Translator: AnubisTL
The accessories were:
Lighter Production Line
Keyboard and Mouse Production Line
Mechanical Tentacles
Train Code
Sunflower Seed Production Line
These five accessories were the ones Chen Mang had obtained from five Random white-grade accessory blueprints.
Chen Mang immediately spotted the Lighter Production Line.
His first thought was that he had been ripped off.
The Lighter Production Line sold for only 8,000 points in the shop, while he had spent 15,000 points on a Random white-grade accessory blueprint, effectively losing 7,000 points.
Nevertheless, he spent 22,000 units of iron ore to upgrade all five accessories to Tier 10!
White Accessories were, in his eyes, always better in greater numbers. They had low upgrade costs and could provide overpowered effects, making them highly cost-effective.
He gained 10 overpowered effects in total.
Lighter Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Windproof.
Lighter Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Waterproof.
Keyboard and Mouse Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Enhanced mouse sensitivity.
Keyboard and Mouse Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Faster keyboard rebound.
Mechanical Tentacle Production Line Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: None.
Mechanical Tentacle Production Line Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: None.
Chen Mang examined the overpowered effects of the first three accessories. The one that surprised him the most was the "Keyboard and Mouse Production Line," which seemed like an ordinary accessory at first glance.
However, this accessory's true potential lay in its synergy with the "Heavy Machine Gun" or "Cannon" and a screen.
By connecting a "Heavy Machine Gun," a "generator," a "mouse and keyboard," a "screen," and the "Mechanical Eye" through a circuit system, one could achieve:
Using the mouse to control the Heavy Machine Gun, with the Mechanical Eye's collected images displayed on the screen. The user could then aim at enemies with the mouse for precise single shots or rapid bursts.
This proved to be an effective method for controlling heavy weaponry.
Chen Mang didn't particularly need it. His Tier 20 "Train Auxiliary AI" already allowed all the train's firepower to lock onto enemies directly through the "Target Acquisition Radar" and open fire.
Even before he acquired this accessory, his "Heavy Machine Guns" and other weapons already possessed overpowered effects that allowed the AI to lock onto enemies.
Even if his "Doomsday Cannon" itself didn't have its overpowered effect, and the Train Auxiliary AI hadn't reached Tier 20 yet, Chen Mang's AI's computational power still allowed him to control the cannon for devastating strikes against enemies. Of course, the targeting wouldn't be as precise as if the enemy had been locked on, and the words "Target Locked" wouldn't appear on the enemy's control panel screen.
But for trains without this function, this accessory was incredibly practical.
It eliminated the need for thugs to manually operate the Heavy Machine Gun, and significantly improved accuracy.
For Chen Mang, though...
"Hmm..."
Chen Mang pondered for a long moment. While he didn't see an immediate use for it, he didn't mind. It might come in handy later.
However, if this accessory was meant for rookies, the "screen" and the Mechanical Eye-like image recording accessory seemed a bit too rare for Rookie Trains.
He firmly believed that everything in this world had value. If this accessory wasn't suitable for him or Rookie Trains, it must have another purpose—perhaps to be used in conjunction with another accessory.
As for the lighter...
Soon.
The train door slid open, and Xiao Fang handed Chen Mang a freshly produced Tier 10 Lighter and a glass of water. How strange, he thought, that even lighters could reach Tier 10. Wind resistance made sense, but waterproof? That was harder to grasp.
He placed the lighter in the water, submerging it completely. With a gentle press, a flame erupted beneath the surface.
And it didn't just flicker for a moment—it burned steadily.
"Amazing!"
Witnessing this, Chen Mang decided the lighter was worth 100 units of iron ore. It could be incredibly useful in many special situations, and he suspected the wind resistance was equally impressive.
As for the Mechanical Tentacles, its upgrade provided no additional effects or overpowered abilities.
It had only one function: the ability to disguise itself as a flesh train. However, Chen Mang hadn't tested it yet, so he wasn't sure what kind of disguise it could achieve—whether it could, for example, allow him to enter fortuitous encounter maps exclusive to flesh trains.
