Translator: AnubisTL
2,000 meters underground in the Doomsday Abyss, inside a cavern.
Biaozi patrolled back and forth, his gun trained on the group of slaves working tirelessly. He dared not relax for a moment. With so many slaves now, any mistake could cost him his job, unlike before.
He wasn't worried about a successful slave rebellion. After all, Lord Mang was here. But suppressing a rebellion would inevitably lead to slave deaths, and the blame would likely fall on him, the head thug.
Just then—
"Brother Biao," Black Rat whispered, sneaking up beside him. "Got any cigarettes left? Haven't had one all day, and my mouth's starting to crave it."
Biaozi frowned. "Didn't I give you a patrol route? Why are you wandering around? What if something goes wrong? Who'll take responsibility then?"
"I'm out of cigarettes too. Get back to your post."
"Hehe..." Black Rat chuckled sheepishly, then lowered his voice. "Remember when we scavenged all those packs of cigarettes from the ruins of Taiping City a few days ago? I asked you to save a few packs for us, but you turned them all over, saying Lord Mang would definitely distribute them. But he hasn't given us any yet."
"Why don't you go talk to Lord Mang about it?"
Biaozi stared at Black Rat with a blank expression, silent for a long moment before finally murmuring, "Black Rat, the apocalypse hasn't even arrived yet. I'm your foreman. You've been working with me on this construction site ever since I brought you out of your village."
"After the apocalypse, I took you everywhere I went and saved you several times."
"You haven't forgotten those favors, have you?"
"Of course not. What's wrong?"
"Then stop saying things that put me in a difficult position." Biaozi patted Black Rat's shoulder gently. "The other day in the carriage, you said we should 'play' with Ji Chuchu, claiming Lord Mang had already agreed. Trainmaster Zhu's face turned ashen at that moment."
"Do you even have the right to say such things?"
"Everyone knows you're my right-hand man on this train. You've been with me since the beginning. By speaking so recklessly, where does that leave me?"
"Should I go ask Lord Mang for cigarettes?"
"Do you think I have the face to do that?"
"If I refuse you, would you resent me? Would you think I've become successful and no longer care about my old Brother?"
"I've told you all this not to lecture you, but to ask you to watch your words in the future. My position on this train isn't as high as you think. At best, I'm just a thug leader. At worst, Lord Mang simply needs someone in this role and doesn't care who occupies it."
"Do you understand?"
"Look at Erdan. He barely says a word normally, but he's still patrolling the route I planned. Learn from him. When you're working, don't let your mind wander. Go on now."
Erdan and Black Rat.
Both had followed him since before the apocalypse, hailing from the same village.
Many guerrilla construction teams operated this way, with workers all from the same village, sticking together even when far from home.
"Brother Biao, I thought you still had a 'last cigarette' in your pocket? Could I have that one first?"
Biaozi stared at Black Rat, who suddenly seemed like a stranger. After a long silence, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out the cigarette case, and took out the last remaining cigarette, handing it to Black Rat.
He watched Black Rat's retreating back for a long time without speaking, a shadow gradually darkening his eyes.
This was his "last cigarette."
Though things were going well now, in the apocalypse, death could come at any moment. So he'd always kept a cigarette in his pocket, calling it his "last cigarette"—the one he'd smoke right before he died, a way to put a less-than-perfect period at the end of his life's sentence.
Black Rat knew about this.
But he never expected Black Rat to ask for it.
Black Rat had become somewhat arrogant, especially with so many new slaves joining the train. Each slave treated him with utmost respect, making Black Rat genuinely believe he held a high position within the train. He remained completely oblivious to who had granted him this status.
When Old Pig had reprimanded Black Rat earlier that day, he had actually been indirectly reprimanding Biaozi as well. Although Biaozi had felt somewhat embarrassed at the time, he had still stepped in to cover for Black Rat.
Now, it was clear that if Black Rat's personality wasn't completely changed, he would eventually bring Biaozi to the brink of destruction.
Biaozi knew Black Rat reveled in this sense of superiority.
