Translator: Anubis Translations
Old Pig's heart was pounding, but he put on his most ferocious face. He had always been in charge of internal affairs and never handled fieldwork. He wasn't particularly suited to act so fierce, but with a desperate shortage of manpower, he had no choice but to tough it out.
After exiting the carriage, Chen Mang immediately began searching the other carriages. They should still contain plenty of resources. However, before he sent the slaves to gather resources from the other carriages, he needed to collect all the dangerous items like firearms first, to prevent any accidents.
Their current carriage was carriage seven.
Behind it were carriages eight and nine, the slave cars.
He first checked these two slave cars. They were completely empty, save for scattered scraps of clothing, viscous pools of blood covering the floor, and pieces of iron ore scattered like stars across the bloody ground.
The carriages had been almost completely destroyed. Only their outlines remained, the surrounding metal riddled with countless holes torn by zombies.
These two carriages can be left for the slaves to collect resources from later.
The real treasures are in carriages two, three, four, five, and six up ahead.
Carriage six is the Enforcer Car, completely stripped of its occupants. Though less crowded than carriages eight and nine, it's still awash in blood, with guns, batons, bullets, and magazines scattered across the floor.
He didn't mind the filth.
With a slight furrow of his brow, he rolled up his sleeves and began gathering everything, temporarily stashing it in his locomotive.
Carriage five is the supplies carriage, stocked with bread, steamed buns, mineral water, and other basic necessities. It also contains some train components, like Tier 1 Pure Water Filters, steamers, and spatulas.
Carriage four is the warehouse.
It's filled with various ores, though the quantities are limited.
Since each ore counts as one unit, there are only a few hundred units here. The carriage also stores plenty of mining tools like pickaxes and axes.
Carriage three was the combat carriage.
The three Heavy Machine Guns were mounted on its roof, and inside were two "Tier 1 Bullet Production Lines" for producing ammunition for the Heavy Machine Guns and pistols, as well as a "Pistol Production Line." Logically, this carriage should have been stocked with a substantial amount of ammunition, but now it was completely depleted, with only scattered bullets littering the floor.
The production lines had also been damaged, and two of the three Heavy Machine Guns were broken.
Carriage two seemed to be a high-quality living carriage for the Train Conductor's trusted subordinates.
It contained seven single beds, and the living conditions were clearly much better than those in the slave car. Although the carriage was battered and dilapidated, there were no traces of blood or torn clothing. It seemed that even though the Train Conductor had abandoned carriage two, he had taken his trusted subordinates with him.
He couldn't immediately dismantle the remaining Heavy Machine Gun from the carriage roof by himself, but he made multiple trips to move the remaining ammunition, small pistols, and other items to the locomotive.
Only then did he finally have time to carefully examine the interior of his train.
The locomotive wasn't large.
It was much smaller than the carriages, only three meters wide and seven meters long.
The engine itself took up four meters, leaving very little interior space—much less than even the slave cars. At the rear of the locomotive was a steel door, its defensive capabilities visibly far surpassing those of the iron carriages.
Only someone with Train Conductor Authority could open this steel door.
Controlling the train was simple: stay inside the locomotive cabin and control it with your mind. How sci-fi!
The locomotive cabin was roughly twelve square meters, with the front entirely made of glass, providing a clear view of the outside world.
As he stood inside the cabin, gazing out at the wasteland through the glass, a sudden sense of satisfaction welled up in him. Owning a train in this dangerous wasteland wasn't an easy feat.
On the Train Control Console, there were several buttons, including a red one labeled "Train Panel."
After pressing this button, a detailed panel quickly appeared on the nearby display screen.
[ Train Name: ] To be determined.
[ Train Tier: ] 1
[ Train Components: ] Tier 1 Geothermal Core Furnace
[ Number of Carriages: ] None
[ Ore Units: ] None
[ Upgrade Requirements: ] Must have 4 carriages, all 7 required train components must be crafted, and 5,000 units of Tier 1 Iron Ore must be consumed.
Next to it was another red button labeled [ Train Crew ].
This allowed you to appoint a deputy train conductor and train crew members, and set different permissions for each member, such as the authority to use the Heavy Machine Gun.
For example, weapons produced on the train's production line could not be used against the train conductor or deputy train conductor.
On the train, the train conductor had absolute authority.
On the train control console, there was another red button labeled [ Train Components ].
After pressing the button, a series of train components for the Tier 1 Train appeared on the nearby screen, along with the required resources. The components essential for the train's upgrade were clearly marked in green, while the optional ones were in white.
There were thirteen in total.
Seven components were mandatory; without them, the train couldn't be upgraded. The remaining six were optional.
Wait...
No, fourteen.
The first seven components were green, and the next six were white.
But at the very bottom, there was another component in deep red. This component could only be crafted from a train obtained through a Rare Train Token.
"Wow..."
Chen Mang, who had been exploring the various functions inside the train, glanced at the red component, his eyes widening with astonishment.
This Rare Train Token seemed even more impressive than he'd imagined.
[ Accessory Name: ] Wheel Changer
[ Accessory Grade: ] Red
[ Accessory Tier: ] 1
[ Accessory Effect: ] Creates a storage space above each carriage's wheels, capable of holding two sets of wheels, allowing for seamless switching between up to three sets without significantly affecting the train's speed.
[ Upgrade Requirements: ] 100 units of Iron Ore
It doesn't look particularly impressive, but this is an absolute game-changer.
Trains come with various types of wheels, each with its own unique effects.
With this accessory, he can equip three different sets of wheels and switch between them effortlessly, adapting to any environment with ease.
Each train component comes with an animated demonstration in addition to the panel description.
For example, his train is currently using tracks. After activating the Wheel Changer, a set of Windfire Wheels can extend from the side. Once the Windfire Wheels make contact with the ground, the tracks can be retracted.
This system allowed for rapid wheel changes without significantly affecting the train's speed.
Normally, changing wheels required stopping the train, having the on-board mechanic manually replace them, and this process took considerable time. In the wasteland, you often don't have that luxury.
Chen Mang glanced at the remaining thirteen train components he could craft, took a deep breath, and decided to first gather all the ore. He needed to see how much he had, but either way, he'd have to craft a "Warehouse Car" first. This would serve as a slave car to transport the slaves.
Then he'd use the Geothermal Core Furnace to devour the damaged carriages.
It sounded a bit like the game Snake.
Just then—
Chen Mang suddenly felt his birthmark on the back of his hand grow slightly warm. Another newbie Train Conductor mission had been completed, though it only registered after he had thoroughly explored all the functions of the locomotive cabin.
(End of the Chapter)
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