Outside the window, Li Shuang's screams had grown so faint they were almost inaudible.
Lin Hui sat in the driver's seat, his knuckles white around the steering wheel-not from fear, but from an extreme state of calm.
Adrenaline still surged through his veins, sharpening his awareness of everything around him.
"Five minutes at most."
Lin Hui glanced at the rearview mirror, at the indistinct mass of flesh and blood and the Agile Zombie crouched over it, tearing into it ravenously.
It was a tier-one Agile Mutant, and it ate extremely fast.
Once it finished eating that poor woman, it would very likely return to the military helicopter!
The RV's durability was only at 5%, and all four tires had been punctured. If the RV could no longer move, he would become the zombie's next meal.
"I have to finish the upgrade before it finishes eating!"
After driving roughly five kilometers, Lin Hui reached his destination.
He pushed open the door and jumped out.
The freezing wind cut across his face like a knife, but he barely noticed.
The wreckage of the crashed military helicopter lay right before him. The player inside had long since been dragged out and eaten by the zombie.
The massive rotor had snapped, and the fuselage was completely twisted. But to Lin Hui, how could this possibly be scrap metal?
It was top-grade steel! His lifeline!
"System, dismantle!"
Lin Hui pressed his hand against the cold fuselage and spoke under his breath.
[Scanning...] [The vehicle's player is dead. Dismantling available!] [Dismantling target: military helicopter.] [Warning: target is large. Estimated dismantling time: 3 minutes.]
"Three minutes?"
Lin Hui glanced back. The zombie had yet to appear.
"Hurry! Faster!"
Lin Hui stared fixedly at the slowly advancing blue progress bar, his heart pounding so hard it felt as though it would break his ribs.
Every second seemed to stretch on forever.
At last.
[Ding! Dismantling complete!] [Materials obtained:] [1. Ballistic armor steel × 60 units] [2. Rubber × 2 units] [3. Fire-Control Chip × 1 (rare!)] [4. Precision Electronic Components × 20 sets.]
It worked!
Besides the specialty steel and rubber, Lin Hui had also obtained a chip and Precision Electronic Components.
Without the slightest hesitation, he put away the Fire-Control Chip and Precision Electronic Components, then placed the ballistic armor steel and rubber into the Lv.2 upgrade blueprint before turning and rushing back to the RV.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Lin Hui took out the RV advancement blueprint.
Looking at the materials in his inventory, Lin Hui whispered inwardly.
Upgrade the RV! Lv.2!
[Vehicle Advancement Blueprint detected (Lv.1 → Lv.2)] [Checking materials:] [Steel: 50 units (requirement met!)] [Rubber: 10 units (requirement met!)] [System assessment: higher-grade steel automatically selected. Steel quality is exceptionally high! Evolution path has shifted!] [Original path: sheet-metal reinforcement type.] [Revised path: Heavy Assault Type.] [Consume one Vehicle Advancement Blueprint (Lv.1 → Lv.2). Begin evolution?]
"Evolve!!"
BOOM!!!
A dark-gold light so dazzling it was impossible to look at instantly engulfed the entire battered RV.
This was no simple repair.
This was a complete reforging!
Before Lin Hui's eyes, the specialty steel plates dismantled from the helicopter seemed to come alive, automatically covering the RV's original fragile composite shell.
Creeeak-crack-
With crisp snaps of interlocking metal, the once-rounded exterior of the civilian Class C RV began to take on sharp, angular lines.
The thin sheet-metal skin was torn away, replaced by matte-black armor plating two centimeters thick!
At the front bumper, two thick alloy-steel beams extended outward and converged into a vicious triangular ram, its barbs gleaming with a chilling light.
It was the [Alloy Spiked Ram], designed to smash through every obstacle!
At each of the four wheel hubs, several sharp, rotating steel spikes slowly extended-the [Wheel-Hub Meat Grinder Spikes], specifically designed to shred the leg bones of zombies approaching the vehicle!
Vmmm!
The light faded.
A black beast of brutal beauty, radiating the raw presence of steel, crouched upon the zombie wasteland.
It was no longer a civilian RV that might fall apart at any moment.
It was a sturdy mobile war machine!
[Congratulations! RV evolution successful!]
Vehicle panel.
[Vehicle: RV] [Level: Lv.2] [Physical defense: 100 (20 → 100)] (Aviation-grade steel bonus! Three times that of an ordinary Lv.2!) [Magic resistance: 0] [Weight: 10 tons (3 → 10)] [Space: 10 cubic meters (8 → 10)] [Durability: 100% (fully restored)] [Fuel: ∞ (unlimited)] [External weapons: none]
[Talent activated! Drawing a Lv.2 golden modifier...]
Finally!
Lin Hui held his breath as he watched the golden roulette wheel spinning wildly across his vision.
This was his greatest asset in this apocalypse!
One golden modifier per level!
The wheel slowed, then finally stopped.
A card radiating brilliant golden light appeared in the air.
[Modifier name: never wears out] [Quality: golden legendary] [Type: rule-based] [Effect: can be applied to any nonliving component. Its physical structure will be fixed, rendering it immune to all forms of physical wear, aging, and damage.]
"Never wears out..."
As Lin Hui stared at those words, the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.
If [Unlimited Fuel] gave him endless power...
Then [Never Wears Out] gave him endless endurance!
On roads littered with rubble, nails, and broken glass, what broke most easily?
Not the body.
The tires!
Once a tire blew, he would be a sitting duck, no matter how high his defense was.
"Target-all tires!"
Lin Hui activated it with a thought.
A streak of golden light instantly sank into the four broad all-terrain off-road tires.
The tires' ordinary rubber surfaces immediately shimmered with a strange glow, as though coated in an indestructible film.
[Modification complete!] [Component obtained: Indestructible Run-Flat Tires (golden · unique)] [Trait 1: absolute physical defense. Nails cannot puncture them, bullets cannot penetrate them, and fire cannot melt them.] [Trait 2: constant traction. Maintains 100% traction on any terrain (ice, snow, mud).]
"ROAR!!!"
Just then, a roar brimming with violence and ravenous hunger abruptly shattered Lin Hui's joy.
He turned his head.
The Agile Zombie was charging toward him, its mouth full of flesh and blood, utterly savage.
Its cloudy eyes fixed on Lin Hui inside the RV, its body crouching slightly like a cheetah ready to spring.
"Had your fill?"
Lin Hui looked at it, his voice icy.
"If you're full, it's time to send you on your way."
Whoosh!
The zombie moved!
Its speed was astonishing. In almost the blink of an eye, it covered more than ten meters, its sharp claw lunging straight for the driver's seat!
Before, Lin Hui could only have fled in desperation.
But now?
Screeeech!!!
The grating scrape of metal set his teeth on edge.
The claw, sharp enough to tear through ordinary sheet metal, slammed into the Lv.2 RV's black armored door.
Sparks flew!
But when the claw slid away, it left only a shallow white mark on the black paint!
It had not even scraped the paint off!
"So this is what 100 defense really means."
Before you continue