Inside the living carriage No. 3 of the train room.
Chen Mang carried the goblin to the first aid kit. The goblin's injuries were severe, making it difficult for him to walk.
The "Simple First Aid Kit" was a white accessory he crafted when the train reached level 2. It contained only basic items like bandages, anti-inflammatory sprays, and suture kits. Clearly, these items wouldn't be of much help to the goblin's current condition.
"Cunning human," the goblin muttered, glancing at the crude medical tools inside the kit. "These things are useless. I can revive after death. You could just kill me, and when I revive, all these injuries will be completely healed."
"How long do you have to stay in that dark space after you die?"
"Not sure, just for a while," the goblin shook his head.
"Will you return to the Iron Ridge Wasteland?"
"No, I'll probably be randomly teleported to another area."
Chen Mang nodded, rejecting the goblin's suggestion. He leaned on his cane, took out some bandages, and wrapped the goblin from head to toe, turning him into a mummy. Then he said, "I'll give you a full treatment tonight. For now, can you call the other goblins from your tribe here?"
First, he'd do a simple bandage. He didn't have enough iron ore now. Once the slaves dug up enough today, he'd upgrade the "Simple First Aid Kit" to level 10. The two "Supermodel Effects" unlocked should help with treating external injuries.
The goblin answered promptly, closing his eyes for a few moments before opening them again. "Done, they're on their way here."
"Just like that?" Chen Mang's eyes flickered with surprise. "Can goblins transmit information remotely via brainwaves?"
The goblin scratched his head, trying to find the right words. "I'm an elite among them. I can control and command them in this area, much like the Corpse King in the Corpse Tide. But... I've deviated a bit. I inherited memories from before my death and retained the wisdom of the great goblin race."
Chen Mang nodded, pointing to a few slices of bread on the "Moldy Bread Slice Production Line." "There's some bread here. Eat it when you're hungry."
The goblin had already noticed the delicious-smelling bread but had been trying to avoid looking at it. Now, he couldn't help but stare at the sandwich slices, his Adam's apple bobbing as drool nearly spilled out.
"Thank you, great Human Prophet, for your generosity!"
"Biao Zi, do you think Lord Mang has a taste for this?"
Outside the Stellar Train.
Lao Zhu looked worriedly into the train. After the battle, the slaves had picked up their pickaxes and headed to the mine to continue digging. They were now tasked with guarding the captured level 2 goblins.
"This... probably not, right?"
Biao Zi, who had been studying the new "Hive Mind" feature, shuddered at the words, his eyes flickering with confusion. "Given the Stellar Train's current strength, it shouldn't be hard to raid or buy a few pretty female slaves in the wasteland, right?"
"Lord Mang wouldn't need to have any interest in this goblin, especially since it's a male goblin."
Lao Zhu shook his head, his expression complex. "I've been a Deputy Train Conductor before, and I've seen many Train Conductors. In this apocalyptic, oppressive, and deeply pessimistic environment, becoming a Train Conductor often leads to some extremely perverse fetishes."
"These fetishes are often the most effective way to vent the psychological pressure built up over time."
"But haven't you noticed that Lord Mang has almost no fetishes?"
"No fetishes mean psychological pressure can't be released. And unreleased pressure often builds up into something even more perverse."
Biao Zi's expression turned serious as well. After a long pause, he tentatively asked, "Lord Mang likes to smoke. Does that count as a fetish?"
Lao Zhu turned to Biao Zi with a blank expression. "Other Train Conductors have fetishes that are increasingly perverse. I can't even tell you about them—they're too shocking to one's values."
"I once met a Train Conductor who was the only person I've ever truly wanted to kill."
"His fetish was women who'd been turned into human pigs."
"If I'd had the ability back then, I would've killed him."
"Train Conductor Zhu, you're that righteous?"
Lao Zhu fell silent for a long time before shaking his head, unwilling to elaborate. His mother had become a human pig after a car accident. He couldn't accept anyone having such a fetish—it was an insult and a mockery to him.
Life and the apocalypse had worn him down too much.
This was his only remaining line.
But what made him despair was that even this last line had been nearly worn away by the apocalypse. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived until now. Back then, he might have rushed to his death, but he didn't. That made him question his own principles.
Seeing that Lao Zhu didn't want to continue the conversation, Biao Zi rubbed his nose and said nothing more. He wanted to explain that Train Conductor Zhu might have misunderstood Train Conductors. He had been one too, and he didn't have any special fetishes.
He had just worked diligently to manage the train until it was destroyed, and then began his journey of survival.
From start to finish, he never had the time or capacity to think about fetishes.
Survival was the biggest issue.
His fetish might just be survival. Looking at it that way, he'd done quite well in maintaining this fetish—despite the train being destroyed multiple times, he was still alive.
In a daze, Biao Zi pulled out a slice of bread from behind him, quickly stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed stealthily. Mmm, it tasted great.
This was the slaves' food. As enforcers, their staple was steamed buns, which was supposed to be better than the slaves' rations.
These bread slices, whatever Lord Mang did to them, were much tastier than the buns. That's why he occasionally snuck some. Even when he was a Train Conductor, he never had such a treat.
These days, it's much easier to follow the right person. What's the point of exhausting yourself to be a Train Conductor?
Chen Mang walked out of the train, leaning on his cane. Lao Zhu and Biao Zi immediately straightened up and said in unison, "Lord Mang."
Chen Mang stood still, looking at the two for a moment before speaking softly, "These goblins will be working with us now, digging for ore. Bandage up the injured ones—they won't resist."
"Take some time to study the 'Hive Mind' feature. It has two modes: one is keeping it constantly active, which allows instant communication; the other is brief activation, where you can control what information to transmit. During breaks in battle, you don't need to keep the 'Hive Mind' active all the time."
"Staying in the Hive Mind for too long damages the brain. Exit it promptly after battles."