Chen Mang, witnessing the scene with his own eyes, gave his assessment.
On the control panel’s screen, several lines of crimson characters were flashing repeatedly.
"Beep... Beep... Level 3 zombie detected, may pose a considerable threat to the train."
"Level 5 Three-legged Cat Heavy Machine Gun has locked onto the zombie, ready to fire upon the Train Captain’s order."
Without the slightest hesitation, in the next moment—
The heavy machine gun mounted on top of Carriage No. 2 swiftly rotated and locked tightly onto the gigantic zombie, as a flash of red light flickered from the muzzle.
It initiated the attack first, the piercing and muffled gunfire thundered across the nocturnal wasteland, as several bullets formed a line, shooting straight towards the head of the Level 3 zombie.
The Level 3 zombie reacted extremely quickly.
In almost an instant, it raised its palms in front of itself, and most of the fired bullets struck its hands. In the blink of an eye, as the gunfire ceased, the zombie’s arms, with a strong intimidation factor, had been blasted to shreds.
Instantly becoming an armless zombie.
Chen Mang muttered, gazing at the scene before him, but he soon noticed that the heavy machine gun had ceased firing, and then he suddenly realized something. Instinctively, he glanced at the Train Panel, and sure enough, the 200 rounds of Level 3 bullets he’d just crafted had been entirely used up.
This armless and enraged Level 3 zombie was already charging at him!
Chen Mang’s mouth twitched slightly, those 200 rounds had cost him 2000 units of copper ore, gone just like that?
He dared not linger, immediately maneuvering the train to avoid the attacks of this zombie boss.
But the train’s starting speed was naturally slower.
Unable to dodge in time, the Level 3 zombie, towering at a height of ten meters, had already reached the train’s side, its face as menacing as a soccer player from the national team. It kicked the train fiercely, producing a massive collision sound and... a harsh and painful howling.
Struck directly on the rapidly spinning train blade.
A large bloody crevice appeared on the zombie’s toes, and in its agony, it went berserk, repeatedly kicking the train. After several kicks, the zombie’s right foot was practically ruined, losing its balance and collapsing to the ground.
Inside the train, Chen Mang, seated at the control console, watched the scene before him. He only breathed a sigh of relief after Old Pig reported that there were no casualties among the slaves. His Fixed Star train had been pushed several meters across the wasteland by those kicks.
Quite powerful indeed.
Although his armor had completely resisted the zombie’s attack, the vibration of the train was unavoidable. Those kicks left him stifled in the chest.
The zombie, now sitting on the ground howling continuously, apparently unable to launch another attack anytime soon, now it was Chen Mang’s turn to raid.
Chen Mang’s eyes squinted slightly, immediately maneuvering the train to aim at the fallen zombie, repeatedly ramming it, continuously slicing the Zombie King with the train blades on both sides.
The battle was over, and the Level 3 zombie had almost been dismembered, its head and tail scattered across the wasteland, killed much faster than the Level 3 Cannibal Spider.
This was mainly thanks to the "Level 3 Armor," allowing him to crash into it fearlessly without any concerns, and the zombie’s overall size was still smaller than that of the spider.
Chen Mang descended from the train alone, leaning on a cane and standing on the wasteland, the air filled with a strong smell of blood. All around him, there was no longer a single living thing, only him standing alone in the wasteland.
During the recent battle, the hundreds of zombies had been devoured by the Level 3 zombie to heal its wounds, but to no avail.
"The train blade is still the best."
Chen Mang glanced at the scattered bullet casings on the ground and sighed. The heavy machine gun, loaded with Level 3 bullets, was indeed powerful, but the consumption... was equally high. In the blink of an eye, 2000 units of copper ore were spent, who could sustain that?
The train blade is still better.
It only consumed a bit of energy, practically no different from non-consumption.
Energy Stones are just a few bucks, crafting one only costs 500 units of iron ore.
He finally understood why, on the "Train Radio," even the trains equipped with Level 3 heavy machine guns ran away upon encountering a Level 3 Cannibal Spider despite having the capacity to kill it. How much copper ore would it take to kill that spider?
Whether he could break even remained a mystery.
If there’s a chance to escape, just do it quickly.
The stock of Level 3 bullets is meant for critical moments to preserve life, not for killing bosses or claiming rewards.
In this world, the hierarchy is extremely strict.
Being suppressed by a higher level, it’s impossible to breach defenses, let alone cause damage.
Like a Level 1 train blade, it can’t penetrate a Level 2 zombie’s defense.
Only when levels are equal or dominant can you breach their defense, and the potential power depends on the accessory’s combat effect.
The train blade has its advantages.
But it’s just a white-grade accessory, with only melee attack means, and the attack method is very limited. If... it had a white-grade accessory for ranged attacks, it would be great. Typically, white-grade accessories have very low energy consumption.
Although both are Level 3 bosses, the pressure this Zombie King gives is far less than the Cannibal Spider.
He naturally knew the reason.
This Level 2 zombie was only able to ascend to a Level 3 Zombie King by relying on the flesh and blood stored in the corpses’ belly, and as for him... he had killed nearly ninety percent of the zombies along the way. With so much flesh and blood missing, this Level 3 Zombie King wasn’t at its peak after the ascension.
Level 3 zombies can restore their injuries by devouring zombies.
But only a few hundred zombies made it here, which is completely insufficient.
By sheer coincidence, he improved his odds of winning.
Fortunately, he crafted Level 3 bullets beforehand; if he hadn’t blasted the Zombie King’s hands to pieces, he seriously doubted this Zombie King would have directly swung the Fixed Star train like a whip, smashing it repeatedly into the ground. The train could endure, but the people inside couldn’t withstand such an impact.
He still needed to continue developing, as the Fixed Star train had many shortcomings.
He also knew why there had been a surge of corpses across the wasteland in recent days — they were likely collecting flesh and blood for the Zombie King’s promotion.
This boss wasn’t the first kill; if it were, corresponding information would appear on the control panel’s screen.
The night wind swept over.
Standing alone on the wasteland, Chen Mang tightened the coat on his body, turned around, and returned to the train to see what the Zombie King had dropped, then he would likely return to the Doomsday Abyss to continue mining.
Even though he didn’t encounter any new boss monster this time.
He hadn’t expected much, to begin with; the loot from this excursion was enough, so it was time to go back to mining.
If only he could find a Level 2 copper mine, he could stockpile ten thousand rounds of Level 3 bullets and clear out all the bosses on the Tieling Wasteland.
But Level 3 bullets are so expensive; once reaching the advanced zones, Level 4 and Level 5 bullet prices will likely be even higher.
It’s still reliant on white-grade offensive accessories—next gathering, he should try to find some white-grade offensive accessory blueprints.
In Carriage No. 2, Chen Mang glanced at the accessory blueprint the Zombie King had dropped, a slight disbelief in his murmuring voice.
"Speak of the devil, and he appears..."