Er Dan stood dumbfounded in Carriage No. 2 of the Stellar Train, staring blankly at the hundred heavy machine guns mounted on the ceiling. This wasn't his first time inside the Stellar Train.
But he distinctly remembered that during his last visit, while the interior was already quite extravagant, there had only been ten machine guns.
How had the number increased to a hundred this time?
He knew about this component—the "Internal Fire Control System." It was one of the components that could be crafted for a Level 2 Train, and every train had one. But this was only a green-tier component. Even at max level, it would only equip three heavy machine guns per carriage ceiling.
That was already more than enough.
Don't underestimate just three guns—their primary targets weren't monsters, but Slaves. These were humans wearing cloth garments, confined in a narrow, enclosed space. If things came to it, even a single heavy machine gun could easily wipe them all out. A hundred seemed like overkill, didn't it?
A possibility occurred to Er Dan. "Lord Mang, did the Slaves I sent over to the Stellar cause trouble?"
Chen Mang chuckled. "The Stellar hasn't had a single riot or incident so far. Everyone's been very harmonious and obedient."
Er Dan nodded. He clearly remembered how ecstatic the Slaves from the Azure Dragon had been when they parted ways—they were practically overjoyed. There was no way they'd cause trouble.
But if this carriage had a hundred heavy machine guns, then the others must be similarly equipped.
Fifteen carriages plus one locomotive.
That meant a total of 1,600 heavy machine guns inside the train alone.
He really wanted to look up historical battles where 1,600 heavy machine guns had been deployed—just to see what kind of scale that would entail.
Only then did Er Dan snap out of his daze, suddenly puzzled. "Uh, Lord Mang, weren't we supposed to be here to complete my Serendipity Map quest?"
Chen Mang tapped his cane and headed toward the Space Gate embedded in the wall of Carriage No. 2—the "Armor Research and Development Center." Er Dan hurried after him.
The moment they pushed through the door...
Er Dan froze at the sight of the absurdly large Space Gate before him. Why did it seem so much bigger than his own? Well, he quickly figured it out—if it was Lord Mang's doing, then it made perfect sense.
But when he saw what was inside the space, he froze again.
Mechs. Hundreds of robots.
All sorts of experimental equipment he couldn't comprehend.
Various materials neatly stacked to the side.
He hadn't seen a single one of these things before. Were these part of the craftable components unlocked with each Train upgrade? Or were they all blueprints?
"Uh... Lord Mang, isn't this place supposed to be a top-secret facility?"
"Am I... allowed to see this?"
Chen Mang didn't seem bothered. He just lightly tapped a red device with his cane and smiled. "Just a little gadget—the 'Cosmic Receiver.' I won't bore you with the technical details."
"It'd be too tedious to explain."
"In simple terms, it can produce low-grade Iron Ore. Making a Level 1 Iron Ore Mine for you is a piece of cake."
"Let me take a look."
At this moment, a progress bar was displayed on the red instrument's screen.
"Still pretty fast. In just a short while, it's already at 34%. Let's go outside the train to sit and chat for a bit. It should be done soon. Then I'll temporarily transfer some of my residents back to your train, and once you finish mining, the task will be complete."
"Pretty straightforward."
"The mine is generated inside the train... inside the train?"
Crisis Valley, outside the Stellar Train.
Chen Mang sat on a camping chair, admiring the train he had built over these past days as if it were a piece of art.
Er Dan, sitting beside him, let out a long sigh of emotion. "I suddenly feel incredibly fortunate to have joined the Stellar. The thought of my old Azure Dragon having to compete with a train like the Stellar... it feels overwhelming."
"Completely out of its league."
Chen Mang chuckled but didn't elaborate further.
That Dwarf Man wasn't here. For some reason, Chen Mang felt he got the most emotional satisfaction from him. It wasn't that the guy was particularly flattering—maybe it was just because the Dwarf Man's train was the first truly powerful one he'd seen after arriving in this world.
A sort of senior figure.
That kind of awe from a senior was the most exhilarating.
