Chapter 173: "Am I Really That Important?"

"Was that an earthquake?"

"I don't know, but it's not impossible. I remember learning in school that basin areas are prone to earthquakes. So, even if it was an earthquake, it would make sense, right?"

"Are you sure basin areas are prone to earthquakes?"

"Not entirely sure. Let me think."

In the center of the yellow zone, known as the "Zombie Basin," under a sky full of stars, dozens of trains were parked nearby. Several Train Conductors, accompanied by their trusted aides, had gathered together for a small, self-organized meeting.

The tradition of holding meetings had persisted even in the yellow zone.

It wasn't just about exchanging supplies; it was also about sharing information. Face-to-face meetings allowed for the exchange of more valuable information.

In the white zone, meetings were usually held during the day for safety reasons. Although monsters were active both day and night, their activity was generally less intense during the day, making daytime meetings safer.

But in the yellow zone, meetings were typically held at night.

This way, they didn't waste time.

The Slaves rested in the train cars while the Train Conductors attended the meeting. They could return to mining the next day after the meeting.

At this moment—

Many Train Conductors felt a slight tremor in the ground and instinctively looked toward the slope of a small hill in front of them.

On the slope of that hill, there was a seemingly endless passage with a glass tunnel inside. Many people knew about this, but at the entrance of the tunnel, there was a faint yellow membrane.

Next to it was a light screen.

"Prohibited Area Ahead."

It wasn't that no one had tried to explore it, but no one had ever managed to enter. Over time, people stopped paying attention to it, except for some newcomers to the Zombie Basin who, out of sheer disbelief, would approach it, imagining themselves to be the chosen ones. Of course, they all ended up returning disappointed.

At this moment, the ground was shaking slightly.

It felt as if something had exploded underground, like an earthquake, but not quite.

Just then!

A piercing sonic boom erupted in everyone's ears, followed by the sight of a train bursting out of the tunnel at the slope of the hill at an incredible speed, shattering the membrane and soaring into the sky.

Like a meteor from the heavens, it disappeared from sight in an instant.

The last impression it left was the numerous thrust nozzles on both sides of the train, with faint blue exhaust flames lighting up the night, making the train appear incredibly dazzling.

"..."

Almost all the Train Conductors stood frozen in place, stopping whatever they were doing, and looked up at the train that had vanished into the horizon. It took them a while to react, and they exchanged glances.

"Was that a train?"

"Obviously, with so many carriages, it was clearly a train. I wonder where they got the Bunny Cloud. I'm already at Level 8, and I still haven't gotten that accessory."

"If you spend all your time mining, of course you won't get it. Rare accessories like that can only be obtained from Fortuitous Encounter maps or by killing rare bosses."

"I don't remember anyone in the Zombie Basin being that powerful. Who could catch up with that speed?"

"Could it be the Stellar Train?"

"You mean the train that just arrived in the Zombie Basin, ranked first in Supermodel Effect count?"

"Possibly."

"..."

Inside the Stellar Train, Chen Mang switched to the "Bunny Cloud" wheels, which allowed the train to fly high in the air. He was looking for a place to rest. As he burst out of the ground, he noticed the ongoing meeting below.

But he had no intention of joining for now.

He had gained a lot this time.

He needed to find a place to regroup.

Soon—

He landed on a flat area with no high-level Zombies nearby. He didn't activate the "Train Zombie Jammer" because it consumed energy. There was no need to use it for lower-level Zombies; it was better to let the people below practice their skills.

Chen Mang looked at the resource column on the Train Panel.

First, the resources.

"3.49 million units of Iron Ore, 365,000 units of Copper Ore, 500,000 units of Wood, 200,000 units of Crimson Heartstone."

The Iron Ore obtained from the trains that were swallowed in the Geocentric Nuclear Bomb Fortuitous Encounter map had already been included in the inventory.

This map had replenished a lot of resources for him.

There was also a white-grade Accessory Blueprint and 4 Murphy Stones. He now had 16 Murphy Stones.

The blueprint was for... a "Fleshlight Production Line."

