Chapter 19: If the Train Were Strong Enough, Why Run?
Among the seven essential vehicle components needed to upgrade the train, Chen Mang had already crafted the "Generator" and the "Circuit System," though he hadn't put them to use yet due to a lack of extra Energy Stones.
As for the "Energy Stone" in Master Kun's train, Chen Mang had tried to pry it out, but it was clearly not the kind of part that could be removed. He didn't dare swing his pickaxe at it either—if it exploded, he'd be done for.
Of the seven essential components, five remained unbuilt: the "Purified Water Filter," "Wind-Fire Wheel," "Carriage Steel Armor," "Pickaxe Production Line," and "Axe Production Line."
He needed to upgrade the train to Level 2 as soon as possible to avoid breaking down midway. For now, he wasn't short on purified water, and the armor was too expensive. He had plenty of pickaxes from loot, so he wasn't in urgent need of those either. His priority was to craft a Wind-Fire Wheel to increase the train's speed.
When looting enemy trains, some components could be dismantled, like the "Makeshift Heavy Machine Gun," but others, such as armor and the Wind-Fire Wheel, were non-removable.
Wait—
Just then, Chen Mang had a thought. While he wasn't short on pickaxes now, upgrading the Pickaxe Production Line might produce pickaxes that could mine faster.
He quickly returned to the train compartment, opened the "Newbie Guide" on the control panel, and after scrolling for a while, finally found the information he was looking for in a corner.
"Pickaxe Production Line," Green Grade, maximum level of 3. With each upgrade, the pickaxes produced can mine higher-level mines.
So, it only allows mining higher-level mines?
Chen Mang frowned slightly as he read the line. It wasn't useless—at least he'd be the only one who could freely mine Level 4 and above mines in the future. Others might obtain Level 4 pickaxes, but they wouldn't have it as easy as him.
Still, it wasn't quite what he had imagined.
There was a slight gap.
He wondered if Level 4 Iron Ore could replace Level 1 Iron Ore.
Soon—
He found the information he needed in the Newbie Guide.
10 units of Level 1 Iron Ore = 1 unit of Level 2 Iron Ore.
10 units of Level 2 Iron Ore = 1 unit of Level 3 Iron Ore.
10 units of Level 3 Iron Ore = 1 unit of Level 4 Iron Ore.
On the "Fabrication Table," 10 units of Level 1 Iron Ore can be synthesized into 1 unit of Level 2 Iron Ore, or 1 unit of Level 2 Iron Ore can be decomposed into 10 units of Level 1 Iron Ore.
This time!
Chen Mang smiled in satisfaction. This meant that if he found a Level 4 mine and upgraded the "Pickaxe Production Line" to Level 4, every unit of Level 4 Iron Ore he obtained would be equivalent to 1,000 units of Level 1 Iron Ore.
The problem was much simpler now.
All he needed was to find a "Level 4 Iron Ore" mine to solve his current resource shortage.
There were two main ways to find mines.
Ask other Train Conductors through the "Train Radio" or use the "Resource Detection Radar" to scan for nearby resource areas while traveling. Both of these components could be crafted after upgrading the train to Level 2.
In other words—
Once his train reached Level 2, most of his current problems would be solved.
After breaking down and refining the problem, he quickly arrived at the optimal solution.
This made his goal clearer, preventing him from feeling like a headless fly, unsure of what to prioritize and what to do next, stuck in place.
After organizing his thoughts and clarifying the logic, he looked at the five essential components and chose three to craft first.
"Purified Water Filter," "Wind-Fire Wheel," and "Pickaxe Production Line."
He placed the filter in the No. 3 living compartment and the Pickaxe Production Line in the No. 2 Warehouse Car. The compartment layout wasn't perfect, but without the resources to craft extra compartments, he had to make do for now. He'd rearrange things once he had more resources.
These three components cost him 700 units of Iron Ore.
He was now completely broke, with not a single unit of Iron Ore left.
Producing one pickaxe required 10 units of Iron Ore.
The "Purified Water Filter" could turn all liquids, such as urine and rainwater, into drinkable purified water. Its shape was rather disgusting, resembling a toilet. After upgrading to Level 2, it could directly produce mineral water, with each bottle requiring 1 piece of moldy bread.
The Wind-Fire Wheel had automatically replaced his existing ordinary wheels, significantly increasing the train's speed.
However, the downside was obvious—it was nearly impossible to pass through Corpse Tides or rough terrains, with a high risk of derailing.
Now—
He was only two essential components away from upgrading the train: "Carriage Steel Armor" and "Axe Production Line."
The "Carriage Steel Armor" was the most expensive, requiring a whopping 1,000 units of Iron Ore. Worse, it was priced per carriage, meaning 1,000 units could only cover one carriage. To armor the entire train, he'd need even more Iron Ore. Fortunately, covering any single carriage met the upgrade requirement.
No wonder Master Kun's train only had armor on the locomotive.
"So frustrating," Chen Mang sighed, looking out the window at the mine. The Slaves were still mining and wouldn't be out for a while. He almost felt like grabbing a pickaxe and joining them.
He needed more Slaves!
Wait, no.
He had to break that habit. As Lao Zhu said, they should be called passengers and survivors.
The Iron Ore simply wasn't enough.
It was a shame the "Train Radio" couldn't be crafted yet. He really wanted to know how other Train Conductors dealt with resource shortages. There just wasn't enough information exchange.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
Could his "Geothermal Furnace" smelt the small pistols and pistol bullets he had looted?
Action followed thought.
He immediately left the train compartment, activated the "Geothermal Furnace," and tossed in a pistol as the furnace's massive maw opened. Soon, he obtained 10 units of Iron Ore.
"Hmm."
Chen Mang pursed his lips. It wasn't much, but something was better than nothing. He then threw in all the small pistols and over 200 pistol bullets he had looted, obtaining a total of 250 units of Iron Ore.
He kept the "gls pistol" he had first obtained, along with about thirty bullets.
Even though he no longer needed it, having found a more useful assault rifle, it was the first lifeline he had in this world. Keeping it as a memento felt right.
He needed to quickly build a secure train of his own. If he encountered another Corpse Tide forming an encirclement now, he'd pro
bably have to disconnect all the carriages and flee.
If the train were strong enough, why run?
He'd slaughter them all and maybe get some good loot in the process!
(End of Chapter)