Translator: AnubisTL
...
In Guard Car No. 7, Old Pig sat at a table, a headache brewing. The screen displayed Biaozi's account of what had happened in the "Neon City" fortuitous encounter map.
He was now serving as a part-time historian.
He had written the children's textbooks, which the teachers were responsible for explaining.
Of course, the textbooks had to be edited.
For example, right now...
He was pondering how to phrase this particular part of the story. He couldn't omit it entirely, given the enormous gains that had significantly boosted the train's strength. But how to write it was the problem.
He couldn't exactly write, "Lord Mang took Biaozi to a party."
A party with over 3,000 girls—the largest in history.
Everyone had a blast.
Before the apocalypse, he would have called a gathering of that scale a stampede.
After a long silence, he finally began typing on the keyboard:
A year and a half after the apocalypse, the Stellaris train faced another crisis. But as Lord Mang had said, every crisis presents both danger and opportunity.
"It could be a crisis, or an opportunity."
"Lord Mang personally led Biaozi, members of Guard Team One, and Li Shiji to the fortuitous encounter map 'Neon City.' This was a place of both opportunity and danger, with nearly a hundred train conductors leading their own subordinates to participate."
"...Under Lord Mang's watchful gaze, Li Shiji's brilliant performance on an off-road motorcycle at the Map Entertainment City secured their first fortune."
"Later, guided by Lord Mang's sharp insight..."
"...Lord Mang faced a crisis without hesitation, making the most correct choice."
Upon returning to Sun City, Lord Mang used his methods to secure free use of the city. He looked into the eyes of his subordinates, seeing the weariness of those who had barely survived the apocalypse, their gazes filled with uncertainty about the future.
He then turned to the other train conductors in the casino. Each one's eyes held a longing for the old world, none of them welcoming the apocalypse.
Lord Mang fell silent. He saw the one thing missing from everyone's eyes.
Hope.
Under the watchful gaze of everyone, Lord Mang strode to the high platform, microphone in hand. His expression was solemn, radiating the aura of a true leader as he addressed the crowd in a deep voice:
"No one likes the apocalypse."
"You don't like it, and neither do I."
"I hope that today's party, held amidst this apocalypse, will ignite within you a spark of hope for the future."
...All the train conductors and Stellaris guards were moved to tears. It was Lord Mang who had always given them hope.
...Sun City's Boss, Sister Qi, admired Lord Mang's actions and threw herself into his arms. Lord Mang politely declined, making it clear that he would never marry until humanity had been restored.
"Hmm..."
Old Pig suddenly frowned in thought. This line might not be ideal. What if Lord Mang actually did get married later? The textbook couldn't be revised. He immediately deleted the last sentence.
He retyped:
"Those not of our race harbor ulterior motives. You..."
No, that wouldn't work either. He revised it again:
"Until humanity is restored, I have no time for matters of the heart."
"Hmm."
Old Pig let out a long sigh, stretched languidly, and glanced at the manuscript on the screen. This should be just about right, he thought. Perfect.
The History of Train Development wasn't just for teaching the children.
Many of the concepts needed to be explained regularly to the train residents as well.
There was no rush to submit it.
The teaching pace over there was slow and meticulous, still covering the Iron Ridge Wasteland and not yet at the Sha River Plains. He could take a few days to revise it, see if he could replace any words with more precise ones.
Old Pig had worked in administration before.
This task was essentially part of his job, making him the perfect person to write it.
His expertise aligned perfectly with the subject matter.
Beside the computer sat a book bound with A4 paper, titled History of Train Development.
If the train ever reached truly great heights, this history wouldn't just be seen by these children; many others would see it too.
"Hmm," Old Pig nodded thoughtfully. When he had the chance, he'd take a photo of Lord Mang and use it for the book's cover. That would be perfect.
Two hours later.
Chen Mang, still half-asleep, was jolted awake by the sound of the locomotive cabin's Audio System. He realized he had fallen asleep at some point. Looking out, he saw the Azure Dragon train, its target acquisition radar locked on him, speeding toward him.
"Asleep, were you?"
Chen Mang rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then turned a slightly annoyed gaze back at the movie still playing. It was truly boring, and he was starting to feel a bit nauseous from watching it.
