Translator: AnubisTL
Most white-grade accessories require only 100 Units of iron ore to craft. Upgrading from Tier 1 to Tier 2 requires 100 Units of iron ore, and from Tier 2 to Tier 3 requires 200 Units.
This pattern continues: each tier upgrade adds 100 Units of iron ore to the cost.
Most green-grade accessories, on the other hand, require 500 Units of iron ore to craft. Upgrading from Tier 1 to Tier 2 requires 200 Units, and from Tier 2 to Tier 3 requires 400 Units.
Each tier upgrade adds 200 Units of iron ore to the cost.
Of course, this isn't absolute.
Some special accessories, like the "Steel Car Armor" and "Windfire Wheel," require more iron ore for both crafting and upgrading. The "Armor," in particular, was the accessory he'd seen consume the most iron ore during upgrades.
Up until now, he hadn't even witnessed the overpowered effect of this accessory, let alone when he might be fortunate enough to see it.
Damn, this thing consumes resources like crazy.
The Tier 5 overpowered effect of the Train Auxiliary AI is Cluster Mind.
With each upgrade, the AI's intelligence increases, enabling faster communication with the train conductor and enhancing its computational power and information processing capabilities.
On the train, this translates to the ability to control more accessories simultaneously—for example, adjusting oxygen production while deploying the Target Acquisition Radar and locking onto enemies within the radar's range with the Heavy Machine Gun.
The current trend is for most accessories to be managed by the Train Auxiliary AI, making its Tier upgrades crucial.
Upon reaching Tier 10, he gained a brand-new overpowered effect.
[Train Auxiliary AI Tier 10 Overpowered Effect]: Capable of network intrusion, decryption, and cracking most network firewalls.
"Network intrusion?"
Chen Mang frowned slightly. This world had the internet, but with the apocalypse in full swing, there were no carriers left to maintain it. The network had long collapsed. This overpowered effect felt utterly useless.
But then he fell into thoughtful contemplation. While there was no network in the wasteland, perhaps some high-level zones still had internet access. It might come in handy later.
Anyway, it was better to have it than not.
It's always good to have more skills.
It was like most people learning to swim—they might never actually fall into the water, but if they did, that skill could be their last lifeline.
After upgrading the Train Auxiliary AI accessory, he turned his attention to the Auxiliary Universal Wheel accessory.
This was a special accessory, not one of the twelve accessories that could be crafted for a Tier 2 train. But he remembered back when he was a slave on Master Kun's train, it was because Master Kun refused to craft the Auxiliary Universal Wheel that the train lacked agility. This forced them to abandon all their carriages and flee alone when they were about to be surrounded by a zombie horde.
The effect of this accessory is simple: it greatly increases the train's maneuverability, allowing it to turn sharply without needing to make wide turns, resulting in a smaller turning radius.
Building a Universal Wheel is expensive.
Crafting one requires 5,000 Units of iron ore. No wonder Master Kun was reluctant to build it back then—it's indeed quite costly. However, it's a one-time expense, with no further iron ore needed for upgrades.
This accessory cannot be upgraded.
Its Tier automatically matches the train's Tier. For example, a Tier 2 train's Universal Wheel is Tier 2.
Chen Mang had already tested it.
Even with his Tier 0 Authority, which grants Infinite Upgrade, he couldn't upgrade this accessory. The option to upgrade it simply didn't exist.
As the Tier increases, the train's turning radius becomes even smaller.
Once crafted, three rollers resembling airplane landing gear appeared beneath the center of each carriage, aiding in turns.
In addition to this, Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, focusing on the other accessories he had never upgraded before. Ever since he tentatively upgraded the Train Radio—a seemingly unremarkable and insignificant accessory—to Tier 10 and gained the overpowered effect of remote trading, he had been filled with anticipation for these ordinary accessories.
Even if all nine overpowered effects turned out to be useless, just one effect like remote trading would be a huge win.
Setting aside everything else, he was certain that no one else on the Iron Ridge Wasteland would bother upgrading the Train Radio accessory. After all, upgrading it had no apparent effect.
After scanning the locomotive cabin, his gaze settled on the Telescope.
