My Apocalypse Train

Translator: AnubisTL

Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train: "It's normal, I guess. Some offensive vehicle components are pretty energy-intensive. I've heard of people burning through three energy stones in a single battle. But you just hit Tier 2 recently. Tier 1 Train accessories barely need any energy at all. That's what's weird."

Infinite Train: "Yeah, that's definitely not normal. But I'm not sure what's going on either."

Hell Train: "Some monsters' attacks can drain the Locomotive Energy Stone. For example, the Tier 3 Man-Eating Spider Boss's venom. I suggest you build the Train Auxiliary AI as soon as possible. It'll show you detailed monster information on your radar, which is pretty useful."

Infinite Train: "That can't be it. This guy's train is only Tier 2. If he got sprayed by the Tier 3 Man-Eating Spider's venom, he wouldn't have gotten far. A freshly upgraded Tier 2 train can't outrun a Man-Eating Spider. He'd be dead for sure."

Hell Train: "But I seem to recall that the Man-Eating Spider is the only monster in the No-Man's Wilderness with an attack that can drain energy stones."

Infinite Train: "There must be another reason, we just don't know what it is yet. If all else fails, get another Train Token and swap trains. Restarting is always the best solution to any problem."

Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train: "Gotta sleep. See you at the Gathering in a few days."

"..."

Chen Mang silently watched the chat room's messages scroll by, already having a rough idea of what happened. He figured some venom must have accidentally gotten on the Locomotive Energy Stone during the attack, causing it to malfunction.

As long as he had an answer, that was all that mattered. After all, a single energy stone cost only 500 Units of Iron Ore, which he could easily afford.

Time to sleep.

Sleepiness washed over him again. He stripped off his clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

In the blink of an eye, dawn arrived.

After a quick wash with Mineral Water inside the Train, Chen Mang sat at the nearby table, stuffing a hot steamed bun with spicy sauce as he watched the slaves outside, already up and preparing to head back into the mines.

What a bunch of adorable worker ants, he thought. I need more slaves.

He silently planned for the future. Once his Tier 2 train was fully upgraded, he would go out and scavenge for more slaves. Population was the true driving force of productivity in the wasteland.

Outside, Biaozi was leading the thugs in training. Chen Mang listened in and gathered that the nine thugs were divided into three groups of three. Biaozi would call out which group should attack which direction at what time, ensuring the firing range coverage wouldn't overlap.

He didn't interfere; he wasn't a professional in this area.

He left it to Biaozi.

Soon—

A day passed. The slaves emerged from the mine with their pickaxes, bringing back 1,208 Units of Iron Ore.

Another uneventful day.

The only signs of life were scattered monsters.

But just as they were loading the Iron Ore onto the 2nd Cargo Car, Chen Mang felt the ground tremble violently, like an earthquake. He even saw dust dancing on the wasteland's surface.

Before he could react, a piercing alarm blared from the train's audio system. The Target Acquisition Radar screen suddenly flooded with red dots around its central circle, and their numbers were rapidly increasing.

Chen Mang grabbed his telescope and scanned the horizon. A massive zombie horde was converging, gradually forming a siege.

"Get on board!"

Having faced this situation several times before, the slaves and thugs reacted with practiced efficiency. They immediately retreated into the train. With a roar of its engine, the Tier 1 train, the "Stellaris," slowly began to move, accelerating toward the weakest point in the zombie horde's encirclement before it could fully close in!

As for the few dozen scattered zombies blocking the path, they were flung high into the air the instant they were struck. The vehicle's high-speed spinning blades sliced any approaching zombies in half.

As long as the zombie horde wasn't completely blocking the path, its threat wasn't actually that great.

About fifteen minutes later, the zombie horde had completely disappeared from sight behind them. Chen Mang leaned out of the skylight in the ceiling, holding a telescope to scan the rear. They would have to camp here tonight. The zombies should be gone by dawn, and then they could return to mining.

But...

"..."

Chen Mang frowned slightly. The Target Acquisition Radar's warning range was only 1,000 meters—too short. If the slaves were still in the mine, escaping with them wouldn't be so easy.

He needed to upgrade the Target Acquisition Radar soon.

Just then, he noticed several messages rapidly scrolling across the screen of the Train Radio chat room:

Hometown Train: "Did an earthquake just hit? The ground's shaking a little too violently."

Infinite Train: "Looks like it."

Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train: "It's that area near the Doomsday Abyss again. I just passed by there and saw the Abyss violently convulsing. That's what triggered the earthquake in the No-Man's Wilderness."

...

"..."

Chen Mang's expression turned slightly strange as he glanced at the messages flashing across the chat room. From the chat, he learned that after the apocalypse, a deep, abyss-like fissure had appeared in the No-Man's Wilderness. The fissure plunged almost vertically into the earth, its bottom completely invisible, its depth unknown.

Because the area frequently trembled, each tremor resembling the opening of Hell's gates, people had named it the "Doomsday Abyss."

Rumor had it that someone had used a Resource Detection Radar to detect a Tier 2 Iron Ore deposit and a Tier 1 Copper Mine beneath the surface. This was considered a high-density resource Point.

In the No-Man's Wilderness, Tier 2 Iron Ore was rare, and Copper Ore was even more so. Moreover, all bullets had to be crafted from Copper Ore, making it a consumable resource that could never be stockpiled enough.

The fact that both mines were located together made it even more unusual.

Some people scavenged ziplines and other devices from the city ruins, attempting to lower slaves into the abyss for mining. However, the depth proved too great, and no one ever reached the bottom. The resource point remains unexploited to this day.

Moreover, the No-Man's Wilderness isn't lacking in Tier 2 Iron Ore and Tier 1 Copper Mines elsewhere.

But...

Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, his mind racing. If others couldn't descend, he could.

His Spider Leg accessory could now traverse 45-degree inclines. Once upgraded to a certain Tier, it would allow him to move freely on 90-degree surfaces. For him, the Doomsday Abyss wouldn't just be a resource point—it would be a Safe House.

The zombie horde would never be able to reach him there.

He would no longer have to flee before the relentless tide of zombies.

However, upgrading the Spider Leg accessory required a substantial amount of Fine Spider Silk.

Just then, a message popped up in the chat room:

"Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train: I have a Green Grade Rare Vehicle Accessory Blueprint, the 'Nitrous Tailpipe.' Anyone want to pre-order? Slaves, women, resources, Blueprints, Tobacco—anything of value will do. We'll trade at the Gathering. DM me to discuss prices."

"Gathering?"

Chen Mang frowned slightly. Through the chat room chatter, he learned this was a spontaneous trading event organized by train conductors. The location changed each time, determined by consensus.

This Gathering was scheduled for seven days from now.

His train had just reached Tier 2. Attending this event felt a bit risky.

Still, he could at least ask around.

"Stellaris: Does anyone have Fine Spider Silk?"

No sooner had he posted the question than a reply appeared.

Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train: Got plenty, Brother. How much do you need?

(End of the Chapter)

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