A Fleshlight, a tool used for stress relief and relaxation, was somewhat useful. Aside from the hassle of cleaning and the soreness from overuse, it didn't have many major drawbacks.

This blueprint was found in the "Anime Train."

Actually.

Even if you destroyed a train, it was rare to obtain blueprints from it. Most people used the blueprints they got immediately. Who would keep them unless they were planning to sell them?

This thing.

"Hmm."

Chen Mang pondered for a while and then decided to spend 4,500 units of Iron Ore to produce it, upgrading it to Level 10. Although it wasn't useful to him, he could produce a few and place them in the "Resident Store." Not only would it diversify the product range, but it would also provide the residents who couldn't afford meat with an alternative way to relieve stress.

-

"Fleshlight Production Line Level 5 Supermodel Effect": Softer and more elastic.

"Fleshlight Production Line Level 10 Supermodel Effect": Half the consumption.

-

Not bad. Originally, it took 10 units of Iron Ore to produce one. After halving the consumption, it only took 5 units.

It really was a rather useless accessory.

No wonder the "Anime Train" kept it for sale. Whether it could be sold was another matter, though. Unless the price was low enough, even the most garbage blueprint could be sold as long as it was cheap.

Chen Mang leaned back in his chair and looked at the vacuum-packed dried ducks in the refrigerator next to him. There were hundreds of bags, all spicy. This was a good find. When he got tired of the food on the train, he could switch things up with this.

He casually opened a bag, tore off a duck leg, and popped it into his mouth.

Hmm?

Not bad. Chen Mang's eyes lit up slightly. Perhaps it was because he hadn't eaten it in a while. The meat was dry and flavorful, chewy in his mouth. Although it was a bit spicy, it was addictive.

He wondered where the guy had gotten it. Was there a dried duck factory in the Zombie Basin?

But after eating a dozen bites—

Chen Mang's cheeks turned slightly red. He threw the dried duck aside and quickly grabbed a bottle of chilled Mineral Water from the refrigerator, downing it in one go. But it was no use. Why the hell was that duck so spicy?!

His mouth was now burning with intense pain!

At first, it was just flavorful and a bit spicy, still tolerable. But after a dozen bites, the full force of the spiciness hit him. He even felt like his tongue was losing sensation.

"Hiss—"

Chen Mang inhaled sharply several times, but the pain didn't subside at all. He glanced at the packaging on the ground. The flavor was indeed labeled as "spicy," not "extra spicy."

"Damn it!"

Without further delay, he quickly made his way to the "Medical Pod" in Carriage 2. No, this spiciness was killing him. He needed a reboot!

After the reboot, Chen Mang returned to the train compartment, completely back to normal. He gave the half-eaten bag of dried duck to Xiao Fang, who was standing at the door, before turning his attention to the other loot.

He definitely couldn't enjoy these dried ducks himself, but they would make a great interrogation tool.

Feed them the duck, but don't give them water!

Of course, that was just a joke. He decided to put a dozen packs in the resident car and let the guards try the rest.

The confiscated cigarettes were all placed in the Resident Store, along with various supplies stored in the train's refrigerators. There were enough refrigerators to hold everything, including the two to three hundred figurines.

"These are quite nice."

Chen Mang thoughtfully picked up a figurine about the size of a phone, examining it for a moment before tossing it back into the pile. Although these things were useless, it would be a waste to throw them away. He decided to put them in the Resident Store to see if anyone wanted them.

It was worth noting—

According to the information from Biao Zi, there were no females in the Anime Train, only males.

And based on the information from the Slaves of the Anime Train, some time ago, the "Internal Fire Control System" of the Anime Train had suddenly activated in the middle of the night without warning, killing all the female members.

Not even the sows were spared.

Although every train had an "Internal Fire Control System," hardly anyone ever used it. Most of the time, it served as a deterrent. Once activated, it wasn't just about killing one or two people. In such a dense crowd, it was impossible to target individuals accurately.

During the chaos in the Anime Train, many males also ended up as collateral damage.

