Translator: AnubisTL
There was a familiar feel to it.
For instance, the hospital was a hastily constructed backdrop within the space gate. The hospital bed was a single bed, and the white coats worn by the doctors were all manufactured by the custom clothing production line.
Even the beeping machine beside the bed was an experimental instrument salvaged from the Geocore Nuke.
The entire scene was extremely crude.
It lacked the polished aesthetic of a movie, yet the multiple camera angles somehow gave it a raw, understated beauty.
In the scene, the male protagonist, his eyes covered by a black cloth, sat by the bed, clutching the unconscious female protagonist's right hand. He let out a bitter laugh. "You'll have to walk your own path from now on. You wouldn't want a blind man."
"If I leave, this might be our final parting."
Just then—
The curtains fluttered slightly, and the bedside cabinet began to vibrate violently. The sound of shattering glass finally snapped the male protagonist out of his reverie. He looked around frantically, shouting, "Who's there? Who is it!"
The next moment—
"Roar!"
A grotesque zombie suddenly appeared at the window, rapidly climbing through it, ready to pounce into the hospital room!
Meanwhile, on the television in the room, a news report with a poor signal crackled intermittently.
"Breaking News: An unknown virus is rapidly spreading throughout the city. Those infected transform into mindless, bloodthirsty monsters we've dubbed zombies."
"All citizens, please seal your windows and await government rescue."
"Believe... ah!"
A piercing scream erupted from the television. The news anchor, mid-report, was tackled to the ground by a zombie that had seemingly materialized from nowhere. Soon, the screen displayed only static and the sickening crunch of a zombie devouring flesh.
Seconds later.
The bloodied and tattered anchorwoman, her eyes now white and bloodshot, rose to her feet with a guttural roar, clearly transformed into a zombie herself.
The apocalypse had arrived!
"Follow me!"
The now-blind male protagonist, his face etched with urgency, scooped up the female protagonist and shoved open the hospital room door, sprinting out. But the corridor was already a scene of carnage, with a dozen zombies tearing into medical staff.
The scene ended there.
Clearly, this was just the beginning.
"Lord Mang," Zhang Yiren asked cautiously, "Is this okay?"
"Mhm."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. He nodded. "Now that's much better. If you're making a movie, just focus on telling the story. Why keep dragging in those unrequited love tropes?"
"The dialogue needs work. Get rid of the cringy lines."
"Then the female lead leaves."
"Make a proper zombie apocalypse survival film. I think the overall plot and cinematography are quite compelling, especially since there aren't too many special effects. The raw, documentary-like visuals actually make it more immersive."
"Those scenes where the zombies pounce on the actors look incredibly realistic. How did you pull that off?"
"Uh..."
Zhang Yiren hesitated before whispering, "We actually had them really pounce."
"What do you mean by 'really pounce'?"
"We had them really bite. Since we couldn't afford special effects or fake blood, the blood splatters and screams were genuine. The actors were mostly members of our own directing team, and we requested some 'Simple First-Aid Kits' from Old Pig for treating their injuries."
"The actors who weren't injured were recruited as extras from the local residents."
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the director team behind Zhang Yiren, his expression slightly odd. He'd only just noticed that they were all wrapped in bandages, looking truly miserable. After a moment's pause, he spoke with admiration.
"I personally admire your dedication to the film industry, sacrificing your bodies like this."
"Very good. Let's do this."
After a moment's thought, he continued, "I've already decided on the film's direction for you. After you leave here, refine the script and shoot a movie about two hours long."
"After you leave here," he added, "try to give every resident a small role, like a terrified survivor fleeing the scene. Tell me what support you need, and I'll have Biaozi and the others capture some higher-Tier monsters."
"Let's make a grand movie."
"We'll show it to all the residents in a few weeks so they can relax and find their own characters in the film. After all, sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone."
"Alright, let's settle this then. Go prepare, and if you need anything, just ask Old Pig directly."
"No problem, no problem!"
Zhang Yiren, still agitated, nodded eagerly. Only then did he bow deeply and lead the group behind him out of the locomotive cabin. Now that his idea had been approved and he'd been entrusted with such an important task, he no longer had to worry about being executed.
