Translator: AnubisTL
Wait—
A sudden flash of insight struck Chen Mang. If he activated the vehicle blades during the Death Spin, wouldn't that significantly amplify its power?
The entire train would transform into a massive, rapidly spinning arrow, hurtling straight at the monster!
Tier 10 vehicle blades, Tier 10 Drill, Tier 6 armor.
Combined, the Drill and vehicle blades would achieve a synergistic effect, proving once again that spinning was the key to maximizing their power.
"Theoretically feasible," Chen Mang nodded, though he wondered how it would perform in practice. He'd have to find a large monster to test it on when he had the chance.
Just then, his peripheral vision caught sight of the group of residents frozen stiff in the open space, and his brow furrowed slightly.
What's going on here?
Poisoned?
"That..."
After an unknown amount of time, Old Pig was jolted awake by the burning sensation of a cigarette scorching his fingertip. He hastily dropped the cigarette, sucking his finger to cool it down, his eyes still wide with shock as he stammered, "Biaozi... did you see that? Did the Stellaris just... spin around?"
"I saw it."
Biaozi took a deep breath, his mouth still agape from staring for so long. His throat felt slightly sore, and after swallowing several times, he rubbed his raspy throat and said, "It... it did spin. I... I'm a bit stunned."
"What do you mean?"
"I used to be a train conductor myself, but as far as I know, trains shouldn't be able to spin like that. This... this is beyond my comprehension."
"Could it be a unique function of Tier 4 Trains?"
Old Pig gazed blankly at the Stellaris, which stood quietly on the wasteland as if it had never moved at all. If he hadn't clearly witnessed the event, he might have suspected he was hallucinating.
"I don't know," Biaozi replied, shaking his head. "The highest I ever went was a Tier 2 train conductor, and we were wiped out not long after. How would I know what Tier 4 Trains can do? But I can say one thing for sure..."
"Even a Tier 4 Train shouldn't be able to do what Lord Mang just did, right?"
"What makes you say that?"
"If every train could be like Lord Mang, this resource zone wouldn't be exclusive to us. Others would have come long ago. That drone was likely sent by another train to see which one was mining here."
"Makes sense."
Old Pig took a deep breath, then roared at the residents behind him, who had been frozen in place for a long time: "Stop gawking and get back to work!"
"It's just a train spinning around, nothing to make such a fuss about!"
"Get back to work, all of you! And you 400 new arrivals, you're all Tier 3 Residents. If you slack off, your Resident Benefits can be reduced. If your benefits can't be reduced, you'll be sold to another train. That's what will happen if you want to be sold."
As his words fell, the residents immediately averted their gazes, suppressing their shock. They redoubled their efforts, knowing that the more powerful the train, the stronger their protection would be!
As slaves on other trains, their biggest fear wasn't starvation. The train conductors wouldn't let them starve, though they wouldn't give them much to eat when they weren't mining.
Their greatest fear was the train's destruction.
If the train were destroyed, they might be accepted by another train, allowing them to continue as slaves.
If they were unlucky, they would be devoured by beasts.
The Stellaris's current display of power filled them with immense relief. Who wouldn't want to be on an exceptionally safe train during the apocalypse, especially one with such excellent treatment?
This was especially true for the four hundred new recruits who had just joined the Stellaris.
They were now frantically swinging their pickaxes, digging iron ore as fast as they could, terrified that if they slowed down, the Stellaris might sell them off. Having witnessed the treatment of slaves—no, residents—on the Stellaris, they realized how miserable their previous lives had been.
"So, even in the apocalypse, even as slaves, you all live this well?"
"Twenty slices of bread a day, stuffed and filled, and even a promotion system? Dig enough ore, and you get better treatment, even your own room, and the ability to buy cigarettes, meat—things we never dared dream of as slaves!"
This isn't the apocalypse anymore!
This is Heaven!
The 400-plus people here had no desire to cause trouble. They just wanted to mine as quickly as possible to achieve First-Class Resident Status, which would earn them extra stellar coupons every day.
Being sold to another train meant enduring more hardship.
To be precise, there were over 300 people left. Of this group, more than 40 had chosen to sell their flesh.
But unlike on their previous trains, where they were forced into this, on the Stellaris, they had the freedom to choose.
