Translator: AnubisTL
Chen Mang took a deep breath and sat at the control panel, gently rubbing his temples without saying much. He simply felt slightly fatigued. Just a few days ago, he had scoffed at how much iron ore it could possibly take to feed slaves.
Now he had 800 more slaves to feed.
And they were all only receiving the lowest Tier 3 slave treatment.
The daily food expenditure had already skyrocketed to 1,460 Units of iron ore. The pressure was immense. He finally understood why he had never seen a train with over a thousand slaves.
Who the hell could afford to feed them?
Waking up every day to a consumption of nearly 2,000 Units of iron ore was enough to give him a headache.
This wasn't like crafting an accessory, a one-time expense. This was a daily drain. Any day they failed to mine enough ore meant pure loss. Without sufficient iron ore reserves, these slaves would all starve to death if they couldn't find more ore.
"Lord Mang, should we consider lowering the slaves' treatment?"
"When there's no ore to mine, could we give them just two slices of bread a day, like Master Kun used to?"
"No."
Chen Mang shook his head almost without thinking. "The reason our Stellaris train's slaves mine ore far more efficiently than those on other trains isn't just because of our excellent incentive system. A major factor is that we feed them until they're full."
"Slaves who aren't fed properly can't work effectively."
"Besides, the First-Second-Third Tiered Class Slave system is something we established long ago. Changing it now would be completely inappropriate."
"Let's leave it at that for now."
"See if we can find another Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit. Once we get the Drill blueprint by hunting pangolins in Kunlun Mountain, we can return to the Iron Ridge Wasteland. Then, all the iron ore deep underground will be ours, and we won't have to worry about running out."
"Understood."
Old Pig slowly exited the locomotive cabin, quietly closing the door behind him. Only then did he let out a barely audible sigh. Being a train conductor was truly difficult—every morning, he woke up to the responsibility of feeding so many mouths.
Back in the Pre-Apocalypse era, a company with a thousand employees would have been a major taxpayer and job creator in the local community.
Being the deputy train conductor was much better. He didn't have to worry about anyone going hungry, and his own meals were secure. All he had to do was manage the people below him.
Finally—
Three hours later, Chen Mang located another Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit in the wasteland. This time, however, the deposit was already claimed, with a train parked nearby.
The speed at which he found the deposit was thanks to the Resource Detection Radar, which had a range of 10,000 meters. When its range was only 1,000 meters, finding iron ore was far more challenging.
When the Stellaris train slowly pulled up beside the other train, the contrast between the two made it look like an adult bullying a child.
"Don't rush off. Wait until your slaves return from the mine before you run," Chen Mang's voice boomed from the train's external speaker.
Moments later, a bald middle-aged man poked his head out of the locomotive's skylight, his hands clasped in gratitude as he repeatedly bowed. The train actually stopped. Fifteen minutes later, about sixty or seventy slaves poured out of the mine entrance and scrambled into the train, which then blasted its horn and sped away.
After the train had vanished into the distance, over a thousand slaves carrying pickaxes emerged from the train and lined up to enter the mine. Biaozi and his men, armed with Soaring Dragon Assault Rifles, maintained order, while all the train's firepower accessories swiveled their barrels menacingly toward the slaves.
Perhaps genuinely intimidated, the new slaves, who had joined the train a few days earlier, had caused no trouble since the first day, when a few troublemakers were executed. Their work efficiency, however, left something to be desired.
This was a Tier 1 Iron Ore mine that had been partially excavated.
As darkness fell, the iron ore deposit was completely exhausted.
The day's haul amounted to over 8,000 Units of iron ore. After deducting the day's food consumption, the net gain was 6,500 Units.
The train now held 15,500 Units of iron ore. Manufacturing four Tier 10 Refrigerators required 18,000 Units—still insufficient. They needed to find more ore.
Late at night, the wasteland fell silent.
All the slaves were asleep, but Chen Mang remained at the control panel, piloting the train across the desolate landscape in search of new iron ore deposits.
"How I miss the Doomsday Abyss," he murmured, gazing wistfully at the distant stars. In the Doomsday Abyss, he had never worried about a shortage of ore to mine, only that he didn't have enough slaves to work it. Now, he had enough slaves, but no ore to mine. The daily cost of feeding them was a significant expense.
