Bottleneck in Technology

As Tom struggled to get up, worrying about the possibility of retaliation from the mouse, Bozi's face, wearing a leather helmet, appeared in his field of vision. "Hey there!"

"Hi, Bozi. How's the mouse?" 

Bozi extended a hand. "See for yourself!" Tom grabbed his hand and was pulled up by his 3.5 times stronger grip. He saw Skinny Wang San excitedly examining the fallen mouse.

"Dangerous!" What if the mouse wasn't dead...

"Don't worry, it's as dead as can be. Unless it has two heads, can it walk? Take a look at your handiwork."

Tom switched to speed mode and walked to the mouse's corpse. He saw its head completely blown apart, blood and brain matter splattered everywhere. Skinny could withstand such a bloody scene, indicating he had gradually grown accustomed to it through multiple battles.

"Tom, look!" To prove his progress, Bozi flicked the remaining half of the mouse's skull with his finger. "It's hard. If it weren't for your big cannon, my rifle alone wouldn't have been enough to deal with it."

Tom nodded, turned around, and looked around warily. "Bozi, gather the crystals; we're heading back." They couldn't let their guard down yet; one mouse meant there might be more. The Wood Borer Type Zero was out of ammo, and the cannon barrel was likely damaged, so it couldn't be used for now, or else it wouldn't have shaken so much just now.

After a few moments, Bozi shouted, "Done." So Tom dragged the mouse's body to a nearby tree, dug a hole, buried it to avoid attracting insects and flies. After finishing, the three of them returned to the camp.

Thanks to the sturdy shield, the Old Street Zero returned from this battle with fewer scars, most of which were concentrated on the shield.

Tom took off his armor, dismantled the Wood Borer Type Zero cannon for inspection, and saw a large crack in the rear. "Does this count as a burst barrel?" 

Tom sighed and nodded. "Yes. It may have been damaged during the fight with the mouse, so when it was fired, the unstable barrel structure led to the burst barrel."

"Then reinforce the barrel!" Iron Scrap exclaimed decisively.

Tom had considered this issue on the way back. "But that would add half the weight, putting a heavy burden on the armor. It would also be difficult to aim and hit accurately if the barrel's downward pressure increased. If the center of gravity is unstable, it will also affect aiming and accuracy."

Iron Scrap rubbed his face. "Yes, it seems that to make good use of this equipment, we need to upgrade our technology. But where did you get your conductor technology?"

Tom immediately briefly recounted the story of Redemption Shelter, prompting Iron Scrap to slap his thigh. "Tom, how do you think the people in the camp treat you?"

"Very well!"

The answer seemed wrong. Suddenly, Iron Scrap became agitated and muttered loudly, "No, no, no. I mean, are they genuinely grateful to you?"

"They should... be."

Just then, Uncle Wei's voice came from the doorway, "It's not should be, it's one hundred percent. Except for some of Ah Qi's subordinates, everyone else's gratitude towards you is genuine. You helped us kill Zeng Thirteen, and you solved the threats around us. Our gratitude to you comes from the heart."

Iron Scrap was excited. "That's right. Even I, Iron Scrap, got the chance to dig out my own ability because of your help. Ha ha, I'm very satisfied with my current ability. Without any lathes, this old man can create any part I want!"

Tom didn't quite understand. "So what?"

"Oh!" Iron Scrap suddenly turned angry again. "You're a clever lad, but why can't you understand when it comes to your own problems? There are over a hundred people in our camp..."

Uncle Wei added, "176 men, women, and children, including me!"

"Yes, 176 people. By going to that Labor Shelter, you could gain the genuine gratitude of 176 people, 176 points. Your conductor technology cost only 6 points. How much technology could 176 points exchange for? Even if three technologies were helpful for armor material, wouldn't it achieve technological advancement?"

Tom pondered. "That's true... but going to the shelter involves taking a detour, and the risks along the way are too great. With so many people, if a mutant dog or something similar appears, it would be very dangerous. Even the mutated rats are so tough; I can't imagine how powerful a mutant dog 24 times larger would be."

Uncle Wei also disagreed after hearing this. "No, the camp is temporarily safe now. Arong has reported to me that the current food can sustain the camp for more than three months. Most of the over a hundred people are elderly; if they encounter monsters, they won't be able to run away."

"You're stupid. Of course, you should take only some, the young ones." Iron Scrap was furious.

Tom shook his head. "No, the young ones need to protect the camp, too; they can't be taken away."

Iron Scrap threw up his hands. "Then there's no way. Damn it, such a good opportunity to obtain even more amazing technology, and you're hesitating. Tom, you once said, what if a more powerful mutant dog appears? Well, do you think the camp is safe? It's been reduced for over two months, and all the food that wild and domestic dogs can eat has been eaten. They're definitely going to search everywhere for food, and it's only a matter of time before they find us. By then... do you think you can withstand attacks with just two sets of armor and two lousy cannons a few times?"

