Translator: AnubisTL
Red-grade "Unknown Large Firepower Accessory"
"..."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly. His class change direction was definitely the mechanical train. If possible, he would have loved to obtain a red-grade "Unknown Large Firepower Accessory." Unfortunately, the class change missions for mechanical trains and flesh trains were different.
If the S-Rank Difficulty Mechanical Train Class Change Mission also involved killing three Tier 6 monsters, it would have been much simpler for him. He could have just developed his train to its peak in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, then ventured into the Green Zone to kill three Tier 6 monsters and complete the mission.
But the Mechanical Train Class Change Mission was far more complex.
Most importantly—
He only had two chances to accept the class change mission. He had to complete the mission within 24 hours of accepting it. If he completed the mission without first accepting it, it would be considered invalid.
For example, if a flesh train, without accepting the S-Rank Difficulty Class Change Mission, happened to kill three Tier 6 monsters, it wouldn't count. The mission had to be accepted first, then completed.
If both attempts to accept the class change mission failed, the train would be unable to class change and would remain a Tier 3 train forever, never able to upgrade to a Tier 4 train.
Mechanical Train Class Change Mission
S-Rank Difficulty: You must set up a static maze inside the train, marking a starting point and an ending point. After accepting the mission, an Intelligent Machine Robot will appear at your designated starting location. If the robot fails to complete the maze within thirty minutes, the mission is considered complete.
Note: This robot possesses advanced cognitive abilities far surpassing ordinary humans, as well as the running speed of an average male. The train must have no more than eighteen carriages when you undertake this mission, and you are strictly forbidden from attacking the robot. The maze you design must also include a continuous path connecting the starting and ending points.
A-Rank Difficulty: Through verbal conditioning, you must trigger the hidden quest "Human-Machine Romance," causing your Train Auxiliary AI to develop human emotions. You must then spend 100,000 Units of iron ore to craft it a physical body. Completing the mission requires sharing a bed with the AI once.
Note: The Train Auxiliary AI you successfully condition and complete the hidden quest with will develop genuine human emotions. Avoid excessive intimacy with other women on the train, as this could trigger the AI's "Immediate Self-Destruct" button. Each AI that completes the hidden quest will have a unique personality, shaped by the train conductor's influence during its development of sentience.
B-Grade Difficulty: You must acquire enough Murphy Stone to upgrade both the Simple First-Aid Kit or Medical Bay and the Single-Person Exoskeleton Armor Production Line to Tier 10. By utilizing their Tier 10 overpowered effects, you must convert all the bones in your body into mechanical bones to complete the mission.
Note: If your internal bones are damaged, nanomechanical spiders can enter your body through your mouth or nose to begin repairs. There's no need to worry.
C-Rank Difficulty: You must transfer the Train Conductor Authority to any member of the train crew. If that person transfers the authority back to you within 24 hours, the mission is complete.
Note: This also applies to train crew members who are blood relatives.
D-Rank Difficulty: You must craft 18 Third-Rate Heavy Machine Guns and upgrade them all to Tier 3.
Note: The 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun Bullet Production Line must also be upgraded to Tier 3.
"..."
Chen Mang stared at the hundreds of characters describing the "Mechanical Train" job advancement quest. His lips twitched slightly. He finally understood why he'd once seen two Tier 3 train conductors cursing each other shortly after joining the train radio.
One of them had said, "You brainless fool, preparing to class change into a Flesh Train! What's there to even talk about with you?"
At the time, Chen Mang had thought it was just a simple insult.
Now he knew better.
It wasn't just an insult. The Flesh Train job advancement quest was indeed much simpler—no, not simpler, since killing those high-grade monsters was still difficult. It was more accurate to say the quest description was simpler.
All you had to do was kill.
The higher the monster level you killed, the greater the rewards after class change.
Extremely straightforward, common, and easy to understand.
Unlike the Mechanical Train job advancement quest, which was far more complex. A train conductor with little education might even struggle to understand the quest description. Reading comprehension—a skill seemingly everyone possesses, yet many actually lack.
