Energy Just Got Depleted?

There are two famous rivers in Senchuan City, one of which is called Lu River, which flows through the urban village where they are located. Because it is located downstream, this urban village is also called Jiangxia Village.

When they mentioned it, Tom immediately remembered this matter, and he also recalled the vigorous environmental inspection work carried out in the city a while ago, in which his company participated. The work included cleaning and repairing the two rivers in the city.

These two rivers, one large and one small, the smaller one being Lu River, with a width of only over 100 meters. When the cleaning project started, a water pipe at the bottom of the river was broken, causing water supply to be temporarily cut off in the opposite area. So the city government temporarily installed two water pipes across the river to ensure temporary water supply for residents.

Tom's company was responsible for providing technical support for the water pipes in the area. Although he didn't go to the site, the structural design was done by him, but the final product wasn't. Given the skill level of the colleague who made it, Tom believed that the base of the water pipe must be unstable. However, it was temporary, so there probably wouldn't be any major issues.

So he mentioned this to everyone, and someone immediately said it seemed like there was such a thing, near the end of the street in the west alley.

If they could use this temporary water pipe, they could cross Lu River and reach the sanctuary in Longyao Homestead on the other side.

If this route was feasible, it would greatly shorten the distance, and it would be safer for other people in the camp to go to the sanctuary as well.

So Tom decided to explore the route tomorrow. Skinny said he would go and explore now. His stealth ability was more effective at night and safer. He asked Tom to wait at home for good news.

With Boyo's assurance, Tom had to entrust the reconnaissance task to Skinny Wang San, while he continued to perform the final maintenance and adjustments on Old Street Zero's armor.

The next morning, as soon as Skinny came back, he reported to Tom and the others that the route was feasible. He personally climbed onto the water pipe and found that the pipe was not damaged by the typhoon. It was just too slippery, making it a bit difficult to climb over.

This wasn't a problem for Tom, as he thought as long as they brought some grip wood, the big guy could climb even walls, so climbing a water pipe wouldn't be difficult. Moreover, it could help him carry Old Street Zero, reducing the crystal consumption of wearing Old Street Zero while walking.

With a plan in place, they were ready to set off. However, today Tom needed to patrol around Old Street with Boyo first to confirm the surrounding threats and divide the activity area to avoid attracting the attention of big guys again. The test firing of the Larvae Type II cannon also needed his help to inspect. All these tasks had to be completed today.

Previously, Skinny had surveyed the surroundings of Old Street. At the end of the street intersection, he found traces of wild dogs, so Tom emphasized not to cross the end of the street and provoke possible wild cats and dogs. However, those five people were too arrogant, ignoring Tom's warning and went to the end of the street to try their luck. As a result, they accidentally lured back the wild dogs that happened to pass by and were napping at noon.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Tom and Boyo and others returned to the camp. Today they cleared the new threats from the shops along the street again and killed five mutant cockroaches that had slipped through the net.

The test firing of the Larvae Type II cannon in the evening was also very successful. The power of the cannon was equivalent to a pistol bullet, making it their most powerful weapon at present. However, its effectiveness against big dogs was limited, but as long as the doors and windows were tightly closed, those big guys couldn't get in.

If they encountered the type of beasts like the green bamboo leaves that could squeeze through the door gap, these three heavy cannons would be enough to deal with them.

So Tom once again emphasized the importance of the sentries at the gate. They were the most important eyes of the entire camp. During the period when the gate was open, they must closely monitor the surroundings. Once a threat was discovered, they must sound the alarm decisively and organize manpower to close the gate first.

At the same time, Tom also hoped to regularly transport some supplies to the landlord's room and turn it into a second camp. Once it was found that the clinic camp was no longer suitable for hiding, they must retreat decisively to the landlord's room camp. The gate there was a sturdy iron security door. As long as the doors and windows were closed, Tom believed that no creature could break in.

Boyo and Uncle Wei both said they would implement it seriously. With several lessons learned, they and even the people in the entire camp understood the lurking threats in the surrounding environment and would not ignore discipline and act recklessly again.

At Uncle Wei's suggestion, Tom rested after ten o'clock to ensure he was well-rested. Because going outside and wanting to sleep soundly was a luxury.

However, Tom's mental state had always been good, so he woke up at around four in the morning, unable to sleep. He went straight to the cardboard laboratory and adjusted his Old Street Zero armor again.

After several battles, Tom continued to summarize his experience and make adjustments to Old Street Zero. By today, the mobility of Old Street Zero's armor had improved a lot. The armor plates on the knees, elbows, and other parts had been modified several times and could provide maximum joint protection without affecting flexibility.

He kept modifying the foot pads. Originally, even a slight jump would shake him up, but now, by repeatedly adding and subtracting soft rubber on the foot pads, the shock upon landing had been greatly reduced. However, the height of the armor had increased from the original 9.6 centimeters to 9.9.

Improvements such as increased protection for the crystal energy backpack and Larvae Type I cannon, reduced weight of the Larvae Type I cannon, and more flexible steering also had significant effects.

