"Ugh..." "
Cough cough...
" "Where am I?"
Lu Yuan forced his eyes open, his mouth scorching with the taste of blood, his entire body aching.
He touched the back of his head, a sharp pain piercing him, nearly causing him to faint again.
"Blood scab... I..."
A myriad of memories suddenly flooded his mind, blurring his vision.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"That guy got hit with that hammer, he's definitely dead!"
"Break the door open! Have Big Brother activate the Battleship Token, and we can all survive!"
"Bang, bang!"
A commotion erupted from outside, the door clanging as if it were about to burst.
"Doomsday... Battleship... Dead Captain..."
Over a month ago, the apocalypse arrived, darkness enveloped the earth, countless terrifying monsters emerged from the darkness, and the world fell completely.
Whether through the mercy of the gods or a higher civilization, the survivors obtained Battleship Tokens and built Doomsday Battleships during the apocalypse, roaming the skies, far from the perilous land.
Occasionally, when they found a resource point, they would land, pick wild fruits, mine ores, and obtain various rare resources, so as to build equipment, upgrade warships, equip guns and cannons, and grow stronger step by step.
The warship under their feet, the previous captain was severely damaged by monsters in the previous expedition and died on the ship soon after.
The original body was lucky enough to pick up the warship token dropped by the captain after his death, but was unfortunately besieged by other survivors. He managed to escape into the storage warehouse, but suffered a fatal injury to the back of his head and died soon after.
Then, Lu Yuan, who had the same name and surname, traveled through time and space.
"Uh, what a start..."
Lu Yuan touched the back of his head again. The wound had already formed a blood scab. It seemed that he had repaired the injury when he traveled through time.
Now, apart from some soreness all over the body, there was nothing serious.
But...
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Hurry up, everyone! Break the door down! We only have a little over 100 durability, and we're still going to have to fight for so long!"
"Anyone who slacks off... Once I get the battleship token, I'll be the first to throw them off!" His own
injuries were minor, but those surviving crew members outside, eager to take action, were a formidable task.
"What should I do?"
Lu Yuan said fiercely, activating the Captain's Token without hesitation.
[Survivor "Lu Yuan" successfully activated the Captain's Token]
[Searching for the former captain's legacy...]
[Found a legacy: "First-class Battleship." Accept it?]
"Yes!"
Lu Yuan replied immediately.
[Battleship accepted successfully. Current crew: 1]
[Please invite at least 10 crew members to join as soon as possible to activate subsequent features]
"Damn it!"
This was Lu Yuan's biggest concern.
Even if he activated the battleship token, he still couldn't fully control the battleship, as he was still alone.
If anyone outside were to break in, they'd still be beaten to death. Captain's status was meaningless at this moment.
[Captain "Lu Yuan" has activated his battleship token for the first time, awakening his captain's talent...]
[Detected... unknown... unknown talent... unknown soul... talent... interference...]
[Captain "Lu Yuan" has successfully awakened his talent: Infinite Upgrades]
[Talent Function 1: Extract any resource to gain resource points. The amount of points depends on the quantity and quality of the resource.]
[Talent Function 2: Consume resource points to upgrade any battleship component, with no upper limit.]
[Talent Function 3: Perform specific activities for a chance to unlock battleship blueprints.]
Talent!
Lu Yuan was delighted. This talent... seemed much more powerful than the previous captain's!
According to the original owner's memories, the previous captain's talent seemed to only reduce the crew's hunger, thirst, and fatigue, with no other effects.
But this talent... infinite upgrades, blueprint transformation... if used wisely, has a promising future!
But, the current situation...
The pounding outside the door grew louder. The already sturdy metal hatch was already showing visible cracks, and it looked like it would burst completely any moment.
"Hurry!"
Lu Yuan searched the storage warehouse.
Five storage boxes, each with a capacity of 60 spaces, held 1,560 units of iron ore, 622 units of stone ore, 388 units of copper ore, some food and drinking water, several monster limbs, blueprints emitting white and green light, and...
Lu Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at a piece of equipment resembling a battle armor in the corner of the warehouse.
