My Apocalypse Train

Translator: Anubis Translations

"Phew..."

Brother Biao took another serious breath before declaring solemnly, "Since we're all in agreement, we're not running anymore. We're sticking with Lord Mang."

"With Lord Mang's methods and opportunities, we might even become a Tier 3 train someday."

"Besides, we have nearly a hundred slaves. You all know how quickly resources accumulate with a hundred slaves from the start. We're getting nearly a thousand units of iron ore daily—we'll never run out!"

"But from now on, listen to me: avoid saying things like that as much as possible. No one likes their subordinates forming cliques."

"I'll definitely protect you two, but you need to think before you speak. Don't get too close to me in public, or people might mistake you for listening only to me and no one else."

"Especially—"

"When Lord Mang assigns you missions, don't even glance my way, understand?!"

Mentioning this still made Brother Biao angry. His group had been so ostracized on the previous train because, when they first joined, the deputy train conductor had assigned a mission to Black Rat.

Black Rat was this thin, dark-skinned boy.

At that time, Black Rat stood frozen in place, simply turning to look at him as if awaiting his permission.

His heart skipped a beat, and he felt doomed. Sure enough, although the deputy train conductor said nothing, every subsequent dangerous mission fell squarely on his shoulders.

If it weren't for his survival skills, the grass on his grave would be three meters tall by now.

If he didn't know Black Rat hadn't meant any harm, he'd want to kill him. Wasn't this just rubbing salt in the wound?

"Understood. Understood."

Black Rat lowered his head in shame, mumbling, "I didn't think about it that way back then. I was just in a new environment and hesitant to act rashly. I was hoping you'd keep an eye out for me, Brother Biao."

"It definitely won't happen again this time."

Having made up his mind, Brother Biao patrolled even more diligently. After all, he wasn't just working for Lord Mang; he was also working for himself. If he neglected his duties and only realized the zombies had formed a circle around them when it was too late, it wouldn't just be Lord Mang who died—it would be him too.

In the wasteland, the entire train was a community bound by shared interests.

The negligence of any single person could plunge the entire train into crisis.

At the same time, he was grappling with another question. Having only recently been promoted, he hadn't yet reported this matter to Lord Mang. Now that he'd decided to follow Lord Mang and "work hard" under him, how to earn Lord Mang's trust became a pressing concern.

If...

He tilted his head thoughtfully, glancing at a thug glaring at him from nearby. This thug had recently lost a power struggle with him and still seethed with resentment.

If I could somehow provoke him into launching a rebellion, and then crush him the moment he made his move, could I climb to power by stepping on his corpse?

He quickly shook his head, dismissing the idea. It was too risky; any misstep could lead to his own demise.

Sigh.

He let out a soft sigh and turned to gaze at the train behind him. I hope Lord Mang can upgrade to a Tier 2 train soon, he thought. After all, Tier 1 trains lacked offensive accessories, making them feel inherently unsafe. Even though he'd decided to follow Lord Mang, this Tier 1 train still left him uneasy.

Currently, the only offensive vehicle components available were the Heavy Machine Gun and the Vehicle Blade.

He knew about the Vehicle Blade; he had obtained this white accessory before and upgraded it to Tier 2. However, it wasn't particularly useful, only effective against small-scale zombie hordes.

"Huh?"

As this thought crossed his mind, Brother Biao paused, wondering if he was imagining things. Why did it seem like this train's Vehicle Blade had a thinner blade and a wider surface compared to the one on his previous train?

He quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought. He must have misremembered. After all, it had been years since he crafted that first Vehicle Blade during the early days of the apocalypse, and his memories of it had grown hazy.

Meanwhile, inside the locomotive cabin—

Chen Mang glanced at the darkening sky outside the window, then checked the clock on the wall. It was already 10 PM. Time to bring the slaves up and prepare for rest.

They would rest tonight and resume mining tomorrow morning.

At that moment, Chen Mang realized through the information in the newbie guide that the resources in each mine were limited. Once depleted, it would take several days for the resources to regenerate.

He had explored the mine and estimated that it should provide enough ore for ten to fifteen days of mining, at least in an ideal scenario.

Of course, this was the best-case scenario.

It would require ten to fifteen days without any interruptions, which was clearly unrealistic. A zombie horde or another train might arrive tomorrow to compete for this "mine."

If his train's firepower were sufficient, he wouldn't need to worry about this problem, but...

Chen Mang stared at the control console before him, lost in thought.

Just like that.

After roughly an hour, the slaves returned from the mine. After collecting their rations of food and water, they orderly returned to the slave carriages to prepare for sleep.

At the same time, they turned over all the iron ore they had mined.

Combined with his existing 250 units, this totaled exactly 700 units of iron ore. Considering the slaves had been mining for most of the day, this was a decent haul. They seemed to be working hard, almost like they were trying to make a good first impression on their first day.

After all the iron ore was loaded into the 2nd Cargo Car, Chen Mang glanced at the Train Panel, which displayed 800 units of iron ore. He nodded in satisfaction. He decided not to use this iron ore for anything else, planning to use it all to upgrade his train to Tier 2.

But just then—

He suddenly noticed a line in the newbie guide. The "newbie guide" was a red button on the control console. When pressed, it displayed a series of basic instructions on how to become a competent train conductor, preventing new train conductors from floundering like headless flies.

Of course, these instructions were all quite basic.

The line read:

"All train components unlock their first 'Overpowered Effect' after reaching Tier 5."

"This..."

Chen Mang stared at the message, momentarily stunned. The higher the grade of a train component, the higher its upgrade limit. Many White and Green accessories didn't even have a Tier 5 limit, making this information practically useless for the time being.

But... he had the "Infinite Upgrade" plugin!

If he upgraded a White Vehicle Accessory to Tier 5, would it unlock an Overpowered Effect?

This was uncertain.

He calculated: his White Vehicle Accessory, the Vehicle Blade, was currently at Tier 3. Upgrading from Tier 1 to Tier 2 required 100 units of Iron Ore, and from Tier 2 to Tier 3 required 200 units.

Following this pattern, upgrading to Tier 5 would require 700 units of Iron Ore.

And he happened to have exactly 700 units of Iron Ore.

If he attempted this, he might delay the Tier 2 Train Upgrade by a day. But if he didn't try... he might not be able to sleep tonight.

Chen Mang stared expressionlessly at the message on the newbie guide before him. He knew that on the path forward, there would always be temptations. He had just resolved to save all his iron ore for the train upgrade when this temptation arrived.

But...

Who could resist this? Upgrading the train to Tier 2 was important, but upgrading the Vehicle Blade to Tier 5 would grant it an Overpowered Effect. This effect would make the Vehicle Blade significantly stronger, and having such a powerful offensive accessory would greatly benefit him!

Moreover, this experiment would influence his future resource allocation priorities.

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Mang quickly made his decision. In this wasteland where danger lurked at every turn, a powerful offensive accessory was more crucial. Besides, even without the Overpowered Effect, a Tier 5 Vehicle Blade would still be a decent offensive train component.

Upgrade!

Upgrade the White Vehicle Accessory, Vehicle Blade, to Tier 5!

(End of the Chapter)

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