After being upgraded to Level 5, the "Windfire Wheels" had significantly increased the train's speed. The Stellar was moving fast now, and after a few more days, once it hit Level 10, it would be even faster.
This was the first time in days that the Stellar had truly left the Apocalypse Abyss. The last time he'd ventured out to pick up the goblins, he'd only lingered at the cliff's edge, never truly heading into the wasteland.
Part of him was still holding onto a sliver of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he'd run into a new boss monster. With his train's current strength, as long as it wasn't some ridiculously overpowered Level 3 boss, he was confident he could take it down. It might just take a little longer. Even without the first-kill bonus, the rewards from killing a boss were still substantial. He'd been quite satisfied with the loot from that Level 3 Cannibalistic Spider.
Inside the command car, Chen Mang gazed into the distance. Without headlights, the path ahead was almost completely dark. He kept a light foot on the accelerator, not daring to go too fast. The adrenaline rush made his arms tremble slightly. Although the train had Level 3 armor and there weren't many things on the wasteland that could ram him, he still didn't have a "Gyroscope"—a yellow-grade accessory. If the train tilted too far, it could still flip over.
That accessory was one of the craftable items for a Level 3 train.
What he couldn't figure out was why "Headlights," such a basic and essential component, weren't available for Level 1 or 2 trains, or even Level 3. Surely they weren't a Level 4 accessory, were they? Or was the blueprint something you could only find by luck in the wild?
And so, he drove across the wasteland for half an hour. The "Search Radar" and "Resource Detection Radar" remained silent the entire time.
"Something big is out tonight..."
The quieter it was, the more excited Chen Mang became. His eyes narrowed, peering into the dark depths of the wasteland. A place like this shouldn't be completely devoid of monsters for half an hour.Unless...
Yes, just like last time. When a boss appeared, the pressure it released would make all the other monsters on the wasteland go into hiding.
There was something big out here tonight.
Just then—
Beep, beep, beep...
The Search Radar was the first to sound, followed quickly by the Resource Detection Radar. It had detected a Level 1 iron mine not far away, and parked beside it was a Level 1 train.
"Tsk."
A thought occurred to Chen Mang, and he couldn't help but smile. The external speakers on the train suddenly blasted a deafening DJ track at maximum volume. Like a gust of wind, he roared past the Level 1 train, honking his horn three times.
In the blink of an eye, the small train and the iron mine were left far behind.
It was easy to identify a Level 1 train. Only three carriages, no armor, no heavy machine guns. A newbie.
He had no intention of stopping to steal the mine. For one, he didn't really care about a small Level 1 deposit anymore. For another, he remembered when he'd just built the Stellar and was mining on the wasteland—a Level 2 train had roared past him just like this, and they hadn't stolen his mine either.
His worldview had been shaped in his past life, but the tone of this new world was slowly influencing his actions. If that Level 2 train had robbed him back then, he would be robbing this Level 1 train now. But since that long-gone senior hadn't, he didn't mind following their example and teasing a newbie.
"..."
Having satisfied his petty whim, Chen Mang thought of something, and the smile on his face slowly froze.
This scene... it felt so familiar.
That Level 2 train from long ago had roared past him just as arrogantly on its way to fight a boss, only to come fleeing back, battered and defeated.
He was now on his way to find a boss.
Surely he wouldn't...
He quickly shook his head, pushing the chaotic thoughts from his mind. It was late. Thinking about such things was bad luck.
On the Ironridge Wasteland, a small train with only three carriages was parked next to an iron mine. Inside the command car, a young man with white-dyed hair stared at the spot where the other train had disappeared. After letting out a long sigh of relief, he bit his lip.
"That guy is really living it up!"
"Damn it..."
"Why is he so arrogant on the wasteland? Isn't he afraid the music will attract monsters?"
The moment he'd seen the other train's full appearance, his heart had leaped into his throat. A full eight carriages, every single one, including the locomotive, covered in thick, black armor. Four large-caliber heavy machine guns on the roofs. If a train like that wanted to rob him, he would have no way to fight back. When the train fell, the captain was always the first to die.
But the other party seemed to be well-intentioned. They had no plans to rob him.
One day, he thought, I'll be just like that, blasting a deafening DJ, driving my train arrogantly and recklessly across the wasteland.
Inside the command car, the young man with white hair clenched his fists, secretly setting a new goal for himself.
But when he looked at the train's panel, at the 49 survivors listed, his face filled with worry again.
Before the apocalypse, he had been a third-year university student. When the world ended, he and his classmates had hidden in the university's air-raid shelter. There was enough food and water there, and they had waited patiently for rescue.
The rescue never came.
A few days ago, a monster broke into the shelter. He had summoned his courage and killed it, and it had unexpectedly dropped a Train Token. After some discussion, they decided to embrace the new era, to stop hiding in the shelter and build their own train to survive in this new world.
As the class president and the only one who had killed a monster, and with the Train Token in his hands, he had naturally become the train captain.
But...
After he'd gone through great pains to find an iron mine, his classmates slacked off every day, managing to dig only two or three units of iron ore per day. He had to lead by example, personally digging about ten units himself every day.
He tried to reason with them, but their resentment only grew. Some had even gone on a full strike.
He didn't know what to do. He could only keep trying to persuade them to make them understand that if the train didn't get to Level 2 quickly, it would be stranded on the wasteland. But his words had little effect.
Many of them thought it would be better to just go back to the shelter. The food there could last for another five years. By then, the world would surely be at peace, and the rescue teams would come. There was no need to risk their lives on the wasteland, especially when it was so tiring. If another monster broke in, he could just kill it.
"If it were you..." the young man murmured, standing inside the train and looking in the direction the other train had disappeared. "If you were in my position, what would you do? You have such a powerful train, you must have a good solution."
"I've tried every argument."
"But they won't listen."
"It's so simple. It's about everyone's survival. Why won't they listen?"
Meanwhile—
"Hm?"
In the command car of the Stellar, Chen Mang sat at the control console, looking at the black, oppressive mass of zombies charging toward him in the distance and the constantly beeping Search Radar. He froze for a second, then couldn't help but laugh.
"I found you."
"This must be fate."