4: Sink the ship with one blow and steal the engine.

"You're looking for death!"

Seeing Jiang Ran gripping the iron oar and looking like he was ready to fight for his life, Leather Jacket Man thought he was scared witless.

He grinned savagely and raised the fire axe, signaling his companion to bring the boat closer, preparing to board and kill him.

The distance closed rapidly.

Five meters, four meters, three meters.

The two on the kayak had playful looks on their faces.

In their eyes, this iron-hulled boat without power that relied solely on manual rowing was just a floating coffin.

However, what they failed to notice was...

Jiang Ran's knuckles gripping the oar handle were already white from excessive force.

He was calculating the angle.

The one-ton black iron boat was indeed heavy; trying to turn nimbly to ram the kayak was a pipe dream.

But that didn't mean he had no means of attack.

The oar in his hands had been reconstructed by the system from solid steel, weighing forty catties with edges as sharp as a knife.

Combined with the indestructible bow of the black iron, it was a ready-made heavy battering ram.

"Die!"

Leather Jacket Man roared, the kayak already right in front of them.

At that moment, Jiang Ran moved.

He didn't throw the oar; instead, he suddenly sprang from his seat, his left foot bracing firmly against the inner wall of the cabin.

His core strength exploded instantly, his hands gripping the heavy iron oar like an ancient heavy cavalryman leveling a lance.

He lunged fiercely at the kayak's most vulnerable side air chamber!

"Go flat... for me!"

*Pfft—!!!*

A dull and terrifying tearing sound rang out.

There was no suspense whatsoever.

The sharp tip of the iron oar, bolstered by all of Jiang Ran's strength...

...pierced through the thick rubber air chamber on the left side of the kayak as if it were thin paper.

The massive kinetic energy even carried the oar deeper.

It smashed through the reinforced wooden boards below, pinning the kayak right through!

*Hiss, hiss, hiss—*

The ear-piercing sound of leaking air exploded instantly, like countless venomous snakes screaming.

Losing buoyancy on one side, the kayak's balance collapsed instantly.

"Ah! The boat! The boat's leaking!"

Buzz Cut Man screamed in terror, trying to stabilize the direction, but the massive centrifugal force threw both men to one side.

The once-aggressive marauders turned into drowning rats in a single second.

*Splash! Splash!*

The two fell miserably into the bone-chilling floodwaters, and the fire axe slipped from their grasp, sinking into the abyss.

Jiang Ran stood on the black iron, pulled out the blood-stained oar, and watched the two splashing in the water coldly.

Since you're in the water, don't bother coming back up.

The screams on the water's surface gradually faded.

Buzz Cut Man tried to swim over and grab the boat, but Jiang Ran expressionlessly smashed the iron oar onto the back of his hand, the sound of bone cracking clearly audible.

He screamed and retreated into the freezing floodwaters.

In this pitch-black rainy night, having lost their vehicle and losing body heat, their fate was destined to be nothing more than sinking to the bottom to feed the fish.

Jiang Ran didn't spare them another glance.

His gaze was fixed on the rapidly sinking wreckage of the kayak.

The Yamaha outboard motor attached to it was about to submerge into the abyss as the hull capsized.

"It can't sink!"

Jiang Ran rowed the oar with one hand, steering the heavy black iron closer.

At the last moment before the motor was swallowed by the flood, he reached out and grabbed the cold machine casing.

"core, devour!"

*Buzz!*

Familiar silver light filaments erupted instantly.

This time, they were like sentient tentacles.

They wrapped directly around the heavy engine while also enveloping the bundle of leaking rubber boat skin.

[Captured primary internal combustion engine component... Parsing structure...]

[Captured high-molecular rubber and polyethylene materials... Parsing...]

[Detected trace amounts of fuel... Emergency recovery in progress...]

A miraculous scene occurred.

The sinking kayak wreckage seemed to have its pause button pressed.

That complex mechanical engine...

...disintegrated rapidly under the silver threads, turning into a stream of countless precision metal parts that flowed along Jiang Ran's arm into the hull of the black iron.

Next were those thick rubber skins.

They were decomposed into a black viscous fluid, covering the cold deck and bottom of the black iron like asphalt.

The entire black iron began to vibrate violently, as if bones were growing.

The originally flat steel plates at the stern slowly bulged.

Deforming and stretching like liquid metal, they formed a streamlined, fully enclosed engine compartment.

The devoured motor was no longer outboard; it was perfectly integrated into the internal structure of the hull by the system.

Only below the waterline did a reinforced alloy propeller extend out.

And the rubber materials were not wasted either.

The metal seat that had made Jiang Ran's bones ache now had a thick, non-slip hard rubber pad.

A ring of black rubber collision strips also grew around the gunwales.

Instantly giving this once lifeless "iron coffin" a hint of modern industrial texture and warmth.

