Chen Mang spent 4,400 units of iron ore to upgrade the refrigerator in his cockpit to Level 10, unlocking two Advanced Effects.
Not every accessory provided a corresponding boost with each level.
Both the "Carriage Blades" and "Windfire Wheels" showed improvements with every upgrade. But a Level 1 refrigerator and a Level 10 refrigerator were practically identical. It was just a fridge. Its size hadn't increased, and its cooling and freezing temperatures hadn't changed.
It made sense—no matter how much you upgraded a refrigerator, it was still a refrigerator.
But the two Advanced Effects were another story.
[Refrigerator Level 5 Advanced Effect]: Ultimate Freshness. Any food placed in this refrigerator will be preserved in a state of ultimate freshness. When removed, its taste and quality will be virtually unchanged.
[Refrigerator Level 10 Advanced Effect]: A Universe Within. 【TN: The original idiom "內含乾坤" refers to a small object containing a vast, hidden space, like a pocket dimension.】
Chen Mang's brow furrowed slightly. The first effect was clear enough, but what did the second one mean?
Then, a thought struck him. He quickly opened the refrigerator door and stared inside, stunned.It was just as he'd guessed.
From the outside, it still looked like an ordinary refrigerator. But opening the door revealed a ‘universe’ within. The interior was now the size of a hundred-square-meter cold storage unit. The original fridge had an upper refrigeration compartment and a lower freezer.
After the upgrade, the two doors had merged into one. It was less a refrigerator door and more the entrance to a walk-in freezer.
The interior of this cold storage room was pure white, with a black line dividing it down the middle. The left side was the freezer area, the right was for refrigeration. A blast of cold air wafted out.
"Whew..."
He breathed out slowly and muttered, "This is some seriously black tech..."
He grabbed a few bottles of cola and tossed them into the refrigeration section—products from his production line.
He had seen people selling Coca-Cola at the gathering.
This world already had the Coca-Cola brand, just like his previous world. There were two possibilities.
First, the Coca-Cola company from his past life was a hidden giant—a galactic tycoon that had expanded its business to other planets.
Second, this planet had also, by coincidence, given birth to the Coca-Cola brand, with the same trademark and logo. It wasn't impossible. He preferred to believe this one. If you zoomed out far enough, finding two identical leaves in the universe wasn't that difficult.
On the Ironridge Wasteland.
The "Hometown Train" was parked next to a mine. Night had fallen, and the slaves had already returned to the train with their pickaxes. The train was setting up camp for the night.
Inside the cockpit, the train captain was frowning as he tallied the day's harvest: a total of 881 units of iron ore, a little less than yesterday. His slaves' daily output had been steadily declining.
A few troublemakers were always finding ways to slack off, managing to dig only six or seven units of iron ore a day.
He wanted to make an example of them.
But for now, these troublemakers were still providing a few dozen units of ore a day. If he killed them, he'd lose even that. So he had hesitated to act.
But now, seeing that he hadn't punished the troublemakers, the other slaves were starting to follow their lead.
This had caused his daily harvest of iron ore to dwindle.
"This can't go on."
A flash of anger crossed the man's eyes. These slaves, instigated by who knows who, had realized their importance to the train. They took advantage of the fact that the captain wouldn't kill them casually. They wouldn't commit a major offense like a riot, but they were constantly guilty of minor infractions like slacking off.
He now regretted letting those troublemakers live this long. As soon as the sun came up, he would kill them.
Not now, though. The slaves were sleeping. If he disturbed their sleep, it would affect their work efficiency the next day.
"Damn it!"
At the thought, the man couldn't help but slam his fist on the control console. Why did he feel like such a pathetic train captain?
No... he shouldn't kill them. He'd sell them at the next gathering and recoup some of his losses. It would be a waste to just kill them.
That night, hundreds of trains on the Ironridge Wasteland were either camped, fleeing, or searching for mines. The wasteland was so vast that encounters with other trains were rare. That night, some lucky survivors found Train Tokens and became captains, while other trains were swallowed by zombie hordes and annihilated.
This was a story that repeated itself night after night.
And Chen Mang, sitting at the control console of the Stellar, was oblivious to the outside world. He was looking at the "Train Auxiliary AI." He had upgraded this green-grade accessory to Level 5. Compared to other green-grade accessories, this one was relatively cheap to upgrade—reaching Level 5 had only cost him 2,000 units of iron ore.
The accessory's upgrade effect was to enhance the AI's intelligence. In other words, it could better understand his intentions and possessed a certain degree of intelligence. The Advanced Effect, unlocked at Level 5, however, had truly amazed him.
[Train Auxiliary AI Level 5 Advanced Effect:] Hive Mind. Can connect the consciousness of up to 20 people to the Train Auxiliary AI, enabling instant, barrier-free communication. The connection will automatically sever after leaving the train's 10,000-meter range. Cannot be connected for long periods, as it will cause excessive mental strain.
This Advanced Effect was excellent.
It meant that the next time Biao and the others needed to go out for supplies, he could use this effect to communicate with them instantly and without barriers. Whether they needed remote fire support from the train or a pickup, the information could be transmitted accurately and immediately.
And for Biao and the others, when they were fighting away from the train, their coordination would be much more seamless under the Hive Mind.
He finally understood why they were called 'Advanced Effects' (Over the Top Effects)—because each one was truly extraordinary (over the top).
Translator’s Note:The original phrase literally means to "Over-the-Top Effect." I had translated it as "Advanced Effect" for a smoother, more natural tone in English while preserving its sense.
Just then, a mechanical voice, devoid of any emotion, suddenly sounded in his ear.
"The current number of trains has exceeded fifty million."
"The conditions for activating the first phase have been met."
"The first phase is about to officially begin. Before that, all trains will be given a comprehensive Power Value evaluation based on their train level, accessory levels, number of survivors, and other factors."
"The Power Value Leaderboard will be activated."
"Based on their Power Value, all train captains will receive a certain loan amount, with a minimum of one thousand units of iron ore and a maximum of one hundred thousand units of iron ore."
"Repayment in three months, doubled."