183: The first gasoline-powered car was born.

Thor closed the meeting room door, and the red light of the surveillance camera just went out. Seven hours later, a new message popped up on the Blue Star Channel, sent by Shen Xiaochuan.

"perfect grade exotic beast meat has been listed on the Faith Mall, a total of 10 million catties, and only people from the Huaxia Alliance can purchase it." The message was short, just two lines of text.

A large projection wall stood in the square in front of the Main Hall of Skydome City. As soon as the message appeared, the people below fell into chaos. Patrol soldiers dropped their weapons and ran to look at the screen. An old man holding a bowl had hands that wouldn't stop shaking, and he didn't even react when the rice soup spilled all over the ground.

Three seconds later, the global channel exploded.

The French Divine Realm said, "Are they doing this again?"

The Nordic Union said, "Last time it was Thunder Crystal mines, this time they're using meat to buy people off?"

The Sun Never Sets Eastern District said, "NATO should counterattack immediately."

As soon as those words were finished, a second message popped up.

Thor stood in the hall of Parliament Hill, a star map projection behind him. He raised his hand, and an S-Rank mission token floated in his palm, emitting a green light. "The Northern Dawn Project is commencing, with forty spots, and only those who join NATO are eligible." After he finished speaking, the list began to scroll—eight from the US, five each from Germany and France, three each from England, Canada, and Italy, with the rest distributed according to the Divine Realm Rank.

The noise in front of the projection wall quieted down a little. Some people flipped through records, while others stared at the four characters "NATO Only," gritting their teeth.

In Skydome City, Shen Xiaochuan sat on the steps of the Main Hall eating a steamed bun. He held a communicator in his left hand and used his right hand to break off a small piece to feed the dog at his feet. White Snow Princess said anxiously over the phone, "They're going to start recruiting people; we need to take action."

"We've already taken action." He swallowed the last bite and threw the paper bag into the trash can. "That purchase restriction order just now was the response."

"But they have fifteen countries banding together, while we only have thirty-something small Divine Realms. We're too far behind."

"Behind?" Shen Xiaochuan stood up and brushed off the crumbs. "They can't even build an internal combustion engine, yet they want to enter the ruins?"

He looked toward the mechanical workshop on the other side of the square. It used to be ruins, but now a sheet-metal factory building had been built there, with a crooked chimney welded to the roof. The wind blew, and the sheet metal clattered incessantly.

"Wait." White Snow Princess suddenly lowered her voice. "The French representative messaged me privately, wanting to trade three mines for five hundred catties of meat."

"No." Shen Xiaochuan said. "The rules cannot be broken; it's only for people within the Alliance."

"But this forces them to pick a side."

"They were going to have to choose anyway." He turned and walked toward the workshop. "There is no middle path in this world."

He walked to the entrance, and the two guards immediately saluted. He waved his hand and went straight in. He passed through the courtyard filled with scrap metal, went through a rusted rolling shutter door, and arrived at the final assembly area.

The ground was paved with cement, and a crane arm stood on the side. In the very center was a boxy, square-headed car. The body was painted with camouflage, the tires looked like they had been stripped from a tank, and the rims were a bit crooked.

Lolia stood in front of the car, holding a wrench and tapping the exhaust pipe. Hearing footsteps, she turned back, a smear of grease on her face.

"You're here?" she asked.

"Yeah." Shen Xiaochuan walked over and touched the weld on the car door. "Is this the fuel-powered car you were talking about?"

"It's a modified Wuling Hongguang." She walked to the driver's seat and opened the door. "The engine was pieced together, the carburetor has Thunder Crystal powder added, and the ignition System uses different Materials. We tested it three times; it can run now."

Shen Xiaochuan looked inside the car. The steering wheel was made of wood wrapped in sheet metal, the dashboard was empty, and there was only a fuel gauge. The seats were sewn from burlap, and they pricked your butt when you sat on them.

His mouth twitched. Lolia opened the passenger door and reached out, saying, "Want to try it? It's made from the steel and rubber you brought." He didn't speak and got into the car.

The car door closed, and the sounds outside became muffled. The car smelled of engine oil and burning plastic.

