Translator: AnubisTL
Compared to mechs, bone armor still had some drawbacks.
For example...
If it were a mech, it might have shoulder-mounted rocket launchers and Gatling guns—heavy firepower weapons. But these weren't major issues. If he needed that level of firepower, his train wasn't just for show.
With this!
All four craftable accessories for his Tier 3 train had been upgraded to Tier 10.
He was out of resources.
"..."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, turning his head to watch the slaves working outside the window. If they finished half their work today and the rest tomorrow, they'd completely mine out this iron ore deposit. Then he could move on to find the next one.
And...
He looked up at the map of underground river courses in the Iron Ridge Wasteland displayed on the control panel screen and chuckled.
He couldn't possibly pilot the Stellaris train to search every inch of the Iron Ridge Wasteland. It was too vast—it would waste too much time. During his last trip to the ruins of Taiping City, he had raided the library and gathered a wealth of information.
Among the documents he'd found were several maps detailing the underground river courses of the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
The iron mine he was currently working in was also located within an underground river cavern. After several mining expeditions underground, he realized that iron ore deposits were almost exclusively found in these caverns. With this map, he no longer needed to search the Iron Ridge Wasteland aimlessly like a headless fly.
By following the course of the underground river, he could locate approximately 70% of the deep-underground mines in the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
As for the remaining 30%... one shouldn't be too greedy.
He planned to create a "Combat Training Virtual Space" in the locomotive cabin later that night. It sounded like fun.
Of course, what truly piqued his interest wasn't battling others. That felt a bit lacking in excitement. He wasn't particularly interested in ranked matches against other trains either. He was more drawn to the mission modes in single-player training.
He could indulge his inner assassin.
On his second attempt, he had already successfully assassinated an enemy, using the advanced Leap of Faith technique. After a few more tries, he was sure he could achieve a perfect, flawless run.
...
"What's your name?"
Biaozi approached the woman, who was as strong as a man and currently mining, and asked coldly.
TL/N: She is the giantess previously mentioned who was competing with goblins....
"I'm Zhang San."
Seeing Biaozi approach, the woman fidgeted slightly.
"Zhang San (Chinese John Doe)?" Biaozi frowned. "I'm asking for your real name."
"My real name is Zhang San," she insisted hastily. "I also have two older brothers. My big brother is Zhang Yi, and my second brother is Zhang Er. But even though we were all in Taiping City, we never had a chance to meet after the apocalypse. We got separated, and they're probably dead by now. Both of my brothers were incredibly strong."
"Stronger than you?"
"Much stronger," the woman replied after a moment's thought. "They once lifted a treadmill from the gym and even carried it on their backs for several laps. It was amazing, though they were a bit thick-headed. But umm... did I do something wrong?"
"Lord Mang needs new thugs, and I've chosen you."
"Thug?" The woman paused, slightly startled, before cautiously probing, "Brother Biao, I know slaves can pick a companion with mining output. How do thugs get that?"
"Lord Mang rewards those who contribute based on their work hours and merit. Follow me and show me what you've got. The thugs are sent on external missions to fight monsters so only raw strength won't do. They need sufficient mental fortitude and combat skills."
Biaozi said no more.
He turned and walked directly toward Guard Car No. 5, Zhang San following quietly behind him.
The Combat Training Virtual Space was truly a marvel. With it, they could engage in unrestrained life-or-death combat, providing a clear view of a person's combat ability and potential under pressure.
While the woman was undeniably physically imposing and possessed great strength, being a thug required more than just brute force. If she froze at the sight of blood, she was clearly unsuitable.
In the white space, on the combat stage, Biaozi stood with a cold expression, holding a dagger. He looked at Zhang San, who loomed like a mountain across from him. "The moment the countdown ends, the fight begins. The battle ends when one of us dies.
"Any injuries sustained here won't carry over to the real world."
"Use your strongest attack," Biaozi said. "Remember, I won't hold back just because you're a woman. I hope you won't hold back just because I'm a thug. Showing mercy to me will only get you killed faster."
The next moment!
The countdown ended.
