I can upgrade the shelter

A convoy formed by seven vehicles drove out of the city center in the early morning, heading towards Lin City under Chen Xin’s lead.

Chen Xin’s speed wasn’t fast. In fact, after leaving the city, he had already slowed down, keeping his car at a pace of 10 km/s.

It’s not that he couldn’t go faster, but Chen Xin needed to ensure that the six vehicles behind could keep up, while also maintaining driving safety.

The road conditions leading to Lin City were much worse compared to when Chen Xin last drove home. The snow had become thicker and deeper, burying the ground more severely.

Don’t assume that deep snow makes for an easy path. In this pitch-dark night, without reference points, it’s easy for people to veer off course and lose direction.

Even though Chen Xin had radar positioning and drone reconnaissance, he could ensure he didn’t veer off, but also had to guarantee the six vehicles behind did not stray either.

For Chen Xin, this was a completely new experience, as he hadn’t been the lead car of a convoy before.

Maintaining contact through radio with the other six vehicles, Chen Xin drove while constantly keeping an eye on the convoy’s situation.

Thankfully, the distance wasn’t far, and the drivers in the convoy were all seasoned, with the special police team’s patrol car at the rear as a backup. Generally speaking, there weren’t any issues.

Initially, Chen Xin planned to only bring Han Ping with him, but both Mo Qingyan and Qin Lan insisted on coming along in the end.

Mo Qingyan had a compelling reason; she was the first to receive the distress signal, and Lin City’s "drilling expert" was her client and friend. Both emotionally and rationally, she should come.

Meanwhile, Qin Lan stated she wanted to provide close protection for Chen Xin. Given Han Ping also had to drive, he couldn’t adequately ensure Chen Xin’s safety.

Faced with their insistence, although Chen Xin felt inexplicably helpless, he eventually agreed to let both accompany him.

After all, Qin Lan had Power Armor made by Chen Xin, and Mo Qingyan had an Exoskeleton Protective Suit. Once in Lin City, even if only to help with moving things as labor, one more person meant more aid.

As for the discomfort and issues brought on by having two women in the car...

First, neither Qin Lan nor Mo Qingyan were the type to cause unreasonable trouble; even if there were problems, they wouldn’t disrupt important matters.

Moreover, even if issues arose, Chen Xin felt he could handle them.

With concerns towards Lin City, this convoy of seven vehicles moved towards Lin City in the dark, hoping to bring assistance.

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"Radar ahead shows soft snow; rear vehicles avoid and keep close to the car in front; move according to the tracks of the front car," Chen Xin said into the walkie-talkie, notifying the vehicles behind of the road conditions.

After the last upgrades and adjustments, the radar system could now detect snow conditions and the situation below the snow. The drones were equipped with sonar probing capabilities, allowing Chen Xin to have a very clear grasp of the road conditions.

Chapters first released on novelFirｅ.net

Controlling the steering wheel, avoiding the soft snow ahead that might collapse, Chen Xin drove along firmer parts, deliberately slowing down to give the rear vehicles a chance to react and follow his tracks.

This stretch of road looks flat, but through drones and radar detection, Chen Xin knows the bypassed area beneath is actually a slope.

They should now be on the site of the former highway, which is buried under more than two meters of snow.

It’s not just that; this highway was actually an elevated line, with a bridge underneath supporting the path, maintaining relative firmness and solidity.

Alongside the path Chen Xin took, the snow was much softer because beneath it was empty, with no support—just pure snow.

Traversing this section, even though Chen Xin had full confidence in his car, he proceeded cautiously.

Last time he passed through here, he could still see the highway bridge. Though the surface was severely damaged and many places had collapsed, forcing him to turn back a bit, at least it was still passable, and traces of the old highway were visible.

Now, however, not a hint remains visible; everything is a flat, slightly undulating snowy plain.

Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan sat in the backseat of the cab, gazing at the snowy fields illuminated by the headlights, seemingly lost in thought.

"A Xin, did you take this kind of road when you went back home last time?" Qin Lan recalled Chen Xin’s trip back home last time and suddenly asked about it.

Chen Xin held the steering wheel, controlling the direction, nodding as he answered: "Last time I also came through here. Back then, the surface still showed meteor craters; the highway bridges were smashed, forcing me to take the national road."

"Was this place a highway before? Doesn’t that mean it’s the road we used to take frequently?" Mo Qingyan recalled often organizing outdoor activities with friends along this route to Lin City, exclaiming in surprise: "But I remember that highway should’ve been elevated high, at least seven or eight meters above the ground. Is it all buried now?"

Chen Xin felt similarly astonished at this, nodding slightly to say: "It seems so. At least from the radar’s display, the original highway bridge is below us."

"This is really..." Mo Qingyan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Glancing at Mo Qingyan in the rearview mirror, Chen Xin shook his head, somewhat thoughtful about her reaction, then spoke: "Actually, such monstrous snowstorms like before, causing this is not impossible. You must know, it was a -70℃, 12-class wind speed snowstorm, enough to freeze and destroy everything."

"But it shouldn’t lead to at least ten meters of snow accumulation, right?" Mo Qingyan calculated the distance between the snow surface and the original ground, unable to help but remark.

Chen Xin merely smiled wryly, saying: "In the city, due to building debris blocking, most places have only around two meters of snow; better conditions might be just over one meter, while severe areas see five or six meters. But in suburbs now barren of vegetation, a snowstorm sweeps without obstruction, carrying massive amounts of snow, forming snow piles of over ten meters isn’t exaggerated."