MDT Chapter 228 (Patreon)

Chapter 228: "Are You Insane? Selling a Mofei Stone Like It's a Family Heirloom?"

"Are you serious?"

Uncle Li, his body feeling weak, sat down heavily on a chair. He shakily lit a cigarette and put it to his lips. After a pause, he turned his head with a complicated expression to look at the young man beside him. "Do you know why I was successful before the apocalypse?"

"Because you worked hard."

"No. Because the times were getting better."

Uncle Li shook his head. "When the times are improving, your effort is like running on a speeding train. You think you're running hard, but what's really moving you forward is the train itself. A lot of people mistake the dividends of the era for their own hard work."

"In reality..."

"Effort is only a small factor in determining success. The bigger factor is whether the train you're on is speeding forward or backing up."

"It was like that before the apocalypse, and it's still like that now."

"The reason I can use these unorthodox methods to try and get ahead is because I'm on the Stellar. If it were any other train, where would I find a place to research something like a 'Zombie Spawner'? I'd still be mining right now."

"So I understand better than you do."

"If you don't seize the opportunity in the early stages of a train that's just starting to pick up speed, you'll never get another chance."

"This is the time to take drastic measures, to think what others dare not think, to do what others dare not do."

"The initial period is often a good time for chaotic growth."

"Understand?"

The young man nodded with a serious expression. "I understand, Uncle Li. You're the train I'm on."

"..."

Uncle Li was silent for a moment before saying wearily, "I suppose that works."

"Get me a pen and paper. I'll talk, you write. Record the data."

That night.

All the residents of the Stellar were too excited to sleep. The train's explosive growth came with a rapid increase in the residents' happiness index—so much so that it was hard to adapt.

……

In the Zombie Basin.

In a certain corner.

A Level 8 mechanical train slowly came to a stop. Soon, the door to the control car opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out. He looked with some confusion at the three cigars stuck in the ground.

They were almost completely intact.

Only the tips showed signs of having been burned.

Unlike cigarettes, cigars would automatically go out if they weren't puffed on after being lit.

"This is..."

The middle-aged man pulled the three cigars from the ground with a puzzled expression, a strange look on his face. "Is this offering cigars as incense? What a waste. Are they that extravagant..."

He then stuck one of the cigars in his mouth, lowered his head to light it with a lighter, and let out a long, satisfied breath.

"Doesn't matter who the offering was for."

"I'll accept it on their behalf."

…..

The sky gradually brightened.

A new day had arrived.

Chen Mang, slumped in his chair, groggily opened his eyes. After washing up, he took the millet porridge and pickled vegetables from Xiao Fang, took a sip, and sat in his chair, checking the train log as he spoke.

"Where did this millet porridge come from?"

"Last time we went to the city to gather supplies, we found some millet. Lao Zhu had the cook simmer it last night. It's been simmering all night, so it should be quite fragrant."

"The pickled vegetables are leftovers from before."

"Mm."

Chen Mang nodded, sipping the millet porridge along the edge of the bowl and picking up a piece of pickled vegetable to put in his mouth. "I don't like hot food. Next time, let the porridge cool to about halfway before serving. You can take the other half of the pot for yourself."

"Yes, Boss Mang."

After a satisfying meal, Chen Mang sat in his chair, lit a cigarette, and looked out at the wasteland. He casually propped his feet up on the windowsill. The number of monsters in Crisis Valley was much lower—perhaps because he was on the edge of the region. So far, he hadn't seen a single high-level monster, only some Level 6 or 7 small fry.

He hadn't even encountered a single Level 10 monster.

The sky had just brightened.

It was the middle of winter. A chilling wind blew over the roof of the train, seeping in through the open window, making him, wrapped in a blanket, feel quite comfortable. He liked this feeling of cold and warmth intertwined—like burrowing under the covers in winter with the window open, or sleeping under a thick blanket with the air conditioning on in summer.

After a while of just sitting there.

He turned his attention back to the train panel.

Yesterday, he had extravagantly spent over ten million units of iron ore, raising all aspects of the train's comprehensive strength to the extreme—whether attack, defense, or lifestyle. There were now two Resident Carriages.

