My Doomsday Train

The Train Stunt, "Absolute Defense."

Upon activation, the defensive Accessory Levels of the 'Carriage Steel Armor' and 'Energy Shield' on the train are combined to form a higher-level energy shield, lasting for ten seconds with a cooldown period of ten days.

His Armor was Level 7, and the Energy Shield was Level 3.

When combined, the pale yellow energy shield reached a full Level 10 defense. For a yellow zone, this level of defense was already overkill, even if it only lasted for ten seconds.

But—

That was enough!

This was a confrontation between trains, and each train was equipped with a large number of firepower accessories. Ten seconds could already decide many things.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

Among the five trains that had been racing side by side, the lowest-level Level 7 train was the first to have its locomotive turned into a fireball and sent flying, leaving the headless carriages to crash uncontrollably by the roadside.

The remaining three trains didn't fare much better.

In just four seconds, the two trains with Level 6 "Tycoon Energy Shields" followed suit, their locomotives also turning into fireballs and soaring into the air!

At this moment—

"I refuse to accept this!!!"

A furious roar erupted from the external loudspeaker of the "Anime Train." This train's energy shield was Level 7, the highest among the group and the one that held out the longest.

But that was all. The energy shield was already shattered, and the so-called Level 7 shield only allowed the train's conductor to leave a final message.

The ten Doomsday Cannons didn't need to disperse their fire; they all turned their barrels in unison and aimed at the Anime Train, firing again.

"Boom! Boom!!"

Countless crimson shells poured down like a torrential rain, engulfing the "Anime Train." Its locomotive, like the others, turned into a fireball and soared into the sky.

By this point.

Only seven seconds had passed since the battle began.

There were still three seconds left of Absolute Defense.

It was overkill.

The Stellar Train slowly came to a stop.

Inside the train, Chen Mang looked up at the fireball that had been the locomotive, now descending from the sky and crashing heavily to the ground.

"It flew so high," he remarked.

He glanced at the information on the Fortuitous Encounter map displayed on the screen.

"This mission: Activate the nuclear bomb and escape from here."

There was no time limit.

Or rather, there was no time limit until the nuclear bomb was activated.

So there was no need to rush. They would clear the area first, eliminating any remaining resistance from these trains before slowly exploring the map.

"What generous people," Chen Mang couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. They'd given him a Fortuitous Encounter map, the material reserves of four trains, and so many survivors. It almost made him feel a little embarrassed.

What kind of people were these?

Upgrading their trains but not their accessories?

Were they fighting based on train levels alone?

Although firepower accessories consumed a lot of resources, and most trains preferred to flee rather than engage when encountering monsters, his ten automatic cannons had all been upgraded to Level 10. This was the first time they'd been fired, as he'd never encountered a situation that required him to go all out before.

But once he did, the instantaneous destructive power was terrifying.

As it was now.

In just seven seconds, four high-level trains were obliterated.

Although the "Doomsday Cannons" were Level 10 cannons, the power of the shells they fired depended on the level of the shells used. The cannon's level only determined the firing rate and range, while the shell's level determined the damage.

He had used Level 8 shells this time.

A single Level 8 shell cost 500 units of copper ore.

But thanks to the two consecutive "Supermodel Effects" of the Doomsday Cannons, which halved the cost, a single Level 8 shell only required 125 units of copper ore.

In those seven seconds, all ten cannons fired at maximum speed without holding back, and he also fired a round from the "40-Tube Cherry Blossom Rocket Launcher." In total, he consumed exactly 500,000 units of copper ore.

The train now had only 25,000 units of copper ore left.

Almost nothing.

"Fighting is really expensive," Chen Mang muttered as he looked at the resource balance on the Train Panel, feeling a slight pang of regret. He had saved up so much copper ore, only to blow it all in seven seconds. He couldn't afford to make a Level 8 missile earlier, as it cost 1 million units of copper ore.

Otherwise, it would have been quite effective to drop a Level 8 missile directly above himself.

Detonate it on the spot.

