10: Advance to Lv2! Black Iron Fortress

The "water ghosts" on the surface seemed to sense the violent vibrations and energy fluctuations beneath the water.

They became even more restless.

Stumbling across the warehouse roof, they let out piercing screeches toward the water, and a few even tried to jump in.

"Splash!" A water ghost slammed into the water next to the black iron, kicking up a foul-smelling spray.

It struggled to swim over and grab the gunwale, its festering face filled with greed.

Jiang Ran didn't even lift an eyelid.

"Get lost."

With a thought, a tentacle that was devouring underwater suddenly whipped out, breaking the surface like a steel whip.

There was a crisp "crack."

The tip of the tentacle shattered the water ghost's head instantly, sending rotten black blood and brain matter exploding into the rain.

Without a moment's pause, the tentacle dove back underwater to continue its unfinished business of devouring.

To the current him, monsters of this level didn't even deserve to make him draw his gun.

Ten minutes later.

The loading area underwater, which had been full of forklifts, was now completely empty.

Even the layer of silt had been turned upside down, as clean as if it had been licked by a dog.

[Warning: core energy has overflowed!]

[Upgrade material reserves are sufficient.]

[Current Progress: 100%]

Finally full.

Jiang Ran took a deep breath, looking at the golden upgrade button flashing frantically in the center of the console, his eyes shining with the light of ambition.

Lv1 was just the starting point; Lv2 was where this ship truly began its qualitative transformation.

Because only at this level could it evolve from a simple vehicle into a mobile base with production capabilities.

"System, begin Lv2 promotion."

"Let me see what you'll become."

"Promote."

As Jiang Ran's finger pressed down hard, an unprecedentedly violent tremor instantly swept through the entire ship.

The commotion this time was much larger than the promotion from Lv0 to Lv1.

If the last time was "molting," then this time was practically a "rebirth."

"Vroom——!!!"

The low-frequency hum emitted by the mechanical core even drowned out the sound of the torrential rain and thunder.

Piercing ghostly blue light gushed out from every gap in the hull's armor.

It illuminated the surrounding pitch-black waters as if it were broad daylight.

The water ghosts that had been screeching around the warehouse roof were frightened by this sudden phenomenon of sound and light, instinctively retreating and covering their eyes while letting out shrill screams.

Enveloped in blue light, the black iron began to grow frantically.

"Crack... Creak..."

Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of metal stretching, it was as if a giant's bones were lengthening.

The hard bow lunged forward again, like an elongated black heavy sword, forcibly piercing through the curtain of rain ahead.

The hull widened violently to both sides, and the originally thin hull became incredibly heavy.

The waterline sank rapidly, and the massive displacement stirred up circles of ripples. The cabin structure, which originally had only one floor, differentiated into upper and lower levels amidst the metal's writhing.

The bottom deck became a massive power room and storage bay.

The upper level was a more spacious command deck with a wider field of vision.

Six meters... eight meters... ten meters... twelve meters!

Within a mere minute, the black iron, which could only be considered a small patrol boat, had doubled in size.

It had become a medium-sized armored gunboat, twelve meters long and nearly four meters wide.

It floated quietly on the water's surface.

The black matte armor was thicker than before, and the surface had even naturally grown metal textures that looked like biological muscle, giving off an unshakeable sense of industrial oppression.

[Promotion complete.]

[Vehicle: Lv1 black iron cutter -> Lv2 black iron fortress (Multi-functional Tactical Platform)]

Jiang Ran stood inside the brand-new cockpit. The space here was more than three times larger than before.

It was no longer a cramped single-seat cockpit, but a true "bridge."

The main console was full of hard-core industrial sci-fi style, and there were even two additional adjutant chairs.

But what excited Jiang Ran the most was the disappearance of the engine noise in his ears.

In its place was an extremely faint, fine humming sound, like current flowing through superconducting coils.

He quickly looked at the energy dashboard.

Next to the "fuel needle" that had always kept him anxious, a deep blue "electric energy storage tank" had appeared.

It currently showed a full 100% charge.

[Power System Update: Hybrid Heart]

[Description: Integrating a large number of industrial battery packs and generator technology, the system has reconstructed a "High-Energy Electric Drive Module."]

[Traits:]

Silent Cruise: Driven by electric energy, no noise, no heat source signature, range: 500 kilometers (can be automatically charged via devouring).

Berserk Mode: Hybrid oil-electric dual drive, explosive power increased by 500%.

"Electrical freedom."

Jiang Ran stroked the cold console, a flash of wild joy in his eyes.

This meant that during daily navigation, he would no longer have to look for gas stations everywhere.

As long as he devoured metal or utilized the ship's built-in kinetic energy recovery, this ship could keep running like a perpetual motion machine.

Gasoline had from then on become a "stimulant" used only during combat or when fleeing for his life.

"This is what you call evolution."

Jiang Ran looked through the thicker bulletproof glass at the group of water ghosts who were already scared witless.

At this moment, the black iron fortress in this Logistics Park full of ruins and monsters was like a heavy tank barging into a kindergarten.

Before he could fully adapt to the changes in the new ship, two golden icons popped up on his retina again.

[Detected vehicle level has reached Lv2.]

[core functional modules unlocking...]

[Unlock Reward 1: Elementary Universal Workshop (deployed to the bottom deck)]

[Unlock Reward 2: External Weapon Mounts x2 (currently vacant)]

"Manufacturing Room?"

Jiang Ran's heart skipped a beat.

This was the starting point of the "Industrial Revolution" he had been longing for.

With it, he wouldn't have to use iron rods to engage in melee combat with people, nor would he have to scour the world for the broken tools others left behind.

He immediately turned and walked toward the newly appeared, sealed silver metal door behind the cockpit, which was stamped with a gear emblem.

Jiang Ran took a deep breath and pressed his hand against the sensor panel of that silver metal door.

"Sshhh——"

With the soft sound of air pressure being released, the heavy sealed door slid open to both sides.

Although he was mentally prepared, when Jiang Ran truly saw the scene inside, his pupils still contracted slightly.

This was not the kind of blacksmith shop full of oil stains and sparks that he had imagined.

Instead, it was a sci-fi space filled with ultimate industrial beauty.

The room was about ten square meters, with four walls wrapped in a pure white composite material that emitted a soft cold light; the air was filled with a pleasant scent of ozone.

In the center of the room was a fully automatic matter reconstruction workbench about three meters long.

Above it hung several precise miniature Mechanical Arms, and next to it were several transparent material input slots.

[Lv2 core Module: Elementary Universal Workshop]

[Status: Online]

[Function: Matter transformation and precision machining.]

[Description: As long as you have blueprints and sufficient raw materials (metal/plastic/chemical components), this place can produce anything for you that does not exceed the technology level.]

"This is the true cheat code."

Jiang Ran walked to the workbench, his fingertips gliding over the mirror-smooth operation panel, his eyes reflecting the cold blue light.

Before this, his "devouring" could only be used for repairing the ship and upgrading.

But with this room, he could turn those scraps of copper and iron into tangible weapons and tools in his hands.

From now on, he was no longer a survivor picking through trash. He was the master of this mobile arsenal.