Translator: AnubisTL
The gathering had begun.
This was the first gathering organized by Chen Mang. Many train conductors had already started chatting and getting acquainted. Having attended numerous gatherings before, they were all familiar with each other.
Zhang Yi and Zhang Er, wearing sunglasses they'd somehow acquired, stood on either side of Chen Mang, their arms crossed in front of them. Their faces were cold and expressionless, like professional bodyguards. They even carried briefcases.
Chen Mang frowned slightly, gazing at the Stellaris behind him. Just now, he'd realized something—a problem he'd never noticed before.
The Stellaris had 14 carriages and one locomotive.
Although there was a "Breeding Carriage" numbered 15, that was because there was no carriage number 1; the locomotive was designated as number 1.
In total, including the locomotive, the Stellaris had only 15 carriages!
But—
He'd been upgrading the armor based on "15 carriages + 1 locomotive" all this time. In other words, he'd been confused about the number of carriages. That didn't matter, but why had the Train Armor been upgraded as if there were 16 carriages?
Where had the extra money gone?
"Xiao Ai, it seems the train has glitched again. Can you check where the extra carriage went?"
"Understood."
This was the second time the train had glitched.
The first time was on the Iron Ridge Wasteland. The train's energy stones inexplicably lost capacity from time to time. Chen Mang had sought help over the train radio, and the answer was that they might have been contaminated by the man-eating spider's liquid.
The man-eating spider's liquid had an energy-draining effect.
But this time, the glitch was far more serious. He had spent a considerable amount of iron ore units on that nonexistent 16th carriage in recent days.
The missing 16th carriage.
A headache.
Chen Mang rubbed his temples wearily. Why was everything glitching these days?
Just then—
Three middle-aged men strode toward him. The leader, with a black dragon tattoo bared on his arm, greeted him with a hearty laugh: "Lord Mang, you're tough!"
"You might not know, but that Lord Shen has been wreaking havoc in Crisis Valley for quite some time. I had originally summoned these two brothers behind me to help me ambush Lord Shen here. But you handled it so swiftly and decisively, Lord Mang."
"At least you've rid Crisis Valley of a scourge."
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent, his gaze fixed on the exposed black dragon tattoo on the middle-aged man's arm.
"Uh..."
The middle-aged man noticed Chen Mang's stare and paused, then hesitantly said, "Lord Mang seems to have a prejudice against tattoos? But... even with tattoos, one isn't necessarily irredeemably evil. This was just a youthful mistake."
"I was mixed up with the wrong crowd back then, too."
"But I see Lord Mang has a 'Mang' character tattooed on the back of your hand as well."
"Me?"
Chen Mang glanced down at the 'Mang' character on his left hand, shook his head, and chuckled. "That's not a tattoo, it's a birthmark. I've had it since birth. I don't have a prejudice against tattoos. I'm just curious—aren't you cold wearing short sleeves in this weather?"
"Ah, that," the middle-aged man couldn't help but laugh. "Lord Mang is truly humorous. It's a bit chilly, but I enjoy the refreshing coolness. The three of us are all Tier 12 Mechanical Train conductors. We came here to make your acquaintance and also inquire about the price of Tier 1 Iron Mine."
"Take a seat. I have some questions for you as well."
The four men immediately sat around a round table.
These four individuals essentially represented the top powers in Crisis Valley. However, Chen Mang was subtly at the forefront, as even among the elite, there were differences. Their respective thugs stood behind them.
It resembled a four-way summit.
The middle-aged man at the head of the group glanced awkwardly at the two burly men standing behind Chen Mang. "Lord Mang, your two subordinates are built like tanks. If this were ancient times, they'd be the equivalent of ten thousand men each."
He had originally worried that their group of three, clearly allied and accompanied by thugs, would come across as intimidating.
So, he'd spent the journey pondering how to approach Chen Mang without appearing threatening, while still retaining his thugs—he wouldn't feel safe without them.
But...
Once they were seated, he realized it was they who were being pressured.
Chen Mang alone was dominating the three of them.
