Translator: AnubisTL
"Stop teasing me, Trainmaster Zhu."
Biaozi shook his head helplessly, forcing a wry smile. He picked up a bottle of mineral water, drank it down in one gulp, and wiped his mouth. "Neither of us knows how to buy a train token. We both know what we're like—we couldn't handle that position."
"Besides..."
"Haven't you ever played online games?"
"Joining a large guild in an online game yields far greater rewards than building a small guild yourself."
"Alright, I'm done chatting. I'm going back on patrol."
With that, Biaozi took the guard's food, said goodbye to Old Pig, and left. The train offered plenty of benefits these days, but all of them depended on residents working diligently.
Do your job well, and you'll be rewarded.
But if you try to slack off, you won't even mine the minimum 10 units of iron ore in a day.
In that case, I'm sorry, but the train has more than just bread. It also has batons.
The former will fill your belly, while the latter will clear your bowels.
Mining inside the cave offered near-guaranteed safety. Uncle Li's primary mission was to prevent accidents during patrols, such as fights or disturbances, while also serving a supervisory role.
Three days later.
At the sound of a whistle, many residents immediately stopped their work. Under the guards' supervision, they began to line up in an orderly fashion to receive their daily food rations. Stellar coupons were distributed based on the number of iron ore each resident had mined above the minimum quota for the day.
"Hmm."
Uncle Li, seated on a stool, looked at the Serial Number on the collar of the resident before him: "Resident No. 117, you mined a total of 7 iron ore above the minimum quota in the past few days. Adding today's 3, that's exactly 10. You've earned one stellar coupon. Here you go."
"Thank you, thank you."
The resident with the number 117 embroidered on his collar gratefully and excitedly accepted the stellar coupon made from a mineral water bottle cap. He quickly left to make way for the next person in line.
Stellar coupons were made from mineral water bottle caps.
When a bottle cap was placed on the ground and run over by a train, it flattened into a thin, small disc—this served as the anti-counterfeiting measure.
No pickaxe or any other tool could possibly compress a bottle cap to this extent. As for making a bigger commotion... with so many eyes watching, anyone capable of such a feat would be immediately recruited as a high-level talent. They'd be a true prodigy.
For the current conditions inside the train, this anti-counterfeiting measure is more than sufficient. After all, resources are limited, and advanced methods are unavailable.
Over the past few days, Uncle Li has assigned Serial Numbers to all residents, including mid-level managers. This system streamlines the process of calculating daily mining output and stellar coupons, saving time.
The man who received his stellar coupons carefully tucked them into his pocket, zipped it shut, and then wolfed down his entire food ration without pausing. He immediately returned to the iron ore deposit to continue mining with his pickaxe.
It was quitting time. Most people had already collected their food and gone to sleep.
But...
He wanted to work a little longer. Mining iron ore at this hour would allow him to submit it along with tomorrow's haul tomorrow night, earning him more stellar coupons. After all, mining opportunities weren't available every day, so he should make the most of them while he could.
However...
The man watched the tireless goblins in the distance with envy. Their stamina seemed limitless, and most importantly, according to the old train conductor, all of them were mindless, like robots. Only the goblin named Doba possessed intelligence.
The entire group of goblins obeyed Doba's commands.
Moreover, they dug more efficiently, accumulating stellar coupons faster than anyone else. All the coupons were handed over to Doba.
It was like a slave owner's arrangement. It wouldn't be long before Doba reached his goal of 1,000 stellar coupons.
"Hehe."
Doba, utterly tireless, paused with his pickaxe and glanced at the humans nearby, his eyes filled with Happy anticipation. He had already saved over 200 stellar coupons. All the goblins' coupons were in his possession, even surpassing Trainmaster Zhu's earnings.
His goal was—
"That refrigerator!"
The first step in rebuilding Goblin Civilization was, of course, securing their own territory. He planned to buy as many refrigerators as possible to provide his people with spacious living quarters. Though his people had lost their intelligence, that didn't matter. He believed that one day, they would regain their minds.
If he could recover, his people certainly could too.
