Another seven days passed.
The Level 2 iron mine at the bottom of the Apocalypse Abyss had been completely depleted after round-the-clock excavation, yielding a total of 110,000 units of iron ore.
All the slaves were now working the Level 2 copper mine.
Once this copper mine was also exhausted, it would be time to officially leave the Apocalypse Abyss.
According to his original plan, he was supposed to attend the gathering today.
However...
Today’s gathering had been temporarily canceled.
Since last night, dozens of tornadoes had been tearing across the wasteland, and any train or monster caught in their path was hurled high into the air before plummeting to its death.
Across the wasteland, many trains were racing against time, dodging the tornadoes’ relentless assault. Even the monsters were fleeing in panic. The Apocalypse Abyss, however, remained safe—the tornadoes couldn’t reach him here.
"Oh well."Chen Mang shook his head, not dwelling on it. If he couldn’t attend this gathering, he’d just wait for the next one. A few days’ delay wasn’t a big deal. He had just mined a substantial amount of iron ore, so he could use the time to upgrade his remaining accessories.
He stood up, glanced around the command car, and finally focused on the "Single Bed." This was an accessory he had looted from Boss Kun—a mundane white-grade component.
Now that he had more resources, he could give it a try. He wondered what kind of advanced effect a Level 10 single bed would have.
No sooner said than done.
After spending 4,400 units of iron ore, he now owned a Level 10 "Single Bed."
The upgrade effect was increased comfort.
It had transformed from a hard plank bed into a soft mattress, and the firmness could even be adjusted.
As for the advanced effects—
—
[Single Bed Level 5 Advanced Effect]: The pillow and three-piece set can be freely chosen, such as buckwheat pillows, silicone pillows, jade pillows, etc.
[Single Bed Level 10 Advanced Effect]: Provides higher quality sleep and promotes longevity.
—
"Huh?"
Chen Mang stared at the Level 10 advanced effect of the single bed, his body stiffening slightly. Longevity? For a white-grade accessory, wasn’t that a bit excessive?
He had heard of beds that promoted longevity more than once; in his past life, many unscrupulous merchants sold such things.
But this was the first time he had seen one that actually worked.
Still, he quickly calmed down. In the apocalypse, longevity was a false promise. Who in the apocalypse died because their lifespan ran out?
Even so, he was very satisfied. Having it was better than not.
And...
The single bed was only on Level 10. He could continue upgrading it indefinitely. At Level 20, it would gain a third advanced effect. If he had enough resources in the future, could he upgrade this accessory to Level 100? Or even Level 1000?
Could he possibly achieve immortality?
The path to immortality lay in this bed.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang smiled with satisfaction and looked at the next accessory, the "Pure Water Filter." It was called a pure water filter, but after he had upgraded it to Level 2, it no longer needed to filter anything.
One slice of bread could produce one bottle of mineral water.
After spending 4,300 units of iron ore to upgrade the accessory to Level 10, he obtained new advanced effects.
This accessory didn’t grow stronger with each level—it remained the same. The only change was the advanced effects that came with the upgrades.
—
[Pure Water Filter Level 5 Advanced Effect]: Long-term consumption can effectively remove kidney stones.
[Pure Water Filter Level 10 Advanced Effect]: Long-term consumption can slightly increase physical fitness.
—
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow. Not bad. Paired with the bread slices, after a few months of continuous consumption and high-intensity work, it should significantly improve his slaves’ physical fitness.
Then he spent another 500 units of iron ore to upgrade the "Crafting Station" to Level 2.
It could now produce Level 2 Energy Stones.
5,000 iron ore per stone.
The effect was ten times that of the original, which was basically equivalent to 10 Level 1 Energy Stones, just without the hassle of swapping them out. The train’s accessories were gradually increasing, and so was its energy consumption. This thing was more practical and durable.
This accessory was good enough at Level 2. He wouldn’t need a higher-level Energy Stone for a long time. Even a Level 2 Energy Stone was absolute overkill.
Normally, no Level 2 train would use a Level 2 Energy Stone. Where would you get so many energy-consuming accessories to justify it?
He then spent another 9,000 units of iron ore to upgrade the remaining three "Heavy Machine Guns" to Level 5.
He then spent another 32,000 units of iron ore to upgrade the two new open-air carriages to Level 3 armor.
And with that—
A super-equipped Level 2 train was complete.
By now, the sky had brightened. The slaves had long since taken their pickaxes to the nearby copper mine to start their day’s work. Chen Mang, however, walked out of the train to a nearby spot and looked at the train before him.
He was in a rather pleasant mood.
A total of 10 carriages.
The first three carriages were loaded with production lines, resources, generators, and other heavy machinery.
The middle five carriages were the living quarters for the slaves and guards.
The last two carriages were the new firepower carriages.
The ninth carriage was equipped with eight "Rapid-Shot Crossbows," and the tenth carriage was equipped with four "40-Barrel Sakura-Fall Rocket Launchers." These two carriages would provide ample fire support.
The Stellar lay there quietly, like a sleeping dragon.
Chen Mang gently raised his staff.
The next moment—
All the crossbows, heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and so on turned in unison, aiming into the distance. He had absolute control over the train, like a fifth limb, using it without any sense of unfamiliarity.
And at this moment, on the "Regional Leaderboard," the Stellar’s score and ranking had seen a significant increase.
Inside the command car, Chen Mang looked at the Stellar’s score on the regional leaderboard.
—
Ironridge Wasteland Power Value Leaderboard.
Rank 1: The Survivor, Level 3 Train, Power Value 3010.
Rank 2: The Purple Cloud, Level 3 Train, Power Value 2689.
Rank 3: The Stellar, Level 2 Train, Power Value 2414.
Rank 4: The Black Tortoise, Level 3 Train, Power Value 2312.
Rank 5: -
—
Yes.
After these few days of development, the Stellar had successfully reached third place on the regional leaderboard, looking quite conspicuous sandwiched between a group of Level 3 trains.
The main reason was that the total level of all his accessories was now a full 169. Each level was worth 10 points, so the accessory levels alone brought him 1,690 points.
Normally, the average total accessory level of a fully-equipped Level 2 train was around 40. After all, to upgrade to a Level 3 train, one of the conditions was that the total level of all accessories had to exceed 40.
And he...
Was at 169.
He had long since far surpassed this standard. Even his refrigerator was Level 10. The 40-level total requirement was like child’s play to him.
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