The disguised flesh train wasn't real; it was merely a full-train holographic projection created by the Mechanical Tentacles.
He doubted it would actually work.
Even if it did, what could a mechanical train do inside a flesh train's domain?
Chen Mang then turned his attention to the overpowered effects of the remaining two accessories.
Train Code
Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: None.
Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: None.
Sunflower Seed Production Line
Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Guarantees every sunflower seed is perfectly roasted.
Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Offers a variety of flavors to choose from.
The Train Code, a White Accessory, is a valuable item.
In reality, it's just a steel plate.
It can be hung on the walls inside train carriages. After inputting the "Code Information," the plate will display the engraved text, making it appear more professional and sophisticated—certainly more so than a sheet of A4 paper taped to the carriage wall.
Chen Mang immediately spent 500 units of iron ore to craft five. He instructed Xiao Ai to hang one in the Guard Car and the others in the Resident Cars.
In recent days, with the population growing, he had also built dozens of Mechanical Eyes and installed them in the refrigerators of the Resident Cars to ensure Xiao Ai received immediate alerts of any unusual activity.
As for the Sunflower Seed Production Line, it was purely a lifestyle product.
Unlike Cola or tea, which have special effects, this is purely an enjoyment accessory. One hundred units of iron ore can produce half a kilogram of sunflower seeds, guaranteeing that every seed has the perfect flavor. Chen Mang loved this overpowered effect.
Two of his most hated foods were:
Clams and sunflower seeds.
It wasn't that they tasted bad—in fact, he found them quite delicious.
It was the experience of eating them that felt like playing Minesweeper. You never knew if the next bite would bring a mouthful of sand or a bitter aftertaste.
Eating them was like playing Russian roulette.
Purely a gamble.
"Not bad," Chen Mang said, leaning back in his chair and turning his gaze away from the five white-grade accessories. They were all quite useful, and he liked them.
As for the rest of this harvest:
Doomsday Marriage Certificate ×3
No need to say much about this—he tossed them into a drawer, to be used later when couples formed on the train. Ideally, he'd save them for those in the throes of passionate love. Generally speaking, many couples in the early stages of a relationship genuinely love each other.
Custom Screen Production Line Blueprint
Consuming 12,000 units of iron ore to build and upgrade to Tier 10, granting two overpowered effects.
Custom Screen Production Line Blueprint (Tier 5 Overpowered Effect): Immersive 3D experience without glasses.
Custom Screen Production Line Blueprint (Tier 10 Overpowered Effect): None.
Each upgrade to this accessory improves the screen's image quality, making it even clearer.
It's also slightly cheaper than manufacturing screens using the Mechanical Heart.
"..."
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully. He decided to spend tens of thousands of iron ore units later to build a large screen for all the train residents to watch movies together outside the train, helping them relax.
To work effectively, it's crucial to prioritize mental well-being alongside physical health.
As for the remaining rewards:
Neon City Free Entry Ticket x3
He tossed these into a drawer.
With only three left, he needed to use them sparingly. The shop didn't sell them, and once these were gone, he might never get another chance to visit Neon City.
Vault Key Card: Special Item
This item was a Key Card for unlocking a vault in a fortuitous encounter map in Neon City. It wasn't immediately useful, but next time he visited that map, he could search for the vault. However, finding a single vault in such a vast city wouldn't be easy.
Robot Parts Mega Pack
He immediately gave this to Xiao Ai as a gift.
Finally, the two main prizes!
Also the most expensive accessories!
Blue Accessory: Solar Energy Panel Blueprint
Special Accessory: Machine Gun Structural Armament Module
After spending 110,000 iron ore units to upgrade the Solar Energy Panel to Tier 10, he gained two overpowered effects.
Solar Energy Panel Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Can still gather energy at a slower rate during the night.
Solar Energy Panel Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Excess energy is converted into energy stones.
This accessory is quite practical.
During the day, it absorbs sunlight to power the train's various components. The higher the Tier, the faster and greater the absorption capacity. Any excess energy can be converted into energy stones.
The Tier 5 overpowered effect is particularly useful.
It allows the panel to absorb sunlight even at night, albeit at a slower rate.
