Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

The wolf sat in the front of the car, while Tito and Tao ran behind him, especially Tao, making for a spectacular yet hilarious scene.

Especially Tao, whose stamina was already poor, was left far behind after running a few steps. He was panting heavily and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Ms. Nameria, you can't go that fast! This...this is just a test machine...it will fall apart!"

"Brake, Little Wolf!" Tito shouted, "Pull the emergency brake!"

……

The car was going too fast, and the sounds were already torn apart by the wind. She didn't listen to their advice and just continued to fiddle with the iron horse, trying to tame it by herself.

Only when she saw Zhang Renfeng's astonished expression did her face change. She frantically pulled the wrench while shouting, "Senior brother! Get out of the way, get out of the way quickly!"

"laugh---!!"

The four wheels tilted to one side, making a series of teeth-grinding friction sounds.

Despite her pushing the controls to the limit, the iron chariot still couldn't be stopped and hurtled straight towards Zhang Renfeng.

Intrigued, Zhang Renfeng assumed a horse stance, stretched out his arms, and assumed a posture as if he were wrestling with a bull. To him, wrestling bulls or horses was nothing special; he had even fallen before against a four-meter-tall North American grizzly bear. But this purely man-made object reignited his curiosity.

The power of the industrial age finally clashed directly with this martial arts champion in such a tangible way.

"Thump—!!"

He slammed his palms down on the front of the car, and a force unlike that of a wild creature flowed from his palms, causing Zhang Renfeng to raise his eyebrows slightly.

"Oh..."

He exclaimed in surprise, then pursed his lips, tilted his upper body slightly, bulged his muscles, and poured all his strength into his hands.

His palms dug deep into the car body, and the two wheels at the front of the car, which were already a bit small, were lifted up by the impact.

After the collision, Zhang Renfeng roughly estimated the weight of the iron carriage. He then used his arms to hold the carriage up, lifting it off the ground and letting the four wheels spin for a while. Afterward, he used his waist to gently lower it back to the ground.

"No wonder it has a heart made of steel; this thing is incredibly strong." Zhang Renfeng clapped his hands, still shaken, and looked at the metal horse, exclaiming, "It almost knocked me over."

"Brother!"

Upon seeing Zhang Renfeng, Wolf's tone rose an octave. Her interest in this new gadget visibly diminished, and her emerald eyes filled with excitement. She jumped off the vehicle and hopped to Zhang Renfeng's side.

"Good heavens." Zhang Renfeng's attention was entirely on this new gadget. He kicked it lightly twice with his toe and exclaimed in surprise, "Wolf, were you driving it up there just now!"

"...Otherwise what?" Zhang Renfeng had finally come all this way, yet he only showed such great interest in this iron carriage. Lang frowned slightly, his fingers, which had been clenched together, loosened, and his tone was somewhat resentful, "Am I supposed to be looking at the scenery from up there?"

"What does it feel like to ride on it? How is it different from riding on horseback?" Zhang Renfeng walked around the iron horse-drawn carriage, looking at this novel contraption from all angles, and asked curiously, "Just with this one lever, it can control such a big thing... Science is truly amazing."

----

"Cough...cough cough...Strictly speaking, it hasn't been completely 'controlled'. There's still a gap between reality and calculation."

After running only a few steps, Tao's forehead and face were covered in sweat. But he still stuck to the job of an inventor and began to explain the design of the car to the financier who had funded him, Zhang Renfeng.

He didn't seem to have changed much from before, except that his attire had finally evolved from sloppy to casual.

"This is a prototype. The braking and steering systems are barely functioning. Its actual performance proves that the design of a horse-drawn carriage belongs to a previous era and should not be used in automobiles."

"For some reason, Ms. Nymeria seems to have a special fondness for this unfinished product..."

"At least this open-top one doesn't make me seasick," the wolf said, looking troubled as if recalling a bad experience. "That one with the metal shell made me want to throw up after just a short while. This one's much better. Tao, could you invent a three-wheeled, or even a two-wheeled, carriage?"

