After regaining his composure.
Chen Mang slowly let out a long breath, got up to stretch his muscles and bones, and then felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. It was already near dusk, and he didn’t have the energy to do anything more.
He immediately stopped the train in its tracks.
He lay down on the bed and drifted into a hazy sleep.
The next day, morning.
After freshening up, Chen Mang, now refreshed and in high spirits, stretched lazily. By this time, Old Pig had already gathered all the slaves in an open space, waiting for him to speak. This was his first formal speech to these new slaves.
Once this speech was done.
It would be time to start preparing for the mining.
Chen Mang stood on top of the train, leaning on a cane, overlooking the crowd of people below, at least a thousand strong. The last time he spoke in front of so many people was when he was reading a repentance letter under the school’s flagpole.
The scene was initially somewhat noisy, but after seeing Chen Mang, it gradually quieted down.
Biaozi and other thugs stood cold-faced and armed with Soaring Dragon Assault Rifles, maintaining order on the side.
"Let me introduce myself, I am Chen Mang."
His voice, through the train’s external sound system, reached the ears of every slave present.
"I have always treated slaves well. You, the 800 new slaves joining the Constant Star Train, should be able to feel this. You are now enjoying merely the lowest tier, Tier 3 slave treatment."
"This means you can have 10 pieces of fragrant, soft stuffed bread every day, as well as two bottles of pure mineral water."
"Compared to your previous living environment, you probably already have a sense of how this compares."
"Do you see Ji Chuchu?"
"The big star from before Doomsday, you all know her, right?"
"I promised you that if you work hard, I’d bring Ji Chuchu onto the Constant Star Train. I’ve done it. Being slaves for me, you can even enjoy treatment that other Train Captains can’t offer."
Ji Chuchu, standing to the side, smiled and waved at the slaves without a hint of stage fright. She even turned around and swayed her waist a couple of times, not coquettish in the least, yet the subtle bite of her tongue gave her an indescribable allure.
She’s a natural beauty.
Chen Mang paused for a moment, then continued calmly: "The Constant Star Train is currently the strongest train in the Tieling Wasteland. As long as you stay on the train, you can be sheltered by it, and you’ll no longer have to worry about safety."
"Food, water, shelter."
"These are all provided by me for you."
"I only need you to give back a little in return, to use all your strength in mining. Everyone’s daily mining output will be recorded. I won’t shortchange any hard-working individual."
"Now, all the women step forward."
The women among the slaves glanced at each other nervously, but still stepped forward.
Chen Mang glanced around, there were about over a hundred women, a relatively small proportion. After pausing for a moment, he spoke: "On the Constant Star Train, everyone needs to demonstrate their value. Those who want to mine like the men, stand on the left. Those who prefer an easier task, stand on the right."
A total of over sixty women moved to the left.
The remaining over forty women moved to the right.
Chen Mang frowned slightly, looking at a woman standing on the right who stood a towering 1.8 meters tall, all muscle, with shoe size at least a 45, and even a face full of hard lines. He couldn’t help but say, "I said those wanting to mine stand on the left."
The standout woman hurriedly forced a smile she considered charming and said urgently, "I want it easy, I want it easy."
Chen Mang took a deep breath and waved his hand: "Biaozi, take her to the left. With a physique like that, how can she take on easy work? Professionals are needed for professional work."
After dealing with this little episode.
He turned his gaze back to the crowd.
"When your mining output reaches a certain level, you may be promoted to a Tier 2 slave, or even a Tier 1 slave. In the days to come, you won’t worry about having no mines to dig."
"Rising to a Tier 2 slave grants you the right to relax and rest."
Chen Mang got down from the carriage and made sure to have Old Pig bring forth the couples among the slaves, totaling two couples.
The first couple were middle-aged spouses.
On the other side of the train, Chen Mang stood with his cane on the wasteland, looking at the middle-aged couple in front of him, feeling quite certain. Being a middle-aged couple still together in the Doomsday, they should have genuine feelings for each other.
He took out the "Doomsday Marriage Certificate" and handed it to the middle-aged couple.
Patiently waiting for a few seconds.
No reaction whatsoever.
Chen Mang waved them off, not feeling too disappointed, and simply suggested the couple could leave.
Soon, the second young couple was brought up, but they also ended in failure.
He sighed deeply, putting the "Doomsday Marriage Certificate" away again, realizing this thing would be hard to utilize in the short term. Finding a genuinely loving couple in Doomsday seemed too difficult a condition.
Old Pig handed over a slip of paper.
"Master Mang, this is the set of train rules drafted according to your instructions. Have a look."
Chen Mang casually took the slip of paper, glanced at it, and then stuffed it back into his pocket. A few rules still needed some adjustments; the train needed clear rules to operate, and presently the most important thing is...