Having regained his composure, Chen Mang let out a long, slow breath. He stood up and stretched, exhaustion washing over him. It was nearly dusk, and he had no energy left for anything else.

He parked the train right where it was, collapsed onto his bed, and drifted into a hazy sleep.

The next morning, Chen Mang washed and refreshed himself, then stretched with a satisfied groan. Lao Zhu had already assembled all the slaves in the open space, waiting for him to speak. This would be his first formal address to the new recruits.

After this speech, it was time to start mining.

"..."

Chen Mang stood on the roof of the train, leaning on his cane, and looked down at the sea of faces before him. Over a thousand people. The last time he’d spoken in front of a crowd this large, he’d been on a stage at school, reading a letter of apology.

The crowd was noisy at first, but a hush fell over them when they saw Chen Mang.

Biao and his guards stood to the side, their faces cold, Dragon Assault Rifles in hand, maintaining order.

After a moment, Chen Mang began.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Mang."

His voice, amplified by the train’s external speakers, reached every slave’s ears.

"I’ve always treated my slaves well. The eight hundred of you who just joined the Stellar should have already gotten a taste of that. What you’re enjoying now is just the lowest, Tier-3 slave treatment."

"And for that, you get ten soft, fragrant, filled bread slices and two bottles of pure mineral water every day."

"Compare that to your previous living conditions. You all know the difference."

"See that woman over there? Ji Chuchu?"

"The famous superstar from before the apocalypse. You all know who she is, right?"

"I promised you that if you worked hard, I would snatch Ji Chuchu and bring her to the Stellar. I’ve kept my word. Here, as my slaves, you can enjoy treatment that even other Train Captains can only dream of."

Standing to the side, a smiling Ji Chuchu waved at the slaves without a hint of stage fright. She even turned and gave a little twist of her hips. Her expression wasn’t overtly seductive; in fact, the slight, playful bite of her tongue gave her a mischievous air. But it created an indescribable sense of allure.

She was a natural-born siren.

"And—"

Chen Mang paused, his expression calm, before continuing. "The Stellar is currently the strongest train in the Ironridge Wasteland. As long as you are on this train, you will have its protection. You will never have to worry about your safety again."

"Food, water, shelter."

"These are what I give you."

"I only ask for one thing in return: that you use all your strength to mine. Every person’s daily mining output will be recorded. I will not treat anyone who works hard unfairly."

"Now, all women, step forward."

As his words fell, the women in the crowd exchanged uneasy glances but complied.

"Mm."

Chen Mang scanned the group. There were over a hundred women, a relatively small percentage. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "On the Stellar, everyone must contribute. Those who want to mine with the men stand to the left. Those who want an easier job stand to the right."

Soon, over sixty women had moved to the left.

Forty-odd women remained on the right.

"Hmm?"

Chen Mang’s brow furrowed. He looked at a woman on the right who stood a head taller than the others. She was at least 1.8 meters tall, her body a mass of toned muscle. Her shoe size had to be at least a 45【TN: European sizing, roughly size 12 US women’s】, and her face was all harsh angles. He couldn’t help but speak up. "I said, those who want to mine, stand to the left."

"I’m not mining."

The woman, who stood out like a crane among chickens, forced what she must have thought was a charming smile. "I want an easy job," she said eagerly. "An easy one."

"..."

Chen Mang took a deep breath and waved his hand. "Biao, take her to the left. With a physique like that, what kind of easy job is she going to do? Professionals should do professional work."

After dealing with that small interruption, he turned his gaze back to the crowd.

"When your mining output reaches a certain level, you can be promoted to a Tier-2 slave and even a Tier-1 slave. From now on, you won’t have to worry about a lack of mines to work."

"When you reach Tier 2, you will have the right to rest and relax."

[Click to View Image]

The speech was over.

Chen Mang descended from the carriage and had Lao Zhu bring the couple from among the slaves to him. There were two pairs in total.

The first was a middle-aged couple.

On the other side of the train, Chen Mang stood on the wasteland, leaning on his cane as he looked at them. He felt this was a sure thing. A middle-aged couple who had stuck together through the apocalypse must have true feelings for each other.

He took out the "Doomsday Marriage Certificate" and handed one to each of them.

After waiting patiently for several seconds, there was no reaction.

"..."

Chen Mang waved his hand, not disappointed, and gestured for them to leave.

Soon, the second couple, a young pair, was brought before him. They also failed.

"Sigh."

He let out a soft sigh and put the "Doomsday Marriage Certificate" away. It seemed he wouldn’t be using this thing anytime soon. Finding a truly in-love couple in the apocalypse was a bit too difficult.

Just then, Lao Zhu handed him a piece of paper.

"Boss Mang, here are the draft train rules, based on your instructions. Please take a look."

"Mm."

Chen Mang took the paper and, after a glance, stuffed it back into his pocket. A few of the rules needed to be revised. The train needed clear regulations. But right now, the most important thing was...

To go back and craft the "Drill" accessory.

Inside the control car, Chen Mang took the white-grade vehicle accessory blueprint for the "Drill" from the drawer and slapped it onto the control console. As the blueprint dissolved into white motes of light and consumed 100 units of iron ore—

The next moment, a massive drill appeared at the front of the train, capable of being freely extended and retracted.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he spent another 4,400 units of iron ore to upgrade the white-grade "Drill" accessory straight to Level 10.

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