Biao Zi grunted and narrowed his eyes before continuing.

"Trust is fragile in the apocalypse. It's hard to get a captain to trust you completely. For example, how could we prove we turned in every single thing we found?"

"It's impossible."

"But the Train Token was different. We handed over something that would've let us strike out on our own. You think Boss Mang won't trust us after that?"

"Lao Zhu was the first to follow him, sure, but after this? Boss Mang probably trusts me more. Believe it?"

"Besides..."

Biao let out a long, helpless sigh. "It's not like I haven't tried starting my own crew. You two know how that ended. And what about all those other captains we followed? Didn't they all end up dead?"

"Being the boss isn't as easy as it looks."

"And Boss Mang... he's different."

He narrowed his eyes again and muttered, "A normal Carriage Blade, even fully upgraded, could never have broken through the defenses of that Level 3 Cannibalistic Spider. As long as this train keeps developing, our status and our chances of survival will be much better than if we tried to go it alone."

"Anyway, you wouldn't get it."

"Just know one thing: stick with Boss Mang and work hard."

"Oh."

Hei Wa nodded weakly. "Every time you say that, the captain dies a few days later."

"That was then, this is now!"

"Boss Mang isn't like the others!"

Five hours later, the train finally returned to the iron mine. Gazing out at the familiar landscape and the mine entrance, Chen Mang felt an almost homelike sense of affection. It was already high noon.

A wave of exhaustion washed over him.

He hadn't slept in a long time. He spoke a few words to Biao over the walkie-talkie, telling him to arrange a watch and have everyone get some sleep to recover their strength. Then he stumbled to the bed in his cockpit and, without even taking off his clothes, collapsed onto it.

He was just too tired.

Sleep first. Everything else could wait.

Perhaps because he was so utterly exhausted, by the time he woke up, it was already four or five in the morning on the second day.

"Whew..."

Chen Mang groggily washed his face in the cockpit, then lit a cigarette and hopped down from the engine car. The wasteland was already buzzing with activity. Slaves were streaming out of the carriages and heading toward the mine.

"Boss Mang!"

Seeing Chen Mang was awake, Lao Zhu, who was directing the men, hurried over to report. "Some of the slaves woke up early. Said they couldn't sleep and wanted to get a head start in the mine. I didn't want to bother you with something so minor, so I gave them the okay."

"The ones who just woke up are getting their bread and water now."

"Today's haul should be pretty big. A lot of them went down into the mine at two or three in the morning."

"Oh?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Mang's face. "They're all that motivated?"

"Yeah."

Lao Zhu's expression was a little strange. "I asked a few of them. They said that the Level 3 Cannibalistic Spider scared the hell out of them. They don't want to die. They want to mine more ore so the train can get stronger, faster. That's the only way they'll feel safe."

"Now that's what I like to hear!"

Chen Mang couldn't help but laugh. He pulled two cartons of cigarettes from his coat and tossed them to Lao Zhu. "One for you, Biao, and the others to split. Give the other one to the slaves. As long as they work hard, they won't be treated poorly."

"We have to keep their morale up. A person's potential is limitless."

"Alright, get back to it."

"You got it."

Lao Zhu nodded, then hurried back to maintain order, breaking open the cartons and handing two cigarettes to each slave.

Chen Mang watched the bustling scene, a slight smile on his face as he stood in the night breeze and looked up at the star-filled sky. Having a vice-captain like this was nice—at least he didn't have to worry about the small stuff.

He then walked alone to the rear of the train.

He lit three cigarettes and stuck them in the dirt of the wasteland, then clasped his hands together and looked to the heavens, muttering.

"Here's to a grand reopening."

"Please, Heaven Above, bless me with another seven days of peaceful mining. By then, this mine should be just about tapped out, and I can go look for a new one."

Although the encounter with the Cannibalistic Spider had yielded a decent haul, not every accident had a happy ending.

If he could avoid them, he would.

After praying earnestly for a few moments, he pulled the three cigarettes from the ground, dusted off the ends, and stuck all three in his mouth. He then strolled back toward the engine, hands clasped behind his back.

In the apocalypse, tobacco was a scarce commodity. He couldn't afford to be wasteful. The thought was what counted.

Three at once—now that had a kick.

Inside the cockpit, after a quick patrol, Chen Mang returned to the control console and pressed the red button labeled "Vehicle Accessories." The main screen immediately displayed the twelve new craftable accessories that had been unlocked when the train reached Level 2.

[Train Radio]: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 500 units of Iron Ore.

[Crafting Station]: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 500 units of Iron Ore.

[Tripod-Mounted Heavy Machine Gun]: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 500 units of Iron Ore.

[7mm Heavy Machine Gun Bullet Production Line]: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 500 units of Copper Ore.

[Search Radar]: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 500 units of Iron Ore.

[Resource Detection Radar]

: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 500 units of Iron Ore.

These six were mandatory for upgrading the train to Level 3.

And they were all extremely useful.

Beyond those were six optional accessories.

[Vehicle Sound System]: White Grade. Crafting Cost: 100 units of Iron Ore.

[Internal Fire Control System]: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 1,000 units of Iron Ore.

[5.6mm Rifle Bullet Production Line]: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 500 units of Copper Ore.

[Custom Cloth Production Line]: White Grade. Crafting Cost: 100 units of Wood.

[Simple First-Aid Kit]: White Grade. Crafting Cost: 100 units of Iron Ore.

[Train Auxiliary AI]: Green Grade. Crafting Cost: 500 units of Iron Ore.

Translator's Note: The term "三腳貓重機槍" (sānjiǎomāo zhòngjīqiāng), previously translated as "Jury-rigged Heavy Machine Gun," has been re-translated to Tripod Heavy Machine Gun.

There was no additional Red-grade accessory this time. It seemed the rare Train Token only granted two.

After reaching Level 2, the available accessories were a clear step up from Level 1.

He wanted every single one of these twelve accessories, and he needed them all. But crafting them and leveling them up would require a massive amount of resources.

And...

He wanted to mount two heavy machine guns on the roof of every carriage. That would make him feel truly safe. But the bullet production line required copper ore, and producing the bullets themselves would undoubtedly consume a large amount of it. He hadn't even found a copper mine yet.

"A long and arduous journey ahead."

Chen Mang sighed softly, his gaze drifting toward the deep wasteland. When would he finally have a fully-equipped Level 2 train?