Chapter 58 “Lao Zhu, have you ever heard of a Goblin Train before?”

"..."

Chen Mang withdrew his gaze from the screen beside the control panel, no longer paying attention to this sudden task. His only mission during this period was to extract the two resource mines beneath the Doomsday Abyss as quickly as possible.

And also—

"Hmm."

He fell into deep thought as he stared at the refrigerator placed inside the train cabin. This thing was also a major energy consumer.

Initially, the generator on his train only needed to power the few lights in the carriages. A single level 1 Energy Stone could last for over three hundred days. But later, when he connected the Car Blade, Sound System, Radar, and now the refrigerator—all components that required energy support—to the generator, the screen showed that an Energy Stone could only last for about a hundred days.

Of course, there was no need to unplug the refrigerator to save electricity, since producing an Energy Stone only required 500 units of Iron Ore, and he wasn't lacking in that resource at the moment.

He was pondering another issue.

After upgrading this refrigerator to level 10, its second Supermodel Effect unlocked a space expansion technology. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary refrigerator, but inside, it was a small room covering a hundred square meters.

In other words.

This thing could be used as a storage room if he made a few more.

Production lines, harvested wood, minerals—all could be thrown inside, saving a lot of space in the carriages. He could even have the Slaves move in, all sleeping in one large room.

The only downside was the high production cost.

Creating and upgrading one refrigerator required 4,500 units of Iron Ore.

Later, when the train had more items, he could make a few more refrigerators, unplug them, and use them as storage boxes.

There was one more thing.

Currently, the number of components in the train that required energy support was gradually increasing. The level 1 Circuit System was no longer sufficient. The screen showed that the Circuit System was nearing overload and needed to be upgraded as soon as possible.

The Generator also needed to be upgraded to provide more power.

"..."

Chen Mang glanced at the Train Panel. The train currently had 1,603 units of Iron Ore. The tens of thousands of Iron Ore he had saved up over the past few days had been almost entirely consumed by the level 2 armor plating, which had cost him 25,000 units. That thing was a real resource hog!

With this amount of Iron Ore, he couldn't do much for now. He'd have to save up for a few more days and then upgrade the Circuit System and Generator. These two components were essential for the train's operation. If they broke down, all the energy-dependent components would disconnect and become useless scraps of metal.

Just then—

"Boom boom boom!"

Inside the train cabin.

Chen Mang suddenly heard a rumbling sound faintly echoing in his ears. Instinctively, he looked toward the source of the noise, which was coming from the wall at the bottom of the abyss.

He immediately checked the Targeting Radar.

But even now, the Targeting Radar remained completely silent, showing no reaction.

"Damn it!"

His expression changed instantly. He turned off the Sound System, grabbed the walkie-talkie, and ordered all the Slaves to board the train immediately, preparing to escape at once. Something was clearly about to emerge from that wall, but the Targeting Radar didn't even detect it.

What did that mean?

It was definitely something big!

There was no reason to stay any longer. As the Slaves scrambled into the train like their lives depended on it, the train had already switched to its Spider Legs. With the roar of the engine, the Stellar Train began to accelerate, ready to flee the scene as quickly as possible.

But—

  It was already too late.

Just as the train was starting to move, a train resembling a long dragon with a drill burst out from the cliff wall at an incredible speed, slamming into the Stellar Train.

"Boom!!"

A violent collision sound rang out.

Thanks to the Spider Legs, the Stellar Train managed to maintain its balance despite the fierce impact, avoiding a rollover. A sharp, crackling noise continued to echo.

Chen Mang saw with his own eyes that the drill on the other train was spinning at high speed, as if trying to bore a hole through his carriage. However.

It had no effect.

His carriage remained almost completely undamaged.

At the same time.

A message from the Train Auxiliary AI appeared on the screen.

[Detected level 2 Goblin Train attacking the Stellar Train.]

"A level 2 Goblin Train?"

Chen Mang glanced at the information on the screen, but there was no time to dwell on it. All he knew was that someone had attacked him. The two trains were now locked together. He immediately activated the Car Blade, which spun at high speed and was coated with electric current. In an instant, it sliced the drill on the front of the other train in half.

Then, after maneuvering the train to the right, he chose the most primitive method of attack.

He repeatedly brushed past the Goblin Train, using the Car Blades on both sides of his carriage to deliver devastating blows. He could tell that the armor on the other train was level 1. In the face of his level 10 Car Blade, it stood no chance and was easily torn apart.

The other train had almost no means of counterattack.

There wasn't even a machine gun on the roof of the carriage. The only external component that looked remotely offensive was the drill, which couldn't damage his train either.

In a swift and decisive manner.

The battle ended.

Biao Zi and the others, all armed with guns and connected to the Hive Mind of the Train Auxiliary AI, left the Stellar Train after the fight to clean up the aftermath. Cleaning up essentially meant extracting the unconscious Goblins from the wreckage of the train, which had been flipped multiple times and nearly cut into pieces.

"..."

At the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss.

Chen Mang silently crouched on the ground, staring at the unconscious Goblin Merchant draped in a golden cloak. Could this be the same Goblin Merchant who had caused a stir on the Train Radio earlier this morning?

And judging by appearances.

He seemed to be a wealthy merchant?

The golden cloak was quite eye-catching, and the route he had chosen was indeed very well-hidden. Chen Mang had thought his own location in the desolate wilderness was already quite concealed, but it seemed there were others who were even more cunning.

Since when did trains start digging tunnels six thousand meters underground instead of running on the surface?

Could that even still be called a train?

He turned his head to look at the shattered remains of the train in the distance, frowning slightly: "Lao Zhu, have you ever heard of a Goblin Train before?"

"No."

Lao Zhu also shook his head with a complicated expression: "After the apocalypse, information has become much more fragmented. Even the Train Radio only allows people in this region to communicate with each other. Most Survivors don't even understand the concept of train upgrades, only vaguely hearing about the Train Token."

"This is the first time I've seen a Goblin Train."

"It's also the first time I've seen monsters being able to build trains."

"From the initial despair to the current glimmer of hope, humanity has relied on trains as lone boats, providing a sense of security in the endless sea of the apocalypse. If monsters can build trains too, then humanity's..."

"...pressure will only grow greater."