Translator: Anubis Translations
Meanwhile, outside the train, three of the ten patrolling thugs had gathered in a corner, whispering and scheming.
Lord Mang had instructed them to elect their own leader.
The election was now complete, and the chosen leader was one of the three men—a burly, muscular fellow with a knife scar on his face, someone who looked like he wouldn't be easy to provoke.
The three men already knew each other well, having originally been thugs on the same train. Later, while out gathering supplies, they had encountered monsters and fled in panic, only to be captured by Master Kun and enslaved. Now that Lord Mang had selected them as his thugs, the two former lackeys naturally clustered around their leader, making him the de facto head of the entire group.
However, they hadn't yet reported this to Lord Mang.
"Brother Biao," a small, thin boy beside him whispered, glancing nervously at the train. "Are we still running? This train conductor looks younger than me. Can we really rely on him?"
Their original plan had been to wait until Master Kun's train headed to the ruins of a certain city, then find a way to escape. To this end, they had kept a low profile the entire time. But plans often go awry.
Master Kun had suddenly become Lord Mang.
And the three of them had been chosen as thugs.
"Run?"
Brother Biao, the burly man, hesitated slightly. They had already become thugs, and he was even a minor leader—essentially the third-in-command of the train. Should they still run?
The entire world had changed. Where could they possibly run? Even if they managed to return to their original train, he would just be an ordinary thug again, with no status or power.
Of course, their original train had over thirty thugs, making it a Tier 2 train. It was significantly larger and safer than Lord Mang's train.
Before the apocalypse, Brother Biao had been a construction site foreman, leading a crew of laborers—all strong and skilled workers.
After the apocalypse struck, he and his crew survived a chaotic period of fleeing for their lives. By sheer luck, he obtained a Train Token. With his thirty-plus men, he harbored ambitions of creating an absolutely safe train.
But...
Even after personally joining the effort as the initial Energy Stone neared depletion, they failed to gather 7,100 units of iron ore. Unable to upgrade to a Tier 2 train and build a Crafting Table, their train eventually broke down in the wasteland, becoming nothing more than scrap metal. The vast majority of their time had been wasted searching for mines across the desolate landscape.
Later, he learned that many people who obtained a Train Token wouldn't activate it immediately. Instead, they would first assemble a team and find a sufficiently remote iron ore deposit in the wilderness. Only then would they activate the train, set up a Pickaxe Production Line, and rapidly mine to upgrade the train to Tier 2 in the shortest possible time.
Others would accumulate iron ore, wood, and other resources in advance through trading, robbery, or even by having someone from another train defect with resources to start their own operation.
After gaining more experience, he obtained another Train Token.
This time, they managed to upgrade to Tier 2, but during a zombie horde attack, they were nearly wiped out. Only three members of the original group survived. From then on, he completely abandoned his dream of becoming a train conductor. Not everyone was suited for the role.
For people like them, the best option was likely to follow a sufficiently powerful train conductor as a thug.
Later, they followed several more train conductors, but in the end, their groups were either absorbed by stronger trains or completely destroyed.
"..."
Brother Biao's expression was conflicted as he pondered deeply, remaining silent for a long time. Initially, on Master Kun's train, they had planned to escape because the treatment of slaves was too harsh. They were unwilling to remain slaves, and there was no hope for advancement.
They never even got to meet the train conductor or deputy train conductor.
As for speaking to thugs like that, well, he'd simply been asking for a beating.
But now...
He had become the "thug leader" on Lord Mang's train. To put it bluntly, this was the highest position he'd ever held. Even if he ran, he'd only end up hiding in the city ruins or becoming a thug again—no better than his current situation.
Moreover, despite his young age, Lord Mang acted with remarkable decisiveness and prudence. From the moment they were in the seventh slave car and Lord Mang violently killed someone, Brother Biao could tell this man understood the bigger picture. What seemed like a trivial dispute over a straw mat was just the beginning.
He also possessed great ambition. Even as a slave, he insisted on occupying the best spot in the carriage. In fact, if Lord Mang hadn't claimed that straw mat, none of the subsequent events would have occurred.
Furthermore—
Brother Biao glanced down at the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle in his hand. This weapon couldn't possibly be crafted on a Tier 1 train. Having briefly served as a train conductor himself, he knew exactly what such trains could produce.
Nor could it have been looted from Master Kun's train; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to harm Master Kun.
Lord Mang had his own opportunities.
In the wilderness, an exceptional train conductor must meet at least one of three conditions.
The first is competence. Anyone can become a train conductor through luck, but that doesn't mean they're capable. He encountered many conductors who lacked a sense of the bigger picture, including some who refused to make women work, instead kept all women for their personal harem. This slowed resource collection to a crawl and ultimately lead to train coming to a stop in midst of wilderness.
Secondly, fortune. Even without skill, sufficient fortune can make even a fool stumble upon a high-grade train component blueprint while simply walking. Such a person can live extravagantly for a time, even if they're utterly brainless.
And the last is influence.
Without proper influence, a conductor who can't manage their affairs—someone who wouldn't even notice if they were being undermined—will inevitably face rebellion from their subordinates or see them flee with resources.
Possessing any one of these points is sufficient. Lord Mang, however, seems to possess all three. His competence goes without saying. As for fortune, the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle in his hands and the locomotive's gear-filled maw—though he doesn't know what it is, it's undoubtedly a high grade train component—suggests he's blessed with ample opportunity.
As for influence, the behavior of the seventh slave car from the very beginning made it clear that with such a figure overseeing things, subordinates would find it difficult and dare not rebel. Any signs of dissent would be nipped in the bud.
Upon careful consideration...
Lord Mang might be the most competent train conductor they'd ever encountered. After pondering for a long time, Brother Biao took a deep breath and looked up at the two workers who had been with him for a long time. Seeing the look in their eyes, he paused slightly before chuckling and scolding them.
"Damn!"
"What you say and what you're thinking are two different things!"
Though they were asking if he wanted to run, their eyes clearly showed they didn't want to leave. It was obvious they felt that staying with Lord Mang was a good deal.
"Heh heh."
The skinny, dark-skinned boy who had spoken first awkwardly hugged his assault rifle tighter. "Brother Biao, look at this—it's a fully automatic rifle! Before, we only had pistols. Whenever we went out to gather supplies or slaves, we'd have to run at the slightest danger."
"Now, with this thing, we don't even flinch if we run into eight or ten zombies!"
"In the apocalypse..."
"What are we all after? A little bit of safety and a better life, right?"
"With this rifle, our sense of security just keeps going up!"
"But Brother Biao, don't worry. We'll always follow you. If you say run, we'll run with you."
(End of the Chapter)
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