With that, Chen Mang said no more, simply returning to the train alone.
He left Biao and Lao Zhu standing there, stunned. After a long moment, Biao turned to Lao Zhu, his face a mask of misery. "Vice-Captain Zhu... I had the 'Hive Mind' on the whole time just now. I didn't say anything bad about Boss Mang, did I?"
"I don't think so."
Lao Zhu, however, let out a sigh of relief. "Good thing I wasn't connected just now.”
“Alright, let's get to work. And from now on, you should probably talk less behind the boss's back."
"Huh?"
Biao watched Lao Zhu's retreating, his eyes full of confusion and disbelief. Weren't you the one who started it?
Soon—
After nightfall, the slaves returned to the train, carrying their pickaxes. They began lining up for their daily food, having brought back a large quantity of iron ore.Combined with what was left from the day before, the train now had 14,403 units of iron ore.
"..."
Inside the command car, Chen Mang stared at the noticeably smaller open-pit iron deposit, lost in thought. A scarlet light pulsed in the darkness of the car. At this rate, the mine would be depleted in about a month.
Different mines had different ore contents.
This one was much richer than the Level 1 iron mine he'd first encountered.
Of course, once this batch of goblins joined the workforce, the speed would increase significantly.
Earlier today, over sixty foolish-looking goblins had successfully arrived at the Apocalypse Abyss. He had driven the train to the cliff's edge to pick them up.
This intelligent goblin didn't know the specific coordinates of the others, but it could contact them and send the coordinates for the Apocalypse Abyss. He couldn't go pick them up himself.
Some had surely been killed on the way.
There were probably still more goblins on their way. The Ironridge Wasteland wasn't small; it would take them some time to get here.
The goblins' mode of transport was the "Goblin Merchant." Yes, the same one that dropped loot when killed.
According to the intelligent goblin, "Goblin Merchants" were a special existence in their race. They were born with exceptional foot speed, which was why they could be merchants. They were born as Goblin Merchants.
They could reach a top speed of 150 km/h, had incredible stamina, and could carry heavy loads.
When he saw it...
A dozen goblins, stacked on top of each other like a human pyramid, riding on the head of a Goblin Merchant and charging toward him at 150 km/h, he was speechless. For a moment, he even considered whether "Goblin Merchants" could replace wheels.
Just install four Goblin Merchants under each carriage and have them carry the train.
They wouldn't even consume Energy Stones, just a few slices of bread.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang sighed and rubbed his temples. After accepting the cultural differences between the races, he spent 4,400 units of iron ore to upgrade the "Simple First-Aid Kit" to Level 10.
The kit itself didn't change, nor did its name.
The contents were still the same: bandages, spray, a suture kit.
But the two new advanced effects were more than worth the price.
[Simple First-Aid Kit Level 5 Advanced Effect]: External Injury Spray. It can heal most external wounds in a short period.
[Simple First-Aid Kit Level 10 Advanced Effect]: Suture Kit. Any severed limb, after being reattached, will be as good as new once it has successfully healed.
These two effects would greatly improve the train's current medical capabilities.
It was worth noting—
The "Simple First-Aid Kit" was a single-use accessory. That meant once the spray was used up, to get another spray with the same effect, he would have to craft another first-aid kit and upgrade it to Level 5 again.
The suture kit, however, could be used indefinitely.
But he estimated that the bottle of spray could be used forty or fifty times without issue. He wouldn't need to craft a second medical kit anytime soon.
He tossed the two items to Biao. "Go treat the goblins' wounds."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, outside the train.
A group of Level 2 goblins, holding machetes, stood clustered together with vacant eyes. At their front, the intelligent goblin stared blankly at the long line of slaves waiting for their food, its mouth slowly falling open in disbelief.
After a long time, it looked down at the two slices of bread it had been clutching, unwilling to eat. It felt like its entire worldview was collapsing.
Today, the Human Prophet had given it three delicious slices of bread. It had eaten one and saved the other two.
The taste lingered in its mouth.
I had always thought this was food only a Human Prophet was worthy of eating. But now, those slaves were lining up to receive it, everyone getting a share, and ten slices each?
When had the treatment of slaves become this good?
This...
How could this be?
It took a deep breath, its eyes fixed on the basket full of bread slices, saliva pooling in its mouth. It stuffed the two slices of bread from its pocket into its mouth all at once. The wound at the corner of its mouth stung slightly as it chewed, but its heart was already filled with anticipation for the mining journey ahead, once its injuries were healed.
Just then, Biao, holding the spray, walked over. He followed the goblin's gaze, quickly understood everything, and couldn't help but chuckle. "You can go get some, too. Ten slices per person, everyone gets their share."
"Hmph."
The goblin snorted, shooting Biao a disdainful look. "Foolish human. I didn't mine today, so how could I accept the reward for mining?!"
"As a high-ranking member of the Stellar, don't you even understand such a simple rule?"
"If rules can be broken at will, then what is the meaning of rules?"
"..."
The smile on Biao's face slowly froze. He expressionlessly handed the spray over, his voice flat and hoarse. "Boss Mang wants you to treat your external wounds. And treat your goblin cubs, too."
"They are my kin."
"Right, your goblin kin."
Inside the command car.
Chen Mang sat at the control console, ignoring the events outside. Lao Zhu and the others could handle such trivial matters. He opened the bag from the Goblin Merchant he'd killed today. Inside were several glowing items. He was ready to see his haul.
Four Goblin Merchants had arrived today, but due to the rules, a Goblin Merchant's bag couldn't be opened until it was dead.
He had no intention of killing these four. The reward wasn't worth it. These were treasures—Goblin Merchants who could reach a top speed of 150 km/h. In the apocalypse, their value was far greater than some random yellow-grade blueprint drop.
To put it bluntly, he might even have to use a "Goblin Merchant" as a mount in the future. If he ever had to leave the train and travel to another area, having a Goblin Merchant would provide a great sense of security. If he ran into danger, he could just hop on its neck and flee. At that speed, many Level 1 trains wouldn't be able to catch him.
A zombie horde wouldn't be able to catch him either.
Don't be fooled by their small size; they packed a lot of explosive power.