12: Chapter 12 Cross-Regional Convergence, V-100 Engine

In the sky, the deafening sound of the system alarm was still echoing.

Immediately after, an even more brutal and bloody rule abruptly appeared on every player's light screen!

[Cross-District Killing Rule Activated!]

[Effective immediately, killing players from other districts will grant 1 point!]

[The killer automatically loots all supplies, vehicle blueprints, and wreckage from the target!]

[Wishing everyone a pleasant hunt.]

As soon as these two notifications appeared, the players who were still confused about the district merger instantly felt like they had been plunged into an ice cellar.

In the C-72 District chat channel, panic spread like a plague.

"Killing people to loot all supplies? The system is forcing us to kill each other!"

"We're doomed! The survivors from other districts are definitely tough customers. How can we, who barely survived relying on the big shots' torches, possibly fight them?"

"I only have a rusty iron pipe... can anyone save me..."

"Everyone, stick together! Don't act alone under any circumstances!"

In contrast to the ordinary players in the channel who were scared out of their wits,

Lu Yuan, sitting in the cockpit of the Red Wolf Tank, had an unusually calm look in his eyes.

Apocalyptic survival, survival of the fittest.

The system had merely torn off the last shred of pretense.

At that moment, a separate golden light screen abruptly lit up in front of Lu Yuan.

"Ding!"

"Congratulations, player Red Wolf. You are the first pace-setter in C-72 District to reach the 2000-kilometer mark!"

"Due to your exceptional progress, a special reward is granted: One free vehicle enhancement opportunity!"

"Note: This enhancement requires no materials. You may freely designate one vehicle component for enhancement!"

Seeing this notification, Lu Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up.

A free enhancement?

He hesitated for almost no time at all, his gaze locking directly onto the tank's power system.

He had already forcibly upgraded its firepower and armor. The only weak point was this sluggish power.

"System, enhance the engine!"

"Ding! Command confirmed. Free enhancement opportunity consumed."

"Red Wolf Tank power core reconstructing..."

Boom!

A blinding blue light instantly enveloped the tank's rear.

Accompanied by a thrilling roar of machinery, the old diesel engine was directly pulverized by a mysterious force, then rapidly reassembled and enlarged within the blue light.

After a mere five seconds, the light faded.

"Ding! Reconstruction complete!"

[Current Engine: V-100 Turbine Aggregation Engine]

[Maximum Load Capacity: 150 tons]

[Base Travel Speed: 160 km/h]

[Energy Consumption: 1 liter of diesel / 10 km]

[Special Trait: This fierce mechanical heart provides a continuous, wild thrust with minimal noise.]

Looking at the data on the light screen, Lu Yuan excitedly slapped his thigh.

"Hell yeah!"

Fuel consumption was only ten liters per hundred kilometers!

Keep in mind, this was a 65-ton steel behemoth!

Moreover, the top speed from the engine alone had skyrocketed to one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour!

If he turned the cannon around to fire backward now, combined with flooring the accelerator of the V-100 engine...

Adding the ridiculous recoil from the main gun, wouldn't the speed shoot straight towards three or four hundred kilometers per hour?!

Wouldn't this heavy tank practically take off right then and there!

Just as Lu Yuan was immersed in the powerful attributes of the new engine,

his private message notification suddenly started ringing like crazy.

"Beep beep beep beep beep—"

Lu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then opened the private chat interface.

What greeted him was a screen densely packed with tipping notifications.

The items tipped were all worthless little scraps, but each tip was followed by a humble yet sincere message.

[Received: Rag +1.]

[Message: Boss, please slow down! We beg you! We can't keep up!]

[Received: Rusty Metal +1.]

[Message: Wuwuwu, Boss, I'm still a thousand kilometers behind you! When the extreme cold comes at night, my whole family is depending on your torch to survive...]

[Received: Small Piece of Bread +1.]