[Reconstruction complete.]

[Vehicle Evolution: black iron -> Black Iron Assault Boat (Level 0.5)]

In just two minutes, only two desperate heads remained bobbing in the distance on the water, while Jiang Ran's ride had been completely transformed.

[New Attribute] Power System: Built-in single-cylinder reinforced engine (Modified Yamaha, noise reduced by 30%)

Maximum Speed: 20 knots (approx. 37 km/h)

Operation: Tiller control/Electronic ignition; Comfort: Improved (Added rubber shock absorption and non-slip layer)

"Finally, I don't have to rely on manual rowing."

Jiang Ran casually threw the iron oar that had performed so well back into the cabin—

Although he had an engine, keeping it for self-defense or as backup power was always a good idea.

Sitting in the padded driver's seat, the long-lost comfort made him let out a long sigh of relief.

He reached out and gripped the cold, textured metal tiller extending from the stern.

No need for a strenuous pull-cord start.

Due to the fusion with the mechanical core, the boat's starting method had become more advanced electronic induction.

With a thought, Jiang Ran gave his wrist a light twist.

*Roar—*

A low, deep engine roar, far more pleasant than the previous broken motor, emanated from beneath the armor at the stern.

The hull vibrated slightly; it was the feedback of power.

The Black Iron Assault Boat jolted suddenly.

The bow rose high, cutting through the waves and carving a white wake in the rainy night.

This feeling of controlling power finally brought a hint of warmth to Jiang Ran's body, which had been frozen by the cold wind.

He turned his head and shot a cold glance at the two figures behind him, who were no longer visible.

Then, without hesitation, he increased the throttle, preparing to rush into the distant darkness.

However, just as he was about to enjoy the thrill of speed...

...a line of small red text on his retina was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

[Warning: Energy reserves extremely low!]

[Current fuel remaining: 3% (Estimated range: 4.5 km)]

Jiang Ran stared at the red fuel tank icon flashing frantically on his retina. The hot blood that had been boiling due to gaining power instantly cooled by half.

"Dammit..."

He jerked his head back to look at the newly fused engine compartment and reached out to unscrew the inspection cover.

A pungent smell of gasoline wafted out.

But the scale on the translucent fuel tank inside had already dropped to the bottom red line—commonly known as the "E" position.

Those two idiots in the kayak were just mad dogs out to try their luck before the last bit of fuel ran out.

Their fuel tank was empty to begin with!

When the system devoured and reconstructed just now...

...it had perfectly repaired the engine's mechanical faults, optimized combustion efficiency, and even expanded the fuel tank.

But it couldn't conjure gasoline out of thin air.

Conservation of matter; it was an iron law.

"Less than 5 kilometers left." Jiang Ran closed the lid, his face grim.

This evolved "Black Iron Assault Boat," while possessing powerful propulsion and indestructible armor...

...came at a price—it had become heavier.

The previous 0.8 tons had become 1.2 tons.

Once this last bit of fuel was exhausted...

...this steel beast rampaging across the water would instantly turn into an iron coffin that couldn't be rowed at all.

In this world of floods, drifting with the current to unknown destinations, losing power was equivalent to handing one's life over to the Grim Reaper.

"Gas stations are all underground. At the current depth, they must have been flooded long ago; there's no way to pump any out."

Jiang Ran's brain worked rapidly, his gaze piercing through the rain curtain as he searched for a 3D map of the city in his mind.

Where to find fuel?

Supermarkets?

They were looted clean as early as the first week.

Private garages?

They're all in basements; no chance.

The docks?

Too far from here; 5 kilometers of fuel wouldn't even get me there.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked across the night sky, illuminating a massive dark shadow in the distance.

It was a giant cable-stayed bridge spanning the river, along with the North City Elevated Expressway connected to it.

Jiang Ran's eyes suddenly lit up.

On that elevated bridge, on the day the flood arrived, it must have been packed with cars trying to flee the city.

Although most sections might have been submerged...

...the highest point of the elevated bridge, or those approach sections not yet fully underwater, were definitely a massive treasure trove!

Inside those cars stranded mid-air...

...were tons of steel, precision electronic components, and... most importantly, fuel!

"Time to gamble."

Jiang Ran glanced at the nerve-wracking needle on the dashboard.

If he didn't go, he'd just be waiting to die once the fuel ran dry.

If he went, he might turn this "bicycle" into a "motorcycle."

"Target: North City Elevated Bridge."

Jiang Ran took a deep breath and gently twisted the throttle.

*Vroom—*

The engine let out a low growl, and the Black Iron Assault Boat carved a white wave across the pitch-black water.

Like a hungry shark, it charged at full speed toward that distant steel graveyard.

And on the dashboard behind him...

...the red "3%" flickered and changed to "2%."

A race against the Grim Reaper had begun.