The five accessories obtained from the random White Grade Accessory Blueprints were:
"Lighter Production Line," "Keyboard & Mouse Production Line," "Mechanical Tentacles," "Train Codex," and "Sunflower Seed Production Line."
Chen Mang immediately noticed the Lighter Production Line.
His first thought was that he'd lost out.
This item only cost 8,000 points in the store, while his random White Grade Accessory Blueprint had cost him 15,000 points—a net loss of 7,000 points.
Nevertheless, he spent 22,000 units of Iron Ore to upgrade all five accessories to Level 10!
White-grade accessories.
For him, the more the better. They required minimal upgrade resources, could still achieve the Supermodel Effect, and offered excellent value for money.
He obtained 10 Supermodel Effects in total.
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"Lighter Production Line Level 5 Supermodel Effect": Windproof.
"Lighter Production Line Level 10 Supermodel Effect": Waterproof.
"Keyboard & Mouse Production Line Level 5 Supermodel Effect": More responsive mouse control.
"Keyboard & Mouse Production Line Level 10 Supermodel Effect": Faster keyboard key rebound.
"Mechanical Tentacles Level 5 Supermodel Effect": None.
"Mechanical Tentacles Level 10 Supermodel Effect": None.
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Chen Mang examined the Supermodel Effects of the first three accessories. The most surprising was the "Keyboard & Mouse Production Line" accessory, which seemed utterly unremarkable at first glance.
But this accessory's true function required pairing with a "Heavy Machine Gun" or "Automatic Cannon," along with a screen.
By connecting a "Heavy Machine Gun," "Generator," "Keyboard & Mouse," "Screen," and "Mechanical Eye" through the Circuit System, one could achieve the following:
Use the mouse to control the Heavy Machine Gun. The screen would display footage captured by the Mechanical Eye, allowing precise aiming and firing—either single shots or bursts—at enemies.
It was an excellent method for operating heavy weaponry.
Personally, he didn't need it much. His Level 20 "Train Auxiliary AI" Supermodel Effect allowed all the Train's firepower to automatically lock onto enemies via the "Targeting Radar" and open fire.
Even before obtaining this accessory, his "Heavy Machine Gun" and other weapons already had AI-assisted enemy locking through their Supermodel Effects.
Though his "Doomsday Cannon" lacked this effect and his Train Auxiliary AI hadn't reached Level 20 at the time, his AI's computational power could still direct the cannon to deliver devastating strikes—albeit less accurately without target locking, and without displaying "Target Locked" on the enemy's console screen.
But for Trains lacking this functionality, this accessory was extremely practical.
No need for Thugs to manually operate the Heavy Machine Gun, and accuracy would improve dramatically.
As for him...
"Hmm."
After some thought, Chen Mang concluded that while he probably wouldn't use it anytime soon, it didn't matter. It might come in handy later.
Still, if this accessory was meant for beginners...
The "Screen" and visual feed components like the "Mechanical Eye" seemed rather hard to come by for novice Trains.
He had always believed that everything in this world had its value as long as it existed. For example, if this part wasn't suitable for him or the beginner Train, then it must have some other use—perhaps to complement another part.
As for the lighter...
Soon.
The Train door was pushed open, and Xiao Fang handed over a freshly produced "Level 10 Lighter" along with a cup of water. How bizarre—a lighter could even reach Level 10? Windproof he could understand, but waterproof? That left him a bit baffled.
He placed the lighter in the water, fully submerged it, and pressed the button lightly.
A flame flickered to life beneath the water.
And it didn't just appear for a moment—it kept burning steadily.
"Damn, that's impressive!"
After witnessing this, Chen Mang decided the lighter was worth 100 units of Iron Ore. This thing could prove incredibly useful in many special situations. He imagined the windproof feature must be absolute too.
As for the "Mechanical Tentacles," upgrading them had no inherent effects, nor did they possess any Supermodel Effect.
They had only one function:
The ability to disguise as a "Flesh Train." But without testing it, he couldn't be sure how convincing the disguise would be—like whether it could access certain "Flesh Train"-exclusive Serendipity Maps.
The disguised Flesh Train wasn't real; it was just a full-Train holographic projection created by the "Mechanical Tentacles."
