My Apocalypse Train

Translator: AnubisTL

Inside the Train.

Chen Mang had already tossed the pistol and its magazine into the Geothermal Core Furnace. As for the handheld Zombie Perception Blocker and the Train Token, he had cleaned them and put them away, intending to trade them at the Gathering in a few days.

However, he was torn about one issue and needed to consult Old Pig.

"Old Pig," Chen Mang said thoughtfully, sitting at the control panel. "I plan to attend the Gathering in six days to trade for some materials. Should we keep these slaves for ourselves or sell them off at the Gathering?"

"Lord Mang," Old Pig ventured cautiously, "are you worried that the arrival of new slaves might disrupt the current harmonious atmosphere on the train? That it might give the existing, well-behaved slaves some unnecessary ideas?"

"Yes," Chen Mang nodded slightly. He did have some concerns about this.

"Actually, Lord Mang, you don't need to worry too much," Old Pig said, taking a deep breath to explain. "First, the treatment we provide our slaves is among the best in the entire wasteland. If the apocalypse had just begun, there might have been more unrest."

"But this batch of slaves has probably changed hands through several train conductors already. They're very familiar with how slaves are treated on other trains. To say nothing of Master Kun's recent actions just a few days ago."

"Moreover..."

"We'll definitely need to gradually change the term 'slave' to something that fosters train cohesion and motivates production, like 'passenger.' But until then, I think we can divide the slaves into three tiers."

"For example, First-Class Slaves, Second-Tier Slaves, and Third-Tier Slaves."

"The higher the slave's tier, the better their treatment."

"We'll use the total amount of Iron Ore submitted as the promotion mechanism. As the train develops, we can naturally transition to First-Tier Passengers, Second-Tier Passengers, and Third-Tier Passengers."

"Let the new arrivals be Third-Tier Slaves, and our veterans be Second-Tier Slaves. This way, once the Second-Tier Slaves enjoy their corresponding benefits, they'll be much less susceptible to incitement. After all, the cost of rebellion is not the same for everyone."

"And we'll definitely be taking in more slaves in the future. We can't reject them just because of their origins. In the wasteland, human labor is incredibly scarce. Besides, how many people who survive in the wilderness can truly claim to have 'proper' backgrounds?"

"With this system in place, it'll be much easier for us to absorb new slaves in the future, gradually integrating them into the Stellaris train."

"Furthermore..."

"I can also set up a reward system. Those who contribute a certain amount can exchange their points for various things, like women, delicious food, or a day off."

...

After patiently listening, Chen Mang suddenly chuckled. He finally understood why even a ruthless warlord like Cao Cao needed the counsel of Guo Jia's Ten Victories and Ten Defeats Theory.

In truth, he'd had similar thoughts himself, but they always felt slightly wrong. After hearing Old Pig's words, however, he suddenly felt confident. Sometimes, people need external validation to solidify their own convictions.

"Excellent," Chen Mang said. "Proceed as planned. You can work out the promotion mechanisms and corresponding contribution values yourself."

"You take charge of receiving these slaves and give them some basic training."

"Understood."

Old Pig's expression turned serious. "I'll go do it right away."

Six days passed in the blink of an eye.

It was now late at night. The slaves were returning from the mines, pickaxes slung over their shoulders. They had to leave early the next morning to attend the Gathering at coordinates (239, 1923), a journey of over 600 kilometers.

With such a long trek ahead, they needed to start early.

These past few days had been relatively peaceful, aside from being driven off by zombie hordes twice. They had mined a total of 8,100 Units of Iron Ore.

With the addition of the new slaves, mining efficiency had increased significantly.

Chen Mang had already spent most of this Iron Ore.

The Stellaris train currently consisted of four carriages besides the locomotive: the 2nd Cargo Car, Living Car No. 3, and Slave Cars Nos. 4 and 5.

Chen Mang had invested a fortune—a full 4,000 Units of Iron Ore—to equip all four carriages with Steel Car Armor.

...

On the wasteland...

Chen Mang stood in the open space, leaning on his cane and gazing at the dragon-like train. Its thick, dark armor gleamed in the sunlight, and his eyes were filled with satisfaction.

The full armor upgrade had given the train a menacing and imposing aura. It simply looked powerful. Unlike before, when it had resembled a rookie's first attempt.

Of course, the armor was still Tier 1. He didn't have enough Iron Ore to upgrade the Steel Car Armor to Tier 2, which would require 5,000 units.

In addition—

He had also crafted a total of three Heavy Machine Guns, adding to the one he had captured earlier. Each carriage now had one mounted on its roof, giving the train a formidable firepower display and a strong deterrent effect. This cost him 1,500 units of Iron Ore.

However, he only had a few hundred rounds of heavy machine gun bullets. So, these weapons would rarely be used in actual combat, serving mostly as a deterrent.

He had also spent 1,000 units of Iron Ore to create a Built-in Security System. The Tier 1 system featured a heavy machine gun embedded in the ceiling of each carriage's rear end. While these were still heavy machine guns, they were far more cost-effective than the external ones, though they could only fire inward.

Yes, we're currently out of bullets. These firearms are mainly for deterrence.

Until we find a Copper Ore deposit, these heavy firearms will primarily serve as a deterrent against external threats.

I've already crafted all the accessories that a Tier 2 train can currently produce. Now, it's time for targeted upgrades. Once we fully outfit the Tier 2 train, we'll still have 1,600 units of Iron Ore remaining.

I spent another 1,000 units of Iron Ore to upgrade the Target Acquisition Radar to Tier 2, increasing its detection range to a radius of 2,000 meters.

I saved the remaining 600 units of Iron Ore for daily food and water production.

I can't afford to exhaust all our Iron Ore and then fail to find new deposits or encounter other trains. If that happened, everyone on the train would starve to death in the wasteland.

Sigh

After organizing the past few days' gains, Chen Mang turned his gaze to the nearby mine shaft, which was gradually collapsing. A pang of reluctance struck him. With the slaves all gone, the mine's fate was sealed.

All its resources had been exhausted, and the mine was once again merging with the wasteland.

Perhaps in time, the mine shaft would reappear here.

But for now, they needed to find a new mine.

Chen Mang took a deep breath, stubbed out his nearly extinguished cigarette in the dirt, and stood in the wasteland with his hands clasped together, eyes closed, muttering a prayer.

"Heavenly Father, grant us a smooth tomorrow. If we can successfully trade for enough Spider Silk at the Gathering, we can finally start mining Tier 2 Iron Ore and Tier 1 Copper Ore in the Doomsday Abyss."

(End of the Chapter)

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