Upgrade → Armored RV

Tang Zhou got out and headed straight for Su Nian's vehicle. As for changing clothes, that was out of the question.

Her study materials said men didn't like a loach in their bowl that only moved when poked. She had to learn to roll over on her own and seize... the initiative.

She, Tang Zhou, was the fastest learner at everything.

Sweet or sultry, elegant or seductive-she could do it all.

"Well, well, Tang, you've been hiding a beauty in your truck. Picked her up in the chaos?" the fuel truck driver asked with a sly grin.

Tang Chen glanced over his shoulder and immediately panicked.

"She actually lied to me!" Tang Chen gritted his teeth.

A young woman dressed like that in an apocalypse full of predators-if it had been anyone else, he would have called her a slut in his head a few times! But this was his sister.

Now he felt as though something was lodged in his throat.

"That's Tang Zhou!" Chen Tai took a drag on his cigarette.

"Your sister's that pretty?" The fuel truck driver froze. He couldn't reconcile that dark, grimy figure with this radiant, fair-skinned girl brimming with youthful energy.

"This is all your fault!" Tang Chen turned to Chen Tai and grabbed him by the collar.

"Come with me. We're going to have a nice, long talk."

Tang Chen knew Chen Tai had put her up to this. His perfectly good sister had been led astray.

"Hey, let's talk this out. Aren't we good buddies? On the same side?" Chen Tai panicked. He'd only meant well.

Tang Chen dragged Chen Tai behind a vehicle...

"I'm here for my second interview. What do you think?" Tang Zhou spread her arms and spun around, a playful smile on her fair face.

"Sure, you passed. Stay and drive for me from now on." Su Nian nodded.

That would give him more time to rest and work out during the day. Getting stronger wasn't just about adding stat points; technique mattered too.

"You know martial arts, right?"

Tang Zhou blinked. That was quite a leap in topics.

"Yeah, a few styles, but I'm not very good at them. I'm really good with a saber, though. It's the Tang Family's ancestral saber technique."

"You know saber techniques too?" Su Nian's eyes lit up.

Tang Zhou nodded. Why did she feel as though her saber skills were more enticing than her long legs?

The way Su Nian looked at her was nothing like those other lechers.

For some reason, she felt a faint, inexplicable disappointment.

By three in the afternoon, no one had appeared behind the convoy for over an hour. Anyone who hadn't returned by then had no chance left.

The final count put the convoy's ordinary survivors at sixty-two.

Su Nian nudged Tang Zhou, who was fast asleep in the passenger seat.

"Bro, is it time to eat?"

Tang Zhou rubbed her eyes groggily, looked around, and came to her senses.

"Sorry about that." Tang Zhou gave an awkward smile.

"Get out," Su Nian said.

Ding! Spend 3,100 Survival Points to perform the modification?

"Modify!"

At Su Nian's mental command, white light enveloped the six stripped, battered vehicles.

It was an impressive sight, but it caused little commotion. Most of the survivors were exhausted after fleeing all day and had fallen asleep, so they never saw it.

Su Nian's Raptor lit up with white light as well.

Tang Zhou's mouth fell open, her eyes wide. She desperately wanted to shout, "Holy shit!" But she only thought it. She wasn't the sort to scream without regard for the situation.

Gong Qing was doing push-ups.

"537... 538... 539..."

When he noticed the disturbance, he looked over too.

The white light faded. Not a single screw remained of the six vehicles, and the Raptor's original pickup silhouette had vanished completely. Over ten tons of steel plating and alloy components had transformed it into a hulking, massive machine.

Its six enormous off-road tires had deep, thick treads, with broad wheel arches flaring outward. A heavy, wedge-shaped steel ramming blade was welded firmly to the front.

The rear cargo bed was gone, replaced by tall, boxy Armored Living Quarters. Equipment and a concealed skylight occupied the flat roof, while the hydraulic armored rear door was sealed shut.

Its lavish gold-plated exterior reflected brilliant golden light in the sun.

Weighing over twenty tons, the vehicle resembled a crouching golden beast of steel.

Xia Lingling sipped her liquor, narrowing her eyes slightly. She knew little about transcendent sequences. After all, she had only awakened recently and had spent all her time among ordinary survivors.

Even though she had now joined this convoy's group of Awakened, she hadn't yet had time to learn much.

All she knew was that this man was dangerous, powerful, and could see through other people's sequences. A transcendent sequence was as exposed as a naked person before his eyes.

And he had miraculous abilities like this too.

He had to be a veteran from the earliest batch of Awakened, and one of the best among them.

The previous convoy had simply been unlucky. Just as she'd thought, arrogance always came at a price. Wasn't it better to conceal your strengths, keep a low profile, and quietly grow stronger?

Hao Ren glanced at his rearview mirror and stepped out with a smile, gazing enviously at the Golden Behemoth.

"You've struck it rich! Now this is living. Me? I'm barely staying alive."

Hao Ren's gaze lingered on Tang Zhou for a moment before shifting back to the Golden Behemoth and its meter-and-a-half-tall tires.

A luxury vehicle, a beautiful woman... Su Nian really knew how to enjoy himself, and he hadn't even been here half a month.

As someone from the earliest batch, Hao Ren really was doing terribly.

He kicked a tire and rapped his knuckles against the vehicle's outer armor, inwardly marveling. Its defenses and off-road capabilities were both top-notch.

"This thing must guzzle fuel," Gong Qing said, looking at Su Nian.

Su Nian: "..."

Honestly, he'd gotten carried away and hadn't considered that.

Su Nian climbed into the vehicle and started it. The engine roared, and the display lit up.

60 L/100 km

That was only its fuel consumption under normal driving conditions. In practice, it would surely use a little more.

"Sixty liters per hundred kilometers." Somewhat helpless, Su Nian shut off the engine and climbed out.

"Awesome!" Gong Qing gave him a thumbs-up. "If you run out of fuel and get stranded on the road, won't you be tearing your hair out?"

Gong Qing spoke with a grin. He had no idea how much this vehicle had cost Su Nian.

Su Nian rubbed his chin and looked at Big Black Bull. An idea immediately struck him: when he wasn't driving, he could have Big Black Bull pull the vehicle.

He was a Mutated Bull, not an ordinary bull.

He could use survival points to replenish the bull's stamina, or upgrade Big Black Bull... That thought brought the engine to mind. Upgrading the vehicle's engine directly might yield an unexpected reward.

Big Black Bull shuddered involuntarily in his sleep, opened his eyes, then went back to sleep.

"Not a big problem." Su Nian smiled.

Gong Qing couldn't help chuckling. He'd found a solution already.

"How about a tour? Let us see how the big shots live," Hao Ren said with a smile.

Su Yue, who had been asleep, jolted awake at the engine's roar. She looked at the Golden Behemoth, was briefly stunned, then went back to sleep.

Better not to look too much at things that weren't hers. If she didn't look, she wouldn't envy them.

Wen Kele was engrossed in her game, sweat beading nervously on her forehead. She was about to clear the third stage.

Just how good did someone have to be to reach Contra's third stage?

She had no time to look outside unless something eerie showed up.

The moment Su Nian opened the cabin door, soft light spilled out. A frosted-glass partition separated the driver's cabin from the living area.

The living area was spacious, with refined, cozy decor throughout.

Along one side sat a built-in upholstered booth sofa with thick, soft cushions, paired with a compact solid-wood dining table that could fold away.