"But things are different now."
"These past few days, everyone has had enough bread, enough water, a can of cola every day, and the protection of the train, safe from attacks by Zombies and monsters. Do you really think the Slaves would riot at a time like this?"
"Do you think Lord Mang needs a Slave leader now?"
"If you dare kill a Slave at this moment, do you believe you'll be buried with them immediately?"
"Well..."
The young man scratched the back of his head, realizing he had been rash: "You're right. I must've been out of my mind."
To say the least.
These people had been through ups and downs for a year since the apocalypse began. To survive until now, they might not have the sharpest minds, but at least their luck had been decent. The past few days had been the most leisurely they'd experienced since the apocalypse started.
No hunger, no fear of being devoured by Zombies the next moment.
Everyone cherished this life now.
Yet they feared it might shatter like a bubble at any moment.
Often, Slave riots happened because they knew they were the Train Conductor's primary assets, confident that the Train Conductor wouldn't dare kill them, thus seizing some rights for themselves. As the saying goes, the law doesn't punish the masses, and the Train Conductor couldn't possibly kill all the rioting Slaves.
Unless the enforcers joined the riot, which, before the advent of the "Internal Fire Control System," could indeed pose a significant threat to the Train Conductor's life.
While the firearms crafted within the train couldn't harm the Train Conductor, killing someone didn't necessarily require guns.
At that moment—
A voice echoed in the ears of all Train Conductors, just like last time. Only the Train Conductors could hear it, not even the Deputy Train Conductor.
「The number of existing Trains has exceeded 50 million.」
「The conditions for the first stage have been met.」
「The first stage officially begins. This stage is called 'Embarkation.' During this stage, the number and variety of monsters will increase.」
Just three simple sentences.
"..."
Inside the Stellar Train, Chen Mang, sitting at the control panel, gazed at the lines of text appearing on the screen, lost in thought. The apocalypse had been going on for a year, and only now were they entering the "Embarkation" stage?
An increase in the number of monsters meant that the danger levels in all regions would rise.
Other than that, there seemed to be nothing else.
He glanced at the Train Radio, only to find that the people inside were discussing fervently, even with a hint of excitement. Soon, he understood the source of their excitement.
New types of monsters meant new bosses.
And new bosses had first kills.
The rewards for securing a first kill were exceptionally generous. It was said that six months ago, a Train in the Iron Ridge Wasteland had rapidly risen to prominence after securing a first kill on a boss, eventually leaving the Iron Ridge Wasteland for more advanced regions.
However...
Securing a first kill on a boss was incredibly difficult. If this region had such a monster, other regions had it too. Each region had its own boss, and only the first person to kill the boss across all regions would claim the first kill.
Ignoring the difficulty of the kill, the competition alone involved rivaling people from multiple regions.
"..."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling a faint stir of ambition. Other monsters aside, if another Level 3 boss appeared, he could easily take it down. There were no higher-level monsters in the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
Of course.
It wasn't just about relying on the Car Blade. A Level 10 Car Blade could easily penetrate a Level 3 boss's defenses, but as a melee weapon, it felt somewhat inadequate against a massive boss. A high-level Heavy Machine Gun would be more effective when facing a boss.
Moreover...
In the past five days, he hadn't just been mining Iron Ore. He had divided the Slaves into two groups for work.
They had already brought him a total of 101,239 units of Iron Ore and 4,200 units of Copper Ore.
With the addition of these Goblin Slaves, mining efficiency had skyrocketed. The Goblin Slaves could mine nearly 20,000 units of Iron Ore a day, spending almost every moment mining.
He couldn't bear to watch anymore and had Lao Zhu persuade Doba. He was worried these Goblins would work themselves to death. Sustainable productivity was the key.
In the end, Doba replied:
"The great Goblins need no human pity. Since ancient times, Goblins have died in battle, never from exhaustion."
Fine.
Keep mining, then.
At this rate, he'd soon have to leave the Doomsday Abyss. The bottom of the Doomsday Abyss only had one Level 2 Iron Ore deposit and one Level 1 Copper Ore deposit. In another ten days or so, these deposits would be completely exhausted.
Then he'd have to search for the next mine.
He hadn't yet found a resource point as rich as the Doomsday Abyss, so he'd have to continue searching the wasteland for scattered Level 1 small mines. After getting used to mining Level 2 Iron Ore, Level 1 mines felt unsatisfactory.
Take the Level 1 Copper Ore deposit in the Doomsday Abyss, for example.
After five days of mining, they'd only obtained 4,200 units of Copper Ore. The mining efficiency was sufficient, but the mine's level was too low. Mining one unit of Level 2 Iron Ore was equivalent to mining ten units of Level 1 Iron Ore.
Encountering a boss and securing a first kill depended on luck.
But preparation was essential.
To avoid missing an opportunity due to lack of preparation. For instance, if he hadn't upgraded the Carriage Steel Armor to Level 2 and hadn't come to the Doomsday Abyss, he wouldn't have encountered these hundred hardworking Goblins.
After consuming a total of 90,000 units of Iron Ore.
The Stellar Train's eight carriages, including the train head's Carriage Steel Armor, had all been upgraded to Level 3.
"..."
Chen Mang stepped out of the train room and stood on the open ground, looking at his train. The armor on the train's surface exuded a heavy, imposing aura at first glance, naturally delivering a sense of overwhelming pressure.
Level 3 armor was nearly immune to all Level 3 attacks.
Whether it was Level 3 bullets or attacks from Level 3 monsters, all were nullified.
If he encountered that Level 3 Man-Eating Spider again, he wouldn't need to go through the trouble. He could simply drive the train straight at it. The boss couldn't break through his train's defenses, but his Level 10 Car Blade could easily pierce the boss's defenses, putting him in an invincible position.
Even if the boss was massive, he could just circle it a few times with the train, naturally slicing it into mincemeat.
Sure, it might take a bit more time.
But if he encountered a Corpse Tide now, it would be a one-sided slaughter. Not a single monster in the Corpse Tide could breach his train's defenses, but wherever his train went, it would leave behind a trail of severed limbs and minced flesh.
When the Armor reached Level 3, the Stellar Train finally underwent a qualitative transformation.
Extreme defense and extreme offense—each alone was a trump card.
Together, they were a royal flush.
With Level 1 armor and a Level 10 Car Blade, he had been cautious when facing the Level 3 Man-Eating Spider boss.
With Level 3 armor and a Level 10 Car Blade, he could ram the train's head straight into that damn spider's face.
"Let's go test the effects."
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, lit a cigarette, and looked out the window with a hint of anticipation in his eyes. After crafting some Heavy Machine Gun bullets, he'd head out to test the waters. While he wasn't sure if he'd encounter a new monster boss, running into a Corpse Tide would be good too.
He remembered how those damn Corpse Tides had surrounded him so many times before.
Now he was back.
Try surrounding me again!
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