Inside Living Carriage #3 of the Stellar.
Chen Mang hauled the goblin over to the first-aid kit. The creature was so badly injured that it could barely walk.
The "Simple First-Aid Kit" was a white-grade accessory he had crafted when the train reached Level 2. It contained only basic supplies: bandages, antiseptic spray, a suture kit, and the like. It was obvious these items wouldn't be much help for the goblin's current injuries.
"Cunning human..."
The goblin eyed the crude dical tools in the kit and rasped, "These things are useless. I'll revive after I die. You might as well just kill . I'll be fully healed when I co back."
"How long do you have to stay in that dark space after you die?"
"I don't know. A while," the goblin said, shaking its head.
"Will you return to the Ironridge Wasteland?"
"No. I'll probably be teleported to a random new area."
"I see."
Chen Mang nodded, declining the goblin's suggestion. Leaning on his cane, he took out so bandages and wrapped the creature from head to toe until it looked like a mummy. Only then did he speak. "I'll give you proper treatnt tonight. For now, can you summon the rest of your kin?"
He'd patch it up for now. He was short on iron ore. Once the slaves had mined enough for the day, he would upgrade the "Simple First-Aid Kit" to Level 10. The two advanced effects it unlocked should be helpful for treating external wounds.
"Alright."
The goblin answered crisply. It closed its eyes for a few monts, then opened them again. "Done. They're on their way."
"That simple?" A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Mang's eyes. "Can you goblins transmit information remotely with brainwaves?"
"Not exactly."
The goblin scratched its head, taking a mont to find the right words. "I'm what you'd call an elite among them. I can control and command the others in this region, like a Zombie King in a zombie horde. It's just... sothing went wrong with . I retained my mories and the inherent wisdom of the great goblin race from before my death."
"Understood."
Chen Mang nodded and pointed to a few slices of bread on the "Moldy Bread Slice Production Line." "There's so bread over there. Go eat when you're hungry."
"This..."
The goblin had noticed the delicious-slling bread long ago but had forced itself to look away. Now, it couldn't stop its eyes from locking onto the filled bread slices. Its throat bobbed, and saliva nearly overflowed from its mouth.
"Thank you for your gift, great Human Prophet!"
"Biao, you don't think Boss Mang is into... that, do you?"
Outside the Stellar, Lao Zhu stared worriedly into the carriage. The slaves had already returned to the mine after the battle, leaving the guards to watch over the captured Level 2 goblins.
"That... no way, right?"
Biao, who had been studying the new "Hive Mind" function, shuddered at the question, his eyes wide with confusion. "With the Stellar's power, buying or capturing a few beautiful female slaves would be easy. Why would Boss Mang have any ideas about a goblin? A male one, at that?"
"It's hard to say."
Lao Zhu shook his head, his expression complicated. "I was a vice-captain before. I've seen a lot of train captains. In the oppressive, pessimistic environnt of the apocalypse, once they beco captains, they often develop so extrely twisted habits."
"These habits are often the most effective way to vent the psychological pressure that's been building up."
"But have you noticed? Boss Mang has almost no habits to speak of."
"Having no habits ans the psychological pressure has no outlet. And when that pressure can't be released, it builds up into sothing huge, resulting in an even more twisted habit."
Biao's face grew serious. He pondered for a long ti before venturing, "Boss Mang likes to smoke. Does that count?"
"You tell ."
Lao Zhu turned to Biao, his face blank. "You should know, the fetishes of other train captains are more twisted than you can imagine. I can't even describe them. They'd shatter your worldview."
"I t one captain... he was the only person I've ever truly wanted to kill."
"His fetishes were... he liked human swines." 【TN: A "human swine" refers to a person who has had their limbs amputated, a horrific form of torture.】
"It's a sha I didn't have the power back then. Otherwise, I would have killed him."
"Vice-Captain Zhu, you're that righteous?"
"..."
Lao Zhu fell silent for a long ti, then shook his head, saying no more. After a car accident, his mother had been left a human swine. He couldn't accept anyone having such a fetish. To him, it was an insult, a mockery.
Life and the apocalypse had worn away so much of him.
That was his only remaining bottom line.
But, to his despair, even that last line had been eroded by the apocalypse. Otherwise, he wouldn't still be alive. He might have charged in, knowing it ant certain death. But he hadn't. That inaction made him question his principles.
Seeing that Lao Zhu didn't want to talk anymore, Biao rubbed his nose and dropped the subject. He wanted to explain that the vice-captain might have a misunderstanding of train captains. He'd been a captain himself, and he'd never had any special habits.
He had just diligently managed his train until it was destroyed, and then his life as a fugitive began.
He'd never had the ti or the ability to even think about having a habit.
Surviving was the biggest problem.
Perhaps his habit was just... staying alive. Looked at that way, he was doing a pretty good job of it. His train had been destroyed so many tis, yet he was still here.
In a daze, Biao pulled a slice of bread from behind his back and quickly stuffed it into his mouth, chewing furtively. Mmm, this is delicious.
This was slave food. The guards' food was stead buns. Originally, their food was supposed to be better than the slaves'.
But...
He had no idea how Boss Mang did it, but this bread was so much better than the buns. He found himself sneaking slices of it from ti to ti. He'd never eaten this well when he was a captain.
In this apocalyptic world, it was so much easier to just follow the right person. What was the point of working yourself to death as a train captain?
Just then—
Chen Mang erged from the train, leaning on his cane. Lao Zhu, Biao, and the others instantly straightened up, their faces serious as they chorused, "Boss Mang."
"Mm."
Chen Mang stood there, looking at the two of them for a long mont before speaking softly. "These goblins are with us now. They'll be in charge of mining. Bandage up the wounded ones. They won't resist."
"And..."
"In your spare ti, study the 'Hive Mind' function more. There are two ways to use it. One is to keep it on for a long ti, which is like instant communication. The other is to turn it on briefly, allowing you to control what information is transmitted with your thoughts. During breaks in battle, you don't need to keep the Hive Mind on."
"Being in the Hive Mind for too long will damage your brain. Exit promptly after a battle ends."
Reviews
All reviews (0)