The only ones who had truly witnessed the power of the "Internal Fire Control System" were the Slaves of the Anime Train. As a result, the Slaves from that train were the most obedient. Especially after seeing the 10 Heavy Machine Guns in the carriage, they obediently entered the refrigerator without any resistance.

In contrast, the Slaves from the other carriages were a bit more unruly. Of course, under the suppression of the third team, these troublemakers were dealt with.

"Added over 1,900 Survivors."

There were hardly any troublemakers; they were all quite obedient, or rather, quite numb.

"..."

Chen Mang frowned slightly. With these 1,900+ Survivors, the total population of the train had now reached over 3,300. The daily consumption of various accessories, along with food, water, and other expenses, had already reached nearly 6,000 units of Iron Ore.

Blink, and 6,000 units of Iron Ore were gone just like that.

And this was during normal rest or mining operations.

If they encountered battles or emergencies, the consumption would skyrocket, and it wouldn't just be Iron Ore; Copper Ore and other resources would also be consumed.

"Well."

He shook his head in resignation but soon smiled again. Although daily expenses had increased, mining efficiency had also improved. It wasn't a matter of pros and cons; it was just that the scale had grown.

With a larger scale, the gains were greater.

But if there was a dry spell with no Iron Ore income for a while, the entire operation could collapse.

He didn't dwell on it further. Instead, he spent 190,000 units of Iron Ore to create Iris Chips for these 1,900+ Survivors, assigning Xiao Ai to implant them one by one. He also spent over 1,900 units of Wood to create a set of clothes for each person.

Of course.

They were orange-red.

This was the standard uniform of the Stellar Train. In the foggy environment of the apocalypse, wearing bright colors could lift one's spirits.

"Am I really that important?"

In the "Space Gate" within Carriage 2, which had been designated as the Mecha Research and Development Center, Xiao Ai was tinkering with the experimental equipment brought back from the Geocentric Nuclear Bomb Fortuitous Encounter map when he heard Lord Mang's order.

He was to implant the Iris Chips.

Only he could do it because his hands were steady enough.

Xiao Ai looked expectantly at the simple robot fixed in the middle of the frame. He was in the process of building himself a new body so that he could be in multiple places at once in the future.

Without delay.

He immediately left the Space Gate, packed the produced Iris Chips and clothes into a refrigerator, and then carried the refrigerator to the resident carriages at the back.

Carriages 10 and 11, originally Goblin Cars, housed over 100 Goblins.

But Doba had taken all the Goblins into the "Space Gate" installed in Carriage 11. The Goblins lived in a refrigerator, so these two carriages had been empty for some time.

However, the Resident Store was placed in the refrigerator in Carriage 11.

Lao Zhu had arranged 10 refrigerators in Carriage 10. These 10 refrigerators would serve as the dormitories for the 1,900+ Survivors for the time being, with 200 people per refrigerator.

Starting with Level 3 Resident treatment.

Xiao Ai stood at the refrigerator door, implanting the "Iris Chips" one by one. Each person who received a chip would follow the example of those before them and take their assigned clothes from the side. Everyone queuing to enter the refrigerator, regardless of gender, was completely naked, with no clothes on their bodies.

But no one paid any attention.

Firstly, they were all a bit dirty. Secondly... in this situation, who cared about such things?

The difference between humans and dogs is that humans still care about atmosphere. When doing certain things, there needs to be some ambiance—a private space, soft music, and for the more luxurious, even the requirement that the other person is someone they like.

"None?"

Biao Zi frowned as he stood with his team, both to maintain order and to scout for potential candidates, such as those with high Physical Fitness Indexes and mental strength, who could be trained as backup Guardians.

With so many Train Residents, the Guardians also needed to expand. Otherwise, if too many died during a mission, there would be no one to replace them. At the very least, they needed to train a batch of backup Guardians.

"None."

Xiao Ai, like an emotionless robot on an assembly line, continued implanting one Iris Chip after another.

"Due to frequent mining, their overall physical fitness is decent, but compared to the current Train Residents, they still fall short."

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