Biaozi, who was on patrol, noticed the commotion. His face darkened. He chambered a round in his Assault Rifle and aimed it squarely at the woman’s head. "Let him go," he rasped.

The woman didn’t dare ignore the warning. She immediately released her grip, dropping Uncle Li to the ground. "He said no one wants me," she mumbled defensively.

Biaozi couldn’t be bothered with slave squabbles. He gave her a cold, hard stare.

"Next time, you can pick a comfortable way to die."

He turned and strode away, but as he did, a flicker of shock crossed his eyes. That woman’s strength is insane. She could probably take on three grown men without breaking a sweat.

"Hmph."

The woman shot Uncle Li a resentful look before picking up her pickaxe and stomping off to another spot to resume mining. She worked with incredible vigor, her efficiency surpassing many of the men. As she dug, she muttered under her breath.

"One pretty boy, two pretty boys, three pretty boys..."

Inside the Stellar.

Chen Mang was lounging in his chair, engrossed in a movie on the screen, when a knock came at the door. His brow furrowed slightly. "Enter," he said in a low voice.

"Boss Mang."

Lao Zhu entered, his face a mask of reverence. "Heihai brought something to my attention," he said quietly. "I felt it was necessary to report it to you immediately, so you can decide how to handle it."

"Heihai, you tell Boss Mang."

"Yes, yes."

Heihai, who had followed Lao Zhu in, first offered a sycophantic, nervous laugh before quickly speaking. "Boss Mang, you might not know this, but Biaozi has been a Train Captain several times before. Once, he was even the captain of a Level 2 train. The only reason he handed over that Train Captain’s Token on his first mission was to trick you into thinking he had no ambition to strike out on his own."

"These past few days, I’ve developed a deep loyalty to the Stellar."

"Biaozi will definitely turn on you one day, Boss Mang. After all, he’s been a captain before. He’ll never be content serving under someone else."

As his words faded, Heihai tightly gripped the hem of his shirt, his palms sweating. The sound of his ragged breathing and the frantic pounding of his heart thundered in his ears.

Silence descended upon the room.

After what felt like an eternity…

"Awesome!"

Chen Mang suddenly roared with satisfaction at the movie screen. Leaning back in his chair, he lit a cigarette with a pleased smile. "That’s how you kill zombies! So damn satisfying."

"Watching this makes me itchy for some action. I’ll have to go kill some zombies myself in a few days."

Only then did Chen Mang’s gaze drift to Lao Zhu and Heihai. He waved a dismissive hand. "Have Biaozi come see me."

Lao Zhu lowered his head, about to respond, but Heihai had already answered with trembling excitement. Lao Zhu’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, but he said nothing, simply nodding and leading Heihai out of the control car.

"Just as I thought."

The moment they were outside the control car, Hei Wa couldn’t suppress a grin. He glanced at Lao Zhu. "Thank you for passing on the message, Carriage Chief Zhu. I’ll be counting on your guidance in the future."

Lao Zhu paused for a beat before offering a natural, friendly smile.

"Of course, of course."

"Boss Mang will probably kill Biaozi, right? I mean, Biaozi hid the fact that he used to be a captain."

"By the customs of the wasteland, that’s usually a death sentence."

"Then it’s a done deal."

Just then—

Biaozi, having been summoned, ran into Lao Zhu and Hei Wa in the No. 2 carriage.

"Biaozi."

Heihai stood with his hands in his pockets, a smirk on his face as Biaozi approached. "Thanks for telling me that Boss Mang only needs someone for this position, but doesn’t care who it is. If you can have it, why can’t I?"

"I’ve already reported you to Boss Mang."

"Nervous?"

"Look at you. A guilty conscience shows in a man. Your face is as white as a sheet."

Biaozi, who hadn’t known why he was being summoned, felt like he’d been struck by lightning. His face drained of all color, and he stared at Hei Wa’s smile in disbelief.

This Hei Wa seemed like a complete stranger.

He never imagined Hei Wa would betray him.

His body trembled, and he struggled to stay on his feet. His eyes reddened as he bit out each word through clenched teeth, "Hei Wa, I’ve treated you well!"

"Treated me well?"

Hei Wa’s expression turned ugly. "When we first joined Boss Mang, why did you pick me for the first-night watch? There were so many others, but you chose me."

Biaozi took a deep breath. Ignoring Lao Zhu’s presence, he laid it all out.

"At the time, nobody respected me. Only you and Erdan had been with me from the start. You were my trusted man. Who else was I supposed to send? And you! You fell the hell asleep on the watch that night, and the train was surrounded by zombie wolves. When Boss Mang demanded answers, I was the one who took the fall for you! Have you fucking forgotten that?!"

"Heh."

Hei Wa sneered, not bothering to argue further. He turned to Lao Zhu. "Chief Zhu, got a spare cigarette?"

"Here."

Lao Zhu’s face was impassive as he silently pulled a cigarette from his pocket and handed it over.

Hei Wa took it, walked up to Biaozi, stuck the cigarette in his mouth, and lit it for him. Then, he patted Biaozi’s cheek. "Don’t worry, brother. I know you like to have a last smoke before you die. I took yours earlier, didn’t I?"

"Consider this a replacement."

"Finish it up, so you can go peacefully."

Face pale and eyes bloodshot, Biaozi spat the lit cigarette onto Hei Wa’s face. He then looked past him to Lao Zhu, his voice trembling with a fear he was desperately trying to control. "Vice Captain Zhu... what’s Boss Mang’s mood? Can you give me a hint?"

"..."

Lao Zhu shook his head, his expression unreadable. "I don’t know."

"What do you think my chances are?"

"I don’t know."

"Not even a sliver of a chance...?"

Lao Zhu shook his head again. "I’m not sure."

As a subordinate, speculating on a superior’s thoughts was a bad habit. He had been a subordinate for a very long time. He might not be an expert at getting things done, but he knew how to survive. After all, when it came down to it, aside from highly specialized tasks, most jobs could be done by anyone. Swapping one person for another rarely made a difference.

After failing to get any information from Lao Zhu, Biaozi took a deep, shaky breath. He forced himself to stand straight, smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes, and then bent down to pick up the cigarette from under Heihai’s foot. Ignoring Heihai’s sneer, he put it back in his mouth.

Standing before the door to the control car, he took two deep drags, finishing his last smoke.

Then, he extinguished the butt in the palm of his hand.

His heart was a pit of despair, and he slowly pushed open the door. The first thing he saw was Boss Mang, feet propped up on the console, completely engrossed in a movie.

He didn’t dare speak.

He quietly closed the door behind him and stood silently to the side, waiting. The only sound in the room was the dialogue from the movie, a kind of white noise that made his legs feel like they might give out.

An eternity seemed to pass.

When the end credits music began to play, Chen Mang, looking thoroughly satisfied, switched to the next movie. He pulled two cigarettes from the pack, casually tossing one to Biaozi before lighting his own.