Time always flies by quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was already night. Chen Mang had spent almost the entire day in the Train compartment studying his "Newbie Guide," which included the Train's existing components.
Since he possessed the "Infinite Upgrade" plugin, the white-tier Vehicle Components were certainly inferior to higher-tier ones. After all, his higher-tier Vehicle Components could also be infinitely upgraded.
Currently, he only owned two high-tier Vehicle Components, both of which were red-tier.
Level 2 "Geothermal Furnace"
Level 1 "Wheel Changer."
Both of these components were auxiliary types. The former was primarily used to devour abandoned Trains and decompose them into Iron Ore resources, while the latter allowed for the replacement of Train wheels during operation, enabling adaptability to different driving environments.
Upgrading the "Geothermal Furnace" from Level 1 to Level 2 only required 100 units of Iron Ore, but upgrading it from Level 2 to Level 3 required a whopping 10,000 units. Each upgrade allowed it to decompose abandoned Trains of the corresponding level.
As for the "Wheel Changer," upgrading it to Level 2 required a full 10,000 units of Iron Ore. Each upgrade would grant an additional "Wheel" slot.
According to the information in the "Newbie Guide," the higher the tier of the Vehicle Component, the more resources it would consume for each upgrade. Therefore, Chen Mang had a clear path planned out for himself. In the early stages, when resources were limited, he would prioritize upgrading the white-tier "Vehicle Components."
He didn't need to upgrade them too high—just enough to achieve the Supermodel Effect, such as the Level 5 "Car Blade," which would mark the first qualitative leap.
This way, he could maximize his gains with minimal resources.
Then, leveraging the enhanced effects, he could plunder or mine more resources to continuously upgrade the Train's level, eventually bringing those higher-tier "Vehicle Components" to sufficient levels.
His Train would undergo a true qualitative transformation!
"The plan sounds wonderful."
Inside the Train compartment, Chen Mang let out a long sigh and rubbed his dry eyes. The plan was flawless, but the process was undoubtedly a long and arduous journey. After all, this wasn't a game where he could take his time to develop. Unexpected events could arise at any moment, disrupting his growth plan.
All he could do was try to avoid these unexpected events and focus on steady development whenever possible.
The last Slave emerged from the mine. This mining session had far exceeded 10 hours, with most working around 12 hours, and the longest shift lasting 14 hours.
This far surpassed his expectations.
He chuckled softly, stood up, and walked out of the Train compartment. He waved at Lao Zhu, who was guarding the Train entrance. "Gather all the Slaves."
Lao Zhu nodded respectfully and handed over a list he had prepared earlier. "Lord Mang, here's today's mining ranking for all the Slaves."
Chen Mang stood alone on top of the Train, facing the wind, while a group of ragged Slaves gathered below, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Though there were many people, the vast wilderness still exuded a profound sense of loneliness.
The enforcers stood guard around the perimeter, armed with guns, vigilant against any potential dangers. In the wilderness, Slaves wouldn't attempt to escape. Staying together provided a sense of security. If one were to flee alone, relying solely on their legs, they would never make it out of the wilderness. The feeling of impending death would teach them what true despair was.
Humans, no matter where they are, are social animals.
Even as Slaves, it's better to be together than to wander the wilderness alone.
Chen Mang scanned each person, feeling the cool night breeze. After a moment, he glanced at the list in his hand and couldn't help but smile. "You all performed exceptionally well today. Even the least productive person mined 11 units of Iron Ore."
"What pleases me most is that none of you slacked off just because you didn't have a chance to compete for first place. Everyone worked hard. The ceiling of a team is often determined by its weakest link. I hope everyone can maintain this mining speed in the future and strive for even greater heights."
"Tonight, everyone will get two extra slices of bread."
"First place, Zhang Haoping, mined 20 units today."
"Step forward, let me see you."
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man with a dark, weathered complexion stepped out from the crowd and stood in the open space, looking up at Chen Mang. He spoke in a somewhat timid voice, "Lord Mang, it's me."
Chen Mang looked the man up and down, noticing that his legs were trembling slightly in the darkness. It seemed he had indeed worked himself to exhaustion today. Chen Mang smiled and waved his hand. "As per our earlier agreement, choose one of these two women."
The man, who appeared somewhat simple and honest, pointed almost immediately to the taller woman, grinning excitedly. "Lord Mang, I want this one. She's tall. I like that."
A low chuckle rippled through the crowd.
But no one dared to say anything.
"She's yours tonight."
Chen Mang waved his hand, and the tall woman standing in front of the Slaves walked over to the man with a feline grace. She bent down, nuzzled his forehead with her nose, and said with a smile in her voice, "Still got some energy left?"
The man, who had been completely exhausted moments ago, straightened up instantly, his voice hoarse with anticipation. "I've got nothing but brute strength left in me."
Chen Mang smiled at the scene but didn't say anything. Instead, he continued reading from the list.
"Second place, Li Kui, mined 16 units today."
"The remaining woman is yours tonight."
"If, in the next five days, everyone can maintain a minimum daily mining output of 11 units, everyone will receive five slices of bread even on days when there's no mining. If everyone can maintain a minimum daily mining output of 12 units, an additional carriage will be added to the Train."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into cheers of excitement. This was a tangible benefit for everyone.
An extra carriage meant more space, no longer having to curl up to sleep at night, and not worrying about being stepped on by Slaves going to the bathroom.
After all this, Chen Mang descended from the top of the Train. Biao Zi, standing nearby, immediately began distributing the evening meal. Each Slave received two extra slices of bread, while the top three were given warm steamed buns and pickled vegetables.
Lao Zhu, who had been waiting below, sighed with a hint of admiration. "I have to say, women are often a great stimulant for boosting morale."
"But Lord Mang, you're also exceptionally generous. Most Train Conductors wouldn't easily hand over women of this caliber to their subordinates."
"After all, in the apocalypse, cosmetics are har
d to come by, and there aren't many clean, attractive clothes. A woman with natural beauty and a good figure is an absolute rarity in the apocalypse."