Finally—
After staying up until 4 AM, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, Chen Mang finally located another unclaimed Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit. He immediately roused the slaves from their rest, and they began mining through the night.
"Damn it," Chen Mang muttered, glancing at the bustling scene outside. Weary, he climbed into bed, knowing it was finally his turn to sleep.
Three days later, after relentless overtime, the unclaimed Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit was completely exhausted, yielding a total of 30,000 Units of iron ore.
This iron ore deposit was fairly substantial.
Combined with his existing iron ore, the train now held 40,000 Units of iron ore. Without hesitation, he immediately crafted four Tier 10 Refrigerators and placed them in goblin slave car 10.
Goblin slaves were small and took up little space, so there was plenty of room for four Refrigerators.
The only concern was the potential shortage of oxygen.
He opened the refrigerator doors, letting the slaves breathe as much as they could. As long as they didn't die immediately, it would have to do for now.
The eight temporary carriages he had hastily constructed were all devoured by the Geothermal Core Furnace, restoring 400 Units of iron ore.
With the train about to enter a high-Tier zone, he couldn't afford to have any unarmored carriages. They would become weak points, vulnerable to destruction by even a single attack from a high-Tier monster.
The remaining 22,000 Units of iron ore should be sufficient for food and energy reserves.
At least enough to last for ten days.
If he couldn't find any pangolins within those ten days, he would have to sell some slaves at the Gathering. After all, on the Iron Ridge Wasteland, there was no guarantee of finding iron ore every day. Even when he did, it would likely be Tier 1 Iron Ore, which consumed too much energy to be sustainable.
It was already late at night.
But Chen Mang refused to stay another night. He immediately slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the train, like a long dragon, roared through the night, racing westward across the Iron Ridge Wasteland under the starry sky!
Their destination:
Kunlun Mountain.
On the wasteland, one could see the mountains to the west on clear days.
But as the saying goes, "Mountains look close, but they're a long way off."
After a night of driving at maximum speed, just as dawn was breaking after five hours, the mountain range finally loomed close. But then...
"What... is this?"
The train slowly came to a halt. Chen Mang, seated at the control panel, stared at the scene before him, a flicker of shock in his eyes. As they approached Kunlun Mountain, they could finally see a massive, translucent, pale-green barrier separating the mountain from the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
Embedded in the barrier were two colossal words:
[Kunlun Mountain]
At the same time, the screen beside the control panel flashed red rapidly. A line of red text slowly scrolled across the screen from top to bottom:
"The area ahead is the Green Zone, Kunlun Mountain."
"Tier 6 monsters can exist here. Your train is currently Tier 2. The danger Tier is high. We strongly advise you to retreat immediately."
"Tier 6 monsters..."
Chen Mang stared at the line of text on the screen, took a deep breath, and grabbed an ice-cold Cola from the refrigerator to refresh himself. Then, gritting his teeth, he slammed his foot on the accelerator, sending the train hurtling straight toward the light barrier blocking its path.
He had to venture into Kunlun Mountain.
If he could find the "Pangolin" and obtain a drill blueprint, he would have an endless supply of resources to excavate when he returned to the Iron Ridge Wasteland. His train would experience exponential growth.
Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to feed the slaves he had.
Unless he was willing to sell them off.
From Doba, he had learned some basic information about the pangolin. Its Tier wasn't too high—typically Tier 2, with Elite Monsters at Tier 3 and Bosses at Tier 4. However, they were cautious creatures, usually feeding on rocks and hiding in mountain gullies, making them difficult to find.
The instant the train smashed through the light barrier and officially entered the Kunlun Mountain Zone, Chen Mang glanced back.
As expected, the light curtain behind him turned white and translucent, the words on it changing to "Iron Ridge Wasteland."
Almost from the moment he entered the Kunlun Mountain Zone, the terrain became uneven. The road ahead was already rough and bumpy, making it impossible for ordinary trains to traverse. Mountains stretched as far as the eye could see.
There was hardly any flat ground.
Mountain after mountain.
