The "Ironridge Wasteland" was a low-level region, capable of supporting trains up to Level 3 and spawning monsters no higher than Level 3. When a train reached its full potential at Level 3 and was ready to advance to Level 4, it had to move to a higher-level region and begin the process of specialization.
There were two paths for specialization:
Mechanical Train and Flesh Train.
Each level-up brought more than just an increase in the train’s base speed and a wider array of craftable accessories; it also unlocked one or more new functions.
For example, reaching Level 2 unlocked "Personalized Customization."
And reaching Level 3 unlocked—
"Legacy Value."
Legacy Value was a feature exclusive to Level 3 trains. A sufficiently high value granted more opportunities in high-level regions. For instance, an elusive black market merchant might flag down your train, offering rare goods for purchase. Or, you might gain entry into certain black markets that had Legacy Value requirements.
Some special accessories also required a certain amount of Legacy Value to be installed.
And so on.It was all benefits, no drawbacks.
There were several ways to acquire Legacy Value.
Taking in a child under the age of twelve granted +1 Legacy Value.
Having a couple on the train bound by a "Doomsday Marriage Certificate" granted +100 Legacy Value.
The birth of a newborn among the passengers on the train granted +1 Legacy Value.
Etc.
Legacy Value, as the name implied, was a reward for carrying on civilization.
Whether it was taking in children or witnessing a birth, these passengers contributed almost nothing to the train’s power and were a constant drain on resources.
"Legacy Value" was the corresponding compensation.
A small reward for the ascetics who, amid the apocalypse, were still willing to consider the continuation of civilization.
The rewards weren’t overly generous.
If they were, procreation would become a business.
And the "Doomsday Marriage Certificate," a special item, would grant a full 100 Legacy Value if he could find a suitable couple on the train. He had no concept of how much Legacy Value was worth, but he understood the concept of taking in a hundred children.
100 Legacy Value was not a small amount.
But...
"..."
Chen Mang shook his head with regret, placing the Doomsday Marriage Certificate in a drawer next to the control console. He wouldn’t be using it anytime soon. There were no couples on the Stellar, let alone one truly in love. Besides, the train hadn’t reached Level 3 yet, so he had no use for Legacy Value at the moment.
He’d deal with it later.
After taking stock of the loot from the Red-Eyed Rabbit and the first-kill bonus, Chen Mang turned his attention to the remaining rewards.
That Level 3 Zombie Commander hadn’t just dropped a white-grade vehicle accessory blueprint for the "Rapid-Shot Crossbow."
It had also dropped another reward.
"Zombie Perception Blocker."
This thing again. If he hadn’t traded one to the captain of the "Bloodthirsty Bull Train," he’d now have three of them.
This item was only useful in specific situations.
Most of the time, its effect was limited. After all, zombies weren’t the only monsters on the wasteland, and it could only block the perception of Level 1 zombies. But having it was better than not. He tossed it into the drawer with the Doomsday Marriage Certificate.
The final haul was the loot from the zombie horde.
The quantity was impressive.
There were several hundred items.
—
928 units of Level 1 Corpse Flesh.
23 units of Level 2 Corpse Flesh.
—
Yes, killing zombies had only dropped this: "Corpse Flesh." He figured it was another special resource, similar to "Fine Spider Silk." Other than that, they hadn’t dropped anything else.
Nor had they dropped any accessory blueprints that required "Corpse Flesh" as a resource.
He had checked the "Rapid-Shot Crossbow" blueprint; it didn’t require Corpse Flesh.
For now, he had no idea what this resource was for.
He tossed it all into a corner of the refrigerator. There was a lot of it, and it took up space. It also looked bloody and a bit disgusting. The refrigerator was the perfect place for it.
Not only was the space large, but it also offered ultimate freshness, locking in the smell. The odor wouldn’t escape the fridge, nor would it affect his ice-cold cola.
Good enough.
And with that—
He had finished inventorying all the loot from his night excursion. The haul was plentiful, and he was very satisfied.
In this world, killing monsters wasn’t the mainstream way to develop.
Except for Flesh Trains.
For a Mechanical Train to develop, the most important resource was "Iron Ore." No other resource was as crucial. Even if his train could now slaughter zombie hordes with impunity, all he would get was more Corpse Flesh.
Slaughtering a zombie horde wouldn’t yield important resources like iron ore.
Mining was the main path of development.
When dealing with monsters, avoidance was the best strategy.
"Time for bed!"
Chen Mang got up from the control console, stretched his body with a long yawn, and then walked to the bed, collapsing onto it. It was late, and he was tired. He’d sleep first; everything else could wait until tomorrow.
In a daze, he dreamed again.
This time, he dreamed his train had several hundred carriages. A hundred of them were open-air carriages, each installed with four "40-barrel Sakura-Fall Rocket Launchers."
The train was parked on the wasteland, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of monsters, all roaring as they charged.
The sky was blotted out, and the ground trembled.
He just sneered, and waved his hand, and countless rockets with orange-red tails instantly blotted out the sky. The piercing sound of their launch echoed through the heavens.
When the countless rockets landed among the monsters, a sea of fire rose with the dark clouds, like the wrath of a god sweeping through the mortal world.
When the dark clouds dispersed, all that was left was ruin.
And the "Magnetic Harvester" embedded in the head of his train, which he had upgraded to Level 100, was emitting a powerful white light, rapidly sucking the items dropped by the dead monsters into the carriages. Just then—
He faintly heard an out-of-place sound.
"Brothers, get ready, we’re here to mine."
"Mine with some effort, mine with some strength."
"Hey ho!"
"I’m gonna shout a one, mine with your heart, ah."
"Yo hey!"
"I’m gonna shout a two, mine all together now."
"Yo ho!"
"I’m gonna shout a three, swing your arms wide, ah."
"..."
In the morning, successfully woken by the noise, Chen Mang had already washed up and was standing expressionlessly by the window of the command car, looking out at the lively scene. The sky was already bright, and the slaves had started their work. But today was a little different.
That goblin slave, Duo Ba, was leading a work chant.
His voice was so loud it had seeped into the command car and woken him from his beautiful dream.
Duo Ba was swinging his pickaxe while shouting at the top of his lungs. The other goblin slaves were swinging their pickaxes in time with the chant, also shouting their responses at the top of their lungs.
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