[Top-Grade! A crudely crafted steam engine!]
[You have gained 1 distributable attribute point!]
Even Bai Cheng herself had never expected that the simple pulley transmission system would eventually evolve into a steam engine.
This is utterly absurd!
The cramped space of the rail cart couldn't possibly accommodate such a behemoth. Before Bai Cheng could even react, a glaring red warning flashed across the screen.
[Warning! Insufficient space! Please make a selection within ten seconds, or the train may sustain damage!]
Faced with a forced choice, Bai Cheng didn't hesitate.
"Upgrade!"
She immediately tapped the [Yes] button at the bottom of the screen. In the next moment, a blinding white light erupted from all directions, engulfing her completely.
The intense light made Bai Cheng instinctively squint. By the time her vision adjusted, the rail cart before her had undergone a complete transformation.
Now, she stood inside a steel-enclosed space. Before her was a massive black cylindrical boiler1, occupying nearly half the area.
Its surface was reinforced with rivets2, and adjacent to it was an exhaust pipe leading outside, with no insulation in sight. Right beside it stood the control panel.
Bai Cheng's gaze sharpened. The semi-open control panel had a few levers and buttons.
Although she had never learned how to operate a train, a single glance was enough for her to understand them.
"Probably the system's doing," Bai Cheng mused. Moreover, this upgrade made her realize that not every item could be enhanced to legendary quality.
Then again, perhaps it was because the steam engine had its own subsequent upgrade conditions.
A smile spread across Bai Cheng's face. This was undeniably a monumental leap forward. Delighted, she stepped closer to inspect everything carefully.
Compared to the control panel, she was far more curious about the steam engine.
How am I supposed to make this big guy work?
On either side of the boiler were rows of pipes, and at the base of the furnace was the firebox door3, the entry point for fuel.
Near the front of the train were massive cylinders and various linkage mechanisms.
And, of course, there was also the indispensable water tank.
This was Bai Cheng's biggest headache. She had fuel, but where was she supposed to get enough water?
Just then, the screen hanging above the control panel flickered again, displaying a mandatory announcement.
[Channel Announcement!]
[Congratulations to Bai Cheng for becoming the first Train Conductor to successfully advance to a steam train! A special reward has been granted!]
The above message was a global broadcast, visible to everyone in the channel. The following information, however, was for Bai Cheng alone.
[Special rewards include: one-time water tank refill,
Bai Cheng's face lit up with joy. "There's such a good thing?"
Every item in this exclusive reward was incredibly useful.
"So there's a time limit for staying at the Station?" Bai Cheng raised an eyebrow, gleaning crucial information from the reward.
But she was also puzzled. "What's the use of this title?"
She tapped to check, but the description was frustratingly brief: 'Awarded to outstanding pioneers within the Infinite Train channel'.
"That's it?" Bai Cheng rubbed her eyes in disbelief, finding it was hard to imagine a title that didn't provide any stat boosts.
Then what's the point…?
Little did she know, the title was automatically equipped. And the moment the channel announcement went out, the entire channel had erupted into chaos.
Night had just fallen, and nearly everyone was busy organizing their supplies, which meant that no one was asleep.
This announcement had taken them all by surprise.
"Are you kidding me!? How the hell did Bai Cheng get a steam engine? Spill the secrets, please!"
"What do you mean 'Bai Cheng'? Read properly! It's 'Pioneer' Bai Cheng!"
"Who said you could only upgrade your train after reaching the Station? Show yourself!"
"Is it possible that… Bai Cheng has arrived at Station One?"
"Goodness, I'm still chopping trees, and someone's already riding a steam train? Are we even from the same era?"
"Uwaaah, sis, please adopt me~ I've got a cold, so my voice sounds kinda boyish."
"Bro, since when are you a 'sis'?"
Among all these survivors, the most shocked was undoubtedly Tang Yan.
He stared at the message on the screen, brows furrowed and fists clenched.
"Impossible. How did she obtain a steam engine without reaching Station One!?"
"No more grinding. I need to hurry. Even if I'm ahead in distance, she'll catch up easily. The first-arrival reward at the Station must be mine!"
Tang Yan immediately recalled his employee. Even though it was night, he refused to waste another second.
Bai Cheng's progress had completely disrupted his plans.
"Let's hope teammates like Xiao Ran and Lin Qiuyue can be of some use to me."
Bai Cheng allocated the 2 distributable attribute points to Strength and Physique, finally pushing her Strength to 10.
[Strength: 10]
[Constitution: 9]
[Spirit: 6]
Next, she opened the train's detailed information to check the requirements for the next upgrade.
[Train: Steam Train]
[Level: Lv.1]
[Armor Core: None]
[Maximum Connectable Carriages: 1]
[Maximum Speed: 60 km/h]
[Employees: None]
[Upgrade Requirements: 0/50 flint, 0/50 fine wood, 0/200 iron ingots, 0/1 train core (any).]
[Note: Carriages must be upgraded separately. Depending on the train core's attributes, different carriage types can be crafted.]
Looking at the screen, Bai Cheng fell into thought.
"At least the upgrade materials aren't as ridiculous as the advancement requirements."
"But what even is a train core?" She had no clue.
And more importantly, where was she supposed to get a carriage?
Although the manual rail cart had successfully evolved into a steam train, it had only lengthened, not widened.
The width remained at three meters, while the length had increased to about nine meters. However, with the steam engine, water tank, control panel, and existing structures like the furnace and workbench, the interior had become even more cramped than before.
"This is way too small…" Bai Cheng frowned. "And now I can't just move the train whenever I want."
Frequent stops and starts would waste fuel rapidly. If she ran out, she would be stranded in the wilderness.
"Ugh, now I've got fuel anxiety too."
Peering out through the barred window at the pitch-black darkness outside, Bai Cheng sighed.
The safe zone for tonight had shrunk to just the train's interior. She couldn't even step out to ignite the black slime.
Am I going to waste the entire night like this?
Bai Cheng's brows furrowed. She decided to start the train and try moving forward. Perhaps the steam engine's power could plow through the black slime.
As for the furnace, she could multitask.
But before that, Bai Cheng needed to synthesize all her employee cards to welcome her first legendary employee.
Summoning the Book of Cheng, she immediately selected the green employee card as the upgrade target.
[Green employee card: 0/2]
…
[Blue employee card: 0/4]
…
[Purple employee card: 0/8]
Finally, a golden radiance burst forth, illuminating Bai Cheng's pupils and reflecting the joy on her face.
[Top-Grade! Golden Legendary Employee Card!]
[You have gained 1 distributable attribute point!]