Chapter 44: "What on earth are they babbling about?"

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, Biao Zi immediately led a group of thugs to block the path. They first fired a warning shot before shouting at the group of survivors who were approaching them at an accelerated pace.

"Hands up! Any sudden moves, and you're dead!"

His body was tense, the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle in his hand already loaded, the barrel aimed at the survivors, his finger resting on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment. Compared to these unknown survivors, he would rather face a Zombie Wolf.

After all, the reason one of his trains had been destroyed was because a rival train had sent a group of thugs disguised as survivors who, after boarding, opened fire, causing heavy casualties. The Train Conductor had died on the spot.

Learning from past mistakes, he didn't want to repeat them.

Biao Zi's eyes were fixed on the approaching survivors. If even one of them reached into their clothes, he would not hesitate to open fire. In the middle of nowhere, the sudden appearance of such a group of survivors was inherently suspicious.

But.

These survivors seemed to understand Biao Zi's thoughts perfectly. All of them raised their hands high, slowing down as they approached, and shouted with trembling voices, "Don't shoot, don't shoot!"

When the distance between them was only a dozen meters.

The thugs behind Biao Zi quickly moved forward, pressing all twenty-plus survivors to the ground. Each one was thoroughly searched, and only after confirming they were unarmed did they turn to Biao Zi and nod, signaling that everything was safe.

Biao Zi also breathed a sigh of relief, picking up the walkie-talkie and speaking in a low voice, "Lord Mang, everything's safe."

Chen Mang stepped down from the Stellar Train, which was parked in the wilderness. Draped in a coat and leaning on a cane, he walked up to the survivors lying on the ground, scanning each one before speaking.

"Anyone who can talk?"

"Me, me..."

As soon as he spoke, a man from the group of survivors tremblingly raised his hand and stood up: "We were all Slaves on the Everlasting Train. The train was attacked by a Corpse Tide last night, and our carriage of Slaves was abandoned as sacrifices."

"But for some reason, the Corpse Tide didn't attack us, they just kept chasing the train."

"When the Corpse Tide left, it was already late at night, and we didn't dare move. Only when it was daylight did we think about looking for another train in the wilderness to continue as mining Slaves. We're all in good health, and we're hard workers!"

"..."

Chen Mang calmly looked at the middle-aged man before him, then glanced at the other survivors—about twenty in total, seventeen men and five women.

Most were around thirty years old, neither too old nor too young.

He naturally wouldn't mind having more miners.

However.

Rather than the Corpse Tide not attacking these survivors, he was more inclined to believe that someone among them might possess a Handheld Zombie Perception Blocker. He himself had once relied on such a special device to escape a Corpse Tide.

But it was well hidden, perhaps not found in the search.

That thing wasn't big, and it could easily be concealed within the body.

Chen Mang turned to Biao Zi and waved his hand lightly, "Strip them and search them again. Pay extra attention to the women—there are many places where things can be hidden."

Biao Zi was momentarily stunned but quickly understood, responding in a deep voice, "Understood."

What Chen Mang didn't see was.

Upon hearing this order, the man who had just tremblingly stood up flashed a hint of panic and anger in the depths of his eyes.

Ten minutes later.

All the survivors were stripped naked and gathered in one area.

Chen Mang crouched down, using his cane to poke at something resembling a walkie-talkie on the ground, which was smeared with a sticky liquid. Beside it were a handgun, three magazines, and even a Train Token—all found on a middle-aged woman.

"..."

Chen Mang remained silent for a moment before waving his hand. Biao Zi quickly dragged a woman in front of Chen Mang.

"Quite the act."

He lifted his cane, gently tapping the middle-aged woman's cheek as he spoke calmly, "Not telling the truth and trying to bring weapons aboard—what were you planning?"

The woman, disheveled and kneeling on the ground with her arms tied behind her back by the thugs, had no means of resistance. She just screamed in terror, "It's not me, it's him! He forced me to do it!"

"He's the Thug Leader from the Everlasting Train!"

"He forced us to hide his identity, planning to join a train and take over later. I was coerced!"

Chen Mang followed the woman's gaze and saw the middle-aged man who had just spoken to him among the survivors. The man's eyes were filled with resentment and fear, and it was clear he knew he was doomed.

The man stood his ground, stepping out from the crowd and walking to a spot two meters away from Chen Mang. Staring at Chen Mang, he spoke through gritted teeth, "I'll take my loss. Since things are clear, I have nothing more to say. Just make it quick!"

"In my life, I've always admired people like you—meticulous and resourceful!"

"Too bad!"

"If only I had met you earlier, I would have been your most loyal subordinate. But if you're willing..."

The next moment.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

The crisp sound of the assault rifle echoed across the wilderness. Chen Mang tossed the rifle back to Biao Zi and casually remarked, "What on earth was he babbling about?"

As the gunfire ceased, the man fell into a pool of blood.

Soon—

After interrogating each of them, the situation became completely clear.

These people were indeed from the Everlasting Train. After encountering the Corpse Tide, these Slaves were abandoned as bait. The thug, who was working in the Slave carriage at the time, was also left behind.

This thug had secretly stashed several items on the previous train, such as a Handheld Zombie Perception Blocker and a Train Token, all hidden within his long-time mistress's body.

Originally planning to kill the Train Conductor and take over, he hadn't expected to be abandoned when the Corpse Tide struck.

After being left behind, the thug relied on the Handheld Blocker to lead the Slaves to survival. His plan was simple: join another train, infiltrate it, kill the Train Conductor, and then seize the train's resources and Slaves, using the Train Token to establish his own train.

Indeed.

If he used the Train Token directly without sufficient resources, he wouldn't even reach Level 2 before being stranded in the wilderness. Joining a train and plundering its resources was the best approach.

After all, the interior of most trains is the most vulnerable.

Especially when lacking the Internal Fire Control System component.

As long as one could get close to the Train Conductor, a small handgun was enough to kill him, and with this group, there was a real chance of success.

Chen Mang didn't dwell much on this plan.

He only knew one thing: he now had 21 more Slaves.

Oh, no, 20.

The man's mistress was also sent away by Biao Zi on his orders.

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