[Universal Exoskeleton]
[Quality: Blue (Excellent)]
[Effect 1: Increases Strength by 100%, Defense by 100%, and Operational Ability by 100%]
[Effect 2: Reduces Fatigue Accumulation Rate to 50%]
This was a trophy obtained by the previous captain while exploring a miniature ruin. Since there was only one, he kept it for his personal collection, usually storing it in the deepest part of the warehouse and only wearing it when landing to collect resources.
This gave Lu Yuan a way out.
"Upgrade: Universal Exoskeleton!"
Quickly donning the Universal Exoskeleton, Lu Yuan immediately put his talents to use.
[Upgrade "Universal Exoskeleton (Blue)", Resource Points Required: 100]
[1 unit of Iron Ore = 1 Resource Point] [
1 unit of Stone Ore = 1 Resource Point]
[1 unit of Copper Ore = 2 Resource Points]
[...]
"Upgrade now!"
Lu Yuan immediately extracted 100 units of Iron Ore and used the extracted Resource Points to upgrade the Universal Exoskeleton.
[Consume Resource Points x 100, you obtain the "Level 2 Universal Exoskeleton (Dark Blue)"]
[Effect 1: Increase Strength by 200%, Defense by 200%, Operational Ability by 200%]
[Effect 2: Reduce Fatigue Accumulation Rate to 25%]
[Effect 3: Attach a pair of onboard cannons, dealing 18 damage per shot, with additional Burning Damage 3 per second]
The upgraded exoskeleton's exterior had a brighter metallic hue, and a pair of dark red muzzles were attached to its palms, ready to fire at any moment.
"Hiss!"
Lu Yuan gasped. Just one level upgrade had boosted the quality of his universal exoskeleton by more than half a level, bringing it to a deep blue nearing purple. Besides effects 1 and 2, it now boasted a ranged attack.
[Upgrade "Level 2 Universal Exoskeleton (Dark Blue)", Required Resource Points: 500]
"Upgrade! Upgrade!"
Just 500 resource points, and the previous captain's warehouse reserves were more than enough.
Lu Yuan had extracted a vast amount of mineral reserves for resource points.
He didn't consider future developments, prioritizing survival.
Without my battleship, it was meaningless!
[Consume resource points × 500, you get the "Level 3 Universal Exoskeleton (Purple)"]
[Consume resource points × 2000, you get the "Level 4 Universal Exoskeleton (Dark Purple)"]
[Effect 1: Strength increased by 800%, defense increased by 800%, and operating ability increased by 800%]
[Effect 2: The cumulative rate of fatigue is reduced to 6%]
[Effect 3: Two pairs of additional airborne artillery, of which the shoulder-mounted main gun has a damage of 58/shot, with an additional burning damage of 10/second, and a probability of causing plasma paralysis; the two-handed secondary gun has a damage of 38/shot, with an additional burning damage of 8/second]
[Effect 4: You can fly in the air for a short distance, with a flight speed of 15 meters/second]
[Effect 5: Consume energy reserves to form an electromagnetic force field shield with a defense of 40 and a durability of 1000. It is also immune to green and lower level damage]
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, the hatch was instantly broken, and a group of people rushed in aggressively.
"Hmm?"
the burly man who rushed in first, his face marked by a hideous scar, looked menacing, yet also tinged with doubt.
Instead of the "corpse" that should have been lying on the ground, he saw a towering, silver-white mech, slowly turning its head towards him.
Suddenly, a fierce sense of life and death surged through Lin Bao's mind, sending him frantically trying to flee.
What...what was this...?
But before Lin Bao could grasp an answer, the silver-white mech suddenly reached out and grasped his head.
Then, under the horrified gazes of the crowd, the mech exerted a slight force, and with a "snap" (likely a smack) Lin Bao's head exploded.
Red and white liquid spilled onto the ground.
The crowd nearby shuddered in fear, dropping their steel pipes and hammers.
In the original owner's memory, the two brothers, Lin Hu and Lin Bao, coerced and bribed the other survivors into forming an independent gang, a group that even the previous captain struggled to manage.
