A red-grade "Unknown Large Firepower Component."
"."
Chen Mang's eyes narrowed slightly. His job change direction was definitely towards the Mechanical Train. If possible, he would certainly hope to have a red-grade "Unknown Large Firepower Component." Unfortunately, the job change quests for the Mechanical Train and the Flesh Train were not the same.
If the S-rank difficulty job change quest for the Mechanical Train also involved killing three Level 6 monsters, then it would be much simpler for him. After developing to the extreme in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, he could head to the green zone, kill three Level 6 monsters, and complete the quest directly.
However, the job change quest for the Mechanical Train was far more complicated.
The most important point was that there were only two chances to accept the job change quest. The quest must be completed within 24 hours of accepting it. If the quest is completed without first accepting it, it would be considered invalid.
For example, in the case of the Flesh Train's job change quest, if the Train happened to kill three Level 6 monsters without having accepted the S-rank difficulty job change quest, it wouldn't count.
The quest must be accepted first, and then completed.
If both attempts to accept the job change quest end in failure, the Train would be stuck at Level 3 forever, unable to upgrade to Level 4.
"Mechanical Train Job Change Quest."
"S-rank Difficulty": You need to set up a static maze inside the Train and designate a starting point and an endpoint. After accepting the quest, a 'Machina Robot' will appear at the designated starting point. If the robot fails to complete the maze within half an hour, the quest is considered completed.
PS: The robot possesses advanced thinking abilities beyond normal humans and the running speed of an average adult male. When completing this quest, the Train can have a maximum of 18 carriages. You are not allowed to attack the robot, and the maze must have at least one path connecting the starting point to the endpoint.
"A-rank Difficulty": You need to trigger the hidden quest 'Human-Machine Romance' through verbal training, causing your 'Train Auxiliary AI' to develop human emotions. Then, spend 100,000 units of Iron Ore to craft a body for it. After sharing a room with it once, the quest will be completed.
PS: The 'Train Auxiliary AI' that you train and complete the hidden quest with will possess genuine human emotions. Try not to get too close to other women on the Train, lest the AI presses the 'Immediate Self-Destruct' button. Each AI that completes the hidden quest will have a different personality, influenced by the Train Conductor during its development.
"B-rank Difficulty": You need to acquire enough 'Murphy Stones' to upgrade both the 'Simple First-Aid Kit' or 'Medical Bay' and the 'Individual Exoskeleton Production Line' to Level 10. Using the Level 10 Supermodel Effect of both, convert all the bones in your body into mechanical bones to complete the quest.
PS: If your bones are damaged, Nanite Mechanical Spiders can enter through your mouth or nose to begin repairs. No need to worry.
"C-rank Difficulty": You need to transfer the Train Conductor's authority to any member of the Train. If they transfer the authority back to you within 24 hours, the quest is completed.
PS: Train members with blood relations are also eligible.
"D-rank Difficulty": You need to craft 18 Makeshift Heavy Machine Guns and upgrade all of them to Level 3.
PS: The '12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun Ammunition Production Line' must also be upgraded to Level 3.
"."
Chen Mang looked at the several hundred words describing the Mechanical Train job change quest, his lips twitching slightly. He finally understood why, shortly after joining the Train Radio, he once saw two Level 3 Train Conductors arguing.
One of them had said, "You brainless fool who's preparing to switch to the Flesh Train, what's the point of talking to you?"
At the time, he thought it was just a simple insult.
Now he knew.
It wasn't just a simple insult. The Flesh Train's job change quest was indeed much simpler—no, not simpler, since killing those high-level monsters was still difficult, but the quest description was straightforward.
Just kill.
The higher the level of the monsters killed, the greater the rewards after the job change.
Extremely simple, straightforward, and easy to understand.
Unlike the Mechanical Train's job change quest, which was many times more complicated. Train Conductors with little education might not even fully understand the quest description. Reading comprehension is something that seems universal, but in reality, many people lack it.
Chen Mang carefully examined the job change quests. First, he immediately ruled out the A-rank difficulty quest.