Both fighters shot toward each other almost simultaneously. No, it was more like they collided!
Thirty seconds later.
"I lost," Zhang San said, her eyes filled with shock as she stared at Biaozi back in the white space. "Brother Biao, you're the strongest man I've ever met. I crushed your balls, yet you still endured the pain to plunge your dagger into my neck. I'm in awe of you."
The woman, who stood nearly six feet tall and was covered in muscle, looked at Biaozi with admiration in her eyes.
Initially, she had feared Biaozi because of his status as a thug, while she was a slave. She had no choice but to submit and dared not provoke him.
But now, she respected his strength.
This man... was truly formidable!
"..."
Biaozi remained silent, his face impassive as he stood still, staring down at his crotch. Twice today already?
Brother, I've put you through hell. It's my fault.
But he had to admit, this Combat Training Virtual Space was indeed effective in training one's pain tolerance. The first time Lord Mang crushed him, he felt like he was going insane. But the second time, he managed to plunge his dagger into the woman's neck before the pain could kill him.
He suddenly felt a grudging admiration for himself. His progress was surprisingly rapid.
Could he truly be a genius?
After a moment, he sighed softly. "Keep mining for the next few days. I've noted your name. When we expand our thug ranks, I'll submit your information."
"Boss Fang, Boss Fang, Boss Fang!"
"Don't call me Boss Fang, you're the bosses here! Should I call you 'Boss' instead?"
On the Iron Ridge Wasteland, inside a speeding train, a man stood in the locomotive cabin, glaring at two burly thugs before him. His face was contorted with rage as he spat curses, his spittle flying everywhere. "Last time I sent you to Taiping City to scavenge for supplies, you emptied the entire gym of its equipment!"
"Damn it!"
"How the hell did you even manage to move all that stuff?"
"That gym equipment is still sitting in the train, unsold. Tell me, who the hell would buy that junk in the apocalypse, huh?"
"Should you go back and grab some protein powder?"
"Boss Fang..."
The burly man on the left grumbled, "We looked. There wasn't any protein powder left at the gym. It was all gone."
"You son of a bitch!"
The man nearly choked on his own breath, finally taking a deep breath after a long moment to calm himself.
"Alright, let's put the protein powder aside for now, okay?"
"Let's forget about that damn gym for now."
"Let's talk about the present."
"This time, I sent you two old timers to Taiping City to search for supplies. What did I tell you when I sent you out? Repeat it to me."
The burly man on the left answered without hesitation, "Only search for survivors, food, and cigarettes and alcohol."
"Good!"
The man nodded emphatically before pointing at the treadmill in the locomotive cabin and roaring, "Then what the hell did you bring back for me, huh?! Why is it another goddamn treadmill?!"
"Didn't you remember? I said survivors, food, and cigarettes and alcohol!"
"Boss Fang..."
The burly man on the right timidly raised his hand, his voice filled with grievance. "But we didn't find any survivors, food, or cigarettes and alcohol."
"So you brought back another goddamn treadmill?!"
"We only saw this... figured we couldn't come back empty-handed, so we brought it."
"Heh."
The man named Fang plopped down in his chair, unable to help but laugh in furious disbelief. It was true what they said—extreme anger really could make you laugh. He didn't even know what to say. Those two brothers were truly out of their minds.
Yet, they were utterly obedient to him.
So, no matter how angry he got, he could only scold them a few times. He certainly couldn't do anything to that precious piece of junk.
And aside from their consistent failure to satisfy him in resource gathering, the two brothers were actually quite competent in other areas.
After taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself, he finally spoke calmly after a long moment.
"Alright," he said. "Promise me you won't bring back another treadmill next time. Can you do that?"
"Let's try something else instead."
"Yes," the two brothers replied, exchanging a serious glance before nodding solemnly. Then, in soft, tentative voices, they asked, "Um, Boss Fang, may we eat now?"
"Yes," the man replied, his expression unchanged. "We'll eat right away. How could I let you two gentlemen go hungry? Please accept my apologies."
