MDT Chapter 271 (Patreon)

Chapter 271: "Get to Work!"

The trains in the red zone lacked armor, but their firepower was vicious. His Level 15 armor couldn't take that kind of punishment. He wasn't touching that hellhole until his defenses were solid enough to survive it.

Develop!

Develop!

The Stellar retraced its route and found the Level 4 copper mine he'd marked earlier. Someone else's train was already tearing into it.

Occupied.

He didn't waste time.

Tossed a few "Neon City Free Admission Tickets" out the window as he rolled past. An hour later, he hit the junction between Crisis Valley and the Stone People Area. He'd camped here for a while before—knew the lay of the land.

Didn't linger.

Chen Mang drew a deep breath and crushed the "Wise Miner's Pass" in his fist.

The next moment—

A massive portal tore open ahead of the train. The same design as the Goblin's Tomb entrance—familiar, almost comforting.

The portal stabilized.

The Stellar accelerated slowly and plunged through. The last carriage disappeared inside, and the portal collapsed in on itself, vanishing like it had never existed.

"Beep beep beep beep."

Chen Mang sat in the cabin, scanning the space around him, unable to keep the grin off his face. First time the Resource Detection Radar had screamed this loud. The screen was a solid wall of green dots.

Level 4 iron mines. Level 4 copper mines. Level 4 titanium crystal ore mines…

So many he could barely look at them without his eyes crossing.

"Good. Good, good!"

The train's mining efficiency was overflowing right now. A single mine couldn't handle 6,000 workers at once, so normally they worked in shifts—always a bottleneck.

But here?

Here, his efficiency would hit its ceiling.

No shortage of anything except mines.

The space wasn't huge.

His Search Radar covered the entire area with room to spare. The Stellar sat dead center. Mines dotted the gray-yellow dirt in every direction. Same environment as the Goblin's Tomb.

Totally enclosed.

No sun. No light source.

Just the train's Headlights cutting through the darkness. At least there weren't corpses or wrecked trains scattered in the soil this time.

"Get to work!"

The train's Headlights roared to full power, blasting the darkness back. Harsh light flooded the area. Over 6,000 residents grabbed their pickaxes and poured off the train in orderly waves, excitement written all over their faces as they sprinted toward the mining zones.

Once they cleared the ore here, anyone with ambition wouldn't settle for Tier 3 treatment. Tier 2 minimum—even Tier 1 wasn't out of reach.

Not every resident was a grinder, though.

Some enjoyed their Tier 3 perks just fine. They'd mine their 10 units of ore and call it a day—not a single unit more. No thoughts of promotion, no interest in earning Stellar Vouchers. As long as they had food, they were content.

The Stellar didn't force them otherwise.

Meet your quota, and what you did after that was your business.

Chen Mang was happy to see it, honestly. Happiness was relative. With slackers willing to coast, the Tier 1 residents could feel superior and satisfied.

The Oxygen Generator and Stamina Incense kicked into overdrive.

The Cola Production Line fired up, churning out bottle after bottle.

The once-silent, desolate wasteland transformed into a bustling hive of voices and movement.

Human presence.

Human presence was a strange thing. You couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but places thick with it gave people a deep sense of security—sometimes too much security.

Take the Huashan cliffside trail. Middle of the night, alone? Almost no one would dare walk it.

But during the day, with people ahead and behind you? Not so scary anymore.

Though most people who walked the whole thing only did it because turning back wasn't an option.

"Whew."

Chen Mang stepped out of the cabin and stood beside the train, lowering his head to light a cigarette. He glanced toward the horizon with a faint smile. The exit rules here were different from the Goblin's Tomb. That place had a time limit.

Forced ejection after 48 hours.

Here? Voluntary departure.

He could leave right now if he wanted. Couldn't re-enter afterward, though. He wasn't walking away until every last vein of ore here was stripped clean.

Just then—

Biaozi jogged over, expression locked tight. "Boss Mang, you wanted to see me."

