"Every time I died and went back to that dark space, I would feel my way around. One time, I found a Level 1 pickaxe and a Train Token. So I started mining and building a train by myself."
"The other goblins were all asleep. I couldn't wake them up, so I had to dig alone."
"I don't know how long I dug."
"But I finally built that Level 2 goblin train."
"As for the drill, that's a white-grade accessory that comes with a Level 1 'Goblin Train.' It can break rocks and tunnel through the earth. It just consumes a lot of energy when it's running."
"After upgrading to a Level 2 'Goblin Train,' there was a green-grade craftable accessory, 'Nano-Armor Paint.' It covers the train's surface in a black paint that can block radar detection. For stealth, I upgraded it to Level 3."
"Any search radar below Level 3 can't detect my goblin train."
"..."
A flicker of shock crossed Chen Mang's eyes. He knew how hard it was to upgrade a train to Level 2, but he never imagined that this goblin train had been built entirely by this little goblin, Duo Ba, all by himself.That work ethic wasn't just diligent; it was off the charts!
He could even picture it.
In a silent, lightless, unknown space, a small goblin blindly swung a pickaxe at an iron deposit, the only sound the clang of the pickaxe against the ore.
Perhaps there was also the sound of the goblin cheering itself on.
And just like that, after who knows how many days, it finally, painstakingly, built a Level 2 train. Full of pride, it sped through the depths of the earth, completing the missions in its mind, imagining itself as the greatest of all goblins, a creature foolish humans could never find.
And then...
He glanced over at the wrecked goblin train, which he hadn't devoured yet. The corner of his mouth twitched. Why did he suddenly feel a pang of guilt, as if he were bullying a child?
"I'll help you build another goblin train in the future."
"Okay."
Duo Ba didn't seem too upset about it, just smiled. "Respected Human Prophet, the only remnant of the goblin race in this world is not that train, but me. If I die, the goblin race will truly be extinct."
"You are the most cunning human I have ever met, unlike those foolish humans."
"I believe that one day, the goblin race will be rebuilt under your leadership. At that time, the goblin race will be your most loyal subjects."
"And we will build you an extremely safe and luxurious palace deep underground."
"Let your glory shine forever in the depths of the earth."
After Duo Ba left, Chen Mang looked at the wrecked goblin train lying on the open ground, a thoughtful expression on his face. Was Duo Ba trying to butter him up? Or was he trying to set him up, so he wouldn't go back on his promise later?
He had learned a lot from the goblin.
First, "Goblin Trains" and "Human Trains" had some differences in their initial craftable accessories. Second, there was that silent space where monsters went after they died, a place extremely rich in mineral resources.
Not only did it have copper and iron ore, but also many rare, high-level resources.
If...
If his "Stellar" could get there, he couldn't imagine how happy he would be. A land full of resources just waiting for him to dig, and most importantly, no danger.
According to Duo Ba, all the dead monsters in that space were asleep. Only Duo Ba could remain conscious.
That place, for him, was a utopia.
"Wait a minute..."
A strange look crossed Chen Mang's face. That space... it couldn't really be hell, could it? Was there something to this "hell train" idea? Based on his experience with games in his past life, it made sense for hell to be rich in minerals.
But then he sighed softly.
It was clear he couldn't set foot in that place. It was where monsters went when they died. He couldn't get there even if he wanted to. After he finished mining the two high-resource deposits in the Apocalypse Abyss, he would have to find a new mine.
No one ever had too many resources.
Afterward, Chen Mang didn't linger. He turned and went back into the command car.
The iron ore he had accumulated, plus the haul from the past two days, now totaled 34,008 units—almost enough for one Ji Chuchu. Of course, if nothing went wrong, today's haul should be even larger.
After all, with so many goblins joining the workforce today, and with their natural talent for mining, the train's construction progress would be greatly accelerated.
Of course, for this, he had built two more carriages to house the goblins. Building two carriages wasn't expensive, only 200 units of iron ore in total.
But...
To install Level 2 armor on these two carriages was expensive. It had cost him a full 20,000 units of iron ore. Since he was already building two carriages, he decided to build two more to better organize the train, for a total cost of 40,000 units of iron ore.
And so—
The "Stellar," besides the locomotive, now had eight carriages.
Carriage #2, he put all the industrial production lines here, such as the "Pickaxe Head Production Line," "Axe Head Production Line," and the future "Off-Road Motorcycle Production Line."
Carriage #3, he piled all the iron ore here. In the future, bullets, copper ore, wood, and other resources would also be stored in this carriage.
Carriage #4 was for lifestyle production lines like the "Moldy Bread Slice Production Line," "Cola Production Line," and "Steamed Bun Production Line." It would be used for stockpiling food, and any supplies scavenged in the future would also be stored here.
Carriage #5, he spent 1,000 units of iron ore to customize this carriage into a hard-sleeper car. Each bed was a bunk bed, for a total of 18 beds. The guards lived here. Lao Zhu had his own small compartment in this carriage, with a single bed salvaged from Boss Kun's train.
Carriages #6 and #7 housed the 101 human slaves.
Carriages #8 and #9 housed the 121 goblin slaves.
The "Stellar," from its initial fledgling form, had finally become a moderately accomplished Level 2 train with eight carriages.
He had spent a lot of resources today.
But now the train's layout was extremely clear and well-organized. The electrical system had been re-adjusted. In the future, no matter how many bullets he produced, what supplies he scavenged, or if he happened to encounter a group of survivors in the wild, he wouldn't have to build a carriage on the spot. He could directly accommodate them.
He had considered putting the slaves in the refrigerator, but after trying it, he found the air circulation was poor, and oxygen was a problem.
As for Carriage #3, the one for storing iron ore, in the future, it would probably be filled with several refrigerators, each one's door opening to a space filled with various minerals and bullets.
After finishing his work, Chen Mang stepped off the train and stood in the shadows, looking at the train sleeping like a long dragon in the darkness. He chuckled softly, a sense of satisfaction rising from the bottom of his heart. A modest accomplishment, at last.
Once he finished mining the iron ore and then the copper ore, and had stockpiled enough heavy machine gun bullets, his Stellar would be a fully-equipped Level 2 train.
No, not just fully-equipped.
He was super-equipped. In his mind, "fully-equipped" meant every accessory was upgraded to Level 10, with two advanced effects. The common consensus in the wasteland for a fully-equipped Level 2 train didn't have such a standard.