52: Chapter 52 Lin Xiao personally inspects the car! The Lv4 city lord is dumbfounded.

When Lin Xiao said this, his tone was extremely casual.

It was as natural as a neighbor dropping by to say they wanted to see your new renovations.

But Lu Chen understood the weight behind those words.

The City Lord of a Lv.4 The City-State class Mobile City requesting to inspect the interior of a Lv.2 Base Vehicle wasn't out of curiosity; it was an evaluation.

An evaluation of whether Lu Chen had the ability to protect Lin Wan and the seed vault.

An evaluation of the true strength of his partner.

An evaluation of whether Polaris actually had some real skill, or if Lin Wan was being kept in the dark.

Lu Chen quickly calculated the layout inside the car.

The system panel was only visible to him, and the holographic screen wouldn't appear out of thin air before others, so there was no risk of exposure there.

The existence of the Truth Tech Tree didn't require any physical medium to display; it was just an interface in his mind.

Everything that needed to be hidden was tucked away in his brain.

The things that could be seen—armor, weapons, cultivation boxes, water purifiers, heating pipes—were themselves proof of strength, so it was fine to let them be seen.

In fact, being seen was a good thing.

"Sure."

Lu Chen nodded.

"Follow me."

He turned and walked toward the door of Polaris, knocking a specific rhythm onto the metal panel.

The hydraulic locks released from the inside, and the heavy door slowly opened.

Warm air rushed out from inside the cabin.

A constant temperature airflow of twenty degrees brushed against his face, mixed with a subtle, fresh scent of metal and plants.

Lin Xiao stood at the door and first poked his head inside.

He instinctively took a deep breath.

"This temperature..."

He reached out to touch the door frame; the metal surface his fingertips brushed was warm.

"Even the sheet metal is hot?"

"Central heating pipes."

Lu Chen stepped into the cabin and stepped aside to make way for Lin Xiao.

"The heat generated by the boiler is distributed to every corner of the vehicle through a closed copper pipe hot water circulation system."

"The walls, floors, and ceilings all have a uniform temperature."

Lin Xiao stepped over the threshold and entered the interior of Polaris.

His first step landed on the metal floor.

The sensation from the soles of his feet made his eyes twitch.

Warm, even, and solid.

The cheap feeling of thin sheet metal creaking common in Lv.2 vehicles was completely absent here; what the soles of his feet felt now was a thick, steady, heavy industrial texture.

His gaze quickly swept across the cockpit.

The integrated control panel on the Fire Control Console, four triggers of different colors, a brass Periscope Sight, and Mechanical Arm control levers.

He had seen various fire control systems in the military command rooms of The City-State, but he had never seen such a high level of integration in a Lv.2 vehicle.

"How many weapon systems can this fire control station manage simultaneously?"

"Repeating Crossbow, Spray Gun, Harpoon Cannon, Heavy Machine Gun, plus two Mechanical Arms."

Lu Chen sat back in the driver's seat.

"Six systems, operated by one person."

Lin Xiao's eyelids twitched twice.

"One person driving, one person firing the guns, and one person recovering prey?"

"Yes."

"...How many hands do you have?"

"Two. A rational layout is enough."

Lin Xiao stopped questioning the fire control station and walked toward the middle of the cabin.

The middle section was the living area, with bunk bed metal frames neatly arranged against the wall.

Though simple, it was clean and free of unnecessary clutter.

Lu Chen's OCD was perfectly reflected in this space; every single item was placed in a fixed position.

Lin Xiao's gaze lingered on the living area for two seconds before turning to the port side.

The doors to the cold storage and supply bay were open.

He saw bricks of frozen beast meat stacked perfectly neatly.

Each piece was the exact same size, and they were all aligned at the same angle.

The sourcefire coal crystal in the coal bin was stacked by size, with large pieces on the bottom and small pieces on top.

"Your cold storage... is more orderly than the military granary in my The City-State."

"Wasting space is wasting life."

Lu Chen replied from the driver's seat.

Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow and walked toward the starboard side.

The starboard side was the ecological planting area.

Six Simple Soilless Cultivation Boxes emitted a soft glow under the UV lights.

In the grayish-brown nutrient substrate, Winter Wheat sprouts had already broken through the soil, arranged in two neat emerald lines.

Tiny buds had emerged from the Sweet Potato seed blocks.

In the Carrot sowing furrows, newly germinated seedlings were faintly visible.

The Cabbage roots were sprouting new leaves, a dazzling emerald green.

Lin Xiao stood before the cultivation boxes, leaned over, and looked closely for a full half-minute.

His expression shifted from casual to serious, and then to an indescribable sentiment.

"Greenery."

His voice grew quiet.

"In a vehicle, in a hellhole like Pale Shoals."

"Six boxes of greenery."

He straightened up and turned to look at Lin Wan, who was standing nearby.

"Xiao Wan, did you plant these?"

