When resources are scarce, and society descends into chaos, especially when modern civilization collapses into a post-apocalyptic state, the psychological impact is hard to bear.
In such circumstances, slavery becomes the most effective system, bar none.
Incentive systems are utterly useless because no matter how much you motivate people, their lives will never be as good as they were before the apocalypse. Before the end, they could enjoy hot pot. Can you use hot pot as an incentive? Can you even make hot pot on the train? But—
When the train reaches level 12, like those three level 12 mechanical trains.
At this point, the train is essentially fully equipped. Upgrades for components like energy shields cost tens of millions of iron ore, while a set of clothes, a space gate, or a piece of bread are relatively cheap. With ample living supplies,
Slavery quietly fades from the stage.
Train conductors begin to talk about human rights, and the system starts to shift towards feudalism. All survivors are considered their subjects. As a conductor, you must protect your subjects, but as subjects, they must also contribute to the train.
At this point,
The living conditions of the survivors gradually improve.
Naturally, the terminology changes as well. The derogatory term "slave" is replaced with "employee" or "passenger."
Inside the Stellar Train.
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, not speaking. He had just had a lengthy discussion with the three conductors. The current apocalyptic situation is becoming increasingly dire, and there are two rumors circulating, though their origins are unknown.
First, in a few years, the barriers between all regions will break, allowing high-level monsters to invade low-level areas and slaughter indiscriminately.
Second, the highest-level region, the Rainbow Region, is a post-apocalyptic paradise with no monsters, where people can rebuild their homes.
The source of these rumors is unverifiable.
Their truth is also unverifiable.
But they have given many conductors a glimmer of hope.
At this moment—
"Found it."
Xiao Ai's voice suddenly echoed through the train cabin: "It's—"
"Wait a moment."
Chen Mang interrupted, "In the future, don't just suddenly start speaking like that. Flash the cabin's white light or use some other signal before you speak, understood?"
"Understood."
"Good, continue."
"Yes, Conductor. The bug has been identified. I reviewed the consumption of all train components over the past days, and there has been an unknown consumption that has persisted for a long time."
"This consumption has existed since the early days, traceable back to our time in the Iron Ridge Wasteland. It suddenly disappeared for 12 days, then reappeared, though the consumption was minimal and hard to notice."
"The total unknown consumption amounts to 392,900 units of iron ore."
"Upon further investigation, I discovered the missing 16th carriage, named 'The Beast Carriage.' This carriage is different from the others; it doesn't appear as a typical carriage."
"Every time the 16th carriage is upgraded, the iron ore consumed is actually spent on this beast. Since the beast is still in its infancy, it occasionally absorbs energy from the train's energy stones to sustain its life."
"And the beast?"
"Here."
Xiao Ai pushed open the door from outside the train compartment, his voice transitioning from the carriage's sound system to the amplifier in his throat. He held up a furry little creature: "This thing appeared on the train precisely fourteen hours after the Stellar Train was established."
"A behemoth?"
Chen Mang frowned slightly as he looked at the fluffy little creature in Xiao Ai's hand. About the size of a basketball, it was entirely covered in fur, resembling a plush toy with no visible limbs.
Only a tiny mouth and tightly closed eyes could be faintly seen beneath the fur, as if it were asleep.
It appeared completely harmless, its pale green body making it look more like a toy.
Or perhaps an enlarged bacterium.
"Mm."
Xiao Ai nodded solemnly. "Normally, I wouldn't have noticed it. But coincidentally, I recently learned from some experimental records about a special carriage called the 'Behemoth Car.'"
"They capture the young of 'Starry Sky Behemoths' and raise them as carriages. Once fully grown, they become incredibly powerful weapons."
"Some Starry Sky Behemoths are said to feed on mineral planets, while others stretch hundreds of thousands of kilometers in length—utterly terrifying."
"Behemoths raised as 'Behemoth Cars' from infancy become fiercely loyal to the train as adults. This loyalty is ingrained in their blood—they grow up on the train, fed by the Train Conductor. To them, the Train Conductor is their mom, and the train is their home."
