A cigarette burned to its end.
Chen Mang lightly tapped his cane with his fingertip, and the "Ground Burst Missile" slowly retracted into the open-air carriage under the control of the lift platform. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary carriage, without even armor.
He strode back into the train compartment.
This carriage definitely needed armor. It would become his 14th official carriage. The carriage originally used to house the maze would be consumed by the Geothermal Furnace once Li Shiji finished dismantling it.
Sitting in the train compartment, Chen Mang looked at the data of the "Ground Burst Missile" on the screen.
Currently at Level 1, it couldn't harm Level 2 monsters.
This was one of the most fundamental rules of this apocalyptic world: if you were outclassed in level, you couldn't deal damage. But if it were upgraded to Level 6 and launched into the Kunlun Mountains, who knows what effect it would have.
The level of all firepower accessories only determined whether they could break through the defense of higher-level monsters. The actual power depended on their quality and level.
As the level of firepower accessories increased, their power generally increased accordingly.
For example, the "Car Blade," "Repeating Ballista," and "40-Tube Cherry Blossom Rocket Launcher."
Even the "Makeshift Heavy Machine Gun" followed this rule. Although upgrading the heavy machine gun itself only increased its firing rate and range without increasing its power, the corresponding heavy machine gun bullet production line could produce more powerful high-level bullets after upgrading.
At the same level, higher-quality "firepower accessories" would definitely cause greater damage.
For example, if both the "Car Blade" and the "Ground Burst Missile" were Level 10, the power of the former would be far inferior to the latter.
For example—
A Level 10 "Car Blade," according to the fundamental rules of this world, could break through the defense of a Level 10 boss and deal damage.
But!
It could only break through the defense. The actual damage dealt would depend on the power of the accessory. Facing a Level 10 boss, it might not even be enough to scratch the surface.
"Phew."
Chen Mang took a deep breath. The most important thing was that although the "Ground Burst Missile" was a ground-to-ground missile, as long as the enemy's coordinates were known, it could be remotely launched for precise strikes.
The range of the remote launch was 20 times that of the "Targeting Radar."
His Targeting Radar's range was currently 10,000 meters, so he could send this missile up to 200,000 meters to hit the enemy's head.
The reason he had used one unit of iron ore to create this missile was mainly due to the benefits from his job transition mission.
Normally, producing a Level 1 "Ground Burst Missile" required 10,000 units of copper ore.
He glanced at the upgrade cost.
Upgrading this accessory to Level 2 required 50,000 units of iron ore, the most expensive he had ever seen. For red-quality accessories like the "Wheel Changer" and "Geothermal Furnace," the early upgrade costs were much lower.
Time to go mining!
At this point, Li Shiji had already cleared the maze, and the carriage had not been dismantled but was temporarily attached to the train.
Upgrading to a Level 4 train required 18 carriages. He didn't have enough carriages, so he would build a few more ordinary carriages later. If he dismantled it now and used the "Geothermal Furnace" to consume it, he would have to build another one later.
Going back and forth would cost him 50 units of iron ore.
Not much.
But that's not how you live. Save where you should, spend where you must.
Chen Mang slowly pushed the control lever. With the sound of gears turning and the roar of the engine, the train began to accelerate and head deep into the Shahe Plain!
First, find a few Level 2 iron ore deposits, then successfully upgrade the "Stellar Train" to Level 4. Only after reaching Level 4 would the effects of transitioning to a Mechanical Train become apparent. After that, he would upgrade the "Ground Burst Missile" and the open-air carriage.
He currently had just over 250,000 units of iron ore.
Copper ore was still plentiful, with 710,000 units.
Half an hour later.
"..."
Chen Mang's expression gradually darkened. The high-level ore in the green zone was indeed more abundant. Along the way, he had encountered three Level 2 iron ore deposits, two of which were 1,000 meters underground.
But...
All three deposits were already claimed.
There were trains nearby starting to mine them, even the two deep underground deposits had trains already digging.