Soon, night fell—
Inside the Stellaris train, Chen Mang glanced at the train panel. Including the iron ore they'd mined this afternoon, they now had a total of 48,000 units of iron ore. If they mined for one more day, they'd completely deplete the Tier 2 Iron Ore deposit.
He turned his attention to the remaining five uncrafted optional accessories.
"Central Air Conditioner," "Storage Box," "Permanent Shock Absorber," "Medical Bay," "Unknown Component"
Immediately, 3,000 units of iron ore were consumed.
The "Central Air Conditioner," "Permanent Shock Absorber," and "Medical Bay" were successfully crafted.
All three were yellow-grade train components.
However, they were only crafted, not upgraded, as he lacked sufficient iron ore.
He couldn't craft the "Storage Box" for now, as it required wood, which he didn't currently have.
Upgrading each of these three accessories to Tier 10 would require 45,000 units of iron ore. He had just enough to cover the slaves' meals for tonight and tomorrow morning. He'd upgrade them once he had more iron ore tomorrow.
He then spent another 1,000 units of iron ore to craft a "Combat Training Virtual Space" for himself, placing it inside the locomotive cabin.
Only then did he remove his clothes and step inside.
He could have worn clothes, but they would have gotten wet, requiring him to dry them later—too much trouble.
The nutrient solution in the "Combat Training Virtual Space" appeared thick, yet it left no sticky residue on his skin. It felt like pure water. Emerging from the solution, his skin looked noticeably cleaner, as if he'd just had a thorough salt scrub.
He found himself back in the familiar white space.
Once again, he stood on the rooftop of the office building, dagger in hand, gazing down at the enemies patrolling the entrance below. One last Leap of Faith before nightfall—it was always fun.
Time passed slowly.
By the second night, the iron ore mine had been completely emptied, bringing the train's iron ore units to 147,000.
On the wasteland, under a sky ablaze with stars, the Stellaris, now equipped with Windfire Wheels, began speeding across the wasteland along the network of underground rivers, continuing its search for mines beneath the Iron Ridge Wasteland. An hour later, with about half an hour's journey remaining to the Mohe Hills, the Radar finally sounded again.
And this time, it was a major find.
"We've hit the jackpot," Chen Mang murmured, his eyes narrowing as he studied the Resource Detection Radar. It showed three Tier 2 Iron Ore mines clustered together in an underground cavern 8,000 meters below, along with a Tier 2 Copper Mine.
A smile tugged at his lips.
This was a real haul.
The train immediately halted for repairs. They wouldn't descend tonight; they'd wait until tomorrow. While the Oxygen Machine provided ample air underground, nothing beat the refreshing flow of the wasteland's open air.
A sense of freedom washed over him.
Though he had been chased around Kunlun Mountain, no one in the Iron Ridge Wasteland dared provoke him. If a Tier 3 Boss dared to ambush him, it would only be delivering blueprints.
But if a Tier 3 train were to ambush him...
He was truly eager to see it. So far, he had only heard Tier 3 trains mentioned on the train radio; he had never seen one in person. He wondered how it would compare to his own Tier 3 train.
As the sun rose over the Iron Ridge Wasteland, the Stellaris had vanished from the surface, reappearing in a cavern beside an underground river eight thousand meters below. The slaves had already begun lining up for their morning meal, preparing for another day of work.
The headlight and oxygen generator of the train were already running.
"This is great," Chen Mang said, standing inside the locomotive cabin and gazing at the three connected Tier 2 Iron Ore deposits in the distance. He smiled.
With this batch of iron ore, he could finally upgrade the remaining accessories needed to reach Tier 3. Then he would upgrade the armor to Tier 6, build 100 refrigerators, and finally excavate the deep underground mines of the Iron Ridge Wasteland. After that, it would be time to leave.
I'm heading to the Green Zone to complete my job advancement quest and upgrade my train to Tier 4.
Everything is going well.
Once I've mined this batch of ore, I'll head to the Mohe Hills to find a few Tier 2 Lumber Mills. By then, the train will have everything it needs.
Then...
I'll go to the Kunlun Mountain zone and slaughter every monster there!
(End of the Chapter)
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