"Yeah."

Chen Mang nodded and said quietly, "We'll be here about a month. During that time, I want you guards to push your physical limits. After a month, I expect to see everyone in Mechs."

"The train's got plenty of Crimson Heart Ore. Building a few hundred is easy."

"I need results. Show me a strong guard team. With all those map chips in the Combat Training Virtual Space, there's no excuse for your stats to stagnate. You've got no other duties this month."

"No need for patrols here. This is your only mission."

"Understand?"

"Understood."

Biaozi's voice came out clipped and hard. "Boss Mang, if everyone's not in a Mech after a month, I'll bring you my head."

"…" Chen Mang paused, then said dryly, "You're not planning to execute every team member who doesn't qualify for a Mech, are you?"

"No..."

The intensity drained from Biaozi's face. He scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm planning to personally lead them through all the normal missions, then take a shot at the extreme ones."

"Extreme missions are risky. Be careful. How's the expansion going?"

"Per your orders, Boss Mang, each team's added 20 people. We've done the initial screening. The rest will go through a second round in the Combat Training Virtual Space. Should wrap up today. Then they'll train with us for the month."

"Good."

Chen Mang nodded, then paused and clapped Biaozi on the shoulder. "Biaozi, you're captain of Team One, but I've got high expectations for you. I've always seen you as the overall captain."

"Out of everyone, I'm most optimistic about you."

"Don't just focus on your own team. Keep an eye on Teams Two and Three as well. The gap's getting too wide."

"Step up. The third-in-command position on the Stellar has always been reserved for you. Just waiting to make it official."

"Yes!"

Biaozi's eyes reddened. His voice came out raw and hoarse.

"Alright. Get going."

"Mm."

Chen Mang watched Biaozi's retreating back, musing to himself. Looked like the pep talk worked. Instant motivation boost.

Biaozi had potential.

His talent wasn't exceptional—Chen Mang had watched him die over and over in training runs—but the man always clawed his way through in the end. His resilience and fighting spirit were top-tier.

He also had management chops. Not as sharp as Lao Zhu, but more than enough for a guard captain.

Semi-all-rounder. Perfect fit.

Only Biaozi could pull off the overall captain role. Zhang Damei was strong, but lacked the killer instinct—better at executing orders than making calls. As for Team Three's captain... no strong impression. Mediocre.

Biaozi had earned his stripes and commanded respect. The fighters looked up to him.

"Train Captain."

Just then—

Xiao Ai stepped off the train, voice tentative. "You seem like you're in a good mood now?"

"I'm fine."

"So you're not mad at me anymore?"

"I was never mad at you." Chen Mang shook his head. "It was just a can of cola. I can still sleep tonight, and I can sleep tomorrow. There'll be chances. Besides, 1 unit of Level 10 iron ore equals 1 billion units of iron ore. The odds of pulling that from a dream were microscopic anyway."

"Getting it would've been lucky. Not getting it is fine."

"But Xiao Ai, why are there still only 2 Cosmic Receivers in Carriage #12? Are those materials really that hard to craft?"

"My expectations for you are high."

"I'm hoping that within this month, you can get all the Cosmic Receivers built. Even though you're just a Train Auxiliary AI, to me, you're my friend. My family."

"Fr-friend."

Xiao Ai froze, eyes welling up. His voice cracked. "Train Captain, I'll go back to work right away!"

"Go."

After Xiao Ai left, Lao Zhu walked over with a book in hand and began his report.

"Boss Mang, I need to brief you on something. This is the History of the Train's Development I've been working on. The school's progressing well. A lot of students said they want to meet you. Teacher Qiu submitted a request asking if you'd see them."

"No need."

Chen Mang shook his head. "Not yet. After the theoretical lessons wrap up, it'll be time to split them into practical tracks. Fighters fight, managers manage."

"Lao Zhu."

"You were the first to follow me."

"On the Stellar, you're the person I trust most. My number one."