"Based on the experimental results, four-wheel drive is the most stable. However, the material of the wheels and the design of the braking system still need improvement. But... a prototype that is relatively in line with my concept has already been produced, and it's just waiting in the back."

Tao then changed the subject, "Since you've come all this way, why don't you experience it for yourself?"

“Alright, it won’t make a difference if it takes a little longer.” Zhang Renfeng nodded, his face beaming with joy. He always enjoyed these novel things.

"My first drive in this new era will definitely be unforgettable."

Chapter 577: The First Vomiting in the New Era

"Woo..."

"Ugh—!!"

This was probably one of the few times in Zhang Renfeng's life he had been so disheveled, especially in front of his junior sister.

But right now, he couldn't care less about anything else. As soon as the car stopped, he immediately opened the door and rushed out. After only a few steps, his stomach started churning, and he kept retching. He vomited so hard that he felt like he was going to throw up everything in his stomach, and he wished he could vomit out his internal organs as well.

Just moments ago, he could stop that 300-kilogram truck with his bare hands, but now he didn't even have the strength to turn over and collapsed to the ground.

It was quite a feat for the wolf; the girl, who was a head shorter than him, carried this burly man all the way to a crooked tree. Aurora brought hot water and a hot towel, but seeing that he looked like he was about to die, the wolf didn't dare give him the hot water to drink directly. He just wiped his face with the towel first.

"Senior brother, are you... are you alright?"

"I felt dizzy... When I first sat inside that metal shell, it felt okay, just quite novel. But as soon as it started moving, I... I couldn't take it anymore. It felt like someone was putting their hand down my throat, forcing me to vomit."

"You're lucky. When Little Wolf tried sitting in it, he threw up for the entire afternoon. When he woke up the next day, he was completely numb, which scared us to death."

Tito sat down beside the two men and took out a bottle of snake oil from his bag. He smeared some on the back of his hand and, quite naturally, pressed it against Zhang Renfeng's face.

The wolf stared in disbelief, its face showing a regretful expression that said, "Why didn't I think of that?"

“What…what is this…” Zhang Renfeng frowned, but forced himself to stay awake. “It seems a little better.”

“Red Center brand snake oil.” Tito gently stroked Zhang Renfeng’s cheek with the back of his hand, which was smeared with snake oil, and joked, “You and Little Wolf are truly worthy of being fellow disciples. When she felt nauseous, she was cured by smelling this. You’re really something, you actually got that snake oil vendor to make something good.”

"But... is this really okay?" Aurora asked with some concern.

Even if she didn't have any professional knowledge, after spending so much time with scientists, she probably figured out some things.

"This thing with a big iron shell and four wheels... is it meant to be sold to someone else? But Mr. Zhang and Ms. Namelia are both vomiting like this, we can't expect all future buyers to buy a bottle of Red Zhong brand snake oil before buying the car, can we?"

"Look at this little girl, she's got a real business sense," Tito said with a hint of sarcasm. "Congratulations on inventing bundled sales."

“The chief told me that there was a herb added to the snake oil formula, what was it called again…” Zhang Renfeng had clearly recovered. He looked up at the open sky and sighed, “It feels much more comfortable to smell it so close up.”

“Besides the two of you, many other people have tried riding in this car and none of them had such a strong reaction. It’s just that your situation is a bit special. In a sample of hundreds of millions, you are both exceptional and cannot be compared with others.” Tito held up a finger, just like in the hut in Tianma Town that day, and slowly explained, “Do you know why dizziness makes you want to vomit?”

Zhang Renfeng and the wolf both shook their heads.

"Why?" Aurora asked curiously.

“From Australopithecus to the present day, the history of human development is only a few million years, which is not very long. But our living environment has undergone tremendous changes compared to our ancestors millions of years ago.”

Before the emergence of settled agricultural civilizations, human ancestors lived in this world as 'gatherers.' They mainly relied on gathering and hunting for a living, picking up wild fruits and tubers, and inevitably ate poisonous things.

"Once symptoms of poisoning appear, such as gastrointestinal irritation, dizziness, and palpitations, the body's defense instinct will kick in, causing you to vomit the poison as hard as you can. For humans, this is the only way to detoxify."