When Biaozi had first pledged allegiance to Lord Mang and gone on his first external mission, Black Rat had suggested he hide the train token he had found and use it later to establish his own faction. Biaozi could understand the idea, but such ill-timed schemes were extremely dangerous on the Stellaris.
"..."
Biaozi sighed softly, lowering his head to gaze at the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle in his hands. After all, he and Black Rat had been together for so long. He wouldn't kill Black Rat over such a petty matter. He admitted he wasn't a good person, but he couldn't bring himself to harm his own brother.
He would find an opportunity to talk to Black Rat tonight.
Things would definitely go wrong if this continued.
Black Rat's mentality was already teetering on a dangerous edge.
Stellaris, locomotive cabin.
Chen Mang had his feet propped up on the table, a bag of potato chips clutched in his arms as he watched an apocalypse movie on the screen with relish. While the plot was a bit cliché, the overall production was quite good.
The movie also offered a glimpse into this world's culture.
This sense of truly understanding a world was quite satisfying.
He hadn't felt this relaxed in ages.
Moments of relaxation were rare in the apocalypse.
He glanced at the train radio. A few minutes ago, he'd asked if anyone had accessories or headlights that could generate oxygen. His message had immediately caused an uproar on the train radio.
Many people were excited, some worshiping him as a "big shot," others asking for his advice.
But...
No one had messaged him privately, claiming to have the parts he needed.
"Hmm..."
Chen Mang suddenly had an idea. He set down the potato chips, grabbed an ice-cold bottle of Cola, and drank half of it before straightening up at the control panel and gazing at the green-grade Accessory: the Train Radio.
This accessory was Tier 1.
Of course, he'd never considered upgrading it before. According to the information he'd gathered, upgrading the Train Radio had no effect. Whether it was upgraded or not made no difference.
But he suddenly wondered what overpowered effects it might gain if he upgraded it to Tier 10.
He decided to give it a try.
After consuming 9,000 Units of iron ore, the Train Radio—the most commonly used and easily overlooked accessory—successfully reached Tier 10, unlocking two corresponding overpowered effects.
Train Radio Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: You can pin your messages to the top of the screen for 10 units of iron ore per use.
Train Radio Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: You can trade with other train conductors remotely through the Train Radio.
"Huh?"
Chen Mang froze in place, a flicker of shock in his eyes. He had only upgraded the Train Radio to Tier 10 on a whim, since he owned two Tier 2 Iron Ore mines and wouldn't have to worry about iron ore for a while.
He never expected the overpowered effects to be so ridiculously overpowered.
The Tier 5 effect was essentially a controllable advertising slot.
The Tier 10 effect was even more game-changing, saving him a huge amount of time. He wouldn't have to go to gatherings to trade anymore; he could just do it remotely.
This far exceeded his expectations. He had assumed the overpowered effects might have been something like being able to join chat rooms in other zones.
When he visited Kunlun Mountain yesterday, he had glanced at the Train Radio despite being busy. It was blank, and he hadn't been able to join the Kunlun Mountain Region chat room. This was likely because he was just a visitor and hadn't officially entered the Green Zone, lacking the necessary permissions.
"Good stuff," Chen Mang muttered, glancing at the other unassuming White Accessories in the locomotive cabin, like the Telescope. He decided to upgrade all upgradeable accessories after this batch of iron ore was mined, just to see what overpowered effects they might have.
Who knew? Maybe some seemingly insignificant accessory would reveal a ridiculously overpowered effect.
He hadn't known the Train Radio's effect would be so absurdly powerful until he upgraded it.
Without hesitation, he immediately sent a message, pinning it to the top of the Train Radio chatroom.
Stellaris: Seeking to purchase accessory blueprints for oxygen production, headlights, and other accessories. Private message me to discuss prices for any grade of accessory blueprint.
The message was encased in a golden frame, taking up one-seventh of the screen and hovering prominently at the top of the Train Radio chatroom, making it impossible to miss.
The many people who happened to be monitoring the Train Radio chatroom immediately responded with question marks.
Iron Tree Train: "?"
Please Let Me Live Train: "?"
Feces Sea Mad Maggot Train: "?"
