After the death of the level 3 boss monster, the Man-Eating Spider, it dropped four items in total.
2 units of level 3 ore, "Crimson Heartstone."
100 units of level 2 material, "Fine Spider Silk."
A green-tier vehicle component blueprint, "Powerful Magnet."
A special item, "Hell Staff."
These four items constituted the entire loot from this boss.
The first two were "Rare Ores," resources that cannot be mined from the mines but only have a chance to drop after killing a boss. They are often used in the crafting and upgrading of special vehicle components.
However, he currently had no use for them.
The vehicle component "Powerful Magnet" had the effect of absorbing all loot dropped by monsters killed by the train or its crew within a certain range directly into a designated carriage.
The primary use of this component was not here but during the Corpse Tide.
In the chaos of a Corpse Tide, it would be impossible to stop and collect loot. With this item, one could easily retrieve dropped items from the midst of the horde.
The fourth item was a special tool.
It wasn't for the train but for individual use. It was shaped like a staff. Wielding this special item, one could remotely control the train from a certain range around it, even without being inside the locomotive.
If he had this item last night, he wouldn't have needed to return to the locomotive to craft carriages. If he had any self-controlled thermal weapons, he wouldn't need to operate them from the locomotive either; he could stand near the train and control them remotely with this staff.
The item was good, but the name "Hell Staff" was less than impressive.
Chen Mang nodded with satisfaction. After all, it was a boss they had fought all night to kill, and the rewards were quite generous. Although the "Rare Ores" were not immediately useful, they would come in handy eventually.
Everyone had finished cleaning up. The spider's blood was plentiful, and the entire plain was dyed red. After purifying the water with the "Purified Water Filter," there was no shortage of water. Using purified water so lavishly for bathing was a luxury many slaves hadn't enjoyed in a long time.
Chen Mang cheerfully looked at the group of slaves, ready to return to the iron ore site they had started from. After a day of rest, they would resume mining.
His current level 2 train was just an empty shell. Many essential components for a level 2 train hadn't been crafted yet. Although he had received several rare ores, what he lacked most now was ordinary iron ore.
They still needed to continue mining.
At this moment, Lao Zhu jogged over and tentatively suggested, "I think the reason we haven't seen a single monster these past few days might be because this level 3 Man-Eating Spider was giving birth nearby in Taiping City, scaring off other monsters with its presence."
"Taiping City might be at its most vulnerable now. Why don't we go loot it?"
"Biao Zi told me there's a liquor store in the suburbs with a hidden compartment that definitely hasn't been looted."
Chen Mang shook his head, calmly looking at Lao Zhu, "Right now, it's more important to gather enough iron ore to craft some basic components for the level 2 train, like heavy machine guns. If we had as many heavy machine guns as that DJ-playing train, would we have needed to run?"
"This..." Lao Zhu hesitated. He really wanted to add that the DJ-playing train had also run away, but he kept that thought to himself and meekly added, "There might be many Man-Eating Spider hatchlings in Taiping City now. Killing them could yield a lot of good loot, and no one would be competing with us for it."
After a moment of silence, Chen Mang glanced at Lao Zhu and rasped, "Get on the train. We're heading to Taiping City. Do you know the way?"
Chen Mang sped along the plain, following the obvious tracks left by the Man-Eating Spider during its nightly travels. By following these tracks, they would soon reach Taiping City.
After all, the vast plain was nearly barren, with no good landmarks, and Lao Zhu didn't know the way.
He glanced at the train's energy stone.
Not bad, it could still run for a while. He only had 313 units of iron ore left. Originally, he had planned to return to continue mining to craft the "Fabrication Table," but Lao Zhu's suggestion was tempting. Without the boss protecting the hatchlings, it felt almost wrong not to go back and kill them.
By now, the exterior of the "Stellar" train was also covered in a layer of brownish-red bloodstains, emitting a foul stench under the sun.
After driving for four hours.
Chen Mang finally saw the ruins of a modern city on the distant horizon. However, many of the high-rise buildings had collapsed, and the entire city looked riddled with holes. As they approached.
More scenes came into view.
There were traces of intense fires in many places, cars piled up on the roads, and leaves and garbage strewn everywhere, but no bodies in sight.
Chen Mang silently observed all this. The scene before him gave him a clearer understanding of his crossing into this apocalyptic world. These past few days on the plain, he hadn't seen many traces of human civilization.
In such an environment, how many survivors could possibly be hiding here?
As the train neared the city ruins, Chen Mang gradually reduced its speed, finally stopping at the edge of a collapsed building. The path ahead was blocked by various cars and collapsed structures, making it impossible for the train to proceed further.
From here, they would need to continue on foot.
There was a massive spiderweb.
A web woven from spider silk as thick as arms, spanning between high-rise buildings, suspended in the air. The surrounding area was littered with traces of corrosion from green, sticky liquid, and many cars and buildings were pierced by scattered strands of spider silk.
The ground was strewn with spider silk, the ejected strands as powerful as bullets, easily piercing through reinforced concrete structures.
On the ground, there were also many heavy machine gun casings, scattered firearms, and several abandoned train carriages. Later, they could use the "Geothermal Furnace" to devour all of this and see if so many discarded cars could be decomposed into iron ore.
This place had clearly witnessed a fierce battle.
"It really was a close call."
Chen Mang stood at the edge of the ruins, murmuring as he looked at the scene before him. It seemed the level 3 Man-Eating Spider had exhausted its silk and venom here, or else he might not have made it out alive.
Of course, if he ever had the chance to write an autobiography, he wouldn't admit to this close call in his memoir. He would record it as... with the might of a newly upgraded level 2 train, instantly killing the level 3 Man-Eating Spider boss.
On that massive spiderweb.
About a dozen small spiders dangled in the air, suspended by a strand of spider silk, swaying in the wind.
These were the Man-Eating Spider's hatchlings.
Chen Mang waved Biao Zi over, patted his shoulder, and softly said, "Take the guys and gear, and eliminate all these hatchlings. Then bring back whatever loot they drop."
"This isn't a place to linger. Once the mission is done, come back immediately, and we'll head back. Understood?"
Biao Zi nodded earnestly, then gestured to the other nine enforcers. Armed with plenty of magazines and some Train Blade Fragments, they quickly made their way through the ruins, heading towards the massive spiderweb.
At the edge of the ruins, Lao Zhu hesitated, "Should I go with them? What if they run off and don't come back?"
"If they run, they run."
Chen Mang leaned on his staff, standing at the edge of the ruins, calmly gazing at the spiderweb that loomed between several high-rise buildings, "You have to allow for the possibility that anyone might leave you at any time, and not let it consume too much of your mind."
"In this world, anyone could leave at any moment."
"But you can't stop using someone just because they might leave."
"A ship faces risks when it sets sail, but a ship isn't built to stay docked forever."
"Keep an eye on the surroundings. These hatchlings didn't come from just one spider. I have a bad feeling about this. It's best to finish the mission and leave as soon as possible."