"Whew..."
Chen Mang took a deep breath, sitting at the control panel, gently massaging his temples without saying much. He just felt slightly fatigued. A few days ago, he had said that the food consumption of the Slaves wouldn't amount to much Iron Ore.
But now, with these 800 additional Slaves, even though they were only receiving the lowest Tier 3 Slave treatment, the daily food expenditure had skyrocketed to 1,460 units of Iron Ore. The pressure was immense. He finally understood why he had never seen a Train with over a thousand Slaves. Who the hell could afford that? Waking up every day to nearly 2,000 units of Iron Ore consumption was enough to give anyone a headache.
This wasn't like crafting a component, where the cost was a one-time thing. This was a daily expense. If there was no ore to mine one day, it would be a pure loss. Without sufficient Iron Ore reserves, if they couldn't find any ore, all these Slaves would starve to death.
"Lord Mang, should we consider lowering the Slave treatment? Maybe, when there's no ore to mine, give each person just two slices of bread a day? Like how Master Kun used to do it?"
"No."
Chen Mang almost immediately shook his head, rejecting the suggestion. "The reason our Stellar Train's Slaves have much higher mining efficiency compared to other Trains isn't just because of our effective incentive methods. A big factor is that we ensure they are well-fed. If Slaves aren't well-fed, how can they work? Moreover, the Tier 1, 2, and 3 Slave treatments were something we decided on long ago. Changing it arbitrarily would be improper. Let's keep it as is for now. We need to see if we can find another Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit. Once we find the pangolin in the Kunlun Mountains and obtain the 'Drill Bit' blueprint, all the deep underground Iron Ore in the Iron Ridge Wasteland will be ours. Then, we won't have to worry about Iron Ore shortages."
"Understood."
Lao Zhu slowly exited the Train cabin, carefully closing the door behind him before letting out a barely audible sigh. Being the Train Conductor was indeed no easy task. Every day, upon waking, he had to manage so many mouths to feed. If this were before the apocalypse, a company with a thousand employees would be a major taxpayer, ensuring local employment. It was better to be the Deputy Train Conductor. No matter whose rations were cut, his would always remain intact. He only needed to manage the people below him.
Finally—
After three hours, Chen Mang managed to find another Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit in the wasteland. However, this one was already claimed, with another Train parked beside it. The quick discovery was thanks to the 10,000-meter range of the Resource Detection Radar. Back when the range was only 1,000 meters, finding Iron Ore was much harder.
As the Stellar Train slowly pulled up beside the other Train, the contrast between the two was stark—it looked like an adult bullying a child.
"Don't rush off. Wait until your Slaves return from the mine before you leave."
Just as the Tier 1 Train began accelerating to make a quick getaway, Chen Mang's voice echoed from the Train's external sound system.
Soon, a middle-aged bald man's head popped out from the Train's roof hatch. He clasped his hands together in gratitude, repeatedly thanking Chen Mang, and the Train came to a halt. About ten minutes later, around sixty to seventy Slaves emerged from the mine, scurrying into the Train. The Train then honked its horn and sped away.
Once the Train was out of sight, over a thousand Slaves wielding pickaxes emerged from the Stellar Train, filing into the mine one by one. Biao Zi and others, armed with Soaring Dragon Assault Rifles, maintained order. All the Train's firepower components were also aimed at the Slaves, subtly threatening them.
Perhaps the Slaves were indeed intimidated. Since joining the Train a few days ago, aside from a few troublemakers who were executed on the first day, there had been no further incidents. The only issue was their low work efficiency.
The Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit was already half-mined.
By nightfall, the ore had been completely extracted, yielding over 8,000 units of Iron Ore. Factoring in the day's food consumption, the net gain was 6,500 units of Iron Ore.
Now, the Train had 15,500 units of Iron Ore. Crafting four Level 10 Refrigerators required 18,000 units, so it still wasn't enough. They needed to continue searching for ore.
In the dead of night, with all the Slaves asleep, Chen Mang remained seated at the control panel, piloting the Train through the wasteland in search of new ore deposits.
"How I miss the Doomsday Abyss..."
