Chapter 38:

Chen Mang snapped back to reality and continued looking at the series of vehicle accessory information on the screen beside the control panel. He currently had 831 units of iron ore. First, upgrade the "Moldy Bread Slice Production Line" to level 2. Let’s see what changes will occur. After consuming 100 units of iron ore, the panel quickly reflected the corresponding changes. - "Accessory Name": Moldy Bread Slice Production Line. "Accessory Grade": White. "Accessory Level": Level 2. "Accessory Effect": Consuming 1 unit of iron ore can produce 10 slices of bread. "Upgrade Condition": Upgraded to the maximum level. - "Not bad." Chen Mang nodded slightly. After the upgrade, the quality of the bread slices improved without an increase in consumption. The maximum level for white-grade vehicle accessories is generally level 2. Of course, this limit didn’t mean much to him, but for now, he had no intention of further upgrades. This is sufficient. The moldy bread slices turned into normal ones. Theoretically, moldy food shouldn’t be eaten too often; otherwise, it could be life-threatening. But after his first entrepreneurial failure in his past life, he ate moldy buns for a month and didn’t die. As long as the moldy spots were removed, it would be fine. In such an environment, no one cared about mold, but it couldn’t be consumed long-term. Upgrading it could reduce the likelihood of slaves falling ill. That Master Kun, who was once a Level 2 Train Captain, didn’t even bother to consume 100 units of iron ore to upgrade this accessory to level 2. Or rather, he didn’t even bother to make a Universal Wheel for himself. Who knows where he spent all his resources? "Universal Wheel" is a special accessory. Once equipped, it significantly enhances a train’s maneuverability, reducing the turning radius. At a high enough level, the train can even move sideways into a shed. It’s not among the twelve accessories that can be crafted. It cannot be upgraded. The level will automatically align with the current train’s level. Afterwards, he upgraded the Pure Water Filter to level 2, and the panel changed accordingly. - "Accessory Name": Pure Water Filter. "Accessory Grade": White. "Accessory Level": Level 2. "Accessory Effect": Consuming 1 moldy bread slice can produce 1 bottle of mineral water. "Upgrade Condition": Upgraded to the maximum level. - Although it requires a slice of moldy bread, non-moldy ones can be used as well. Equating to 1 unit of iron ore being able to produce 10 bottles of mineral water. Up to this point— The train had almost all the basic living facilities. Although not optimal, they no longer lacked food or water much. In the apocalypse, surviving under such conditions was enough. Next, he didn’t want to waste resources on living essentials. First, he would enhance both defense and attack capabilities. In the wilderness, danger is always the main theme! ... In the mine. "Hiss..." A middle-aged man covered in dust, feeling some soreness, put down his work, laid the pickaxe on the ground, and sat cautiously on its handle, then carefully fetched a crumpled cigarette from his coat pocket. He pressed it to his nose, took a deep whiff, exhaled contentedly and with pleasure, and then slipped it back into his pocket. He mumbled with some sentiment. "Before the apocalypse, I truly didn’t think much of smoking such cheap cigarettes. But now... I can’t bear to light one up." "Yo." A young guy beside him also paused, shook his tired arms, and teased, "Looks like you were quite the big shot before. How do you cope with the fall from grace now as a slave?" "..." After a moment of silence, the middle-aged man softly said, "I wasn’t quite a big shot before, just barely middle-class." "The income wasn’t low; what I earned in a year equaled what ordinary people made in ten." "But honestly, I was exponentially more anxious than most people, constantly fearing my income might dip. I didn’t want to return to an ordinary life. To maintain the facade of a glamorous life, my mental state deteriorated to frequent near-death experiences." "Becoming a slave now feels more grounded." "Aside from worrying about seeing the sun tomorrow, there aren’t any other concerns." "Oh?" The young guy got curious and leaned in closer, "Haven’t you thought about climbing up the ranks, maybe becoming a Deputy Train Captain or something?" The middle-aged man shook his head. "It’s not that easy to climb the ranks. Although everyone wants to be a Deputy Train Captain, someone has to be a slave for the train to operate and develop steadily. The train’s power structure is quite stable now, and attempting to climb might get you axed as a warning." "Moreover..." "This Train Captain treats the slaves decently, not only providing ample food daily but also giving out two cigarettes. In the apocalypse, cigarettes are extremely scarce." "That’s true." The young chap felt his pockets with two cigarettes and grinned. He was relatively accepting of the apocalypse. Before it happened, he couldn’t afford a place, had no savings, and was an orphan with no parents or support, making just 2800 a month. Everyone looked down on him, calling him useless. After the apocalypse struck, everyone became useless, and no one looked down on him anymore. How splendid. He felt being useless was just fine. He never aspired to achieve greatness his whole life. If the sky were to fall, it would first crush those taller than him. ... Soon — With the sun rising and setting, another day passed by. As the group of slaves carried pickaxes back in line to collect their daily meals in front of the train, a large amount of iron ore was brought back as well. "Huh?" A man received a slice of bread from Old Pig’s hands. He instinctively tried to pick off moldy spots but was surprised to find today’s bread slice perfectly intact, without any mold spots, and exuded a fragrant malt scent. Puzzled, he looked up at Old Pig in front of him. "Here." Old Pig smiled and waved him on, signaling others to step forward, "Master Mang appreciates your hard work in mining. From now on, every slave will receive bread of this quality. Work hard, and there’ll be more for everyone in the future." The man quickly caught on, hurriedly expressing heartfelt gratitude and excitement, then rushed to a corner to savor today’s perfect bread slice. ... "..." Inside the train, Chen Mang, leaning on a cane with one hand, withdrew his gaze from the slaves outside. It was around nine in the evening, and many slaves had worked directly for sixteen or seventeen hours today. Starting right from midnight. He had sent Biaozi down midway to deliver food and water. He truly feared his slaves might drop dead in the mines. Damn, they sure worked hard when there was something to do! Of course, the harvest was bountiful too, with 1620 units of iron mined today, marking the highest in recent days. Along with the existing iron ore he still had, there were 2251 units of iron ore loaded in the train now. Enough to craft plenty of things. "Time to splurge!" Chen Mang quickly scanned the screen, reviewing the names of the accessories and contemplating the priority of different accessories.