He'd have to find a chance to chat with the senior another day, once he'd made a bit more progress.
About ten minutes later.
The 「Level 1 Iron Ore」 was fully prepared.
Inside Carriage No. 2, beyond another Space Gate, Chen Mang pointed to the mine within. "This is the Level 1 Iron Ore."
Then he waved his hand.
A group of residents, who had been waiting outside the carriage, immediately rushed in with pickaxes, quickly filing through the Space Gate one after another.
These residents were now officially slaves of the Traveling Frog.
Just then, Er Dan noticed a strong man passing by and stopped him. "Aren't you Da Mao? How's life on the Stellar? Settling in alright?"
The strong man, who had been keeping his head low and trying to blend into the crowd, instantly looked pained. He'd tried so hard to hide, yet he'd still been caught.
With no choice, he steeled himself and turned to Chen Mang, speaking solemnly, "Greetings, Lord Mang."
Then he glanced at Er Dan, hesitating. "Dan... Dan..."
"Alright, his name is Er Dan. You're about to turn him into San Dan."
Chen Mang couldn't help but laugh, patting the strong man's shoulder. "Just call him Boss Dan."
"Whew..." Relieved by Lord Mang's instruction, the strong man exhaled deeply. "Greetings, Boss Dan."
Then, like a streak of smoke, he slipped back into the crowd, pickaxe in hand, and disappeared through the Space Gate.
Er Dan sighed helplessly. "That guy used to be my slave overseer. I remember him pretty well."
"No worries. With this many residents working on a Level 1 Iron Ore, it'll probably be cleared in half a day. Shall we go back outside and sit for a while?"
"You go ahead. I need to grab something from the front of the train."
Chen Mang walked back to the train compartment alone, then turned his gaze to the data recorded on the screen. The level 1 iron ore deposit contained roughly 10,000 units of iron ore, which had taken half an hour to mine. Based on this calculation,
they could produce about 480,000 units of iron ore per day.
That meant a guaranteed minimum of over 10 million units per month.
Xiao Ai's voice came through the sound system in the compartment: "Lord Mang, maybe I really am quite clever. The experiment you asked me to continue—I've actually made some progress. While I can't produce level 5 iron ore in the short term, as the experiment improves..."
"I can increase the absorption efficiency of the receiver."
"In other words, the time needed to produce iron ore will be significantly reduced."
"That's even better."
Chen Mang nodded in satisfaction. "Believe in yourself. I've always thought you were capable. You'll only realize what you're truly capable of once you try."
"About that Da Mao earlier..."
"I like that kid. Upgrade him to second-tier resident privileges."
After that, he grabbed some cigars, cola, and a few vacuum-sealed packs of pressed duck before heading out.
Chen Mang sat down on a camping chair and handed over the packs of spicy pressed duck. "Got these a while back. The flavor's pretty good—give it a try."
"I'll try it!" Er Dan eagerly accepted the package with both hands, tore it open, and ripped off a strip of duck meat to pop into his mouth. His eyes immediately lit up. "Dry, chewy, and full of flavor—so good! It's been ages since I've had something ."
"Doesn't feel that spicy."
"If it's not spicy, eat more."
"Then I won't hold back, Lord Mang?"
"Don't hold back. Go wild."
Leaning back in his chair, Chen Mang took a sip of his ice-cold cola and watched Er Dan devour the duck with gusto. For a moment, it felt like watching a mukbang stream. He smiled faintly, eyes slightly narrowed, and said nothing.
He didn't eat any himself.
He had bad memories about this damn thing.
After wolfing down seven or eight bites, Er Dan started to feel something was off. He took a swig of mineral water but brushed it aside, stubbornly continuing to chew on the pressed duck while talking. "Lord Mang, let me tell you about these past few days..."
Er Dan's neck and face were completely flushed red, sweat beading across his forehead as he panted and stuck out his tongue repeatedly.
"Didn't you say it wasn't spicy earlier?"
"It wasn't at first!"