He gazed wistfully at the stars in the sky. In the Doomsday Abyss, he had never worried about a lack of ore to mine. The only issue had been the shortage of Slaves. Now, with enough Slaves, the problem was the lack of ore. Every day, feeding the Slaves was a significant expense.
Finally—
By 4 a.m., with dark circles under his eyes, Chen Mang finally found another unclaimed Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit. Without waiting for the Slaves to finish their rest, he ordered everyone to get up and start mining immediately.
"Damn it."
Chen Mang glanced at the noisy, bustling scene outside, feeling utterly exhausted as he climbed into bed. It was time for him to sleep too.
Three days later—
After working overtime, the unclaimed Tier 1 Iron Ore deposit was finally fully mined, yielding 30,000 units of Iron Ore.
This deposit was relatively abundant. Combined with the existing ore, the Train now had 40,000 units of Iron Ore. Without hesitation, Chen Mang immediately crafted four Level 10 Refrigerators and placed them in the No. 10 Goblin Slave Car. Goblin Slaves were smaller in size, so four Refrigerators were more than enough. The only issue might be a slight shortage of oxygen. Leaving the Refrigerator doors open, they could absorb as much as possible. As long as they didn't die immediately, it was fine.
The eight temporary carriages he had crafted were all consumed by the Geothermal Furnace, recovering 400 units of Iron Ore.
They were about to enter a high-level area, and he couldn't afford to have any unarmored carriages on the Train. That would become a weak point. A single attack from any high-level monster could destroy the unarmored carriage.
The remaining 22,000 units of Iron Ore should be sufficient as food and energy reserves, lasting at least ten days.
If they couldn't find a pangolin within those ten days, he would have no choice but to sell some Slaves at the gathering. After all, in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, it was impossible to guarantee daily ore mining. Even if there was ore, it was mostly Tier 1 Iron Ore, and the daily consumption was too high to sustain.
The night was deep, but Chen Mang had no intention of resting any longer. He immediately pressed the accelerator, and the Train, like a long dragon, raced through the night towards the westernmost edge of the Iron Ridge Wasteland!
Destination—
Kunlun Mountains.
In the wilderness, on clear days, you could see mountains to the west.
But as the saying goes, "The mountain you see is not the mountain you reach."
After a full night of driving at maximum speed, as dawn approached five hours later, the mountains were finally within sight. But...
"What is this...?"
The Train slowly came to a halt. Sitting at the control panel, Chen Mang gazed at the scene before him, a hint of awe in his eyes. As they approached the Kunlun Mountains, a massive, semi-transparent green light barrier became visible, separating the Kunlun Mountains from the Iron Ridge Wasteland.
Embedded in the light barrier were three enormous characters:
「Kunlun Mountains.」
At the same time, the screen next to the control panel flashed red, and a line of red text slowly scrolled across the top:
「The area ahead is a green zone, Kunlun Mountains.」
「Maximum level of monsters present: Level 6. Current Train level: 2. Danger level: High. Immediate retreat is advised.」
"Level 6 monsters..."
Chen Mang stared at the words on the screen, took a deep breath, and grabbed a bottle of iced cola from the Refrigerator. After downing it to refresh himself, he gritted his teeth and pressed the accelerator, driving straight into the light barrier blocking their path.
He had to venture into the Kunlun Mountains.
If he could find the pangolin and obtain the Drill Bit blueprint, unlimited resources would await him when he returned to the Iron Ridge Wasteland. The Train would experience exponential growth.
Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to sustain these Slaves.
Unless he was willing to sell them.
From Doba, he had learned some information about the pangolin. Their level wasn't too high—generally Level 2, with elite variants at Level 3 and bosses at Level 4. However, they were cautious creatures, primarily feeding on rocks and often hiding in mountain valleys, making them difficult to encounter.
As the Train broke through the light barrier and officially entered the Kunlun Mountains region, Chen Mang glanced back.
Sure enough, the light barrier behind them had turned white and semi-transparent, with the characters now reading:
「Iron Ridge Wasteland.」
Almost immediately upon entering the Kunlun Mountains region, the terrain became uneven. The road ahead was bumpy, a type of terrain most Trains couldn't navigate. Everywhere he looked, there were mountains.