"However, our ancestors could not have imagined that a mere million years later, their clever descendants would invent something like the 'car'."

"When you're sitting in a car, your eyes and ears can tell that you're moving. But your body is relatively still when you're in a closed car. This difference can cause your brain to become disoriented, which can lead to dizziness."

"At the same time, the enclosed environment inside the car, the vibrations caused by the collision between the wheels and the ground, and the smell of gasoline and metal will all amplify this illusion. As a result, your body will think you are poisoned and force you to vomit."

"The two of you are far more sensitive to the outside world than ordinary people. Your eyes and ears are exceptionally sharp, which is causing you a lot of trouble. The more information your senses collect, the more confused your brain becomes. Am I moving or not? As a result, you will naturally vomit."

"Oh~~~"

The three of them all showed expressions of "I see".

“Wait a minute, I didn’t throw up when I drove that carriage-shaped vehicle just now.” Wolf suddenly thought of something and raised his hand, saying, “It seems that only those vehicles encased in metal shells… are not suitable.”

"First, that carriage-like thing is only half-finished, as Tao just mentioned. The braking and steering systems still have significant problems. It takes a lot of effort to operate, especially since it's a convertible. Little Wolf, when you were driving it, you didn't feel that 'stationary' feeling, did you?"

"Um……"

The wolf tilted its head, pondered for a while, then shook its head. "It's much more powerful than riding a horse."

“That’s right. The information your senses gather matches your current state of motion, so you won’t get dizzy.” Tito sighed. “Unfortunately, sometimes, keen senses can also be a hindrance. With your physical condition, you two will probably never be able to drive a car in your lifetime.”

……

"Isn't it a bit too early to say that, Miss Assistant?"

All three passengers jumped off the bus midway, leaving Tao to drive around the field alone before returning the bus to the tree.

The roaring engine, the spinning wheels, and the body—a blend of curves and straight lines, exuding a powerful metallic feel—combine to create a unique aesthetic. The car rounded a bend and came to a steady stop in front of the old tree. It was hard to imagine that, in Tao's slender hands, this 300-kilogram metal creation could move so nimbly.

No matter how many times he looks at it, Zhang Renfeng will still sincerely marvel at how clever people are; how could such a cool thing be designed?

He pushed open the door and slowly stepped out of the car, saying, "It seems that the car's shock absorption system still needs an upgrade. I plan to change the material of the tires and make some minor adjustments to the shock absorption devices... At present, the production cost is still too high. We need a real assembly line to produce the parts."

"This...this, Dunn and the others will take care of it, don't worry about it..." Zhang Renfeng finally recovered from his motion sickness and came to his senses. "I came to see you today...actually, not because of the car."

"Didn't you come here to inspect the research results?" Tao asked, somewhat surprised. "I have something else I'd like to show you."

We've only been apart for a little over a month, and besides the car, what other big projects have you managed to come up with...?

Zhang Renfeng mentally complained but didn't actually say it aloud. He simply took out account books one by one from his bag.

Chapter 578: It's still a little too early for this world.

"Codebook?"

Tao glanced through the old ledgers, letting the numbers and English letters flash by in his eyes, and said expressionlessly, "Do you want me to use brute force to decipher it? If I don't know the key, it's just a simple math game... Here, come back in a week to pick it up."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Renfeng was immediately startled. These seven ledgers had been stored at the bottom of the camp since the time they left the snow mountain.

Igor had poured immense effort into it, writing countless drafts, but hadn't deciphered a single word. And now, Tao was supposed to crack one book a day on average, without any keys whatsoever?! This isn't how you play math games!

To avoid him wasting his brainpower on such a thing, Zhang Renfeng quickly waved his hands, "No, no, there's no need to exhaustively search. Actually, we've already cracked the corresponding key."

He took another piece of paper out of his pocket, carefully unfolded and flattened it, and explained, "The letters and numbers in the ledger, and what they should correspond to, are all on this piece of paper. We spent an entire night figuring it out."

