My Apocalypse Train

Translator: AnubisTL

"..."

Chen Mang examined the newly produced bread slices, holding one up to inspect it closely before casually popping it into his mouth. Only then did he turn his attention to the other accessories.

After the Moldy Bread Slice Production Line reached Tier 10, not only had the taste and texture changed, but it had also gained two special Overpowered Effects. Long-term consumption would ensure his slaves remained virtually disease-free and would slightly enhance their physical fitness. While the exact extent of the enhancement was unknown, the word "slightly" suggested it wouldn't be significant.

Most importantly, the price hadn't changed. It remained at 1 Unit of Iron Ore for 10 bread slices.

More for the same price—not bad.

He currently had 3,927 Units of Iron Ore remaining. He wanted to upgrade all his accessories to Tier 10, including the Telescope and the Refrigerator and Cola Production Line he hadn't yet built.

The latter two were non-essential accessories from his Tier 1 Train days. Back then, he hadn't had many resources, and these accessories weren't critical, so he'd put them aside. Now that he had a surplus, he decided to complete them all.

With this, he had crafted every accessory available for construction on his train.

3,829 Units of Iron Ore wasn't enough to upgrade a White Grade train component to Tier 10. Chen Mang decided to halt today's train construction and wait until he had enough Iron Ore tomorrow.

The next day, dawn broke.

As usual, the slaves emerged from the carriages, ready to line up for their daily food and water. But today, something was amiss. Unlike previous days, the deputy train conductor remained standing still, showing no intention of distributing the rations.

As the slaves exchanged puzzled glances, scratching their heads in confusion, the door of Living Car No. 3 suddenly swung open. Several baskets overflowed with soft, jam-filled bread slices. Chen Mang stepped out, leaning on his cane, and stood at the carriage door, gazing at the slaves before him. Their eyes gleamed with excitement, while those behind them craned their necks, eager to see what was happening. Chen Mang chuckled and raised his hand.

The crowd fell silent instantly.

"From today forward," he announced, "this will be your daily food: delicious jam-filled bread. This is my sincerity. If you wish to continue receiving the best treatment, I expect to see your sincerity in return. Reward me with resources, and I will not shortchange anyone."

"Now, let's eat."

Chen Mang waved his hand. Old Pig and the others stepped forward to carry down the baskets filled with bread, preparing to distribute it. Meanwhile, Chen Mang walked alone to the locomotive, contemplating whether to add another carriage.

The train was getting a bit crowded.

Having Old Pig and his thugs, along with the bread production line, all crammed into one carriage was becoming inconvenient. This was also a copper ore mine, and he would need to manufacture ample ammunition for reserves.

The 2nd Cargo Car couldn't continue housing both production lines and mineral resources.

He decided to dedicate separate carriages to the Pickaxe Production Line and other production lines, another carriage for ammunition and mineral resources, and a third for the thugs. He would reassess the arrangement in a few days.

Three days passed.

Every night during those three days, Chen Mang would gaze up at the starry sky, searching for the constellation that formed the string of characters. Neither its position nor its arrangement had changed much. As soon as night fell, those stars would reappear.

During these three days, he had accumulated a substantial amount of iron ore, saving every single unit. Combined with his previous savings, he now possessed:

"43,091 Units of Iron Ore."

This was an astronomical figure, the largest amount of iron ore he had ever amassed. It was almost enough to buy a Ji Chuchu.

His target was clear:

Steel Car Armor and Windfire Wheel.

These two Green Grade accessories were his top priority. The former determined the train's defense, while the latter determined its speed.

So far:

The Stellaris train, including the locomotive, had five carriages. Each carriage was covered in sturdy Tier 1 Steel Car Armor. Upgrading a single carriage's armor to Tier 2 required 5,000 units of Iron Ore.

In total, he spent 25,000 units of Iron Ore.

All the Steel Car Armor was now upgraded to Tier 2 Armor.

Under the night sky, Chen Mang stepped off the train and gently stroked the noticeably darker armor. He felt a surge of security wash over him. With this, he could practically ignore the attacks of Tier 2 Monsters. Ordinary zombie hordes were no longer a threat.

As for Tier 3 Armor...

He'd worry about that in a few days. Upgrading a single carriage's Tier 2 Steel Car Armor to Tier 3 would cost 10,000 units of Iron Ore, totaling 50,000 units—exactly enough to buy a Ji Chuchu.

Upgrading the train's defenses was the most expensive upgrade. It was also the most expensive of all the Green Grade accessories.

After upgrading the armor,

He turned his gaze to the Windfire Wheel. Upgrading this accessory was no cheap feat. Tiering it from Tier 1 to Tier 2 required 1,000 units of Iron Ore.

He spent 10,000 units of Iron Ore to upgrade the accessory to Tier 5 in one go. He couldn't reach Tier 10; he didn't have enough resources.

The Windfire Wheel's basic shape remained unchanged.

Its base speed increased.

The advantage of the Windfire Wheel was its ability to maintain the highest speed among its peers on the wasteland, with a base effect adding 30 km/h to its maximum speed.

Each tier upgrade added 20 km/h to the maximum speed.

After reaching Tier 5, it directly added 100 km/h to the maximum speed. Combined with the Tier 2 train upgrade, the train's base maximum speed was now 130 km/h.

Factoring in the Windfire Wheel and the train's own weight, the Train Auxiliary AI on the control panel displayed the Stellaris's current maximum speed as:

254 km/h.

Before the upgrade, it was 156 km/h—nearly double. Now, if he encountered an unstoppable crisis, he certainly wouldn't be the one left trailing behind.

Especially since reaching Tier 5 had also unlocked its first Overpowered Effect.

Windfire Wheel Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Triggers a potential state, doubling the train's maximum speed. This rapidly consumes energy stones and causes some damage to the Windfire Wheel.

This Overpowered Effect could be crucial for survival in critical moments.

"..."

Chen Mang stared at the train's data displayed on the control panel, silent. He turned his gaze to the "Vehicle-Mounted Auxiliary AI" accessory. Some Overpowered Effects were predictable.

For example, the Windfire Wheel's Overpowered Effect was clearly related to speed.

The Vehicle Blade's Overpowered Effect was obviously related to attack.

But for accessories like the "Refrigerator" and "Vehicle-Mounted Auxiliary AI," he had no idea what their Overpowered Effects might be. Take the refrigerator, for instance—what could be so overpowered about that?

He suddenly felt a strong urge to try it out. After all, upgrading White Grade train components consumed far fewer resources than Green Grade ones.

(End of the Chapter)

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