This was one of the seventeen white accessories he could craft when he had a Tier 1 train. Like the Single Bed, it was a single product, not part of a production line. Crafting one Telescope required only 10 units of iron ore.
It was a truly cost-effective accessory.
Before he acquired the Target Acquisition Radar, the Telescope was practically his only means of surveying the distant landscape.
After getting the radar, he hadn't used the Telescope in ages. It was only when he glanced around the locomotive cabin just now that he remembered it.
Crafting it required only 10 units of iron ore, and upgrading it consumed even less.
It took just 550 units of iron ore to upgrade it to Tier 10.
After the upgrade, the Telescope's visual range increased, and the image became clearer. Of course, it was still no match for the Target Acquisition Radar, which could even display the appearance of creatures and information about monsters—hidden details the Telescope couldn't reveal. Not to mention the radar's ability to clearly detect enemies deep underground and within walls.
Upon reaching Tier 10, he gained two overpowered effects.
Telescope Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Displays the Tier of any monster appearing in the lens.
Telescope Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Thermal imaging.
Both overpowered effects were rather unremarkable, essentially simplified versions of the Target Acquisition Radar. After all, it was crafted from only 10 Units of iron ore—one couldn't expect too much. Moreover, leveling it to Tier 10 cost a mere 550 Units of iron ore. At that price, what more could one ask for?
Still...
This accessory was actually quite suitable for Rookie Train conductors.
Chen Mang, who had casually set the Telescope aside to continue inspecting the train for uncrafted accessories, suddenly remembered something as his gaze fell upon the Audio System. He picked up the Telescope again.
The first overpowered effect unlocked at Tier 5.
The second overpowered effect unlocked at Tier 10.
And upon reaching Tier 20, a third overpowered effect would be unlocked.
Currently, none of the accessories on his train had reached Tier 20, and none possessed a third overpowered effect. A sudden thought had struck him: what would the third overpowered effect be if he leveled this accessory to Tier 20?
Of course, the most likely outcome was nothing.
Like the Train Headlight, some basic accessories lacked a Tier 10 overpowered effect, and thus didn't have many overpowered effects overall.
But since the Telescope required so few resources to upgrade, experimenting with it wouldn't hurt.
After consuming 1550 Units of iron ore, the white-grade Telescope in his hand reached Tier 20.
As a result, he obtained its third overpowered effect.
[Telescope Tier 20 Overpowered Effect]: Can pierce through illusions.
"Illusions?"
A flicker of confusion crossed Chen Mang's eyes. The Buddhist term seemed utterly out of place in the apocalypse. What did it even mean to "pierce through illusions"?
He immediately picked up the Telescope and focused it on the group of slaves sitting cross-legged in the cavern, eating their meager rations.
He shouldn't have looked.
The sight left him speechless.
It truly did pierce through illusions.
Through the Telescope, all the slaves were now naked, sitting bare-skinned on the ground, all pretense stripped away.
But...
He lowered his gaze to the Telescope in his hand. In a modern, civilized society, this device would undoubtedly be highly sought after. It wasn't just because everyone was perverted; every human being possessed an innate, powerful desire to peek.
The thrill of secretly observing others was intoxicating, extending far beyond just voyeurism.
For example:
Peeking at someone's diary, snooping through their social media, or spying on their daily lives.
But in the apocalypse, the Telescope's value was greatly diminished.
After all, he was the train conductor of the Stellaris. If he truly wanted to, he could have simply started selecting concubines directly. Why bother with a "Telescope"? He could have had them all cleaned up and lined up for him to choose from one by one.
That was true enough.
But...
"Hmm."
Chen Mang picked up the Telescope again and gazed out the window at the group of slaves. The feeling was quite novel. Was this the allure of black technology? It was a bit too dark, though.
After a moment, he weighed the Telescope in his hand, then couldn't help but laugh and toss it aside. He was holding a Tier 20 Telescope—no one would believe he had actually upgraded a Telescope to Tier 20.
He could have easily upgraded the Telescope to Tier 10 and sold it. Many rookie train conductors would find it quite useful.
But there was no need.
A Tier 10 Telescope would cost 560 Units of iron ore just to produce.
Rookie train conductors were notoriously broke. How much should he sell it for?