This time, Lin Bao was determined to have his eldest brother ascend to the throne, over his own corpse, and become the new captain.
Lu Yuan wouldn't let this cancer on the warship go unchecked.
"The previous captain didn't have the means to eliminate you, but I do."
Lu Yuan approached Lin Hu with a cold expression. The crowd automatically moved aside, leaving only a burly man, about 1.9 meters tall, standing alone.
The old Lin Hu, relying on his training and sturdy build, had bossed the survivors around like a gangster.
But now, before Lu Yuan, he trembled uncontrollably, the fear in his eyes barely contained.
Upon closer inspection, even strands of liquid could be seen trickling down his trouser legs.
"No... spare me, spare me."
"Lu Yuan, Brother Yuan, Master Lu, Captain, spare me, spare me..."
"Don't, don't come over here, don't come over here."
"Ah!"
Lu Yuan showed no mercy to those who wanted his life.
Moreover, if he wanted everyone to accept him as captain and join his warship, he needed to intimidate them.
Killing the chicken to scare the monkey!
Lu Yuan reached out again, grabbing Lin Hu's head with lightning speed, revealing only his utterly terrified eyes. Another muffled
"pop!"
and Lin Hu's body collapsed to the ground, spilling streams of red and white liquid.
[Lucky luck! You obtained the blueprint for the Submachine Gun (Blue) by performing the "Kill" action.]
Huh?
Killing counts as a special action?
And it also grants a blueprint?
A dangerous glint flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes, then quickly faded.
Having eliminated the two destabilizing factors, Lu Yuan approached the crowd.
With every step forward, the crowd retreated, until Lu Yuan had cornered them against the cabin wall, with no escape.
"Join my battleship or die!"
Lu Yuan declared coldly.
Then, everyone received Lu Yuan's battleship recruitment notice.
"I'm in!"
The crowd reacted as if they had been granted amnesty. Within seconds, everyone unanimously chose to join, no one daring to do anything else.
After all, there were two bodies, still steaming hot.
"Very good."
Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then opened the exoskeleton's visor, revealing his true form.
[Congratulations, Captain Lu Yuan, for recruiting 22 ordinary crew members, meeting the requirements.]
[You have officially acquired ownership and supreme control of a Level 1 battleship.]
[You have acquired supreme control over all crew members.]
"Luo Wenming."
"Here!"
"Captain..."
A portly man hurried out of the crowd, beads of sweat still beading on his forehead, clearly frightened by Lu Yuan's actions.
"You were previously the deputy captain. Now that the battleship is in its infancy, you will serve as deputy captain for the time being."
"Yes! Thank you for your trust, Captain!"
According to his original body's memories, the previous captain was a rough and tumbler, with a hot temper, greed, shortsightedness, and mediocre abilities.
However, Deputy Captain Luo Wenming was a talented individual, managing the battleship's affairs with impeccable order and enjoying a good reputation among the crew.
Therefore, Lu Yuan chose him to temporarily serve as deputy captain to assist him in management.
"Everyone else, disperse and return to the living quarters."
"Yes!"
The crew members, shocked by Lu Yuan's bloody methods, did not dare to cause trouble and returned to their living quarters.
"Wenming, please introduce the warship under your feet."
Lu Yuan's tone softened. He still valued Luo Wenming, a capable talent.
"Yes, Captain."
"Our warship is currently level 1, with four cabins, each of which is 100 square meters of living quarters, accommodating 30 people."
"The captain's cabin, also known as the driving cabin, can control the direction and speed of the warship. It also has a level 1 resource point detector that can detect resource points within a radius of ten kilometers." "
The warehouse, which is now this room, has five level 1 storage boxes, a total of 300 storage units, and each unit can stack 99 units of the same item."
"The production compartment has three level 1 fresh water distiller, each of which can produce 10 servings of drinking water per day; three level 1 compressed biscuit makers, each of which consumes 10 units of iron ore per day and can produce 10 servings of food."
As Luo Wenming explained, Lu Yuan mentally studied the battleship's layout. It was a T-shaped structure.
