Chen Mang picked up a slice of bread from the newly upgraded production line, examining it closely before taking a bite. Only then did he turn his attention to the other accessories.
After upgrading the "Moldy Bread Slice Production Line" to Level 10, not only had the taste and texture improved dramatically, but it had also gained two special Advanced Effects. With long-term consumption, the bread would ensure his slaves rarely fell ill and would even slightly enhance their physical constitution. He wasn't sure by how much, but the word "slightly" suggested it wouldn't be a dramatic boost.
Most importantly, the price hadn't changed.
It was still one unit of iron ore for ten slices of bread.
Better quality for the same price—not bad at all.
He had 3,927 units of iron ore remaining. He wanted to get all his accessories to Level 10, including the "Binoculars" and the "Refrigerator" and "Cola Production Line" he had yet to build.
The latter two were non-essential accessories from when the train was Level 1. He hadn't had the resources to spare back then, but now that he had a solid foundation, he naturally went ahead and crafted them.
With that, every available accessory for the train had been built.
However, 3,927 units of iron ore weren't nearly enough to upgrade even a white-grade accessory to Level 10. Chen Mang decided to halt the day's construction and wait until he had gathered more ore.The next morning, at dawn, the slaves filed out of their carriages as usual, ready to line up for their daily food and water. But something was different. The Vice-Captain was just standing there, showing no intention of distributing the rations.
Just as the slaves were scratching their heads and exchanging confused glances, the door to Living Quarters #3 swung open. Several baskets filled with soft bread slices oozing fruit jam were brought out. Chen Mang appeared at the doorway, leaning on his cane, and surveyed the slaves. The ones at the front had excitement in their eyes, while those at the back were on their tiptoes, desperately trying to see what was happening. He smiled faintly and raised a hand.
The crowd instantly fell silent.
"From now on," he announced, "this will be your daily food—delicious bread with fruit jam."
"This is my sincerity."
"If you wish to continue receiving the best treatment, I want to see your sincerity in return. Repay me with resources, and I will not treat any of you unfairly."
"Now, let's eat."
He waved his hand. Lao Zhu and the others carried the baskets of bread down and began distributing them. Chen Mang walked alone to the head of the train, contemplating whether to add another carriage.
The train was getting crowded.
Having Lao Zhu and the other enforcers share a carriage with the bread production line was inconvenient. He still had copper ore to consider and would definitely need to produce a large stockpile of bullets.
That meant Cargo Car #2 could no longer house both production lines and raw materials.
He would give the "Pickaxe Head Production Line" and others their car, store the bullets and ore in another, and give the enforcers their own carriage. He'd think about it in a few days.
Three days passed.
Every night, as part of his new routine, Chen Mang would gaze up at the stars. The celestial characters forming that strange message remained unchanged in position and arrangement, reappearing as soon as darkness fell.
Over these three days, he had saved up a considerable amount of iron ore, not spending a single unit. Including his previous stockpile, he now had a total of...
"43,091 units of iron ore."
It was an astronomical figure—the most he had ever accumulated. It was almost enough to buy a Ji Chuchu.
He set his sights on two accessories: "Carriage Steel Armor" and "Windfire Wheels."
These two green-grade accessories were his priority. The former determined the train's defense, the latter its speed.
Currently, the "Stellar," including the engine, had five carriages. Each was covered in Level 1 Carriage Steel Armor. Upgrading one carriage's armor to Level 2 cost 5,000 units of iron ore.
He spent a total of 25,000 units.
All "Carriage Steel Armor" was now upgraded to Level 2.
In the dead of night, Chen Mang stepped off the train and gently stroked the exterior plating, which was now a noticeably deeper shade of black. He could feel the profound sense of security it emanated. With this, he was basically immune to damage from Level 2 monsters. An ordinary zombie horde could no longer touch him.
As for Level 3 armor...
He'd deal with that in a few days. Upgrading a single carriage from Level 2 to Level 3 cost 10,000 units of iron ore. That meant 50,000 units for the whole train—exactly the price of one Ji Chuchu.
Upgrading the train's defense was the most expensive endeavor of all the green-grade accessories.
After finishing the armor, he turned his attention to the "Windfire Wheels." Upgrading them wasn't cheap either. Going from Level 1 to 2 cost 1,000 units of iron ore.
He spent 10,000 units, pushing the accessory straight to Level 5. He couldn't afford to take it to Level 10—he didn't have the resources.
The physical appearance of the Windfire Wheels didn't change, but the base speed increased.
The advantage of "Windfire Wheels" was maintaining top-tier speed for its level. The base effect added 30 km/h to the maximum speed, with each subsequent level adding another 20 km/h to the speed cap.
Upgrading to Level 5 added a full 100 km/h to the maximum speed. Combined with the train's base speed of 130 km/h after its upgrade to Level 2, and factoring in the train's weight...
The "Train Auxiliary AI" on the control console displayed the information: the Stellar's current maximum speed was 254 km/h.
Before the upgrade, it had been 156 km/h—nearly twice as fast. The next time he faced an unstoppable crisis, he definitely wouldn't be the last one to escape.
More importantly, reaching Level 5 had unlocked its first Advanced Effect.
[Windfire Wheels Level 5 Advanced Effect]: Doubling the train's maximum speed. This will rapidly consume Energy Stones and cause a certain amount of damage to the Windfire Wheels.
This Advanced Effect would be a lifesaver in a critical moment.
Chen Mang gazed at the train's data on the control console, silent. He looked at the "Train Auxiliary AI" accessory and could guess the Advanced Effects of some accessories.
For example, the Windfire Wheels' effect would be related to speed. The Carriage Blades' effect would be related to attack.
But for accessories like the "Refrigerator" and the "Train Auxiliary AI," he had no idea what their Advanced Effects could be. Take the refrigerator, for instance...
What kind of advanced effect could a refrigerator possibly have?
He suddenly felt an urge to find out. Besides, upgrading a white-grade accessory was much cheaper than a green-grade one.