"So this is how you get Train Coins?"
"Four. In that case..."
Ye Qiyan opened the train details. The options that had appeared after the upgrade were still there.
After spending three Train Coins on the Low-Level Water Reservoir Blueprint and an hour of stopover time, Ye Qiyan had only one Train Coin left. If he could find another treasure chest at the next stop, he might be able to scrape together enough for the acceleration device.
Once he saw the departure countdown change to 1:15, Ye Qiyan turned his attention to the rewards from the treasure chest.
The Colt M1911. Compared with the ordinary firearms he had taken from the armory, this gun was so finely crafted that it could be called a work of art.
"It looks like all the guns in this world can use the same type of ammunition."
He loaded a magazine with low-grade bullets and aimed the muzzle at a wooden crate outside the train.
He pulled the trigger, and the wooden crate was instantly blasted to pieces.
"Holy crap, isn't this a bit too powerful?"
Rubbing the slightly sore web of his hand, Ye Qiyan looked at the gun in surprise.
They were all handguns, and the ones from the armory used the same bullets as this one, yet they had at least fifty percent less power.
"If I sublimated this one too..."
Ye Qiyan quickly shook his head, putting that dangerous thought aside for now.
Even if he was going to sublimate it, now was not the time.
His stamina and mental energy were both nearing their limits. It would not be too late to consider it once he had recovered.
Putting away the handgun, Ye Qiyan inspected the two blueprints he had just obtained through the control system.
[Low-Level Water Reservoir Blueprint] [Stores water, keeping it from spoiling or evaporating for ten days] [Requires: metal: 10 kg, mechanical parts: 20] [External Garbage Collector] [Collects garbage within the platform. The automated device can return to the collector after collection, before departure from the platform] [Requires: metal: 30 kg, mechanical parts: 100] [Optional addition: 300 mechanical parts for a special modification] [After modification, collected garbage can automatically be recycled and dismantled into usable materials through the workbench]
"Looks like I can build both."
Ye Qiyan murmured to himself as he looked at the total resources he had collected.
[Wood: 210 kg] [Metal: 60 kg] [Mechanical parts: 220]
He had enough resources, but if he built these two things, he would have to put the first carriage on hold for now.
"Let's wait a bit."
He was in no hurry. Since he had some extra stopover time anyway, he might as well get some proper rest.
When the departure countdown reached its final hour, Ye Qiyan opened the trading platform.
The trading platform had special rules.
No train conductor at a platform could list anything on it. They could only sell things after leaving the platform.
This rule had probably been established to prevent people from transferring supplies out of stops through platform trades to get around their storage limits.
Purchases, however, were not covered by this rule.
In other words, Ye Qiyan, who was currently at a platform, could buy listings posted on the trading platform by other train conductors who had left their platforms.
But this rule seemed far too foolish, because it did not restrict private trades between train conductors, nor did it prevent people inside stations from making purchases.
Such an obvious loophole hardly seemed like something the entity capable of creating this train survival scenario would have left in its rules.
Was it as though it was hinting to them that rules could be ignored to a certain extent?
Ye Qiyan did not pursue that thought. There was only one thing he would do next.
Trade for metal.
As for what he would offer?
His gaze swept over the low-grade rifle and compressed biscuits beside him.
At a time like this, what people lacked most was a sense of security.
And weapons and food were among the things that could give people that sense of security.
"Nothing?"
Ye Qiyan kept refreshing the trading platform. Although some people had listed the metal he needed, the quantities were far too small, and the quantities were far too small, while the prices were also particularly outrageous. Clearly, these people had no real intention of trading.
"Everyone's waiting to see how things go, huh."
He opened the Chatroom.
The other train conductors had already left the first stop, and the messages in the Chatroom had begun scrolling wildly.
["Guys, how did you all do at your first stop? I searched a garbage dump for ages, but there was nothing valuable except a pile of old tires. I'm so pissed. Still, I got quite a bit of rubber from dismantling the tires. Anyone who wants to buy some, message me!"]
["Count yourself lucky. My first stop was grassland. Nothing but grass, grass, and more grass! And you couldn't even walk through it. There was black mud everywhere, and it stank. Absolutely disgusting."]
["Grassland is good. Black soil is really valuable."]
["What value? Can you eat it?"]
["You can use black soil to grow vegetables. It's really useful."]
["Pfft, I thought you could eat it. What's the use? With that tiny scrap of space in a locomotive, you think you can grow vegetables? You've got to be kidding."]
["Anyone selling mechanical parts? I've got a blueprint that needs mechanical parts to make."]
A blueprint was posted in the Chatroom, immediately causing a stir.
[Low-Level Mechanical Fishing Rod] [Capable of automatic fishing] [Requires: mechanical parts: 20, metal: 1 kg]
["Holy shit! What's that, a blueprint? Why didn't I get one?!"]
["They got lucky, I guess. But is it okay to post that in the Chatroom?"]
["Pfft, I can tell none of you have blueprints. That's just a screenshot. You can only craft it if you own the blueprint. Friend, I've got mechanical parts here. Twenty of them. All I want is the bread and water you were given at the start."]
["Dumbass, you want bread and water for twenty mechanical parts? In your dreams. I'll give you the parts for just one loaf!"]
["Me, I'll take just half! But I've only got fifteen mechanical parts..."]
["It's just a fishing rod. What's so special about it?"]
Not many people had gained anything at the first stop.
["Anyone selling water? I'm dying of thirst..."]
["Did any of you open a treasure chest?"]
["What's a treasure chest?"]
["Uh, nothing. Pretend I didn't say anything."]
["Fuck, I hate people who leave things half-said. In a situation like this, are you even human if you've got information and won't share it?"]
["Exactly! We're all struggling to stay alive. What's wrong with helping each other out?!"]
Some people began condemning the person who had revealed the treasure chest information. Their ugly faces practically came through the screen.
In the end, that person could not withstand the malice. A short while later, they posted a screenshot of the control system.
[Opened level 1 treasure chest] [Obtained Train Coins: 2] [Obtained: Golden Wound Medicine] [Obtained: level 1 blueprint: Aluminum Insulation Pad]
Before you continue