"Divorce."
The middle-aged woman beside him flashed a look of anger: "Fine, let's separate then. After we split, I'll go into the meat trade. I'll save up Meat Coupons to buy a house myself. As long as you can accept your wife selling meat."
"Can you?"
The middle-aged man, who had been furious just moments ago, froze in place, his mouth opening and closing without a word.
"Checkmate, bro."
A man who had been watching the spectacle couldn't help but chime in: "If your wife really starts selling meat, I'll be the first to support her."
"Get lost!"
The middle-aged man turned his head and shouted at the man, then took a deep breath to suppress his emotions, forcing out a strained smile: "What nonsense are you talking, honey? Of course, I'll buy it. I'll dig more Iron Ore from now on."
"That's more like it."
"Everything's gone to chaos."
A young female starlet sighed as she looked at the crowd, pondering how much she should price herself. After a moment, she turned to another woman beside her: "Sister, what do you think is a fair price for us?"
"I'm planning to price myself at 1 Meat Coupon."
"That cheap?"
The woman blinked, her eyes filled with slyness: "My quality is definitely higher than those other women. At 1 Meat Coupon, who could compete with me? After all, I'm a star. In a short time, I'll save up 50 Meat Coupons to buy a high-quality outfit."
"Just now, I saw Sister Chu Chu walk out of Lord Mang's room wearing that dress. You didn't see it, but it looked incredibly elegant, as if Ji Chuchu had returned to the days before the apocalypse to attend a gala."
"Once I put on that outfit, I'll set a higher price and take the high-end route. I'll earn even more then."
"Ah?"
The young starlet who had asked the question was momentarily stunned, murmuring: "You all have such a good business sense."
"Of course, just learn from us."
The sun reached its zenith.
Biao Zi stood on the wasteland, coldly addressing the seventy to eighty people before him: "Among you, 21 will become Guardians of the Stellar Train, enjoying the benefits of Level 3 high-tier personnel."
"Only the capable will rise."
"Next, all of you will enter the Combat Training Virtual Space and engage in life-and-death battles on the arena. The last 21 standing will become Guardians of the Stellar Train."
"The final two will continue to duel, with the last survivor becoming the captain of the second and third Guardian teams."
"Understood?"
As his words fell, the crowd roared in unison: "Understood!"
Biao Zi nodded in satisfaction. Just then, Shan Mao Zi approached, about to place his hand on Biao Zi's arm, but Biao Zi sidestepped and frowned, brushing off nonexistent dust from his clothes.
"Speak if you have something to say. Don't touch me."
"Don't dirty my new clothes."
Lord Mang had crafted two sets of new clothes for all members of the Stellar Train.
The ordinary residents' clothes were orange-red, a color personally chosen by Lord Mang, with a logo based on the character "Mang" on the left sleeve. They also had different numerical codes: 1, 2, 3, representing different levels of resident benefits.
The upper part was a windbreaker, and the lower part was windproof pants, made of a special material that provided excellent insulation. After last night's light rain, the temperature had dropped significantly, but wearing these clothes, the cold was much less noticeable.
The Guardians' clothes were less loose, resembling pre-apocalypse tactical gear with numerous tactical pockets, giving them a sharp, capable appearance.
Biao Zi quite liked his outfit.
His only regret was that it was the standard version.
He planned to save up 50 Meat Coupons to buy a high-precision version of the outfit, which would look even cooler.
"Uh..."
Shan Mao Zi spoke softly, timidly: "I don't want to be a captain. I want to stay in the first team."
"What?"
Biao Zi was momentarily stunned: "No one said you'd be a captain."
How could Shan Mao Zi be a captain? The captains of the second and third teams were his people. That would be madness. He wouldn't dare place his own men in those positions.
"Ah?"
"Then it's nothing. The other brothers were saying I might be the new captain. I thought... Well, it's good. I'm not cut out to be a captain. It's fine. Biao Ge, you go ahead with your work. I'll go eat first."
Biao Zi casually glanced at Shan Mao Zi's retreating figure before turning back to the crowd.
"All of you, listen up!"