Especially the two imposing figures: towering over two meters tall, wearing sunglasses, their faces cold and impassive, a cigar clamped between their lips, and a briefcase in hand. Their presence was utterly overwhelming.
"They're alright," Chen Mang said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively. Xiao Fang, standing nearby, gracefully set a plate of Red Heart Nuts, cigars, and snacks on the table before retreating without a tremor in her legs or a shake in her hands.
As she turned to leave, her face instantly broke into a look of relief, as if she had just survived a near-death experience. This was outside the train, where gunfire could erupt at any moment. Without the train's protection, people died.
Though terrified, she couldn't show it. That would embarrass Lord Mang.
The poor performance of the subordinates usually reflected the incompetence of their superiors.
And at that moment—
Within the Cluster Mind, Zhang Yi and Zhang Er were rapidly exchanging thoughts.
"See? I told you smoking a cigar would make us look imposing!"
"It does feel different, big brother, but I don't know how to smoke."
"You don't have to actually smoke it. I asked Brother Biao. Just hold it in your mouth, take occasional puffs, and blow the smoke out."
"That makes sense... but big brother, Lord Mang and the others are about to start smoking cigars. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us, as bodyguards, to do the same? I thought cigars were for big shots, and bodyguards weren't supposed to smoke at all."
"Hmm... you have a point. But we've already put them in our mouths. Can we really spit them out now?"
"You three are my seniors."
Chen Mang took the lead, adopting a humble posture. The other three exchanged glances, a subtle unease stirring within them. It was clear that Lord Mang was the strongest among them. Now that he had lowered his guard, the situation could quickly spiral out of control.
"Let me start by throwing out a brick to attract jade," Chen Mang said. "As far as I know, upgrading a Star Ring Energy Shield from Tier 1 to Tier 12 on a train with ten carriages requires 320 million units of iron ore. Do you have that much iron ore to reach Tier 12?"
"No," the middle-aged man in the lead immediately shook his head. "Crisis Valley's iron ore acquisition rate far surpasses that of low-level regions. One reason for this is that Crisis Valley is a Blue Zone, where Tier 4 Iron Ore can be found. A single Tier 4 Iron Mine typically yields around 10 million units of iron ore."
"Once a Tier 4 Iron Mine is fully excavated, 10 million units of iron ore are added to our reserves. However, Tier 4 Iron Ore is quite rare. We don't find it every time. We primarily rely on Tier 3 Iron Mines, each yielding around 2 million units."
"Iron ore is the primary resource for Train Upgrades. Even after all this time, only a handful of trains in Crisis Valley have reached Tier 12 Star Ring Energy Shields."
"I do know of one train that has it, but including the locomotive, it only has four carriages. They sacrificed a lot to get there."
"Secondly, every train makes different choices."
"For example, to obtain a Murphy Stone, you usually have to go to a Fortuitous Encounter Map. There's a chance to get one by killing a Tier 1 Monster Boss. This raises a question: some people use Murphy Stones to upgrade their Zaibatsu Energy Shield, allowing them to consume less iron ore for a higher-grade energy shield."
"After all, it saves the cost of replacing the energy shield from scratch."
"But the drawback is obvious. You can't always have Murphy Stones. Upgrading the Zaibatsu Energy Shield means you'll eventually have to replace it with a higher-grade energy shield. The more you spend on upgrades now, the more you'll lose when you have to replace it later."
"Many others use Murphy Stones to upgrade their Doomsday Cannons. I'm sure you know, Lord Mang, that while this accessory is only blue-grade, it's incredibly cost-effective, especially with its two overpowered 'halve consumption' effects."
"Smashing it to Tier 12 with Murphy Stones basically guarantees you can break through the defenses of the strongest monsters in this zone, as well as those of other trains. This is the choice most trains make."
"Though we can't withstand attacks from other trains, at least we can pose a threat to them. When attacked, we won't be completely defenseless. Even a Tier 12 cannon often can't destroy a train even if it penetrates its defenses. The attack intensity isn't high enough."
At this point, the middle-aged man paused, glancing hesitantly at the ten "Doomsday Cannons" atop Chen Mang's Stellaris train. He continued, "I recall Lord Shen's train has a Tier 10 energy shield. Are all ten of your Doomsday Cannons Tier 11 or Tier 12, Lord Mang?"
