Bai Cheng had been worrying about how to obtain flint, only to find them right beside the swamp’s muddy banks.

Although the demand wasn’t high, flint was essential for upgrading the train.

Instead of collecting them herself, Bai Cheng assigned the task to Chi Yan.

Now that the stones had also been gathered, she could finally build a kiln to produce charcoal.

Without hesitation, Bai Cheng initiated the construction, and a hemispherical structure that reached up to her waist appeared.

The lower section had two openings, one for adding fuel and the other for retrieving the finished product.

Its design resembled a furnace, but with a maximum capacity of 20 units. After tossing in the wood, Bai Cheng left it to do its work.

Unlike previous days, Bai Cheng didn’t spend the entire day traveling at full speed. She only covered 200 kilometers, depleting all the coal in the two iron chests.

Meanwhile, the processed iron ingots were submitted as upgrade materials, freeing up more space inside the train.

Now, Bai Cheng only had 100 units of coal left. However, by taking frequent breaks, the trio managed to gather more wood.

The original iron chests were refilled with wood, and after processing, the total charcoal count was estimated to be close to 1,000 units.

With all chests packed full, excess wood piled up in both the carriage and the locomotive, cramping the already limited space.

[The Silent Night Descends!]

Outside, the sky had darkened completely, and the gray mist in the distance began to creep toward the train.

Bai Cheng checked the time on her wrist and frowned. "It’s already dark at 4 PM. The nights are getting longer."

This meant that tonight would be even more dangerous than the last.

But Bai Cheng wasn’t worried. She was confident that she could handle it.

"Chi Yan, Zi Yuan, keep fighting tonight. Let’s work hard and grow stronger!"

"Yes, Young Lady," came the simultaneous replies from the roof and the front of the train.

Bai Cheng prepared dinner, or rather, reheated the same roasted meat she had been eating for a week straight. She was sick of it but had no other options.

Then, she remembered the potato seeds she had acquired and sighed. "Ugh, when can I grow these?"

Even with an entire carriage, space was already a luxury. She couldn’t imagine how other survivors with just a locomotive managed.

Tonight, Bai Cheng didn’t have any major plans. Fuel was no longer an issue. In fact, she had so much that the carriage couldn’t hold any more.

As she chewed on her bland meal, she idly opened the interface to check the train’s upgrade progress.

[Train: Steam Train]

[Level: LV.1]

[Armor Core: None]

[Maximum Connectable Carriages: 1]

[Top Speed: 60 km/h]

[Employee #1: Chi Yan, Elite Rank 3 (...) ]

[Employee #2: Zi Yuan, Elite Rank 3 (...) ]

[Upgrade Requirements: 50/50 Flint, 50/50 Fine Wood, 200/200 Iron Ingots, 0/1 Train Core]

"All that’s left is this damn Train Core." Bai Cheng clicked her tongue in frustration.

The difficulty of obtaining this item was absurd. Even now, she only had 0.2 units. Upgrading the train was far harder than improving herself or her employees.

"Stupid system, this is basically a scam!"

[Name: Carriage #1]

[Level: LV.1]

[Train Core Attributes: None]

[Upgrade Requirements: 100/100 Fine Wood, 0/1 Train Core]

The carriage upgrade materials were also ready, except for the missing Train Core again.

Bai Cheng was at a loss for words. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Wait, how’s the element collector doing?"

She hadn’t checked it all day today, and two of the three pipes were now filled with differently colored energies. One was completely full, the other was halfway full.

[Name: Element Collector]

[Element #1: Wild Growth (100%)]

[Description: Its harmless gas accelerates plant growth, reducing maturation time to a fixed seven days.]

[Element #2: Intimidation Taming (34%)]

[Element #3: None]

[Compatible Train Core: None]

Bai Cheng blinked, then grinned. "Wild Growth is perfect for farming!"

Seven days to mature, doesn’t that mean that I can eat vegetables soon?

But then her excitement deflated. Even if she had the space, she still lacked a Train Core!

"Damn it, damn it!" She stomped her foot in frustration.

As for the second element, since the collection wasn’t complete, no description was available.

[Would you like to extract collected Elements?]

Bai Cheng paused. "Wait, you can take these out?"

Although the third pipe was still empty, she wasn’t entirely sure how the element collection worked. To avoid missing new elements, she decided to extract the first one just in case.

After clicking[Yes], the energy in the pipe rapidly drained. It flowed to the bottom and slowly condensed into a green, glass-like crystal sphere at the bottom.

Bai Cheng picked it up. It felt cool to the touch and was far more pleasant than the previous disgusting green ooze crystal.

"Getting Train Cores must be related to reaching the next station."

Recalling how she had obtained the fragment earlier, she realized the connection.

Currently, Bai Cheng only needed to gather fuel. The swamp’s day-night cycle no longer offered anything she urgently required.

"Guess speeding ahead is the priority now." She raised an eyebrow.

But Bai Cheng and Yu Nian were teammates. To regroup, they had to arrive at the station within the same hour. Even if Bai Cheng rushed, Yu Nian’s progress might not keep up.

She sent Yu Nian a message:

"How much longer until you reach Station Two?"

Yu Nian immediately understood her meaning and replied in surprise:

"You’re already all set, Little Cheng?"

"Yeah. Just need to keep stocking fuel."

"You’re so fast! I’m still short on some equipment materials, and my train’s upgrade isn’t done..."

Bai Cheng sighed. Just as she was about to reply, Zi Yuan’s calm voice came from outside the carriage.

"Young Lady, there’s a dungeon."

"A dungeon...?" Confused, Bai Cheng stepped to the doorway.

"Young Lady, it’s an intricate underground labyrinth infested with magical beasts," Zi Yuan explained. "Breaking the mud piles near the entrance will yield scrap iron, leather, and wood."

Bai Cheng understood Zi Yuan’s implication. She was asking if they needed these resources.

Glancing back at the carriage that was overflowing with wood, Bai Cheng saw no space for anything else. Besides, the iron ingot quota was already fulfilled for now.

"We don’t need—" She cut herself off. "Actually, bring it all back."

She decided to give the excess materials to Yu Nian to speed up her progress.

After all, it’s a simple favor.