Inside the level 1 iron ore deposit of the Space Gate in Carriage No. 2, Da Mao, who was swinging his pickaxe to mine, suddenly saw a line of text flash across his iris chip.
Ding. Resident Notice.
Resident No. 4998, you have earned Lord Mang's favor. Your resident privileges will be upgraded from Tier 3 to Tier 2, and your Tier 3 progress will be carried over and retained under Tier 2.
Please continue your efforts. The Stellar grows brighter because of you.
Da Mao froze in disbelief. Even as the text began to fade, he couldn't quite believe it. Hurriedly, he focused his mind to pull up the Notification History, making the text reappear several times. Only after scrutinizing each word did it finally sink in—he had actually been promoted to Tier 2 resident privileges?
And without accomplishing anything!
Just because Lord Mang was pleased?
Excitement and exhilaration instantly flooded his mind. Standing there leaning on his pickaxe, he grinned foolishly while counting on his fingers. Since his progress toward third-class resident benefits had been preserved as second-class, the time needed to advance to first-class would be significantly shortened. Soon, he'd be able to earn Stellar Coupons.
Only first-class residents could earn Stellar Coupons.
In other words, only upon reaching first-class would one truly integrate into the Stellar Train. Everything before that was merely a probation period—albeit more humane than pre-apocalypse standards.
No seven-day trial where you'd be dismissed without pay if deemed unsuitable.
Here, if you failed probation, there'd be after-sales service—someone would help see you off, ensuring you lived out your days peacefully.
"Brother Mao, what's up? Why are you laughing?"
A gaunt man wheezed as he shuffled over. "Aren't you trying to advance to first-class benefits quickly? We need to hurry up and mine. The others are digging too fast—if we don't speed up, there won't be any ore left. There's only so much to go around, and too many wolves fighting over scraps."
Da Mao hesitated briefly about whether to with the man. Back on the Azure Dragon Train, he'd been a slave overseer, and this man was his trusted subordinate. But he worried that if he told him...
The man might imitate him by going before Chen Mang and deliberately stammering without speaking.
It'd seem too deliberate. What might come next wouldn't be Ding, joy from Lord Mang, but rather—
Ding, punishment from Lord Mang.
Having made up his mind, he shook his head with a smile. "It's nothing. Let's just keep mining."
Only then did Da Mao take a deep breath and glance at his resident panel. As he swung his pickaxe again, he couldn't stop grinning, his lips utterly beyond his control.
On the Azure Dragon, he'd been a minor official—a slave overseer.
Here, he was just an ordinary resident.
Yet somehow, he felt more at ease here, with greater motivation in his heart.
Train: Train Resident
Balance: 0 Stellar Coupons
Benefits: 2nd-class Resident Benefits
Promotion Progress: 23%
Mental Strength: 11.4
Physical Fitness Index: 11.6
Perhaps it was because of this Resident Panel that he felt a stronger sense of belonging aboard the Stellar Train—something absent on the Azure Dragon. Latest content published on NoveI-Fire.ɴet
To describe it accurately, the Stellar Train gave him a sense of purpose—a mission to rebuild amidst ruins. The Azure Dragon, by contrast, offered only pure apocalyptic survival.
The promotion system for resident benefits worked :
A daily quota of 10 units of iron ore was the baseline task. Any extra ore mined contributed to promotion progress. Once enough additional ore was extracted, one's benefits would upgrade.
After reaching first-class, surplus ore would be converted into Stellar Coupons.
At that point, one would qualify to spend at the Resident Store.
Rumor had it this progress bar didn't exist in the past.
Later, what Lord Mang and Director Ai came up with was this progress bar that allowed residents to clearly see how long it was until their next promotion in benefits. It had a gaming level-up feel to it.
People worked with incredible diligence.
Before the apocalypse, there was never such a quantified, transparent, and systematic promotion mechanism.
If any company had implemented this system, how could employees not work their hardest?
Da Mao swung his pickaxe continuously, his mind wandering.
Only the clanging sounds of pickaxes striking Iron Ore could be heard—not perfectly synchronized, but oddly pleasant.