The protruding foreground was the captain's cabin, while the three compartments at the rear, from left to right, housed the production area, the living quarters, and the warehouse.
The entire battleship was armored in standard white iron, with a defense rating of only 2, a durability of 100, and no special damage immunity. The engine was also a standard white, level 1 engine, consuming one primary battery and capable of maintaining a speed of 72 km/h for 10 days.
A very ordinary battleship... After a month of development, apart from barely achieving self-sufficiency in food and drink, it had achieved little else.
Lu Yuan shook his head, mentally cursing the previous captain for being useless.
However, the previous captain couldn't be blamed entirely. After all, the clique formed by the brothers Lin Hu and Lin Bao often disobeyed the previous captain's orders.
After achieving self-sufficiency in food and drink, they might have begun plotting to undermine the previous captain and take his place.
"Hmm, perhaps that's how the previous captain died,"
Lu Yuan searched through the previous owner's memories.
The captain does have control over the crew, for example, the crew cannot use the tools and weapons provided by the warship to harm the captain, but that's the most.
It's impossible for the captain to kill the crew with just a thought.
Therefore, Lin Hu and Lin Bao may have deliberately attracted a monster capable of long-range attacks, and "accidentally" let it attack the unsuspecting captain.
Even though the captain ran back to the warship and immediately took off without caring about the crew below, he still died in the cockpit due to serious injuries.
"Tsk, it was right to kill these two people."
Lu Yuan felt a little scared. Who knows if these two people will do the same to him in the future.
"Ding ding"
After listening to Luo Wenming's report, the first-level resource detector beeped, as if it had discovered something.
The detection radius of a Level 1 resource detector was only 10 kilometers, an extremely limited one.
Every time a resource point was discovered, the entire battleship was in a frenzy.
"Level 2 resource point."
Luo Wenming glanced at the information on the detector and fell silent.
The previous captain had died at a Level 2 resource point.
"We have no other choice,"
Lu Yuan said calmly.
Remember the initial website domain name: 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞.
The previous captain activated the battleship token and obtained four primary batteries, enough to sustain the battleship for 40 days.
But after more than a month, the last of the primary batteries was almost depleted.
If they couldn't find a suitable resource point to upgrade the battleship to Level 2 and obtain the technology to manufacture batteries, they feared the battleship would never be able to take off again and would be devoured by the monsters on the ground.
"Yes, Captain,"
Luo Wenming replied helplessly. "We must land as soon as possible."
Level 1 resource points can only produce four Level 1 resources: iron, copper, stone, and wood.
Level 2 resource sites do randomly spawn more valuable materials, but the nearby monsters are also more terrifying.
There's even the possibility of a terrifying Level 2 monster shattering the hull of a Level 1 battleship with a single strike.
Lu Yuan didn't hesitate. His battery was only at its last 10%. If he couldn't find a suitable resource site, he'd be forced to crash-land on a resource-free landscape, awaiting his doom.
"What a piece of crap!"
Upgrading a battleship from Level 1 to Level 2 only requires 3,000 units of iron ore, 2,000 units of stone ore, and 500 units of copper ore—no higher-level resources are required. Yet the previous captain had spent over a month
trying to gather any. Even the most ordinary survivors, armed with ordinary tools, can mine one unit of ore in about 10 minutes.
That's six units per hour. Twenty or so survivors could mine over 100 units per hour. Landing at a Level 1 resource site would allow them to gather nearly all the resources needed for the upgrade in just a few days.
"What a piece of crap,"
Lu Yuan cursed, and the battleship slowly descended.
"Click, click, click..."
The battleship's door slowly descended, and Lu Yuan commanded several survivors to quietly sneak out.
Headlamps turned on, illuminating a small area ahead.
Monsters are sensitive to light, and shining a large area can easily attract the attention of monster groups.
During the early stages of land reclamation, it is still necessary to pay attention to concealment.
"Iron ore, reserves unknown."
A message flashed before Lu Yuan's eyes, and he immediately called for the survivors to disembark from the battleship and stand around the resource points, turning on simple headlamps and holding mining hoes.
"Wait a minute."