"We still need to guide the masses' thinking," Old Pig said, smiling contentedly as he watched the residents diligently mining nearby.
When mining, people couldn't just bury their heads in work. Mining was boring, so they'd chat with each other to pass the time.
He had deliberately scattered the 400 people among the crowd.
As they chatted, they inevitably began to reminisce about their miserable pasts and how much better their lives had become since arriving on the Stellaris.
This would strengthen the sense of belonging and pride among the original crew of the Stellaris.
It would also foster greater cohesion among the masses.
Only then could their work ethic truly flourish.
Welfare is always relative. Even if the Stellaris train's current benefits aren't the absolute best, they're undoubtedly among the top 30% worldwide.
As the train's Tier increased, iron ore became less scarce, and providing slaves with adequate food became standard practice for most trains. However, the quality of their food would never match the Stellaris's.
Their bread was still filled with delicious fillings, while other trains' bread was barely mold-free. The taste alone was in a different league.
Moreover, the Stellaris offered a clear promotion system and a wide array of exchangeable items.
Though this crew already held a strong sense of belonging to the train, seeing the world outside would only deepen their appreciation.
"Huh?"
On the Sha River Plains, inside a train, a middle-aged man sat at the control panel, staring blankly at the suddenly interrupted screen. He instinctively looked up at the empty plains before him.
He had been driving the train across the plains, searching for mineral deposits.
Suddenly, the target acquisition radar alerted him to a train ahead.
He glanced at the screen.
The train was actually mining in the swamp! Everyone on the Sha River Plains knew about the large high-grade resource mine at the swamp's center—the deposit was simply too dense to ignore.
Yet no one had ever dared enter.
The swamp's corrosive properties were extremely damaging to armor, and poisonous gases could seep into the train, posing a grave threat to any life inside.
But...
He had just discovered a train mining there!
At first, he thought it might be a "flesh train" taking a joyride. A few flesh trains had ventured into the swamp before; their resistance to corrosion was high. But flesh trains didn't need iron ore or other resources.
There had been a previous collaboration between a mechanical train and a flesh train.
The mechanical train had sent all its slaves to the flesh train, which then took them into the swamp to mine and bring back the ore. In return, the mechanical train offered a murphy stone—a generous reward.
After all, the flesh train didn't need to pay anything. It just had to take the mechanical train's slaves inside, stay there for a few days, and then come back out. The flesh train agreed readily.
But—
Not long after the slaves entered the flesh train, the mechanical train's train conductor received news that all the slaves he had sent had died. Enraged, he immediately contacted the flesh train, which replied that some accessories had malfunctioned and eaten the slaves.
Naturally, the mechanical train's train conductor couldn't accept this. He immediately demanded, "What kind of accessory can malfunction so uncontrollably?!"
The flesh train's train conductor replied with a serious expression, "The flesh train's accessories are prone to occasional malfunctions. Even I lose control from time to time. If you keep pressing me, do you believe I won't lose control and come after you?"
Several other flesh train conductors then came forward to confirm that the flesh train's accessories could indeed malfunction when stimulated. The matter was left unresolved, and the mechanical train gradually disappeared from sight.
It was likely the train conductor had worked himself to death mining.
This zone had been completely sealed off, with no one allowed to enter. It wasn't until today that he encountered a train mining here again, and it wasn't a flesh train. The target acquisition radar showed far too many red dots.
A flesh train couldn't possibly carry so many people.
He sent a drone to investigate, confirming that a mechanical train was indeed mining there. The number of slaves was staggering—at least a thousand, making it the largest mechanical train he'd ever seen.
Then...
The man stood in silence, his expression complex. He watched as the train spun around, its unstoppable momentum destroying his drone. He hadn't expected the drone to return; spying on a train was inherently provocative.
But...
Did it really need to use a train skill for that?
It was just a tiny drone. Couldn't it have just used its Heavy Machine Gun? A few shots would have disabled it.
It was like he hadn't even thrown a basic attack. He'd just glanced from a distance, and the train had already sprinted, flashed right in front of him, and unleashed its ultimate skill.
"Are you insane?!"
"Train Techniques aren't meant to be used so casually!"