There would only be two for the foreseeable future; he wouldn't be adding more. It was definitely enough for the short term.

Even if more survivors came, it wouldn't be a problem.

However...

The mine was only so big. More survivors wouldn't increase production efficiency.

When he only had 100 survivors, another 100 survivors would double production efficiency. But when he had 5,000 survivors, another 5,000 survivors wouldn't increase production efficiency much. At most, they could work in two shifts.

But the mine couldn't withstand that kind of digging.

Just then—

The Train Radio suddenly began to flash red.

"Oh?"

Chen Mang, who was about to upgrade other accessories, paused, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. He wondered what good news his Traveling Frog had brought him this time. He suddenly realized that the meaning of the Traveling Frog wasn't just to bring back rewards, but also to provide emotional value.

At least now, he looked forward very much to what his two Traveling Frogs would bring back every day.

"Traveling Frog Train": "Boss Mang, I've discovered an unmined Level 4 iron mine!"

"Stellar": "Uh... send me the coordinates. Anything else?"

"Traveling Frog Train": "Nope."

"Stellar": "Since you found an unmined Level 4 iron mine, it must be in a very hidden location. There should be other mines nearby."

"Traveling Frog Train": "It's not that hidden. There's another train mining a Level 3 iron mine right next to it."

"Stellar": ". . . You're telling me he's ignoring a Level 4 mine to dig a Level 3?"

"Traveling Frog Train": "Yup. But that train is sending me forced private messages, warning me to leave immediately."

"Stellar": "Got it. You go on with your business for now."

"..."

Chen Mang's eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled his gaze away from the Train Radio. He suddenly remembered something. When he was in the Zombie Basin, he had encountered an opportunity—a safe buried underground.

Inside was a Level 4 Crimson Heart Ore mine refresh scroll and the blueprint for the blue-grade mecha, Thunder.

These two opportunities had given the train mecha freedom for a long time. They hadn't run out of Crimson Heart Ore to this day.

He hadn't thought much of it at the time.

He just thought the two were a set.

So the train wouldn't be without materials to build mecha.

But now, he suddenly realized something. The Pickaxe Head Production Line was a green-grade accessory, which meant it could only be upgraded to Level 3. The Level 3 pickaxe heads it produced could only mine Level 3 mines, not Level 4.

Whether it was the Level 4 Crimson Heart Ore mine or the Level 4 iron mine Erdan had just discovered, a normal train couldn't mine them.

They had to use Mofei Stones to upgrade the Pickaxe Head Production Line to Level 4 to produce pickaxe heads that could mine Level 4 iron mines.

Obviously.

The train next to the Level 4 iron mine must have run out of Mofei Stones. It was in a hurry, constantly driving away any trains that approached the Level 4 mine. It wanted to eat it, but couldn't. It was driving itself crazy.

"..."

A slightly strange expression crossed Chen Mang's face. It was indeed frustrating. If it were him, he would probably be frustrated too. But this person was lucky to have run into him. He was always a kind person.

He immediately pinned a message in the Train Radio chat box.

"Stellar": "Selling Mofei Stones, limit one per person, 2 million units of iron ore, fixed price, remote trading available."

Soon—

Several replies appeared on the Train Radio.

"Are you insane? Selling a Mofei Stone like it's a family heirloom?"

"You'll never sell it at that price. No one will buy it."

"Is that the point? Shouldn't the point be why his message is pinned? And it has a colored border. Did he buy VIP?"

"Hey, didn't you guys buy the starter pack before the apocalypse? The 9.9 starter pack came with a blue-grade accessory and a Train Token. The 648 noble pack came with a Rare Train Token and 100 Mofei Stones, and there was also a separate 648 resource pack with 10 million units each of iron ore, copper ore, and wood."

"What? Bro, are you serious or joking? I thought we were all on the same starting line. Why do you have a starter pack?"

"The guy who mentioned the starter pack is a Level 11 train. I don't think he's lying."

"I kind of believe it, to be honest. I've had a lot of opportunities along the way, but I'm still only a Level 10 train. There are so many trains with higher levels than me. I think those trains must have cheats."

