Kagashi stood up and walked to the main control computer.
The screen was lit, displaying the names and avatars of Train Conductor Kagashi and crew members Furina, Yoshino, Misaka Mikoto, and Roxy at the top.
Below that, it was marked [Train Level: Level 0].
On the interface, the upgrade system icon was flickering slightly.
Kagashi took out the blue-glowing Level 1 Train Blueprint from his system backpack.
Kagashi chose to upgrade immediately.
[Ding!]
[Detected Level 1 Train Blueprint ×1, Stone ×100, Iron Ore ×100, Wood ×100.]
[Upgrade requirements met.]
[Upgrade train to Level 1 now?]
“Yes,” Kagashi thought silently.
The blueprint and materials instantly turned into a blue stream of light, merging into the screen.
The entire train shuddered.
Then.
The transformation began.
First was the carriage.
Rusty spots were replaced by new metal, uneven dents were smoothed out, and the joints fused together until not a single crack could be seen.
Even the lights grew much brighter.
But the biggest change was at the other end of the carriage.
“Vrrr!”
A low rumble sounded.
At the end of the carriage, there had originally been a sealed metal wall.
Now, that wall began to slide to both sides, revealing a brand-new space behind it.
It was a new carriage.
The new carriage was basically the same as the old one.
One could say the living space had increased significantly.
It was just empty with nothing inside.
[Ding!]
[System Announcement: The team led by player “Kagashi” has completed the first train upgrade in the entire region (Level 0 → Level 1)!]
The entire region.
All survivors.
Could hear it.
[Obtained Reward: Level 2 Train Blueprint ×1!]
Only Kagashi could hear the reward notification.
He quickly opened his system backpack.
A silver-glowing blueprint lay quietly in a backpack slot.
[Level 2 Train Blueprint]
[Effect: A basic blueprint that can upgrade the train from Level 1 to Level 2.
Requires 500 Stone, 500 Iron Ore, 500 Wood, and 1 Zombie Crystal.]
Kagashi blurted out, “Holy crap, good thing I brought that crystal I got from killing the zombie.”
Kagashi looked at the blueprint, his grin nearly reaching his ears.
He just needed to get the remaining materials, and he could upgrade once more.
But he didn’t celebrate for long; instead, he opened the Trading System and the train warehouse system.
The Trading System interface was very simple.
A market-like interface where survivors could list items, set prices, and trade.
Currently, no items were listed; after all, everyone had just finished their first stop.
Once the train started moving, people would likely start listing things.
The train warehouse system was a massive storage space.
Kagashi transferred most of the resources from his system backpack into it.
Instant noodles, bottled water, compressed biscuits, first-aid kits, and that axe.
Everything was neatly arranged in the warehouse interface, clearly categorized and easy to access.
Kagashi opened access to the train warehouse system so that all crew members could use it.
The Construction System hadn’t been opened yet, but the chatbox had already exploded.
Within thirty seconds of the regional announcement, the chat system was like a bomb had been dropped into it.
“???
Someone upgraded their train???
This was only the first stop!”
“Kagashi?
He got the first kill last time too!”
“No way, we haven’t even gathered enough stone yet, and he’s already upgraded his train?
Is this guy cheating?”
“In our carriage, we don’t even have enough water to drink, yet someone has already upgraded their train.
The gap is just too big.”
“Big shot, carry me!
Please!
I’m willing to work like a slave for you!”
“Give it a rest, person above.
Why on earth would he carry you?”
Kagashi scrolled through these messages, his brow furrowing slightly.
Most people were struggling just to survive.
Meanwhile, he had already completed the first upgrade.
Kagashi had returned through the thick fog partly because of the newbie protection period and partly to snatch the first upgrade.
It seemed he had made the right choice.
Then, he noticed a few messages that were a bit different.
“Has anyone encountered…
uncooperative situations?”
“Most of us awakened utility-type abilities; I believe it’s the same for you all.”
“There’s someone in our carriage who is very strong; his awakened ability is Strength Reinforcement.
He’s hogging most of the resources and won’t share with us.
We’re furious but don’t dare to speak up.”
This message was withdrawn less than ten seconds after being sent.
But Kagashi saw it.
Immediately after, there was another message.
“At least you guys are still alive.
Two people have already died in our carriage.”
This message wasn’t withdrawn.
But after it was sent, the chatbox fell silent for several seconds.
Only then did someone reply.
“How did they die?”
“Zombies.
The stop was at an abandoned hospital.
Seven people from half the carriage went down, but only five came back.”
“My condolences.”
Messages were still scrolling by, but he noticed several were talking about the same thing: the thick fog.
