Translator: Anubis Translations
1,500 units of iron ore, 120 units of copper ore, 100 units of wood.
Chen Mang stared at the ore information on the slip of paper, deep in thought. The first priority was undoubtedly constructing the carriages. He needed at least two: one to serve as a slave car, and another to store the ores, food, and tools.
He also needed to establish a production line for the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifles.
Without further ado, he entered the locomotive cabin and stood before the Train Control Console, his gaze fixed on the fifth red button labeled "Train Construction."
He pressed the button.
Several lines of text immediately appeared on the screen.
Building a standard carriage requires 100 units of iron ore.
Building a locomotive requires 1000 units of iron ore.
This falls under train construction, not "train components." Constructing an additional locomotive allows you to install it at the end of the train, eliminating the need to turn around. By using the second locomotive as a power source, you can significantly increase the train's maneuverability.
He lightly tapped the first option on the screen twice.
The next moment—
He felt a slight tremor inside the locomotive cabin. Stepping outside, he saw that the locomotive, once solitary in the wasteland, now had countless white lines surging from its coupling hook at the rear. These lines wove together to form two carriages.
As the lines gradually faded, the two carriages solidified into their final form, now integrated with the locomotive.
Looking again, his train had taken on its initial shape.
Of course.
The interiors of these two carriages were completely bare, nothing but iron sheets. But that was enough. What kind of luxury did slave cars need? In this era, survivors were already incredibly fortunate to have a reliable train to depend on.
"Not bad," he murmured.
Chen Mang stood before the train, a satisfied expression on his face as he examined his creation. A surge of pride welled up in him, and he felt a deeper connection to this world. Perhaps one day he could truly build a Doomsday Train that roared across the wasteland like a dragon!
200 units of iron ore consumed.
He walked into the second carriage and pulled out the Production Line Blueprint for the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle from his pocket. The pale blue, translucent paper felt like plastic and looked fragile, though he didn't feel the need to test its durability.
With this blueprint, he could manufacture special train components. A train wasn't limited to the accessories displayed on the control console; those didn't require blueprints. However, more specialized components needed blueprints to be crafted.
The grade of this production line component was Green.
500 units of iron ore consumed.
After the iron ore was depleted, the blueprint shattered into green specks of light, forming beams that danced within the carriage before slowly weaving together into a six-meter-long production line.
The overall shape resembled the security equipment at a subway station.
Every 50 units of iron ore could be used to manufacture a "Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle," which closely resembled an AK-47. The rifle required 5.56mm caliber ammunition.
Unfortunately, Chen Mang currently didn't have any ammunition of this caliber, nor a production line to manufacture it.
However, fortunately,
each rifle came automatically equipped with three fully loaded magazines, each holding 30 rounds.
This would suffice for now.
He'd figure out how to obtain a production line for this caliber later.
It took 5 minutes to craft a single "Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle." He crafted 12 at once, paying 600 units of iron ore.
It's worth noting that any iron ore consumed to craft items within the train would automatically be deducted from the train's stockpile, as long as the ore was on the train. There was no need to hold the ore in hand.
After exiting Carriage No. 2, Chen Mang stood hesitantly in the wasteland for a moment before spending another 100 units of iron ore to craft an additional standard carriage.
He simply didn't have enough space.
His production lines and iron ore required a separate carriage, and the remaining supplies like bread and mineral water needed another carriage.
Now there were three carriages.
Carriage No. 2 was temporarily designated as the warehouse carriage, storing production lines, ores, and other materials. Carriage No. 3 was set aside as the living compartment, while Carriage No. 4 would serve as the slave car.
Just like that—
He was left with only 100 units of iron ore, essentially back to square one.
Iron ore was required for everything, and he simply didn't have enough!
As for the seven accessories necessary for upgrading the train, he hadn't crafted a single one. He didn't have any spare iron ore at all. The train didn't even have a circuit system yet, leaving the carriages completely unlit—darker than even the previous train.
Once the slave car door closed, it plunged into complete darkness.
However...
The Circuit System and Generator both consumed copper ore.
After a moment's consideration, he concluded that both were essential. Glancing at the 120 units of copper ore he'd acquired, he immediately used 110 units to craft both components.
He placed the Generator in the Warehouse Car 2.
It was quite bulky, occupying nearly one-seventh of the carriage's space.
But...
"..."
Chen Mang stood inside Carriage No. 2, staring expressionlessly at the Generator before him.
Activating the generator requires an Energy Stone.
Given the train's current power consumption, a Tier 1 Energy Stone can sustain power for approximately 300 days.
Energy Stone?
What a strange name.
He immediately ran back to the locomotive and stood before the Train Control Console. Opening the beginner tutorial again, he began to search. Soon, he found the source of Energy Stones.
After the apocalypse, traditional energy sources like petroleum had lost their dominance. In their place, Energy Stones had become the primary power source.
Once the train is upgraded to a Tier 2 train, a new train component called the Crafting Table can be crafted.
Using the Crafting Table, Iron Ore can be consumed to create Energy Stones.
However, before that...
There were almost no other ways to obtain Energy Stones. Even the train's propulsion required Energy Stones as an energy source. When the train was first assembled, it came with a single Tier 1 Energy Stone. To activate the generator, he would have to remove the Energy Stone from the locomotive and install it in the generator. But that was clearly impossible.
He glanced at the beginner tips on the control console.
Currently, there are 3 carriages, and they lack armor.
It is recommended to quickly develop Train Armor to ensure maximum protection for passengers during attacks.
The Energy Stone's status is 100%.
Based on the train's current weight, it can travel at a maximum speed of 100 km/h for up to 100 hours.
As the train's weight increases, the maximum speed will decrease, and the Energy Stone's consumption rate will accelerate.
Please accommodate as many survivors as possible to obtain sufficient resources.
These reminders would directly display on the screen if no other buttons on the Control Console were pressed.
They were somewhat like a game's beginner tutorial, guiding rookie train conductors on what to do next.
(End of the Chapter)
📚 Read [MAT] on Patreon.com/AnubisTL – Up to c65. [+20]
☕ Support me and Read Ahead for just $5/mo.
🎯 Translated [3] Novels [745k+] Words and counting!