"Enter the train carriages in order!"
As the sky gradually darkened.
Inside the temporarily constructed 14th carriage, there was only a single refrigerator with its door wide open.
"Lord Mang!"
Li Shiji, with dark circles under his eyes, stood nearby, his voice tinged with exhaustion and excitement: "The maze is fully set up. No matter who comes, they'll be trapped for at least half an hour. No exceptions."
"This is the entrance."
"The endpoint is a refrigerator at the very end. As per your instructions, the walls around it are marked with the word 'endpoint,' so it's unmistakable."
"But..."
"There are still seven people inside who haven't come out."
"Hmm?"
"Ahem." Lao Zhu stepped in, slightly embarrassed: "Lord Mang, today I gathered a group to assist Li Shiji in building the maze. But a few got lost and are still trapped inside. It might take them some time to get out."
"Never mind them."
Chen Mang, leaning on his cane inside the carriage, frowned: "This maze is crucial for the development of the Stellar Train. Find ten more people and have them enter the maze to find the endpoint."
"Understood."
Soon, ten residents were found and ushered into the refrigerator.
An hour later.
Inside the carriage.
Chen Mang casually tossed the magazine in his hand to Lao Zhu: "I'm going to sleep. Tell me the fastest completion time tomorrow morning. We'll head to the green zone, Shahe Plain, tomorrow."
"Once someone comes out, clear the maze as soon as possible."
"I need it."
"Yes."
On Shahe Plain.
Inside the Canglong Train stationed next to a Level 2 Iron Ore mine, a bald man with dark circles under his eyes stared blankly at the intercom on the control panel.
He felt like he had turned into a longing stone.
It had been over thirty days!
Was there really no one brave enough to attempt the S-Rank Job Change Quest for the Mechanical Train?
He had been thinking about it for over thirty days, unable to sleep well, and now he had dark circles under his eyes.
"Mom..."
"Are you sure the intercom didn't ring while I was asleep?"
"No."
The train's AI responded quickly, its voice mechanical and crisp: "This is the eighth time you've asked me that. I'm an AI. As long as the train's energy isn't interrupted, I don't enter sleep mode."
"Ugh..."
The bald man sighed deeply, then listlessly got up from the control panel, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling, muttering: "Heavens, please send me a brave soul..."
"I really need those 30 Murphy Stones."
The moon set, the stars dimmed, and the sky soon brightened.
When Chen Mang woke up, he stretched lazily, feeling refreshed as he looked at the calendar on the wall, his eyes filled with anticipation. Today was the day they would head to Shahe Plain.
Shahe Plain and Kunlun Mountains were both green zones.
But when he had last visited Kunlun Mountains, the Resource Detection Radar hadn't detected any resource mines, not even a lumberyard. Though the mountains were covered in forests, the trees didn't yield wood when cut down.
So he doubted.
Were there even any resource mines in Kunlun Mountains?
He still needed a batch of Iron Ore for upgrading accessories and for the consumption of upgrading to a Level 4 Train. Shahe Plain was his best, or rather, his only option.
As for the S-Rank Job Change Quest, it could only be done in Shahe Plain.
Regardless of the difficulty, the Job Change Quest could only be done in Shahe Plain.
Successfully changing jobs wouldn't immediately upgrade the train to Level 4.
Only after meeting all the conditions for upgrading to a Level 4 Train would the train ascend to Level 4, and only then would the special features of the job change truly manifest. After that, it would be impossible to return to lower-level zones.
Such as the white zone, Iron Ridge Wasteland.
When he had first crossed over to this world, he had appeared in Iron Ridge Wasteland and had stayed there for over two months, almost growing attached to it. When he had first arrived, it was just the beginning of autumn, and now winter was approaching.
Fortunately, with the Central Air Conditioning and the clothes he had crafted, no one on the train would freeze to death.
Just then—
Lao Zhu came to report the list of those who had completed the maze yesterday. The fastest had taken about four and a half hours to find the endpoint, while the slowest had just come out this morning, his spirit seemingly broken, his pupils unfocused and unable to converge.
