"The Stellar." The name had a nice ring to it.

Sitting in the cockpit, Chen Mang repeated the name to himself a few times with satisfaction. The Stellar. It was magnificent. Who knew, maybe one day he could actually fly this train into space. Even then, the name would command respect.

To be honest...

His first idea for a name had been "The 'Fuck-Everything' Express," but on second thought, it wasn't exactly classy.

Just then—

A knock came from the cockpit door. Chen Mang casually pressed a button on the console, and the heavy door slid open. It was Lao Zhu.

"Boss Mang."

Lao Zhu seemed to have something difficult to say. He approached cautiously and began, his voice low, "I have a few suggestions, but I'm not sure if it's my place to speak up."

"Go ahead."

Chen Mang sat up straight, looking at Lao Zhu seriously. After all, the man had been a vice-captain before; his advice was often useful.

"It's like this." Given permission, Lao Zhu organized his thoughts before carefully choosing his words. "First, I have to admit, I've met several train captains, but you, Boss Mang, have the strongest presence of them all."

"I believe we can go far. Maybe we really can build a truly safe haven in this apocalypse."

"For any organization to grow strong, the first thing it needs is cohesion. Not just between the captain and vice-captain, but among all the passengers on this train. When everyone is pulling toward the same goal, the organization will move forward like a well-oiled machine."

"If you have to do everything yourself, Boss Mang, it will be exhausting."

"In the apocalypse," he continued, "trust is a luxury. Many captains worry constantly about being betrayed by their deputies or enforcers, or about a slave revolt. So they create harsh, iron-fisted rules, executing anyone who disobeys. They rule the entire group through fear."

"But—"

"I've always felt that's unnecessary. Getting someone to be completely loyal, especially in a world like this, is almost impossible."

"For example, Boss Mang, can you completely trust me? Or those enforcers?"

"It's difficult."

"Your trust in them comes entirely from the fact that their weapons were made by the train and can't harm you."

"Everyone knows this. You don't care if the enforcers live or die, and since they know this, how can they be expected to give their all for the train? How can they be brave in a desperate fight? When everyone on a train is just looking out for themselves, things like betrayal and rebellion are practically inevitable."

"I understand your point," Chen Mang said, his brow furrowed slightly. "Get to your suggestion."

"Of course."

Lao Zhu quickly continued. As a competent subordinate, he knew that leaders hated people who only pointed out problems without offering solutions. That was just making trouble. Anyone could find a problem; the solution was what mattered.

"Making everyone loyal to you personally, Boss Mang, is a difficult and abstract goal."

"But making everyone loyal to the train is much easier. If everyone feels like they are part of the train, then whether they are fighting or mining, they won't feel like they're being exploited. Instead, they'll feel like they're fighting for their own future."

"They'll have a greater sense of belonging and more motivation."

"Step one: Transform the class divide."

"Many trains deliberately mix sand into the fresh water they give to slaves to create a class distinction, giving the enforcers a sense of superiority. When they're not mining, they don't feed the slaves enough, which is supposed to reduce the chance of a revolt."

"I used to agree with that method, but now..."

"After being a slave myself for a while, I realized that slaves don't have such grand ambitions. Most revolts happen because the captain kills people indiscriminately or starves them. We should give them pure water and a full meal every day."

"We need to create a gap between us and other trains."

"Let's make our slaves' food as good as the enforcers' on other trains, and our enforcers' food as good as other train captains'."

"Let them feel superior to the slaves on other trains. That will build their identification with our train."

"Step two: Change the titles."

"'Enforcer' and 'slave' are the standard terms on almost every train."

"But these titles are inherently insulting and easily create an adversarial relationship between the train and the slaves. We protect them, and we feed them every day. In the apocalypse, that's a good deed. Why should we use such insulting terms?"

"To put it bluntly, even in peaceful times, a job that provides room and board isn't easy to find."

"Much less in the apocalypse."

"We're clearly doing a good thing, so why should we carry a bad name?"

"Change 'slave' to 'Passenger.' Change 'enforcer' to 'Guardian.'"

"A change in title will make them identify more with the train itself. Then, give them a clear path for promotion. This will give both current and future passengers a clear goal to strive for."

"We should also add another car to give the passengers more living space. Building a normal cargo carriage only costs 100 units of iron ore."

"Step three: Build recognition."

"Boss Mang, you might have noticed that after our recent victory, those ten enforcers were all very excited. They're already starting to feel a sense of belonging to the train, though it's still weak because they know you don't really care about them."

"But if you're willing to nurture this feeling, and I promote it in my daily interactions with them..."

"Soon, we can make everyone feel a strong sense of identification with the train."

Lao Zhu spoke in a rush, his lips growing pale from the effort. He gestured excitedly, his entire body animated. "Boss Mang, just think about it! When everyone's heart is pulling in the same direction..."

"The passengers' mining efficiency will be higher."

"The Guardians will fight harder in dangerous battles."

"And in the future, we might not even need to capture slaves. If our reputation gets out, large numbers of survivors will come to us on their own."

"Of course..."

"This all depends on us having enough food. In the apocalypse, food is scarce, so for now, this is just a concept. But if you think it's a good idea, Boss Mang, we can start with the other steps."

"When every passenger and guardian feels a deep sense of belonging to 'the train,' the probability of betrayal and revolt will be much lower."

"..."

Chen Mang's eyes narrowed as he sized up Lao Zhu. He had to admit, the man had some good ideas. He looked like an ordinary bald man, but his mind was full of schemes.

Though it was a bit rough around the edges, this plan was something only he could likely pull off.

Lao Zhu had a point. Why call them slaves? Just for mining, you're a slave?

Didn't people have to work in peaceful times?

Most importantly...

This plan would be difficult for any other train to implement because of its most critical requirement: sufficient food. But for him, that was the easiest part.

[Moldy Bread Slice Production Line]: White Grade Accessory

[Requires 100 slices of moldy bread to build]

At Level 1, this accessory could only produce moldy bread.

But what about at Level 10?

Wouldn't it produce fragrant, freshly baked bread with filling? If a survivor in the apocalypse could eat that every day, it would be hard for them to have any thoughts of revolting or escaping.

The food problem wasn't a problem for him. If that was the case, then this plan was completely feasible.

A moment later.

Chen Mang glanced at the ten enforcers patrolling outside the train and chuckled. "Lao Zhu, I'm putting you in charge of this. I think it's workable. Don't worry about the food; I'll handle that."

"But there's no need to rush. We can wait until we're more developed to fully implement it."

"By the way, the train has a name now."

"It's called 'The Stellar.'"

But before all that, he needed to use the "Carriage Blades" blueprint.

In the apocalypse, organizational cohesion was just a side dish.

The main course was the train's strength. Without sufficient offense and defense, even the strongest unity was useless. He needed to see what a Level 3 "Carriage Blades" could do first.