If he had a Level 14 Armor, he'd feel much safer.
But for now, it was out of the question. There wasn't enough Iron Ore. Once the Train Expansion was complete, though, he planned to upgrade his Armor first.
Back in the green zones, everyone's Firepower Accessories were blue or yellow at best, capped at Levels 5 or 8. His Armor had been more than enough then. But now, in Crisis Valley, everyone had red-tier accessories, capable of reaching over Level 10.
It left him feeling utterly exposed.
The resource cost to upgrade those Firepower Accessories was far lower than what he needed for his defensive gear.
He glanced at his Iron Ore reserves—9.01 million units left. He wondered if he could find a Level 4 Iron Ore deposit tonight. The Cosmic Receiver had already begun producing Level 4 Iron Ore.
As for the newly manufactured ordinary Carriages, he had devoured them. The Level 100 Train Blade Fragments they contained were all collected and stored in the Refrigerator inside the Train's control room.
They would serve as materials for the next "Ten Thousand Swords Launching Simultaneously."
This thing—
Forget its actual power—just the visual effect alone was badass. Most importantly, no other Train Conductor could pull it off. It was his signature move, unique to him!
As for the 1,200 Survivors—
With them onboard, the Train's population had surged to over 6,500.
Another explosive increase.
Truth be told, the Train no longer lacked miners. Not at all. As Iron Ore grades continued to rise, a single Mine wouldn't require many workers to yield substantial output.
At this point, the number of Mines determined how much Iron Ore the Train could acquire, not the number of Survivors.
But—
He still took them in. According to his long-term plan, he would need a lot of workers to maintain his future "Neon City."
Same old rules.
Starve them in the Refrigerator for three days first. He'd deal with them after that.
For the Train, feeding an extra thousand mouths wasn't a huge burden. But for those below, it meant the promotion ladder had just gotten a lot narrower.
The early residents, numbered in the 1000s, had enjoyed rapid advancements. Wake up, mine, repeat—simple and satisfying. Their promotions came fast.
For those numbered beyond 4000, though, it was a dog-eat-dog world.
There just weren't enough Mines to go around.
Good news: More downtime.
Bad news: The promotion path seemed to have vanished.
"Time to sleep."
Chen Mang stretched, then stepped into the Refrigerator-turned-bathroom to wash up. Wrapped in a towel, he headed to bed, while the little one dozed off on a chair.
He hadn't slept in ages.
His body was reaching its limit.
Before drifting off, he left Xiao Ai with one last instruction:
"If you can't find Level 4 Iron Ore, Level 3 will do. We're definitely starting work at dawn."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, Lao Zhu arrived at Carriage No. 10, the "Entertainment Carriage." He hesitated outside the brightly lit, bustling "Film and Television Base," where noise spilled out even at this hour. After a pause, he pushed the door open.
Even deep into the night—
They were still shooting movies inside.
Many people were dressed in suits and such, apparently they had started filming modern movies now.
"Train Conductor Zhu, you're here."
Zhang Yiren immediately rushed over excitedly: "Your advice last time helped me tremendously. This time I've made a movie with absolutely no adult content, focusing purely on the plot."
"It's about a rich second-generation heir who hits and kills someone with his car."
"But due to his powerful family connections, he successfully evades punishment. At the final court hearing, his family hires him a lawyer with a 100% success rate."
"Then the victim's family member pretends to be the lawyer and gets the male protagonist to confess all the criminal details."
"After the family member leaves, the male protagonist hears the doorbell. When he opens the door, the person outside claims to be his real lawyer."
"The whole story is full of twists and turns with non-stop climaxes!"
"And it conveys how ordinary people can still rise up and fight back against the powerful elite, ultimately achieving victory and trampling those so-called powerful figures underfoot. The entire film is filled with positive themes of resistance, struggle, and defying authority!"
"..."
Lao Zhu spat into his own mouth expressionlessly before slapping Zhang Yiren on the forehead: "Resistance! Struggle! Defying authority! You really dare to film this shit!"
"Who exactly are you resisting? Who are you struggling against?"
"Should we have Lord Mang play the villainous male lead again?"
"This subject is so sensitive it could get you executed by firing squad right now!"