Everyone in the maze had been brought out by Li Shiji.
Li Shiji had an exceptional sense of spatial awareness. The entire maze was clearly mapped out in his mind, making it as easy as walking through his own home. But it had been exhausting, as he had to search through dead ends for the lost residents, which was a tremendous physical task.
Everything was ready, waiting only for the final push.
"..."
All the residents and Guardians had returned to their positions on the Stellar Train. Chen Mang sat at the control panel, gazing at the wasteland ahead, deep in thought. They were about to leave the wasteland plain, and he needed to ensure there was nothing left undone.
It would be hard to come back later.
Ah.
He found the young man who had given him the Oxygen Generator Accessory Blueprint in his private chat list and sent over the coordinates of 13 Level 1 Iron Ore mines he had encountered.
They were all Level 1 Iron Ore mines, and he hadn't bothered to stop and mine them. But he thought the information would be quite valuable for a novice train. This way, when they ran out of mines to dig, they wouldn't have to wander aimlessly through the wilderness.
They could just head to these coordinates.
"Ah?"
On the wasteland.
Inside the swiftly moving "Protagonist Train," a young man who had been staring anxiously at the Resource Detection Radar, hoping for an Iron Ore mine to appear, suddenly saw the coordinates of 13 Iron Ore mines sent by the Stellar Train in the private chat box of the Train Radio.
His body froze in place.
His lips even trembled slightly.
"Bro, did something happen to you? Send me your coordinates. My train's firepower is decent. I'll see if I can help you."
Most likely.
The Stellar Train had hit a snag, encountered a major danger, and was on the verge of destruction, which was why they had sent him the coordinates of these 13 Iron Ore mines. Otherwise, such a valuable asset in the wasteland wouldn't have been given away so suddenly.
Even if he had helped the Stellar Train before, this was an excessive reward, wasn't it?
And the Stellar Train replied quickly.
"Stellar Train": "I'm heading to a high-level zone. These coordinates are useless to me now, so I'm giving them to you."
The young man was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized what was happening. He jumped up in excitement, quickly expressing his gratitude, and then looked at the nearest coordinate.
All his worries vanished.
His eyes were filled with hope and excitement.
Like the King of the Pirates, he stood on the control panel, gazing at the empty wasteland ahead, and roared: "Forward!!!"
He knew it.
The Stellar Train had the aura of a protagonist. Once you latched onto the protagonist's coattails, you wouldn't be left wanting. See, these 13 Level 1 Iron Ore mine coordinates—their value had to be higher than a mere Oxygen Generator, right?
For a long time to come.
He wouldn't have to roam the wasteland searching for mines. Even if some of the mines were occupied by monsters, he could always move on to the next one. By the time he finished mining the 13th mine, the first one would have respawned.
Perhaps, before heading to the high-level zones, he wouldn't need to search for mines anymore. These 13 would be more than enough.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang glanced at the message of gratitude from the "Protagonist Train" without paying much attention. The Oxygen Generator accessory the young man had given him had been a great help, and he didn't mind giving something back in return.
And then...
He opened the small notebook in the drawer, which contained two sentences.
"Qi Shui Train, malicious speculation."
"Ziyun Train, arrogant tone, wanted to collide with my train, and asked if I dared speak loudly in front of him."
Immediately, he opened the Train Radio and pinned a message at the top.
"Stellar Train": "Please have the Train Conductors of Qi Shui and Ziyun Trains contact me. I want to make a deal with you."
Soon—
He didn't look at the commotion his appearance caused in the Train Radio, but instead turned to the private chat from the Ziyun Train's Train Conductor.
That was fast.
"Ziyun Train": "Bro, there are too many people outside. I'm kneeling before you. I was wrong. Can you... let me off the hook? I admit I was a bit too arrogant back then. I had just blown up two carriages that day, and I was in a bad mood. I got carried away."
"Stellar Train": "What are you talking about, friend? Just send me your coordinates. I only want to make a deal with you."
"Ziyun Train": "Bro, my dear brother, I really know I was wrong..."
(End of Chapter)