He had no interest in triggering some ridiculous hidden quest like 'Human-Machine Romance' and having a passionate love affair with an AI. If the AI got upset or threw a tantrum and pressed the 'Immediate Self-Destruct' button, who would he turn to for justice?
Even though the quest was high-level, he had no desire to attempt it.
Just the thought of spending all day verbally training the 'Train Auxiliary AI' in hopes of triggering the hidden quest felt incredibly stupid to him. He had a bit of a psychological aversion and couldn't tolerate doing something so foolish.
It reminded him of those anime he'd seen in his past life where people fell in love with gun girls or mecha girls, and he couldn't help but frown at the thought.
As for the B-rank difficulty quest...
'Murphy Stones.'
After this quest appeared on the job change panel, the 'Train Auxiliary AI' also had information about this item. It was a special item that could only be obtained in green or higher-level advanced zones and was quite rare.
Its effect was to allow a component to ignore its level cap and upgrade one more level.
It was somewhat similar to his 'Infinite Upgrade,' but it was a one-time use and could only upgrade by one level. Honestly, this quest was actually quite suitable for him. Normally, completing this B-rank difficulty quest would require at least a dozen 'Murphy Stones,' which weren't easy to obtain.
But for him, with his Infinite Upgrade, it would be a breeze.
However...
He wasn't too keen on transforming himself into a robot. Unless he was severely injured and the Medical Bay couldn't help, forcing him to use mechanical bones to stand again, he wasn't willing to actively choose to become a cyborg.
He also wasn't too comfortable with the idea of those nanite spiders crawling into his nose and running around inside his body.
It reminded him of a movie he'd seen in his past life about an Egyptian pharaoh.
The C-rank difficulty quest was also out of the question.
He did trust Lao Zhu and Biao Zi quite a bit now, but handing over the Train Conductor's authority? That was a no-go.
The moment he transferred the Train Conductor's authority, the other person would gain full control of the Train, and killing him would be as simple as a thought.
"Handing someone a blade invites thoughts of murder."
Even if the other person had no intention of betraying him, willingly handing over the Stellar Train's authority would make it hard for them not to consider rebellion. After all, holding the Train Conductor's authority would give them an absolute advantage.
Human nature can't withstand such tests.
Not just Lao Zhu.
Even if his long-lost Father suddenly appeared out of nowhere, he wouldn't hand over the Train Conductor's authority. In fact, he'd probably tell him to go to hell, wondering where this so-called father came from.
He was genuinely curious—had anyone ever completed this quest?
What kind of relationship could withstand such a test in the apocalypse?
After ruling out these three quests, he was left with only the S-rank difficulty quest and the D-rank difficulty quest to choose from.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang let out a tired sigh. The D-rank difficulty quest was simple and could be easily completed, but he felt a bit unwilling. If he were on the Flesh Train side, he could complete an S-rank job change quest, but on the Mechanical Train side, he was stuck with a D-rank quest.
The Flesh Train was better.
Everything was about strength.
If you could kill, you got rewards. Simple, brutal, but efficient.
Unlike the Mechanical Train, which always demanded something from you, almost like a cult ritual. You had to either fall in love with an AI or transform yourself into a cyborg, proving your devout faith in the 'Cult of the Machine God,' before you could successfully change jobs.
If it weren't for the fact that the Flesh Train's subsequent component upgrade methods didn't align well with his 'Infinite Upgrade,' and he wasn't particularly fond of the Flesh Train, he would have seriously considered switching to the Flesh Train side.
As for the S-rank difficulty quest on the Mechanical Train side...
It was pure nonsense.
How much space was there on a Train anyway? Setting up a maze inside the Train that could stop a 'Machina Robot,' with the additional restriction that the Train could only have a maximum of 18 carriages when accepting the quest—how was that even possible?
If there wasn't a carriage limit, it would be much simpler.
After all, crafting a regular carriage only cost 100 units of Iron Ore. Crafting 5,000 carriages would only cost 500,000 units of Iron Ore.
He could set the starting point at the last carriage and the endpoint at the front of the Train, with no maze at all.