Chen Mang carefully examined the job advancement quests. He immediately eliminated the A-Rank Difficulty one.
He had no intention of triggering the hidden quest "Human-Machine Romance" and embarking on a passionate romance with an AI. If the AI got upset, threw a tantrum, and hit the "Self-Destruct Now" button, who could he even complain to?
Even though the quest was of a high Tier, he didn't have the slightest interest in it.
To begin with, the very act of spending all day flirting with the Train Auxiliary AI, hoping to trigger a hidden quest, struck him as utterly ridiculous. He had a bit of a mental cleanliness complex and couldn't tolerate doing something so foolish.
It was like how he'd frowned at those anime from his past life where people were constantly falling in love with gun girls and mecha girls.
As for the B-grade difficulty job advancement quest, the "Murphy Stone" appeared on the Class Change Panel. Information about this special item was also available in the Train Auxiliary AI. It could only be obtained in high-level zones rated Green or higher, making it quite rare.
Its effect was to allow a single accessory to bypass its level cap and level up once more.
It was somewhat similar to his "Infinite Upgrade" ability.
It was only a one-time upgrade, and it could only raise a component by one level. Honestly, this mission was perfect for him. Normally, completing a B-grade difficulty job advancement quest required at least a dozen Murphy Stones, which weren't easy to obtain.
But for him, with his Infinite Upgrade, it was a breeze.
Still...
He wasn't particularly eager to turn himself into a robot. Unless he was critically injured and the Medical Bay couldn't help him, forcing him to rely on mechanical bones to stand again, he wouldn't willingly choose to become a cyborg.
He also wasn't thrilled about the idea of Nanospiders crawling into his nose and scurrying around inside his body.
It reminded him of a movie he'd seen in his past life about an Egyptian pharaoh.
He also ruled out the C-Rank Difficulty job advancement quest.
He actually trusted Old Pig and Biaozi quite a bit, but handing over the Train Conductor Authority? No way.
The moment he transferred the Train Conductor Authority, the recipient would gain complete control over the train, making it almost effortless to kill him.
Wielding a sharp blade, the urge to kill surged within him.
Even if the other party had never harbored thoughts of betrayal, willingly handing over the Train Conductor Authority of the Stellaris would make it difficult for them not to consider rebellion. After all, the moment they gained the Train Conductor Authority, they would hold absolute power.
How could human hearts withstand such a test?
Not even Old Pig could resist.
Even if his father, whom he had never met, suddenly appeared, Chen Mang wouldn't hand over the Train Conductor Authority. He'd likely tell him to go screw himself, asking where this wild father had come from.
He truly wondered if anyone had ever completed this mission.
What kind of relationship could endure such a trial in the apocalypse?
Having eliminated all three missions, only the S-Rank Difficulty Job Advancement Quest and the D-Rank Difficulty Job Advancement Quest remained.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang sighed wearily. The D-Rank Difficulty Job Advancement Quest was simple enough to complete easily, but he felt a pang of regret. If he had gone to the flesh train, he could have completed an S-Class Job Change Quest. Yet here, on the mechanical train, he could only complete a D-Rank Mission.
The flesh train is much better.
It's all about strength.
If you can kill, you get rewarded—simple, crude, but efficient.
Unlike the mechanical train, which always demands something in return, like a cult ritual. You have to fall in love with an AI, or transform yourself into a cyborg to prove your loyalty to the Cult of the Machine God before they'll let you class change.
If the flesh train's upgrade system for accessories didn't clash so badly with his Infinite Upgrade, and if he didn't dislike the flesh train so much, he'd have switched over there in a heartbeat.
As for the mechanical train's S-Rank Difficulty Mission...
It's pure nonsense.
The train is only a tiny space. How could you possibly build a maze inside it capable of stopping Intelligent Machine Robots, all while being limited to a maximum of 18 carriages when accepting the mission?
If there weren't a carriage limit, it would be much easier.
Building an ordinary carriage only cost 100 Units of iron ore. Even constructing 5,000 carriages would only require 500,000 Units of iron ore.
He set the starting point at the last carriage and the endpoint at the locomotive, with no maze at all.
