Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Effects of Cold Erosion

The Train Core currently has two primary uses.

First, it served as an upgrade material for carriages. Second, it is an essential item for upgrading the locomotive.

The former can be postponed for now, but the latter is urgent.

Bai Cheng picked up the Train Core. Its appearance hadn’t changed much from before, except that the surface cracks had disappeared.

Without hesitation, she promptly submitted the material.

There was no upgrade confirmation prompt. The moment Bai Cheng submitted this final resource, the entire train was suddenly enveloped in a flash of white light.

The radiance spread in all directions, completely wrapping around Bai Cheng. The train, which had been sitting steadily in place, began to tremble faintly.

The upgrade process was swift, almost instantaneous.

Bai Cheng immediately focused her gaze, eager to observe the changes in the train.

The rust on the steel walls of the train had completely vanished, leaving the surfaces smoother and more even.

The locomotive had also gained additional armor, firmly protecting the wheels and windows. Moreover, a V-shaped plow had been added to the front, similar to a snowplow.

Without a doubt, the entire train had become sturdier.

If this Level 2 train were to return to the Muddy Swamp’s Silent Night, Bai Cheng was certain that it could plow straight through any obstructing dead trees.

However, what delighted her the most wasn’t the superficial changes after the upgrade. It was the fact that the Level 2 train had actually widened!

That’s right. Looking at the now spacious carriage, Bai Cheng couldn’t help but smile.

With the increased interior space, she could now place more structures inside.

After a quick estimate, Bai Cheng noted that the carriage’s width had expanded to about 3.5 meters, now matching the width of a standard train carriage. The length, however, remained unchanged at around 5 meters.

Although neither the locomotive nor the carriage had grown longer, the extra width alone was more than enough for her needs.

"Perfect! I can finally build the remaining blueprints now."

Moreover, through this locomotive upgrade, Bai Cheng deduced that if she wanted even more space, she would likely need to focus on upgrading the carriages specifically.

Her eyes turned to the screen as she checked the train’s current stats.

[Train: Steam Train]

[Level: Lv.2]

[Armor Core: None]

[Maximum Connectable Carriages: 2]

[Top Speed: 65 km/h]

[Employee #1: Chi Yan, Elite Rank 5 (...) ]

[Employee #2: Zi Yuan, Elite Rank 5 (...) ]

[Upgrade Requirements: 0/100 Clay, 0/200 Fine Wood, 0/300 Bronze Ingot, 0/2 Train Core]

"The number of connectable carriages really increased!" Seeing the information, Bai Cheng finally let out a sigh of relief. "And the speed got a slight boost too."

But soon, her brows furrowed. The materials required to upgrade the train to Level 3 had nearly doubled.

"Seriously? Are survival games supposed to be this grindy?"

It would likely take her several days to gather all these materials and that was if she focused solely on collecting them.

Bai Cheng’s gaze sharpened as she looked out the window. "Let’s see if this snowy mountain has enough resources."

Still, more than that, she was eager to connect her second carriage. In other words, she was eager to complete the Pioneer Trial.

If gathering resources in the Frigid Snow Mountains proved too difficult, Bai Cheng would simply rush straight to the third station.

Just then, she spotted a figure approaching through the snowstorm outside.

It was Zi Yuan.

The pink-purple-haired girl’s hair was now covered in frost, and her entire body was enveloped by a thick layer of snow.

As Zi Yuan stepped onto the train, the snow clinging to her bare feet quickly melted, revealing skin that had turned red and purple from the cold.

Bai Cheng was taken aback. Looking closer, she realized that Zi Yuan had varying degrees of frostbite.

"Zi Yuan, are you underdressed?" Bai Cheng asked, surprised.

After all, Zi Yuan was barefoot, her upper body nearly exposed, and the only pants she wore looked thin.

Without delay, Bai Cheng took off her own padded coat and draped it over Zi Yuan’s shoulders. "I’ll get you a pair of shoes from Nian Ni—"

Zi Yuan felt a rush of warmth in her heart, but she quickly explained, "Young Lady, there’s no need to trouble yourself... This is due to the cold erosion."

"Cold erosion?" Bai Cheng suddenly understood, but she was still puzzled. "Even an Elite Rank magical beast like you are affected by this cold?"

As Elite Rank magical beasts, they shouldn’t fear ordinary cold.

In other words... Is this cold erosion some kind of magical attack?

"Young Lady, the effects of cold erosion are cumulative. The longer one stays exposed to the snowstorm, the more severe the impact is on the body," Zi Yuan elaborated.

"I see." Bai Cheng frowned.

In that case, regular winter clothing wouldn’t help.

The reason survivors still wore padded coats was merely to counteract the temperature drop caused by cold erosion. The real protection came from the steam engine.

"If only my clothes could be shared, this wouldn’t be a problem."

Bai Cheng’s legendary outfit had innate cold resistance, but unfortunately, it was bound to her. For anyone else, it was just an ordinary piece of clothing with no special effects.

"It seems that fighting outside is off the table." Still, Bai Cheng wasn’t too upset.

If she couldn’t fight, that meant other survivors couldn’t move around at night either. Everyone’s progress would stall, and she would still be far ahead.

Besides, her employees’ safety was the top priority. She couldn’t let them get hurt over something like this.

"Young Lady, Chi Yan isn’t affected by the cold erosion," Zi Yuan added.

At that moment, Chi Yan, who had been patrolling the train’s perimeter, pricked his ears and immediately returned.

Bai Cheng was surprised. "But isn’t his attribute supposed to be weak against this kind of weather?"

"Young Lady, in this weather, this subordinate’s stamina does drain faster, and my strength is somewhat diminished," Chi Yan’s gruff voice sounded from outside before he stepped into the train.

"Aren’t you weakened, then?" Bai Cheng raised an eyebrow.

Chi Yan continued, "But cold erosion has no effect on this subordinate. Even at reduced strength, none of the magical beasts around here stand a chance against this subordinate."

Bai Cheng had full confidence in their current combat capabilities.

She nodded decisively. "Alright, then. Zi Yuan, you rest up. Chi Yan will handle clearing out the nearby magical beasts!"

"Understood, Young Lady," Chi Yan acknowledged before turning around and striding back into the snowstorm.

By now, the sky had begun to lighten. The darkness that had shrouded the world gradually receded, replaced by a pale glow.

Bai Cheng had explored the station during the night, and after their departure, both she and Zi Yuan had been busy with their own tasks.

Before they knew it, dawn had arrived.

Bai Cheng looked out the window, her frown deepening.

The Silent Night had ended, yet the blizzard outside still raged on.