27: Chapter 27 Fire Control Center! The Core of the Weaponry at the Top Lights Up

440 Truth Points.

This huge sum of money lay quietly in the top right corner of the holographic panel, emitting an alluring golden glow.

Lu Chen leaned back in the driver's seat, downing half a cup of warm purified water in large gulps.

The fierce battle against the Mutated Ice-Armored Giant Rhino just now might have seemed safe on the surface, but it had been a massive drain on his energy and stamina.

During the tug-of-war, he had to frantically turn the steering wheel and push-pull the supercharger while operating the repeating crossbow with one hand; by the end, he even had to jump up to blindly operate the Harpoon Cannon on the roof.

This kind of multi-threaded manual operation had reached the level of micromanagement at the limits of human physiology.

Once he encountered more powerful enemies or faster predators, such frantic, disorganized operations could easily lead to fatal mistakes.

No matter how fierce the firepower, if it could not be perfectly integrated, it was just a loose collection of parts.

"It is time to say goodbye to this primitive, blacksmith-style combat method."

Lu Chen's gaze bypassed the lower-level nodes and locked firmly onto the large gray core icon at the very top of the [Armament and Weaponry Lv1] branch.

[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 cockpit, completely unifying the control permissions for the repeating crossbow, Harpoon Cannon, and high-pressure spray gun. Provides semi-automatic target locking assistance and unified firing capabilities.]

[Unlock Cost: 400 Truth Points.]

There was no hesitation, no stinginess about his newfound wealth.

In the dictionary of an infrastructure maniac, converting resources into combat power was the only truth that was not allowed to be discounted.

"System, invest 400 points, light up the Armament and Weaponry Top Core for me!"

Lu Chen's voice was decisive.

[Ding! Deducted 400 Truth Points. Armament and Weaponry Lv1 (Top Core): Mechanical Gear Fire Control Console, successfully unlocked!]

[Current Truth Points balance: 40 points.]

[Prerequisites met. Armament and Weaponry Lv1 branch has been completely maxed out (Great Perfection)!]

As the system notification faded, the cockpit of the Polaris underwent an unprecedented and dramatic transformation.

This upgrade did not involve brilliant light or deafening noises.

What resonated in the carriage was the sound of extremely precise metal restructuring.

Before Lu Chen's eyes, the originally simple and crude dashboard began to bulge upward.

Pieces of scrap steel panels were peeled and cut away by an invisible force.

Countless brass gears, bearings, and transmission rods emerged from the depths of the console, and metal components of various sizes turned into wildly growing vines, interlocking and nesting with each other in a dizzyingly complex logic!

Click, click, click...

The sound of fine gears turning echoed through the carriage, like the sound of millions of metal insects beating their wings simultaneously.

Lu Chen did not even leave his seat, letting the cold, hard metal components extend around him.

In just a dozen seconds, a semi-enclosed fire control console rose up from the originally empty right side of the dashboard!

The entire structure exuded an ultimate steampunk aesthetic.

In the center of the console was embedded a brass cross-hair periscope sight made of multiple lens groups.

Through complex refraction principles, it perfectly projected the panoramic view outside the vehicle before Lu Chen's eyes.

Below the sight was a heavy-duty metal dual-axis joystick that perfectly conformed to ergonomics.

The joystick featured three trigger buttons marked in different colors: black for the repeating crossbow, white for the high-pressure spray gun, and the blood-red one at the top for the devastating Harpoon Cannon!

That wasn't all.

Several thick transmission cables extended from the bottom of the fire control console, wrapped in thick layers of asbestos.

They were like blood vessels, connecting respectively to the repeating crossbow on the side of the carriage and the spray gun valves at the four corners, while the thickest one pierced directly through the roof to connect to the Harpoon Cannon turret above!

[Modification complete, Mechanical Gear Fire Control Hub is online.]

Lu Chen reached out both hands and gently grasped the heavy-duty metal dual-axis joystick.

The moment he touched it, a sense of control, as if it were connected to his own bloodline, surged through his entire body.

He tentatively pushed the joystick to the left.

Click!

Outside the vehicle, the Black Powder Steam Repeating Crossbow, originally fixed to the firing port, automatically followed the movement of his wrist, completing a high-precision leftward aim!

Even the process of loading black powder was pre-compressed by the connected automatic robotic arm!

He brought his eye close to the brass periscope sight.

It provided an incredibly clear view outside the vehicle, and even more amazingly, the mechanically engraved crosshairs on the lens automatically compensated for ballistic drop as the target distance changed!

"Semi-automatic locking... unified firing. This is a true war machine."

Lu Chen exhaled a breath of hot, gunpowder-scented air, his gaze fixed intently on the console, the muscles at the corners of his eyes tight.

From now on, he no longer needed to jump around inside the carriage.

He only needed to sit steadily in the driver's seat, controlling the steering wheel and supercharger with his left hand, and gripping the fire control joystick with his right.

As his thoughts flowed and his fingertips pulled the trigger, the three-layered long, medium, and short-range stereoscopic firepower network would turn into a storm, pouring down on the head of any enemy daring to approach!

This was a qualitative leap.

Lu Chen released the joystick and leaned back against the seat again.

His gaze swept over the pitiful balance of 40 points in the top right corner and fell onto the row of gray text on the system panel.

[Armament and Weaponry Lv1 branch has been maxed out.]

[Infrastructure Armor Lv1 (Top Core): 400 Truth Points (locked).]

[Power Engine Lv1 (Top Core): 400 Truth Points (locked).]

[Ecological Logistics Lv1 (Top Core): 400 Truth Points (locked).]

[Ecological Logistics Lv1 (Node 3): 200 Truth Points (locked).]

"Still need 1,360 points."

Lu Chen quickly calculated in his mind.

The gap was still huge, but his shoulders and back were completely relaxed, and greed for Truth Points surged in his eyes.

With the terrifying mobility of the supercharger, combined with this mechanical fire control hub armed to the teeth, this Pale Shoals had completely become his exclusive hunting ground.

"The storm has just stopped, and hungry mutated creatures and wanderers are everywhere."

Lu Chen turned his head and looked through the bulletproof glass at the boundless snowfield in the distance.

"It is time to start a real harvest feast."

Rumbling!

The Polaris let out another earth-shattering roar and charged back into the depths of the Pale Shoals.