Translator: AnubisTL
The Stellaris train.
After Chen Mang spent 4,400 units of iron ore to upgrade the refrigerator in his locomotive cabin to Tier 10, he received two overpowered effects.
Not all accessories gain corresponding improvements upon Tiering up.
Accessories like the Vehicle Blade and Windfire Wheel saw noticeable upgrades and changes with each Tier, but the Tier 1 and Tier 10 Refrigerators remained virtually unchanged—just a refrigerator, with no increase in size or improvement in cooling or freezing temperatures.
Makes sense.
It's just a refrigerator. No matter how much you upgrade it, it's still just a refrigerator.
The two overpowered effects were:
Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Ultimate Preservation. Any food placed in this refrigerator will be preserved to its utmost potential. Upon removal, its taste and quality will remain virtually unchanged.
Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Cosmic Containment.
"..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly. The first Overpowered Effect was clear enough, but what did the second one mean?
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He quickly opened the refrigerator door and stared inside, momentarily stunned.
His guess had been spot-on.
From the outside, the refrigerator looked ordinary, but upon opening the door, it revealed a vast interior—a cold storage unit spanning a full hundred square meters. The original refrigerator had been divided into two sections: a refrigerated upper Tier and a frozen lower Tier.
After the upgrade, however, the two doors had merged into a single, massive entrance, more akin to the door of a cold storage unit than a refrigerator door.
Inside, the cold storage unit was pure white, bisected by a black line. The left side was the frozen zone, the right side the refrigerated zone, and a steady stream of cold air wafted out.
"Whoosh..."
He exhaled softly, muttering, "This technology is just too advanced."
He casually grabbed a few bottles of Cola and stuffed them into the refrigerated zone of the Cold Storage. Notably, the brand on the bottle in his hand was "Coca-Cola," produced directly on the Cola Production Line.
He had also seen people selling Coca-Cola at the Gathering.
The Coca-Cola brand already existed in this world.
It had also existed in his previous life. Two possibilities came to mind.
The first possibility: the Coca-Cola company from his previous life was actually a hidden titan, secretly expanding its business to other planets—a true interstellar tycoon.
The second possibility:
This planet had independently birthed the Coca-Cola brand, coincidentally sharing the same trademark, logo, and all. This wasn't impossible. He preferred to believe this explanation. When viewed on a cosmic scale, finding two identical leaves in the vast universe wouldn't be that difficult.
In the Iron Ridge Wasteland, the Hometown Train stood parked beside a mine. Night had fallen, and the slaves had returned to the train with their pickaxes, settling in for the night.
Inside the Train...
The train conductor frowned as he tallied today's earnings: a total of 881 Units of iron ore, even less than yesterday. His slaves' daily mining output had been steadily declining recently.
A few troublemakers were constantly finding ways to slack off, managing to mine only six or seven Units of iron ore each day.
He had considered making an example of them.
But... even these troublemakers still contributed a few dozen Units of iron ore daily. If he killed them, he'd lose even that small amount, so he'd hesitated to take drastic action.
Unfortunately, the other slaves, seeing that he hadn't punished the troublemakers, began to follow suit.
This led to an even sharper decline in his daily iron ore haul.
"This can't go on," the man muttered, a flicker of anger and ruthlessness in his eyes. These slaves, clearly influenced by someone, had become acutely aware of their importance to the train as slaves. They knew he wouldn't dare kill them outright, and they wouldn't make any obvious mistakes like inciting a riot. Instead, they'd resort to petty tricks and laziness.
He now regretted letting those troublemakers live this long. As soon as dawn broke, he'd have them executed.
But not now.
The slaves were sleeping. Disturbing their rest would affect their work efficiency tomorrow.
"Damn it!"
Thinking about this, the man couldn't help but slam his fist on the control panel. He felt like his job as a train conductor was a bit too frustrating!
No.
He shouldn't kill them yet. He'd sell those slaves at the next Gathering to recoup some resources. Killing them now would be a waste.
That night, hundreds of trains were scattered across the Iron Ridge Wasteland—some camped, others fleeing, and still others searching for mines. The wasteland was vast, making encounters between trains rare. That night, some survivors who were lucky enough to obtain Train Tokens became train conductors, while others saw their trains surrounded and destroyed by zombie hordes.
This cycle had repeated countless times over countless nights.
Inside the Stellaris's locomotive cabin, Chen Mang paid no attention to these events. He simply gazed at the Train Auxiliary AI. He had upgraded this green-grade Accessory to Tier 5. Compared to other green-grade Accessories, the resources required for this upgrade were relatively low.
Reaching Tier 5 cost him only 2,000 Units of iron ore.
The Accessory's primary upgrade effect was to enhance the AI's intelligence—in other words, to better understand his commands and develop a degree of sentience. However, the Overpowered Effect unlocked at Tier 5 truly stunned him.
Train Auxiliary AI: Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Cluster Mind
Cluster Mind allows up to 20 people's consciousness to be connected to the Train Auxiliary AI, enabling instant, seamless communication. The connection automatically severs when the train moves more than 10,000 meters away, and prolonged use can cause excessive mental strain.
This Overpowered Effect is truly remarkable.
It means that next time Ci Biaozi and the others need to go out to search for resources, he can use this effect to achieve instant, barrier-free communication with them. Whether they need remote fire support from the Hope Train or want the train to come and pick them up, he can convey information accurately and immediately.
For Ci Biaozi and his team, fighting away from the train will be even more coordinated under the Cluster Mind effect, their teamwork becoming even more seamless.
He finally understood why it was called an Overpowered Effect.
Because each effect truly was overpowered.
Just then—
A mechanical voice, devoid of any emotion, suddenly echoed in his ear.
"The current number of trains exceeds fifty million."
"Conditions for Phase One activation have been met."
"Phase One will officially commence shortly. Before that, all trains will receive a comprehensive power value assessment based on their train Tier, Accessory Tier, survivor count, and other factors."
"The Power Value Ranking will also be activated."
"Based on their power value, all train conductors will receive a loan of iron ore, ranging from a minimum of 1,000 units to a maximum of 100,000 units."
"Repayment will be due in three months, with double the original amount."
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c116. [+14/+33.3k]
🎁All [3] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [600] Chapters and [1.05M+] Words.
🔔 Become a member before 8 August to enjoy 50% off. Just $3.
This story is 100% Free! If you are enoying it, then please support my efforts by engaging with it in the form of comments, reviews, power stones and recommendations as much as possible. 🙏