On the Ironridge Wasteland.

The Stellar roared to life, hurtling toward the ruins of Taiping City.

About three hours later, the skyline of the ruined city finally appeared on the horizon. Along the way, they had spotted only two other trains, both of which had immediately reversed course and fled at top speed, as if they’d seen some unspeakable monster.

The Stellar gradually slowed, coming to a smooth stop beside a container factory on the outskirts of the ruins.

At the same time, the ever-active Search Radar projected detailed information on all living creatures within a ten-thousand-meter radius onto the control console’s screen.

"Hm?"

Chen Mang’s brow furrowed as he studied the scattered red dots. There were fewer survivors in Taiping City than he’d expected—just over a hundred, clustered in two separate areas.

Is it because this is the outskirts? he wondered. Or has this place already been picked clean by other Train Captains?

He didn’t dwell on it. He pulled the "Off-Road Motorcycle Production Line" blueprint from a drawer. He’d gotten it from killing the Goblin Merchant, and now it was finally time to put it to use.

Crafting the accessory required 1,000 units of iron ore.

Soon, a large new lathe appeared in Production Car #2, taking up a spot near the wall. Each off-road motorcycle it produced would consume 500 units of iron ore.

The bikes had a top speed of 180 km/h, faster than some Level 1 trains. Not too shabby.

Each motorcycle required a Level 1 Energy Stone to run. Fortunately, they weren’t too expensive—only 500 units of iron ore each—and could last for over a hundred days of continuous use. The bike would likely fall apart before the energy stone was depleted.

He churned out ten motorcycles and ten energy stones in one go, costing him a total of 10,000 units of iron ore.

The Level 5 Advanced Effect of the "Train Auxiliary AI" was the Hive Mind, which could link the minds of up to twenty people to the control console for seamless, real-time communication within a ten-thousand-meter radius—the same range as the Search Radar.

This meant he could sit comfortably in the train and direct the operation in real-time using the information from the radar.

Soon, with a loud slam, the side wall of Production Car #2 dropped to the ground.

BOOM!

Ten of his guards, Dragon Assault Rifles slung over their backs, revved the engines of their new motorcycles and leaped from the train. They sped off into the depths of the city. The ruined streets were choked with abandoned, weed-covered vehicles, an environment only a motorcycle could navigate with any speed. This would significantly accelerate their search.

"Turn right at the next intersection."

"Go through that collapsed red house and get to the next street."

"There are three Level 1 Zombie Wolves in that house."

Biao gripped the handlebars of his motorcycle, weaving through the endless obstacles as he listened to Chen Mang’s voice in his head. His focus was absolute, but his mind couldn’t help but wander.

The shocks Boss Mang had delivered these past few days were becoming more and more frequent.

He’d been a Train Captain before. He knew what a Level 1 or 2 train was capable of. But Boss Mang’s Level 2 train... it was beyond anything he could have imagined. It was as if the Train Token Boss Mang had found was from a completely different world.

Forget everything else.

He’d never even heard of a Search Radar with a ten-thousand-meter range.

As far as he knew, the Search Radar maxed out at Level 3, with a range of only 3,000 meters. The constant stream of impossible accessories made him feel like Boss Mang was hiding a universe of secrets.

This was his second field mission.

This time, the objective was to rescue survivors.

The next moment—

"You’re there. Thirty-eight survivors are hiding in this container yard."

Biao snapped back to reality and looked at the yard before him. Hundreds of shipping containers were stacked haphazardly, looking like a jumble of train cars. It was an excellent hiding spot.

If you hid in the centermost container and locked all the surrounding ones from the inside, you’d have nearly a hundred doors between you and the outside world. It would be almost impossible for your scent to escape, making it difficult for the zombies and zombie wolves roaming the ruins to find you.

"Move out!"

Biao hopped off his motorcycle and grabbed the pickaxe strapped to the back seat. He hefted it in his hand, then walked to the first container and brought the pickaxe down hard on the lock.

After a few powerful strikes, the lock shattered. He kicked the door open. The container was empty, save for the dust-covered floor, which was littered with footprints. At the far end was another container door.

And so it began.

Three men stood guard with their rifles at the ready while the other seven swung their pickaxes, smashing their way through the containers, taking the most direct route to the one at the center.

BANG!

The moment the last container door was kicked open, Biao instinctively recoiled. In the darkness, without a flashlight, Boss Mang’s voice was his only source of information.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he swung the Dragon Assault Rifle from his back into his hands, flicked off the safety, chambered a round, and aimed at the dark shapes lunging at him, squeezing the trigger.

Rat-tat-tat—

The muffled gunshots echoed in the darkness, almost completely drowned out by a chorus of screams as bullets tore into flesh. Just then, a beam of light from a flashlight cut through the container, illuminating Biao’s blood-splattered, chiseled face.

The trembling beam made it clear that the person holding the flashlight was anything but calm.

"..."

Biao expressionlessly aimed his rifle at the source of the light. "Drop the flashlight. Three... two..."

Before he could finish, the flashlight was tossed out of the darkness. Biao picked it up and shone it on the two bodies at his feet. They had been hiding behind the door, ready to ambush him with fire axes. He then swept the beam across the rest of the container.

There were over thirty survivors, men and women, all huddled in a corner, their eyes wide with terror. The floor was covered with discarded clothes and blankets, and the air was thick with the suffocating stench of decay.

"Everyone, on your feet. Now."

"You’re coming with me."

Biao’s eyes swept over the group. He brandished the Dragon Assault Rifle. "Don’t make me say it again," he said, his voice a low growl.

Besides the two he’d just killed, there were no other threats. If there were, Boss Mang would have told him.

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