Chapter 41: The Bloodthirsty Mad Cow Train

Bloodthirsty Mad Cow Train: "It's somewhat normal. After all, some aggressive vehicle components are quite energy-consuming. I've heard of people depleting three Energy Stones in a single battle. But you've just upgraded to Level 2. The components of a Level 1 Train usually don't require energy support, so this seems a bit unusual."

Infinite Train: "Indeed, it's unusual, but I'm not entirely sure what's going on either."

Hell Train: "Some monsters have attacks that can deplete the Energy Stones in the Train's head. For example, the venom of the Level 3 Man-Eating Spider boss. I suggest you craft the 'Train Auxiliary AI' as soon as possible. It will display detailed information about monsters on the Radar, which is quite useful."

Infinite Train: "That can't be the reason. This guy's Train is only Level 2. If it were hit by the venom of a Level 3 Man-Eating Spider, it wouldn't be far from destruction. A Train that's just upgraded to Level 2 couldn't possibly outrun a Man-Eating Spider. It would be doomed for sure."

Hell Train: "But I remember that in the desolate wasteland, only that monster has the ability to deplete Energy Stones."

Infinite Train: "There must be another reason, but I'm not sure what it is. If all else fails, just get another Train Token, switch Trains, and restart. It's the best solution to all problems since ancient times."

Bloodthirsty Mad Cow Train: "Let's sleep for now. See you at the gathering in a few days."

"..."

Chen Mang silently watched the messages scrolling in the chat room, and he had a rough idea of the answer. It was probably some venom he accidentally came into contact with during the attack, which caused the Energy Stone in the Train's head to deplete.

As long as he had the answer, it was fine.

After all, one Energy Stone only cost 500 units of Iron Ore, which he could afford.

Time to sleep.

At this moment, drowsiness washed over him again. He took off his clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

In the blink of an eye, it was dawn.

After a quick wash with mineral water in the Train compartment, Chen Mang sat at the table, devouring a warm bun smeared with spicy sauce while watching the Slaves outside who had already gotten up and were preparing to go down into the mine.

What a bunch of lovely worker ants.

He needed more Slaves.

He silently planned for the future in his heart. Once his Level 2 Train was fully equipped, he would go and capture more Slaves.

Population was the primary productive force in the wilderness.

Outside the window, Biao Zi was training a group of enforcers. From what he overheard, the training involved dividing the nine enforcers into three groups of three. Biao Zi would call out a group and a direction, and that group would attack in that direction. This way, they could ensure the firepower coverage didn't overlap.

He didn't intervene. This wasn't his area of expertise.

He left it to Biao Zi.

Soon—

The day passed, and the Slaves emerged from the mine, carrying their pickaxes, bringing back 1,208 units of Iron Ore.

Another uneventful day.

Aside from a few scattered monsters, there was nothing noteworthy around.

But just as they finished moving the Iron Ore into the No. 2 cargo compartment, Chen Mang suddenly felt the ground shaking, and not lightly. It was like an earthquake, and he could even see the dust on the wasteland dancing.

Before he could figure out what was happening, the speakers in the Train compartment emitted a piercing alarm. The Targeting Radar screen suddenly lit up with numerous red dots around the perimeter, and their numbers were rapidly increasing.

Chen Mang grabbed the Telescope and looked into the distance. A massive Corpse Tide was gathering, gradually forming an encirclement.

"Get on the Train!"

After several similar experiences, the Slaves and enforcers were somewhat accustomed to this. They immediately ran back to the Train. With the roar of the engine, the Stellar Train slowly started moving, heading for the weakest point in the encirclement at full speed before the Corpse Tide could fully form.

As for the few dozen Zombies blocking the way—

They were instantly sent flying upon impact, and the high-speed rotating Car Blades on either side sliced any approaching Zombies in half.

As long as they weren't completely surrounded, the Corpse Tide wasn't much of a threat.

After about ten minutes—

The Corpse Tide was completely out of sight. Chen Mang leaned out of the sunroof, holding the Telescope as he looked behind. They would probably have to camp here for the night. By dawn, the Zombies would likely be gone, and they could return to mining.

However...

Chen Mang frowned slightly. The Targeting Radar's warning range was only a radius of 1,000 meters, which was still too short. If the Slaves were still in the mine at such a time, it wouldn't be easy to get them out.

The Targeting Radar needed to be upgraded soon.

At this moment—

He suddenly noticed several messages rapidly scrolling across the Train Radio chat screen.

Hometown Train: "Was that an earthquake? The ground shook abnormally."

Infinite Train: "Seems like it."

Bloodthirsty Mad Cow Train: "It's that Abyss of Doom again. I just passed by there and saw the abyss shaking violently, which caused the earthquake in the desolate wasteland."

"..."

"..."

Chen Mang's expression turned slightly peculiar as he watched the messages scroll by in the chat room. From the conversation, he learned that after the apocalypse, a chasm-like fissure had appeared in this desolate wasteland. The abyss was almost perpendicular to the ground, and its depth was unfathomable.

Because this place frequently shook, each tremor resembling the opening of the gates of hell, people had named it the Abyss of Doom.

It was said that someone had used a Resource Detection Radar to detect a Level 2 Iron Ore and a Level 1 Copper Ore deposit below.

It was a high-density resource point.

In the desolate wasteland, Level 2 Iron Ore was rare, and Copper Ore was even rarer.

Moreover, all bullets had to be crafted from Copper Ore.

It was a consumable resource; no matter how much you had, it was never enough.

Having both mines in one place was even rarer.

So, some people had scavenged pulley systems and other equipment from the city ruins, trying to lower Slaves down to mine. However, because it was so deep, no one had ever reached the bottom, and the idea was abandoned. The resource point remained untouched.

Besides, there were other places in the Desolate Wasteland that had Level 2 Iron Ore and Level 1 Copper Ore.

But...

"..."

Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, his mind racing. Where others couldn't go, he could.

His Spider Legs could now traverse a 45-degree incline. Once upgraded to a certain level, they could freely move on a 90-degree vertical surface. For him, the Abyss of Doom wasn't just a resource point—it could also be a safe house.

The Corpse Tide would never be able to enter.

He wouldn't have to keep running from the Corpse Tide like he did now.

However, upgrading the Spider Legs component required a sufficient amount of Fine Spider Silk.

Just then—

He saw a message pop up in the chat room.

Bloodthirsty Mad Cow Train: "I have a green-tier rare vehicle component blueprint, Nitrogen Afterburner. Anyone interested in pre-ordering? I'll take Slaves, women, resources, blueprints, tobacco—anything of value. We can negotiate the price privately and trade at the gathering."

"Gathering?"

Chen Mang frowned slightly. From the chat room conversations, he learned that this was a trading event organized spontaneously by various Train Conductors. The location of each gathering was different, maintained purely by consensus.

This gathering was in seven days.

His Train had just reached Level 2, so attending didn't feel very

safe.

But he could at least ask around.

Stellar Train: "Does anyone have Fine Spider Silk?"

Almost immediately, someone replied.

Bloodthirsty Mad Cow Train: "Yeah, brother, yeah. I've got plenty. How much do you need?"