Chapter 38: "Start Splurging!"
Chen Mang snapped back to reality and continued to gaze at the series of vehicle component information displayed on the screen beside the control panel. He currently had 831 units of iron ore.
First, he would upgrade the "Moldy Bread Slice Production Line" to level 2 and see what changes would occur.
After consuming 100 units of iron ore, the panel quickly reflected the corresponding changes.
"Component Name": Moldy Bread Slice Production Line.
"Component Grade": White.
"Component Level": Level 2.
"Component Effect": For every 1 unit of iron ore consumed, 10 slices of bread can be produced.
"Upgrade Conditions": Already upgraded to maximum level.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang nodded slightly. After the upgrade, the quality of the bread slices improved while the consumption remained unchanged. The upper limit for white-grade vehicle components was generally level 2. Of course, this upper limit meant nothing to him, and he had no immediate thoughts of further upgrades.
That was enough.
From moldy bread slices to normal bread slices.
Theoretically, moldy food should not be consumed in large quantities, as it could pose life-threatening risks. However, after his first entrepreneurial failure in his previous life, he had eaten moldy steamed buns for a month without dying, as long as he removed the moldy spots. In this environment, no one cared about mold anymore, but it was indeed not advisable for long-term consumption.
The upgrade could reduce the chances of slaves falling ill.
That Master Kun, who was once a level 2 Train Conductor, had not even been willing to spend 100 units of iron ore to upgrade this component to level 2. No, that guy hadn't even been willing to craft universal wheels. Who knew where that guy had spent all his resources?
The "Universal Wheel" was a special component that significantly enhanced the train's maneuverability, allowing for sharper turns. At a sufficiently high level, it could even enable lateral movement into storage.
It was not among the twelve craftable components.
Nor could it be upgraded.
Its level would automatically align with the current level of the train.
Then he upgraded the Purified Water Filter to level 2, and the panel changed accordingly.
"Component Name": Purified Water Filter.
"Component Grade": White.
"Component Level": Level 2.
"Component Effect": For every 1 slice of moldy bread consumed, 1 bottle of mineral water can be produced.
"Upgrade Conditions": Already upgraded to maximum level.
Although it required a slice of moldy bread, non-moldy bread could also be used.
This meant that 1 unit of iron ore could produce 10 bottles of mineral water.
At this point—
The basic living facilities for the entire train were nearly complete. While they weren't perfect, at least they were no longer lacking in food and water. In the apocalypse, having such conditions to survive was sufficient.
Next, he didn't want to waste resources on living necessities; he would first enhance both defense and attack.
In the wilderness, crisis was always the main theme!
In the mine.
"Hiss."
A middle-aged man, covered in dust and feeling a bit sore, paused his work, placed the pickaxe on the ground, and sat down on the handle. He carefully pulled out a crumpled cigarette from his shirt pocket.
He held it to his nose and took a deep sniff, his expression one of satisfaction and intoxication as he exhaled slowly. Then he stuffed the cigarette back into his pocket.
With a hint of nostalgia, he murmured.
"Before the apocalypse, I wouldn't have cared much for cigarettes at this price, but now I can't bear to smoke them."
"Oh."
A young man beside him also paused his work, shook his sore arms, and teased, "Looks like you were quite the big shot back then. Can you really accept such a drop to being a slave now?"
"..."
The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment before softly replying, "I wasn't really a big shot, just barely a middle-class person."
"My income wasn't low; I could earn in a year what an ordinary person would make in ten."
"But to be honest, I was more anxious than many others, constantly worried about my income declining. I didn't want to return to an ordinary person's life. To maintain a seemingly glamorous life, my mental state had weakened to the point where I often felt a strong sense of impending death."
"Now, being a slave feels much more stable."
"Aside from worrying about whether I can see the sun tomorrow, I don't have to worry about anything else."
"Oh?"
The young man became interested and curiously leaned in, "So you haven't thought about climbing up the ranks, maybe becoming a Deputy Train Conductor or something?"
The middle-aged man shook his head.
"Climbing up isn't that easy. Although everyone wants to be a Deputy Train Conductor, someone has to be a slave for the train to operate and develop stably. The power structure of the train is basically stable now, and trying to climb up at this time could easily lead to being made an example of."
"And..."
"This Train Conductor is quite decent to the slaves. Not only does he ensure we have enough to eat every day, but he also gives out two cigarettes. These are absolutely scarce goods in the apocalypse."
"That's true."
The young man grinned, patting the two cigarettes in his pocket. He actually had a high level of acceptance regarding the apocalypse. Before it came, he was an orphan who couldn't afford a house, had no savings, and no parents. His monthly salary was only 2800, and everyone looked down on him, calling him useless.
After the apocalypse, everyone became useless, and no one looked down on him anymore.
How wonderful.
He thought being useless was quite good; he had never had aspirations to stand out. When the sky fell, it had to first crush someone higher up.
Soon—
As the sun rose and set, a day passed.
When this group of slaves returned one by one, carrying pickaxes, and formed a long line in front of the train to receive their food for the day, a large amount of iron ore was also brought back.
"Eh?"
A man received a slice of bread from Lao Zhu and instinctively tried to remove the mold spots, only to find that today's bread slice was intact, not a single mold spot in sight, and it emitted a fragrant aroma of malt. After a moment of surprise, he looked up at Lao Zhu in confusion.
"Here."
Lao Zhu smiled and waved his hand, signaling the others to come forward: "Lord Mang appreciates your hard work in mining, so from now on, all slaves will receive bread of this quality. Work hard, and everything will come in time."
The man quickly realized what was happening, hurriedly expressed his gratitude with shining eyes, and rushed to a corner to eagerly taste the perfectly intact bread slice.
"..."
Inside the train car, Chen Mang leaned on his cane, pulling his gaze away from the group of slaves outside. It was now around nine in the evening, and many slaves had worked for sixteen or seventeen hours today.
They had started working since early morning.
He had even sent Biao Zi down to deliver food and water.
He was genuinely worried that his slaves might collapse in the mine; they were really working hard!
Of course, the rewards were plentiful. Today, they had mined a total of 1620 units, the highest amount in recent days.
Adding to the remaining iron ore, the train now held 2251 units of iron ore.
That was enough for him to craft many things.
"Start splurging!"
Chen Mang's eyes quickly scanned the names of the components on the screen, beginning to consider the priority of different components.
(End of Chapter)