"Fasten your seatbelt," she said.

Shen Xiaochuan looked down and saw two canvas straps hanging by the seat, the buckle locking with a click.

Lolia turned the key. The engine coughed a few times and then roared to life. The exhaust pipe emitted white smoke, the car body shook three times, stabilized, and let out a low growl.

Everyone in the square looked over. A child was startled and knocked over a water bucket.

Shen Xiaochuan looked at the road ahead and suddenly smiled: "Do you know? When I was interning in college, the oldest car in the factory was a Wuling Sunshine. It ran for eighteen years, was repaired four times, and was finally stolen to be sold as scrap."

"Then maybe this one of yours will last even longer." She glanced at him. "I also marked the utility poles along the road; every thirty poles is one kilometer."

"Primitive." He shook his head. "But useful."

The car drove forward. The wind blew in, carrying the smell of dirt and grass. A few children on the side of the road riding wooden toy cars were stunned when they saw them coming.

"They will remember today," Shen Xiaochuan said.

"Who?"

"These children. In the future, when people ask them when they first saw a motor vehicle, they will talk about today."

Lolia didn't speak; she stepped deeper on the gas pedal. The engine sound grew louder, the car body vibrated, and the speed increased.

The end of the main road was an intersection; the left side led to the military camp, and the right side was the trading zone. She didn't slow down and drove straight through.

A donkey cart was crossing the road. The old man heard the noise and looked up, his face turning pale as he hurriedly pulled the reins. The donkey was startled, its front hooves lifted, and the wheel got stuck in a crack in the stones.

Lolia slammed on the brakes. The car skidded two meters and stopped three inches in front of the donkey's nose. The engine was still roaring, and exhaust fumes were puffing out.

The old man sat on the cart, his hands shaking so much he couldn't hold the whip.

Shen Xiaochuan turned to look at her: "You almost killed someone."

"I know." She released the brake and slowly backed away. "But I stopped in time."

He looked at her for two seconds, then suddenly laughed out loud: "Alright, you've got guts."

The road ahead widened again. The city wall was clearly visible in the distance, with flags fluttering—bearing the pattern of a gear and flame.

"How much further can we go?" he asked.

"The fuel tank is half full, it can run for eighty kilometers," she said. "Maybe more if the road is good."

"Then just keep driving." He leaned back against the seat. "I don't want to go back to the Main Hall. Take me to see the outside."

"Where to?"

"Anywhere. As long as the car can reach it."

She nodded and stepped on the gas again. The car jolted and accelerated forward.

Things on the side of the road began to rush backward. Farmland, irrigation ditches, and watchtowers passed by one after another. The wind grew stronger, making the sheet metal roof buzz.

Shen Xiaochuan unbuttoned the top button. The sunlight shone in, landing on the copper gear pendant on his cuff, which flashed.

"What do you think Thor and the others are doing?" he asked.

"Probably having a meeting," she said, looking ahead. "Dividing the Profound Origin Grass."

"They won't be able to divide it," he said. "The guardian beast in that kind of place is at least A-Rank. They don't have heavy weapons; going in is just suicide."

"So?"

"So we're not in a hurry." He looked out the window. "While they're recruiting allies, we're building cars. While they're fighting for spots, we're paving roads. When they can't open the ruins, we'll drive straight in."

"That's assuming the car doesn't break down."

"If it breaks, we'll fix it." He smiled. "Now we have a Technician."

The car went uphill, the engine straining. Lolia downshifted, raising the RPMs, and finally surged up.

The view from the top of the hill was vast. Below was the wilderness, and in the distance, one could see the boundary light curtains of other Divine Realms.

"I've never seen it like this before," Shen Xiaochuan said.

"Because you used to fly," she said, gripping the steering wheel. "Gods all like to fly; no one wants to drive."

"Now there is one." He looked at the straight road ahead. "There will be more in the future."

The wind blew in, messing up her hair. She raised her hand to brush it aside, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The car continued forward, driving deep into the wilderness. Behind them, the projection wall suddenly flashed, and a line of announcement popped up:

[Skydome City Tech Tree — Internal Combustion Engine Technology, Unlocked.]