Chen Mang pulled his gaze away from the screen beside the control console, dismissing the sudden quest notification. Right now, he had only one mission: to excavate the two resource deposits at the bottom of the Apocalypse Abyss as quickly as possible.
And then there was—
"Hmm."
He stared at the refrigerator in his cockpit, deep in thought. The damn thing was another power drain.
Initially, his train's generator only needed to power a few carriage lights. A single Level 1 Energy Stone could last over three hundred days. But now, with the Carriage Blades, Sound System, Radar, and this refrigerator—along with all other accessories requiring power—connected to the generator, the screen showed that one Energy Stone would only last about 100 days.
It wasn't that he needed to unplug the fridge to save power—a new Energy Stone only cost 500 units of iron ore, and he wasn't short on that amount at the moment.
He was contemplating something else entirely.
After upgrading this refrigerator to Level 10, its second advanced effect had unlocked spatial expansion technology. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary refrigerator, but it contained a hidden dimension—a small room spanning a full hundred square meters.
In other words, he could craft several more of these to use as storage.He could store production lines, lumber, ore—everything. It would free up significant space in the carriages. Hell, he could even have the slaves live inside and knock down walls to create one massive open area.
The only issue was the crafting cost.
Crafting and upgrading a single refrigerator to this level required 4,500 units of iron ore.
In the future, when the train accumulated more items, he could craft several more refrigerators, unplug them, and use them as storage containers.
There was another concern.
The number of power-hungry accessories on the train was steadily increasing. The Level 1 Electrical System was no longer sufficient; the screen indicated the system was nearing overload and needed immediate upgrading.
The Generator also required an upgrade to provide more power.
Chen Mang glanced at the train panel. The train currently had 1,603 units of iron ore remaining. The tens of thousands of iron ore he'd accumulated over the past few days had been largely consumed by the Level 2 armor alone, which devoured 25,000 units—that thing was a real resource sink!
This meager amount wouldn't accomplish much for now. He'd need to accumulate more iron ore for several more days before upgrading both the Electrical System and the Generator. These two components were essential for the train's operation. If either system failed, all power-dependent accessories would disconnect and become useless scrap metal.
Just then—
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Inside the train, Chen Mang suddenly heard faint rumbling. He instinctively turned toward the source—the sound was clearly coming from the abyss wall.
His first instinct was to check the Search Radar.
However, the Search Radar remained silent, showing no reaction.
"Damn it!"
His expression changed instantly. He instantly turned off the sound system, grabbed the walkie-talkie, and ordered all slaves back onto the train, preparing to flee. Something was clearly about to burst through that wall, yet the radar wasn't detecting it.
What did that mean?
It meant a major threat was incoming!
This was no time to hesitate. As the slaves scrambled back into the train in panic, the Stellar had already switched to Spider Leg mode. With an engine roar, it began slowly accelerating, preparing to escape.
But—
It was too late.
Just as the train picked up speed, a long, serpentine train with a drill mounted on its nose burst through the cliff face, ramming into the Stellar at incredible speed.
"Boom!"
A violent collision echoed throughout the abyss.
Thanks to the Spider Legs, the Stellar managed to stay upright despite the fierce impact, avoiding a complete rollover. A piercing, grinding sound filled the air.
Chen Mang could see the attacking train's drill spinning at high speed, apparently trying to bore through his carriage. But...
It had zero effect.
His carriage remained virtually undamaged.
At that moment, a message from the Train Auxiliary AI appeared on screen.
—
"Detecting Level 2 Goblin Train initiating attack on The Stellar."
—
"Level 2 Goblin Train?"
Chen Mang quickly scanned the screen information, but had no time to process it thoroughly. Someone had attacked him. With both trains now locked together, he immediately activated the Carriage Blades. The high-speed, electrified blades instantly sliced the enemy's drill head in half.
He then maneuvered the train to the right, creating distance, and chose the most primitive attack method available.
He repeatedly scraped past the Goblin train, using the blades on both sides to deliver devastating strikes. He could see their carriage armor was only Level 1. Against his Level 10 blades, it stood no chance and was easily shredded.
The enemy had virtually no means of retaliation.
No machine guns on the carriage roof, and the only visible offensive accessory was that drill, which couldn't even scratch his train's paint.
Complete overwhelming victory.
The battle ended swiftly.
Biao Zi and the others, all armed and connected to the Train Auxiliary AI's hive mind, left the Stellar to mop up. "Mopping up" meant dragging the unconscious Goblins from the wrecked, nearly-obliterated train.
...
At the bottom of the Apocalypse Abyss.
Chen Mang silently crouched on the ground, studying the unconscious Goblin Merchant draped in a golden cloak. Could this be the same Goblin Merchant who'd caused such a stir on the train radio this morning?
And it looked like... he was probably the wealthy merchant?
After all, that golden cloak was quite eye-catching, and his chosen route was impressively concealed. Chen Mang had thought his location in the uninhabited wasteland was already discreet, but he'd been outdone.
A train that didn't drive on the surface but instead dug tunnels six thousand meters underground?
Could that even be called a train anymore?
He turned to look at the shattered remains of the other train, his brows furrowing slightly. "Lao Zhu, have you ever heard of Goblin Trains?"
"No."
Lao Zhu shook his head, his expression equally troubled. "Information is scarce in the apocalypse. Even the Train Radio only connects people in this region. Most survivors don't even know about train upgrades—they've only vaguely heard of Train Tokens."
"This is my first time seeing a Goblin Train, too."
"My first time seeing monsters capable of building trains."
"Humans went from despair to something resembling hope, all because trains exist—like solitary boats giving us a sliver of security in the vast ocean of the apocalypse. If monsters can build trains too, then the pressure on humanity..."
"Will be even greater."