Though he didn't know the name of the Train Technique that caused the train to spin, he was certain it was one. Only "Train Techniques" could achieve such a bizarre feat, and on the Sha River Plains, only the flesh trains were known to possess them.
Currently, there were no reports of anyone obtaining a Train Technique through a fortuitous encounter or by defeating a Boss. The only known method was through Train Potential, and it required a potential of B-Tier or higher.
On the Sha River Plains, only two trains met this criterion.
One was the A-Rank potential "Misanthrope Train."
He had seen it before. If the train in the middle of the swamp wasn't the Misanthrope Train, then it could only be the recent rising star, the S-Rank potential "Stellaris."
"Strong people always have such short fuses," the man sighed helplessly. Since he had identified the train as Stellaris, he could understand the behavior. After all, it was an S-Rank potential train; a fiery temper was perfectly understandable. Still...
It was so frustrating.
As a C-grade potential mechanical train, he was ineligible for many benefits.
The job advancement quest for a flesh train was simply incomparable to that of a mechanical train—they weren't even in the same league. Even a B-Tier mechanical train's job advancement quest required a substantial amount of murphy stones, which he, as a Tier 3 train at the time, had no way of obtaining.
Fortunately, he had gambled successfully and managed to complete the C-grade job advancement quest.
The C-Rank Difficulty Mechanical Train Class Change Mission was:
You must transfer the Train Conductor Authority to any member within the train. If they transfer the authority back to you within 24 hours, the mission is complete.
Just then, a furious curse erupted from the locomotive cabin. A battered man, bound by chains in a corner, glared at the middle-aged man seated at the control panel, his eyes filled with venomous hatred as he trembled and cursed.
"May you rot in hell! May your children be born without anuses! You will die! You won't live to see tomorrow!"
"I trusted you so much, I handed over the train conductor position to you, and this is how you treat me!"
"Have you lived up to my trust in you?"
"Huh?"
"Have you lived up to me?"
"I'm sorry, so what?" The middle-aged man sitting at the control panel casually picked his ear. "Back in the White Zone, I was once the train conductor of a Tier 3 train, but an accident turned me into a slave."
"Well, I just happened to meet you at that time."
"I acted very loyal, and you trusted me completely."
"I hid my past as a train conductor and remained your devoted second-in-command, always striving to improve the train. Then, when you chose your job advancement quest, you predictably selected a C-Rank Difficulty mission and chose me."
"The train is still thriving under my leadership, isn't it?"
"And I haven't killed you."
"Anyway, wasn't your lifelong dream to make the train as successful as possible? So what difference does it make who's the train conductor?"
"What do you think, Little Flower?"
The train's AI, its voice cold and emotionless, soon echoed through the carriage.
"You are absolutely correct, train conductor."
"I will unconditionally execute any command you give."
"See?"
The middle-aged man seated at the control panel nodded with satisfaction before crossing his legs and turning to the man chained in the corner. His expression was serious as he said, "I truly believe you shouldn't resent me. After all, I didn't kill you. You know, in this apocalypse, that's already a great mercy."
"I simply want you to watch me, to see the train flourish under my leadership."
"So what?" The man in the corner suddenly sneered. "So you plan to lick the Stellaris's boots, hoping he'll let some scraps fall your way?"
"Lick?"
The middle-aged man took a full minute to light the cigar in his hand, then shook his head gravely. "No, no, no. I'm too proud to kneel."
"I'll wait for him here. The moment he leaves the swamp will be his death."
"His mines, his slaves, his resources, including his women... all of it will be mine."
"I will inherit everything and make this train even greater!"
"Heh."
The battered man in the corner let out a cold laugh, his eyes burning with venom as he stared at the middle-aged man, word by word: "Then I curse you to die by his hand! I curse this train and you and I to be shattered into fragments in an explosion!"
"I curse the day he leaves the ruins to be your last!"
"I curse you to piss yourself in abject terror as you die!"
"Tsk."
The man at the control panel casually crossed his legs, twirling the cigar in his hand. He closed his eyes, savoring the aroma of the cigar smoke in the air, before finally opening them, a playful smile dancing in his eyes.
"You're still so naive," he said. "If curses could kill, you'd have been invincible long ago."
(End of the Chapter)
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