“A massive fog rolled in on our end, grayish-white, with a sleep-inducing effect.
We can’t get back to the train.
Is there anyone who can save us?”
“The people in our carriage won’t cooperate at all.
I say go east, someone else says west, and another says stay put.
We argued all day and didn’t collect any resources before the stopping time ended.”
“Us too.
Eight people split into four groups, each doing their own thing.
I found a few cans of food and hid them to eat by myself; I don’t dare let the others know.”
Some carriages were cooperating, some were in conflict, some were killing each other, and some were barely scraping by under high pressure.
As for his side, he glanced at the four girls who were fast asleep.
Furina was curled up in her sleeping bag, her breathing steady.
Misaka Mikoto’s brow was slightly furrowed; even in sleep, she hadn’t completely relaxed.
Yoshino’s small hand was still clutching the corner of Furina’s clothes, a faint smile on her lips.
Roxy’s sleeping posture was the quietest, as if she were resting her mind with her eyes closed.
The clamor in the chatbox continued, but Kagashi had already turned off the screen.
He glanced at the system time.
[Time until stop ends: 1 hour 48 minutes.]
The thick fog had not dissipated.
The grayish-white thick fog still surged around the train like a flowing ocean.
But the fog was blocked outside the train door by an invisible barrier, with not a single wisp drifting into the carriage.
Kagashi stood up and stretched his shoulders. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
His body, after the Physical Reinforcement, felt almost no fatigue; he was full of energy now.
He glanced at the four sleeping girls.
Kagashi didn’t wake them.
He took the axe from the warehouse, gripped it in his hand, and stepped lightly off the train.
The fog immediately enveloped him.
It carried that familiar, sleep-inducing scent.
However, his body’s resistance to this scent had clearly increased after the Physical Reinforcement, and he didn’t feel sleepy at all.
First, he walked around the train to check its overall condition.
From the outside, the train’s transformation was even more apparent.
The carriage shell, which was originally rusty and full of dents…
…was now covered with a layer of brand-new silver-gray metal.
The joints were smooth and even, looking like a new car fresh out of the factory.
Kagashi patted the outer wall of the carriage, which produced a dull, solid sound.
“Not bad,” he nodded with satisfaction.
After inspecting the train, he began searching for resources nearby.
Although the fog was thick, he already knew the terrain within fifty meters of the train by heart.
Dead branches.
Kagashi picked them up and stored them in the warehouse.
[Wood ×3, stored in warehouse.]
He walked a few more steps further away, and the silhouette of a small dead tree loomed in the fog.
The trunk was completely dried out, the bark peeling away to reveal grayish-white wood.
Kagashi kicked the trunk.
“Crack.”
The trunk snapped at the blow and was stored in the warehouse.
[Wood ×5, stored in warehouse.]
A few scattered dead trees added up to ten units of wood.
It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
Just as he was about to head back, his foot kicked something.
“Thud.”
A metallic sound, dull, but not like a stone.
Kagashi crouched down and felt around in the fog.
A box.
It wasn’t like the previous magnificent dark-gold treasure chest, but an Iron Box with a thin layer of rust on its surface.
Kagashi dug the box out of the soil and weighed it in his hand.
It was a bit heavy.
There should be something inside.
He put the box into the warehouse and turned back toward the train.
When he returned to the carriage, the four girls were still sleeping.
Kagashi took the Iron Box out of the warehouse, placed it on the floor in the middle of the carriage, then sat back in his spot by the door and opened the chat system.
As soon as he opened it, several new messages popped up.
[Ding!
The team led by player “Chen Feng” has completed a train upgrade (Level 0 → Level 1).]
Although it wasn’t a regional announcement like the first upgrade, it still caused a stir in the chatbox.
“Someone else upgraded?
Chen Feng?
Never heard of him.”
“Seems like it’s not that Kagashi is too strong, but that we are too weak…”
“People have already started selling things, look at the Trading System!”
Kagashi clicked on the Trading System.
There were significantly more products listed on the interface than before.
A player named “Lin Xiaohe” listed [Bottled Water ×1] for [Iron Ore ×10].
Another player named “Zhao Tiezhu” listed [Iron Axe ×1] for [Compressed Biscuits ×10 packs].
And a player named “Su Ran” posted a buying request: [Buying Stone, can trade for food, DM for price.]
Although there were only a dozen or so scattered transactions, it was already much livelier than before.
The survivors were starting to find their rhythm.
Kagashi closed the system, leaned against the carriage wall, and looked at the Iron Box on the floor.
He didn’t open it.
He would wait for them to wake up and let them open it.
Who knows, they might pull some kind of golden legendary item.