Translator: AnubisTL
Chen Mang spent 49,400 units of iron ore to directly upgrade both the "Red Heart Nut Production Line" and the "Goblin Ticket," two exclusive accessories for the goblin train, to Tier 10.
Each accessory gained two overpowered effects.
Red Heart Nut Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Nuts are automatically shelled upon production.
Red Heart Nut Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Male consumers experience a slight enhancement in sexual performance, while female consumers experience a slight reduction in menstrual cramps.
Goblin Ticket Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: If teleportation fails, the user's final minute of first-person perspective footage before death will be transmitted back to the train.
Goblin Ticket Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: None.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang walked to Living Compartment No. 4 and casually picked up a freshly produced nut, examining it in his palm. Resembling a macadamia nut with its reddish hue, it looked appetizing. He immediately popped one into his mouth.
Not bad at all.
Crisp, sweet, with a milky aroma and a hint of dragon fruit.
He'd never tasted this type of nut before, but he had to admit it was quite good. Moreover, the production cost was extremely low—one unit of iron ore could yield ten nuts, the same price as a slice of bread. Perfect for a quick snack.
He grabbed another handful of nuts and placed them on a nearby plate before carrying the plate toward the locomotive cabin.
The night wind howled, its faint roar seeping through the gaps between the carriages.
It's quite windy tonight.
But then again, were there any female goblins among that group? He hadn't paid attention. And do goblins even have menstrual cycles?
"Biaozi?"
In Guard Car No. 7, Old Pig looked at Biaozi, whose face was unusually pale. "What's wrong? Are you injured or something? Your complexion looks terrible."
"I'm fine," Biaozi replied curtly.
Biaozi took a deep breath and shook his head. After a long silence, he said hoarsely, "Just tired. Not feeling well."
"If you're tired, get some rest. It's the second team's watch tonight."
"Mm."
"You look like something terrible has happened to you."
"I'm fine."
Inside the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang gazed at the several messages from the Azure Dragon Train on the train radio. He hadn't been able to receive any signals while inside the Goblin's Tomb, so he was only replying now that he had free hands.
"We were out of communication for the past few days. What's going on?"
The next moment—
Erdan's frantic voice crackled through the cabin:
"Brother, you finally fucking replied!"
"Big score!"
"I've found a big score, but I'm running for my life! Stay away from the Ice and Snow Paradise zone—everyone there is dying like flies!"
"I'm trying to rescue as many people as I can. I'm the only one who can fly."
"No time to explain! There's an incredibly terrifying boss sealed in the mountains. Recent blizzards have caused landslides, exposing its arm. I went to take a peek, and accidentally released the damn thing!"
"This boss is slaughtering every train in the zone! I need to go rescue people ASAP! Goddammit, this can't deduct my karmic merit points! I had no idea that thing could be released so easily!"
"..."
Chen Mang stared blankly at the control panel screen. The "Ice and Snow Paradise" zone was a Green Zone located west of the Kunlun Mountain Region. He never expected this guy to run so far, all the way there.
But...
Though the guy's words were hurried and garbled, it was clear he'd screwed up big time, accidentally unleashing a major boss.
Chen Mang's expression turned slightly strange as he fell silent.
Could someone really be that careless?
A boss sealed within a mountain shouldn't be released unless you completely demolish the mountain itself. Still, he quickly replied:
"What Tier is the monster? I can't say for sure, but I can try."
"You can't get in here! The entire zone has been sealed off!"
Great.
He'd been eager to test his Tier 50 Drill and Tier 50 Vehicle Blade in his "Death Spin" combination, but now he wouldn't get the chance. His gaze then shifted to the four craftable accessories that had become available after upgrading the train to Tier 5.
[Doomsday Cannon]: Blue-grade accessory. Requires 5,000 units of iron ore to craft.
[Dust-Free Glass]: Yellow-grade accessory. Requires 1,000 units of iron ore to craft.
[Space Gate]: Yellow-grade accessory. Requires 1,000 units of iron ore to craft.
[Spray Head]: White-grade accessory. Requires 100 units of iron ore to craft.
These four accessories were the ones that could be crafted after the train reached Tier 5.
There was nothing more to say.
After consuming 96,500 units of iron ore, the latter three accessories were crafted and upgraded to Tier 10.
Spray Head
A life-system accessory. Upgrading it had no effect. Each spray head was connected to the water tank, allowing for the creation of a public bath within the refrigerator, separated into male and female sections by a partition.