Lu Yuan stopped the survivors and picked up the nearest hoe.
At the beginning of the apocalypse, each survivor received a simple tool kit, which included a simple headlamp, a mining hoe, and a machete for self-defense, to use in the initial stage of mining resources and fending off monsters.
"Sure enough, the mining hoe can also be upgraded."
Lu Yuan was delighted and immediately spent 10 resource points to upgrade one of the mining hoes.
[Level 2 Miner's Hoe]
[Quality: Green (Excellent)]
[Effect 1: 200% Mining Efficiency, 2 units of Level 1 Mineral or 1 unit of Level 2 Mineral every 10 minutes]
"10 units of iron ore can be upgraded by 1 level. With 1 additional unit mined every 10 minutes, that's a payback period of 100 minutes."
"A little over an hour, that's a pretty impressive return."
Without further ado, Lu Yuan immediately spent 220 resource points to upgrade all crew members' hoes by 1 level.
This yields 22 x 12 = 264 units of iron ore per hour. Based on a 12-hour workday, that's 3,168 units, directly meeting one of the requirements for the battleship upgrade.
"Captain... but if we all mine, who'll keep watch?" Luo Wenming hesitated, then offered a warning.
This is a post-apocalyptic world shrouded in darkness. Monsters can attack humans from the darkness at any moment, and dangers abound.
Level 2 resource points, in particular, are several times more difficult to access than level 1 maps.
"You guys dig, I can see everything around me."
"Yes."
Though they harbored doubts, they dared not resist and simply dug obediently.
"Huh?"
Some suddenly realized something. The hoes in their hands seemed more comfortable to use than before.
In about five minutes, they had each harvested one unit of iron ore.
"This..."
Many were stunned, then realized it might be the captain's new talent.
Lu Yuan surveyed the area. A display screen appeared on his exoskeleton visor, displaying signs of life nearby. A strange
"cooing"
sound echoed from somewhere, raising the alarm among the survivors, who then heard a gust of wind nearby. A sharp
"cooing!" followed by the sound of flesh being torn apart. Lu Yuan slowly walked back, the piece of flesh dripping with blood. "It's the captain!" The survivors breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of peace. Perhaps, with such a powerful captain, they felt even more secure than before.
[You have obtained 3 pieces of Einar Giant Flesh]
The monster at the nearby Level 2 resource point is called the Einar Giant. It stands approximately 2.5 meters tall and boasts over three times the strength of a human.
For other Level 1 warships, it would be a formidable foe.
However, Lu Yuan's current Level 4 exoskeleton provides a full 800% strength bonus. A single punch can pierce the Einar Giant, rendering it indestructible.
He also obtained 3 units of Giant Flesh, but he's unsure what to do with it, so he'll save it for now.
"Melee monsters are relatively easy to deal with,"
Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. If it were a ranged monster, he might not be able to protect everyone.
According to previous patterns, the warship had just landed and wouldn't attract much monster attention, so Lu Yuan wouldn't need to intervene most of the time.
While the other survivors were mining, Lu Yuan searched for other upgradeable warship parts.
Upgrading the Miner's Pickaxe from Level 2 to Level 3 requires 50 resource points, doubling its output, meaning it can mine 4 units of iron ore every 10 minutes.
A quick calculation shows that it will take about 250 minutes to recoup the investment, or just over four hours, which is also a good deal.
However, because most of the resources were used to upgrade the exoskeleton before, Lu Yuan cannot complete the upgrade of everyone's mining hoes yet, so he can only do it one by one.
"This hoe..."
Many people were digging, and suddenly they felt a sense of relief all over their bodies, and they became more and more handy in wielding the hoes in their hands.
With a light swing, they can dig out a large piece of soil and rock.
The level 3 mining hoe, in addition to doubling the efficiency again, also has a chance to dig out rarer ores, such as refined gold, star stone, etc., but the probability is still relatively low.
The hoe is the first upgrade requirement at present, and the other is a micro submachine gun for self-defense.
"Blue quality, each bullet can cause 15 damage."
"Even if a level 2 monster comes, they will kneel."
