Chương 27: Tier 3 Vehicle

After upgrading the remaining parts of the Armoured Racer, and having met the requirements, two advancement paths for Tier 3 opened before him. [Extreme Temple RV] Evaluation: A utility type advancement of the armoured racer. It provides extremely strong defensive ability. With several auto cannons over the roof, and tires and undercarriage that can sweep through thousands of dead corpses. Its carrying capacity is more akin to that of an excavator than a normal RV.

It comes with a hyper-condensed, triple-layered composite body that can resist even RPG shots effortlessly. As an RV, it has ample space for bedding, bathing, dining, and every essential amenity. Its suspension is the strongest out of all Tier 3 vehicles, preventing any and all shocks from reaching its inner quarters while driving. [Extreme Advancement option available] [Heavy Combat Rover] Evaluation: A combat type advancement of the vehicle 'Armoured Racer'.

A four-wheeled vehicle that can traverse any and all terrain with near effortlessness. It comes attached with hidden auto cannons, the muzzles of which aren't visible from outside. It has enough bedding and bathing space for one person to live self-sufficiently. Its armour is made of Hyper Composite Ceramics, making it exceptionally hard for most weapons to penetrate.

It makes very little sound while traveling despite its hulking size, and has three different types of cannons to deal with threats from short, mid, and long range simultaneously. [Extreme Advancement option available] Nyx reviewed the materials needed to upgrade both. He'd need exactly 1k gold for either, and the cost of other materials combined had already run him three hundred gold, bought from the Arcana Archivist in exchange for keeping the guy's mouth shut.

"What's this Extreme Advancement option?" He'd gotten all the information he needed about these advancements from the Archivist, but this option was new to him. After some fiddling, he found a question mark next to the option itself. Tapping it unfurled another panel before him. [Extreme Advancement] Evaluation: Exclusive upgrade option for those who can afford it. This would allow one to add extra features to their vehicle beyond those already provided by the advancement.

In exchange, the cost of future advancements would be drastically raised. Choose only if you're packing. [Would add an extra 500 Gold to the Advancement Cost immediately.] Nyx considered the offer. He currently didn't have the money required for this upgrade. So why was it even being presented to him? After a bit of thought, his eyes drifted to his own inventory, where a huge portion of stolen Spirit Stones lay.

"Don't tell me, the system offers such advancement options after evaluating the worth of the assets under one's possession." That felt very likely.

"But then why hadn't the Archivist revealed this?" He'd bound the guy tightly under a contract this time when exchanging information, so there was little chance of being scammed. Unless, once again, the man had some unique skill to bypass the contract system itself. Still, throughout their interaction he'd kept [Magic Detection] active, and it hadn't flagged anything suspicious.

"I suppose it's simply that the captains hadn't shared this information." That was plausible, hell, he was certain they wouldn't hand out anything that might give others an edge once made public.

"Hmm, should I take this option?" He currently had the resources to afford the upgrade, but pushing a vehicle down such a costly path was bound to bring complications—higher maintenance and energy costs, for one. Beyond that, he'd have preferred to keep some cash in reserve in case an opportunity came knocking. He wanted to stay prepared. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He was also unwilling to sell his spirit stones prematurely.

By his calculations, offloading roughly 10% of his stock would net him enough for the upgrade. And since he still had the money he'd extorted from Julius, that would help cover the rest.

"But if I wait a few more days, I could sell them for a much better price." The economy of the plains was improving by the hour. Where people once barely bought Spirit Stones, sales were now climbing steadily. It made sense—of the original 100k people, only around 40k were still alive. More than half the plains' population had been wiped out in just two days. He was certain the death toll would slow now, as survivors grew hardier and more adapted to the situation.

