System: My Doomsday Train Chapter 5: Corpse Tide Strikes.

Once again, a panel popped up right in front of him at the same moment.

-

「Weapon Name」: gls Handgun.

「Weapon Level」: Level 1.

「Weapon Effect」: Can load level 1 bullets at most, effective lethality against level 1 armor, monsters, etc.

-

He stared at the panel before him while fingering the brass bullets tucked in his pocket.

A panel appeared over the bullets as well, showing they were level 1 ordinary bullets.

"Interesting..."

Chen Mang muttered in deep thought; he was beginning to comprehend this world a little. After Doomsday arrived, supernatural forces had transformed the world, shaping it into its present form. It's unknown if firearms from before the apocalypse still function.

From the details Old Pig shared, even if regular folks discovered a "Train Order," it held little value.

No one purchased Train Orders at the "Market," since only train captains visited there—who would want an extra one?

Even possessing a "Train Order," advancing the train demanded resources, gaining resources needed slaves, handling numerous slaves required thugs, and overseeing thugs called for...

A team was essential first.

Put differently,

Building a basic team came first.

If...

If he managed to sustain every slave aboard this train, he'd command 300 slaves. That would launch his operations, yet this train's Train Captain stayed hidden. Dealing with those thugs alone overwhelmed him, not to mention the heavy machine guns perched atop the train.

Against carbon-based life, heavy machine guns reigned supreme; at minimum, he figured a few bursts would end him.

...

At the same time, inside the mine, Old Pig swung his pickaxe with sweat dripping down his forehead, gnashing his teeth in rapid contemplation.

Why he surrendered right away back then.

Not just due to Chen Mang's skill and ruthlessness, but also his unyielding resolve. Throughout his life, he'd encountered many, and those achieving greatness carried the resolve Chen Mang displayed.

Individuals with such fierce conviction typically met one of three fates:

Triumph, abrupt death, or conviction worn down by failures.

Tired of slavery, he yearned to take a chance. Thus, he drew close to Chen Mang. Sure enough, Chen Mang promptly quizzed him on train details. Slaves rarely bothered with train ownership matters.

This played to his strength; fellow slaves knew nothing of it—only he, former Deputy Train Captain, grasped it fully.

Provided...

Provided Chen Mang seized the Train Captain role, he'd surely ascend to a core team position. Instant elevation awaited, though securing a "Train Order" for Chen Mang posed the main hurdle now.

...

Four hours passed—

While probing the mine, Chen Mang abruptly caught a desperate yell blasting from the walkie-talkie: "Everyone evacuate quickly, evacuate quickly!!!"

The walkie-talkie's blare rattled Chen Mang's eardrums slightly.

The instant after!

Before Chen Mang could respond, terror gripped the slaves' faces in the mine. They grabbed their excavated iron ore and bolted madly toward the exit passage.

The dug-up ore had rough surfaces, sized like chicken eggs.

That equaled 1 unit of iron ore.

Chen Mang witnessed firsthand how one slave, after an hour's labor, chipped off a single egg-sized unit of iron ore from the ground's iron mass.

"Run!"

Though clueless about the chaos, Chen Mang glanced at Old Pig dashing toward him with panic-stricken features, shouted once, then spun around to flee back the way they'd come.

Arrival had taken nearly forty minutes.

Escape proved far swifter.

Merely over ten minutes in, the gasping slaves burst from the cave, spotting the train at the mine entrance and a colossal Corpse Tide surging nearby!

...

"..."

Chen Mang eyed the spectacle ahead, shock flickering instinctively in his gaze. This train had seemed imposing before—nine black carriages total, topped with three heavy machine guns.

Security felt assured.

Yet against the vast Corpse Tide in the distance, it dwindled to insignificance.

He even caught the foul corpse reek hanging in the air.

The earth quivered faintly too.

Countless zombies stampeding mere hundreds of meters away caused that rumble. Though their forms stayed hidden, the oppressive dread already choked him.

Right then, thugs at the wide-open slave carriage doors glared furiously at Chen Mang's group, bellowing: "All of you, fucking hurry up!!!"

Chen Mang wasted no seconds, rushing with Old Pig straight to their number 7 slave carriage.

Fellow miners streamed out too.

Slaves packed the carriages before doors could shut.

The train lurched into motion swiftly!

Still, acceleration lagged a touch; dozens of seconds passed to hit top speed, but... too late by then. Encirclement closed in; the Corpse Tide assailed from almost every direction, not merely one flank!

...

"Tat-tat-tat!!!"

Seated on the grass mat in carriage number 7, Chen Mang's face shifted as piercing, dull gunfire echoed outside—the heavy machine guns unleashing fury. Yet... judging by the Corpse Tide volume glimpsed before entry, he doubted these guns would dent it much.

Escaping this Corpse Tide trap demanded action.

First, swapping to "Tracked Wheels" as Old Pig described, immune to corpse jams. Next, bolstering carriage armor; their slave cars used flimsy sheet metal—a pickaxe pierced it easily, useless against endless Corpse Tide waves.

He clutched his handgun close.

Yet now, it offered scant reassurance.

Tension gripped the carriage thickly; breakdowns erupted in frantic mutterings, prayers to deities flowed nonstop. Windowless, the outside stayed invisible.

Still, relentless heavy machine gun barrages hinted at dire straits.

"Mang."

Right then.

Old Pig beside him whispered shakily, face ashen: "Before we boarded, I checked the scene; the Corpse Tide encirclement had gaps, not too dense."

"But those gaps consist of narrow openings, demanding sharp zigzags through the Corpse Tide, like threading a motorcycle through rush-hour cars to escape."

"Trains lack motorcycle agility, with wider turning radii. Still, if the Train Captain fitted "level 2 Assistive Universal Wheels" per carriage back then, maneuverability would soar—that's the sole breakout shot."

"Only..."

"Level 2 Assistive Universal Wheels aren't required for level 2 to level 3 train upgrades. From what I know, most Train Captains skip spending resources on them."

"Without level 2 Assistive Universal Wheels on this train, we're in serious trouble this time."