If he sold it too cheap, he wouldn't make much profit. If he sold it too expensive, the rookies wouldn't be able to afford it. Moreover, rookie train conductors didn't even have a Train Radio, so he couldn't even contact them to sell the item—he had no sales channels.
He certainly wasn't going to spend his days wandering the wasteland searching for rookie train conductors. He'd be better off mining iron ore.
Moreover, he didn't want to reveal the secret of his "Infinite Upgrade." A little mystery was good; being too transparent wasn't ideal.
Finally, Chen Mang's gaze settled on the "Vehicle Audio System" and the "Built-in Security System." These were the only two accessories he hadn't upgraded yet. He was particularly curious about the overpowered effect the former would achieve after upgrading.
Oh, right, there was one more accessory he hadn't upgraded: the "5.56mm Rifle Bullet Production Line." This line produced ammunition for the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle. The last bullet production line he upgraded was for heavy machine gun bullets. Once he upgraded these three accessories, most of the Stellaris's accessories would reach Tier 10, except for a few prohibitively expensive ones like "Armor."
If he upgraded both the Heavy Machine Gun Bullet Production Line and the Rifle Bullet Production Line to Tier 5, he might even be able to add special effects to the bullets, such as Armor-Piercing Bullets. Once he obtained the corresponding overpowered effects, the Stellaris would truly become a fully equipped Tier 2 train.
There were over a dozen Tier 3 trains in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, but none of them could match the Stellaris's depth of resources, even though it was only a Tier 2 train.
In terms of foundation...
He even felt that even a Tier 4 Train in a high-level zone couldn't match his own. Well, that might be a bit too much, but the Tier 3 Trains in the Iron Ridge Wasteland were definitely inferior in terms of depth.
"Not easy," Chen Mang muttered, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders after finalizing his next plan. He glanced at the Train Panel, which displayed a reassuringly large quantity of iron ore. Leaning back in his chair, he smiled contentedly, propped his feet on the table, lit a cigarette, and watched the smoke swirl up to the ceiling before drifting out through the skylight.
It had been many days since he'd transmigrated to this world.
Today, he could finally say he had established a true foothold here.
Once he had mined all the iron ore in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, the monsters in the Kunlun Mountain Region wouldn't be able to chase him around like they had before.
"Even after three days apart, one should look at a person with fresh eyes."
But...
Chen Mang glanced at the control panel screen, where the "No. 4 Living Compartment" and "Cola Production Line" accessories showed their damage, now at 70% functionality. Logically, the train was bound to sustain damage frequently.
There must be a way to repair the damage, since reduced functionality would affect the accessories' performance. For example, the "Spider Leg" accessory's maximum fixed speed had decreased significantly after its functionality dropped.
You can't just replace damaged accessories with new ones, can you?
What kind of family is this, throwing money around like that?
He asked in the Train Radio, but no one answered. Only the Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train messaged him privately, saying they'd once heard a Tier 3 train conductor mention this on the radio. They claimed that once a train reached Tier 3, there was a way to repair damaged accessories.
Before reaching Tier 3, damaged accessories could only be patched up until they were completely unusable, at which point they had to be replaced.
Chen Mang naturally understood why no Tier 3 train conductors had stepped forward to answer. First, they had no obligation to. Second, they probably didn't want to tell him. Seeing a Tier 2 train like his Stellaris firmly holding the top rank likely irked them.
Though they wouldn't dare show it now, they could at least ignore him, right?
His answer was no.
Before leaving the Iron Ridge Wasteland, he would visit each of them personally, especially the Purple Cloud train. that had challenged him to a showdown.
He wondered how the Purple Cloud train, who had been so eager to fight him just days ago, felt now that his Stellaris was rapidly climbing the Faction Value Regional Rankings and firmly holding the top rank. They must be regretting their challenge, perhaps even praying he wasn't the type to hold a grudge.
But unfortunately, he was exactly that kind of person.
Until they faced him, they wouldn't truly understand the meaning of "Mang" (Wild) in Chen Mang's name.
"..."
Chen Mang looked down at the "Mang" birthmark on his hand, then chuckled and shook his head.
When life was going well, everything seemed easy.
If only life could always be this smooth.
(End of the Chapter)
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