Inside the Stellar, Chen Mang stood and walked to Carriage #2. He spent 1,000 units of copper ore to craft two new production lines: one for 7mm heavy machine gun rounds and another for 5.56mm rifle rounds.
With these two additions, the heavy machine gun on the roof—which had remained mostly silent until now—was no longer just for show. It was finally a weapon he could truly use.
It was worth noting that upgrading the heavy machine gun only increased its effective range and rate of fire, not its power. The weapon's true destructive force was determined by the level of its ammunition. The higher the bullet's level, the greater the damage.
Of course, a heavy machine gun could only use ammunition of its level or lower; it couldn't fire higher-level rounds. A Level 3 heavy machine gun, for example, could use Level 1 or Level 3 bullets, but not Level 4.
The "Tripod-Mounted Heavy Machine Gun" was a green-grade accessory crafted from iron ore, and its upgrades required iron ore as well. After spending 3,000 units, he finally managed to upgrade one of the machine guns to Level 5.
The Stellar currently had eight carriages. The first four were each equipped with a Tripod-Mounted Heavy Machine Gun, while the four newly built carriages behind them were still bare. Like armor, these weapons had to be crafted and upgraded individually. They weren't like the Carriage Blades, which automatically appeared on any new carriage he built.
Chen Mang sighed. This thing was another resource sink. But as a green-grade offensive component, its first unlocked Advanced Effect was truly impressive.
[Tripod-Mounted Heavy Machine Gun Level 5 Advanced Effect]: The heavy machine gun can be linked to the 'Train Auxiliary AI.' The AI will automatically lock onto any enemy within the Search Radar's range, drastically increasing hit probability.
PS: Requires the 'Train Auxiliary AI' green-grade accessory to be at max level.He was starting to see a pattern. The higher an accessory's grade, the better its unlocked Advanced Effects. Offensive accessories had better effects than functional ones, which in turn were better than lifestyle accessories.
This effect, for example, was basically an aimbot. As long as an enemy was within radar range, the moment they showed their head, they were dead. He no longer needed to assign someone to operate the machine gun—a tedious task with a low hit rate. Now, he could entrust it to the Train Auxiliary AI, significantly boosting his combat efficiency.
Normally, the maximum level for a green-grade accessory was 3, but that was a condition he had already met. His Train Auxiliary AI was already at Level 5. After connecting the machine gun's electrical system to the control console, it was officially upgraded to an AI-controlled weapon. The remaining three machine guns would have to be upgraded individually to gain this effect.
With that done, Chen Mang turned his attention to the "7mm Heavy Machine Gun Bullet Production Line." He spent another 1,200 units of copper ore to upgrade it to Level 3. He couldn't afford to take it to Level 5, which would require a full 3,000 units of copper, and he only had 4,210 in total. If he spent it all on the upgrade, he'd have nothing left to make bullets.
[Level 1 Bullet]: 1 unit of Copper Ore per round.
[Level 2 Bullet]: 5 units of Copper Ore per round.
[Level 3 Bullet]: 10 units of Copper Ore per round.
"So expensive..." Chen Mang's lip twitched as he looked at the prices on the production line. A single Level 3 bullet cost 10 units of copper ore. A heavy machine gun's rate of fire was insane; two or three hundred rounds could be gone in the blink of an eye. If those were all Level 3 bullets, that would be two or three thousand units of copper.
What kind of boss would he have to kill to make that back? It would have to be something on the level of that Cannibalistic Spider, and even then, he doubted a few hundred rounds would be enough to kill it.
Although the bullet production line was now Level 3, it could still produce rounds from Level 1 to 3. He spent 500 units of copper ore to craft 500 Level 1 bullets. Combined with his existing stock, he now had over 800 Level 1 heavy machine gun rounds. This ensured that the "Internal Fire Control System" was now operational.
With a single thought, the machine guns mounted on the ceiling of each carriage could descend and "cleanse" the entire train.
Power had to be built on a foundation of force. He might never have to use it, but he couldn't afford not to have it. Those inward-facing machine guns were, in a way, a symbol of his authority.
Finally, he spent another 2,000 units of copper ore to produce 200 Level 3 bullets.
And just like that, the resources the train had accumulated over several days were nearly gone. He was left with only 8,239 units of iron ore and 510 units of copper.
Chen Mang patted the resource-devouring bullet production line. He finally understood the greatest appeal of white-grade accessories: they were cheap. To break through a Level 3 boss's defense, the "Carriage Blades" only consumed a bit of energy from the Energy Stone. The heavy machine gun, on the other hand? Every single bullet was his blood, sweat, and tears.
While the machine gun was more powerful, had a longer range, and even had an auto-aiming feature, its resource consumption was just too high. It was a trump card, something he wouldn't use unless necessary. The Carriage Blades were still more practical. He didn't mind if it took a little longer; his armor was already Level 3. In the Ironridge Wasteland, there were almost no monsters that could break his defense.
The Ironridge Wasteland was a low-level region. The highest-level train here was Level 3, and the highest-level monster was also Level 3. His armor was Level 3.
"Let's move out."
Back in the command car, Chen Mang sat at the control console. After checking that the Energy Stone was still sufficiently charged, he retracted the Windfire Wheels, deployed the mechanical spider legs, and slowly pressed the accelerator.
The centipede-like train, just as it was about to hit the canyon wall, effortlessly began to climb. Its mechanical legs found purchase on the sheer rock face, and it scaled the ninety-degree wall with surprising speed.
From a distance, one could just make out a train in the night, crawling rapidly up a cliff face in the depths of the Apocalypse Abyss.
Soon, the train crested the cliff. After switching back to the Windfire Wheels, it roared out onto the endless, night-shrouded wasteland.
His target: the zombie horde that had besieged him for days.
He was back for revenge.
You bastards disturbed my mining day after day, he thought. You had me living in fear, always worried you'd sneak up on me.
Now, it's your turn to live in fear.