Chen Ye did not know whether his 1,200-plus Slaughter Points would be enough. Without the muscular giant’s help, he might not even have gathered a thousand points.
The escape had taught him the value of an electric tricycle. If the convoy had not stopped, it would have left him behind. In this apocalypse, that meant death.
He was sure the convoy had sensed danger; otherwise it would not have fled so desperately. His priority was to avoid being left behind.
He needed a vehicle that could keep up. Ideally, a hybrid tricycle—one that could switch between manual pedaling for cruising and electric power for emergencies.
“System, can I design the upgrade blueprint myself?” Chen Ye tentatively projected the thought.
To his surprise, the system responded instantly.
The system quickly confirmed that he could.
A three-dimensional design appeared before his eyes.
It showed the upgrade plan proposed by the system.
In that plan, all three wheels had 16-inch tubeless tires. The cargo bed was larger and sturdier, and the handlebars had a throttle, brakes, and even a headlight.
He paused, considering the weather. Rain would be miserable without cover. With a thought, he added an enclosed cabin for the driver’s seat.
He changed the tires to solid off-road ones. They needed less maintenance, could not suffer punctures, and suited heavy loads. The ride would be rougher, with worse shock absorption and more stress on the frame. Even so, they were better suited to the apocalypse.
He also decided to reinforce the frame.
A thought was enough for the system to implement his designs, often more thoroughly than he could imagine. It also optimized impractical ideas. The original plan used rear-wheel drive, but Chen Ye changed it to three-wheel drive. That might not match four-wheel drive, but it would beat rear-wheel drive in a world like this.
He even changed the chassis to a body-on-frame design, normally used in rugged off-road vehicles. It suited rock crawling, deserts, and remote wilderness—just what he needed now.
The design no longer resembled his pedal tricycle. It looked like an entirely different vehicle. If he could build it, it might rival the modified off-road vehicles.
Chen Ye clicked confirm.
The hologram shimmered, and a prompt appeared.
[Optimizing design plan…]
[Optimization in progress!]
[Upgrading the electric tricycle requires 3,500 Slaughter Points. Insufficient points. This upgrade plan cannot be carried out.]
3,500 points? That was extortionate!
He had only a little over 1,200 Slaughter Points. It was nowhere near enough.
He practically drooled over his design. He could not bear to give it up.
He lit a cigarette, taking a long drag to calm his nerves. He had to compromise.
He removed features he did not urgently need, even the headlight, to save Slaughter Points.
A few minutes later, he looked at the simplified blueprint. It wasn’t as glorious, but it was functional.
[Current upgrade plan requires 1,200 Slaughter Points. Upgrade duration: 15 hours.]
[Confirm upgrade?]
1,200 points. He had just enough. Fifteen hours was a long time, but acceptable.
Just as he was about to confirm, he spotted an abandoned motorcycle lying by the roadside. Rust covered it, and moss filled its crevices. His eyes lit up.
Such sights were common in the apocalypse. If he had enough luck and patience, he might eventually find a working off-road vehicle and ditch the tricycle entirely. But he couldn’t bank on “might.” The tricycle was the only asset he controlled right now. If he didn’t upgrade it, he wouldn’t survive long enough to find anything better.
An idea struck him.
“System, if I provide parts, can the Slaughter Point cost be reduced?”
The response was immediate.
[If suitable parts are provided, the system can reduce the cost accordingly.]
Holding back his excitement and steadying his trembling hands, he lit a cigarette to calm himself. The glow lit his profile and made his eyes gleam.
“Damn it, let’s do it!”
Fighting against the soreness in his limbs, he struggled to his feet. He dragged the rusted motorcycle over to his tricycle.
People in the nearby camp heard the noise and glanced over. Seeing it was just Chen Ye, the guy with the tricycle, they lost interest and turned back to their own affairs. Tents were going up, and fires were being lit.
The scent of roasting meat drifted over, assaulting Chen Ye’s senses. His mouth watered uncontrollably. He took two fierce puffs of his cigarette, forcibly suppressing the gnawing hunger in his stomach to focus on the task at hand. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
“System, can this motorcycle be used for the modification?”
The tires, engine, and many other parts could be used in the modification.
[Yes. Using this vehicle as material reduces the upgrade cost to 900 Slaughter Points.]
Only a 300-point reduction? That was stingy.
“System, is there any way to save more points?”
[Yes. If the Host disassembles the motorcycle and performs preliminary installation of the parts onto the tricycle, an additional 100 points can be saved.]
[If the Host finds a third tire, another 100 points can be saved.]
[If the Host…]
Chen Ye understood. The closer an item already was to the desired result, the fewer Slaughter Points the upgrade would cost.
Unfortunately, he had no tools. Dragging the bike over was the limit of his current capabilities. He made a mental note to scavenge a toolset next time he went out.
He wanted to look for another abandoned motorcycle, but it was too dark to see far.
This would have to do.
The electric conversion he had planned had become a gasoline-powered one instead. It could not be helped. In future, he would have to join the convoy in searching for fuel.
At least the tricycle would have two modes: pedal power and engine power. After the upgrade, though, pedaling it would probably not be as easy as before.
He confirmed the selection in his mind.
The upgrade would take six hours.
An hourglass icon appeared over the tricycle. Providing the motorcycle had shaved nine hours off the construction time. By dawn, his new ride would be ready.
With the work done, Chen Ye finally turned his attention to his loot.
He had taken two large bags from the supermarket himself. The other two had come from Jiajia and Qiangzi.