In the white zone, he was the only train with the "Drill Bit" accessory. All the iron ore in the white zone was his, and no one competed with him. But in the green zone, many people went to the Kunlun Mountains area to find pangolin-like monsters to obtain the "Drill Bit" accessory.
This made even the underground quite lively.
Finally, after another 20 minutes of travel.
"Phew..."
Chen Mang let out a long sigh of relief. He finally saw two Level 2 iron ore deposits 5,000 meters underground ahead. His brows relaxed; his luck wasn't too bad.
Upgrading to a Level 4 train required 100,000 units of iron ore.
He currently had that amount in his train, but he didn't dare to use it. He needed to keep some in reserve for emergencies, such as "food," sudden battles where accessories were damaged, producing "Mechanical Nanite Spiders," or creating Energy Stones.
It was similar to how residents' spending power didn't depend on their current savings but on their expectations of future income.
Only by staying near these two Level 2 iron ore deposits and starting to mine them did he feel confident enough to consume the iron ore stored in his train.
Without hesitation.
The huge drill bit slowly extended from the front of the train and began to rotate rapidly, like a pangolin spirit possessing it. It quickly drilled a short, temporary tunnel, and the train quickly headed deep underground.
Straight towards the two Level 2 iron ore deposits.
At that moment—
"Huh?"
Chen Mang suddenly frowned slightly. The "Targeting Radar" showed a Level 4 train about 9,000 meters away, also heading towards the two Level 2 iron ore deposits deep underground, moving much slower than him.
His speed underground could reach 170 km/h.
The other train's speed was just over 60 km/h.
He glanced at the detailed accessory level information of the other train displayed on the Targeting Radar on the control screen.
"Unknown Level 4 Mechanical Train, 19 carriages in total."
"The detailed accessories and levels of this train are as follows: green-quality Steel Armor Level 3 covering all carriages, yellow-quality Energy Shield Level 2 covering all carriages, blue-quality Hell Gatling Guns, 6 in total, all Level 5..."
It was almost as if the Targeting Radar showed what color the other train's underwear was.
This was the supermodel effect of his Level 10 Targeting Radar.
If a train appeared within the radar's range, it would clearly display the accessories and their levels on the control screen.
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the information on the screen, expressionless, and pushed the control lever again without any intention of backing down. In fact, his speed even increased slightly. He and the Level 4 train were heading towards the two Level 2 iron ore deposits from different directions.
His speed was faster.
A few minutes later.
He had successfully reached the two Level 2 iron ore deposits in the cavern first. He let out a long sigh of relief. Good thing he was fast. The rule of the wasteland: first come, first served.
At that moment!
His Train Radio crackled faintly, and the screen flashed red.
"Forced private message from nearby train": "Get lost!"
"..."
Seeing this, Chen Mang, who was about to pick up the intercom to give Lao Zhu instructions, suddenly laughed. He looked at the red dot on the Targeting Radar, 3,000 meters away, crawling slowly deep underground.
It seemed the other train's Targeting Radar range was only 3,000 meters.
Without hesitation.
He pushed the control lever again, heading straight towards the oncoming train deep underground!
Speed reduced to the slowest.
"What's this guy's deal?"
Deep underground, in a Level 4 train, a man looked at the red dot on the Targeting Radar moving rapidly towards his train, his face dark. "I told him to get lost. Does he want to clash with me?"
"He's a Level 3 train. What gives him the guts to face me?"
Those were two Level 2 iron ore deposits, not something a Level 3 train should be meddling with. Telling him to get lost was completely justified. Though he didn't know why this train had such speed underground.
But...
A flash of cruelty appeared in the man's eyes as he looked at the rapidly approaching red dot on the screen. He suddenly laughed. "Remember, in the Shahe Plain, the weak deserve to be humiliated!"
"Lashing out in anger is just seeking death."
Immediately.
A light blue screen quickly covered the entire train, and on top of the carriages within the screen, the muzzles of six Hell Gatling Guns began to rotate and warm up, ready to unleash a fierce and terrifying attack at any moment.