"Excellent," Chen Mang said, smiling at the information displayed on the control panel screen. The Tier 10 Solar Energy Panel could already cover nearly half of the train's daytime energy consumption, including components like the Central Air Conditioner, target acquisition radar, oxygen generator, and Mechanical Eye, all of which need to be running constantly.
Since adding over 1,900 survivors, his daily iron ore consumption had risen to over 6,000 units.
This meant the Solar Energy Panel was saving him roughly 3,000 units of iron ore per day—enough to produce six Tier 1 Energy Stones daily.
It paid for itself in less than a month.
This accessory could be upgraded further to potentially cover the train's daily iron ore consumption entirely. This would significantly reduce the train's reliance on iron ore mining. Even if an unexpected event occurred, such as a complete halt in iron ore mining for ten to fifteen days, the train could still maintain basic operations as long as the sun continued to rise.
If the sun stopped rising...
Then there would be no need to worry about this at all.
That would be a true apocalypse, the kind where even a train would struggle to survive.
As for the final Special Accessory, the "Machine Gun Structural Armament Module," it was currently unusable, requiring a Tier 8 Train. Chen Mang had bought it solely because of a simple sentence in the product description:
"Significantly enhances cannon power."
That was all it took to convince him to place the order.
This concluded all the rewards from the "Neon City" fortuitous encounter map.
"Whew..."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply. He had nothing to do for the moment, just waiting for Erdan to arrive. He had nearly two hours to kill.
Perfect timing for a movie.
He decided to try out the so-called naked-eye 3D immersive experience.
Chen Mang immediately consumed 900 units of iron ore to manufacture a large screen and had Xiao Ai place it in the locomotive cabin.
"Finished everything, huh?"
He rummaged through the drawer. He had already watched most of the movies and variety shows he had scavenged from the city last time, leaving nothing new to watch. It seemed he would need to revisit the city soon to gather more entertainment supplies.
"Last one."
He found a romance film. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to play it.
Normally, he wouldn't watch romance films.
It wasn't that he disliked them.
He just found them a bit boring.
But he had no other options. He didn't want to rewatch something he had already seen, so he finally compromised.
"Whoa."
The moment the film began, Chen Mang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The naked-eye 3D effect was truly impressive, creating an immersive experience. Of course, it wasn't as realistic as the Combat Training Virtual Space—not even close—but it was still far better than an ordinary screen.
"Trainmaster Zhu, did you need me?"
In the Resident Car, a handsome young man with delicate features approached Old Pig cautiously.
"Mm."
Old Pig smiled at the young man before him. "During your background check last time, you said you were a novelist. I read the beginning of your new novel, and it's quite interesting. Many residents really enjoyed it."
"You won't have to mine anymore."
"Here."
He waved his hand, and Xiao Li stepped forward, handing over a mouse, keyboard, and a screen about the size of a notebook. "From now on, you'll be dedicated to writing novels. You'll write 20,000 characters every day."
"For every 4,000 characters beyond that, you'll receive an extra stellar coupon."
"But don't just write nonsense."
"Rebuilding a Civilization requires more than just military strength. Cultural and entertainment products must also be preserved. You're now entrusted with this mission. It's a great responsibility. Do your best."
"Ah..."
The young man was slightly stunned. He looked at the keyboard and screen before him tentatively. "Trainmaster Zhu, the computers I used before all had mainframes. This one doesn't. Is it... high-tech?"
"Of course."
Old Pig chuckled. "This screen is connected to President Ai. She serves as the mainframe. This will be your workstation from now on. Do you have any other questions?"
"Um..."
After a long pause, the male student continued, "Should I weave some values into the novel?"
"Like what?"
"Like... about Lord Mang."
"Tsk." Old Pig patted the student's shoulder. "Not yet. For now, just focus on writing a story that's engaging enough. That's the most important thing."
"Go on."
Old Pig watched the student's retreating figure with a sigh. He then strode toward his private compartment in Guard Car No. 7. He still had work to finish, and this assignment was proving particularly tricky.
(End of the Chapter)
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