Looking at the Old Street Zero armor hanging on the stand, Tom felt a sense of accomplishment. This wasn't the plastic model he used to build; this was the killing machine he had ventured through this miniature doomsday with. With it, those mutated cockroaches and ants were no longer a threat.

The only downside is that there's a 3-second interval between switching from strength to speed mode. As for his blue crystal plus red crystal defense mode, it can only act on his own skin, providing no enhancement to this iron armor. However, this is also the reason he is determined to go out and explore. Only by acquiring better technology can he improve these shortcomings and make this war machine even more powerful. He believes that there must be technology out there that can help him achieve his goals.

Suddenly, he heard faint footsteps behind him and immediately turned around, "Who's there?"

"It's... me!" a timid girl's voice came, and Tom walked a few steps around the metal plate, seeing a figure in red. He smiled and went up to her, "It's little Xuanxuan, why aren't you sleeping? Come here!"

The eight-year-old girl, Liu Lexuan, smiled slightly. "Brother An, I wake up from nightmares at this time every day, and then I can't sleep. I thought you would be here... so..."

Tom squatted down and tidied up her messy hair. "So you came to find me?"

The girl nodded heavily, then asked nervously, "Brother An, are you really leaving? Grandma said because everyone didn't listen to you, so you got angry and decided to leave and never come back... is... is it true?"

Tom smiled, "Do you think Brother An is that petty?"

Lexuan's anxious expression immediately turned into a relieved smile, "I knew you wouldn't! Hehe."

Tom lifted her up and put her on a metal block so that he didn't have to squat down to meet her eyes. "Look, how's Old Street Zero?"

"Majestic... um... can you... can you paint it red?"

"Red?" Tom was taken aback and couldn't help but joke, "Then it would be like the Red Comet? Haha, but no. Red is too conspicuous and can easily attract the attention of other malicious creatures. But... do you really like red so much?"

"Yes, I do. Big Brother Tian said red symbolizes life, it's the most beautiful color, and our bodies have red blood, which gives us vitality."

Tom was surprised by Little Tian's ingenious words. Lexuan almost collapsed after being assaulted by Zeng Thirteen. Later, she wore red clothes every day, afraid of seeing blood flowing from her lower body. Tom had counseled her a lot to help her overcome the trauma and get rid of her dependence on red clothes, as it was too conspicuous.

Unexpectedly, Uncle Wei's grandson Little Tian found another way and gave her a more positive understanding of blood.

Tom couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"Brother An, did Brother Tian say something wrong?"

"No, he's right! Red is the source of life, so don't be afraid of it."

"Yeah! I'm not afraid anymore! But you're right, wearing all red is not good, I won't wear it anymore when going outside."

Tom smiled, "It's okay, red is a beautiful color, and you look great in it. Just wear other colors when you go outside, okay?"

Lexuan immediately nodded vigorously, "Okay!"

"But... it's not okay to be all red, but I can paint its abdomen red, just like Fate Gundam."

Tom picked up the paint box next to him, which was watercolor paint used for painting. The security team collected it and threw it into the lab. To facilitate Tom's coloring of various metal equipment, now was a good time to add some color to Old Street Zero. He originally thought that all dark gold seemed a bit monotonous, but considering concealment, he had always retained the dark color scheme. Now, adding a touch of red made the whole suit of armor more vibrant.

"Let me help you, Brother An!" Lexuan immediately jumped down and helped Tom squeeze out the red paint. Tom used a brush to apply the color evenly. After a while, the abdomen of Old Street Zero had a bright red color.

Tom took a few steps back with Lexuan, looking at the whole suit of armor on the stand, very satisfied. "How about it, not bad, right?"

"It's great! It's great! I love red, the color of life! Brother An, you're amazing!"

"I think it's pretty good too, more vibrant! And..." Before Tom could finish, he saw Lexuan clutching her hand in apparent pain. He quickly squatted down, holding her small hand nervously, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's... it's coming again... Brother An, my ability... give me a blue crystal, mine's run out."

Tom hurriedly looked around but didn't find any blue crystals nearby. However, the large blue crystal dug out from the big dog was still on the shelf. It was used for research with the Iron Old Man. There was no time to consider that now. He quickly picked up Lexuan and ran to the large crystal. "Here, the blue crystal!"

Lexuan pressed her hand into it, then gasped, "Give me... the iron plate... the iron one..."

Tom looked around and the only movable one was the large iron plate, originally intended to make a shield. Without hesitation, he dragged it over.

Lexuan pressed her hand on the large blue crystal with one hand and the iron plate with the other, and her whole body emitted a blue light, a very strong light that illuminated the entire lab.

"What's this..." Tom couldn't open his eyes because of the glare. He was very worried that Lexuan might be in danger, so he took two steps forward to separate the crystals, but suddenly a force threw him out.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and flipped over, landing steadily on the ground.

After the blue light, everything returned to normal. Lexuan had a cheerful expression.

"This..." The only difference was that Tom saw that the huge blue crystal, bigger than a person, had turned into a blank crystal. "Did the energy... run out?"