[Message: Boss, the districts merged. We heard there are crazy murderers and looters everywhere outside. We're scared. Please protect us a little, Boss!]

[Received: Diesel +1 liter.]

[Message: Boss, I drive a van. I have no use for diesel, so I'm giving it all to you! We're both from District 72. Please grant us your protection, Boss!]

...

Looking at the messages frantically scrolling on the light screen, begging him to slow down and asking for protection,

Lu Yuan let out a helpless chuckle.

Although each person only tipped a tiny bit of junk supplies,

there were over eight hundred thousand people in C-72 District!

With a thought, Lu Yuan directly extracted all the tipped items filling the screen.

"System, break down what needs breaking down, fuse what needs fusing with all this junk!"

"Ding! Batch processing tipped supplies..."

"Ten units of rusty metal fused into one unit of metal block!"

"Ten units of small moldy bread pieces fused into one unit of whole wheat bread!"

"Ten units of inferior ice chips fused into one unit of purified water!"

A series of dizzying progress bars popped up on the light screen.

After just a few seconds, crisp settlement notification sounds exploded like crazy inside the cockpit.

"Ding! Obtained: metal block x8500!"

"Ding! Obtained: Insulated Wire x1200!"

"Ding! Obtained: Diesel x3500 liters!"

"Ding! Obtained: Whole Wheat Bread x4500!"

"Ding! Obtained: Purified Water x6000!"

Looking at the instantly skyrocketing stockpile of supplies in his system backpack, Lu Yuan couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

Grains of sand accumulate to form a tower!

Quantity transforms into quality!

The gains from this free harvest were even more exaggerated than if he had single-handedly wiped out an entire zombie horde!

This was completely a windfall from the heavens.

Rich, filthy rich!

Lu Yuan shook his head and casually opened the C-72 District public channel.

Under the anxious gaze of these people, the district's only golden-font text slowly drifted past.

"Received. Everyone, stay safe."

These simple eight words instantly plunged the entire C-72 District channel into a frenzy. Countless players were moved to tears of excitement.

With the big shot's words, it was like they had taken a tranquilizer.

Lu Yuan closed the light screen, feeling quite pleased.

From the start until now, his experience in this C-72 District hadn't been bad.

At least these players knew how to be grateful and didn't hesitate to give supplies when needed.

Most importantly, the emotional support they provided was truly on point!

A thousand pieces of gold can't buy my happiness.

Lu Yuan gripped the control stick again and lightly tapped the accelerator.

The V-100 engine let out a low, beast-like roar. The Red Wolf Tank instantly transformed into a red blur, speeding wildly towards the opposite end of the bridge.

...

At the same time.

On the other end of the Cross-River Bridge.

A convoy of over a dozen heavily modified off-road vehicles was parked arrogantly at the road convergence point, kicking up clouds of dust.

These were players from C-71 District.

Their vehicle hoods were welded with sharp spikes, and their bodies were stained with dried, blackened blood.

It was clear they had been busy with murder and looting these past few days.

A shirtless man with a vicious scar on his face jumped down from the lead heavy truck.

He was holding a bloodstained machete and spat fiercely.

"Listen up, all of you!"

Scarface pointed towards the bridge, his eyes fierce.

"This is the first bridge after the district merger, the only way through!"

"Lay down all those barbed wire and barricades, now!"

Several underlings immediately grinned sinisterly and started hauling out various deadly barricades from the truck beds, completely blocking the wide bridge exit.

Someone even set up a homemade heavy machine gun, scavenged from who-knows-where, behind some abandoned cover.

"Boss, are we just going to wait here for the prey to come to us?" a lackey with dyed yellow hair asked obsequiously.

"Obviously!"

A greedy, murderous glint flashed in Scarface's eyes.

"Didn't the system just say? Killing people from other districts gives points and loots all their supplies!"

"Any fat sheep from other districts daring to cross this bridge will be stripped clean, down to their underwear!"

"If they resist, kill them on the spot!"