Damn.
That period had scared him to death!
He would never make another terrible movie again. As for the first version, that was entirely the fault of the director behind him, who had insisted that the "time travel" element was fresh and novel, sure to appeal to Lord Mang.
What a load of crap!
"..."
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang stretched languidly in his chair before finally entering the Combat Training Virtual Space to challenge other maps. He was definitely going to make a big-budget movie.
In the apocalypse, everyone's nerves were constantly on edge. Watching a movie together would bring some cheer and help everyone relax.
"Which map should I choose?"
He stood in the white space, gazing at the maps before him. Finally, he selected "Doomsday Paradise." Before confirming, he scrutinized the map again and again, only pressing the normal difficulty button with unwavering certainty.
He didn't want to end up like Biaozi.
Pushing his potential?
No need.
If he died, everything would be lost.
If he died, it wouldn't just be him—everyone would die. The position of train conductor could only be transferred; if the conductor died suddenly, the train would become scrap, and no one else could inherit it.
As the words "Doomsday Paradise" dissolved into white specks and vanished into the air, he was swiftly transported to a place resembling an amusement park.
Heavy, dark clouds blanketed the sky.
Night had fallen.
The atmosphere was oppressively silent. Not a sound stirred within the park. He stood alone at the entrance, where a holographic screen displayed the mission objectives:
[A large number of wandering zombies lurk within this silent, abandoned amusement park.]
[Your objective is to enter the park, reach the highest point of the Ferris wheel, retrieve the key placed there, and return to the park entrance. This will be considered a successful completion of the challenge.]
"Hmmph."
Chen Mang stood his ground, gazing at the rusted iron gate before him. He scanned his surroundings: behind him lay an empty forest. This amusement park was nestled deep within the mountains, no wonder it had fallen into disrepair.
The realism was impressive.
He patted his pockets, finding no starting weapon. But in the nearby security room, he spotted a crowbar. He immediately smashed the glass and grabbed it.
The sound of shattering glass startled the zombies.
Several roars suddenly pierced the night.
Dozens of zombies charged from the depths of the park toward the entrance. Chen Mang showed no fear. He simply hefted the crowbar, adopting a fighting stance to meet the threat head-on!
Whether he cleared the challenge or not was irrelevant!
He just wanted to enjoy the thrill of the fight.
Meanwhile—
In the Zombie Basin, Erdan frantically searched every corner of the abandoned village. "Finding a fortuitous encounter map is turning out to be much harder than I thought!"
He'd never found fortuitous encounter maps difficult to find before. They always seemed to turn up easily, though their locations were often tricky—atop mountains, at the bottom of lakes. The harder a place was to reach, the more likely it was to hold a map.
But now, three days had passed.
He hadn't found a single one, and he was starting to feel anxious.
All his previous relaxation had vanished, replaced by immense pressure.
He'd taken the Rare Train Token, s-rank potential, and a mountain of resources specifically to find fortuitous encounter maps and bring back valuable treasures. If he failed, he'd be tempted to hang himself with a white silk sash.
"Brother Dan," the deputy train conductor, who had been following behind, said hesitantly in a low voice after a moment, "I don't think we'll find any new fortuitous encounter maps in this village until the mine respawns. And it's highly unlikely that two maps would appear in the same location."
"It's like how two artillery shells are unlikely to land in the same crater."
"I suggest we move on to another area."
"Mm."
Erdan sighed deeply and strode toward the train. As expected, turning a hobby into a job brought its own pressures.
Just then—
He suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on an ant nest on the ground. Dozens of ants were emerging from the nest, forming a long line like an expeditionary force, carrying chunks of monster flesh back to their colony.
But when these ants reached a certain spot, they would detour around it rather than cross directly.
"Could it be...?"
A spark of excitement flashed in Erdan's eyes. He walked over to the spot, took the manuscript from a thug beside him, and slammed it down hard. A large amount of dirt was dug up, and then... nothing happened.
"..."
After waiting for a long time without any reaction, Erdan turned and walked toward his train with a blank expression.
