The next moment!
Chen Mang's voice echoed through the external sound system of the Stellar Train, reaching everyone's ears. There were no pleasantries or unnecessary words.
It was less of a speech and more of a declaration.
"From today onwards,"
"The Stellar Train will undergo comprehensive reforms. From now on, there will no longer be the terms 'Slave' or 'Thug.'"
"Perhaps in this apocalypse, all Train Conductors have referred to you as Slaves, and perhaps you have long accepted this title. But from now on, in my eyes, you are not Slaves without human rights."
"As long as you are willing to work hard, you can still realize your value in this apocalypse."
"You will have the right to marry and have children, and you can even form your own family of three within the Train."
"The Stellar Train will not tolerate any worthless parasites, but it will also never let down anyone who contributes to the Train."
Standing atop the train car, Chen Mang looked at the sea of people before him, paused for a moment, and then continued calmly.
"You will no longer be Slaves, but Train Residents."
"Thugs will no longer be Thugs, but Guardians."
"Positions and benefits will be separated."
"There can be many types of positions, but there are only six types of benefits. Each position will enjoy different benefits."
"The lowest benefit, Level 3 Resident Benefit: ten slices of bread and two bottles of mineral water daily, living in the Refrigerator."
"Level 2 Resident Benefit: twenty slices of bread and four bottles of mineral water daily, living in the train car."
"Level 1 Resident Benefit: daily food supply remains the same, still living in the train car, with the number of 'Meat Coupons' earned determined by the daily mining output. For every 10 units of resource ore mined, one 'Meat Coupon' is earned. Any excess can be carried over to the next day and settled in whole numbers."
"Level 3 Advanced Talent Benefit: daily food supply to satiety, with two 'Meat Coupons' earned each day."
"Level 2 Advanced Talent Benefit: food supply to satiety, with three 'Meat Coupons' earned each day."
"Level 1 Advanced Talent Benefit: five 'Meat Coupons' earned each day."
Chen Mang looked at the crowd, leaning on his cane with one hand, and continued.
"All Residents will be promoted based on their mining output. If they have no other special skills, their position will remain as Residents, with the highest being Level 1 Resident Benefit."
"Residents who sell meat will enjoy Level 3 Resident Benefit and can be promoted based on the number of 'Meat Coupons' they earn, up to Level 1 Resident Benefit."
"Biao Zi, Lao Zhu."
"Here!"
Biao Zi and Lao Zhu, standing below the train, quickly responded with serious expressions.
"You two will enjoy Level 1 Advanced Talent Benefit."
"The remaining eight Guardians will enjoy Level 2 Advanced Talent Benefit, and the 20 new Guardians to be recruited will enjoy Level 3 Advanced Talent Benefit."
"'Meat Coupons' can not only be used to buy meat but also to purchase a variety of goods within the Train."
"For example,"
"Cigarettes, snacks, food, daily necessities, and even a 100-square-meter Refrigerator as a wedding house, Train Tokens, and benefit promotions."
"In the future, anyone who makes a contribution will be rewarded with a certain number of Meat Coupons."
"This—"
"Is what I, Chen Mang, can give you. As the Stellar Train develops, all benefits will be correspondingly increased."
"The remaining details will be explained by Lao Zhu."
With that,
Chen Mang didn't linger any longer. He turned and returned to his train compartment, sitting down on a chair and letting out a long sigh. Looking out the window at the crowd of Slaves, he smiled with satisfaction. He had been discussing this train reform system with Lao Zhu for days.
This was a relatively good solution.
In the original train plan, there were two major issues.
First, once Slaves reached Level 1 Benefit, there was no further room for advancement, which somewhat dampened their enthusiasm for work. However, they couldn't be allowed to advance further, as the next step would be the Thug's benefit. After all, they couldn't have Slaves living in the Thug Car, could they?
Secondly, the only way the Train currently rewarded people was by increasing their benefits.
But...
The magnitude of different contributions varied. They couldn't just keep increasing benefits every time. And if Lao Zhu made a significant contribution in the future, how would they reward him? How would they increase his benefits further?
In other words,
There was nothing left to reward.
