25: Chapter 25 Space Expansion, Red Wine and Steak!

Driving out of the military cave, the Red Wolf Tank and the heavy motorcycle returned to the highway of the Black Death Gobi.

By now, a full six hours had passed since they entered the secret realm.

On the distant horizon, the setting sun had completely sunk into the yellow sands, and the sky was gradually darkening.

Lu Yuan stretched his limbs and pushed open the top hatch.

"Let's rest here for now. Today's fighting was a bit tiring."

He casually opened the system's loot settlement interface, took thirty percent of the massive basic materials dropped in the secret realm, and traded them to Lin Zihao.

Looking at the trade request that popped up in front of him, Lin Zihao was completely stunned.

The sheer amount of resources was enough to make him instantly wealthy on the trading floor.

He waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle.

"No, no, Big Boss, I absolutely cannot take this!"

"I didn't even fire a single shot inside; I was just cheering '666' from the sidelines the whole time."

"Being able to leech an S-rank radar plug-in is already more than enough for me. How could I have the face to take so much stuff!"

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes at him, his tone brooks no refusal.

"Take it. I'm not lacking this little bit of stuff."

"You discovered the secret realm and you led the way. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten the first-clear reward."

"If I tell you to take it, then take it. Stop talking nonsense."

Hearing the Big Boss say this, Lin Zihao could only swallow hard and click 'confirm' with a trembling hand.

After setting up the vehicle's defensive perimeter, Lu Yuan crawled back into the folding bedroom inside the tank.

He leaned comfortably against the soft mattress and began to count all of today's gains.

As his gaze swept over the rows of exaggerated numbers on the system panel, even he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.

metal blocks +25,000,

Insulated Wire +1,000,

Circuit Boards +500,

Diesel +5,000 liters,

Gasoline +2,500 liters,

Assault Rifles +10,

Heavy Machine Guns +2,

Various Ammunition +5,000 rounds,

Pure Water +10,000 liters,

Basic Bread +6,000 portions,

In addition, there were a large number of canned meats and various instant foods +1,500 crates.

Upgrade blueprints for various vehicle modifications and armor +20 sheets.

At the very bottom, there were also 30 shimmering Bronze Blind Boxes lying quietly.

Wealth enough to rival a nation.

Only these few words occupied Lu Yuan's mind right now.

At this stage, most players were still fighting tooth and nail for a bottle of water or a piece of moldy bread.

Yet the resources he had could even support the operation of a small base.

Lu Yuan rubbed his hands together and, leaning against the headboard, directly opened those thirty Bronze Blind Boxes.

A flash of light occurred.

They were all standard materials, plus two ordinary weapon blueprints.

Just as he thought they were all pity rewards, a blueprint emitting a ghostly blue light popped out, instantly catching his eye.

[Folding Space Expansion Blueprint].

[Effect: Can expand the existing folding space of a vehicle by an additional five square meters of dimensional space, ignoring physical volume.]

[Consumption: None.]

Good stuff!

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately clicked 'use'.

A blue light swept across the entire cabin.

The originally somewhat cramped folding bedroom inside the tank instantly expanded outward, increasing to ten square meters.

Not only did the ceiling height become more generous, but he could even fit a large sofa inside.

Looking at the spacious room, Lu Yuan's mind immediately became active.

He opened the World Trade Channel and began to scavenge for treasures in the massive blueprint section.

Soon, he locked onto a target.

[Bathroom Renovation Blueprint].

The price set by the seller was one hundred liters of water and one hundred metal blocks.

For an ordinary person, this price was practically bankruptcy, but for the current Lu Yuan, it wasn't even a drop in the bucket.

Without blinking an eye, he directly clicked to purchase.

The blueprint dissipated into white light, and a modern shower room with separate wet and dry areas instantly appeared in the corner of the bedroom.

Looking at that shining metal showerhead, Lu Yuan's sense of survival happiness was instantly maximized.

Before taking a bath, he had to reward his stomach first.

Lu Yuan rummaged through the massive supply crates and found a high-quality fresh steak, as well as a bottle of red wine dropped from some unknown monster.

He then pulled a [Portable Induction Cooker Blueprint] from his blueprint library and crafted it on the spot.

He casually consumed a few metal blocks to create a flat-bottomed iron pan.

Power on, heat up.

Lu Yuan poured in a little cooking oil and, once the oil temperature rose, gently placed that thick steak into the pan.

Sizzle—

The tempting aroma of fat instantly filled the spacious bedroom.

Under the high heat, the surface of the steak turned an appetizing charred brown.

Lu Yuan skillfully flipped it over and casually drizzled a small cup of red wine over it.

The moment the red wine touched the hot iron pan, the mellow aroma of the wine and the fatty fragrance of the beef merged perfectly.

Finally, he sprinkled a bit of coarse salt and black pepper for seasoning.

A serving of red wine seared steak, charred on the outside and tender on the inside with abundant juices, was complete.

He plated it and poured the remaining wine into a glass.

Lu Yuan cut a piece and put it in his mouth. The tenderness of the beef and the rich juices exploded in his mouth—it was simply a wonderful treat for the taste buds.

After eating and drinking his fill.

Lu Yuan walked into the brand-new shower room and took a refreshing hot bath, washing away the gunpowder and fatigue from his body.

After changing into a set of clean and fresh clothes, he lay down early on the soft bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Outside the tank, Lin Zihao's life was also going quite well.

He opened a pack of high-quality instant chicken breast exchanged for resources and made himself a sumptuous fitness meal.

Tonight, the system did not broadcast any warning of an extreme cold wave.

After eating his fill, he contentedly set up a single-person tent next to the tank's massive tracks and crawled inside to sleep peacefully.

With the Big Boss's war vehicle blocking the wind, this was more reassuring than sleeping in a five-star hotel.

However.

Diametrically opposed to the leisurely style of these two was the actual tragic state of the Endless Highway at this moment.

As night fell, in order to seize limited survival resources, countless players began a cruel slaughter on the highway.

Everywhere were shrill cries for help, desperate roars, and the sounds of clashing weapons.

The entire chat channel was in even more of a chaotic boil.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan and Lin Zihao, who had gone through a high-intensity four-star secret realm and were already exhausted,

were snoring away—one in a spacious and warm dimensional bedroom, the other in a tent filled with a sense of security.

This peace and tranquility formed a sharp contrast with the cruel world outside, which was like a living hell.

Full fuel for all vehicles in the region!

This miraculous reward was like a piece of meat emitting a fatal temptation, completely igniting the greed of the Red Name thugs in adjacent regions.

At this very moment, a bloody hunt targeting the survivors of Region C-72 had already fully commenced on the dark highway.

And in the pitch-black wilderness just a few kilometers away from this blood-colored heavy tank,

the wind and sand howled.

A thin figure, covered in blood and with a sanity level on the verge of collapse, was following that faint light and the scent of meat in the air.

Stumbling, the figure walked toward this terrifying steel behemoth...