Chen Mang immediately retracted his Windfire Wheel and deployed his spider legs. Without this accessory, he wouldn't have even considered coming to Kunlun Mountain.
At Tier 1, the spider legs' maximum speed was fixed at 50 kilometers per hour.
After reaching Tier 13, this increased to 170 kilometers per hour. While still slower than the Windfire Wheel, it was faster than many Tier 1 Trains, especially in this mountainous terrain.
"Hmph."
Chen Mang exhaled nervously, his hands gripping the control stick tightly. The Target Acquisition Radar beside him began beeping frantically.
The radar screen displayed a total of seven Tier 3 monsters and even a Tier 4 monster within range.
Just entering Kunlun Mountain, the situation was already this perilous.
His train was unlikely to withstand simultaneous attacks from seven Tier 3 monsters and one Tier 4 monster.
Fortunately, his Target Acquisition Radar clearly displayed information about all creatures within range, making it relatively easy to spot a pangolin among the horde of monsters.
But—
There was no time for further thought.
Chen Mang's expression shifted slightly. The Tier 4 Monster, the Tyrant King Dragon, 3,000 meters to his left, roared and charged toward him. Its massive form, towering seven or eight meters tall, caused the ground to tremble faintly.
What the hell?! he cursed inwardly, simultaneously maneuvering the train toward the nearest mountain. This mountain had been sliced in half as if by a sword, its sheer cliff face rising at an almost ninety-degree angle.
Why are there dinosaurs here?
And how did it spot me from 3,000 meters away, with all these trees, bushes, and hills blocking its view? Does it have its own Target Acquisition Radar?
In a flash, just as the Tyrant King Dragon was about to catch up to the train, the massive centipede-like train had already scurried halfway up the near-vertical cliff face.
The Tyrant King Dragon could only lift its head and roar in impotent rage, drool dripping onto the ground, utterly helpless.
Whew.
Chen Mang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had his spider legs. "Try flying up here if you dare!"
But the next moment...
"Damn it!"
In the distance, a massive eagle with a three-meter wingspan was screeching as it hurtled toward his train. The Target Acquisition Radar identified it as a Tier 3 monster: the Skyhunter Eagle.
Impressive.
This was the first time he'd encountered a flying monster. He could only imagine how miserable the other train conductors in this high-Tier zone must be, living in constant danger.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Tier 3 Skyhunter Eagle landed on the carriage and began furiously pecking at it with its terrifying beak, producing a sound like metal clashing against metal.
Fortunately, it was only a Tier 3 monster.
The Stellaris's Tier 3 Armor was currently impervious to its attacks.
Chen Mang ignored the eagle and quickly scanned the monsters within his Target Acquisition range. After confirming there were no pangolins nearby, he maneuvered the train along the cliff face, climbing toward the other side. At least he could avoid the Tyrant King Dragon waiting for its meal below.
Three hours later, Chen Mang, his nerves stretched taut, finally found a place that could be considered relatively safe: a towering mountain surrounded by sheer cliffs. The summit was only about a hundred square meters, a natural barrier.
Besides those flying monsters, even a monster like the Tyrant King Dragon wouldn't be able to catch him.
For the past three hours, he had been constantly pursued by monsters, leaving him no time to fully examine the information on his Target Acquisition Radar. Fortunately, the Train Auxiliary AI was present. Whenever a pangolin monster appeared on the radar, the AI would alert him.
"Damn it!"
Finally finding a moment of safety, Chen Mang's body trembled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had truly experienced what it meant to run for his life. Even a Tier 4 Train would struggle to survive in this place.
The terrain was simply too complex.
Even with his spider legs, he found it incredibly difficult. He couldn't imagine how other trains managed to survive here. So far, he hadn't seen a single one.
Just then—
Without giving him time to react, the mountain beneath his train began to violently shake. The Target Acquisition Radar flashed a warning: a Tier 4 monster, the Rock Serpent, was rapidly tunneling through the mountain, its target locked on him!
"Shit!"
He didn't even have time to finish a curse. He could only frantically maneuver the train to escape, racing along the cliff face toward the opposite mountain range.
But then—
He saw something that shocked him to his core. Not far away, a train was flying through the air, soaring through the sky like a dragon.
(End of the Chapter)
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