Tonsil Never Speaks Train: "Bro, how did you get your message pinned with a golden frame?"
Protagonist's Train: "Wait, Bro, I read this plot in a novel. Did you know the apocalypse was coming in advance? And since you could spend money, did you spend tens of millions before the apocalypse?"
Hong Qigong Train: "I've cursed my AI until it's foaming at the mouth, but it still won't tell me how to get my message pinned with a golden frame."
Chen Mang glanced at the Train Radio, quickly filtering out the useless chatter. He didn't find the message he was looking for. Just then, his Train Radio beeped, signaling a private message.
The sender was none other than the Protagonist's Train.
To be honest, he couldn't fathom what kind of person would name their train like that.
But on second thought, it made perfect sense. Everyone is the protagonist of their own story. He was the protagonist of his own life too.
The message was brief:
"I have an accessory that can generate oxygen."
"What do you want for it? Name your price."
"No price, big brother. It's a gift."
"..."
When Chen Mang saw those words, he even wondered if he was reading them correctly. Big brother, this is the apocalypse! You're giving away an accessory blueprint for free? Are you running a charity?
This is charity with your life on the line!
I'd give you some iron ore to upgrade your train and survive the apocalypse. Wouldn't that be better?
"?"
"Brother, I've been watching you since you first appeared on the Iron Ridge Wasteland Regional Rankings. Your rapid rise to the top spot caught my eye. Based on my experience, showing favor to a protagonist before their true rise always yields great rewards later on."
"I don't need this oxygen-generating accessory. Even if I give it to you, Brother, I won't lose anything."
"I only ask that when you truly rise to prominence, Brother, you spare a few scraps for your younger brother, allowing me to live a few more days."
"Brother, send me your coordinates, and I'll deliver it to you."
Chen Mang stared at these lines in the private chat window with a blank expression. It was clear this guy had read plenty of novels and was utterly convinced by the "protagonist theory." Once such a person chose their perceived protagonist, they would cling to their coattails with unwavering determination.
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it felt strange. Chen Mang had always believed in the principle of self-interest. He might die any day, and he didn't believe in the protagonist theory at all.
"No need. Send me your coordinates, and I'll trade remotely."
"Huh? Let me try."
On the other side of the Iron Ridge Wasteland, inside a Tier 2 train, a young man sitting at the control panel tentatively entered his coordinates into the chat room. Before he could react, a golden "Celestial Balance" slowly materialized above the train's radio.
The left side of the celestial balance was ethereal, while the right side was solid. He cautiously placed the green-grade accessory blueprint he held in his hand onto the right side.
In the next instant—
A flash of white light erupted.
The accessory blueprint vanished without a trace.
"Holy shit!"
The young man couldn't help but leap from his seat, staring in disbelief at the scene. He froze in place, completely stunned. What the hell kind of high-tech bullshit is this?
As far as he knew, even Tier 3 trains didn't have the ability to trade remotely.
How had the Stellaris train pulled this off?
He'd first noticed the Stellaris train when the Regional Rankings had just been released. His own train had been ranked just below it, and he'd instinctively wanted to catch up.
Result
As he chased, the Stellaris train surged to the Top Rank.
He had witnessed firsthand the Stellaris's exponential and utterly absurd development. A Tier 2 train had forcibly seized the top spot, suppressing a host of Tier 3 trains.
Before he could even react, the previously ethereal Left Balance Scale began to overflow with items, clattering onto the control panel.
There were two packs of cigarettes, a thousand units of iron ore, ten steaming meat sandwiches, and even a pornographic magazine.
"This guy..."
The young man stared at the pile of goods, finally picking up the magazine with a dazed expression. "He certainly knows how to do things right, but... did he forget I'm also a train conductor? I'm not exactly lacking women."
His expression quickly turned crestfallen. He's rejecting my offer of friendship, isn't he?
Just then, his Train Radio beeped again.
I appreciate the gesture, but in these desperate times, don't waste your precious resources on favors. These are life-saving supplies.
Here's a small gift. Please accept it.
(End of the Chapter)
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