But his train's accessories would likely have been destroyed, and the resources in the other trains would have been ruined as well. The losses would have been even greater. The cannons were the better choice.

In the next moment—

The door of Guard Car 7 immediately opened, and the first, second, and third squads of guards disembarked, ready to receive the survivors from the other trains, eliminate any remaining resistance, and collect supplies.

Biao Zi, the first to jump off the train, coldly tossed his briefcase into the air. The briefcase exploded mid-air, quickly transforming into an "Executioner" mech. The cockpit in the mech's abdomen quickly descended to the ground.

Biao Zi strode over, sat in the cockpit, and as it rose back into the mech's abdomen with a crisp "click," the mech's external loudspeaker transmitted his voice.

"Squad One, follow me."

Though his voice sounded cold, it was easy to detect the barely concealed excitement.

Biao Zi finally couldn't hold back and grinned as he looked at the various buttons in the cockpit. He finally had his own mech. Several nozzles on the mech's body emitted pale blue exhaust flames, and it immediately shot toward the "Anime Train."

That train was the highest level and the juiciest!

It was definitely theirs.

Zhang Yi and Zhang Er exchanged glances and activated their own mechs, following closely behind Biao Zi.

During their time mining, they had been learning how to operate mechs. While they weren't fully proficient yet, they could handle basic movements without issue.

Both mechs carried a refrigerator on their shoulders.

This had been arranged by the squad leader while they were still in the train.

One for supplies, the other for survivors.

The remaining two squads pursed their lips in dissatisfaction. Although they weren't happy about Biao Zi taking the choicest spoils, it was undeniable that Squad One was the most suited to handle this particular target. After all, while the locomotives of these trains had been blown sky-high, the thug carriages were still intact, and the risk of encountering enemies was not small.

"Squad Three, follow me," the Third Squad Leader commanded from inside the "Leech" mech, leading his squad, also carrying refrigerators, toward the other trains.

Mechs were taller than trains and couldn't enter them.

Biao Zi, controlling his mech, wielded a giant axe and began hacking away at the Anime Train's armor, peeling it open like an orange. If he encountered any resistance, he immediately struck them down, then let his squad members search for supplies.

The train's armor was Level 3, and his axe was Level 4. It couldn't withstand the blows.

With each swing, the train's armor was smashed open, leaving deep craters.

The process was relatively smooth.

The thugs on the Anime Train weren't dead yet, but no one resisted. They all knelt on the ground, raising their guns above their heads, their eyes filled with fear as they begged for mercy and surrendered. This made sense—in this world, an individual's strength was insignificant.

A single person couldn't stand against a train.

With their conductor dead, what were they struggling for?

Even if they weren't killed, being left here after the Stellar Train departed would mean certain death.

Surrendering was their only way out.

"Is it really this easy?" Zhang Yi muttered with a hint of disappointment as he scanned the now-empty carriage. Everything visible had already been tossed into the refrigerator on his shoulder. He had already exited his mech.

Then his eyes lit up.

He strode over to the corner of the carriage, happily picking up a half-empty bag of chips and stuffing it into the refrigerator on his shoulder.

"Such good stuff," Zhang Yi said with satisfaction, patting the refrigerator on his shoulder. "If we had this in the last train, I can't imagine how much we could have brought back. We could have ransacked the entire city!"

"True," Zhang Er agreed, holding a refrigerator in one hand and using the other to grab a thug cowering in the corner. He lifted the thug by the leg, shaking him upside down to dislodge any hidden items before casually stuffing him into the refrigerator.

The entire process was smooth and efficient, exuding a strange kind of beauty.

"Next time Lord Mang sends us out to scavenge, you carry a refrigerator, and I'll carry one too. Then we'll each put ten more refrigerators inside. Let Lord Mang see what we can do."

"We could empty out a city."

"Let's do it!"

"Get to work!"

The two of them worked with great enthusiasm, partly because they were well-fed and full of energy, and partly because the tools were so convenient. If they'd had this in the last train, they wouldn't have had to carry a treadmill all the way from the city back to the train at the edge. They could have just stuffed it into a refrigerator and carried it back effortlessly.