And the red dot was getting closer and closer!
The next moment—
The soil in front of the train suddenly loosened, and countless fragments of rock became visible. A train with a high-speed drill bit appeared in front of him. The man grinned viciously and faced it head-on: "As expected, even the Energy Shield..."
However.
"Boom!!!"
When the two trains collided deep underground, the man's eyes flashed with horror, and he suddenly stood up from his chair. The two high-speed drill bits clashed, and his drill bit shattered instantly!
The Energy Shield covering his entire train cracked upon contact with the other drill bit and was on the verge of breaking!
How could this be?!
His Level 3 Armor plus Level 2 Energy Shield had a total of Level 5 defense. But why did it almost break upon contact with that drill bit?
But there was no time to think about it now.
The six Level 5 "Hell Gatling Guns" on top of the carriages began to rotate. As the copper ore in the train rapidly decreased, countless shells with orange trails completely enveloped the other train!
Three seconds later.
The man eagerly looked at the smoke-filled tunnel ahead. That train should be blown up by now, right?
However!
The next moment, he saw the cracked Energy Shield shatter completely. The other train passed through the smoke unscathed and charged straight at his train. In the last moment before losing consciousness.
He saw the armor on the front of his train completely powerless against the high-speed drill bit, and a piece of armor fragment shot towards his chest.
The man sat at the control panel, looking down at the armor fragment that had pierced his chest. His vision gradually blurred until his consciousness completely faded.
If only...
If only...
But there were no ifs.
"Boom!!"
With the roar of the engine, Chen Mang pushed the control lever all the way, driving the drill bit deep into the front of the other train. Then he backed the train up a bit, casually lit a cigarette, and picked up the intercom.
"Open the Hive Mind."
"Biao Zi, take some men and strip that train of its Survivors, usable accessories, and anything else worth taking."
"Understood."
Soon.
Thirty guards in black combat suits, led by Biao Zi and armed with Soaring Dragon Assault Rifles, quickly jumped out of the carriage and ran towards the tunnel ahead, entering the completely wrecked train!
Then, Biao Zi's shouts echoed faintly inside the train.
"Don't move! Hands on your heads!"
Twenty minutes later.
Biao Zi completed the mission perfectly, bringing back 400 Survivors and a large amount of supplies, temporarily stored in a Refrigerator. There were no removable accessories on that train; everything worth taking had been taken.
Only an empty shell of a train remained.
Normally.
When the Train Conductor of a train dies, everyone in the train, whether thugs or Slaves, wouldn't resist. After all, in the apocalypse, everyone was just trying to survive together. Who would be loyal to a Train Conductor?
Once the Train Conductor was dead, why would they resist? Just join another train and keep living.
And if the train that destroyed their original one was stronger, it would be even safer.
But...
Nothing in the world was absolute. What if the Train Conductor had relatives or children who wanted revenge? That could be extremely dangerous. So Biao Zi and his men were very careful to avoid any unexpected incidents while searching the train, which could lead to disaster.
These Survivors were temporarily locked in two Refrigerators.
They would be thoroughly vetted to ensure none were relatives or children of the Train Conductor before proceeding.
Once Biao Zi and his men were back on the train.
Chen Mang pushed the control lever again, retracted the drill bit, and spent 11,000 units of iron ore to upgrade the "Geothermal Furnace" to Level 4 and activate it. The train slowly moved forward, opening its maw filled with countless gears.
As the train advanced.
The damaged Level 4 train gradually shortened, and the sound of gears grinding against armor echoed through the tunnel. A minute later, only the Stellar Train remained in the tunnel.
He switched back to the drill bit.
Reversed the control lever, and the drill bit headed towards the side of the tunnel, preparing to circle around and head back to the two Level 2 iron ore deposits. Now the world was quiet.
The control screen showed that consuming this Level 4 train had yielded 70,000 units of iron ore.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang smiled with satisfaction. The drill bit shattered the rock in front, and the train entered the cavern again, slowing down and stopping next to the two Level 2 iron ore deposits.
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