Tom sighed. Iron Scrap raised a valid point, one he had considered, but their current capabilities were limited, and to become stronger, they needed to expand outward.

"How about this: I'll go out and scout a safe path to ensure everyone can head to the nearest shelter and wait for the rescue team from Haiwei Group?" Iron Scrap immediately waved his hand upon hearing this. "No, no, no, I, Iron Scrap, have vowed never to return to that stupid company, even if we've shrunk now."

Uncle Wei hesitated a bit. "If what you're saying is true, that Haiwei Group knew people would shrink early on but didn't tell anyone, waiting until everyone had shrunk and they had money, weapons, and territory, how is that any different from establishing their own rule? If they had informed the government earlier, the government would surely have intervened to build shelters and protect everyone. Now that the disaster has happened, they come out to rescue people? I, Qi Zhiwei, have encountered many ambitious bosses over the years. And... many people here don't want to leave the camp. After what Zeng Thirteen did, they're all scared."

Tom sighed. That time Zeng Thirteen took over a hundred people out and all of them were fed to dogs and other creatures. Many relatives still haven't forgiven Uncle Qi's thugs for that. Talking about leaving the camp and risking their lives outside now, they would probably prefer to die in the camp.

But sitting and waiting for death wasn't an option. Tom had a feeling that the current mutations were just the beginning. Just by looking at the four different colored crystals they had obtained, which bestowed so many incredible abilities upon people, and the combinations of different crystals could spark even more. With time, he had reason to believe that more mutated creatures would develop abilities that suited their advantages. And if he remained content with just this armored suit, he would likely be caught up by the ant soldiers again.

He had to race against the mutated creatures!

Tom immediately made up his mind. He had to go out and explore again. Only through battle could he train himself, and only by encountering more mutated creatures could he gain more knowledge and technology about crystals, just like with that Wood Borer Type Zero a few days ago.

"Uncle Wei, Professor Iron Scrap is right. We must go out. These days, Bozi and I will clear the area together, including the threats around Old Street. Then I'll explore on my own and find a relatively safe route. I can only gain more technology and knowledge outside. We've shrunk, and there are threats all around us. If we don't move forward, we'll easily be left behind and become food for all kinds of creatures."

Uncle Wei thought for a moment and sighed. "Ah, we're all old timers, stuck in our ways, afraid to face the new tide. We shouldn't hold you young people back. If you want to explore, then go ahead. We won't hold you back."

"No, I'll go alone. Bozi and the others need to stay at the camp to protect everyone, and I also need a way out. You and everyone here are my last resort."

"Alright, we can't fight in the front lines, but we'll defend this camp. We'll do our best to defend it, even if it means risking our lives."

Tom nodded. "Then let's speed up the adjustment of the armor. We'll start cleaning up Old Street tomorrow, aiming to complete the sweep as soon as possible to ensure the surrounding area's safety. This way, even if I'm not here, you'll be safer."

He was always a man of action. After the discussion, he immediately started repairing the armor and the Wood Borer Type Zero cannon with Iron Scrap. This busy work lasted until late at night.

In the days that followed, Tom went out with Bozi, Skinny, and the giant beetle for sweeps.

The beetle was very honest and obedient. Tom expressed different commands by touching the frequency of its long horns, so even without the communication ability of the green crystal, others could command it to move forward, lie down, retreat, stop, or rest with these simple instructions.

And the beetle was very obedient. As long as Tom designated a controller, it would obediently follow commands without any hesitation. The only requirement was wood, more wood. This was not difficult to satisfy at the moment.

Due to the mutation, it had grown larger and heavier, and its wings, which had brief flying capabilities, could no longer support its body. So Tom added a platform on its back for carrying things and tied it securely with thin strings.

As for the name, Tom wanted everyone to brainstorm together, but Uncle Wei and the others all said it was Tom who had tamed it, so it was his decision. And Tom wasn't very good at naming things; from Old Street Armor to Wood Borer Cannon, and even Gecko's Biscuit, they were all straightforward. When it came to the beetle... he thought about it and gave it the name "Wood."

Through measurements, Tom learned that Wood was 38 centimeters long, 10.5 centimeters wide, and 13.3 centimeters tall. Converted back, that was 9 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and 3 meters tall, making it a single-axle box truck. Tom remembered from official records that Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader, transformed into a truck about this size, but Prime's truck was 4 meters tall, making it even more imposing.

With such a "truck," cargo capacity was definitely ample. Despite its slower speed, its load-bearing capacity was no less than that of a large truck, not to mention an advantage that no truck could match: climbing walls.

It could be said that with Wood, Tom could flip tables with all his belongings and climb over higher walls without any difficulty. Of course, when climbing vertically, its speed was only faster than a snail's, which had its pros and cons.