After roughly a minute of deliberating, he finally gave in and contacted the one seller he trusted to offer a decent price. The CabbageGod. He needed to reach the guy anyway about the new batch of Spirit Broccoli he'd farmed—it boosted mental energy recovery by roughly ninety percent. Since Nyx still wanted to test out the skill [Spatial Motion] some more, he needed these to do it. He didn't want to vomit every time he used it, or wait half an hour between each use. Time was the scarcest resource in these plains.

He'd need every second of it to keep on growing in strength and capacity rapidly to survive—not only against the zombies, but against fellow survivors too. His skill practically bred enemies in exchange for rapid growth. He understood that better than ever now. And it wasn't just him racing against the clock—the Heavenly Demon, Julius, Shuai, even Syrin. Every person was scrambling not just to survive, but to dominate the plains. And if he let them dominate, he'd end up surviving under their thumb instead.

He didn't want that. He was certain they'd kill him the moment they gained any real advantage over him. Who would let a parasitic ability holder live? Not even mindless animals wanted the parasites feeding off them to survive. So he sold 15% of his stock to CabbageGod, receiving money and ten heads of Spirit Broccoli in return. CabbageGod also told him about a new venture he'd started—the Divine Cultivation Fleet. Cultivation, in this case, literally meant farming.

He'd even begun hiring people with unique skills similar to his own, and asked Nyx to send over any potential recruits, promising good compensation in exchange. After gathering everything he needed, Nyx pulled up the vehicle advancement panel. Just as he was about to begin, a thought surfaced in his mind. What if the vehicle can't fit inside this cave? Wouldn't it get damaged the instant it upgraded, pressed against the stone ceiling?

He didn't think the damage would be severe—the light of advancement would probably just eat through the rock—but hauling the vehicle out afterward would be a hassle. So he started the vehicle and drove it outside. Once he was a good distance from the cave, several feet clear, he exited the vehicle. Considering between the two paths, Nyx felt the choice was obvious. For him, he needed a combat vehicle. That would help him survive better against everything that was after him too.

An RV was nice to have, but for a lone traveler like him, it wasn't a necessity. So he pressed on the Heavy Combat Rover's Advancement panel. The vehicle was instantly suffused in golden light, not an inch left untouched. Visibly, it began to grow—where the Armoured Racer had once been the size of an SUV, it swelled steadily, doubling in size, then kept going. Nyx stepped back as it ballooned further, surpassing the height of a monster truck, reaching at least twice that. Its tires grew larger and puffier to match.

After a few more seconds, small protrusions sprouted all across its body, and the light finally began to fade. Soon it was gone entirely, leaving behind a matte black behemoth of a vehicle, at least twenty small muzzles strewn across its frame, nearly invisible from a distance. He also spotted two larger cannon barrels flanking the windshield. [Congratulations on Advancing your Vehicle to Tier 3!] Beyond the physical changes, Nyx felt a strange, intimate connection with the vehicle.

Not the sentimental kind car lovers claimed to feel for their rides, but something far more literal. He could command it to start with nothing but a thought, and it would obey, a distinctly weird feeling to have. There was good reason for this connection, though, because a minute later he realized he couldn't even get inside the vehicle.

"How the hell am I supposed to reach the door handle?" It sat a good few feet above him. He was confident he could jump high enough to grab it, but he didn't feel great about the idea of swinging open a door that looked to weigh several hundred pounds, not that he could even find a handle to pull.

"Hmm, maybe this mental connection is the key to opening it." He mulled it over for a moment, then mentally commanded the vehicle to let him in. It felt like painfully cringey behavior, but the instant he issued the command, he heard metal sliding over metal. Looking up, he saw the car door swing open as a staircase descended for him to climb.

"Huh." He simply walked up the stairs, and once inside, mentally commanded the door to close. It obeyed like a loyal servant, sealing shut instantly.

"Now that's neat." From inside, he could see the plains stretching out before him. The control panel was unlike anything he'd seen before, several monitors lighting up the dash. But before he could explore further, he spotted a vehicle approaching his hideout from a distance. An icy blue-colored RV.