After thanking the heavens, Chen Mang opened his eyes and glanced at the pitch-black night outside. He couldn't hold it in any longer—a wide grin spread across his face as he nodded repeatedly.

He'd finally gathered enough iron ore.

The train could finally be upgraded to Level 2.

He had met all the requirements; all that was left was to build one more carriage. He had promised the slaves that if they could maintain a mining output of twelve units or more for five straight days, he would build them another slave car to give them a more spacious living environment.

With a single thought—

100 units of iron ore from the warehouse in Carriage #2 dissolved into dust and merged with the train. A moment later, behind The Stellar, the ghostly outline of a new carriage, formed by countless white, dotted lines, materialized in the wasteland air.

A few seconds later, as the faintly glowing lines dimmed, a brand-new carriage appeared at the tail end of The Stellar, already coupled and connected.

And with that—

The train now had a fourth carriage, which would be designated Slave Carriage #5.

Now, all the conditions for the upgrade had been met. With another thought, a full 5,000 units of iron ore disintegrated into dust and were absorbed by the train—the required resource cost for the upgrade.

When all the dust had been absorbed...

The next second!

A semi-transparent panel instantly popped up in front of Chen Mang.

[Your train has been upgraded to Level 2.]

[More craftable accessories, as well as more personalized and practical functions, have been unlocked.]

Chen Mang, his eyes filled with anticipation, skipped the notification panel and immediately opened his main Train Panel.

Soon, a highly detailed display appeared on the cockpit screen.

[Train Name]: The Stellar

[Train Level]: 2

[Train Accessories]: Level 2 Geocentric Furnace, Level 1 Wheel Swapper, Level 5 Carriage Blades

[Number of Carriages]: 4

[Ore Units]: 913 units of Iron Ore, 100 units of Wood, 10 units of Copper Ore

[Upgrade Requirements]: 10 carriages, all six essential vehicle accessories crafted, consumption of 5,000 units of Level 2 Iron Ore, and a combined accessory level of over 40

"Finally, Level 2!"

Chen Mang quickly scanned the twelve new craftable vehicle accessories that had appeared. Six of them were mandatory if he wanted to upgrade to Level 3; the other six were optional.

He immediately spotted the two he wanted most: the "Train Radio" and the "Crafting Station."

Next, he looked at the new button that had appeared on the control console after the upgrade.

"Personalized Customization"

Pressing the button brought up nearly a dozen different customization options on the screen.

For example, he could now customize the internal structure of the carriages, creating hard-seat or even sleeper cars like Boss Kun's for the enforcers to live in.

He could also change the exterior color of the carriages.

He could even have the train's name painted on the side.

But...

Chen Mang pursed his lips. Every single one of these options cost resources. There weren't many useful ones, and he couldn't imagine any sane person wasting resources on changing the train's paint job.

Just as he was about to take a closer look at the twelve new craftable accessories—

"WOOOO!!!"

A piercing, heavy train whistle suddenly blared from the distance, growing rapidly closer. Chen Mang, who had been studying the new upgrade features, practically leaped out of his seat, snatching the binoculars and aiming them toward the source of the sound.

A pitch-black train, caked in dust, was speeding toward him through the night!

It was a long, continuous blast!

The whistle had already been sounding for several seconds and showed no sign of stopping. As the train drew nearer, the sound grew deafening!

Almost instinctively, Chen Mang grabbed the walkie-talkie, his voice fast and hoarse. "All slaves, back in the carriages, now! Enforcers, prepare for battle!"

He didn't know what was happening.

But he knew one thing.

Out on the wasteland, most sudden developments were not good news.

At the same time, the urgent voices of Biao and the others crackled over the walkie-talkie.

"Boss Mang, everyone is in position, ready to fight at any time."

"Awaiting your orders."

He didn't know what this other train's situation was, but he had no intention of simply handing over the mine. He would at least have to test their strength. If they were truly outmatched, then he'd think about running. Finding another iron mine wasn't going to be easy.

The train in his binoculars was fast—faster than his own—and showed no signs of slowing down. It just kept blaring its horn as it shot past him!

It quickly vanished over the horizon.

In the instant it passed, he noticed it only had three carriages. The exteriors were covered in dents and splatters of dried blood, with tattered shreds of flesh and severed limbs hanging off the sides, flapping in the wind.

He could clearly see that all three carriages were armored; otherwise, they'd have more than just dents.

Then—

Three more piercing whistles tore through the air, coming from the same direction!

As the sound grew louder, Chen Mang saw them clearly. Three more trains, driving almost side-by-side, were speeding toward him, all blasting their horns!

He even recognized one of them.

It was the Level 2 train that had sped past him a few nights ago after the zombie wolf attack. He had been incredibly envious of it at the time. The train had thirteen carriages, each one covered in armor and mounted with two heavy machine guns.

The engine itself was armed with two large-caliber autocannons.

Back then, guided by its high beams, the train had blasted DJ music at full volume, arrogantly and recklessly roaring past him, even giving three short toots of its horn in greeting.

From that moment on, that train had become his goal.

He had vowed to himself that day, he too would have a train with that kind of configuration, and he too would roar across the wasteland with such impunity.

However...

That very same dream train was now fleeing in his direction, looking utterly battered. It was down to just eight of its original thirteen carriages, and its body was riddled with holes, as if it had been corroded by a powerful acid. Thick, green, viscous fluid dripped from its exterior.

The DJ music was gone.

It was now blasting a long, continuous wail from its horn.

The hoarse, piercing sound filled the once-silent wasteland with an air of slaughter and despair.

"Something's happened."

Seeing this, Chen Mang's face fell as he instantly understood. The first train, and now these three—they were all clearly running for their lives. There had to be something terrifying, like a massive horde chasing them from behind.

Although he couldn't see anything, perhaps because of the darkness and poor visibility...

He slammed his foot on the accelerator without a second thought. He steered his train, now also at full speed, in the same direction the first train had fled!

If even that nearly maxed-out Level 2 train was running, what was he waiting for?

"Damn it!"

Seeing that his train was obviously slower than the others, which soon overtook him and vanished from sight, leaving him all alone on the wasteland, Chen Mang couldn't help but curse.

"Does the heaven above have a sick sense of humor? I praise him, and everything immediately goes sideways."

"Or did he clock out for the night and stop taking prayers?"