Previously, train residents had washed themselves by pouring mineral water into basins and sitting in them. Now, showering had become much more convenient.
[Spray Head Tier 5 Overpowered Effect]: Self-contained powerful detergent.
[Spray Head Tier 10 Overpowered Effect]: None.
The self-contained powerful detergent effectively and quickly removes dirt and grime from the body.
The yellow-grade Accessory, "Dust-Free Glass," applies a transparent film to the glass that doesn't obstruct vision but prevents any dust or bloodstains from adhering to it.
This ensures that the next time the train charges through a zombie horde, the locomotive's windshield won't be obscured by viscous blood, and it will also provide excellent protection against torrential rain.
[Dust-Free Glass Tier 5 Overpowered Effect:] Freely adjustable to be one-way glass.
[Dust-Free Glass Tier 10 Overpowered Effect:] Filters light to ensure that the radiation entering the train poses minimal harm to human health.
One-way glass means that when activated, Chen Mang could see through the glass to the outside, but those outside could not see him.
Of course, he could also configure it so that he couldn't see out, but those outside could see him.
However, he likely wouldn't need the latter option often.
The former was far more practical, useful in many situations.
For example, when interacting with other trains, or... when seeking thrills with Ji Chuchu.
Finally, it's worth mentioning the [ Space Gate ] accessory.
Its effect was similar to the Tier 10 Refrigerator.
Chen Mang had long been curious about a particular issue. He possessed a Tier 10 Refrigerator, which dramatically increased the train's space utilization. But what about other trains? As their train tiers increased and their populations grew, the carriages would inevitably become insufficient.
While hundreds of carriages might sound impressive, the cost of forging armor and equipping matching firepower for such a vast train would skyrocket beyond reason.
Now, a solution had arrived.
Simply use the [ Space Gate ].
Chen Mang walked to Carriage No. 2. The Tier 10 Space Gate he had just crafted was embedded in the wall, disguised as an ordinary wooden door. Yet, upon pushing it open, the space behind the door stretched into an immense, hidden realm.
It was a square space, each side measuring 1,000 meters.
At Tier 1, the space was 100 meters on each side. Having leveled it up to Tier 10, the space had expanded to 1,000 meters on each side.
This was a yellow-grade accessory, meaning even without a murphy stone, one could possess a space 500 meters wide.
Inside, the ground was covered in grass that barely reached his shoes.
A vibrant green expanse stretched as far as the eye could see, while fluffy white clouds drifted across a simulated sky, complete with a radiant sun. A ring of pine trees encircled the perimeter, creating a scene straight out of a utopian paradise, utterly incongruous with the apocalyptic wasteland outside.
"Perfect," Chen Mang murmured, a smile spreading across his face as he gazed at the scene before him. The lush grass underfoot had been transformed by the Tier 5 overpowered effect of the Space Gate, while the clouds, sun, and surrounding trees were mere holographic projections he had conjured with his Holographic Projection skill.
None of it was real.
Yet the illusion was seamless, indistinguishable from reality.
Standing in the center of the space, he looked up at the distant clouds. They hung so high in the simulated sky that he felt no sense of confinement, completely unaware that the actual height of the space was only 50 meters.
Once he added the refrigerators...
A high-end, luxurious residential community would be complete.
As soon as the first train resident redeemed a refrigerator, he would place it here. A community offering such a desirable living environment was sure to boost work motivation even further.
Tier 5 Space Gate Overpowered Effect: Consumes iron ore to alter the space within, such as adding grasslands, flowers, etc.
Tier 10 Space Gate Overpowered Effect: Can be freely disassembled and repositioned anywhere within the train.
The space gate's area was much larger than that of a Tier 10 refrigerator, but it had one drawback: while the refrigerator could be taken outside the train, the space gate could not.
Each had its advantages.
After completing these preparations, Chen Mang checked his iron ore reserves and spent 3.2 million units to upgrade the armor of all 15 carriages, including the locomotive, to Tier 7.
Tier 7 armor would provide substantial protection even in the Yellow Zone.
He still had 1.55 million units of iron ore remaining.
After a moment's thought, he spent 950,000 units to install a Doomsday Cannon on each of the first ten carriages and upgrade them all to Tier 10!
Currently, his boss-fighting arsenal included the train's special ability, Death Spin, and Groundburst Missiles. However, the former had a cooldown period, while the latter was prohibitively expensive.