"Huh?"

Chen Mang looked at the Train Radio with some surprise. He didn't know if it was because of the region, but he felt that the people in this region seemed friendlier.

Was it because the crisis level of the region had decreased, and people's competitive relationships were not as strong, so they became more friendly?

It was possible.

Of course, a Mofei Stone for 2 million units wouldn't sell. Although it was rare, it wasn't worth that price.

It was just...

There was no specific market price for this item. After all, the supply was extremely small. Most people who had them would use them themselves instead of selling them. The price of such a rare item with small supply was often determined by the urgency of the buyer's needs.

Two million was a lot.

But for a train that desperately wanted to mine a Level 4 iron mine, it wasn't that much. A Level 4 iron mine could easily yield eight or nine million units of iron ore.

The train was still in repair. The coordinates were a bit far, so he wasn't planning to go for now. But that guy definitely needed this Mofei Stone.

Nine million, and two million.

It was easy to tell which was more important.

As expected.

Soon, a train captain came to inquire about the price.

"1 million, confirm remote trading, deal now."

"Not in a hurry to sell. 2 million, selling as fate allows."

". . . 1.5 million."

"2 million."

"1.7 million, brother. You know the price of Mofei Stones. To be honest, 1 million units of iron ore is already a premium. I once bought a Mofei Stone for 600,000 units of iron ore."

"I know. I'm selling as fate allows, not in a hurry. Only for the right person. 2 million, fixed price."

"1.88 million, for good luck."

"Alright, deal."

As a scale appeared on the control console, the remote transaction was completed. The train now had one less Mofei Stone, leaving only 17.

"The high-level regions are so much better..."

Chen Mang sat in his chair with a satisfied expression, smiling as he sent a message to Erdan, telling him to go and see if the Level 4 iron mine was being mined now. In a low-level region, a Mofei Stone would never sell for 1.88 million units of iron ore. The buyer simply wouldn't have that much in their pocket—they'd be willing but unable.

He had originally intended to hold out for 2 million.

Because he knew that even if he asked for 2 million, that person would have to buy it. There was no other choice. To find another way to get Mofei Stones, whether through a gathering, begging on the Train Radio, or waiting for an encounter map, by the time he got back, the day would be long gone.

The reason he agreed to 1.88 million was because he did feel that number was quite auspicious.

In high-level regions.

There was an unwritten rule that was particularly prevalent.

That was "all mines are first come, first served."

This wasn't about etiquette or rules.

It was a survival law.

After all, all trains were basically high-attack, low-defense. When you attacked a train, that train would often attack you at the same time. Neither could withstand the other's attack, resulting in mutual destruction or both perishing.

In this environment, most people abided by this unwritten rule.

After all, any train that could reach this region basically understood one thing.

In this world, no opportunity was more important than staying alive. Everyone became more cautious, and some basic survival laws could help everyone maintain a certain basic standard in this lawless and chaotic environment.

It was worth mentioning—

The number of Flesh Trains in this region was extremely small, only one-twentieth of the number of mechanical trains.

"I can't just keep using Mofei Stones to upgrade the Pickaxe Head Production Line, can I?"

Chen Mang quickly scrolled through the Train Radio, checking the chat content of the train captains over the past few days. Not every train had the opportunity to obtain Mofei Stones, which meant that after a few more upgrades—for example, for Level 11, 12, or 13 trains—a new mining accessory should appear.

Higher grade.

To ensure that those trains without Mofei Stones could also mine high-level mines.

They couldn't just be blocked off.

The trains in this region had a much higher chance of obtaining Mofei Stones than the trains in low-level regions.

He didn't find any useful information.

It was all just banter.

He pulled his gaze away from the Train Radio and looked again at the train panel. The train currently had—

16.54 million units of iron ore.

Renovating the residential carriages, the Spatial Door, those flowers and plants, and building another 100 Level 10 refrigerators, scattered here and there, had cost a total of 1 million units, plus the extra money he had just earned.

The train's iron ore was back to 16.54 million.

He suddenly understood why rich people's money never seemed to run out—because they were rich enough.

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