11: Open the All-Purpose Manufacturing Workshop

"Let's test the effects." With a thought, Jiang Ran brought up the manufacturing list.

The current list mostly consisted of basic tools: wrenches, hammers, and even a simple mechanical crossbow.

His gaze locked onto the [Cold Weapons] column.

The solid iron rod he held for self-defense was sturdy, but it was ultimately too cumbersome.

Moreover, it lacked a blade, meaning its lethality was limited.

Facing Water Ghouls or even more dangerous enemies, he needed a true killing weapon.

[Target Blueprint: High-Carbon Steel Tactical Machete (Enhanced Version)]

[Requirements: High-quality steel 1.5kg / Polymer 0.2kg]

[Estimated Time: 30 seconds]

"Manufacture."

Jiang Ran confirmed the command.

The workbench instantly came to life.

The steel reserves stored in the ship's warehouse were automatically transported here.

Through the observation window, Jiang Ran saw several micro-Mechanical Arms spraying high-temperature lasers, rapidly sculpting a mass of suspended liquid metal.

"Zzzzz—"

There were no sparks flying, only extremely precise material stacking.

As soon as the thirty seconds were up, the protective shield on the workbench rose.

A long blade, entirely pitch-black with a thick spine and an edge emitting a cold, chilling light, lay there quietly.

Jiang Ran reached out and gripped the hilt.

It was a non-slip handle printed from high-molecular polymer, and the grip fit his palm perfectly.

He swung it twice, the sound of it cutting through the air sharp and piercing.

"Good blade."

Jiang Ran casually slashed at some scrap material nearby, and the hard iron sheet was sliced open like paper.

A chipped edge?

Non-existent.

With this thing, the shortcoming of his close-quarters combat was finally compensated for.

But Jiang Ran did not get obsessed with playing with the knife.

He sheathed the blade, his gaze becoming profound.

The capabilities of the manufacturing room had been verified, but the biggest regret for now was—he couldn't make guns.

It wasn't that the system couldn't do it, but that there were no raw materials.

A gun itself is just a piece of iron; the manufacturing room could churn out a hundred of them in minutes.

But bullets require primers and propellants.

Jiang Ran currently only had steel and plastic stripped from cars; he had no chemical raw materials like nitric acid, cotton, or sulfur at all.

"One cannot make bricks without straw."

Jiang Ran shook his head, temporarily setting aside his obsession with firearms.

The next issue to solve was even more important—disguise.

Although his four silver tentacles were useful, they were far too shocking to the world.

That sense of liquid metal flowing, and the ability to extend and retract in defiance of physical common sense, clearly did not look like Earth's technology.

If used in broad daylight or seen by other survivors, he would 100% be treated as a mutated monster and besieged.

Or be listed as the number one capture target by official forces.

He needed a pair of hands.

A pair of steel hands that looked consistent with human industrial levels—rugged and violent—so that even if seen, people would only think it was an 'awesome modification.'

Jiang Ran walked out of the manufacturing room, went to the cockpit, and pulled up the ship modification interface.

After the Lv2 upgrade, two external weapon mounting points had appeared on the ship's aft deck.

[Please select mounting module] Jiang Ran did not hesitate, utilizing the hydraulic technology and steel provided by the dozens of forklifts he had just devoured.

He combined a brand-new plan in the blueprint library.

[Custom Blueprint: Heavy Folding Hydraulic Mechanical Arm]

[Style: Rugged Industrial]

[Functions: Grabbing/Lifting/Melee Smashing]

[Manufacturing Materials: Consumes Forklift Hydraulic Rods x6, Heavy Steel x2 tons.]

"Confirm manufacture, and install on aft deck mounting point number one."

[Command confirmed. Manufacturing room operating at full power...]

The ship vibrated once again.

This time, the commotion came from the aft deck.

Through the rear window, Jiang Ran saw countless metal parts rapidly assembling and interlocking on the base on the right side of the deck.

One minute later.

A massive, three-section folding Mechanical Arm painted in grayish-black stood towering.

It still had thick hydraulic rods, exposed oil pipes, and rivets, looking just like a crane stripped from some heavy factory.

At the tip was a huge three-fingered grabber, full of violent mechanical beauty.

Although this thing was not as flexible as the tentacles and was even a bit cumbersome,

its greatest advantage was—it was 'reasonable.'

In this apocalypse, a ship modified with a crane arm was rare, but it would never be mistaken for an alien monster.

"From now on, you'll handle the work on the surface."

Jiang Ran looked at that massive iron claw, a satisfied smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"As for the devouring in the shadows..."

He glanced at the bottom of the ship: "I'll still leave that to the tentacles."

[Preparation complete.]

Jiang Ran sat back in the driver's seat, gripped the control lever, and cast his gaze toward the massive warehouse ahead that had already been surrounded by Water Ghouls.

He had hands, a blade, and electricity.

Now, it was time to start the real 'zero-dollar shopping.'

"Rumble—!"