He doubted it would work well enough to gain entry.
But even if it did...
What could a Mechanical Train like his possibly do inside?
Then, Chen Mang turned his attention to the Supermodel Effects of the remaining two parts.
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"Train Codex Level 5 Supermodel Effect": None.
"Train Codex Level 10 Supermodel Effect": None.
"Sunflower Seed Production Line Level 5 Supermodel Effect": Guarantees every seed has the perfect taste.
"Sunflower Seed Production Line Level 10 Supermodel Effect": Multiple flavor options available.
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The "Train Codex," a white-tier part, was a good item.
Essentially, it was just a steel plate.
It could be hung on the walls inside the Train cars. After inputting "Codex Text Information," the engraved text would appear on the steel plate. Hmm... It did look more professional and high-end than A4 paper taped to the interior walls.
He immediately spent 500 units of Iron Ore to produce five of them, instructing Xiao Ai to hang one in the Guard car and the rest in the Resident cars.
Lately, due to the growing population,
he had also crafted dozens of Mechanical Eyes and installed them inside the Refrigerators in the Resident cars, ensuring Xiao Ai could receive alerts at the first sign of any unusual activity.
As for the "Sunflower Seed Production Line," it was purely a lifestyle product.
Unlike cola or tea, which had some special effects, this was purely for enjoyment. For 100 units of Iron Ore, it produced half a kilogram of sunflower seeds. The Supermodel Effect guaranteeing every seed had the perfect taste was something he really liked.
Among the foods he hated the most, two stood out:
Clams and sunflower seeds.
Not because they tasted bad—in fact, he thought they tasted great.
But eating them felt like playing Minesweeper. You never knew if the next bite would be full of sand or leave a bitter aftertaste.
Eating them was like playing Russian roulette.
Pure gambling.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair and shifted his gaze away from these five white-tier parts. They were all quite useful—he liked them.
As for the remaining loot from this haul—
"Doomsday Marriage Certificate" *3.
No need to say much about this—just toss it into the drawer for later use when couples emerge on the Train. Ideally, those in the honeymoon phase, since generally speaking, many couples during that period are genuinely in love.
「Custom Screen Production Line Blueprint」.
Consumes 12,000 units of Iron Ore to craft and upgrade to level 10, granting two Supermodel Effects.
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「Custom Screen Production Line Blueprint Level 5 Supermodel Effect」: Naked-eye 3D immersive experience.
「Custom Screen Production Line Blueprint Level 10 Supermodel Effect」: None.
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Each upgrade of this accessory enhances screen resolution for sharper visuals.
It's slightly cheaper than producing screens using the Mechanical Heart.
"..."
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully. He planned to spend tens of thousands of Iron Ore units later to create a large screen, allowing all Train Residents to gather outside the Train and watch a few movies together for relaxation.
To work efficiently, one mustn't just focus on physical health—mental well-being matters too.
As for the remaining rewards:
「Neon City Free Entry Ticket」*3.
These were also tossed into the drawer.
Only three left—must use them sparingly. The shop doesn't sell these, and once they're gone, there might never be another chance to visit 「Neon City」 again.
「Vault Keycard」: Special Item.
This item is a keycard to unlock a certain vault in the 「Neon City」 Serendipity Map. Not immediately useful, but next time he visits that map, he can search for vaults—though finding one in such a vast city won't be easy.
「Robot Parts Grab Bag」.
This he directly threw to Xiao Ai—a gift for him.
Finally, the two main highlights!
Also the two most expensive accessories!
Blue accessory 「Solar Panel Blueprint」.
Special accessory, 「Autocannon Structure Armament Module」.
After consuming 110,000 units of Iron Ore to upgrade the 「Solar Panel」 to level 10,
two Supermodel Effects were obtained.
——
「Solar Panel Level 5 Supermodel Effect」: Can still generate energy at a slower rate during nighttime.
「Solar Panel Level 10 Supermodel Effect」: Excess energy is converted into Energy Stones.
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This accessory is quite practical.
During the day, it absorbs light energy to maintain the normal operation of various Train accessories. The higher the level, the faster the absorption rate and the greater the capacity. Any excess energy can even be converted into Energy Stones.
Especially the Level 5 Supermodel Effect.