Crafting weapons and arming the crew is necessary. As captain, Lu Yuan can't be everyone's babysitter and bodyguard, constantly on guard against potential monsters.
Once everyone's mining hoes reach level 3 and the battleship reaches level 2, Lu Yuan can consider crafting a few submachine guns and assigning some crew members to serve as dedicated guards.
Crafting a submachine gun doesn't require a lot of rare ores; it only requires 20 iron plates, 20 copper plates, and 10 gears.
One iron plate equals one iron ore, one copper plate equals one copper ore, and one gear equals one iron plate.
That's a total of 30 iron and 20 copper, a mere drop in the bucket for a level 2 resource node.
However, the battleship is only level 1, and the crafting station and smelting furnace haven't been unlocked yet. While iron and copper plates can be hand-crafted, gears cannot,
and thus submachine guns cannot be crafted. Furthermore, submachine guns are noisy, and accurate firing requires lighting; otherwise, accuracy in dim conditions is limited.
This effectively exposes the warship to the monsters' sights, making them more likely to attack and requiring even greater force.
Until he's confident, Lu Yuan prefers to endure a bit of fatigue. He
still needs to stay safe in the early stages.
Otherwise, when he encountered that giant monster before, he would have simply engaged it with cannon fire, rather than struggling with his fists.
Disabling the submachine gun blueprint, Lu Yuan looked at the other upgradeable equipment.
He passed on the storage bins first. The most basic ones have a capacity of 60 units, each holding 99 units of the same item. It's a generous amount of storage and very easy to build, requiring only 20 iron plates. If the capacity runs out, he can always build new bins to expand.
There's nothing much to upgrade in the living quarters for now. While Lu Yuan isn't the kind of tyrant who deliberately abuses his crew, he doesn't want to sacrifice too much for their comfort. There's no rush to expand once he has more resource points.
Upgrading the Compressed Biscuit Maker and Fresh Water Distiller from Level 1 to Level 2 requires 100 resource points each, for a total of 600.
This upgrade increases output by 50%. Level 2 Compressed Biscuits also reduce crew fatigue accumulation by an additional 20%, while Level 2 Distilled Water reduces crew illness by 20% and also improves taste slightly.
"That's a nice bonus, and the cost isn't too high,"
Lu Yuan thought, prioritizing the upgrades of these two devices.
[Your crew completes an excavation action, triggering the blueprint: Conveyor Belt]
[Conveyor Belt]
[Quality: Green (Excellent)]
[Description: Each conveyor belt unit is one meter long, half a meter wide, and operates at 60 meters per minute]
[Required: 2 Iron Plates, 1 Gear]
[Note: Requires the following equipment: Robotic Arm (to be unlocked)]
The system suddenly prompted.
"Another new blueprint."
Lu Yuan paused, then began to examine it.
"Conveyor belts can transport resources anywhere... They require a robotic arm... well, they still need gears, which we can't do right now."
"But it would save a lot of time transporting things."
Lu Yuan closed the blueprint, not taking it too seriously.
Of course, getting a new blueprint is something to be happy about.
Currently, there are three main ways to obtain blueprints.
First, each time a battleship upgrades, essential blueprints, or "mainline" blueprints, are unlocked, allowing the crafting of crucial equipment.
For example, the most important things for a Level 1 battleship are the production of drinking water, food, and resource point detectors. The former ensures basic physiological needs, while the latter allows the battleship to obtain sufficient basic resources for equipment manufacturing and subsequent upgrades.
Level 2 battleships can build smelters and fabricators to obtain more advanced components, and most importantly, the batteries needed for the battleship's launch.
In theory, at Level 2, there are fewer physiological and safety concerns, allowing for free exploration and development.
The second way to obtain blueprints is through field exploration.
The apocalypse descended, shrouding the land in darkness, but also brought with it the "legacy" of ancient or alien civilizations.
Rusted storage boxes and dilapidated building ruins occasionally appeared across the land, offering a chance to uncover unique blueprints.
For example, the previous captain once found a green blueprint in a field storage box: a freezer, useful for preserving food or perishable resources.
