Bloodthirsty Bull Train: "That sounds about right. Some of the more aggressive weapon attachments can be real energy hogs. I've heard of people burning through three Energy Stones in a single fight. But you just hit Level 2. The accessories from a Level 1 train barely use any power. Something's not adding up."

The Infinity: "Definitely not normal, but I'm not sure what could be causing it."

The Hell Train: "Some monsters have attacks that can drain the engine's Energy Stone directly. The venom from that Level 3 Cannibalistic Spider, for example. I'd suggest building the 'Train Auxiliary AI' as soon as you can. It's really useful—displays detailed info on any monster the radar picks up."

The Infinity: "That can't be it. This guy's train is only Level 2. To get hit by the Level 3 spider's venom, he'd have to be pretty close. A newly upgraded Level 2 train can't outrun that thing. It would've been a death sentence."

The Hell Train: "But I thought that spider was the only monster on the barren wasteland with an energy-draining attack."

The Infinity: "There must be another reason, we just don't know what it is. If you can't figure it out, just get another Train Token, switch trains, and start over. Rebooting has been the ultimate solution to all problems since the dawn of time."

Bloodthirsty Bull Train: "Gotta sleep. See you all at the gathering in a few days."

...

Chen Mang silently watched the messages scroll by in the chatroom. He had a pretty good idea of what had happened now. He must have been accidentally splashed with some venom during the attack, causing the engine's Energy Stone to lose capacity.

As long as he had an answer, that was enough.

After all, one Energy Stone was only worth 500 units of iron ore. He could afford the loss.

Time for sleep.

A wave of drowsiness washed over him again. He stripped off his clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, it was morning.

After a quick wash with some water, Chen Mang sat at the side table, eating a steamed bun stuffed with chili sauce. As he ate, he watched the slaves outside, who were already awake and preparing to head down into the mine.

What a bunch of lovely little worker ants.

He needed more slaves.

He silently made a plan. Once his Level 2 train was fully equipped, he would go out and round up more.

In the wasteland, population was the number one productive force.

Outside the window, Biao Zi was leading a group of guards in a training exercise. From what Chen Mang could overhear, the nine guards were split into three teams of three. Biao Zi would call out a team number and a direction on a clock face, and that team would simulate an attack. It was a drill to ensure their fields of fire wouldn't overlap.

He didn't interfere. He wasn't an expert in this sort of thing.

He would leave it to Biao Zi.

Soon—

The day passed. The slaves emerged from the mine once more, carrying their pickaxes and 1,208 units of iron ore.

It was another uneventful day.

Aside from a few scattered monsters, the surroundings were empty.

But just as the iron ore was being loaded into cargo car #2, Chen Mang felt the ground begin to shake. The tremors were strong, like an earthquake, and he could see dust dancing on the surface of the wasteland.

Before he could even process what was happening, a piercing alarm blared from the speakers inside the train. On the Search Radar's screen, a swarm of red dots suddenly appeared around the perimeter, their numbers growing rapidly.

"Everyone on the train!"

After several similar experiences, the slaves and guards were becoming accustomed to this. They scrambled back onto the train without hesitation. With a roar of the engine, the Stellar slowly started moving, finding the weakest point in the zombie horde and charging through at full speed before the encirclement could be completed.

As for the few dozen zombies blocking their path...

They were sent flying into the air at the moment of impact. The high-speed blades on either side of the train sliced any approaching zombie in two.

As long as they weren't completely pinned down, a zombie horde wasn't that much of a threat.

About ten minutes later, the horde was no longer visible behind them. Chen Mang poked his head out of the skylight on the ceiling, binoculars in hand, and scanned the area behind him. They would have to camp here for the night. The zombies would likely disperse by morning, and then they could head back to the mine.

But...

...

Chen Mang's brow furrowed slightly. The Search Radar's warning range was only a 1,000-meter radius. It was too short. If the slaves had still been down in the mine, getting them out in time would have been much more difficult.

He needed to upgrade the Search Radar soon.

Just then—

He noticed a flurry of new messages scrolling rapidly across the "Train Radio" screen.

Hometown Train: "Was that an earthquake? The ground was shaking way too much."

The Infinity: "I think so."

Bloodthirsty Bull Train: "It's that Apocalypse Abyss area again. I just passed by there and saw the chasm shaking violently. That's what caused the quake in the wasteland."

...

...

A strange expression crossed Chen Mang's face as he read the messages. From the chat, he gathered that after the apocalypse, a massive, abyss-like fissure had opened up in this barren wasteland. The chasm was almost perfectly vertical, and no one knew how deep it was; you couldn't see the bottom.

Because it trembled so often, like the gates of hell about to swing open, people had named it the "Apocalypse Abyss."

According to rumors, someone with a "Resource Detection Radar" had found a Level 2 iron mine and a Level 1 copper mine down there.

That was a high-density resource point.

Level 2 iron mines were rare in the wasteland, and copper was even rarer.

Moreover, all ammunition required copper to craft. It was a consumable, and you could never have enough. A place with both mines right next to each other was extremely valuable.

Some people had tried to use ziplines and other equipment salvaged from the city ruins to lower slaves down to the mine, but the chasm was too deep. No one had ever reached the bottom, so the idea was abandoned. The resource point remained untapped.

Besides, it wasn't like there weren't other Level 2 iron and Level 1 copper mines elsewhere in the wasteland.

But...

...

Chen Mang's eyes narrowed, his mind starting to race. Others couldn't get down there, but he could.

His "Spider Legs" could already travel on a 45-degree slope. Once he upgraded them enough, they could move freely on a 90-degree vertical surface. To him, the Apocalypse Abyss wasn't just a resource point—it was a safe house.

A zombie horde could never get in.

He would no longer be chased all over the place like he was now.

The only problem was, upgrading the "Spider Legs" required a lot of "Fine Spider Silk."

Just then—

A new message popped up in the chatroom.

Bloodthirsty Bull Train: "I've got my hands on a green-grade rare accessory blueprint, a 'Nitro Booster.' Anyone want to call dibs? I'll trade for slaves, women, resources, blueprints, tobacco—anything of value. We can do the deal at the gathering. DM me to talk price."

"A gathering?"

Chen Mang frowned. Through the chat, he learned that it was a trading event organized by the Train Captains themselves. The location changed each time, maintained only by mutual agreement.

The next one was in seven days.

His train had only just reached Level 2. Joining the fun didn't feel very safe.

But there was no harm in asking.

The Stellar: "Does anyone have any Fine Spider Silk?"

The reply was almost instantaneous.

Bloodthirsty Bull Train: "You bet, brother. I've got it. How much do you need?"