"Let's try somewhere else! I refuse to believe I can't find a fortuitous encounter map!"
48 hours later, the Stellaris left the Goblin's Tomb and returned to the Zombie Basin, carrying 2.8 million units of copper ore and 2.1 million units of iron ore. Both were Tier 2 Ore.
The Stellaris's resources were greatly replenished.
Chen Mang spent another 1 million units of copper ore to manufacture 20 more Tier 8 Standard Edition Robots, bringing the train's total to 60. This finally resolved the issue.
"Excellent," he murmured in the locomotive cabin.
Chen Mang watched the 60 robots patrolling outside the train with satisfaction. It was a shame the Zombie Basin had no cities; these robots would have been perfect for exploring abandoned urban areas.
He had already planned the next phase.
Mine for about half a month.
Quickly accumulate enough resources. The Zombie Basin had few trains, leaving many mines unclaimed. Finding them was easy, especially after the zone's mines refreshed, which would reveal even more exploitable deposits.
But...
The trains on the Sha River Plains were in trouble. The only Yellow Zone accessible from the Sha River Plains was the Zombie Basin. This meant that if those trains wanted to advance further, they had to come here. However, the Zombie Basin was already difficult to develop in. The Sha River Plains were effectively blocked.
Unless he cleared out most of the monsters in this zone before leaving.
And that was exactly what he intended to do.
"My heart is truly benevolent," Chen Mang sighed with emotion.
By now, the train residents had all fallen into a deep sleep. After 48 hours of continuous mining, their bodies were utterly exhausted, and they collapsed into slumber the moment they lay down.
Chen Mang gazed at the two blueprints in his hands.
Both were white-grade.
These blueprints had been unearthed from the Goblin's Tomb. This time, he hadn't found anything particularly valuable, unlike the previous excavation that yielded a train token and a Mecha Blueprint.
But these were just extras; he didn't dwell on it. Besides, he actually quite liked white-grade blueprints.
"Old man, you're finally here!"
Chen Mang's eyes reddened the moment he saw the Napkin Production Line. The locomotive cabin had completely run out of napkins, all of which had been scavenged from the city. Moreover, he was the only one using them.
As for what the others used to wipe their asses...
He didn't really want to know.
For the past few days, he'd been using A4 paper, then washing up afterward.
How to put it...
It stung, felt a bit raw.
Now that the Napkin Production Line was here, he could finally enjoy napkin freedom. The happiness index of all the train residents would soar once again. Without hesitation, he spent 4,500 units of iron ore and 4,500 units of Wood to craft both accessories and upgrade them to Tier 10.
The Napkin Production Line's crafting and upgrading costs were entirely in Wood.
"Napkin Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect": Long-term use promotes regular bowel movements.
"Napkin Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect": Long-term use treats and prevents hemorrhoids.
"Not bad," Chen Mang thought, quite satisfied with these two overpowered effects. Though the topic was a bit indelicate, both effects were incredibly practical. Only after experiencing certain hardships could one truly appreciate that the world's most precious treasures were actually just three things:
First, regular bowel movements.
Second, falling asleep instantly.
Third, enjoying every meal.
These were excellent overpowered effects. Moreover, each pack of napkins contained 200 pulls and required only one unit of wood to produce, making them incredibly cheap. They could easily be distributed as a welfare benefit to the residents.
The train currently had an abundance of wood—more than they could possibly use.
Chen Mang immediately stood up and headed toward No. 4 Living Compartment to grab a few packs of napkins for his locomotive cabin.
As he pushed open the door, he found Xiao Fang standing outside. Slightly surprised, he asked, "Everyone's asleep. Why aren't you? Oh, right. I wanted to ask you something."
"What have you been using to wipe yourself after using the toilet lately?"
"...Huh?"
Xiao Fang's cheeks flushed crimson instantly. Embarrassed, she lowered her head, twisting the corner of her clothes, and whispered, "My hand, then I wash my hands."
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking softly.
"Congratulations. You're fired. Someone else will bring my meals tomorrow."
(End of the Chapter)
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