However, building a freezer requires circuit boards, which can only be crafted in a Tier 2 battleship's fabricator, and currently lacks a way to obtain them.
A third method, unique to Lu Yuan, involved completing specific "actions" to obtain crucial blueprints, such as submachine guns and conveyor belts.
Time passed, and in a flash, four hours had passed. The crew had worked for half a day, and fatigue had accumulated to a considerable degree.
Luo Wenming, shaking his slightly bloated figure, approached Lu Yuan and whispered a reminder.
"Captain, the crew's fatigue has accumulated to over 50%. Continuing to work may reduce their efficiency..."
"Yes,"
Lu Yuan nodded in understanding. A former crew member himself, he naturally understood the relationship between fatigue and productivity, and signaled Luo Wenming to stop explaining.
In four hours, even with only level 2 miner's hoes, they could accumulate over 1,000 units of iron ore, equivalent to 1,000 resource points.
Furthermore, Lu Yuan upgraded a hoe for every 50 resource points accumulated, so far from being completely depleted, there was actually a surplus of around 500 units.
"With these 500 resource points, upgrade the two compressed biscuit makers and the fresh water distiller first and see how they perform."
Lu Yuan gestured for Luo Wenming to follow, and he immediately followed respectfully.
"It seems the new captain is quite easy to talk to," Luo Wenming
breathed a sigh of relief. While the previous captain had been a bit clumsy, he wasn't cruel or inhumane. He had provided everyone with the necessary rest, water, and food.
Lu Yuan's previous killings of two people had led Luo Wenming to believe that the new captain had a more violent personality, but now it seemed that he was not so bad.
Carefully following Lu Yuan to the production cabin, Luo Wenming suddenly rubbed his eyes.
The originally simple compressed biscuit maker and fresh water distiller seemed to be covered with a faint glow.
Then, the appearance became more "new", the size increased, and some of the structures seemed to have become more sophisticated.
Luo Wenming was not from an engineering background and did not understand the structure of the machine, but from an aesthetic point of view, it seemed to have become more powerful.
"Illusion?"
"No, it's not an illusion."
Because the equipment that was not upgraded by Lu Yuan remained the same, the difference was obvious when the two were compared.
"Distribute these."
Lu Yuan handed several bags of compressed biscuits and bags of distilled water to Luo Wenming's personal 10-unit backpack.
"Wait, you said before that you could monitor the crew's progress without seeing?"
"Yes, Captain,"
Luo Wenming said hesitantly.
"Uh... after the apocalypse, I feel like I've gained a vague, indefinable ability."
"Even while I'm working, I can sense how efficient the other crew members are and if they're slacking off."
"I can't quantify this feeling yet, but I can clearly sense if someone is seriously slacking off."
"Perhaps your talent is awakening?"
Lu Yuan pondered.
With the apocalypse, everyone has undergone changes of varying degrees.
The battleship token activates the captain's talent, but crew members have the potential to awaken their talents as well.
For example, Lin Hu, whom he killed earlier, seems to have become physically stronger and more capable in combat after the apocalypse.
However, with his exoskeleton, which is nine times more powerful than an average person's, he hasn't been able to fully utilize it.
Someone like Luo Wenming might have awakened a Perception-related talent, but it hasn't fully awakened yet.
"So, how do you think this food and water should be divided?"
Luo Wenming's flesh trembled at this.
He knew this was his chance to shine, and a test.
"Captain, although time is tight, I still think there should be rewards and punishments,"
Luo Wenming replied.
"For lazy crew members, reduce their food and water supplies and require them to work a certain number of extra hours."
"For hardworking crew members, increase their bonus meals and allow them to choose their own sleeping quarters."
"Captain, while punishing crew members by reducing their food supplies will reduce their fatigue recovery and reduce their work output, it will also serve as a warning to other crew members not to slack off."
"If this reward and punishment system continues, most crew members will voluntarily abide by it and work diligently."
"Some crew members may even work harder because of the reward system, earning a certain percentage of their work efficiency bonus, resulting in greater output."
"As for how to distinguish active and passive crew members..."
