The violent shaking of the train car continued for nearly half a minute before slowly subsiding.
The indicator lights on the control panel no longer flickered wildly, but instead transformed into a stable, soft blue glow. The LCD screen also lit up again, but the interface displayed had undergone a drastic change.
The originally simple, even somewhat crude, text information interface had now become a dynamic, sci-fi 3D train structure diagram.
Jiang Chen could even see the small 3D model representing his train slowly rotating on the screen, with the parameters and status of various components presented in an intuitive way.
Next to the 3D model were several brand-new, metallic-sheen virtual buttons, replacing the previous simple icons.
"Upgrade", "Manufacture", "Energy Management", "Scan and Target", "AI Assistant", "Train Status".
Each button was designed with an extreme sense of texture, full of futuristic technology.
"This... this change is too big!" Jiang Chen was dumbfounded.
If the previous control panel was just a Nokia, then this one had directly evolved into the latest smart flagship phone!
"The Train Smart Control Core has been successfully activated and perfectly integrated with the train system."
"AI Assistant Zero is online, dedicated to serving you, Commander."
A soft, pleasant female voice, slightly mechanical but much more human-like than the previous system prompt, suddenly came from the control panel's speaker.
"Commander?" Jiang Chen was startled for a moment, then reacted, "You are... the AI of that Smart Control Core?"
"Yes, Commander. You can call me Zero." The AI Assistant's voice sounded again, its tone steady and polite.
"Zero... sounds good." Jiang Chen nodded, feeling as if he had a personal butler, and a high-tech version at that.
This feeling was simply too good!
He walked to the completely new control panel and reached out to touch the Upgrade button.
A brand-new interface popped up, listing all the modules the train could currently upgrade.
The dense array of upgrade options made Jiang Chen dizzy.
Behind each upgrade option, the required materials were clearly marked.
"Finally, I can start upgrading the train!" Jiang Chen's heart was ablaze.
He then clicked on the Manufacture button.
The interface had also changed; on the left was a list of manufacturable items, and on the right were the required materials and a preview image.
Currently, there weren't many items that could be manufactured, mostly some basic tools and parts.
"Simple Toolbox: Contains basic repair tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, and hammers. Required materials: Scrap Metal * 20, Small Amount of Wood * 5."
"Basic Metal Ingot: A basic material obtained by smelting Scrap Metal. Required materials: Scrap Metal * 5."
"Reinforced Steel Plate: A stronger plate than Basic Metal Ingot. Required materials: Basic Metal Ingot * 3, Small Amount of Energy Core Powder * 1."
..."The Manufacture function is also unlocked! This is great!" Jiang Chen excitedly clenched his fists.
With the Manufacture function, he could convert various collected scrap materials into useful items and upgrade components, forming a virtuous cycle.
This was the true farming and development genre!
He glanced at his backpack, which contained 3 Standard Energy Cores, and some Scrap Metal he had picked up in the small warehouse earlier (though not Infinite Amplification, it was better than nothing).
"It seems that the primary goal for the next stop will be to collect various basic materials," Jiang Chen mused.
Just as he was immersed in the joy brought by the train's upgrade...
"Thump thump thump!"
A series of urgent and forceful knocks suddenly came from outside the car door!
Jiang Chen's heart tightened, and he immediately became alert.
He looked out through the observation window on the door.
Outside the door stood three people.
Leading them was a burly bald man, the same fierce individual he had seen using a fire axe at the entrance of the Supply Station. His fire axe was still stained with dark red blood, and his face showed a hint of impatience and wariness.
Behind him followed a young man wearing a baseball cap, his hands in his pockets, the brim of his cap pulled low, making his expression unclear, but his eyes were sharp. This was the expert who used dual daggers.
The last person was a young woman in her early twenties, wearing sportswear and a high ponytail. Her face was delicate, but it was pale with lingering shock, and she held tightly a metal rod that looked like it had been removed from some machinery.
"How did these three people find me here?" Jiang Chen frowned slightly.
His train's parking spot was relatively secluded, and he had specifically checked when he returned earlier, so he shouldn't have been followed.
"Warning! Commander, external personnel detected. Do you wish to activate defensive alarm?" Zero's voice sounded at the opportune moment.
"Not for now," Jiang Chen replied, while quickly browsing the regional chat channel.
In the channel, the chaos at the Supply Station had gradually subsided, but people were still discussing the recent battle and the terrifying monsters.
No one mentioned any unusual activity on his side.
"Could it be... the commotion when the Smart Control Core activated was too loud?" Jiang Chen's heart stirred.
The earthquake-like tremor just now, and the strong energy fluctuations emanating from the control panel, although mainly concentrated inside the carriage, it was possible that a tiny bit leaked out and was noticed by sensitive individuals nearby.