For a leader, having nothing left to reward a subordinate who has made a contribution is an extremely dangerous signal.
At this point, a form of currency was necessary.
Thus, the 'Meat Coupon' was born.
Once the 'Meat Coupon' became the currency, its function as a means to buy meat became its least significant role. The meat-selling Residents and the Stellar Train served as anchors, much like how paper currency is anchored by gold and government bonds.
And he no longer needed to worry about having nothing left to reward.
The authority over the 'Meat Coupon' was entirely in his hands. Although Slaves could only rise to Level 1 Resident Benefit, they could continue to earn Meat Coupons, allowing them to exchange for a 100-square-meter house and even benefit promotions.
The meat-selling Residents would no longer be as they were before but would have more freedom to trade under the market economy.
Everyone could set their own price based on their appearance, skills, or even emotional value.
For example, one woman might charge three coupons, while another might charge five.
Under this system,
The Train's production efficiency would be higher than under the Slave system, and everyone's work enthusiasm would be greater than before.
In the previous Slave system, all Slaves had vacant eyes, completely unaware of what tomorrow would bring, only knowing to work. But with this new system, everyone had a goal.
He had placed many good items in the store.
With his left hand, he created 'Meat Coupons' and distributed them through benefits.
With his right hand, he reclaimed the 'Meat Coupons' through the Meat Coupon Store.
It was like passing from the left hand to the right hand, but the enthusiasm of everyone in the Train would be mobilized. This method of motivating people was far more sophisticated than the previous system of communal rewards, but special times call for special measures.
The Stellar Train currently had absolute internal dominance and external supremacy, and with no shortage of supplies, it could implement this system.
Other Trains...
Who had the time to think about these things? They were too busy figuring out where to mine tomorrow.
He was quite satisfied with the system he had designed, even though there were still some shortcomings. But any system starts as a prototype and gradually becomes standardized. No group's system is perfect from the beginning.
"'Level 3 Advanced Talent Benefit' costs 200 Meat Coupons?"
After Lao Zhu finished speaking,
All the Slaves gathered around the Train, looking at the various product prices posted on the large notices outside the train cars. A Resident with Level 1 Slave Benefit, his eyes filled with shock, muttered as he counted on his fingers.
"I currently have Level 1 Slave Benefit, earning one Meat Coupon per day."
"That means in 200 days, I can be promoted to Level 3 Advanced Talent Benefit, after which I'll earn two Meat Coupons per day. I'll break even in 100 days."
"After that, it's pure profit of two Meat Coupons per day."
"In a year, that's 600 Meat Coupons, so..."
"Still a Slave Benefit?" A Slave next to him nudged the man who was talking to himself, also unable to take his eyes off the large notices posted outside the train. "Lord Mang already said we're Residents now."
"Oh right, Residents, Residents..."
The man awkwardly smiled, "Still not quite used to it."
Inside the Train compartment,
Chen Mang looked at Lao Zhu and said seriously, "There will definitely be areas that need to be addressed as this system is put into practice, such as the pricing of goods."
"You need to keep a close eye on these things in the coming days."
"Understood?"
"Understood." Lao Zhu nodded seriously, then asked, "Lord Mang, what about Ji Chuchu and those celebrities, and Li Shiji? What benefits do they get?"
"..."
Chen Mang thought for a moment before replying, "Ji Chuchu and Li Shiji will get Level 3 Advanced Talent Benefit and will be assigned to those two Advanced Talent cars. As for the celebrities, just give them Level 3 Resident Benefit."
"After all, they're celebrities. They won't set low prices for themselves."
"Alright, one more thing..."
Lao Zhu hesitated before speaking in a low voice, "Lord Mang, didn't you say last time that Ji Chuchu would be rewarded to the Slaves who performed well? But all the Slaves who performed well are Goblins, and they don't mess with women."
"Besides them, no one else has touched Ji Chuchu."
"Mm."
Chen Mang nodded casually, "Got it. Have her come over later."
"Yes."
Today,
All Slaves were resting, and everyone was eagerly looking at the dazzling array of product listings.
"Hubby, work hard mining so you can buy us a house, okay?"
