Chapter 17: Are Miners Just Slaves?

"The name 'Stellar' is quite fitting."

Sitting inside the Train compartment, Chen Mang repeated the name with satisfaction. The Stellar Train—grand and majestic. Perhaps in the future, he could even pilot this Train to break through the cosmos.

By then, the Stellar Train would undoubtedly exude dominance even in the vastness of space.

In truth, he had initially considered naming it "Dominate Everything," but after some thought, he decided that name might be a bit too crude.

Just then—

There was a knock on the Train door. Chen Mang casually pressed a button on the control panel, and the door swiftly opened. Standing there was Lao Zhu.

"Mang Ge."

Lao Zhu seemed to be holding something back, cautiously stepping forward before carefully speaking, "I have some suggestions, but I'm not sure if I should voice them."

"Go ahead."

Chen Mang sat in his chair, his expression serious as he looked at Lao Zhu. After all, Lao Zhu had once been a Deputy Train Conductor, and his advice was often valuable.

"Alright, here's the thing." After receiving Chen Mang's permission, Lao Zhu carefully chose his words, "First, I must admit, I've seen several Train Conductors, but you, Mang Ge, are the most dignified of them all."

"I believe we can go far. Perhaps we can truly build an absolutely secure Train in this apocalypse."

"But for an organization to thrive, it first needs cohesion. Not just between the Train Conductor and Deputy Train Conductor, but among all the passengers on this Train. Only when everyone is united toward a common goal can the organization move forward swiftly, like a carriage."

"If only you, Mang Ge, are putting in the effort, it will be exhausting."

"In this apocalypse, trust is a luxury. Many Train Conductors worry about their deputies or enforcers betraying them, or about Slave uprisings. So, they impose harsh rules—violate a rule, and you're shot on the spot. They rule with an iron fist."

"But—"

"I've always believed that's unnecessary. Making someone completely loyal, especially in an apocalypse, is incredibly difficult."

"For example, Mang Ge, would you fully trust me, or fully trust those enforcers?"

"It's hard to do."

"Your trust in them stems solely from the fact that their weapons are forged by the Train and cannot harm you."

"This is something everyone knows. You don't care about the enforcers' lives, and knowing this, how could they wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to the Train? How could they charge into a lopsided battle? When everyone on the Train is guarded, betrayals and riots are almost inevitable."

"I understand your point," Chen Mang frowned slightly, "Get to your suggestion."

"Of course."

Lao Zhu hurriedly continued. As a competent subordinate, he knew one thing very well: leaders despise those who only point out problems without offering solutions. Anyone can spot problems; the key lies in the solutions.

"Making everyone loyal to you, Mang Ge, is difficult and hard to quantify."

"But making everyone loyal to the 'Train' is much easier. Make everyone feel like they're part of the Train. Then, whether they're fighting or mining, they won't feel exploited. Instead, they'll feel like they're striving for their own future."

"They'll have a stronger sense of belonging and motivation."

"Step one: Bridge the class gap."

"Many Trains deliberately mix sand into the drinking water given to Slaves to create a class divide, giving the enforcers a sense of superiority. They also starve the Slaves when they're not mining to reduce the chances of uprisings."

"I used to agree with this approach, but now..."

"After spending time as a Slave, I realized Slaves don't have many ulterior motives. Most uprisings happen because Train Conductors kill indiscriminately or starve them. We should give them clean water and enough food every day."

"We need to create a distinction from other Trains."

"Make the Slaves' meals equal to the enforcers' meals on other Trains. Make our enforcers' meals equal to the Train Conductors' meals on other Trains."

"Let them feel superior to the Slaves on other Trains, fostering a sense of belonging to our Train."

"Step two: Change the titles."

"Enforcers and Slaves are nearly universal terms across Trains."

"But these terms are inherently demeaning, easily creating animosity between the Train and the Slaves. We protect their safety and provide them with food daily. In an apocalypse, this is clearly a good deed. Why use such insulting terms?"

"To put it bluntly, even in peaceful times, jobs that provide food and shelter are hard to come by."

"Let alone in an apocalypse."

"We're doing good deeds, so why should we bear such a bad reputation?"

"Change 'Slave' to 'Passenger,' and 'Enforcer' to 'Guardian.'"

"Changing the titles will make them more aligned with the Train itself. Then, provide them with clear paths for advancement, giving both current and future Slaves clear goals to strive for."

"Add another carriage to give the Slaves more space. Building a regular cargo carriage only requires 100 units of Iron Ore."

"Step three: Recognize their value."

"Mang Ge, you might have noticed that after the recent victory, those ten enforcers were quite excited. They've already started to develop a sense of belonging to the Train, though it's still weak because they know you don't care about them."

"But if you, Mang Ge, guide this sentiment, and I promote it among them daily—"

"Soon, everyone will develop a strong sense of belonging to the Train."

Lao Zhu spoke at length, his lips even turning slightly pale from the effort. His expression was filled with excitement as he gestured animatedly, "Mang Ge, think about it. When everyone's heart is aligned—"

"The Slaves' mining efficiency will increase."

"The enforcers will fight harder in dangerous battles."

"And in the future, we won't even need to capture Slaves. Once our reputation spreads, large numbers of survivors will come to us voluntarily."

"Of course—"

"All of this hinges on having enough food resources. In the apocalypse, food is still scarce, so this is just a vision for now. But if you, Mang Ge, think it's feasible, we can start with the other steps first."

"If every Slave and enforcer develops a deep sense of belonging to the 'Train,' the chances of betrayal and riots will decrease significantly."

"..."

Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Lao Zhu. He had to admit, this seemingly ordinary Bald Man had quite a few ideas in his head.

Though somewhat rough, this plan seemed like something only he could try.

Lao Zhu was right about one thing—why call them Slaves? Just because they mine? Did people not work in peaceful times?

Most importantly!

This plan might be hard to implement on other Trains, as a key element is having enough food. But for him, this was the easiest part to accomplish.

Moldy Bread Slice Production Line: White-grade component. Requires 100 moldy bread slices to craft.

At level 1, this component can only produce moldy bread slices.

But at level 10?

Wouldn't it produce fragrant, filled bread? If a survivor in the apocalypse could eat something like that every day, it'd be hard for them to think of rebelling or escaping.

Food wasn't a problem for him. So, this plan was entirely feasible!

After a moment, Chen Mang glanced at the ten enforcers patrolling outside the Train and chuckled softly, "Lao Zhu, I'll leave this to you. I think it's feasible. Don't worry about the food; I'll handle that."

"But there's no need to rush. We'll fully implement it once we've developed further."

"Oh, and the Train has a name now."

"It's called the Stellar Train."

Before that, he needed to use the Car Blade blueprint.

In the apocalypse, organizational cohesion is just a side dish.

The main course is still the Train's strength. A Train without sufficient offensive and defensive capabilities is useless, no matter how strong its cohesion. He needed to see what changes a level 3 Car Blade would bring.

(End of Chapter)