have to come here. Development was already tough in this area, effectively blocking off the Shahe Plain.
Unless, before leaving, he cleared out most of the monsters in this region.
And that was exactly what he intended to do.
"I'm truly kind-hearted," Chen Mang mused with a sigh.
By now, the train residents had all fallen asleep. After 48 straight hours of mining, their bodies had long given out—most collapsed into slumber the moment they lay down.
Meanwhile, he turned his attention to the two blueprints in his hands.
Both were white-tier.
These blueprints had been dug up from the Goblin Tomb. This time, they hadn't yielded anything particularly valuable—last time, he had found a Train Token and a Mecha Blueprint.
But these were just bonuses. He didn't have high expectations, and truthfully, he didn't mind white-tier blueprints.
-
Band-Aid Production Line, Napkin Production Line.
-
"Old man, you've finally arrived!"
The moment he saw the Napkin Production Line, Chen Mang's eyes welled up. By now, the train had completely run out of napkins—all of them had been scavenged from the city, and he was the only one using them.
As for what the others used to wipe after relieving themselves…
He didn't really want to know.
Lately, he had been using A4 paper, followed by a water rinse.
How did it feel?
Let's just say it was painful—a burning sensation.
Now, with the Napkin Production Line, he could finally achieve napkin freedom. The happiness index of all train residents was about to rise another notch. Without hesitation, he spent 4,500 units of Iron Ore and 4,500 units of Wood to craft and upgrade both components to Level 10.
The Napkin Production Line's crafting and upgrades only required wood.
-
Napkin Production Line (Level 5 Supermodel Effect): Long-term use promotes smooth bowel movements.
Napkin Production Line (Level 10 Supermodel Effect): Long-term use treats and prevents hemorrhoids.
-
"Not bad."
Chen Mang was quite satisfied with these two effects. Though they sounded a bit crude, they were undeniably practical. Only after enduring certain hardships did one realize that the three greatest treasures in life were:
First, smooth bowel movements.
Second, falling asleep in seconds.
Third, a hearty appetite.
These were excellent Supermodel Effects. Plus, each pack of napkins produced contained 200 sheets, and manufacturing one pack only cost 1 unit of Wood—an incredibly cheap price. They could easily be distributed as resident welfare.
Right now, the train had an abundance of wood.
Far more than they could ever use.
He immediately got up and headed towards Living Carriage No. 4 to fetch some packs of napkins for his train compartment.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Xiao Fang standing outside. Slightly surprised, he asked, "Everyone's asleep. Why aren't you?"
"Oh, right, I wanted to ask you something."
"What have you been using to wipe yourself after going to the bathroom lately?"
"...Huh?"
Xiao Fang's cheeks instantly flushed red. She lowered her head awkwardly, fiddling with the hem of her clothes as she whispered, "My hand... and then I wash it afterward."
"..."
Chen Mang remained expressionless, silent for a long while before finally murmuring softly.
"Congratulations, you're fired."
"Send someone else to bring me meals tomorrow."