6: Intercepting the live stream from mid-air, swallowing the live broadcast truck

He immediately fine-tuned the command in his mind: "Tentacle No. 3, prioritize recovering organic matter! Don't decompose it for me!"

One of the silver tentacles, which was in the middle of devouring a car door, came to a sudden halt.

It then flexibly probed into the interior of the carriage that was about to disappear, like a nimble tongue, and coiled around that yellow plastic bag.

Then, a second before the vehicle body completely turned into metallic dust, it jerked back.

*Plop.*

The tentacle retracted, accurately tossing the plastic bag onto the surface of the elevated bridge near Jiang Ran's feet.

Jiang Ran quickly picked it up, his movements as urgent as if he were rescuing a rare treasure.

The bag didn't contain a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

There were only two vacuum-packed ham sausages that were already somewhat deformed, and a box of instant coffee powder with only half a pack left.

But for Jiang Ran, who was already so hungry his stomach was cramping and could only rely on drinking rainwater to fill his belly, this was undoubtedly a life-saving blessing.

He stuffed those two precious ham sausages firmly into his innermost pocket and looked at the news van once more.

By now, the devouring process was nearing its end.

The original multi-ton behemoth was now down to its last large satellite dish, which was still struggling to hold on.

But under the tyrannical plunder of the mechanical core, this "dish" also rapidly softened and deformed.

It turned into a stream of pure silver fluid, flowing along the tentacle and injecting into the top of the black iron.

[Devouring complete.]

[Component reconstruction successful.]

[Obtained new module: All-Band Passive Detection Radar (Elementary)]

As the last wisp of metallic dust drifted away in the wind, the brand-new black iron floated quietly on the water below.

On the previously bare top of the cockpit, a half-meter-tall black metal mast had appeared.

The top of the mast wasn't an old-fashioned rotating dish, but a sci-fi-looking hexagonal Phased-Array Flat-Panel Radar.

It was emitting a faint blue light, silently rotating and scanning in the pitch-black rainy night.

Jiang Ran closed his eyes, his consciousness connecting with the ship's hull.

In an instant, the world that was originally pitch-black became clear in his mind.

Centering on the black iron, the underwater terrain, obstacles, and water flow direction within a one-kilometer radius...

...were all presented in his mind in the form of 3D lines.

Even the hidden reefs ten meters underwater were scanned clearly.

"Finally... I'm not blind anymore."

Jiang Ran opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

With this, he could avoid underwater ruins and traps, and also discover those predators hidden in the shadows in advance.

[Prompt: Current hull upgrade progress has reached 100%.]

[core energy is full. Initiate Lv1 hull promotion?]

Looking at the golden button that had finally lit up on the system panel, Jiang Ran clenched his fist.

After eating so much scrap metal, devouring a heavy news van, and not even letting the wreckage of that private car go, he had finally saved up enough.

"Promote!"

With the "Promote" command issued, the originally calm water surface boiled again.

The black iron moored by the bridge pier seemed to transform into a steel behemoth shedding its skin.

All the metallic substances devoured previously...

...now turned into fuel for evolution, being frantically pumped into every inch of the hull's skeleton by the mechanical core.

"Clang, clang, clang—Boom!"

Amidst the roaring sound of metal extension, the volume of the black iron began to surge violently.

The originally three-meter-long small assault boat stretched forward and backward as if it were alive.

The bow became more slender and sharp, like an unsheathed dagger, capable of easily slicing through the most violent waves.

The beam also expanded to two and a half meters.

It was no longer the kind of small boat that would capsize with a slight lean, but instead possessed a stable wide-body chassis.

The most significant change was the pilot's position.

Before, there was only a crude open-air seat, and Jiang Ran had to pilot the boat in the rain.

But now, a circle of thick black metal walls rose from the deck.

Then the top closed, forming a fully enclosed armored cockpit.

Several pieces of bulletproof glass, reinforced from the news van's windows, were seamlessly inlaid within, emitting a cold, eerie light.

[Promotion complete.]

[Vehicle: black iron Lv1 · black iron cutter (Patrol Boat Class)]

Jiang Ran slid down the rope from the elevated bridge and jumped onto the deck.

The sensation under his feet was no longer that of thin sheet metal, but as solid as stepping on land.

He pulled open the heavy waterproof hatch and ducked into the cockpit.

*Thud.*

The hatch closed.

Instantly, the violent wind and rain outside were completely cut off.

Inside the cabin, there was only the faint hum of the dashboard and the reassuringly dry air.

Even if the floods outside were catastrophic, this was an absolutely safe haven.

Current Attributes Updated:

Total Length: 6.5 meters | Tonnage: 3.5 tons Power: Twin-turbocharged internal combustion engine set (Power increased by 300%)

Defense: D-grade (Special alloy armor, can ignore conventional light weapons fire, possesses ramming destructive power)

Facilities: Independent cockpit, simple rest area (rear single bunk), all-band radar.

"Now this is more like it."

Jiang Ran stroked the brand-new metal control console in front of him, watching the green light waves scanning continuously on the radar screen.

A hint of satisfaction finally appeared in his eyes.

With this ship, he was no longer a fleeing refugee, but a hunter on this flooded wasteland.

Just then, a golden gift box icon popped up on the control console.

[Congratulations to the host for the first promotion to Lv1. Level-matching rewards are being issued.]

[Rewards have been issued to the storage compartment.]

Jiang Ran immediately opened the metal hidden compartment next to the pilot's seat.

Inside lay a silver-white metal cylinder, about the size of a thermos, with precise scales on the surface.

[Item: Miniature Molecular Filtration Water Purifier (Ship-mounted version)]

[Function: Can directly extract floodwater from outside the ship, filter it through a molecular sieve, and convert it into sterile drinking water.]

Daily output: 20L.]

"Water!"

Jiang Ran's eyes lit up instantly.

Compared to any guns or weapons, this thing was the true divine artifact!

His half-bottle of scavenged stale water was already almost gone.

And in this flooded world polluted by industry and soaked with corpses, drinking raw water was equivalent to slow suicide.

With this, not only would he have water freedom, but he could even use pure water to trade for anything he wanted!

Jiang Ran immediately inserted the water purifier into the slot reserved on the control console.

*Zzt—*

With a soft sound, the water purifier began to work.

In less than half a minute, a cup of clear, transparent, and cold-smelling pure water flowed out of the outlet.

Jiang Ran picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Sweet and pure.

This long-lost taste made him feel like every cell in his body was cheering, as if washing away all exhaustion and grime.

"Whew..."

Jiang Ran put down the cup and gripped the control lever again.

He still couldn't bring himself to eat those two ham sausages, and the hunger in his stomach was still there.

But with water, with the ship, and with the radar...

...he already had the greatest confidence to survive.

"Radar scan initiated."

On the screen, countless green dots lit up. Those were underwater ruins, and also endless resources.

Jiang Ran slammed down the throttle.

"Boom—!!!"

The twin-turbo engines erupted with an unprecedented roar.

The six-meter-long black iron cutter, like a black torpedo, instantly tore through the water surface.

With an indomitable momentum, it charged into the vast night.

The black iron cutter carved a straight white wave on the pitch-black river surface.

The low roar of the twin-turbo engines carried far in the rainy night.

After leaving the elevated bridge area, Jiang Ran didn't wander aimlessly.

He sat in the temperature-controlled and comfortable cockpit.

On the tactical screen in front of him, the eerie blue radar waves were spreading out in circles.

[Radar scanning...]

[Radius: 1000 meters]

[Terrain mode: Underwater 3D modeling in progress...]