"Just focus on making movies properly, stop trying to add some grand ideological value."
"Lord Mang told me not to interfere too much with your creative ideas. Just make whatever you want, don't worry about my suggestions. Keep making those simple action flicks, just continue with that."
"This one absolutely won't do."
"You should know your limits."
"You're not a cat with nine lives, value your own life more."
Having said that.
Lao Zhu strode out of the "Film and Television Base", leaving Zhang Yiren standing there completely bewildered.
"..."
After a long while, Zhang Yiren looked at the newly written script in his hand. Only after Train Conductor Zhu's warning did he realize that a movie with such class conflict themes really couldn't be made. The class hierarchy on the train was very clear - who exactly would they be opposing?
He couldn't help but shiver. Thank goodness he hadn't actually filmed it.
If he had made it and some idiot started shouting "Resist! Struggle!"
Then his head would roll along with that idiot's.
Better stick to action flicks. Though a bit vulgar, people love them, there's no risk, and he gets to keep his head.
"Alright, cut!"
"Change of script. Costume department, bring out the outfits from the previous script, we're continuing with that one."
"Uncle Li."
Lao Zhu stood in Carriage 15, the "Breeding Carriage", smiling warmly at Uncle Li: "Lord Mang has officially responded positively to your 'Zombie Spawning Cage' experiment today, giving it high praise and approval."
"From now on, the train will provide all resources needed for your experiments."
"Just go to the Resident Store for whatever you need. If they don't have it, contact me directly."
"We've also brought you the person you requested."
Zhang Yi, who was following behind, shook the refrigerator, causing a terrified man to tumble out.
"And—"
Lao Zhu looked meaningfully at Uncle Li and said with a smile, "Lord Mang has made it clear—once the 'Zombie Spawning Cage' experiment succeeds, you'll be granted Tier 1 elite treatment. Right now, only three people on the Stellar enjoy that privilege."
"I put in a good word for you in front of Lord Mang."
"Understood, understood!"
Uncle Li stood ramrod straight, his face flushed with excitement. "I won't let Lord Mang or the Stellar down! And thank you, Train Conductor Zhu, for speaking up for me. Words can't express my gratitude—just watch my actions from now on!"
"Keep it up. I've believed in you from the start—you know that."
"When I refused to let you become a teacher, it wasn't to make things hard for you. I just thought it'd be a waste of your talent."
"I understand, Train Conductor Zhu!"
"Alright, get back to work. I'll take my leave now."
"Take care, Train Conductor Zhu!"
Huff.
Only after Lao Zhu left did Uncle Li stand still, taking deep breaths to steady himself. His hands trembled uncontrollably as he lit a cigarette and brought it to his lips. His eyes reddened, his voice hoarse as he muttered:
"See that? I've finally made it!"
"Tier 1 elite treatment!"
"Even higher than Li Shiji."
"I always said it—even if I'm just a pig farmer, I'll reach the top of pig farming! Give me any platform, and I'll prove my worth! That's just how capable I am!"
"Lord Mang has seen all the effort we've put in these days."
"Um..." The young man who had been following Uncle Li spoke up hesitantly, "Lord Mang only promised it. You haven't succeeded yet. Isn't it too early to celebrate?"
"You don't get it."
Uncle Li shook his head, his eyes still red. "At first, I had no clue—just a vague sense that I had to do something. Then, bit by bit, the idea of the 'Zombie Spawning Cage' came to me. But I didn't even know if it was the right path or if it'd be useful for the Train."
"I funded it all out of my own pocket."
"But now—"
"Lord Mang has affirmed my idea. Didn't you hear what Train Conductor Zhu said? Lord Mang praised and recognized my work. That means the path I'm on is the right one."
"To you, it's just a promise."
"But to me, it's Lord Mang acknowledging all my efforts these past days—telling me I'm on the right track, that I haven't made a mistake! To keep pushing forward with conviction!"
"Those are two different things!"
Huff.
Uncle Li took another deep drag, wiping his damp eyes with his sleeve before pointing at the bound man on the ground nearby. "Go on, tie him to the pillar first. We'll continue the experiment tonight!"
"I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll say anything!!!"
