Chapter 306: You're Off

How do you refill the backup energy bar? Oh, auto-recharge? Pretty cool!

Zhang Su carefully observed and noticed a faint blue glow flickering in the empty second energy slot, as if capturing energy particles from empty space; at the far left of the progress bar, a thin layer was visible—perhaps restored by one ten-thousandth?

The exact recovery rate and whether other methods could accelerate it needed further verification, but as long as it recovered slowly, that was good enough.

"Let's test if it can actually enhance anything!"

Zhang Su decided to conduct the experiment while his energy bars were fully charged, and activated the second backup energy slot.

He repeated the previous operation; all mental processes flew swiftly, but after the energy slots merged again, he still felt no physical strengthening—only a warm sensation, like a small stove radiating heat.

"Alright… I overthought it."

Zhang Su rubbed the cold tank steering wheel and clicked his tongue, imagining himself turning into a one-punch hero.

Although it couldn't enhance martial arts, the improvement was still significant; in the apocalypse, even leaders had to frequently join battles—properly managed energy could become a lifesaving or battle-deciding artifact!

This upgrade wasn't as direct as enhanced vision; perhaps many hidden functions remained undeveloped, but Zhang Su was extremely satisfied—it was like filling a car's tank and adding two extra fuel tanks, filling his heart with absolute security!

Thud. Thud.

"Big Brother Zhang, how's your research going? Why's there no movement…?"

In the following time, Zhang Su and the others focused entirely on studying the tank, tinkering for hours, only to discover it simply wouldn't start—leaving everyone baffled.

Zhang Su knew tanks consumed massive fuel—minimum two to three hundred liters per hundred kilometers—but he'd just driven less than a kilometer; even counting idle consumption, he'd used no more than five liters total!

"Damn it, I don't know either—this isn't my assigned task."

Pan Guoliang muttered, crawled into the cockpit, and activated the heating mode.

Zhang Su crawled out of the cockpit, utterly deflated.

Military diesel could withstand minus thirty to forty degrees Celsius, but civilian diesel rarely reached such high ratings; diesel freezing in winter was common—truck drivers often heated their tanks with fire to thaw the fuel…

"Go, go, find fuel—fill it up completely! We've got to get this thing back today!"

Pan Guoliang stood at the commander's hatch, scratching his head in frustration.

"Come take a look—I don't understand this!"

"Military diesel is long gone; it's probably just regular zero-degree or minus ten-degree diesel. No problem—this tank has a fuel tank insulation system and electricity; it'll start!"

Seeing Zhang Su remain silent for a long while, Pan Guoliang tapped the hatch and asked.

Zhang Su had been so absorbed in studying his newly acquired skill that he'd lost track of time; hearing Pan's call, he snapped back to attention, pushed open the hatch, and invited him to discuss together.

After waiting three or five minutes, the tank finally started. Zhang Su eagerly drove it slowly around the barracks, learning its controls; he found driving a tank wasn't nearly as hard as imagined, gradually increasing speed. The sensation was utterly unlike driving a motor vehicle—but before he could savor the thrill, the fuel warning light flashed, instantly shattering his expression!

"Wait, how much fuel did you guys put in? How'd it run out already?"

Zhang Su grumpily jumped out of the cockpit.

"Shit… I forgot—this thing guzzles diesel! Did you guys fill it with low-grade diesel that froze?"

Pan Guoliang made a strange face, pointing to a distant, chaotic ruin: "Exploded. All diesel and gasoline gone… Boom, spectacular!"

Zhang Su's eyelid twitched with rage. He scanned the area—none of the other vehicles used diesel. Reluctantly, he climbed down from the tank, resolved to find diesel tomorrow and bring this beast back!

To prevent anyone from stealing the tank and threatening him—or taking the shells—he'd even removed several critical components…

Over forty people worked together and quickly filled every vehicle—not just with various weapons, but also other equipment and supplies.

When it came time to return, Zhang Su gathered everyone together.

"Old Ma, are you curious about those corpses we buried earlier?"

Ma Changshou shook his head: "Whatever Big Brother Zhang asks us to do must have reason."

Zhang Su looked at the smooth-talking Ma Changshou; reflecting on all their interactions since meeting, he found the man likable and easy to work with. Now that he was under his command, he'd likely make things easier.

"That group came from Kuanzhuang…"

Zhang Su then recounted the long-standing feud between Tianma Yu and Kuanzhuang, concluding: "Originally, we had no major grudge against Kuanzhuang—spies were minor issues. But today's different: I never expected Lei Youliang to suddenly show up to seize equipment and directly rally other factions against me. For the safety and stability of this region, I had to strike first!"

Even Pan Guoliang and Xin Qi, among the Tianma Yu group, found nothing strange—this world was a vast dark forest; hunter-versus-hunter killings were normal.

Ma Changshou nodded in understanding: "Big Brother Zhang, I'm not kissing up—your decision was absolutely right. Only a leader like you can guide us all to survive this brutal apocalypse. Impressive, truly impressive."

The villagers of Xida Ying Village lacked leadership, but they weren't fools. Now that they rode the same boat as Tianma Yu, seeing their boss act so decisively, they felt genuine security.

"Kuanzhuang has a group of elderly, weak, women, and children just like yours. My feud with Lei Youliang ends with his fall—but Kuanzhuang's villagers lost their protection. So I've decided to absorb them! I'm telling you the truth because I treat you as family. You know what to say—and what not to say."

"Big Brother Zhang is benevolent! We'll give our all to support you—if anything goes wrong, blame me!"

For the first time since being rescued, Ma Changshou straightened his back, confident in his villagers.

"Alright, that's settled. Pack up and get ready to depart!"

On the way here, every vehicle was nearly empty; now, returning, they were packed tight—even after taking Kuanzhuang's three vehicles, they barely had room!

In the FJ Land Cruiser, Zhang Su drove personally, leading his core team on this mission; the weight on his shoulders was immense—he had to maximize his advantages.

In the passenger seat, Zheng Xinyu watched Zhang Su with quiet curiosity.

"What's up?" Zhang Su felt her gaze and glanced at her uneasily.

"You're off."

Zheng Xinyu stared intently at Zhang Su, as if his face had sprouted a Van Gogh painting.

In the backseat, Zhao Dechu, gazing out the window and humming a tune, grinned: "Bro, your wife thinks you're cheating."

"You're nuts, Zhu! Hey, girl, how am I off?"

Zhang Su's heart stirred, but his expression remained calm—he wondered if his boosted state was really that obvious?

"Can't quite say… but you're just not the same as this morning. Did you take stimulants? You seem hyperactive…"

Zheng Xinyu finally found the right word to describe it.

(End of Chapter)