8: Chapter 8: Crossbow Calibration! The Final Hunt Before the Ice Storm!

Outside the vehicle, the wind and snow of the Pale Shoals grew increasingly violent.

The originally grayish-white clouds in the sky were turning pitch-black and oppressive at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Those dark clouds transformed into a heavy iron curtain, slowly pressing down.

This was precisely the sign that the Extreme Cold Ice Storm was approaching!

The atmospheric circulation was being frantically compressed by some unknown force.

Inside the vehicle, however, it was a constant-temperature paradise isolated from the world.

Lin Wan was kneeling in front of a simple soilless cultivation box.

Holding a cup of pure warm water in both hands, she gently poured it drop by drop along the edge of the nutrient substrate, watering the delicate cabbage seedling.

"Drink slowly, little guy... In this godforsaken place, being able to drink pure water without radiation is practically a miracle."

Lin Wan muttered softly, her gaze tender, looking at it as if it were her own child.

Nourished by the constant temperature and ultraviolet light, the seedling's two green leaves unfurled further, and one could even see the vibrant life flowing through the veins.

Lu Chen turned a blind eye to Lin Wan's overflowing maternal instincts.

With his back to her, he stood tall and straight before a specially reserved firing port, beginning his extremely rigorous pre-battle preparations.

For someone suffering from severe Firepower Deficiency Phobia, every hunting trip had to be foolproof.

Clack, clack.

Lu Chen held the 1.5-meter-long Black Powder Steam Repeating Crossbow with both hands, skillfully removing the large drum magazines on both sides.

He placed the drum magazines on the workbench, poured a pile of thumb-thick solid steel bolts from his worn-out boots, and began to inspect them one by one.

Lu Chen's gaze was focused and critical as he scanned the tip of each bolt.

A few of them had extremely slight nicks on the tips because they had pierced through the hard skulls of Icefield Wolves.

"No good, resistance will increase, and penetration power will drop by five percent."

Lu Chen's brows furrowed, and without the slightest hesitation, he threw those bolts directly into the scrap metal bin.

In his eyes, they were already scrap.

In his dictionary, making do was equivalent to seeking death.

After selecting the intact bolts, he picked up a small canister of low-grade black powder.

Before loading, Lu Chen first used an extremely fine filter to sift out impurities from the gunpowder, leaving only pure black granules.

Next, he evenly filled the propulsion grooves at the tail of the bolts with this refined gunpowder, then firmly pressed the bolts into the drum magazine.

Click, click.

Once loaded, he snapped the two heavy drum magazines back onto the crossbow body, producing a crisp metallic clicking sound.

Then, Lu Chen turned the brass steam pipe valve connected to the Primary Efficiency Boiler.

Chhh!

High-pressure steam instantly surged into the crossbow's energy storage chamber, emitting a low rumble.

The pressure gauge needle stopped steadily at the maximum operating mark on the edge of the red line.

The weapon was now in its most perfect state for a sudden, lethal strike.

"We're going out for a hunt."

Lu Chen turned around and threw on his worn-out but thick coat.

He buttoned it all the way to his chin, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.

"No one knows how long the Extreme Cold Ice Storm will last. Our coal and wolf meat will last two weeks at most if we're frugal. If the ice storm lasts a month, we'll starve to death in the warmth."

Lu Chen had to hunt as many Mutant Beasts as possible before the ice storm completely sealed off the area.

Collect beast cores, meat, and search for scattered coal crystals.

This was driven by the instinct of a Construction Maniac hoarder.

Hearing that he was going out, the color drained from Lin Wan's lips, and she stood up nervously.

"City Lord! The air pressure outside is terrifyingly low; it's a precursor to the storm! Mutant Beasts are at their most frenzied now, and those Raiders will kill without hesitation just to snatch a sheltered ice cave!"

"Dangerous?"

Lu Chen let out a scoff and patted the menacing steam repeating crossbow by his side.

"As long as I don't leave this vehicle, nothing can threaten me."

His way of survival was to rely on insurmountable armor and overwhelming firepower.

Sitting in a safe turtle shell and launching a dimensional reduction strike on the outside world was entirely different from shivering in a corner!

"Keep an eye on this cabbage. If the boiler's flame gets low, take a piece of Low-grade Coal Crystal from the box on the left and throw it in."

Lu Chen pointed to the coal box and gave his instructions.

Lin Wan was stunned by the determination in his words and nodded subconsciously: "I... I understand!"

Lu Chen sat in the driver's seat and gripped the steering wheel, the smooth mechanical rhythm transferring from the wheel to his palms.

"System, turn on the high-frequency searchlights."

Snap!

The two searchlights on the roof of the Polaris suddenly lit up, piercing through the leaden-gray curtain of wind and snow ahead.

Buzz!

Lu Chen slammed the accelerator to the floor.

The Primary Efficiency Boiler instantly erupted into a wild roar.

The perfectly lubricated tracks frantically bit into the ice.

This several-ton black iron coffin immediately turned into a rampaging steel beast.

It crashed through the wall of wind and snow before it, plunging without hesitation into the depths of the peril-filled Pale Shoals.

The hunt had begun.