Just run.
Try running through 5,000 carriages in half an hour at an adult male's speed.
He could easily complete the quest that way.
Unfortunately, that path was completely blocked. You also couldn't attack the robot, otherwise his 'Internal Fire Control System' would come in handy. With over a hundred Heavy Machine Guns pointing inward, he'd like to see how tough that robot was.
The Train was just so small...
Wait!
Chen Mang, who had been lying on the chair sighing in exhaustion, suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He sat up straight, his eyes fixed on the S-rank difficulty quest in the Mechanical Train job change panel.
Wait a minute...
Maybe there was a way after all!
The Train's interior space was limited, but he had a Level 10 Refrigerator. A Level 10 Refrigerator had an internal space of 100 square meters, and the refrigerator could hold more refrigerators inside.
He could just craft a hundred refrigerators!
Stuff all a hundred refrigerators into one refrigerator and create a massive maze!
"Heh!"
That might actually work.
The robot with its superhuman thinking abilities would open a refrigerator door, only to find an open space with two doors.
Open the left door, look back, and realize it's a refrigerator door.
Go back, open the right door, look back again.
Heh, still a refrigerator door.
Chen Mang's eyes sparkled with excitement. He sat up straight at the control panel, grabbed a pen, and began sketching out the maze idea that had just flashed through his mind.
One Level 10 Refrigerator, including crafting and upgrading, required 4,500 units of Iron Ore.
A hundred Level 10 Refrigerators would cost 450,000 units of Iron Ore.
Not too much.
The Iron Ridge Wasteland could supply him with enough to complete this S-rank difficulty quest.
Spending 450,000 units of Iron Ore for a red-grade "Unknown Large Firepower Component" and S-rank potential was an extremely good deal.
That was a no-brainer.
The only thing left to figure out was how to use these 100 refrigerators to create a highly complex maze. He had the inspiration, but his ideas for designing the maze were still quite rudimentary.
A proper maze...
Needed to ensure that the path to the exit was extremely well-hidden, with many time-wasting detours and countless misleading branches.
This was a technical task.
He wasn't very good at it.
But...
Back when he was running a business in his past life, he always believed in one thing: leave professional tasks to professionals. The boss doesn't need to be an expert in everything; the boss just needs to make decisions and take risks.
With that in mind, he immediately picked up the intercom.
"Lao Zhu, go ask the Slaves if any of them have experience designing mazes."
"I need someone to help me design the most complex maze possible."
"Got it."
Lao Zhu responded quickly.
It was just after the Slaves had finished their work, and they were all eating.
After delegating the task, Chen Mang continued sketching out his maze ideas on paper, spending about half an hour to draw a 2D version of a rectangular maze.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, holding the paper up to his face, and nodded in satisfaction. Not bad. With this level of difficulty, it would take at least five or six minutes for anyone to get from the start to the finish.
Just then—
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Lao Zhu entered, leading a young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. "Lord Mang, this Slave says he was a game designer before the apocalypse and is a maze enthusiast. He has a lot of experience in creating complex mazes."
"Oh?"
Chen Mang sized up the young man, who looked to be around 24 or 25, and handed him the maze he had just drawn. "Try this maze. Can you solve it in under a minute?"
"I'll give it a shot."
The young man nervously took the pen and paper, bent over the table, and quickly began tracing the path.
Chen Mang was patient. He leisurely lit a cigarette, leaned back in his chair, and exhaled a puff of smoke, casually saying, "No pressure. Just testing your skills. Take your time..."
Before he could finish—
"Done."
The young man handed the paper back, the correct path now clearly marked.
"."
Chen Mang looked down at the paper, at the maze he had spent half an hour perfecting, now solved in the time it took him to light a cigarette. He glanced at the cigarette in his hand, then up at the young man, and remained silent for a long time.
He suddenly felt a strong sense of defeat.
He had worked hard for half an hour, convinced that his maze was flawless.
And yet, in the time it took him to light a cigarette, it had been solved?
What the hell!
"Rate the difficulty of this maze."
He said expressionlessly.
(End of Chapter)