127: Chapter 127: Lv.3 Tech Tree Revealed for the First Time! 5000 Points Per Node

Lu Chen took Lin Xiao up the elevator to the third-floor cockpit, with Zhou Yuan and Horton following behind.

The four of them stood in the space in front of the six fire control screens. The cockpit was spacious enough after the upgrade; even with ten people standing here, it wouldn't be crowded.

"System, display the Lv.3 Tech Tree."

The Lv.2 Tech Tree interface on the panel retreated, and a brand-new tech tree unfolded on the main display screen.

There were four major branches, each with four nodes underneath. The names and prices of the first three nodes were already displayed.

The fourth one was the top core; both its name and price were locked, displayed as question marks.

Lin Xiao stepped closer, and Zhou Yuan leaned in behind him. Horton stood leaning against a wall, squinting as he looked.

"Power Engine Lv.3." Lu Chen spoke up.

"Node 1: Superconducting Power Storage Matrix, five thousand Truth Points."

"Node Description: Install a large-scale superconducting coil energy storage array in the fortress core area to achieve lossless storage and instantaneous release of electrical energy. After unlocking, the battery life of all power-consuming devices will increase by 300%, and the Ray Cannon can fire no less than ten shots when fully charged."

"Ten shots?" Horton's voice came from the wall.

"It was three shots before."

"Up from three to ten shots?"

"Correct."

Horton swallowed hard. Lu Chen continued reading.

"Infrastructure Armor Lv.3, Node 1: Reactive Explosive Armor, five thousand Truth Points."

"Node Description: Embed a layer of prefabricated explosive reactive modules between the outer armor plates of the fortress. When an armor-piercing projectile hits the armor, the reactive layer detonates directionally at the moment of contact with the warhead, using the reverse impact force generated by the explosion to counteract the penetrating kinetic energy of the projectile. This achieves complete immunity to armor-piercing projectiles of Lv.3 caliber and below, and reduces the penetration depth of Lv.4 armor-piercing projectiles by more than 60%."

"Complete immunity to Lv.3?" Zhou Yuan's voice rose by half a tone.

"Correct."

"Reduced by 60% for Lv.4 armor-piercing projectiles?"

"Correct."

Zhou Yuan glanced at Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao's expression remained normal, but his breathing frequency quickened by a beat.

"Ecological Logistics Lv.3, Node 1: Atmospheric Water Molecule Extraction Tower, five thousand Truth Points."

"Node Description: Install a condensation extraction tower on the top of the fortress to extract pure water directly from water vapor and tiny ice crystals in the air. The daily output can meet the drinking and industrial water needs of over three thousand people, without needing to rely on external water sources or snow collection."

"Extracting water out of thin air?" Horton's rough voice cracked.

"Extracting from the air?"

"The air contains water molecules." Lu Chen's tone was steady.

"Even in an environment of minus fifty degrees, there is still 0.1 to 0.3 grams of moisture per cubic meter of air."

"The extraction tower passes a large amount of air through a condensation module to concentrate this moisture."

"Daily production for three thousand people's needs."

Horton stopped talking.

"The last one."

"Armament and Weaponry Lv.3, Node 1: Napalm Spray Tower, five thousand Truth Points."

"Node Description: Install four high-pressure napalm spray towers at the four corners of the fortress wall top. A single spray can cover an eighty-meter horizontal sector directly in front, with a depth of forty meters. The napalm continues to burn after contacting the target, with temperatures exceeding 1,200 degrees, capable of incinerating all organic matter and light armored targets. The ammunition storage pool can hold enough napalm for ten full-power sprays."

"Burning forty meters deep at 1,200 degrees?" Horton's voice turned from raspy to hoarse.

"Which Mutant Beast on the ice sheet can withstand 1,200 degrees?"

"It's not just Mutant Beasts." Lu Chen glanced at him.

"Light armor can't withstand it either."

"The walls of an Lv.2 vehicle will soften and deform within thirty seconds at 1,200 degrees."

The cockpit was quiet for five seconds. Lin Xiao crossed his arms and stared at the four nodes on the panel. Each was five thousand Truth Points; four added up to twenty thousand.

"How many points do you have now?"

"Twenty-one thousand six hundred and forty-five."

"Enough to unlock all four?"

"Unlocking four is exactly twenty thousand."

"Leaving one thousand six hundred and forty-five."

"Correct."

Lin Xiao was silent for three seconds.

"Which ones do you plan to unlock?"

