Chen Mang turned his head to look at Lao Zhu, who was rushing over with a pickaxe, ready to swing.

"You were going to attack me?" he asked with a hint of dry amusement in his voice.

"Huh?" Lao Zhu froze, then quickly stammered an explanation. "Of course not, Boss Mang! I was going to deal with that slave!"

During the frantic escape from the mine, everyone had abandoned their pickaxes. No one would carry something so cumbersome while running for their lives. The one in Lao Zhu's hands was a mystery; perhaps it was one the guards had temporarily stored in the carriage, and he had just picked it up.

Chen Mang chuckled, not giving it another thought. He'd seen what was happening, of course; he'd just wanted to mess with Lao Zhu a bit before they died.

The guy didn't have a sense of humor.

Still, he was an interesting fellow. It was obvious they were all about to die, so what was the point of clarifying anything? They could sort it all out in the afterlife.

By now, he had already reloaded a fresh magazine and resumed firing. He didn't even need to aim. As the train car slowed, the nearest zombie was less than half a meter away.

He could see its features.

It was completely hairless, its skin a ghastly white, revealing dark blue veins underneath. Its pupils were the color of pitch-black ink.

It was a terrifying sight.

BANG! BANG!

The gunshots rang out again.

"Hey," Chen Mang said after emptying the magazine once more. He took a drag from the cigarette dangling from his lips and leaned against the doorframe. As he quickly reloaded, he glanced over at Lao Zhu. "Got any last words? Might as well say them. I know we just met, but I'd say this counts as a fateful encounter."

"Heh…"

Although Lao Zhu's face was a twisted mask of fear, he forced a smile, trying his best to remain calm. "No last words. It's been over a year since the apocalypse started. I've thought about how I'd end up. This isn't too hard to accept."

He paused. "My only regret is that I wish I hadn't given you that second cigarette. I could go for a smoke right before I die."

"Tsk."

Chen Mang couldn't help but laugh. He passed the cigarette, now just a smoldering butt, to Lao Zhu. "You only had two, huh? Here. I've got nine bullets left. I'll kill a few more zombies, then save the last two for us. A quicker way to go."

Lao Zhu didn't say anything, but his eyes lit up. He took the cigarette butt and took a long, deep drag. A sense of calm finally washed over him. He closed his eyes amidst the swirling smoke and then, as if released from his burden, began to laugh.

"That hits the spot."

Inside the carriage, the other slaves were curled up in corners, their faces etched with despair and helplessness as they waited for death. Chen Mang even saw a few of them defiantly march over to his straw mat and sit down on it. If they were going to die anyway, they might as well see what the privilege felt like. Who was going to stop them?

The carriage had slowed to a crawl. In another ten seconds, at most, it would grind to a complete halt. Zombies were already climbing onto the undercarriage, their claws tearing at the metal.

"Hah."

Chen Mang let out a breath and continued firing into the horde.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Just as he was down to his last three bullets, he felt a sudden, intense heat from the birthmark on the back of his left hand. A thought flashed through his mind, and a milky-white, translucent panel instantly appeared before him.

[Newbie Train Captain Mission 3: Kill 10 zombies within three months. (Completed)]

[Time Taken: Less than one day.]

[Reward: 'Train Token' x1, Zombie Perception Blocker x1.]

Chen Mang stared at the panel, distracted for only a fraction of a second before it all clicked. This was the "Train Captain Panel" he had activated last night. It had three newbie missions that had to be completed to unlock its other functions.

In the heat of the moment, he had completely forgotten about it. The rewards were unknown, so he had no idea what killing ten zombies would even get him.

He never expected this…

A "Train Token" was better than nothing, but he had no time to care about that right now. The horde had them surrounded. Even if he had a new Train at this very moment, he couldn't break out. The wheels would be instantly jammed; there was no room to even start moving.

But the Zombie Perception Blocker was another story entirely. That thing was a lifesaver.

He felt a token and a device that felt like a walkie-talkie materialize in his pocket. He immediately pulled the device out and gripped it in his hand.

Another panel popped up.

[Special Item: Zombie Perception Blocker]

[Item Effect: When activated, it creates a small zone of interference, blocking the perception of Level 1 zombies toward any living beings within it. Lasts for 1 hour after activation. Can be used again after 24 hours.]

It had a single green button.

By now, the zombies were about to pour into the carriage. With no time to think, Chen Mang slammed his thumb down on the green button.

The next second—

Every single zombie outside the carriage instantly froze, like a swarm of headless flies that had lost their target. A moment later, they dispersed, swarming toward the carriages further ahead.

It wasn't just their car that had been abandoned.

Just as he'd suspected, every carriage except for the engine had been discarded.

"Hah…"

Seeing this, Chen Mang let out a long breath, the relief of a survivor washing over him.

Damn it!

He had been prepared for the end, yet, against all odds, he remained alive. He survived this?

The Blocker's range seemed to be large enough to envelop the entire carriage. It only worked on Level 1 zombies, but for now, he could only pray there were no higher-level ones in this horde. Their carriage was now a lone boat in a raging storm, at risk of being capsized at any moment. The effect only lasted for an hour; if the horde didn't move on by then, they would still be in mortal danger.

But…

If he could ride out this horde, he wouldn't just have a "Train Token." He'd have a carriage with nearly a hundred slaves. He could start his operation, right here and now.

Chen Mang turned and looked at the crowd of terrified and bewildered slaves inside the carriage. A wide grin spread across his face.

Fortune and misfortune truly were two sides of the same coin.

This was good.

He hoped zombies didn't eat things like bread. Once the horde passed, he could scavenge the other abandoned cars for any leftover food or resources. Better yet, he could dismantle those heavy machine guns and install them on his new train.

He recalled that they had not been installed on the engine car.

The only shame was…

Those bastards who beat him with batons probably weren't going to make it. A real pity. He still owed them for that.