Against weaker monsters, he had Heavy Machine Guns, vehicle blades, drills, and Eighteen-Tube Cherry Blossom Rocket Launchers. He hadn't yet had a chance to use the rocket launchers.
For intimidating firepower accessories, there was the "Rapid-Fire Ballista."
This white-grade accessory was utterly useless. He planned to dismantle all the rapid-fire ballistae and free up the carriage space when he needed a new one.
He had options for both strong and weak opponents.
What he lacked was a mid-range weapon, and the "Doomsday Cannon" perfectly filled that gap.
Chen Mang stepped off the train and stood on the Sha River Plains, gazing at the Stellaris parked before him.
The train consisted of fifteen carriages.
Each carriage was covered in thick, pitch-black armor. A full-force strike with a pickaxe would produce a dull, resounding echo.
Mounted on the exterior were four third-rate Heavy Machine Guns, ten Doomsday Cannons, and one Hell Cannon.
The Doomsday Cannon had the largest caliber.
The Doomsday Cannon was more than three times as powerful as the Hell Cannon, far surpassing even Heavy Machine Guns. With its eighteen Gatling-like barrels, it boasted an extremely high rate of fire, unleashing volleys that few carbon-based lifeforms could withstand.
Both the Hell Cannon and Doomsday Cannon were blue-grade accessories.
The Hell Cannon had been crafted when the train reached Tier 4. He had only built one, never upgraded it, and used it solely to meet the Train Upgrade requirements.
It was clearly an excessive firepower accessory, and wasting resources on it would have been pointless.
But the Doomsday Cannon was different.
Despite being the same blue-grade accessory, it boasted sixteen more barrels than the Hell Cannon, making its firepower self-evident.
Most importantly, its Tier 5 Overpowered effect halved its ammunition consumption. While this effect might seem unremarkable on other accessories, it made the Doomsday Cannon an exceptionally efficient firepower accessory.
The Tier 10 Overpowered effect halved consumption again, resulting in two consecutive reductions by half.
Shell Production Costs:
Tier 1 Shell: 5 units of copper ore per shell.
Tier 2 Shell: 10 units of copper ore per shell.
Tier 3 Shell: 20 units of copper ore per shell.
Tier 4 Shell: 50 units of copper ore to craft one shell.
Tier 6 Shell: 100 units of copper ore to craft one shell.
TL NOTE: IDK where tier 5 is... the raws were like this...
Tier 7 Shell: 200 units of copper ore to craft one shell.
The original price of a Tier 6 shell was 100 units of copper ore. After two consecutive price reductions by half, it now costs only 25 units of copper ore.
This price is significantly cheaper than even the bullets for heavy machine guns.
A single Tier 6 heavy machine gun bullet costs 100 units of copper ore.
The price is far lower.
Yet the firepower is much greater. This cost-effectiveness is nearly maxed out!
"Excellent," Chen Mang muttered, his expression deeply satisfied as he gazed at the ten Doomsday Cannons mounted on the Stellaris train. With 850,000 units of copper ore still in the train's reserves, he could purchase nearly 100,000 Tier 6 shells.
A hundred thousand shells.
Enough to wipe out an entire area without breaking a sweat.
These aren't machine guns, they're cannons—the shells explode!
Whoosh!
He exhaled deeply, a wave of security washing over him. In the apocalypse, having a train equipped like this was pure luxury. The ammunition problem that had been plaguing him was now resolved in an instant.
[Consumption Halved].
This effect on firepower accessories was nothing short of divine!
If only I could choose the overpowered effect myself.
He changed the overpowered effect for all firepower accessories, from Tier 1 to Tier 50, to "Consumption Halved." From now on, he could basically roam freely, leaving fireworks wherever he went.
Chen Mang glanced at his iron ore balance.
Only 600,000 units of iron ore remained.
The ore he had painstakingly mined over two days had been completely consumed in just a few minutes.
Just then, a private message arrived:
[A-Rank potential, Tier 5 train, Misanthrope Train: "Friend, can we meet and chat? Someone's trying to connect me with you; they want to get to know you."]
"Misanthrope Train?"
Chen Mang's brow furrowed slightly. He remembered this train—it was the highest-potential mechanical train on the Sha River Plains, second only to his own.
Without giving it much thought, he tapped three dots and sent them back.
"Don't rush to refuse."
"In the apocalypse, everyone has the chance to seize opportunities and rise to great heights, but such gains are unsustainable."
"All A-Rank and higher potential flesh trains on the Sha River Plains were nurtured and supported by us."
(End of the Chapter)
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