MDT Chapter 157 (Patreon)

Chapter 157: Apocalyptic Wedding

Chen Mang let out a breath, lit a cigarette, and leaned back in his chair, slowly closing his eyes. His understanding of this world had deepened a little with these images. This world was more complex than he'd imagined.

Or rather...

More diverse.

For example, the "City of Machines" was meant to help human civilization better control trains and survive. So, if there were a machine civilization, it should be friendly to humans. But that robotic zombie king was clearly creating even more terrifying monsters.

Perhaps the monsters it was creating were also meant to fight other monsters?

Fighting fire with fire, magic with magic.

But he had to admit, the Black Market Merchant was truly free. He could go wherever he pleased. Without him, how long would it have taken to see these things?

After a long moment, he spoke.

"Bring them here."

Soon, Duoba and the Black Market Merchant entered the command car together.

"Good work."

Chen Mang looked at the Black Market Merchant with a serious expression. "Go and rest. From now on, keep doing this. This is the information I want. Do you have a name?"

"I forgot."

The merchant shook his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "I had one once, but I forgot it."

"Hm. I'll give you a name. From now on, you'll be called Mundo."

"Okay."

"You're dismissed."

…..

A new day began.

All the train residents had already started their day's work.

Everyone was excelling in their own role. Even the teacher positions had been filled by three women who had been teachers before the apocalypse. They were mainly responsible for teaching the children theoretical knowledge. Once the children were a bit older, practical skills would be taught.

Currently, everyone on the train was in a position that suited them best.

And today—

Something that qualified as a major event for the residents occurred.

The first "Refrigerator" found its buyer. A refrigerator cost a hefty 1,000 Stellar Vouchers. No one on the train had that kind of money, except for one person: Duoba.

All the residents gathered near Carriage 11 to watch the excitement.

They saw Captain Mang create a "Spatial Door" on Carriage 11. The space inside was vast, with clouds and a sun in the sky, and an endless expanse of grass on the ground. A circle of trees was planted around the perimeter, making it look like a paradise.

On the grassland sat a refrigerator with its door wide open.

Inside, Duoba was leading over 100 goblins, decorating the entire space with various household items he had purchased.

He got himself a small stool to serve as a throne.

Then he bought many blankets to cover the entire floor of the refrigerator, so all the goblins could sleep on the floor at night. Goblins were short, so the space was more than enough.

It was much more spacious than their previous quarters on the train.

Most importantly, this territory belonged to the goblins. It felt more like home.

Duoba stood at the entrance of the refrigerator with a determined look in his eyes, gazing out at the vast grassland. He would buy two more refrigerators to make sure his people could sleep even more comfortably!

Meanwhile, in Guard Carriage 7, Biao Zi looked at the "4" next to his physical fitness attribute on his panel and grinned with satisfaction.

At last!

After a whole night of effort, he had cleared it!

He was currently the only person on the train who had succeeded. This morning, it was his squad's turn on duty. He planned to share his walkthrough after his shift. At first, he had only intended to share it with his own squad members.

But then he thought, strengthening the other squads meant strengthening the Stellar.

Hoarding this information might displease Captain Mang. So, he decided to just tell everyone. He could earn some goodwill. In the future, if the other two squad leaders came across something good, wouldn't they have to think of him?

One good turn deserves another.

…..

Time passed, and night fell on the second day.

This evening, all the residents bustled with activity—not mining, but preparing tables, chairs, and benches. At noon tomorrow, Boss Mang will host a wedding for Shanmaozi and his girlfriend, Meijia.

Everyone was excited.

Though they weren't the ones getting married and barely knew the couple, the words "apocalypse" and "wedding" created a jarring contradiction.

The apocalypse represented despair, the end of life.

A wedding represented hope, marking the beginning of a new life.

An apocalyptic wedding.

For those who had struggled to survive for over a year, the thought of this ceremony was thrilling. It would let them momentarily forget the doom and immerse themselves in celebration.

Inside the Stellar.

Over the past two days, they had mined 210,000 units of iron ore. Combined with existing reserves, their total now stood at 670,000 units.

Chen Mang had just spent 400,000 to upgrade the Stellar to Level 6.

Soon, text materialized on the train's control console.

[Your train has been upgraded to Level 6.] 

[More craftable accessories have been unlocked.]

"Level 6," Chen Mang murmured, gazing at the screen. Only a few months had passed since he'd transmigrated and acquired his first train. After months of development, it had finally reached this milestone.

Every level-up seemed to grant a special new function—though he wasn't sure if this applied to every level or just the early ones.

Upgrading to Level 5 had unlocked "Mech Crafting," designed to enhance individual combat capabilities. Now, at Level 6, a new button appeared on the console.

[?]

Just a question mark, with no other information.

He wasn't in a hurry. He'd ask Erdan about it tomorrow at the wedding. Level 6 trains were rare on the radio, and no one ever discussed such things.

There simply weren't that many Level 6 trains to begin with.