"Everyone, strip naked."

"Underwear, socks, everything—throw it all away. You'll get new ones later."

At the entrance to the Anime Train's slave carriage.

A refrigerator was placed.

Members of Squad One stood guard around it, watching as all the slaves from the Anime Train lined up to enter. Everyone, regardless of gender, had to strip completely to ensure they weren't hiding any contraband. If someone managed to sneak in a weapon and fired it unexpectedly, it could be a major problem.

"Hurry up!"

Biao Zi, piloting his mech, coldly slammed his giant axe into the ground as a warning, though inside he was thrilled. This mech was amazing—it was worth nearly dying in the "Biohazard" map!

The trick of pretending to inject a treatment serum to fool his brain was something Li Shiji had taught him.

According to Li Shiji.

The human brain was a mysterious thing, even somewhat idealistic. Often, even when something seemed impossible, if you could convince your brain that it had actually happened, it would have some effect.

For example, when he pretended to inject the serum, he found that it really worked. Some subconscious effect made him feel much better, as if he had more strength.

But Li Shiji also said this method shouldn't be used too often.

It could deplete the body's "essence."

He didn't understand what "essence" was, but it didn't matter. He felt Li Shiji was a talented guy and a good person—someone worth befriending.

The progress on the other trains was about the same.

After the victory.

The complete SOP for searching train supplies had already been established by Lao Zhu and distributed to each squad leader.

This process ensured maximum efficiency while minimizing losses among the crew.

Even so.

Searching through four trains took about an hour.

"..."

Inside the Stellar Train, Chen Mang sat in his chair, looking at the inventory list Lao Zhu had handed him. After a long silence, he sighed deeply and tossed the list into a drawer.

Should he even bother with the Fortuitous Encounter map now?

Could they just turn back?

The spoils from these four trains were more than enough to keep him well-fed. It was enough, really. He couldn't possibly take any more...

"1.491 million units of Iron Ore, 340,000 units of Copper Ore, 290,000 units of Wood, 120,000 units of Crimson Heartstone."

"1 White Grade Accessory Blueprint, 4 Murphy Stones."

"124 cartons of cigarettes, various supplies, various rifle ammunition, one Special Item."

"Hundreds of vacuum-packed cured ducks, various figurines."

"Over 1,900 survivors."

"..."

What could he say? As expected of an eighth-level train, it was rich!

He had spent ten days mining to gather just over 2 million units of Iron Ore, and in seven seconds, he had earned nearly 2 million more. The Stellar Train's total Iron Ore balance had now reached 3.54 million units.

With a bit more, he could upgrade to Level 8 Armor.

If he had Level 8 Armor earlier, he wouldn't have needed to use the "Absolute Defense" Train Stunt. He could have just tanked the hits. This skill had a ten-day cooldown, so after using it, he wouldn't be able to rely on it for the next ten days. It left him feeling a bit insecure.

In those seven seconds, he had consumed 500,000 units of Copper Ore.

But he had recovered 340,000 units.

He had already recouped most of the Copper Ore loss.

And with the Wood, Crimson Heartstone, Blueprint, Murphy Stones, and other supplies, it was worth it. He could only say it was worth it.

"..."

Chen Mang stepped out of the train, leaning on his cane as he stood on the ground, gazing at the futuristic city in the distance. After a long sigh, he lit a cigarette and took a drag, then turned to look at the Stellar Train behind him, a mechanical behemoth stretching like a long dragon.

He couldn't help but smile slightly.

This was his foundation for survival in this world.

The 1,900 survivors would all be forced into refrigerators for now. He didn't have time to deal with them yet. Once the Fortuitous Encounter map was completed, he would begin implanting "Iris Chips" in them one by one, officially making them members of the Stellar Train crew.

They would all start as third-class residents.

Later, those with talent or special skills would be singled out and given appropriate positions.

Under the joint design of Chen Mang and Lao Zhu, the Stellar Train had established a complete process for integrating survivors.

(End of Chapter)