"Stop teasing me, Train Conductor Zhu," Biao Zi said with a helpless shake of his head, forcing a bitter smile. He picked up a bottle of mineral water, downed it in one go, then wiped the water from the corner of his mouth. "Neither of us is cut out to buy the Train Token. We both know what we're like—we can't hold onto that kind of position."
"Besides," he continued, "haven't you played online games before? Joining a big guild in a game is far more rewarding than starting your own small one. Anyway, I'm done chatting with you. I've got to get back to patrol duty."
With that, Biao Zi grabbed some food for the guards, exchanged a few words with Lao Zhu, and left. The Train's current welfare system wasn't bad, but all the benefits were contingent on the residents working diligently. If you did well, you'd be rewarded. But if you tried to slack off and couldn't even dig up the basic 10 units of Iron Ore in a day, then sorry—the Train had more than just bread to offer. There were also batons. The former would fill you up, while the latter would clean you out.
Mining in the cavern was relatively safe. His main task during patrols was to prevent any accidents, like fights or disturbances, while also keeping an eye on things to ensure everyone was working.
Three days later.
As the whistle blew, many residents stopped their work. Under the guards' supervision, they began to line up in an orderly fashion to collect their daily rations. Based on how much they'd mined beyond the daily quota, they were also issued "Stellar Coupons."
"Alright," Uncle Li, sitting on a stool, looked at the number on the collar of the resident in front of him. "Resident 117, you've exceeded the quota by 7 units of Iron Ore over the past few days. With today's 3 units, that makes a total of 10 units. Here's your Stellar Coupon."
"Thank you, thank you!" The resident with the number 117 on his collar gratefully and excitedly accepted the Stellar Coupon, which was made from a mineral water bottle cap. He quickly left, making room for the next person in line.
Stellar Coupons were made from "mineral water bottle caps." The caps were placed on the ground, and after the Train ran over them, they were flattened into thin discs—a simple but effective anti-counterfeiting measure. No pickaxe or other tool could compress a bottle cap to that degree. And as for making a bigger scene? With so many eyes around, anyone capable of pulling that off would already be considered a top-tier talent. For now, this method was sufficient given the Train's current limitations.
Over the past few days, Uncle Li had assigned numbers to all the residents, including the middle management. This system made it easier to calculate daily mining quotas and distribute Stellar Coupons, saving a bit of time.
The man who received the Stellar Coupon carefully tucked it into his pocket, zipped it up, and wolfed down his food. Without a moment's rest, he grabbed his pickaxe and headed back to the Iron Ore to continue mining.
It was the end of the workday, and most people were done for the day, heading back to sleep. But he wanted to keep working. The Iron Ore he mined now could be turned in along with tomorrow's haul, allowing him to earn more Stellar Coupons. After all, mining opportunities weren't available every day, so he had to make the most of it while he could.
Still, he couldn't help but glance enviously at the group of tireless Goblins nearby. Their stamina seemed limitless. And, according to the Train's old-timers, those Goblins had no intelligence—they were like robots. Only one Goblin, named Doba, had any semblance of wisdom. The entire group followed Doba's orders, and they mined faster than anyone else, accumulating Stellar Coupons at an impressive rate. All the coupons went to Doba, who was like a slave master. It wouldn't be long before Doba saved up 1,000 Stellar Coupons.
"Hehe…" Doba, completely unfazed by exhaustion, leaned on his pickaxe and looked at the humans nearby with a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. He had already saved over 200 Stellar Coupons, and all the Goblins' coupons were in his possession. Even Train Conductor Zhu couldn't earn coupons as fast as he could.
His goal? "That Refrigerator!" The first step in rebuilding the Goblin civilization was to secure their own territory. He wanted to buy as many refrigerators as possible to give his people ample living space. Even though his fellow Goblins had lost their intelligence, he believed they would eventually regain it. If he could recover, so could they. And this Human Prophet was truly remarkable. The Stellar Train was developing much faster than his old Goblin Train. The Human Prophet hadn't lied—he really could help rebuild the Goblin civilization. All Doba had to do was keep mining diligently to accelerate the Train's progress.
"Get to work!" Doba shouted. "Let those foolish humans see what it means to be a tireless and great Goblin!"
Full of energy, Doba swung his pickaxe and resumed mining.
By now, most people had already collected their food. Nearly half of the residents chose to continue mining. What if they ran out of energy? They could buy Cola! The ice-cold Cola not only tasted great but also significantly boosted their stamina. It was incredibly cheap too—10 bottles for just 1 Stellar Coupon. And they didn't have to take all 10 bottles at once; the shopkeeper would keep track of their remaining stock.
"Lord Mang is such a good man," a young man said after chugging a bottle of Cola. He let out a satisfied burp, feeling his body recharged. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his pickaxe and, under the glow of the Train's headlights, began working through the night.
He had done the math. Drinking 3 bottles of Cola a day would allow him to extend his mining time to 18 hours, leaving just 6 hours for sleep. And he'd still feel fresh because the Cola was so effective at restoring energy. Over three days, he'd only spend 1 Stellar Coupon on Cola, but by exceeding the mining quota, he'd earn 3 Stellar Coupons—a net gain of 2 Coupons. It was a great deal!
At first, he hadn't told anyone about this strategy. But soon, he noticed more and more people catching on and copying him. It was frustrating—didn't they have minds of their own?
Inside the Train's living quarters.
Chen Mang, who had been trying to sleep, sighed deeply as the constant clinking of pickaxes outside kept him awake. He stood by the window, looking out at the people working, his expression complicated.
He really wanted to say, "Take a break, guys. Rome wasn't built in a day. Don't work yourselves to death—where would I find more Survivors?"