The plot revolved around a couple: the woman was blind, and the man donated his cornea to her before abruptly leaving. Later, the man lost his sight, while the woman regained hers.
The rest of the movie consisted of countless chance encounters between the two, neither recognizing the other.
Chen Mang really wanted to complain.
Are your senses of sound really that dull? How could you not recognize each other's voices?
He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but he remembered the screenwriter's name.
Zhang Yiren.
What a fitting name.
If he ever had the chance to meet this screenwriter, he would make sure they experienced the full force of a cane strike and ask them why they wrote such a brain-dead and nauseating script.
He already knew how the story would end: at the climax, the two leads would finally recognize each other, reunite, fall in love again, and then the credits would roll.
He closed the movie playing on his screen.
He looked out the window at the Azure Dragon Train speeding toward him.
"Two more carriages and a few cannons," Chen Mang observed, assessing the rapidly approaching train. It seemed the Azure Dragon had been doing well lately.
Soon, the Azure Dragon Train screeched to a halt before him.
Erdan rushed over to the Stellaris Train, his face etched with urgency. He looked up at the locomotive cabin window and shouted, "Brother, hurry and bring down that AI of yours! It's an emergency!!!"
"I can't take it anymore," Chen Mang sighed, opening the locomotive cabin door. He leaned on his cane as he stepped out with Xiao Ai, turning to Erdan with a helpless expression. "Keep your voice down. It's not that big of a deal. No need to panic."
"It really is urgent!" Erdan's face twisted with agitation: "Just go take a look at my locomotive cabin."
Standing at the entrance of the Azure Dragon Train's locomotive cabin, Chen Mang leaned on his cane, his expression impassive as he surveyed the open door. Inside, the lights flickered erratically, and the Audio System emitted a cacophony of garbled sounds.
"Son... Son, son..."
"...?"
After a moment of silence, Chen Mang finally spoke. "Why isn't it an electronic voice?"
"I found a few recordings of my mother from before she passed away and fed them into the AI. Now the AI has a voice similar to hers. Brother, hurry up!"
"That's a bit... Hellish."
He waved his hand. "Xiao Ai, finish processing this quickly. Watching it gives me a headache."
Ten minutes later.
"Whew..."
Erdan let out a long breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He turned to Chen Mang with a mixture of helplessness and embarrassment, forcing a bitter smile. "Brother, forgive me for the spectacle. I've been dealing with some absurd stuff lately. Sigh..."
"That fortuitous encounter map is a bit too ridiculous."
Chen Mang shook his head, pulled out a cigarette, and tossed it into his mouth. He snapped his fingers casually. "Tell me about your 'Eternal Imprisonment' fortuitous encounter map. What's the situation?"
Erdan nodded, about to speak, when he saw Xiao Ai walk over to Chen Mang. He extended his finger, and a flame flickered from his fingertip, lighting the cigarette in Chen Mang's mouth.
The words died on his lips as he stared blankly at the scene.
"This... this is...?"
"Oh."
Chen Mang waved his hand with a smile. "Just some trinkets, nothing worth mentioning. Continue telling me about your 'Eternal Imprisonment.'"
"Oh, oh," Erdan scratched the back of his head before continuing. "Even though I love exploring fortuitous encounter maps, this was an accident. The Zombie Basin has no cities. I've been mining these past few days, and when I finished yesterday, I started looking for more ore."
"I passed through a place that looked like a village."
"I never expected to find survivors hiding there."
"They were concealed inside something like a giant capsule. My target acquisition radar couldn't detect them. I only noticed them when I saw someone emerge to search for food. That's when I brought them all back."
"Let me interrupt," Chen Mang said thoughtfully. "Did you bring that giant capsule with you?"
"I did, but I haven't figured out what it does. If you want to study it, I'll give it to you later."
"We'll talk about that later. Continue your story."
"Alright. So, I discovered several survivors hiding in that village. One of them, Zhang Yiren, told me..."
"Wait!"
Chen Mang spoke with a blank expression: "I must interrupt you again. Is this Zhang Yiren the same Zhang from the phrase 'Ten Steps, One Kill'?"
"It is. Why, Lord Mang, do you know him?"
"So he's a screenwriter, too."
"Indeed."
