"How much do you need?"
Chen Mang looked at the private message sent by the "Bloodthirsty Mad Cow Train" through the Train Radio. He did a quick calculation in his mind. To upgrade the "Spider Leg" to level 13 for free movement on a 90-degree slope, he would need a total of 8,100 units of level 1 Fine Spider Silk.
After sending this number over, there was a long silence from the other side. After a while, a private message finally came through.
"Bloodthirsty Mad Cow Train": "I don't have that much. I only have 1,500 units of level 1 Fine Spider Silk, all dropped from killing Man-Eating Spiders. However, a few days ago, several trains went to Taiping City to hunt Man-Eating Spider hatchlings. They might have some spider silk. Let's meet at the gathering. What do you plan to trade?"
Chen Mang glanced at his Train Panel. He didn't seem to have much to offer for trade. He wasn't willing to part with his Slaves, and resources were already scarce for him. The only thing he could offer was Train Blade Fragments.
These fragments, when attached to a pickaxe, could break through the defenses of level 3 or even level 4 monsters. Although they could only breach defenses, their power was another matter, but they were still quite overpowered.
However, he didn't want to reveal too much by offering these. For a moment, he realized he didn't have anything good to trade. After some hesitation, he replied that they could discuss it at the gathering. Perhaps the Train Token could be used for exchange, but he needed to first gauge the market value of Train Tokens at the gathering.
Chen Mang didn't pay much attention to the Train Radio anymore. Tonight, he would have to camp out here. He wondered where the headlights of that level 2 Train playing DJ music came from, as they weren't among the 12 Vehicle Components that could be crafted.
Currently, he had 1,230 units of Iron Ore in his Train.
He had already decided how to spend this Iron Ore.
First, he would craft all the necessary Train components, then slowly upgrade them as needed.
Since he had decided to attend the gathering in seven days, he needed to craft a few Makeshift Heavy Machine Guns in the next few days and install them on the roof of the carriage. It didn't matter if he had bullets or not; outsiders wouldn't know how many bullets he had stored in his carriage.
At least with a few of these, the deterrence would be much higher, preventing some small-time troublemakers from targeting him.
The Heavy Machine Gun Bullet Production Line alone required 500 units of Copper Ore to craft. Currently, he only had 10 units of Copper Ore in his Train, which was far from enough.
As for tonight, he spent a total of 1,100 units of Iron Ore to craft three components: "Train Auxiliary AI," "Resource Detection Radar," and "Simple First Aid Kit."
The first two were green-grade components, and the last one was white-grade.
After crafting the Train Auxiliary AI, an additional screen appeared on the control panel. This AI would assist the Train Conductor during travel and camping, such as determining the slope of the road ahead, real-time monitoring of the damage levels of various Train components, or providing accurate information about monsters within the Radar range.
A very useful component.
The "Resource Detection Radar," like the Targeting Radar, had a detection range of 1,000 meters at level 1. When it detected resource points within this range, it would emit a sound and display them on the screen. So far, there were no resource points nearby.
The "Simple First Aid Kit" only required 100 units of Iron Ore to craft.
It was a disposable item.
It contained basic bandages, disinfectant, spray, and a wound suturing kit, mainly for treating external injuries. Additionally, it had some painkillers and fever reducers.
Not too much, just enough for about three people.
Later, he would go and disinfect Biao Zi, showing some human care from the Train Conductor. Although the current season's temperature made it less likely for wounds to fester, it was still better to take precautions when possible.
Finally, he spent 100 units of wood to craft a new component, the "Clothing Customization Production Line."
This was the only wood he had in the Train.
His clothes were starting to smell, and he hadn't had clean clothes to change into. After crafting this production line, he placed it in the 2nd cargo carriage.
This production line would create perfectly fitting clothes based on each person's body shape, with over a dozen styles to choose from, all at a uniform price. Crafting one set of clothes required 10 units of wood.
However, he currently had no wood, so he had to leave it aside for now.
For the next few days, he would just have to make do with what he had. The night before the gathering, he would wash his clothes and let them dry outside for a day; they should be dry by then.
At home, it didn't matter how he dressed, but when going out, he needed to look presentable.
In this apocalyptic environment, having a decent outfit also indirectly demonstrated a person's strength.
After finishing all this, Chen Mang picked up the First Aid Kit, walked through the 2nd cargo carriage, and entered the 3rd living carriage. In this carriage, Biao Zi was competing with another young man in a push-up contest.
The other thugs were cheering them on.
When Chen Mang walked in, the noise instantly died down, and Biao Zi quickly got up from the ground, looking somewhat embarrassed as he whispered, "Lord Mang."
Chen Mang waved his hand, signaling everyone to relax, then walked over to Biao Zi with the First Aid Kit: "Roll up your sleeve. Let's put some medicine on your wound to prevent infection."
Biao Zi's mouth twitched slightly as he glanced at Shan Mao Zi beside him, feeling a bit awkward. He really wanted to say that his wound had already scabbed over and didn't need any medicine.
If he rolled up his sleeve now, wouldn't that give it away?
But he couldn't disobey Lord Mang's order, so he gritted his teeth and slowly rolled up his sleeve, removing the bandage.
Chen Mang expressionlessly looked at the neatly scabbed wound on Biao Zi's left arm, then glanced at the guy in the carriage who had previously been at odds with Biao Zi but was now getting along quite well with everyone. He immediately understood everything.
He took out the disinfectant spray from the First Aid Kit, symbolically sprayed it on the wound, and replaced it with a new bandage. Then, he patted Biao Zi's shoulder and said softly, "Be careful when going out on missions in the future."
"Alright, you guys can continue."
With that, he returned to his Train cabin.
Such a neat wound clearly wasn't caused by a Zombie Wolf; it looked more like it was self-inflicted with a Train Blade Fragment. He didn't have much to say about that.
There weren't many entertainment activities in the wilderness.
Back in his Train cabin, Chen Mang didn't have much else to do. He had already memorized everything in the Newbie Guide. As drowsiness set in, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
If there was any form of entertainment, it was probably the adrenaline rush from narrowly escaping the jaws of monsters.
In his half-asleep state, he suddenly remembered something: Had he paid his respects to Master Kun yet? Master Kun was a good man who h
ad given him such a generous starter pack. He should show his gratitude.
Well, he was too tired today. He'd do it tomorrow.