"Is anyone there? Open the door! We mean no harm!" The bald man's voice came from outside the door, his tone a bit stiff, but it didn't seem to carry any obvious hostility.
Jiang Chen pondered for a moment.
The three individuals looked like they all had some strength. If they were indeed drawn by the commotion just now, avoiding them directly might cause unnecessary suspicion and trouble.
Moreover, with his enhanced physical fitness and powerful weapon in hand, he wasn't completely without the ability to protect himself.
It might be better to see what they wanted first.
He cleared his throat and said to the outside of the door, "What is it?"
His voice, transmitted through the train car's metal door, was slightly distorted.
The bald man outside the door seemed not to have expected anyone to respond inside, he was stunned for a moment, then said, "Brother, we are passing survivors. We felt a big commotion from your side just now, and came to see if you encountered any trouble and need help."
His words sounded polite enough.
Jiang Chen sneered inwardly. Help? More like trying to probe his situation.
However, he didn't expose them, merely saying indifferently, "No trouble, thank you for your concern. Everything is normal here."
"Everything normal?" The bald man's tone carried a hint of suspicion, "Brother, that commotion just now was not small. We even thought your train was going to explode! Are you really okay?"
"Really, I'm fine." Jiang Chen's tone remained calm.
He didn't want to expose the fact that he had obtained a heaven-defying treasure.
Silence fell outside the door for a few seconds.
"Then... Brother, can you open the door and let us in to sit? It's not very safe outside. Although the monsters have been temporarily repelled, who knows if they'll come again. We are all survivors, and it's only right to look out for each other." The bald man spoke again, his tone much more polite than before.
Jiang Chen's brows furrowed even deeper.
This guy really seemed to be the type who wouldn't let go until he saw results.
Just as he was thinking about how to refuse...
"Warning! Commander, train docking time is about to end. Remaining time: 1 minute. Please prepare for departure as soon as possible."
Zero's alert suddenly sounded.
Immediately after, a cold system prompt also came to his mind: "The train will automatically depart from the current docking point in 1 minute."
"Time's up?" Jiang Chen's heart stirred.
This was a good excuse.
He said to the outside of the door, "Sorry, everyone, my train is about to depart, so I'm afraid I can't entertain you."
Upon hearing this, the bald man outside the door immediately sounded displeased: "Departing soon? Brother, you're not giving face, are you? We came over with good intentions, and you won't even let us in?"
The young man in the baseball cap behind him also looked up, his sharp gaze seemingly trying to penetrate the train door. The girl with the high ponytail appeared somewhat nervous, gripping the metal rod even tighter.
Jiang Chen could feel that the aura of the three people outside the door seemed to become a little dangerous.
He snorted coldly in his heart. Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit?
However, he didn't want to cause any more trouble right now.
"Everyone, it's really time to depart. Let's chat again if there's a chance next time." Jiang Chen's tone remained calm, but it carried an undeniable firmness.
At the same time, he quietly gripped the handle of his multi-functional tactical entrenching shovel, ready to respond to any sudden situation.
Silence fell outside the door once more.
The atmosphere became somewhat stagnant for a moment.
Just as Jiang Chen thought the other party might forcibly break down the door...
"Whoosh—"
A long whistle suddenly sounded from various corners of the Supply Station!
This was the signal that the train was about to depart!
Immediately after, Jiang Chen felt his car sway slightly, as if the train's engine had started up again.
"Train engine activated, performing track calibration. Expected departure in 10 seconds." Zero's voice sounded again.
The bald man outside the door obviously heard the whistle too, and his expression changed slightly.
He seemed not to have expected the train to leave so suddenly and start up so quickly.
"Damn it, you lucky bastard!" The bald man cursed in a low voice, but ultimately said nothing more.
After all, once the train started moving, they wouldn't have time to do anything else.
He glared fiercely at Jiang Chen's car door, then called to the two behind him: "Go! Our train is about to leave too!"
The three quickly turned and ran towards the direction where their own train was docked.
Jiang Chen saw their retreating figures through the observation window and breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he wasn't afraid of trouble, it was always good to have less of it.
"Rumble— Clang— Clang—"
The train began to move slowly, picking up speed, and departed from this small, abandoned Supply Station filled with blood and danger.
The scenery outside the window rapidly receded again, and the dilapidated buildings and scattered corpses quickly disappeared from view.
The dark red wasteland once again became the eternal theme outside the window.
Jiang Chen finally relaxed completely, slumping back into the metal seat.
That momentary standoff just now had still made him a bit nervous.
"It seems that in the future, when the train upgrades or when I make any big commotions, I need to be more careful," Jiang Chen reminded himself silently.
His Infinite Amplification talent was his biggest secret and absolutely could not be easily exposed.