Shen Ye, his face twisted in terror as he was tied to the pillar, shrieked hysterically at Uncle Li, who was approaching with a blade in hand. "Stay back! I'll talk, okay?! Just don't come near me!"
"Uh—"
Uncle Li paused, hesitating as he looked at Shen Ye. "What do you want to say?"
"How should I know?!" Shen Ye cried, on the verge of breaking down. "You never asked me anything! Just ask, and I'll tell you!"
"Wait."
Uncle Li turned to the young man. "Go check if Lord Mang wanted any specific intel extracted from this guy."
"Got it."
One minute later.
The young man returned, shaking his head: "I asked Director Ai. He said there's nothing, Lord Mang never met this person. Just use him however you want."
"Understood."
Uncle Li looked strangely at Shen Ye, who was tied to the pillar: "Thought you actually knew some secrets, huh? Brace yourself—this is gonna hurt."
The next moment—
"AHHH!!!"
A piercing scream echoed inside the refrigerator.
"Quick, take it and attach it to that Zombie over there."
"Got it, Uncle Li!"
"..."
Bound to the pillar, Shen Ye trembled violently from the excruciating pain. He desperately wanted to pass out, but the demonic man before him had injected some kind of drug into his body, keeping his mind terrifyingly clear. Fainting was impossible.
The searing agony.
Tormented every nerve in his body.
At this moment, he regretted everything.
Regretted why he had stepped forward as the sacrificial lamb. Regretted why he had pressed "Immediate Ejection" instead of "Immediate Self-Destruct." Regretted why, when self-destructing inside the refrigerator, he had only destroyed those Special Items instead of blowing himself up along with them.
He had assumed they captured him alive to extract information.
After all, as the Train Conductor of a level 12 Mechanical Train, he surely knew secrets others didn't.
But...
From start to finish, he never even saw Lord Mang.
No one came to interrogate him.
He had planned to stay defiant, revealing only half the information to bargain for his survival. But now, the script seemed entirely different from what he'd imagined. Didn't Lord Mang care about the opportunities that had propelled him to a level 12 Mechanical Train?
The whole Crisis Valley knew!
When he was still piloting a low-level train, he had fled to Crisis Valley while being hunted—only to encounter a great opportunity that led to his rise. Wasn't Lord Mang the least bit curious about what that opportunity was?
Especially...
Especially...
When he saw the Zombies chained not far away, his face twisted in despair. He had never seen anyone keeping Zombies inside a train before. Compared to that, even this 100-square-meter refrigerator seemed mundane.
Especially when his damn...
"Hmm."
Inside Breeding Carriage No. 15.
Uncle Li narrowed his eyes, arms crossed as he observed the Zombies before him: "Director Ai just sent me some high-level intel the train has acquired. It seems my research direction has been correct all along."
"Zombies cannot reproduce normally."
"But—"
"The planet's consciousness can be deceived."
"Meaning, we can use reproduction to trick the planet's consciousness, causing it to overflow with Core Energy at designated locations and create new Zombies—born through reproduction. The Core Energy within a Zombie is far less than what a single unit of level 4 Iron Ore contains. So... we need an assembly line, one that constantly produces Zombies in large quantities!"
"Then connect the corresponding 'Zombie Crusher,' 'Converter,' and 'Container'—and we're done!"
"No wonder Lord Mang values this project so highly. If I succeed, the entire 'Stellar Train Development History' will undoubtedly record my name in bold strokes, sung by generations to come!"
"This is a great merit! No less than Train Conductor Zhu's achievement in serving the dragon!"
"Whether we can rise above others depends on how well this job is done!"
"Kid."
"You're lucky. The train you're on is about to take off."
"You mean the Stellar?"
"I mean me."
"You?"
"Didn't you say last time that I was your train?"
"Oh right, yes! Go Uncle Li, you're the best!"
The young man looked at Uncle Li with earnest admiration and gave him a big thumbs up.
"..."
Bound to the pillar, Shen Ye stared at the two men with despair and agony in his eyes. He couldn't quite understand their talk about planetary consciousness and Core Energy, but... he could roughly grasp the meaning.
He was probably...
one of the main experimental materials for this plan.
Good news: He wouldn't die anytime soon.
Bad news: He'd rather be fucking dead.