My Apocalypse Train

Translator: Anubis Translations

Inside the train, Chen Mang stood before the control panel, peering through his telescope into the distance. Not a single sound or movement disturbed the eerie silence—a tranquility he had grown accustomed to during their days in the wasteland.

Yet, a faint sense of unease lingered.

Back in Master Kun's slave car, the thugs had remained perpetually vigilant, even during the train's stationary periods. Though no zombie horde-Tier threats materialized, scattered monsters had always been present.

But for the past four days, not a single creature had appeared.

It was too quiet.

The locomotive's glass observation window offered a 180-degree view, revealing only the front and sides. Climbing onto the control panel, Chen Mang opened the skylight above the locomotive and peered backward. Still, nothing stirred.

After completing this check, he finally exhaled deeply, hoping for a peaceful day. He then glanced at the resource count on the Train Panel:

4,819 units of Iron Ore

This was the total accumulation from the past four days. With this, he could upgrade to a Tier 2 train after today. Everything was progressing smoothly.

Yet, at that moment—

Outside the train, a cacophony of sounds filled the air as the slaves awoke and lined up to receive pickaxes from the thugs before heading toward the mine. Old Pig had already established the basic routines over the past few days, and now such tasks no longer required his direct involvement.

All the slaves had descended into the mine.

Chen Mang began his morning meal. Old Pig had delivered steaming mantou (steamed buns) and pickles, the best food available on the train.

"Sigh."

He gazed at the pickles and sighed. While mantou with pickles made for a decent meal, the monotony of eating the same thing every day was wearing thin. He longed for a change of pace. Still, he wondered how they even obtained pickles in the first place. Were they produced by a production line after upgrading to a Tier 2 train, or scavenged from the city ruins?

They had seized a substantial stockpile of pickles from Master Kun's train, and now had over eighty packets left. But once these were gone, they wouldn't even have pickles to pair with their mantou.

If only they had some chili paste, or even meat sauce. And a cigarette would be perfect. It had been so long since he'd smoked that he felt an itch in his fingers.

Chen Mang chewed his mantou absently, his mind wandering as time trickled by.

"Trainmaster Zhu."

Outside the train, Biaozi approached Old Pig. Licking the corner of his mouth, he asked tentatively, "I heard you used to be a deputy train conductor?"

"What's wrong?"

Old Pig glanced up at Biaozi before resuming his task of writing in his small notebook on the wasteland.

"Nothing."

Biaozi scratched his head. He had specifically instructed Black Rat not to reveal to anyone that he had once been a train conductor. Old Pig's past as a deputy train conductor was a plus, but his own history as a train conductor was a minus.

Though he had long accepted that being a train conductor wasn't something one could handle well just by lucking into a Train Token, Lord Mang still believed in that possibility.

It was like in peacetime society, when a former boss is forced to become an employee again. The stark contrast would inevitably breed resentment and inappropriate thoughts.

If Lord Mang suspected Biaozi still harbored ambitions to become a train conductor again, life on the Stellaris train would become unbearable—like having his head and stomach sleep in separate beds.

"I just wanted to report something to you, Trainmaster Zhu," Biaozi said with an embarrassed grin. "Um, about the nearby city ruins, Taiping City... Even though it's been thoroughly scavenged lately, I know of a liquor and cigarette shop in the outskirts that hasn't been searched."

"That shop used to switch cigarette brands frequently, so there's a hidden compartment behind the counter stuffed with cigarettes. It's definitely untouched."

"Lord Mang seems to be craving a smoke lately. Why don't we pay Taiping City a visit?"

"Hmm?"

Old Pig hesitated momentarily. Biaozi was clearly trying to curry favor by bringing this up. If Old Pig reported this to Lord Mang and successfully secured several cartons of cigarettes, he would undoubtedly earn merit.

But...

"The train is still at Tier 1. Let's revisit this after it reaches Tier 2. Our top priority right now is upgrading the train."

"I'll keep this in mind, though. If we find it later, I'll tell Lord Mang you were the one who provided the information."

"Heh heh."

Biaozi chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Alright then, Trainmaster Zhu, I won't bother you further. I'll continue patrolling."

But inwardly, he grumbled, Though Trainmaster Zhu always plays the harmless, fawning dog before Lord Mang, anyone who's survived this long in the apocalypse—and even served as deputy train conductor—can't be simple.

If I don't stay on his good side, he might make things difficult for me later.

Becoming a train conductor might just require luck, but being a deputy train conductor demands real skill and capability.

Like him, those who had survived until now in the apocalypse... to put it bluntly, he had to admit he wasn't exactly virtuous.

A year ago, the apocalypse descended.

After the immediate collapse of order, two main groups gradually emerged:

One group were the train conductors of the wasteland, while the other were the survivors of the cities.

These survivors, whether lone wolves or members of gangs, gathered in the cities to find sufficiently safe places, such as large infrastructures like air-raid shelters. They scurried around the city each day like hamsters collecting supplies, barely managing to cling to life.

Of course, when these people were captured and brought onto the train, their status changed—they went from being survivors to slaves.

After the apocalypse, all firearms ceased to function. Faced with monsters, these people had little room for resistance and primarily relied on hiding.

Tier 1 Monsters were the most basic kind, such as Tier 1 Zombies.

Only Tier 1 Monsters could be killed with ordinary means, like fire axes. By the time it reached Tier 2 Monsters or Tier 3 Monsters, only weapons crafted from train components or produced on the train's production line could inflict effective damage.

To put it bluntly, this world has only two types of people: train conductors and slaves.

In the blink of an eye, the sky darkened, and the slaves returned from the mines in a slow, steady stream.

"Excellent!"

Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang sat at the control panel, his eyes fixed on the resource count on the Train Panel. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

After this batch of iron ore was stored in Warehouse Car 2, the total iron ore count finally reached 6,012 units.

"Heavenly Father..."

Chen Mang clasped his hands together, tilted his head slightly upward, and took a deep breath to suppress his excitement. He murmured, "You truly do hear my prayers, old man. We made it through another day unscathed."

"If that's the case..."

"Could you bless me with safe mining operations here for the next seven days?"

"You're the best, old man."

"I'll burn incense for you tomorrow."

(End of the Chapter)

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