The most important thing now was tomorrow's wedding for Shanmaozi and Meijia. It would earn him another 500 Legacy Value. Added to the 100 he hadn't spent, he'd have 600 total—enough to buy something good from the Black Market Merchant.

He'd been tempted by a "white-grade accessory blueprint" costing only 10 Legacy Value.

White-grade accessories might be useless to other trains, but for him, they could be incredibly powerful. For a small amount of iron ore, he could gain various advanced effects. Even lifestyle accessories could have extraordinary uses in certain situations, like his Level 10 Refrigerator.

But he feared seeing something worth 600 Legacy Value after spending a little and being unable to afford it. The regret would be unbearable. So he'd been saving up, and after tomorrow's wedding, he could finally go on a shopping spree.

Chen Mang reviewed the conditions for a Golden Wedding.

Golden Wedding. Requires a wedding held before 1,000 people. Three trains of the same level must attend the banquet. Food and wine must be prepared for all attendees. Basic items such as a wedding dress, a red carpet, artificial flowers, and fireworks are also required.

Successfully holding a Golden Wedding grants the train 500 Legacy Value and 20 Prestige Value.

He had the population requirement covered. Erdan had arranged for the three same-level trains. He had food and wine—the wine was a gift from Erdan. He'd used the Heart of the Machine to create artificial flowers, which could produce inanimate objects like that. They were iron flowers, really, but looked identical to artificial ones, even more three-dimensional.

The iron ore consumption was minimal.

For the wedding dress and suit, he'd spent 1,000 units of wood crafting high-quality versions for the couple.

And the fireworks?

He'd prepared a Level 1 missile.

Level 1 missiles were cheap. It would serve as a deterrent at the banquet's start, then as a spectacular firework show. He had everything ready.

Though the other two trains were Erdan's friends, he didn't know them. The wedding had to be held on the plains. If those trains decided to attack his residents during the ceremony, it wouldn't be pleasant. So he had to show his fangs from the beginning—intimidate them.

If they dared attack, they should first consider whether they'd leave this place alive.

….

Lao Zhu was handling the wedding proceedings. There was nothing for him to worry about. All he had to do was wake up when he felt like it.

By now, night had deepened.

Lao Zhu stood outside the train, walkie-talkie in hand, gazing at the wedding venue under construction while roaring orders.

"That damn board is crooked!"

"Get the truss up, faster! We don't have a starry sky, so just lay down some of those artificial flowers."

"And those four ground-burst pyros next to the red carpet—you're in charge of those tomorrow. The moment the couple walks past, you detonate them. Got it?"

He didn't know much about wedding decorations, but as second-in-command, he'd dealt with his share of event setups. The kickbacks were considerable. He'd learned a thing or two by osmosis. It would be good enough.

He was also tomorrow's officiant.

"Um..."

Just then, Shanmaozi shuffled over, face full of embarrassment. "Vice-Captain Zhu," he said quietly, "you really don't have to go to all this trouble. My... my status on the train isn't that high, is it?"

"This is Boss Mang's idea."

Lao Zhu clapped Shanmaozi on the shoulder with a grin. "Just accept it. Forget the apocalypse—a lot of people didn't even have a wedding this grand before it all went down. You two are the first to marry on the Stellar. It's a good omen."

"But now that you're married, you're not allowed in the Red House anymore, you hear?"

Shanmaozi's face instantly turned anxious. "Vice-Captain Zhu, don't say things like that! I've never been! You can ask Brother Biao—he can vouch for me. I've never been, not even once!"

"Meijia, you have to believe me, I've really never been!"

The "Red House" was a refrigerator in one of the Stellar's residential carriages where women conducted business. A red cloth hung over the entrance as a sign, and residents had nicknamed it the Red House.

Meijia, cheeks flushed, leaned against Shanmaozi's shoulder, eyes full of quiet anticipation for the wedding. She gave his lower back a playful pinch and whispered, "It's okay if you go. I don't mind."

"Hiss!"

Shanmaozi sucked in a sharp breath, voice rising with anxiety. "Vice-Captain Zhu, where's Brother Biao? I need to find Brother Biao to vouch for me! I've really never been!"

"What do you mean, 'it's okay if you go'? I've never been!"

"Alright, alright."

Lao Zhu laughed and clapped his shoulder again, then turned to Meijia with a helpless look. "He really hasn't been. I was just teasing him. All his spare time is spent training. Don't bring this up with him in the future."

"I could see he was nervous, just trying to lighten the mood."

"Your job tonight is to get good rest. Be in top form for the wedding tomorrow. We'll have other trains coming for the banquet. You have to look your best in front of outsiders."

"Um..."

Shanmaozi hesitated before asking quietly, "What about the part where we bow to the elders?"

"You'll bow to the Stellar."

"Okay."

After that little interlude, the couple seemed less nervous. They started heading back toward the train, their faint voices drifting back to Lao Zhu on the night wind.

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