My Apocalypse Train

Translator: AnubisTL

After a cold snort, Biaozi narrowed his eyes slightly and continued.

"In the apocalypse, trust between people is incredibly fragile. It's difficult to earn a train conductor's complete trust. For example, how can we prove we've handed over all our spoils from this hunt?"

"It's practically an unsolvable problem."

"But with the Train Token, it's different. We've turned over everything we could use to go independent. Do you think Lord Mang can still distrust us?"

"Old Pig might have been the first to follow Lord Mang, but after this, Lord Mang is probably more likely to trust me. Don't you think?"

"Besides..." Biaozi sighed with a hint of helplessness. "I've tried going independent before. You both know what happened. Just look at the train conductors we followed—they all ended up dead, didn't they?"

"Being the boss isn't easy."

"And this time is different." He narrowed his eyes, muttering, "Even fully upgraded car blade fragments can't pierce the defense of a Tier 3 Man-Eating Spider. If this train can thrive, our status and living conditions will be far better than if we went independent."

"Alright, you wouldn't understand any of this even if I explained it."

"Just remember one thing: stick with Lord Mang and work hard."

"Oh."

Black Rat nodded weakly. "Every time you say that, the train conductor dies within a few days."

"That was before! This is now!"

"Lord Mang is different from other train conductors!"

Five hours later, the train finally returned to its original Iron Ore location. Looking at the familiar surroundings and the mine entrance, Chen Mang even felt a sense of warmth. It was already midday.

Overwhelming drowsiness washed over him. He hadn't slept in a long time. Using the walkie-talkie, he instructed Biaozi to arrange for guards to keep watch. Then, after everyone had rested and replenished their energy, he went to the bed inside the locomotive cabin and collapsed onto it without even bothering to remove his clothes.

He was too tired.

Sleep first.

He'd figure things out when he woke up.

Perhaps it was because he had stayed up for too long. When he finally woke up, it was already between four and five in the morning the next day.

Huuu...

Chen Mang groggily washed up in the locomotive cabin and, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, jumped down from the train. The wasteland outside was already bustling with activity. Slaves were streaming out of the carriages and heading toward the mine entrance.

"Lord Mang!"

Seeing Chen Mang awake, Old Pig, who had been directing the slaves nearby, hurried over to report: "Some of the slaves woke up early and said they couldn't fall back asleep. They wanted to go down to the mine. After thinking it over, I didn't dare disturb you with such a small matter, so I agreed."

"They're currently distributing bread slices and water to the newly awakened slaves."

"We should mine a lot today. Many people went down to the mine as early as two or three in the morning."

"Oh?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Mang's eyes. "They're all so eager?"

"Yes." Old Pig replied with a strange expression. "I asked a few of them, and they said they were terrified by the Tier 3 Man-Eating Spider. They don't want to die, so they want to mine more to make the train stronger faster, so they'll be safer."

"They've got the right attitude!" Chen Mang couldn't help but laugh. Then, he pulled out two packs of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed them to Old Pig. "Give one pack to Biaozi and keep one for yourself, and distribute the other to the slaves. As long as they work hard, they won't be treated unfairly."

"We must motivate the slaves' enthusiasm. Human potential is limitless."

"Alright, you can get back to your work."

"Got it."

Old Pig responded and hurried over to maintain order, distributing two cigarettes to each slave.

Chen Mang watched the bustling scene nearby, standing in the night wind. He glanced at the star-filled sky, chuckled softly, and said nothing. Having such a capable assistant was quite convenient; at least he didn't have to worry about these trivial matters.

Then, he walked alone to the rear of the train.

He lit three cigarettes, one by one, and stuck them into the wasteland. With a calm expression, he clasped his hands together, looked up at the sky, and murmured, "May our work be auspicious."

"Heavenly Father, please bless me to continue mining for seven more days. By then, this mine should be nearly exhausted, and we can move on to the next new one."

Although the man-eating spider had unexpectedly provided him with a significant windfall, not every unexpected outcome was positive. It was best to avoid surprises altogether.

After earnestly praying several times, he retrieved the three cigarettes from the ground, brushed off the dirt from their ends, and stuffed all three into his mouth. Leaning on his cane with one hand, he walked toward the locomotive.

In the apocalypse, Tobacco was a scarce commodity. It couldn't be wasted; the sentiment was what mattered.

Smoking three cigarettes at once was quite potent.

Inside the Train.

After disembarking to patrol the train, Chen Mang returned to the control panel. He pressed the red button labeled "Train Component," and the adjacent screen displayed the twelve craftable train components available after the train reached Tier 2.

Train Radio: Green-Grade Accessory. Requires 500 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

Crafting Table: Green-Grade Accessory. Requires 500 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

Third-Rate Heavy Machine Gun: Green-Grade Accessory. Requires 500 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun Bullet Production Line: Green-Grade Accessory. Requires 500 Units of Copper Ore to craft.

Target Acquisition Radar: Green-Grade Accessory. Requires 500 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

Resource Detection Radar: Green-Grade Accessory. Requires 500 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

These six accessories are mandatory components required to upgrade the train to Tier 3.

All are quite useful.

In addition, there are six optional train components.

Vehicle Audio System: White-Grade Accessory, requires 100 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

Built-in Security System: Green-Grade Accessory, requires 1000 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

5.56mm Rifle Bullet Production Line: Green-Grade Accessory, requires 500 Units of Copper Ore to craft.

Clothing Customization Production Line: White-Grade Accessory, requires 100 Units of Wood to craft.

Basic First Aid Kit: White-Grade Accessory, requires 100 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

Train Auxiliary AI: Green-Grade Accessory, requires 500 Units of Iron Ore to craft.

This time, there wasn't an extra Red Grade train component. It seemed the Rare Train Token only granted two Red Grade train components.

After the train reached Tier 2, the accessories that could be crafted were clearly far superior to those available at Tier 1.

Chen Mang wanted all twelve of the craftable accessories this time; he needed every single one. However, crafting them all and Tiering them up would require a significant amount of resources.

Moreover, he wanted to mount two Heavy Machine Guns on top of each carriage, which would maximize his sense of security. But the Heavy Machine Gun Bullet Production Line required Copper Ore to manufacture bullets, and producing bullets would undoubtedly consume a vast amount of Copper Ore. He hadn't encountered any Copper Ore yet.

"The road ahead is long and arduous," Chen Mang sighed softly, his gaze fixed on the depths of the wasteland. When would he finally have a fully equipped Tier 2 train?

(End of the Chapter)

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