Translator: AnubisTL
"But things are different now."
"For the past few days, everyone's had plenty of Bread and water, a can of Cola every day, and the protection of the train, safe from Zombies and monsters. Do you really think the slaves would rebel now?"
"Do you think Lord Mang needs a slave overseer at this point?"
"If you dare kill a slave now, believe me, you'll be buried with them in no time."
"This..."
The young man scratched the back of his head, realizing he'd been too hasty. "You're right. My brain must be fried."
Putting everything else aside, they'd all been struggling to survive for a year since the apocalypse began. To have made it this far, they might not be geniuses, but they'd certainly been lucky. These past few days had been the most carefree they'd experienced since the apocalypse.
They wouldn't go hungry, nor would they fear being torn apart by Zombies the next moment.
Everyone cherished their current lives.
Yet they also worried that this life would soon shatter like a bubble.
Slave rebellions often relied on the fact that the slaves were the train conductor's primary property, confident that the conductor wouldn't dare kill them all. This allowed them to negotiate for certain rights, as the law wouldn't punish the masses. The train conductor couldn't possibly execute every slave who rebelled.
Unless the thugs joined the rebellion, in which case, before the installation of the Built-in Security System, the train conductor's life would indeed be in grave danger.
While the firearms crafted inside the train couldn't harm the conductor, killing someone didn't require a gun.
Just then—
A voice echoed in the ears of every train conductor, just as before, audible only to them, not even to the deputy train conductors.
"The number of existing trains has exceeded 50 million."
"Conditions for Phase 1 activation met."
"Phase 1 officially activated. This phase is named 'Voyage.' During this phase, the number and variety of monsters will increase."
That was all—just three simple sentences.
"..."
Inside the Stellar Train Compartment, Chen Mang, seated at the control panel, stared at the lines of text that had just appeared on the screen. He fell into thoughtful silence, pondering the implications. After a year of the apocalypse, they were only now entering the "Voyage" phase?
The increase in monsters meant that the danger Tier in every Zone would rise.
Beyond that, there seemed to be no further information.
He glanced at the Train Radio, only to find it buzzing with lively discussions, even a hint of excitement. He soon understood what had them so thrilled.
New monster varieties meant new Bosses.
And new Bosses meant First Kills.
The rewards for achieving a First Kill on a Boss were exceptionally generous. Rumor had it that six months ago, a train on the Iron Ridge Wasteland had rapidly risen to prominence after securing the First Kill on a particular Boss, eventually leaving the wasteland for more advanced Zones.
It's just...
Securing the First Kill on a Boss is incredibly difficult. This monster exists in your zone, but it also appears in other zones. Each zone has its own Boss, and only the first person to kill the monster Boss across all zones earns the First Kill.
Even ignoring the difficulty of the kill itself, the competition alone involves contending with players from multiple zones.
"..."
Chen Mang's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of excitement igniting within him. Leaving aside other monsters, if another Tier 3 Boss appeared, he was confident he could easily take it down. After all, there were no higher-Tier monsters in the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
Of course...
He wouldn't rely solely on his Vehicle Blade. While a Tier 10 Vehicle Blade could easily break through a Tier 3 Boss's defenses, it was still a close-range weapon. Against a massive Boss, it would feel somewhat inadequate. A high-Tier Heavy Machine Gun would be far more effective in such a situation.
Moreover...
Over the past five days, he hadn't just been mining iron ore. He had divided his slaves into two groups to work.
In total, they had brought him 101,239 units of iron ore and 4,200 units of copper ore.
With the addition of the goblin slaves, mining efficiency skyrocketed. These goblin slaves could extract nearly 20,000 Units of iron ore in a single day, spending almost every waking moment digging.
He couldn't bear to watch any longer. He sent Old Pig to persuade Doba to slow down, fearing the goblins would work themselves to death. "Slow and steady wins the race," he urged.
Doba replied, "Great goblins never need human pity. Since ancient times, only goblins have died in battle, never from exhaustion."
Fine, he thought. Keep digging, then.
At this rate, he'd soon have to leave the Doomsday Abyss. The bottom of the Abyss held only one Tier 2 Iron Ore mine and one Tier 1 Copper Mine. In another ten days at most, both would be completely depleted.
He'd have to find a new mine then.
So far, he hadn't discovered another resource point as rich as the Doomsday Abyss. He'd have to return to the wasteland to search for scattered Tier 1 mines. After getting used to Tier 2 Iron Ore, mining Tier 1 ore felt sluggish and unsatisfying.
For example, consider the Tier 1 Copper Mine beneath the Doomsday Abyss.
After five days of mining, only 4,200 Units of copper ore were obtained. The mining efficiency was sufficient, but the mine's Tier wasn't high enough. Unlike Tier 2 Iron Ore, where one Unit of Tier 2 Iron Ore was equivalent to ten Units of Tier 1 Iron Ore, the Tier 1 Copper Mine yielded far less.
Whether he'd encounter a Boss, and whether he could secure the First Kill if he did, all depended on luck.
But he still needed to prepare.
He couldn't afford to miss an opportunity because he hadn't prepared in advance. For instance, if he hadn't upgraded the carriage armor to Tier 2 before arriving at the Doomsday Abyss, he wouldn't have encountered those hundred-plus industrious and hardworking goblins.
After consuming a staggering 90,000 Units of iron ore, all eight carriages of the Stellaris, including the locomotive, had their Steel Car Armor upgraded to Tier 3.
"..."
Chen Mang stepped out of the locomotive cabin and stood in the open space, gazing at his train. The armor plating now exuded a palpable sense of weight and thickness, radiating an oppressive aura that needed no explanation.
Tier 3 Armor rendered him nearly immune to all Tier 3 attacks.
Whether it was Tier 3 Bullets or attacks from Tier 3 Monsters, they all bounced off harmlessly.
If he were to encounter the Tier 3 Man-Eating Spider again, he wouldn't need to bother with such elaborate tactics. He'd simply ram the train head-on. The boss couldn't penetrate the train's defenses, while his Tier 10 Vehicle Blade could easily slice through the boss's armor, leaving him utterly invincible.
Even if the boss was massive, he could simply circle it a few times with the train, grinding it into mincemeat. Of course, it might take a little longer.
But if he were to face the zombie horde again, it would be a one-sided massacre. Not a single monster in the horde could breach the train's defenses, yet wherever the train went, limbs and shredded flesh would litter the ground.
When the Armor reached Tier 3, the Stellaris train finally underwent a qualitative transformation.
Ultimate defense and ultimate offense—each on its own was a trump card.
Combined, they formed a royal flush.
With Tier 1 Armor and a Tier 10 Vehicle Blade, he had been hesitant facing the Tier 3 Man-Eating Spider Boss.
Now, with Tier 3 Armor and the same Tier 10 Vehicle Blade, he rammed the locomotive headfirst into the Boss's ugly face, unleashing a relentless assault.
"Let's go test it out."
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, a smile playing on his lips as he lit a cigarette. He gazed out the window, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. After crafting more heavy machine gun bullets, he would venture out to test the waters. While he wasn't sure if he'd encounter any new Monster Bosses, even a zombie horde would be a good start.
He still remembered those damn zombie hordes that had ambushed him countless times before.
Now he was back.
Come on, try ambushing me again!
(End of the Chapter)
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