Chen Mang suddenly chuckled, a sinister glint in his eyes. "Come, call him down here right now. We'll put your matter aside for the moment. I have something to discuss with him."
"Alright."
Three minutes later, Chen Mang turned to the gaunt man standing before him and said calmly, "Zhang Yiren, is that right?"
"Yes."
"You wrote the script for the movie 'Loving One Person,' didn't you?"
"I did."
Zhang Yiren, utterly bewildered by what was happening, stood trembling in place. He looked up at Chen Mang and whispered, "Big brother, are you... a fan of the show?"
"I'm a fan of your mother's show!" Chen Mang took a deep breath. "Come, tell me, do you find this script of yours interesting? Where's the story? Is it just about the male and female leads constantly bumping into each other without recognizing each other, only to fall in love and end up together in the final scene?"
"Do you think anyone would find this kind of garbage entertaining for even a few hours?"
"No, big brother, there's a twist at the end."
"Oh, tell me about it. What kind of twist?"
"In the end, they don't end up together. After three years of searching for the male lead in vain, the female lead starts a new relationship. Her new boyfriend is the male lead's best friend. When the male lead occasionally learns about this, he chooses to bless them. Eventually, the female lead finds out too. She immediately abandons her already-married boyfriend and runs back to the male lead. To save the male lead, her ex-husband donates his corneas to him. Just as the female lead and male lead are about to put the past behind them and reunite, the female nurse who has been caring for the male lead all this time..."
"Enough."
Chen Mang couldn't help but laugh in fury. He picked up the walkie-talkie and barked, "First Squad, get your asses down here right now!"
"Get to work!"
Then he slammed his cane into the man's face and roared, "I just wanted to relax and watch a movie! Do you know how rare it is to watch a movie during the apocalypse? And you give me this garbage!"
"Thank God I fell asleep. If I'd seen the ending, my blood pressure would have skyrocketed from rage."
"Erdan, is this guy important to you? I want him."
"Useless," Erdan replied at lightning speed, quickly distancing himself. "He's just a slave on my train. I don't even know him, never exchanged a word with him. Lord Mang, if you need him, just take him."
This was the first time he'd seen Lord Mang so furious.
Mainly because...
Even Erdan felt his blood boil listening to the film's plot. What kind of garbage was this? Before the apocalypse, encountering a hater might earn you a few insults. After the apocalypse, well, you'd better enjoy the experience.
Biaozi and the others, who had rushed out of the train, immediately surrounded Lord Mang. They hoisted Zhang Yiren onto their shoulders and began carrying him toward the train.
"Whew."
Chen Mang exhaled, his eyes filled with apology as he turned to Erdan. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. You know, humans are creatures of emotion. It's normal to lose control sometimes. Please, continue. Where were you?"
"I understand, I understand completely. I was saying that when I passed through that village, I encountered several survivors, including Zhang Yiren. He told me..."
Just then—
A bloodcurdling scream, filled with terror, pierced the air.
"Big Brother! I'm just a screenwriter! You can't blame me entirely! The director changed so much of my script!"
"The director is on the train too! He's at least half to blame!"
"Brother, sorry to interrupt again, but if it's convenient, could you hand over those survivors from your village to me?"
"No problem."
Erdan wiped the sweat from his nose and quickly turned to shout at the thugs behind him, "Hurry up and bring down the latest batch of slaves!"
For some reason, even though Lord Mang hadn't scolded him, Erdan was still terrified. Sweat kept beading on his nose.
Soon, three or four men and two women were forced down.
One of the obese men glared at Zhang Yiren, who was already being carried on someone's shoulder, and cursed, "You heartless bastard! You're scum! If I hadn't pulled you into my safehouse back then, you'd be dead by now! You betrayed me!"
"How can you blame me? I told you at the time that the script would get slammed if we wrote it like this. But you insisted I change it, saying the harsher the criticism, the more buzz it would generate. If it weren't for you, I would have written the male and female leads getting together the first time they met."
"If you wrote it like that, what's the point of even making a movie? You could just end it in one sentence!"
"That's your problem. You're the director, not me."
"Um..."
Listening to the arguing around him, Erdan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead again and asked weakly, "Can I continue now?"
"Continue."
(End of the Chapter)
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