"Including the armor, that must have consumed a lot of murphy stones, right?"
"Mm." Chen Mang nodded, not dwelling on the topic. He simply nodded thoughtfully. Based on this, most trains were essentially... emasculated versions.
They weren't complete.
They were cobbled together with whatever they could scrounge up for an energy shield.
The fundamental reason?
Insufficient iron ore. This was also Chen Mang's problem. He didn't have enough iron ore, but he never would. After all, he could upgrade infinitely. Even if he were given a billion units of iron ore right now, he could spend it all instantly without upgrading his train.
"But it seems like everyone has plenty of murphy stones. Many of your accessories are even over-upgraded."
"..."
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly. Chen Mang's words revealed a lot of information. Could he actually see the specific accessories on their train?
This was a fatal advantage. It was like being crushed by an information overload.
After a moment of silence, he continued, "Crisis Valley is divided into two zones: the Red Zone and the White Zone, separated by a canyon that stretches across the entire area. The only way to cross it is by using the Bunny Cloud Wheels."
"The White Zone is where we are now."
"The Red Zone is the area across the canyon. It contains the ruins of a 'Mechanical City,' where many opportunities lie hidden. Many trains have obtained Murphy stones there. The first trains to arrive in this area feasted, while those who came later had to settle for scraps. Now, there's practically nothing left."
"I've been in Crisis Valley for five months. Many trains have managed to scavenge some scraps and indeed found some opportunities."
"Mm."
Chen Mang nodded, casually picking up a Red Heart Nut from his plate and popping it into his mouth. "Does anyone have anything they'd like to discuss?"
An hour later...
The gathering concluded.
The entire event had been remarkably harmonious, with no fights breaking out—not even arguments.
The more stable the order, the more likely conflicts are to arise. In peaceful times, street brawls are common, but that's in a fundamentally safe environment. In the apocalypse, who would dare to argue?
You'd barely cursed "Damn..."
Before you could finish the sentence, the other person would already have pulled out their weapons.
Chen Mang's five Tier 1 Iron Ore mines had all been sold, each for 1.5 million units of iron ore, totaling 7.5 million units.
Although he had limited purchases to five mines, he certainly had more available if anyone wanted to buy them.
But...
No one was buying. Clearly, most people were playing it safe with the unknown S-rank reward, unwilling to invest in something uncertain.
Outside the Stellaris train—
Five newly constructed ordinary carriages stood ready. Each carriage contained a Tier 1 space gate, and inside each gate lay a Tier 1 Iron Ore mine. Slaves from five trains were currently working there.
No, that's not quite right.
To be precise, slaves from two trains, passengers from one train, residents from another, and civilians from the last train were all working there.
The last three trains were the Tier 12 Mechanical Trains whose conductors he had just spoken with.
This was the first time he had encountered a train that didn't use the term "slave" for its workers—besides his own.
Through communication, he learned that the apocalypse hadn't been so harsh at first. However, the ecosystem wasn't thriving, and many survivors treated the train conductor as a mere driver, seeking shelter but refusing to mine for long hours each day. Some even proposed politically correct ideologies.
Initially, the train conductors were clueless. Many had been ordinary people before the apocalypse, and suddenly faced with pressure from hundreds of survivors, they panicked and agreed to everything.
The result was disastrous: no one mined, and the train was doomed.
In this environment, slavery was born.
"To hell with ghosts and divines, to hell with gender distinctions! Everyone, get your asses down to the mines! Overseers will be cracking whips, and anyone who refuses to mine will be beaten to death!"
Under the train conductor's absolute authority, production efficiency skyrocketed!
Almost all trains in the early apocalypse were still in the White Zone. Those that adopted slavery first developed rapidly, quickly advancing to high-level zones. Others followed suit, and slavery spread like wildfire across all zones.
It must be said: after adopting slavery, the number of trains that collapsed decreased significantly, and their development accelerated almost exponentially.
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c300.🎊 [+2/+11.7k]
🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [900+] Chapters and [1.79M+] Words.