"Yes."

Lin Wan nodded.

"Two boxes of Winter Wheat, one harvest every forty days. One box of sweet potatoes, one harvest every sixty days. One box of Carrots, one harvest every forty-five days. One box of Cabbage, one harvest every seventy-two hours. The last box is reserved for potatoes."

"In two months, grain can be completely self-sufficient. Combined with the cold storage stock, we can eat for over a year."

Lin Xiao was silent for a while after hearing this string of data.

He looked up at the winding copper heating pipe on the ceiling.

Then he looked at the insulation layer with its metallic luster on the inner wall.

Then he looked at the precisely operating Steam Hub next to the boiler.

Finally, his gaze returned to Lu Chen, who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Brother Lu Chen."

Lin Xiao dropped his casual tone.

The boisterous spirit of his laughter vanished completely, replaced by the voice of a City Lord who had seen many grand scenes, speaking with the gaze of someone scrutinizing a strategic-level asset.

"I've been a City Lord in the wasteland for five years, and I've seen all kinds of Lv.2 Base Vehicles."

"Some have thick armor but the interiors are a mess."

"Some have fierce firepower but can't even manage basic heating."

"But one like yours, where the armor, firepower, insulation, ecology, heating, and water purification are all in place, and every single one is done to an utmost standard..."

"I've never seen a single one."

He walked over to Lu Chen and looked down at the young man.

"What exactly is your background?"

Lu Chen leaned back against his seat and met his gaze.

"A Driver with OCD."

Lin Xiao was stunned for a second.

Then he let out that signature boisterous laugh once again.

"Hahahahaha! OCD!"

"That is the most ridiculous introduction I've ever heard!"

He laughed and slapped Lu Chen's shoulder, his strength enough to make the driver's seat shake.

"Fine, a Driver it is."

"But I have one thing to say."

He stopped laughing, his tone becoming serious.

"If Xiao Wan doesn't want to return to The City-State, I won't force her."

"But I have one condition."

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Speak."

"Let me confirm that you can truly protect her well."

Lin Xiao's gaze swept across every corner of the cabin.

"I've seen the equipment, and I've seen the environment."

"Frankly, it's very good, exceeding my expectations."

"But your enemy is the Snow Shard Gang."

"That group of lunatics has one Lv.4 The City-State class and two lv.3 fortress class."

"Can you, a single Lv.2 vehicle, no matter how strong, withstand their main force?"

Lu Chen didn't give a direct answer.

He reached out and operated something on the dashboard.

The hiss of a hydraulic system came from the roof.

The turret of the Twin-Linked Six-Barreled Heavy Machine Gun slowly rotated a full circle overhead.

The barrels emitted a low metallic grinding sound as they turned, a sound that filtered through the armor into the cabin like some giant beast grinding its teeth.

Lu Chen pressed another control key.

The hissing of hydraulic release sounded from both sides of the vehicle simultaneously.

Two dark Mechanical Arms extended from the side armor plates; inside the vehicle, their broad silhouettes could be seen spreading out like wings through the portholes.

The claws opened and closed once in the air, letting out a sharp metallic sound.

Lin Xiao watched this scene, his eyes fixed on the Mechanical Arms.

"This car of yours..." He grinned.

"Has higher specs than my Guard Company."

"It's enough to protect one person."

Lu Chen retracted the Mechanical Arms into the hull, and the turret stopped rotating.

He leaned back against his seat and looked at Lin Xiao.

"City Lord Lin Xiao, have I satisfied your condition?"

Lin Xiao looked at him, staring for a full five seconds.

Then he extended his right hand.

"You have."

The two shook hands again.

The handshake lasted longer than the first time.

When Lin Xiao let go, he returned to his previous boisterous manner.

"Alright, the Chief of Staff's Snow Shard Gang dossier should have been delivered to the Docking Area by now."

"Let's go take a look."

He turned toward the door, stopping for a moment as he passed Lin Wan.

He reached out and gave her head a heavy pat.

"The Driver you picked is alright."

Lin Wan clutched her head where it had been patted, both annoyed and amused.

"Brother, be gentle!"

Lin Xiao had already strode out of the door.

His laughter echoed under the steel dome of the Docking Area, causing the surrounding The City-State members to glance over.

Lu Chen sat in the driver's seat, watching Lin Xiao's departing back.

He tapped the control lever lightly with his finger.

Cooperation had been achieved.

He had a parking spot, he had intelligence, and the channels for Pre-civilization Blueprints had been opened.

All that remained was the matter of the Snow Shard Gang.

Lu Chen glanced down at the Radio.

The old military equipment was still crackling quietly.

He didn't know how many more encrypted Radio waves he had yet to intercept hidden within certain frequencies.

Target Locked.

Those two words were still hanging over his head like a blade about to fall.

Lu Chen reached out and turned up the volume of the Radio by a notch.

He needed to hear more.