Luo Wenming cautiously observed Lu Yuan's expression as he removed his mask.
"I suggest... for now, we'll rely on my perception. Later, if we have more personnel, we can consider hiring a full-time supervisor."
Lu Yuan was silent for a moment, leaving Luo Wenming breathless.
"Okay, I trust you for now."
Lu Yuan finally nodded slowly, leaving Luo Wenming feeling as if he'd been granted amnesty.
After all, having someone who could crush your head at any moment was quite intimidating.
"But if you dare try anything clever... you know the consequences,"
Lu Yuan said calmly, frightening Luo Wenming again. He couldn't help but imagine his own fat head being crushed by Lu Yuan.
"Thank you for your approval, Captain. I will definitely complete the surveillance work objectively and will not label myself as a non-active crew member."
"Well, that's not necessary."
"You're also distracted by the work of monitoring other staff members, which is tiring. You can get an extra snack tonight," Lu Yuan said, his tone softening.
"Thank you, Captain." Luo Wenming was overjoyed, his double chin jiggling with laughter.
"We've got food."
Some crew members took their compressed biscuits and water and wolfed them down.
"Hey, is today's meal better than before?"
Many people paused, then glanced at the compressed biscuits in their hands in the dim light of the cabin. The color seemed purer, and there was some unknown filling inside.
The drinking water also seemed a bit clearer, no longer slightly murky.
"Yeah, it tastes better."
"Hey, did you feel like your strength was recovering extra quickly this time?"
"It seems so... I feel like I could go dig a few more pickaxes right now!"
"Come on, shut up! Get some shuteye, or you'll be dead tired this afternoon."
Some crew members chatted casually, their eyes brightening.
In apocalyptic conditions, even a slight improvement in the taste of food brought a sense of genuine happiness.
This was something completely unattainable before the apocalypse.
While the crew ate, Lu Yuan's exoskeleton slowly belched downward thrusting flames, and he ascended into the air, observing his surroundings.
This was the unique effect of the exoskeleton reaching level 3, deep purple quality: flight mode!
Under normal circumstances, it could fly at a speed of 54 kilometers per hour, accelerating to 72 kilometers per hour under special circumstances, or 20 meters per second.
At a distance of about 40 to 50 meters in the air, Lu Yuan took in the battleship's surroundings.
Near the iron mine were copper and stone mines. These minerals, which spawn at level 1 resource nodes, were abundant at this level 2 resource node, sufficient for the battleship's level 2 upgrade.
A little further away from the copper mine, there appeared to be a new vein, though it was too far to see clearly.
Within this unknown vein, a cluster of red dots radiating heat appeared to be a small swarm of monsters. The sight of
so many monsters gathered together made Lu Yuan want to fire a volley from the air.
"Ahem, we're short on manpower in the early stages, so we'd better stay safe,"
Lu Yuan shook his head. For now, he decided to upgrade the battleship to level 2 first.
After a quick scan and the casual slaying of another Einar Giant monster, lunch break was over and the crew had to leave the battleship to return to work.
Upgrading a battleship from level 1 to level 2 requires 3,000 units of iron ore. Currently, a level 3 mining hoe can mine 4 x 6 = 24 units per hour. With 22 crew members, that's 528 units, meaning you can accumulate enough resources in less than six hours
. Upgrading from level 3 to level 4 doubles the efficiency, but requires a full 400 resource points. At an additional value of 4 resource points per 10 minutes, it takes almost 16 hours to recoup your investment, which is a bit long.
It's better to upgrade your battleship to level 2 first and unlock the smelting furnace and crafting station.
A post-apocalyptic world is boring. Without Wi-Fi or smartphones, there's virtually no entertainment.
While the crew still had their mining duties, Lu Yuan simply patrolled the battleship, occasionally rubbing a few iron plates to create storage boxes or killing the occasional Einar Titan.
The overall work situation was like being an invigilator in the normal world, making him almost revisit his entire life.
Five hours passed, and it was time for another night's rest.
"Captain, after my monitoring..."
Luo Wenming reported on the crew's work results, "This crew member needs your special attention."