Major vehicle upgrade

First, Chen Yu did not hesitate.

He selected the space category.

This small van, after all, could not accommodate any more girls.

And most importantly... the space of the Public Backpack would expand as the Vehicle's space increased.

The current 30 slots of public space were starting to feel a bit cramped.

The further they went, the higher the demand for space would be, so Chen Yu had to plan ahead.

【Executable Upgrade—】

【Basic Expansion I】

· Requirements: Wood x500, Iron x250, Parts x200

· Effect: Slightly stretches the interior space, adjusts seating layout to 3+2+2 (comfortably seats up to 7 people), slightly expands trunk space, Public Backpack slots +5

· Time: 90 seconds

· Status: Sufficient materials

【Frame Extension I】

· Requirements: Wood x1200, Iron x600, Parts x450

· Effect: Extends the Vehicle frame, Small Van → Small Bus, presets 12 standard seats, includes a flexible expansion area, Public Backpack slots +15

· Prerequisite: 【Basic Expansion I】 must be completed

· Time: 180 seconds

· Status: Sufficient materials.

· Warning: Defense and sealing will significantly decrease

Chen Yu didn't hold back, upgrading the space twice in a row right from the start.

He turned his head and suddenly spoke: "I'm going to upgrade the interior space. I don't know what will happen, so be prepared. Class Monitor, focus on driving and don't worry about anything else."

Zhang Wanyue was the first to respond: "Okay!"

Before the girls in the back could process it, they immediately felt the Vehicle vibrate!

The original seats, walls, and roof actually began to deform!

The field of vision inside the car widened dramatically!

The front driving area didn't change much, but the middle and rear sections rapidly expanded backward and to both sides!

The dense chiming of metal echoed!

【Vehicle Form Updated: Small Bus】

【Internal Volume: Significantly Increased】

【Standard Occupancy: 12 People】

【Public Backpack Slots: 45】

When everything settled, everyone came to their senses.

They found themselves inside the cabin of a Small Bus.

Twelve seats were arranged in a 2+2 layout, with six rows in total.

In the middle was an aisle wide enough for one person, with a ceiling height of about two meters. Overall, it looked much more comfortable.

"Did we... really change Vehicles?"

Wang Mengmeng remarked while putting on her clothes: "There are so many more seats!"

Li Mengyao also stood up and counted: "There are 12 seats in total now, and there are only five of us..."

Deng Yuxin realized, breathing out hot air: "No wonder it feels so spacious, and colder too, phew~"

Chen Yu didn't join the discussion; he just glanced at the inventory, which was still impressive even after the consumption.

"The space is enough for now."

"Next, I need to reinforce it and control the temperature, otherwise we'll freeze to death sooner or later."

In the 【Structural Reinforcement】 category... Chen Yu successively selected 【Structural Reinforcement I】 and 【Structural Reinforcement II】.

Total building materials used: Wood x1100, Iron x500, Parts x100

Amidst a wave of fluctuations, the Vehicle's structure successfully underwent two upgrades.

But this was only the beginning... Chen Yu went directly into the 【Environmental Control】 category.

Internal Insulation Layer I, External Active De-icing, Constant Temperature Life Support System I, Simple Heat Cycle I—a whole bunch of cold-resistance upgrades, but most were grayed out due to material limitations.

In the end, Chen Yu decided on two.

【Upgrade: Internal Insulation Layer I】

Requirements: Wood x400, Cloth x10, Parts x100

Effect: All interior walls are covered with high-efficiency insulation material, significantly reducing heat loss

Status: Sufficient materials

【Upgrade: Constant Temperature Life Support System I】

Requirements: Low-grade Energy Core x50, Iron x200, Parts x150

Effect: Establishes an independent temperature control unit, capable of maintaining cabin temperature to the maximum extent in extreme low temperatures

Status: Sufficient materials

That's right, the most exaggerated one was the 【Constant Temperature Life Support System I】.

This upgrade required a full 50 Low-grade Energy Cores!!!!

What kind of concept was that?

If Deng Yuxin hadn't suddenly returned 130 of them, they might have had to open 50 Treasure Chests!

After all, last time they opened a Treasure Chest, they only got 1 Low-grade Energy Core!

In other words, this wasn't an upgrade that should even be considered in the early stages; it should have been grayed out!