It can still absorb light energy at night, albeit at a slower pace.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang smiled as he looked at the information on the control panel screen. During the day, the level 10 「Solar Panel」 could already cover about 50% of the Train's daily energy consumption for all accessories running normally.
This includes essentials like food, Central Air Conditioning, Targeting Radar, Oxygen Generator, Mechanical Eye, and other accessories that need to remain active long-term.
After adding those 1,900-plus Survivors, his daily Iron Ore consumption now sits at around 6,000 units.
This means he saves roughly 3,000 units of Iron Ore daily—equivalent to producing six level 1 Energy Stones per day.
He'll recoup the cost in less than a month.
This component can be prioritized for upgrades later, aiming to fully cover the Train's daily consumption. That way, the pressure on Iron Ore will be significantly reduced. Even if, by some misfortune, we can't mine any Iron Ore for ten days or half a month, as long as the sun rises as usual, the Train's basic operations can still be maintained.
If the sun doesn't rise anymore...
Then there's no need to even consider this.
That would be the real apocalypse—the kind where survival would be nearly impossible even with the Train.
As for the final special component, the "Autocannon Structure Armament Module," it's unusable for now and requires the Train to reach Level 8. The only reason Chen Mang bought it was because of one plain but compelling line in the product description:
"Can significantly enhance the power of the Automatic Cannon."
That's why he placed the order.
These were all the gains from this trip to the "Neon City" Serendipity Map.
"Whew."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair and let out a long exhale. For now, there was nothing urgent left for him to do. He just needed to wait here for Er Dan to arrive—there were still nearly two hours to go.
Perfect time to watch a movie.
Might as well test out that so-called naked-eye 3D immersive experience.
He immediately spent 900 units of Iron Ore to manufacture a large screen and had Xiao Ai set it up in the Train's interior.
"Already watched everything..."
He rummaged through the drawer. He'd basically gone through all the films and variety shows scavenged from the city last time, leaving nothing new to watch. It seemed he'd have to make another trip to the city soon to stock up on entertainment supplies.
"Last one left."
He found a romance film. After hesitating for a while, he decided to play it.
Normally, he wouldn't choose to watch romance films.
Not out of dislike.
Just because he found them a bit dull.
But with no other options left and no desire to rewatch old movies, he reluctantly compromised.
"Wow."
Just as the movie started, Chen Mang couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. The naked-eye 3D effect was genuinely impressive, creating a sense of immersion. Of course, it couldn't compare to the realism of the "Combat Training Virtual Space"—not even close—but it was already a significant step up from an ordinary screen.
"Train Conductor Zhu, you wanted to see me?"
In the Resident car, a relatively handsome young man with delicate features approached Lao Zhu cautiously.
"Yes."
Lao Zhu smiled at the young man. "During the last background check, you mentioned you were a novelist, right? I read the opening of your new story—it's quite interesting, and many residents liked it too."
"From now on, you don't have to mine anymore."
"Here."
He waved his hand, and Xiao Li stepped forward, handing over a mouse, keyboard, and a notebook-sized screen. "From now on, your job is to focus on writing. 20,000 words per day."
"For every additional 4,000 words beyond that, you'll earn an extra Stellar Coupon."
"But no sloppy writing."
"The reconstruction of a civilization isn't just about boosting combat power—cultural and entertainment products must also be preserved. That's the responsibility you're taking on now. It's a big task, so do your best."
"Ah..."
The young man was momentarily stunned. He glanced at the keyboard and screen in front of him and tentatively asked, "Train Conductor Zhu, the computers I used before all required a main unit. This one without a main unit... is this high-tech?"
"Naturally."
Lao Zhu smiled and said, "This screen is connected to Director Ai. Director Ai is the main system. Your job from now on will be managing this. Any other questions?"
"That..."
The young man hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Should I weave in certain values
into the story?"
"Like what?"
"Like... about Lord Mang."
"Tsk." Lao Zhu patted the young man's shoulder. "Not for now. For now, just
focus on writing a story that's entertaining enough. Fun is the most important thing."
"Go on."
Then Lao Zhu watched the young man's retreating figure and sighed softly before striding toward his private compartment in Guardian Car No. 7. He still had work to finish, and this time, the task was a bit tricky.