The thrusters at maximum output let White Tiger catch up to the convoy in under five seconds. The stranded Hummer was tossed onto the trailer, while White Tiger grabbed the hook at the rear of the trailer. Four rows of rollers sprang from concealed slots in its feet, putting the entire machine into a momentum-assisted glide.
"Boss." The Accountant's complaint sounded over the comm channel. "Main thrusters one through four have consumed sixteen percent of their fuel. Auxiliary thrusters five through twelve have consumed between four and seven percent each. As for your body's crystallization level, it has worsened by 0.29 percent... You shouldn't have gone to save them."
"If I hadn't gone, no one would have saved them." Nagano Souya replied casually. "A little fuel for two lives. That's not a bad deal."
"A little fuel... We can't replenish this fuel on the road." The Accountant said. "Once it runs out, White Tiger will completely lose its mobility. We haven't even encountered any combat yet, and the main thrusters have already burned nearly twenty percent of their fuel... Even if you wanted to save them, you should have weighed the pros and cons first, shouldn't you?"
The fuel the Accountant referred to was not a conventional fossil fuel like gasoline or diesel, but a specially synthesized propellant. Aside from its complicated production process and exorbitant price, its greatest issue was its extremely demanding storage and replenishment requirements—this propellant had to be stored inside a sealed container under low temperature, high pressure, and vacuum conditions. Those conditions also had to be maintained throughout refueling. Once the airtight seal was compromised, it could easily trigger a fuel-air explosion.
To replenish White Tiger's thrusters, only Dragon City had the necessary equipment and technicians. Even Yumen lacked those conditions, let alone anywhere along