"It's an extraordinarily formidable strategic weapon."
"I searched the entire train and finally found this little guy near the engine at the front."
"..."
Chen Mang remained silent, lighting a cigarette. After a long pause, he exhaled a cloud of smoke: "Let's not worry about whether this little thing is a Starry Sky Behemoth. Right now, I just want to know why the train classified it as a carriage requiring armor upgrades. Does that mean we'll have to upgrade its armor every time from now on?"
"Yes."
Xiao Ai glanced sideways at the furry creature in his hand. "Though Starry Sky Behemoths are terrifying, they're extremely weak as infants, especially since their growth period is incredibly long. The stronger the behemoth, the longer it takes to mature."
"The records mention a Starry Sky Behemoth called the 'Star-Devouring Dragon.' It takes 100,000 years to grow from infancy to adulthood because they need to consume vast amounts of 'Core Energy' as nutrients."
"The logic behind the 'Behemoth Car' is to raise the Starry Sky Behemoth as a carriage, drastically shortening its infancy by actively feeding it Core Energy. This accelerates its growth and grants it some combat ability even during infancy, aiding the train's development."
"For example, this one currently has Level 12 defensive capabilities. It looks fluffy, but that's actually condensed Level 12 armor."
"..."
Chen Mang stubbed out his cigarette and took the little creature from Xiao Ai, cradling it in his arms. Its fur was soft, almost like a cat's.
The strands were long.
About the length of a finger.
There was no trace of hardness to be felt at all.
"Are you sure this thing has 12-level defense? I feel like I could strangle it with one hand."
"Well, the experimental data says so. I was being very careful when carrying it earlier—I was also worried about accidentally killing it."
He cradled the tiny creature in his arms, carefully examining its face, hidden within the soft fur—such a small thing. "It looks like it's still asleep?"
"Mhm."
Xiao Ai nodded. "Starry Sky Behemoths are usually in a dormant state during the early stages of their infancy. Their feeding and other activities are unconscious behaviors—they don't actively seek food. At this stage, they only need the most basic energy supply, which is those 392,900 units of iron ore." "According to the experimental data, anyway."
"Among Starry Sky Behemoths, there are also differences in strength. Their grades are categorized into D-grade, C-grade, B-grade, and so on. Different grades represent the potential of the behemoth. For example, a D-grade potential behemoth can reach level 30 in adulthood."
"Destroying a fully equipped level 30 Train would be a breeze for it."
"The lower the potential of a Starry Sky Behemoth, the earlier it awakens when used as a 'Behemoth Car.' For instance, a D-grade potential car will awaken when the Train reaches level 3. At that point, it won't just feed unconsciously—the Train Conductor will need to actively feed it, and the iron ore consumption will be much higher than before."
"Of course, you could also choose not to feed it and just let the behemoth starve to death."
"A C-grade potential one awakens at level 6."
"A B-grade potential one awakens at level 9."
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Mang's eyes as he weighed the little creature in his hand. "The Train is currently level 10, and this little guy hasn't awakened yet. So that means this little guy is at least an A-grade potential Starry Sky Behemoth?"
"Starry Sky Behemoths."
"Soaring through the starry seas. As you said, some can devour mineral planets, while others span hundreds of thousands of kilometers in length. Could this little guy eventually swallow an entire mineral planet?"
"With such a tiny mouth, it feels like it couldn't even—"
"Does the experimental data have any information about this little guy?"
"No."
Xiao Ai shook his head and said seriously, "According to that experimental data, Starry Sky Behemoth infants are extremely rare—even D-grade potential ones are incredibly scarce. This is a rare car specifically prepared for the second-generation young masters of the 'Mechanical Civilization.'"
"Logically, it shouldn't have appeared on this planet."
"This planet isn't under the jurisdiction of the Mechanical Civilization."