Flat ground was virtually nonexistent.
Mountain after mountain.
Chen Mang quickly retracted the Wind-Fire Wheel and deployed the Spider Leg. Without the Spider Leg component, he would never have considered venturing into the Kunlun Mountains.
At Level 1, the Spider Leg's maximum speed was fixed at 50 km/h.
At Level 13, it was fixed at 170 km/h. While still not as fast as the Wind-Fire Wheel, it was faster than many Level 1 Trains, especially in mountainous terrain.
"Whew..."
Chen Mang nervously exhaled, gripping the control stick tightly. The Targeting Radar beside him was already beeping frantically.
Within the radar's range, there were seven Level 3 monsters and even one Level 4 monster.
They had just entered the Kunlun Mountains, and the situation was already dire.
His Train would struggle to withstand simultaneous attacks from seven Level 3 monsters and one Level 4 monster.
Fortunately, the Targeting Radar could display detailed information about all creatures within its range, making it easier for him to identify the pangolin among the monsters.
But—
There was no time to think further.
Chen Mang's expression changed as the Level 4 monster, a Tyrant King Dragon, roared and charged towards him from 3,000 meters to the left. Its massive, nearly eight-meter-tall frame made the ground tremble.
"What the hell?!"
He cursed inwardly while steering the Train towards the nearest mountain. The mountain was almost sheer, as if sliced by a sword, with cliffs at nearly ninety degrees.
Why was there even a dinosaur here?
And from 3,000 meters away, with so many trees, bushes, and hills obstructing the view, how the hell did it see him?
Did it also have a Targeting Radar?
In the blink of an eye, as the Level 4 Tyrant King Dragon was about to catch up to the Train, the Train, now resembling a giant centipede, had already scurried up to the halfway point of the nearly ninety-degree cliff.
The Tyrant King Dragon could only look up and roar in frustration, drooling profusely but unable to do anything.
"Whew..."
Chen Mang breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for the Spider Leg. Let's see you try to fly up here.
But then...
"You've got to be kidding me."
Not far away in the sky, a three-meter-wide eagle was screeching as it flew rapidly towards the Train. On the Targeting Radar, the eagle was identified as a Level 3 monster—the Sky Hunter Eagle.
Unbelievable.
This was the first time he had encountered a flying monster. He couldn't imagine how other Train Conductor in high-level areas survived, living in constant peril.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The Level 3 Sky Hunter Eagle landed on the Train and began pecking at the carriage with its terrifying beak, producing metallic clanging sounds.
But thankfully, it was only a Level 3 monster.
For now, it posed no threat to the Stellar Train's Level 3 Armor.
Chen Mang ignored the eagle, quickly scanning the monsters within the Targeting Radar's range. After confirming there were no pangolins, he steered the Train along the cliff towards the other side, at least to escape the Tyrant King Dragon waiting below for its meal.
Three hours later—
After being in a state of high tension for so long, Chen Mang finally found a relatively safe spot—a towering mountain surrounded by sheer cliffs, with only about a hundred square meters of flat ground at the top. It was a natural fortress.
Aside from flying monsters, creatures like the Tyrant King Dragon wouldn't be able to reach him here.
During these three hours, he had been constantly chased by monsters, leaving him no time to check all the information on the Targeting Radar. Thankfully, the Train Auxiliary AI would alert him if a pangolin appeared within the radar's range.
"Damn it..."
Finally safe, Chen Mang's body trembled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had truly experienced what it meant to flee for one's life. Even if he upgraded the Train to Level 4, survival in this place would still be extremely difficult.
The terrain here was just too complex.
Even with the Spider Leg, it was a struggle. He couldn't imagine how other Trains survived. So far, he hadn't seen a single other Train.
At that moment—
Before he could react, the mountain beneath the Train began to shake violently. The Targeting Radar alerted him that a Level 4 monster, the Rock Snake, was rapidly moving through the mountain, heading straight for him!
"Shit!"
He didn't even have time to finish cursing before he had to steer the Train to escape, racing along the cliffs towards another mountain range.
But then—
He saw something that left him utterly stunned. In the distance, a Train was flying through the air, soaring through the sky like a celestial Train.
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