And this Human Seer was truly remarkable.
Stellaris was developing far faster than his goblin train ever had. The human seer hadn't lied; he could truly help him rebuild the Goblin Civilization. All Doba needed to do was keep mining diligently to accelerate the train's progress.
"Get to work!"
"Let those foolish humans see what it means to be tireless and great goblins!"
Doba, brimming with energy, swung his pickaxe again, relentlessly mining.
Meanwhile, many residents had already collected their rations.
Nearly half of them chose to continue mining. What if they ran out of energy? They could just buy cola!
The chilled cola not only tasted delicious and provided a significant mood boost but also restored stamina. It was incredibly cheap: 10 bottles for just one stellar coupon, and they didn't have to take them all at once. The shopkeeper would keep track of their remaining balance.
"Lord Mang is truly a good man," someone murmured.
A young man downed the entire bottle of Cola in one gulp, burped out the carbon dioxide, and felt his body surge with renewed energy. Taking a deep breath, he picked up his pickaxe again and, illuminated by the headlight, resumed his all-night mining.
He'd done the math.
By drinking three bottles of Cola a day, he could extend his mining time to 18 hours, only needing six hours of sleep while remaining fully energized. The cola was remarkably effective at restoring his stamina.
At this rate, three days would only cost him one stellar coupon.
But during those three days, he could earn three stellar coupons through guaranteed minimum mining output, effectively netting him two stellar coupons—a great deal!
However...
He hadn't told anyone about this. At first, he was the only one doing it, but soon he noticed more and more people seemed to have discovered his secret and were copying him. It was infuriating. Didn't these people have their own brains?
"...?"
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang sighed deeply, his expression complex. Unable to sleep due to the incessant clang of pickaxes outside, he rose from his bunk and stood by the window, watching the group of miners.
He desperately wanted to shout:
"Take a break, big brothers! This isn't how you do things! The Great Wall wasn't built in a day. Don't kill yourselves! Where am I going to find more survivors if you all die?"
These past few days, the Cola Production Line accessory had been running almost constantly. His production cost for cola was one bottle per unit of iron ore, while the shop sold it for one stellar coupon for ten bottles.
Cola Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Can choose to produce either sugar-free or regular cola.
Cola Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Upon consumption, slowly restores stamina.
This was the only food on the train that could restore stamina. Back in the Doomsday Abyss, every slave received a bottle daily for this very purpose.
When it was put up for sale in the shop, it was immediately snapped up.
Many people bought three bottles of Cola a day and swung their pickaxes with renewed vigor!
Mining efficiency soared dramatically!
Normally, the residents would have mined around 360,000 units of iron ore in three days. Instead, they managed to extract a staggering 510,000 units—almost everyone volunteered to work overtime.
Some added a few hours, while others slept only a few hours a day.
The two Tier 2 Iron Ore mines held a total of only 520,000 units of iron ore. In just three days, they were nearly depleted, with only 10,000 units remaining. At this rate, the mines would be completely emptied before dawn tomorrow.
"This lot..."
Chen Mang sighed with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Back when he gave everyone free cola, they hadn't worked this hard. Now that they had to buy it themselves, they were suddenly working with renewed enthusiasm.
At first glance, the System reform has shown remarkable results.
It's a bit like those white-collar workers from his previous world who had to buy their own coffee every day.
The coffee...
It just tastes better when you buy it yourself. The company-issued stuff always feels a bit lacking, not pure enough.
Meanwhile, the train's iron ore reserves have reached a staggering 655,000 units.
Forget sleep for now.
Chen Mang glanced at the 3D model of the "Groundburst Missile" on the control panel. This was currently the train's most powerful firearm, and the only red-grade firepower accessory.
Upgrading this accessory required iron ore, while crafting it consumed copper ore.
Crafting a Tier 1 Groundburst Missile cost 10,000 units of copper ore.
Upgrading it to Tier 2 required 50,000 units of iron ore.
