72: Chapter 72 Five tanks, all loaded with money! A bicycle charges towards the vanguard in the dead of night.

The meat broth simmered in the iron pot for forty minutes.

Lu Chen drank two bowls, and Lin Wan drank one.

The meat from the Iron-Spine Wolf's hind legs had coarse fibers but a rich flavor, and the broth was topped with a layer of golden oil.

A pinch of coarse salt was added, but no Sichuan peppercorns.

"City Lord, this soup is far worse than the cabbage stewed with Snow Bear from last night."

"The meat is different, and the cooking method is different, so they aren't comparable."

"I mean, it tastes better stewed next time."

"We'll talk about next time later."

Lu Chen set his bowl on the table, and Lin Wan efficiently cleared away the pots and bowls.

He walked to the driver's seat, sat down, and glanced at the wall clock.

It was 9:15 PM.

There were less than fifteen hours remaining in the twelve-hour window that Zhou Yuan had mentioned.

He tuned his communicator to Zhou Yuan's frequency.

"Chief of Staff Zhou."

"City Lord Lu Chen, is something the matter?"

"Are those five war vehicles still parked in the same spot?"

"They are still parked there; the outpost is monitoring them continuously, and they haven't moved."

"Report their exact location again."

"Seventy kilometers to the northeast, between the ruins of two pre-civilization cooling towers. The terrain provides natural cover."

"What is the distance from that location to the iron wall?"

"The straight-line distance is twenty-five kilometers."

"Where is the iron wall located right now?"

"It is maneuvering toward the contact point and is expected to arrive at the preset position in four hours to establish a defensive line fifty kilometers to the northeast."

Lu Chen tapped his thumb against the rivet head on the armrest.

"Chief of Staff Zhou, do the field restrictions of Level 2 Combat Readiness apply to Polaris?"

There was a two-second pause before Zhou Yuan replied.

"Strictly speaking, the Level 2 Combat Readiness order issued by the City Lord applies to all vehicles within The City-State's organization."

"Polaris is not within the organization."

There was another two seconds of silence.

"City Lord Lu Chen, do you intend to go out?"

"I am considering it."

"In which direction?"

"Northeast."

Zhou Yuan's breathing skipped a beat over the communicator.

"I need to request instructions from the City Lord."

"Please do."

The communicator switched to standby mode.

Thirty seconds later, Lin Xiao's voice came directly onto the channel.

"Brother Lu Chen, are you planning to go out and fight?"

"I am considering it."

"Considering what?"

"Those five vehicles are sitting there without moving, which means they are waiting for their main force to rendezvous."

"Correct."

"After the main force arrives—whether it's the Ice-Rift Swarm or the Icebreaker Swarm—if a fleet of thirty or more war vehicles presses in together, the cost of a head-on resistance will be very high."

"You mean to take out these five vanguard vehicles before the main force arrives?"

"It's not just about taking out the vanguard."

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping the armrest rhythmically.

"The resources in the Rustwind Wasteland are ten times better than those in the Pale Shoals. But the truly high-value resources are not coal crystals or beast cores."

"What are they?"

"They are the war vehicle wrecks of the Snow Shard Gang."

There was a second of silence on the other end of the communicator.

"Does that mysterious thing of yours have the ability to dismantle war vehicle wrecks?"

Lu Chen did not answer the question directly.

"I am going out to fight in order to sustain the war with the war itself."

"I understand," Lin Xiao replied. "What you want are the wrecks on the battlefield."

"Correct. Once the fighting is over, the wrecks will be mine to process, regardless of whether I destroyed them or you did."

"Brother Lu Chen, could you be a bit more explicit?"

"I am going out to fight the vanguard. If there is a larger battle afterward, I will process all the wrecks."

Lu Chen gripped the metal handle of the control stick with one hand, his voice dropping by half a degree.

"In exchange, my firepower will be at full output during the battle. I won't hold anything back."

Lin Xiao was silent for five seconds on his end.

During those five seconds, Lu Chen heard the faint sound of machinery running in the background of the communicator; it was the sound of the 120 artillery pieces of the Black Rock City-State entering combat readiness.

"Brother Lu Chen."

"Yes."

"The wrecks are yours, no problem."

"Whether you destroyed them or we did, as long as it's scrap metal on the battlefield, it's all yours."

"But I have one condition."

"Go ahead."

"My sister stays on the vehicle."

"She is already on the vehicle."

"I mean, ensure her safety when you go out to fight."

"You have seen the armor of Polaris."

"I have seen it, but I still have to say it," Lin Xiao said, dropping his usual loud laugh. "She is the last family I have."

Lu Chen's fingers stopped.

"City Lord Lin Xiao, she is a registered resident of my Polaris, and the second-named person authorized by the City Lord for the shield."

"Inside this vehicle, the system-level life protection is more effective than your 120 artillery cannons."

The communicator was silent for three seconds.

Lin Xiao laughed.

It wasn't his usual boisterous laugh; it was just a short, low chuckle.

"That's enough."

"Is there anything else you need to convey?"

"Yes," Lin Xiao said, returning to his normal tone. "Zhou Yuan will synchronize the real-time monitoring data from the outpost to your communication frequency, so you can receive enemy movements at any time."

"Good."

"Additionally, the iron wall will arrive at its position in four hours. Until then, there are only patrol fleets in the buffer zone to the northeast."

"You mean for me to depart before the iron wall gets into position?"

"I mean that once you reach the battlefield, the iron wall can provide you with backup from twenty-five kilometers behind you."

"Understood."

"Brother Lu Chen."

"Yes."

"When you come back after the fight, bring me four leaves of cabbage."

Lu Chen raised his eyelids slightly.

"I'll tell you to trade it for blueprints."

"Ha!" Lin Xiao's laugh finally had its usual flavor, and the communicator cut off.

Lu Chen put down the communicator and stood up.

"City Lord, are you going out?" Lin Wan's voice came from the planting area, her voice trembling.

"Going out."

"To fight the Snow Shard Gang?"

"I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

"City Lord..."

"Take care of your vegetables," Lu Chen said as he walked to the driver's seat and sat down, placing his hands on the steering wheel. "Don't worry about the boiler, just keep it at idle."

"Also, throw all the Iron-Spine Wolf fat in the cold storage into the cracking furnace. I want to see the diesel reserves go up before I get back."

"Okay."

Lin Wan stood at the entrance of the partition wall, watching Lu Chen pull the engine control lever.

The boiler of Polaris let out a low roar, and the heavy tracks began to turn.

The vehicle slowly drove out of the parking area, crushing onto the grayish-brown ice of the Rustwind Wasteland in the dead of night.

The night outside was deep, and rust-colored dust drifted in the beams of the spotlights.

Lu Chen turned the steering wheel to the northeast and increased the speed to thirty-five kilometers per hour.

He did not engage the turbocharger.

Save on coal.

It was a sixty-kilometer journey, and he would arrive in two hours.

Once there, those five Lv.2 war vehicles parked between the cooling tower ruins would be his first battlefield income.