In recent days, the "Cola Production Line" accessory had been running non-stop. The production cost was 1 unit of Iron Ore per bottle, but in the store, it was sold at 1 Stellar Coupon for 10 bottles.
"Level 5 Supermodel Effect of the Cola Production Line": Can produce sugar-free or regular Cola.
"Level 10 Supermodel Effect of the Cola Production Line": Slowly restores stamina when consumed.
This was the only food item on the Train that could restore stamina. Back in the Doomsday Abyss, every Slave was given a bottle daily to keep their energy up. Once it was put on the store shelves, it was immediately snapped up.
Many people now drank 3 bottles of Cola a day and worked tirelessly with their pickaxes.
Mining efficiency had skyrocketed! Normally, in three days, the residents would have mined around 360,000 units of Iron Ore. But now, they had managed to dig up 510,000 units—almost all of them working overtime voluntarily. Some worked a few extra hours, while others slept only a few hours a day.
The two Level 2 Iron Ore mines had a total of 520,000 units. In just three days, they had almost exhausted them, leaving only 10,000 units. At this rate, the mines would be empty before dawn tomorrow.
"These people…" Chen Mang sighed in exasperation. When he used to give everyone free Cola, they didn't work nearly as hard. But now that they had to buy it themselves, they were going all out.
The reform seemed to be working, at least initially. It reminded him of the white-collar workers in his previous world who insisted on buying their own coffee. The coffee only tasted authentic when you bought it yourself. The free stuff from the company always felt a bit off, like it wasn't the real deal.
The Train's current stockpile of Iron Ore had reached—
650,000 units.
Well, he wasn't going to sleep anyway.
Chen Mang turned his attention to the 3D diagram of the "Ground Burst Missile" on the control panel. This was the most powerful weapon on the Train, and the only large-scale red-tier firepower accessory. Upgrading it required Iron Ore, while crafting it consumed Copper Ore. Crafting a Level 1 "Ground Burst Missile" required 10,000 units of Copper Ore, and upgrading it to Level 1 cost 50,000 units of Iron Ore. He had calculated that upgrading it to Level 5 would cost 750,000 units of Iron Ore, which he didn't have yet. For now, he'd focus on finding new mines—Iron Ore was in short supply.
The missile currently in Missile Car No. 14 was only Level 1. It was mostly for show, as its low level made it ineffective against most monsters. He planned to set it off like a firework tomorrow morning to see how it performed.
Late at night.
Most people on the Train were asleep, and even Doba was feeling the strain and ready to call it a day. But when he saw the seven or eight humans still mining, he couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment.
Were these people… turned into Goblins by the Train? How could they mine even more than his kind? Did they think they wouldn't live to see tomorrow?
Finally, morning arrived.
The Stellar Train set off once again, emerging from underground and switching to its Wind-Fire Wheels as it sped toward the unknown, searching for new mines. While efficiency had improved, Chen Mang was struggling to keep up. Where would he find so much Iron Ore?
The Train gradually slowed to a stop on a plain. Under the urging and shouting of Lao Zhu and others, all the residents were herded off the Train. They stood around, looking confused.
Where was the mine? They didn't see any.
Even the 400 Survivors were pushed off the Train and made to stand with the others. These Survivors hadn't been working; they were only given the bare minimum of a few slices of bread and a bottle of water each day. They had been left to watch enviously as the Stellar Train residents enjoyed better rations.
Chen Mang wanted them to feel the urgency to join the Stellar Train as official residents. Only then would they work hard.
Just then—
Under everyone's gaze, the mechanical hatch on the top of the last carriage, Missile Car No. 14, slowly opened with the sound of grinding gears. A pitch-black missile, exuding an intimidating aura, was slowly raised on a platform, angled 45 degrees toward the sky.
At the sight of this, everyone's breath caught in their throats. Their eyes were filled with awe. A missile? The Stellar Train had missiles now? Even the 400 new Survivors were stunned. No wonder their old Train had been destroyed—how could anyone stand against a Train with missiles?
The next moment!
The Ground Burst Missile rested on its launch pad. The hydraulic system emitted a metallic hum, like a beast sharpening its claws. The Train's external sound system then played the cold, mechanical voice of the "Train Auxiliary AI."
"10."
"9."
"."
"1."
When the countdown reached zero, the air within a ten-mile radius seemed to solidify. Thick white fog, like the breath of a giant beast, enveloped the entire Train. The Train trembled slightly from the force as flames instantly dyed the fog red.
A missile shot out of the flames with a deafening sonic boom, trailing an orange tail as it arced into the sky.
Seconds later.
"Boom!"
On the distant plain, a blinding white light erupted from the ground like a volcanic explosion. The deafening blast followed, resonating deep in everyone's bones, as if a thousand bronze bells were ringing inside them.
A mushroom-shaped cloud of ash slowly rose into the sky.
All the Train residents who had disembarked watched the scene in stunned silence, their jaws hanging open in disbelief. The echoes of the explosion still lingered in their ears.
After what felt like an eternity, the first cheer broke out. Soon, all the residents joined in, roaring with excitement and pride.
The launch of this missile sent a clear message to everyone:
"The Stellar Train is strong enough."
As long as they stayed on the Stellar Train, it would protect them to the greatest extent possible. This test launch had boosted the residents' confidence in the Train and filled them with a sense of pride.
In the apocalypse, could any other Train match the power of theirs?
In recent days, some residents hadn't been working as hard, mainly because they had been passed around so many Trains. They had witnessed too many Trains fall. What was the point of earning more Stellar Coupons if the Train was just going to be destroyed? It would all be for nothing.
But now—
No one thought that way anymore.
Everyone firmly believed that the Stellar Train would continue to grow, becoming a Noah's Ark in the apocalypse, carrying them through this hopeless, despair-filled world to find a sanctuary.
(End of Chapter)