17: Chapter 17 The Temptation of the Top Core, the Ice Storm Ceases

Inside the Polaris cabin, the twenty-degree constant-temperature air was filled with the fresh scent of Cabbage.

The sound of the storm outside had downgraded from its initial roar to a heavy, labored wheeze.

The hail that had been slamming against the ten-centimeter scrap steel armor had also turned into the soft, rustling sound of fine snow particles.

Outside the windows, previously locked tight by darkness, a few slivers of lead-gray light faintly filtered through.

The Extreme Cold Ice Storm had finally reached its end.

Lu Chen was in no rush to start the vehicle.

He sat quietly in the driver's seat, staring at the holographic Truth Tech Tree panel on his retina with the composure of a meditating monk.

At this moment, on the technology tree, the Lv1 nodes for Armament and Weaponry and Weaponry and Infrastructure Armor had all been lit, leaving only the massive node at the very top, pulsing like a heart, still gray.

With a thought, Lu Chen opened the descriptions for those two top-tier cores.

[ Infrastructure Armor Lv1 (Top Core): Modular Reinforced Chassis ]

[ Node Description: The cornerstone where quantitative change leads to qualitative change! Completely reconstructs the vehicle's chassis load-bearing structure, transforming the original micro-chassis into a modular alloy chassis with infinite expansion possibilities. ]

[ Load-bearing limit increased by 500 percent! Lays the most solid physical foundation for the subsequent exponential expansion of the vehicle body area and upgrading to Lv.2. Without it, all expansion is a castle in the air. ]

[ Unlock Cost: 200 Truth Points. ]

[ Armament and Weaponry Lv1 (Top Core): Mechanical Gear Fire Control Console ]

[ Node Description: Say goodbye to the era of manual blind operation! Generates an integrated, purely mechanical gear fire control hub inside the cab. ]

[ Completely integrates the control permissions for the Repeating Crossbow, Harpoon Cannon, and high-pressure spray gun. Provides semi-automatic target locking assistance and unified firing functions. Makes every attack by the host as precise as a scalpel. ]

[ Unlock Cost: 200 Truth Points. ]

Hiss.

Lu Chen gritted his teeth.

Two top cores, 200 points each! That's a full 400 Truth Points in total!

This is equivalent to hunting two mid-tier Mutant Beasts at the level of a Mutated Snow Bear, or collecting eighty pieces of low-grade sourcefire coal crystal!

In the barren Pale Shoals, this is an astronomical figure.

Many wanderers with micro-vehicles will never see this much in their entire lives.

What's even worse is that eye-catching red warning!

[ The host must fully light up all nodes on the current level's four major branch technology trees up to the top core in order to unlock cross-tier technology, trigger the Mobile City upgrade evolution, and enter the next level (Lv.2). ]

"400 points..."

Lu Chen gritted his teeth, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel, making a low, rhythmic clicking sound.

"Counting the node three and top core for the Power Engine and Ecological Logistics, I must gather 1000 points before the Polaris can truly grow larger, fit an ecological farm, and mount even more terrifying heavy cannons."

This feeling of frustration, having a clear goal but being held back by a lack of resources, caused the murderous intent in his eyes to burn brighter and brighter.

Since there aren't enough resources, then I'll go rob and kill.

On the wasteland, the thing least in short supply is mobile treasure troves with legs.

"City Lord... I've re-covered the roots of the Cabbage with soil. As long as there is water, it can sprout a second crop in five days."

A timid voice interrupted Lu Chen's thoughts.

Lin Wan was kneeling before the Simple Soilless Cultivation Box, which was wreathed in purple light, her hands covered in grayish-brown nutrient substrate, her eyes shining with extreme satisfaction.

She had gently and carefully buried the roots of the Cabbage, which had mostly been cut away, into the soil.

In this hellish post-apocalyptic world, being able to farm in a warm iron box was the greatest gift for her.

Lu Chen suppressed the violence in his eyes and turned to look at Lin Wan.

Although this woman was weak and powerless, her value in the field of botany had already been proven.

"Well done."

Lu Chen's tone returned to its previous level state.

"But five days is too long. Before long, the internal space of the Polaris will undergo an extremely drastic expansion. Your Cultivation Box will also be upgraded into a small ecological room. Those A-grade seeds will soon have a chance to see the light of day again."

Lin Wan looked up, her eyes wide, and her breathing instantly quickened.

"An ecological room? Expanding the space? But... the vehicle's shell is welded iron plating!"

She stammered in disbelief.

In her understanding, if a Mobile City wanted to expand, it required months of downtime for cutting and welding in a large shipyard.

"On my vehicle, do not use the word 'impossible'."

Lu Chen glanced at her.

"You just need to take good care of the seeds for me."

He picked up the heavy bulletproof canvas bag from beside his seat and tossed it aside.

That was the bag used for holding loot; now, it was empty.

Soon, it would not be empty anymore.

Click.

Lu Chen gripped the Black Powder Steam Repeating Crossbow standing beside him with both hands, skillfully removed the magazine, and checked the solid steel crossbow bolts packed tightly inside.

He looked up at the metal ammunition feed tube on the roof connected to the Harpoon Cannon, confirming that the single fifty-jin pure steel harpoon was in a ready-to-fire state.

A trump card that could kill with a single shot.

Unless absolutely necessary, he would not use it.

"Secure everything inside the cabin. Turn the boiler valve up by half a notch."

Lu Chen turned up the collar of his coat, murderous intent appearing in his eyes.

He looked out the window.

The black iron curtain that had covered the sky finally began to crack, revealing a few slivers of pale light.

The fierce wind stopped completely.

The Extreme Cold Ice Storm, which had destroyed countless living beings, was declared over.

But for the Polaris, the real hunt had just begun.

"System, activate the cold-resistant lubrication micro-circulation. Maximize the chassis horsepower!"

Rumble!

The Primary Efficiency Boiler, which had been dormant for two days, let out a deafening roar.

The Polaris, a steel hedgehog clad in ten centimeters of scrap steel heavy armor, shuddered suddenly in the accumulated snow.

The thick tracks bit into the ice surface frantically, crushing their way out of the snowdrifts several meters deep, and surged back into the icy world of the Pale Shoals!