A loud bang broke the deathly silence of the rainy night in the Logistics Park.

The already prepared "black iron fortress" did not ram straight into it.

Instead, it slowly reversed, adjusting its angle.

It aimed the newly installed heavy hydraulic Mechanical Arm at the side roof of the B3 Bonded Warehouse.

"Let's get to work."

Sitting in the cockpit, Jiang Ran gripped the secondary control levers specifically used to control the Mechanical Arm with both hands.

On the aft deck.

That ruggedly painted steel giant arm suddenly extended, its massive hydraulic rods emitting a "hissing" sound full of power.

The three-fingered alloy grabber, carrying unmatched kinetic energy, slammed heavily onto the warehouse's fragile color-steel tile roof.

The dozen or so "Water Ghouls" wandering on the roof didn't even have time to react before they felt the ground vanish beneath them.

"Screech—" The sound of metal tearing rang out.

Under Jiang Ran's control, the Mechanical Arm acted like a giant can opener.

It forcibly tore a large hole three meters in diameter into the warehouse roof.

Several unlucky Water Ghouls fell into the pitch-black interior of the warehouse along with the shattered iron sheets, screaming as they were smashed into meat paste.

This kind of violent demolition noise completely enraged the surrounding monsters.

"Roar! Roar!"

The remaining Water Ghouls rushed toward the black iron like crazy, some even trying to climb onto the ship along the Mechanical Arm.

"Just in time to test the power of the new equipment."

Jiang Ran's eyes were cold as he suddenly pushed the control lever.

The Mechanical Arm, which had been grabbing the roof, suddenly swept horizontally.

"Bang!"

The heavy steel grabber, with the sound of whistling wind, precisely swatted two jumping Water Ghouls like flies.

There was no suspense.

Crushed by tons of hydraulic power, those two flesh-and-blood bodies instantly exploded, turning into two clouds of blood mist splashing in the rain.

This was the power of industry.

No need for any exquisite martial arts; as long as it was hard enough, big enough, and strong enough, it could suppress all flashy tricks.

Having cleared away the annoying flies, Jiang Ran wasted no more time.

The Mechanical Arm flexibly reached into the torn hole and turned on its built-in high-intensity searchlight.

The scene inside the warehouse was laid bare.

Because the shelves were high, the supplies here had not been completely submerged by water.

On the top shelves, pallets wrapped in plastic film were neatly stacked.

[Scanning...]

[Target Found: Imported Self-Heating Food (Military Version)]

[Target Found: Portable Outdoor Power Supply]

[Target Found: High-Precision Hardware Toolbox]

"All good stuff."

Jiang Ran's eyes lit up.

The Mechanical Arm steadily grabbed a pallet full of self-heating food, lifting it as easily as a claw machine.

It rotated and then gently placed it on the spacious aft deck of the black iron.

One, two, three... this was a one-sided plunder.

Compared to survivors carrying backpacks and cautiously searching for a piece of bread or two in the ruins,

Jiang Ran's method of directly driving a "crane" to stock up was more than a hundred times more efficient.

In less than half an hour,

the aft deck of the black iron was nearly piled high with supplies.

Besides that entire pallet of high-end self-heating military rations, enough to last him a year,

he also specifically "grabbed" two brand-new Honda silent generators and a large box of Bosch power tools.

Although the black iron could now generate its own power and had a manufacturing room, these things were "hard currency."

In this world about to lose power, what a generator could be traded for was absolutely beyond imagination.

"That's about enough."

Seeing the ship's waterline drop slightly, Jiang Ran knew when to stop.

Biting off more than one can chew is never good.

Too many supplies piled on the deck would affect the ship's maneuverability and defensive capabilities.

"Finished."

The Mechanical Arm slowly folded back into its locked state.

Jiang Ran glanced back at the warehouse he had left in a mess with a large hole torn in it, feeling no guilt whatsoever.

He turned around and drew the High-Carbon Steel Tactical Machete he had just printed in the manufacturing room from his waist.

A Water Ghoul that had slipped through the cracks had climbed onto the gunwale at some point.

It was poking its rotting head out from behind the pile of supplies, opening its mouth full of fangs to ambush him.

"Swish!"

A cold flash of light.

Jiang Ran didn't even look at it directly as he swung the blade with a backhand strike.

The combat knife made by the system was terrifyingly sharp.

The Water Ghoul's head slid off like it was cutting tofu, and the headless corpse fell back into the water with a splash.

Jiang Ran sheathed the blade, his movements smooth and fluid.

In this apocalypse, he had finally gained a firm footing.

"System, return."

"Target: Find a hidden deep-water area."

"Next, it's time to properly study the infinite possibilities of this ship."

The twin-turbo engines and electric motors started simultaneously.

The black iron fortress let out a low roar.

Carrying a ship full of spoils, it domineeringly pushed through the trash on the water's surface and disappeared into the depths of the vast rainy night.

Leaving behind only the mess in the Logistics Park and the Water Ghouls roaring in impotent rage at its receding figure.