"To put it bluntly, it's just a pawn in the Mechanical Civilization's war against the insectoids. The entire value of this planet might not even compare to this Starry Sky Behemoth—after all, this thing is an A-grade potential infant."
"By adulthood, it would at least be a terrifying level 120 monster!"
"If we compare 'Aqua Blue Star' to a beginner's zone, then this Starry Sky Behemoth infant would be like a divine artifact from the 'main city.'"
"..."
Chen Mang finally understood, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the furry infant in his hands.
He had a rough idea where this thing came from.
It was from Master Kun's train! Back when he used the Geothermal Furnace to devour the locomotive of Master Kun's train, he incidentally swallowed this little guy along with it. Now he finally understood why there was so little Iron Ore on Master Kun's train—had it all been eaten by this little creature?
At last, he realized what had caused that inexplicable energy drain the first time he noticed it.
It must have been this little guy unconsciously consuming it.
Later, perhaps aware it had been discovered, it stealthily stopped for a while before resuming its secret feasting?
He weighed the little creature in his hand—it was very light, probably only about five pounds. This was a skill he'd had since childhood: he could tell the weight of anything just by hefting it, with almost no margin of error.
Of course, nothing over a hundred pounds.
Beyond that, the margin of error grew too large—he'd never handled such heavy orders before.
An A-Grade Potential Starry Sky Behemoth Cub—if evaluated across the entire universe in terms of price—would indeed be worth more than the entire Aqua Blue Star. After all, this thing could grow up to level 120 in the future!
To upgrade a train to level 120, he couldn't even fathom how many resources that would consume! But—
Master Kun!
The first "master" he'd encountered in this world—how the hell did a guy with a level 2 train end up with hundreds of Slaves and even a Starry Sky Behemoth Cub? He'd killed him too quickly back then.
Could this guy have had some kind of cheat?
A chosen one?
The protagonist destined by this world to save it from the apocalypse? And he'd just offed him right at the start? "Hah..."
Chen Mang exhaled softly. He'd have to burn some incense for Master Kun when he got the chance. The guy was... he didn't even know how to describe it. Not only had he prepared Slaves, food, and a small amount of resources to pave the way for Chen Mang's early rise,
He'd also provided the Vehicle Blade Blueprint and the Makeshift Heavy Machine Gun, giving him combat capability even at level 1 and safeguarding his mid-game development.
He'd even left behind something like a Starry Sky Behemoth Cub, laying the foundation for his late-game strength.
Including his current inner circle.
Lao Zhu, Biao Zi, and the others—they'd all come from Master Kun's batch of Slaves.
A full-service package.
Not even the best trust fund from his previous life could compare. It covered every angle—calling him a reborn benefactor wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"What a good man."
With deep emotion, Chen Mang picked up the gls pistol from the drawer. This thing was what he'd obtained from the Train Conductor Panel when he first arrived in this world. It had been a great help in the early days. Though it was useless now, he'd kept it for sentimental reasons.
He pressed the pistol against the little creature's head, tilting his own to glance at Xiao Ai. "You're sure it has level 12 defense? This is a level 1 pistol—I don't want to blow its brains out by accident."
As sweet as Xiao Ai's words sounded,
He had to verify whether this thing was really as tough as Xiao Ai claimed. The best test, naturally, was to shoot it and see if it could withstand level 12 firepower.
"Not sure."
Xiao Ai shook his head firmly. "The experimental data clearly states so, but personally, I don't think it looks like it can survive a shot."
"..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly. After a long pause, he pulled the trigger.
"Bang."
The crisp sound of gunfire echoed inside the train compartment, spent shell casings bouncing a few times on the floor. Yet the little creature in his hand remained completely unharmed—not even a single strand of its fluffy fur was damaged.
This thing... A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. Could it truly have Level 12 Defense? Without hesitation, he stepped off the train, placed the creature on the ground, and used his cane to remotely aim a Doomsday Cannon at the little thing.
"Train Conductor, this might be overkill."
"If it really has Level 12 Defense, it won't die."
He opted to manufacture Level 11 ammunition instead.
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