"So, you want me to crack these codebooks?" Tao flipped through several pages, his brow furrowing slightly. He then picked up the corresponding code words Zhang Renfeng had given him and carefully compared them. "May I ask, what will you use these things for?"

Zhang Renfeng's expression froze. He leaned against the rough bark, stared at the sky for a long time, and finally sighed.

Those present were all comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side in Dover Hill. Zhang Renfeng had nothing to hide from them, so he recounted everything that had happened to the Red Gang after they went to Lagras.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh. He realized that his initial goal was simply to place a few orders with the factory in that city, so they could manufacture some parts and send them to Baiju Town for assembly. He had no idea how things had turned out this way.

……

“May I ask, Istavo, you don’t mean…” Tito’s tone was somewhat uncertain, as if his worldview had been shattered, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Istavo White Ulysses?”

"That's right, do you know the captain too?" Zhang Renfeng asked curiously.

"I wouldn't say I know him, but I've probably heard the name somewhere before? I think he was a spice merchant or something, but I can't quite remember." Tito coughed twice, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic. "What I mean is, this man is truly remarkable."

“Right now, this temporary stability was bought with his life, and I can’t not cherish it.” Zhang Renfeng picked up an account book and waved it in front of everyone. His expression was no longer relaxed, but somewhat heavy. “We must be like bamboo shoots, slowly accumulating strength in the dark earth.”

"I am already in a war, and there is nowhere to escape."

……

Tao nodded, then hesitated for a moment, "Come back in three days to pick it up."

"Three days?" Zhang Renfeng was taken aback by his bold statement, and then asked cautiously, "Are you... are you sure, Tao? It's okay if it takes a few more days. Your brain is our only hope for scientific research here. Don't burn it out while doing this job."

“If we didn’t know the key, using brute force might have taken longer. But now that we have the key, things are much easier.” Tao patted the deciphered key and said calmly, “Miss Tito and I will decipher it together; it won’t take too long.”

"However, I do have a new research project right now... that is related to you."

"Me?" Zhang Renfeng pointed to himself, looking on with disbelief. He simply couldn't believe that he could actually contribute to scientific research in his lifetime. Then, as if remembering something, he looked troubled. "If you're going to make me sit in that chair, I'm a little..."

"The timing for that project isn't right yet, so it's temporarily on hold. I've decided to lay the foundation first before considering the time travel proposal. I've invited you here because I have a brand new idea for combat, which is still a bit immature and just an idea. But this idea is entirely based on your physical abilities to be feasible."

"No... what do you mean?" Zhang Renfeng scratched his head, looking confused. "The more I listen, the more confused I get."

----

As soon as Zhang Renfeng pushed open the door, he had a very strange feeling. Looking down, he saw goosebumps all over his arms, and the hairs on his arms stood on end. He couldn't help but shiver, hugged his arms, and muttered, "What kind of ferocious animal is hiding in this house, a lion or a tiger or something? Why am I getting goosebumps?"

Based on his intuition, anything that could give him goosebumps couldn't be an ordinary carnivore. It had to be at least on par with the giant tiger of Jingyang Ridge, a ferocious beast that was practically a monster.

This time, Tao did indeed stop and looked at him with a very strange expression for a long time.

Can you feel it?

"What do you feel?" Zhang Renfeng squinted, looking around. The room was extremely simple, without even a single eye-catching decoration. "I keep feeling like there are mosquitoes or something, buzzing around my ear. But I can't see the insects, I..."

The rest of his sentence was interrupted by a streak of blue-green lightning.

The house that Dunn approved for Tao was surrounded by vast expanses of flat, open land for miles around.

Unbeknownst to him, a vast steel jungle had sprung up to the right of the house. The coils that Tao had concealed for him by the lake that day were now, in Zhang Renfeng's eyes, enlarged versions of those coils, resembling towering metal towers more than trees.

"boom-----!!"

Through the glass, across a large open space, one could vaguely hear the sound of lightning striking the air, which made Zhang Renfeng's face tremble slightly.

In that instant, Zhang Renfeng, who was fearless, was completely stunned, his pupils dilated, his mouth slightly open, unable to utter a single word.

A blue light flashed in his eyes.