Early-stage considerations should have been these insulation facilities:

【Basic Sealing I】

Requirements: Cloth/Leather x3, Parts x5

Effect: Emergently fills gaps in the Vehicle body, slightly reducing heat loss

Time: Immediate effect

Status: Can be upgraded immediately

【Internal Simple Insulation Layer I】

Requirements: Wood x30, Cloth/Leather x10, Parts x15

Effect: Insulation layer installed on interior walls, moderately reducing heat loss

Time: 90 seconds

Status: Can be upgraded immediately

And so on.

There were a lot of simple warming facilities, but Chen Yu naturally looked down on them; his building materials were completely over the limit.

"Upgrade."

As the Vehicle owner, Chen Yu issued the command with his mind!

Hum—

The next second!

The interior walls of the cabin were covered with a layer of matte, grayish-white material!

The bone-chilling cold was clearly blocked out!

"Eh?"

The girls inside the bus also clearly noticed and were slightly stunned: "What is this?"

Chen Yu gestured "shh," because this was only the beginning!

Immediately after, a low hum of operation came from beneath the Vehicle floor... it was a warm current!!!

It began to flow evenly from the newly added air vents!!!

【Interior Temperature: -25℃ → -10℃ → 0℃ → 18℃!】

【Constant Temperature System operating stably】

【Exterior temperature continues to drop, constant temperature value decreased to 17℃】

【Exterior temperature continues to drop, constant temperature value decreased to 16℃】

The icy air was rapidly dispelled!

Although it was far from the scorching heat of summer, to everyone who had just crawled out of an icy hell... this 16℃ was like a gift from heaven!

"Phew—!!"

"It's really warm! Oh my god!"

Deng Yuxin was the first who couldn't help but let out a breath; it was finally no longer white mist!

She stripped off two of the three coats wrapped around her and showed a smile: "I felt like my blood was about to freeze just now! Fortunately, the temperature is back!"

With the temperature back above zero, Chen Yu also felt much more comfortable... but he didn't dare let the Class Monitor drive slowly. After all, if the outside temperature was too low, even the constant temperature system wouldn't be able to hold up.

However, as far as their current progress was concerned, they wouldn't have to suffer the misery of the freezing cold for now.

"I've come back to life, I've come back to life..."

Wang Mengmeng also felt as if she had died once: "It wasn't easy. Chen Yu, what on earth did you do? Why does it feel like... our Vehicle has changed so much?!"

Zhang Wanyue asked from the driver's seat: "Can those building materials in the Public Backpack upgrade this much???"

She could hardly believe it.

If the difficulty of surviving the apocalypse was this low and the icy disaster could be solved so easily... then what kind of survival would it be?

In all fairness, Zhang Wanyue felt that things weren't that simple!

The problem most likely lay with the Vehicle owner... "The building materials in the backpack were certainly not enough."

Chen Yu answered bluntly: "What's truly important is the talent..."

"?"

The girls were stunned. Talent?

Everyone knew that Chen Yu's talent was predicting the future.

But what did that have to do with building materials?

Chen Yu chuckled: "Don't forget, I can see the future, which naturally includes hidden resource points."

Li Mengyao covered her mouth: "Then just now, how many building materials did you consume?"

Chen Yu didn't hide it either, counting on his fingers: "Just now, I consumed about three thousand units of wood, one thousand units of iron, one thousand units of parts, and several dozen energy cores. That's about it..."

He wasn't exaggerating; if anything, he understated it slightly.

At this moment, in Chen Yu's personal backpack:

Wood: 790 units

Iron: 430 units

Parts: 1640 units

Cloth: 5 units

Glass: 20 units

Low-grade Energy Core: 83 units

Indeed, even these remaining resources were enough to make other squads go crazy!

And on the bus... hearing the consumption of building materials, the girls couldn't help but gasp!

Deng Yuxin's pupils trembled: "Three thousand units of wood!!!"

Li Mengyao covered her small mouth: "One thousand units of iron!!!"

Wang Mengmeng exclaimed: "One thousand units of parts!!!"

Even Zhang Wanyue, who was driving, turned her head: "Several dozen energy cores???"

Chen Yu nodded: "Yeah."

"My god..."

Deng Yuxin sighed again, her eyes sparkling: "Chen Yu, you're way, way, way too amazing!"

(Vehicle upgrades, the content of each module, prerequisites, etc., were actually designed as a complete system, but I will write them briefly to avoid boredom. If you still feel there's too much data affecting the reading experience, you can comment on this paragraph, and I will consider balancing it.)