Lu Chen's gaze swept over the four nodes: Superconducting Power Storage Matrix, Reactive Explosive Armor, Atmospheric Water Molecule Extraction Tower, Napalm Spray Tower.

"All of them."

"All of them?" Zhou Yuan's voice rose by half a tone.

"All four."

Lu Chen's finger landed on the panel.

"System, unlock Power Engine Lv.3, Node 1: Superconducting Power Storage Matrix."

The system prompt sounded, confirming the consumption of five thousand Truth Points, unlocking Power Engine Lv.3, Node 1: Superconducting Power Storage Matrix. Current balance: sixteen thousand six hundred and forty-five points.

A deep electrical resonance sound emitted from the power core area on the first floor. That sound traveled along the steel skeleton of the entire fortress to the third floor; the floor beneath their feet vibrated for half a second before stabilizing.

The indicator changes were reflected on the fire control panel. The Ray Cannon's energy storage limit jumped from three shots to ten, the charging rate increased by three times, the current energy storage status was zero out of ten, and it was estimated to be fully charged in forty-five minutes.

"Next."

"System, unlock Infrastructure Armor Lv.3, Node 1: Reactive Explosive Armor."

The system prompt sounded again, confirming the consumption of five thousand Truth Points, unlocking Infrastructure Armor Lv.3, Node 1: Reactive Explosive Armor. Current balance: eleven thousand six hundred and forty-five points.

The outer walls of the entire fortress emitted a continuous sound of metal assembly; that was the embedded sound produced as the reactive explosive armor modules formed between the outer armor plate and the inner wall.

Looking out from the third-floor cockpit window, one could see dense square protrusions appearing on the outer wall of the fortress.

Each protrusion was an independent explosive reactive module; hundreds of modules covered the entire outer wall of the fortress within thirty seconds.

Horton walked to the window and looked at those protrusions. He had been firing artillery for fifteen years; he knew the power of armor-piercing projectiles and knew what reactive armor meant.

"I've only ever seen this stuff in pre-civilization military literature before."

His voice lowered.

"I always thought it was a legend."

"That was before." Lu Chen spoke up.

"Next."

"System, unlock Ecological Logistics Lv.3, Node 1: Atmospheric Water Molecule Extraction Tower, five thousand Truth Points."

The system prompt followed, confirming the consumption of five thousand Truth Points, unlocking Ecological Logistics Lv.3, Node 1: Atmospheric Water Molecule Extraction Tower. Current balance: six thousand six hundred and forty-five points.

On the north edge of the fortress roof dome, a five-meter-tall metal tower structure grew out amidst blue light. The top of the tower was a set of fan-shaped air intakes, and the bottom connected to condensation pipelines and a water collection tank.

The air intakes began to rotate, and air at minus forty degrees was sucked into the tower. Water molecules precipitated in the condensation module, gathering into a thin stream that flowed into the water collection tank.

Thirty seconds later, the first drop of water flowed out of the water outlet pipe at the bottom of the water collection tank. It was pure and transparent, with a temperature of exactly four degrees.

"The last one."

"System, unlock Armament and Weaponry Lv.3, Node 1: Napalm Spray Tower, five thousand Truth Points."

The system prompt sounded for the last time, confirming the consumption of five thousand Truth Points, unlocking Armament and Weaponry Lv.3, Node 1: Napalm Spray Tower. Current balance: one thousand six hundred and forty-five points.

The sound of metal growing came simultaneously from the four corners of the fortress outer wall; four napalm spray towers grew out from the four corners of the fortress wall top.

Each tower was three meters high, with a cylindrical body and a dual-tube spray nozzle at the top that could rotate 360 degrees.

An ammunition storage pool formed inside the tower body, connected via pipelines to the napalm synthesis chamber on the first floor.

The synthesis chamber had already automatically generated the first batch of napalm amidst blue light.

The weapon status of all four towers appeared simultaneously on the fire control panel: Napalm Spray Tower x4, Ready, Reserves 10/10 full-power sprays.

Four Lv.3 nodes, twenty thousand Truth Points, all lit up within thirty seconds.

Lin Xiao looked at the four glowing green icons on the panel. There were still twelve icons that were gray; three nodes and one top core, four for each branch, all needed to be filled to upgrade to Lv.4.

The road was still long, but the first step had already been taken.

"One thousand six hundred and forty-five." Lin Xiao looked at the balance.

"That's not bad."

"I know what you mean."

"Two Lv.3 wrecks are still outside."

"Correct."

"Going to dismantle them tomorrow?"

"Not today." Lu Chen leaned back in his chair.

"Tomorrow."