"The train's over 6,000 strong now. You need to overhaul the management system again. This month's a good window for it. Use the time to completely tighten up the train's internal structure."

"…"

The most trusted person...

Lao Zhu's eyes misted. His face, usually touched with a hint of cynicism, went serious. He nodded heavily. "Boss Mang, you can count on me. As long as I'm here, the Stellar won't fall apart!"

Just then.

Uncle Li approached from the side.

"Alright, Lao Zhu. Get back to it."

"Boss Mang." Uncle Li glanced at Lao Zhu's back before starting his report. "I..."

"Uncle Li."

Chen Mang looked at him evenly. "I heard about your situation from Lao Zhu. One of the first to join the Stellar. I noticed you from the start. Your talent hasn't let me down."

"On this train, you're the one I have the highest expectations for."

"Keep managing the Neon City accounts."

"But I also want you to finish developing the Zombie Mob Spawner as soon as possible—within this month."

"Don't disappoint me."

"I..."

Uncle Li, who'd been about to say something, suddenly choked up. His voice trembled. "B-Boss Mang, I didn't know you'd been watching me this whole time. I... I, Boss Mang, you can count on me. I'll have the Zombie Mob Spawner done within a month!"

"Wait for my good news, Boss Mang!"

He turned and strode toward Breeding Carriage #15.

"Uh..."

Chen Mang watched Uncle Li disappear, faintly uncertain. Had he just cut Uncle Li off? What had the guy wanted to say? Forget it. Probably nothing important. If it mattered, Uncle Li would come back.

Right then.

Zhang Damei strode toward him.

Half an hour later.

Chen Mang returned to the cabin and swiped through footage captured by the Mechanical Eyes on the control console. He nodded with satisfaction. Everyone seemed to be working harder, more fired up.

Looked like it.

More encouragement was the key.

"Boss Mang."

Xiao Fang walked in from outside the cabin, carefully setting a fruit plate on the table. "I brought you some Red Heart Nuts."

"Mm."

Chen Mang nodded absently. "Leave them there. Xiao Fang, I have high expectations for you on this train. Don't let me down."

Xiao Fang's body went rigid. Her eyes reddened as she whispered, "I understand, Boss Mang."

"Uh..."

Chen Mang, a beat too late, looked at Xiao Fang's retreating back with his mouth half-open, like he wanted to say something. Ultimately, he said nothing. He picked up a nut and popped it into his mouth.

He propped his legs up on the control console.

Time to pick out a movie.

He'd gotten into a rhythm with the speeches.

Seeing Xiao Fang, he'd said it on reflex. Only after the words left his mouth did it register—Xiao Fang just made his bed and delivered meals. She didn't have any other duties. How could she possibly disappoint him?

Unless she learned to cook?

Whatever.

Let it go.

Cooking was actually useful. At least she'd wash her hands more often.

His work was done.

All 6,000-plus people on the train were grinding away, fired up. Not a single idle body. In the entire train, he was the only one with nothing to do.

That was how it should be.

When he was idle, everyone else could relax. If he got busy, panic would set in—people would assume the train had hit serious trouble and wonder if they'd make it out alive.

…

"Uncle Li..."

The young man who stuck close to Uncle Li watched him slam two more booster shots and hesitated. "Are you using those as stimulants? You haven't slept in days. Why not get some rest?"

"Sleep?"

Uncle Li whipped his head around, eyes bloodshot, voice raw. "Before the Zombie Mob Spawner is fully operational, I will not sleep!"

"Bring me another case of cola!"

"You don't understand how much faith Boss Mang has in me. Boss Mang's seen all my efforts. As they say, a scholar dies for those who appreciate him. Since Boss Mang values me this much, I have to produce results. Otherwise, how could I ever face him again!"

"Go."

"Request an off-road motorcycle from Vice-Captain Zhu, then get Chief Ai to dismantle the engine. I've got a wild plan!"

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