The portly man was none other than Boss Kun, the captain of Chen Mang's former train.

Right now, his single train engine was crammed with ten people.

"Boss Kun!" one of the men holding a police baton spoke up, his voice low and hesitant. "We had to abandon the carriage with the heavy machine gun. Our engine has almost no offensive power right now. Shouldn't we use that 'Carriage Blades' blueprint?"

"That would at least give us some way to attack."

If Chen Mang had been there, he would have recognized the speaker instantly. It was the same man who had ordered the enforcers to beat him with their batons back in the slave car. He was one of Boss Kun's trusted confidants.

During the escape, Boss Kun couldn't take all his enforcers with him, so he'd grabbed his inner circle and a few others he trusted most. Now, the engine held six of these enforcers, Boss Kun, his deputy captain, and two of Boss Kun's women. Their faces were beautiful but etched with the raw fear of having just survived a catastrophe.

As trusted men, they knew what blueprints Boss Kun possessed—information a regular enforcer would never be privy to.

Boss Kun glanced at the White-grade "Carriage Blades Blueprint" sitting on a nearby table and shook his head. "Crafting this thing costs 500 units of iron ore. Even though it's only a White-grade accessory, its cost is higher than some Green-grade ones."

"We only have a little over 200 units of iron ore on board. It's not enough."

"Besides," he scoffed, "we don't need it. We're dealing with a novice train. They can't even craft a basic 'Firearms Production Line.' Both external vehicle weapons and personal firearms require a Level 2 train or higher."

"What kind of offensive power can a Level 1 train possibly have?" he continued, brimming with confidence. "We have guns. Once we find them, we can take them down with ease. They're just a bunch of slaves. Kill their leader, and what risk is there?"

The middle-aged man who had spoken fell silent. He looked down at the pistol and baton in his hands, an unshakable feeling of unease settling in his gut.

Chen Mang? He'd never heard the name, but he had a powerful gut feeling that this was the same slave he had appointed as the slave boss in Carriage #7. He remembered the man as ruthless.

Are a few of us with a handful of guns going to be enough?

He didn't know how they had survived the horde, but if they had, it wouldn't be too difficult to scavenge some guns and ammo from the other abandoned carriages. Why was Boss Kun acting so completely unconcerned?

Wait—

The man's eyes widened in realization, and his voice trembled with hoarse excitement. "Boss Kun, I understand! Even if they found pistols and bullets, those firearms were produced by our train. They can't harm you!"

"Hmph." Boss Kun sneered, pulling one of the women into his arms with a look of smug satisfaction. "Just figured that out? Not too late, I suppose. Did you really think I'd be reckless enough to just charge in blindly?"

"No fools survive long in the wasteland."

"Let's go!" he roared. "With this batch of slaves, getting back on our feet will be no problem. I just hope that Chen Mang kid is at the mine and hasn't gotten scared and run off somewhere I can't find him. I'd hate for someone else to snatch up this juicy piece of meat!"

"Absolutely!" the confidant nodded in fervent agreement. Normally, a Level 1 train would be lucky to have ten slaves; often, the captain himself had to do the mining. A defenseless Level 1 train with a hundred slaves was nothing more than wandering fat meat in the wasteland.

Out on the plains, the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows as dusk approached.

By the iron mine, Chen Mang's train was parked securely. He sat inside the cockpit, studying information and researching vehicle accessories. Every train had its own strengths—some were fast, some had heavy firepower, some were heavily armored, and others were exceptionally agile.

His vision was to create an all-rounder. He was currently cross-referencing accessories with the rules and information in the novice tutorial.

Meanwhile, Lao Zhu was in Carriage #3, the living quarters, sorting and storing minerals and supplies. The ten enforcers stood guard outside, rifles in hand, patrolling the perimeter.

These men had been slaves just this morning; now, they were armed enforcers. The sudden shift in status and treatment, despite their sallow and gaunt appearances, gave them swagger. They were trying their hardest to look different from the slaves they once were, much like the newly rich in times of peace, who would do anything to prove they were no longer in the same class as ordinary people.

Once a person reaches a certain station, they strive to act the part. It might look comical at first, but with time, they grow into the role.

Just then—

"Hm?"

Chen Mang's eyes narrowed. In the distance, a lone train engine was speeding directly toward him.

He shot up from his chair.

Grabbing a pair of binoculars, he peered through the glass at the approaching vehicle.

"They really came!"

His expression hardened. He immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie and ordered all enforcers onto the train to prepare for battle. It had to be his old train—it was rare for a train to be just a single engine. He even had three carriages now.

From the way it was moving, the enemy intended to ram him at full speed. They were a Level 2 train, and their armor was undoubtedly thicker than his Level 1 train's. A direct collision like that would, if not shatter his train to pieces, certainly knock it over.

I have to get behind the mine.

If he could prevent a direct impact, he still had a chance to win.

In an instant, Chen Mang made his decision. He immediately drove the train behind a small, several-meter-high dirt mound, preparing to lead them on a chase around the hill. But then...

A few dozen seconds later, he noticed the enemy engine was slowing down.

"Huh?"

Chen Mang blinked, finding it hard to believe. Why are they decelerating? Aren't they going to ram us? If they weren't going for a collision, what could a single engine do? It didn't look like it had any external weapon accessories.

Wait a second!

A strange look crossed his face as he realized what was happening. Boss Kun must think his train was brand new, completely without offensive capabilities. He wanted to capture them alive, to avoid causing too much damage, so he could enslave them all again. At the same time, he probably wanted to keep the train itself intact so he could simply link the carriages to his own engine.

It was an audacious thought, but watching the enemy engine slow to a crawl, it was clear that was exactly the plan. In theory, it was the strategy that would maximize Boss Kun's profit. Of course, it also maximized his risk.

Having figured this out, Chen Mang barked into the walkie-talkie, "Lao Zhu, find something to cover the heavy machine gun!"

"All units, on my command! Do not open fire until I give the order!"

Normally, a Level 1 train had no real offensive options. Among the thirteen default vehicle accessories, not one was related to combat. The only defensive one, "Steel Carriage Armor," cost a staggering 1,000 units of iron ore to build.

Under normal circumstances, Boss Kun's decision would have been the right one.

But—

In this world, things were rarely normal.