Translator: Anubis Translations
He claimed a three-day assessment period, but in reality, he would select ten thugs for the train before nightfall.
After all, he was just one mission away from completing his Rookie Train Mission.
Within three months, have three thugs and ten slaves. Reward unknown.
After completing this mission, his "Train Panel" would officially unlock, revealing its full functionality.
Moreover, the shorter the completion time, the better the rewards. The generous rewards for his previous two missions were solely due to his swift completion; otherwise, he might have only received a standard "Train Token."
"Old Pig."
"Ah!" Old Pig, who was rolling up his pant legs to help retrieve the carriage, heard Brother Mang calling him. He immediately stopped and jogged over to Chen Mang, whispering, "Lord Mang, your orders?"
"You don't need to retrieve the carriage. I'm short on deputy train conductors, and I've chosen you."
Chen Mang patted Old Pig's shoulder with a chuckle. "You've served as deputy train conductor before, so you have the experience. I'll formally appoint you in the locomotive cabin later and grant you the appropriate authority. When the time comes, you can also advise me on what to watch out for as a new Train Conductor—I'm in the same boat."
"I'll need your help going forward."
A flicker of disbelief and excitement crossed Old Pig's eyes. He immediately dropped to one knee, his voice hoarse with emotion as he vowed, "Brother Mang, rest assured—I will never fail you!"
In truth, when he saw Chen Mang suddenly produce a Train Token and become the Train Conductor, he knew he had encountered a benefactor. His status was about to transform overnight—from a slave to a deputy train conductor.
There was no one else for the job.
He was the only one among them who had ever served as deputy train conductor, and he had been the first to align himself with Brother Mang. It could only be him.
A train can't be run by a single person alone. It requires a team to manage it. The Train Conductor can't possibly handle all the tedious details himself, but he still needs to put on an expression of disbelief and excitement.
As a subordinate, it's best not to refuse a superior's kindness. When a superior shows favor, it's important to respond clearly and visibly; don't keep your emotions bottled up.
He didn't understand how to be a superior.
But having spent his entire life as a subordinate, he knew better than anyone how to be a competent subordinate.
Moreover, this superior seemed far better than his previous Train Conductor. Not only did he lack any unsavory vices, but he also radiated conviction, carrying himself with a natural air of leadership. He possessed an innate aura of authority, completely devoid of the smugness of a petty tyrant.
"Um..."
Old Pig hesitated before cautiously asking, "Brother Mang, among these slaves, there are seven or eight women. They're currently disheveled and covered in grime, so their figures and features aren't visible. Should we have them bathed and brought to you later for inspection?"
"No need," Chen Mang said, shaking his head. "Our situation is still precarious, with basic safety measures lacking. We don't have the mind for such things. Did your predecessor as Train Conductor have a taste for this?"
"Sort of," Old Pig replied, scratching the back of his head and whispering with a hint of exasperation. "The previous Train Conductor had a peculiar fetish for 'maintaining foot odor.' He specifically selected slaves with particularly foul-smelling feet to ensure his condition persisted."
"He'd also pick out a few women from the slaves. Every day, while soaking their feet in hot water, they'd twist a towel into a rope and repeatedly tug it between his toes."
"He claimed it was the most blissful sensation in the world, ten thousand times better than wedding night intimacy, yet he never touched those women."
Meanwhile—
All the slaves had gathered the resources and arranged them neatly in piles. Chen Mang waved his hand, signaling the slaves to move the resources near the locomotive cabin, then instructed Old Pig to tally everything.
Standing in the wasteland, Chen Mang gazed at the group of slaves standing awkwardly nearby. The Tier 1 Train's available "train components" only included a Moldy Bread Slice Production Line, with no Sand Water Production Line.
In other words—
The train could clearly provide them with pure water, yet it insisted on needlessly adding sand.
He quickly grasped the general situation.
It was a method to artificially create class divisions.
By giving the thugs a sense of superiority and providing the lower-tier slaves with motivation to rise, the conflict between the two groups would soften the tension between the Train Conductor and the slaves, maintaining a relatively stable state on the entire train.
He gazed into the distance.
The wasteland showed no trace of the zombie horde, though hundreds of zombie corpses still littered the surrounding area. These zombies, it seemed, still possessed a sense of morality and refrained from eating their own kind.
He planned to return to the mine later to continue mining.
Only after becoming the Train Conductor did he realize that, no matter what he wanted to do, he needed iron ore—and plenty of it.
He also had a vague idea of who to choose as his thugs. About a dozen individuals were noticeably more muscular than the others.
Soon—
Old Pig jogged over. "Brother Mang, all resources have been inventoried."
"Here's the list for your review."
Chen Mang took the crumpled, ink-stained slip of paper from Old Pig, wondering where he'd even managed to find it.
12.7mm Tier 1 Heavy Machine Gun ammunition, over 400 rounds. 9mm Tier 1 pistol ammunition, over 200 rounds. 12 pistols. 1 Heavy Machine Gun.
1,500 units of iron ore, 120 units of copper ore, 100 units of wood.
Over 600 slices of bread, 300 bottles of mineral water, 100 steamed buns, 80 packs of pickles.
...
"Hmm."
Chen Mang nodded with mild satisfaction. This format was much clearer. Most importantly, he had already personally counted the number of pistols. If Old Pig's count had differed, he would likely be lying in a pool of blood by now.
He distinctly remembered that these pistols, though not made on the train, were capable of harming the train conductor.
According to the Train Rules, as long as the gun was manufactured on the train, even if the bullets weren't, the weapon couldn't harm the train conductor.
"Brother Mang."
Old Pig, standing nearby, whispered, "We can't give these pistols to the thugs. All trains are only allowed to use weapons produced on their own production lines. This ensures the absolute safety of the train conductor."
"During missions to gather supplies, if a thug or slave finds a gun and fails to turn it in, they're immediately executed if discovered."
"Hmm."
Chen Mang tucked the slip of paper into his shirt before turning to face his train. He hadn't even named it yet.
For now, it was just a Tier 1 Train. At this stage, the train itself wasn't particularly lethal, and combat duties still relied heavily on armed thugs. However, as the train upgraded and unlocked higher-grade train components, it would eventually become a mobile base with devastating firepower.
For now, it was merely a vehicle.
The road ahead was still long.
(End of the Chapter)
📚 Read [MAT] on Patreon.com/AnubisTL – Up to c65. [+20]
☕ Support me and Read Ahead for just $5/mo.
🎯 Translated [3] Novels [745k+] Words and counting!