He calculated the cost to upgrade the accessory to Tier 5: 750,000 units of iron ore. He didn't have that much iron ore yet, so he decided not to upgrade it for now. He needed to find a new mine tomorrow; he was critically short on iron ore.
The Groundburst missile currently loaded in Missile Car No. 14 was only Tier 1.
At this level, it was basically just for intimidation.
It was too weak to affect almost any monster, so he planned to set it off as fireworks during the day tomorrow to see its effect.
Late at night, the train was mostly silent. Most passengers were asleep, and even Doba was starting to succumb to drowsiness. But when he saw the seven or eight humans still mining, a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes.
These humans...
Had they been transformed into goblins by the train?
How could they mine even more tirelessly than goblins?
Were they not meant to live until tomorrow?
Finally, morning arrived.
The Stellaris train resumed its journey. After emerging from the Underground, it switched to its Windfire Wheel mode, hurtling forward into the unknown in search of new mines. While this increased efficiency, Doba found it hard to keep up.
Where could they possibly find so much iron ore?
The train's speed gradually slowed, eventually coming to a halt on a vast plain. At Old Pig's urging, all residents were forced off the train, standing around it with bewildered expressions, their eyes scanning the horizon.
No mine in sight. Where's the ore?
Even the four hundred survivors were ordered off the train to join the others. For days, these survivors had been given only the barest rations—a few slices of bread and a bottle of water each day—while they watched the other Stellaris residents eat their fill.
We need to make these people desperately want to become official residents of the Stellaris. Only then will they work properly.
Just then—
Under everyone's gaze, the mechanical hatch on top of Missile Car No. 14, the final carriage of the Stellaris, slowly opened with a grinding of gears. A pitch-black missile, radiating terrifying power, was slowly raised by a lift, angled at 45 degrees toward the sky.
When they saw this!
Almost everyone instinctively held their breath, their eyes wide with shock. A... a missile? The Stellaris had missiles now? Even the 400-plus survivors who had recently joined the Stellaris were filled with disbelief. No wonder their train had been destroyed.
With a missile like that on display, who could possibly stand against them?
The next moment!
The Groundburst missile, dormant on its launch platform, emitted a metallic whine unique to its hydraulic system, like a caged beast grinding its teeth. At the same time, the Train Auxiliary AI's cold, mechanical voice echoed from the external speaker.
"10."
"9."
"..."
"1."
As the countdown reached zero, the air within a ten-mile radius seemed to solidify into a sheet of glue. Then, a massive wave of white mist, like the breath of a giant beast, instantly enveloped the entire train. The train even trembled slightly from the powerful thrust. Flames instantly dyed the white mist crimson!
A missile, trailing a fiery orange tail, shot out of the flames with a deafening sonic boom, arcing into the sky.
Seconds later.
BOOM!
Thousands of meters away on the plains, a blinding white light erupted from the ground like a volcanic eruption, followed by a deafening explosion that resonated deep within the bones, as if a thousand bronze bells were vibrating in the marrow.
A mushroom-shaped cloud of gray smoke slowly rose into the sky.
Every train resident who had witnessed the entire scene stood with their mouths agape, their faces etched with disbelief and shock. The echoes of the explosion still seemed to linger in their ears.
After an unknown amount of time, the first cheer erupted, snapping the train residents out of their stupor. They erupted in a chorus of excited shouts and cheers.
The launch of the missile sent a clear message to all residents:
The Stellaris is powerful enough.
As long as they remain on the Stellaris train, it will provide maximum protection for all its residents. This test firing instilled greater confidence in the Stellaris train among many residents, along with a newfound sense of pride.
In this apocalypse, could any other train match their strength?
In recent days, some residents had been mining less diligently. Having been transferred between numerous trains, they had witnessed too many trains meet their demise. What use were stellar coupons if the train were to perish one day? All their earnings would vanish like bubbles, bursting at the slightest touch.
But now—
No one held such thoughts anymore.
Almost everyone firmly believed that the Stellaris train would continue to thrive, eventually becoming a Noah's Ark in this hopeless, despair-filled world, leading them to a sanctuary!
(End of the Chapter)
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