"Just run," he thought. "Let's see you cover 5,000 carriages in half an hour at an adult male's pace. Then this mission will be a breeze."
Unfortunately, the path was completely blocked, and attacking the robot was forbidden. Otherwise, his "Built-in Security System" would come in handy. With over a hundred heavy machine gun barrels facing inward, he'd see just how tough this robot really was.
The train was just a tiny space.
Wait!
Chen Mang, who had been slumped in his chair, sighing wearily, suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He sat up straight, his eyes fixed on the S-Class Job Change Quest within the "mechanical train."
It seemed...
It seemed there might actually be a way!
The train's interior space was insufficient, but he had a Tier 10 Refrigerator. Each Tier 10 Refrigerator had 100 square meters of internal space, and he could even stack refrigerators inside refrigerators.
He'd just build a hundred refrigerators!
He'd cram all those refrigerators into a single refrigerator, creating a massive maze!
"Hey!"
It might actually work.
The robot, with its Otherworlder-level intelligence, would open a refrigerator door and find itself in an empty space with two more doors.
Pushing open the door on the left, Chen Mang turned to look back. It was just the door of a refrigerator.
He retraced his steps and pushed open the door on the right. Turning back again, he saw... another refrigerator door.
A glint flashed in Chen Mang's eyes. Sitting upright at the control panel, he picked up a pen and began sketching a maze, capturing the fleeting inspiration that had struck him.
A Tier 10 Refrigerator, including crafting and upgrading costs, required 4,500 units of iron ore.
One hundred Tier 10 Refrigerators would cost 450,000 units of iron ore.
Not too much.
The Iron Ridge Wasteland could easily supply him with enough iron ore to complete this S-Rank Difficulty job advancement quest.
Trading 450,000 units of iron ore for a red-grade "Unknown Large Firepower Accessory" and S-Rank Potential was an incredibly worthwhile trade.
That was a no-brainer.
The only question now was how to use these 100 Refrigerators to create an extremely challenging maze. While he had the inspiration, his understanding of maze design was rather rudimentary.
A proper maze needed to:
Conceal the correct path to completion with extreme care.Include numerous dead ends to waste time.Feature countless misleading branching paths.
This was a technical skill he wasn't particularly adept at.
But...
In his previous life as a business owner, he had always believed in the principle of leaving specialized tasks to specialists. A boss didn't need to be an expert in everything; their role was to set the direction and bear the risks.
Chen Mang immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie.
"Old Pig, go ask the slaves if any of them have experience designing mazes. I need someone to help me design a maze as complex as possible."
"Understood," Old Pig replied quickly.
It was just after the slaves had finished their work for the day, and they were all eating.
After making these arrangements, Chen Mang continued sketching the maze on paper. It took him about half an hour to complete a 2D rectangular maze.
"Hmm," Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, holding the paper up to his face with a satisfied expression. "Not bad. At this difficulty, it'll take anyone at least five or six minutes to get from the start to the finish."
Just then—
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Old Pig 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 appeared to be only twenty-four or twenty-five years old. He handed him the newly completed maze sketch. "Try this maze. Can you solve it in under a minute?"
"I'll give it a try."
The young man, looking somewhat nervous, stepped forward and took the pen and paper. He leaned over the table, quickly sketching out calculations.
Chen Mang remained patient, slowly lighting a cigarette. He leaned back in his chair, exhaling a long plume of smoke with a relaxed air. "Don't feel pressured," he said casually. "I'm just gauging your skill level. We'll see in a moment."
Before he could finish speaking, the young man nervously handed over the paper. A correct path through the maze had already been drawn in pen.
Chen Mang lowered his head to examine the successfully solved maze, then glanced at his newly lit cigarette. He raised his head, expressionless, and stared at the young man in silence for a long moment.
Suddenly, a wave of frustration washed over him.
He'd spent half an hour meticulously crafting the maze, convinced it was completely flawless.
And in the time it took him to light a cigarette, it had already been solved?
What a joke!
"How would you rate the difficulty of this maze?" he asked, his voice flat.
(End of the Chapter)
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