In the crowd,
A young couple, the girl looked at the Refrigerator listed for '1000 Meat Coupons' in the product list, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "One day, we'll have our own house in the Stellar Train, right?"
"..."
The boy's face turned grim, and he didn't respond. He just hoped this was a dream, and when he woke up, everything would return to normal.
Human rights? Residents?
He didn't want any of that!
He just wanted to be a Slave!
A happy Slave, with food every day, not worrying about safety or monsters. Wasn't that great?
Before the apocalypse,
He worked overtime like crazy just to buy a house and get married. Finally, the apocalypse came, and he didn't have to worry about buying a house anymore. But now, how had things turned out that he had to buy a house again?
This was insane! It's the apocalypse, and he still has to buy a house?
Was he cursed to be forever tied to buying a house?
Even if he died by crashing into the Train right now, would he still have to buy a house in hell? Was he destined to buy this damn house?
Previously, the Train rule was that everyone had to mine at least 10 units per day.
Now,
If they wanted to buy a house, they'd have to work longer hours to earn more Meat Coupons.
"Hubby, is that not okay?"
"Sigh..."
The man took a deep breath, forced a smile, and patted his girlfriend's head. "Of course, it's okay."
"I knew you'd be the best."
The girl's face was full of longing. "Lord Mang is so great. Other Train Conductors call us Slaves, but Lord Mang calls us Residents, and he even gives us the chance to buy a house. Hubby, it's so great, we're finally not Slaves anymore."
"..."
The man remained silent for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and saying word by word,
"Yes, we're finally not Slaves anymore."
Yes,
Their status wasn't that of Slaves anymore!
But why did he feel even more like a Slave than before?
In a daze, he looked at another middle-aged couple in the crowd. The middle-aged woman seemed very happy, and the middle-aged man happened to look at him at the same time.
Their eyes met.
Both saw the despair in each other's eyes.
But...
The man looked at the various products in the 'Product List' and suddenly smiled helplessly. If he could really have his own house in the Stellar Train, it would actually be quite nice.
In the apocalypse, being able to live with someone you love and are familiar with,
That didn't seem so bad.
"Tsk."
Lying in his chair inside the Train compartment, Chen Mang watched the emotional journey of the young couple outside the window and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "You know, that young couple isn't even that deeply in love, yet the boy naturally took on the task of buying a house."
If they were truly deeply in love,
He would have just given them a Refrigerator.
His 'Doomsday Marriage Certificate' had been piling up for days, and he still hadn't found the right people to use it on.
Meanwhile, Ji Chuchu, kneeling beside him, remained silent. She knew Lord Mang wasn't really expecting her to answer.
Chen Mang then shifted his gaze away from the young couple. He didn't care what they were thinking. All he knew was that the boy would now work even harder at mining. As for the girl, she would still have to meet the daily quota of at least 10 units, but she didn't seem willing to do more.
Finally,
He could put this matter to rest. The next step was to prepare to head to the green zone, the Shahe Plain, to complete the S-rank class change mission.
He glanced at Ji Chuchu kneeling beside him.
"Changed into another outfit again?"
"Mm..."
"There's a dress hanging there for you."
"Really?"
Ji Chuchu's eyes lit up as she looked up at the low-cut evening gown hanging on the clothes rack.
"Go change into it."
Chen Mang picked up the remote and projected Ji Chuchu's past variety show onto the screen. After she changed, he looked her up and down and chuckled, "Sexy enough."
"Lord Mang likes it, that's all that matters."
This dress was something he had spent 500 units of wood to create, a High-Precision Clothes. Only after wearing it did she start to resemble a celebrity again.
"Then I'll begin, Lord Mang."
"Mm."
"No!"
In the crowd, the middle-aged man finally couldn't take it anymore. He roared at his wife beside him, "Are you never going to stop? What the hell is your obsession with houses?"
"You lived in your Mom's womb for ten months,"
"Did that give you muscle memory?"
"Before the apocalypse, I worked for 20 years to finally pay off the mortgage. Now you want me to buy a house again? I'm over forty, I can't work like I used to! Mining 10 units of Iron Ore a day is already a lot for me. I can't do it anymore!"
"Let's get a divorce!"
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