It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 205 | The Void?

end of the month.

With no signs of warming up, Shang Ke reluctantly left his comfortable haven amidst the howling north wind he hated and set off for the military base.

Ironically, during their honeymoon, it was Jian Keqiu who was the first to succumb to the strain, becoming physically weak and exhausted.

According to the doctor, she has some kidney deficiency and should reduce the frequency of sexual activity.

Therefore, before leaving, Shang Ke told Jian Keqiu to eat more good food to nourish her body, as she usually ate very little.

She nodded somewhat speechlessly and said, "No need to say more, I understand. Just focus on your work."

"Everything is difficult at the beginning. The initial training period in the army will definitely be the busiest. It will get better after that. I will come back when I have time. We can keep in touch by letter. Take care of yourself. If you are not feeling well, rest." Shang Ke hugged her tightly, then rubbed her waist and said jokingly, "This is the first time I've heard that women can also have kidney deficiency."

Ha! Isn't this all your fault?
Jian Keqiu held back her words; she now truly understood what it meant to be torn between love and hate.

The Defense Forces office had prepared a special car to pick them up as scheduled, and the two then took their leave.

The journey from Suzhou to the division headquarters in Taizhou is only a little over 170 kilometers, with a ferry crossing in Jiyang along the way.

The Jiyang Yangtze River Bridge has not yet been built, and crossing the river remains a rather troublesome matter.

The official car dispatched by the office was a brand-new luxury sedan manufactured by Hengsheng Automobile Company. It was a new model launched last year and is said to have incorporated many new technologies. The Suzhou National Defense Army Office recently purchased several of them.

"Oh? You bought a new car? It looks pretty good," Shang Ke casually complimented.

However, the driver, Private First Class Wang Zhang, complained to him, "Sir, you don't know, this car is supposed to use some amazing technology, but it has a lot of problems. It's not as worry-free as the old Hezhong."

Shang Ke said casually, "That's normal. New technologies can't reach a mature and stable stage all at once. Let's go, can we get there this afternoon?"

"I guarantee it will work. I'll drive. You can rest assured, sir." Wang Zhang skillfully pressed the clutch, shifted gears, and started the car.

The car sped along the wide highway, heading north.

For Shang Ke, having to take a car across the river by ferry was a new experience. After slowly driving onto the ferry from the dock, the staff had to put wedge-shaped wooden blocks in front of and behind the wheels to ensure that the car would not roll away.

River ferries can handle this much better than other types of ferries, but ferries on the open sea often have to use ropes to secure their wheels because they may face larger waves.

There were quite a few people and vehicles that needed to cross the river. After waiting in line for more than an hour for the ferry, Shang Ke simply ate a bowl of wontons at a roadside stall next to the dock, which was quite a down-to-earth experience.

After driving for about half an hour after crossing the river, Wang Zhang suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Strange thing, really strange, this car is almost out of gas."

Shang Ke, who was leisurely reading the newspaper in the back row, didn't think much of it when he heard this and asked casually, "Didn't you fill up the tank before you left?"

"It's full. I went straight there to fill it up as soon as I left the office parking lot this morning."

"Does this car have such high fuel consumption?"

"This shouldn't be happening. A full tank of gas can take us about 300 kilometers. The gas gauge is almost empty. Sir, we need to find a gas station."

A strange thing happened: the new car was filled with gasoline before it set off, but the fuel gauge went empty after only a little over 100 kilometers.

Wang Zhang and Shang Ke got out of the car and inspected it. They found no abnormalities in the chassis and ruled out the possibility that the fuel tank had been punctured and was leaking oil.

The two men circled the hood for a while, concluding that the carburetor might be malfunctioning. With no other options, they continued on their way, hoping to reach the nearest gas station.

Later regulations clearly stipulated the density of gas station distribution, but this was only the 1940s, and gas stations were far from being ubiquitous.

Fortunately, there were many cars coming and going around, and the road was quite busy, so even if we ran out of gas, we wouldn't be too worried, as it wasn't a deserted wilderness.

Before long, the fuel gauge needle had moved to the far left, and the two people in the car were eagerly hoping to see the sign for the Pacific Petrochemical Group gas station.

Suddenly, Shang Ke saw a village ahead. Several wooden sheds were set up by the roadside, with a large sign that read "Go for it!" handwritten in black paint.

Shang Ke hurriedly called out, and Wang Zhang immediately slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road.

More than a dozen oil drums, a truck, and several men wearing cotton-padded coats were drinking hot tea and taking shelter from the wind in a wooden shed next door.

Upon seeing the car approaching, the three men went to greet it.

But when they realized that the car had military license plates, the three men became visibly uncomfortable and timid, though the leader still stepped forward to greet them.

"Hey? You're here to refuel? Ten liters for four yuan."

"Let's add another thirty liters."

Wang Zhang opened the door and got out of the car, thinking that thirty liters would be enough to drive to the division headquarters. He would then look for any problems with the car.

These privately-run gas stations, resembling roadside vendors, were also common in earlier years. The gasoline they sold was of dubious origin; it might have been purchased cheaply from local refineries, or even stolen.

After Wang Zhang paid, the men quickly filled the car with fuel, using funnels and oil drums, their behavior showing a great sense of urgency.

Through the car window, Shang Ke noticed this, but didn't immediately realize anything was wrong. He subconsciously assumed they were just cold and didn't think much of it.

All done! Let's go!
A few minutes after setting off, Wang Zhang exclaimed in amazement, "This is quite interesting. The car drives so smoothly, it doesn't shake at all."

This caught Shang Ke's attention. Indeed, the car was driving more smoothly and gently, and the engine noise seemed to be less.

He hesitated for a few seconds, then asked while trying to recall, "Wang Zhang, do you remember what color the oil was when it was added to that spot just now?"

"Let me think," Wang Zhang replied hesitantly, "Red, a light red, just like the ones we use in the army..."

Upon hearing that the gasoline was red, Shank immediately realized something was amiss—the special gasoline supplied to the Grand Unified Federal Defense Force was indeed light red.

There are two types of gasoline for civilian use: 66 octane and 70 octane. People usually choose one of these two when refueling their cars. Military gasoline, on the other hand, is a higher-quality 78 octane and has a red dye added to distinguish it from military diesel (yellow) and aviation gasoline (blue).

While military off-road vehicles and motorcycles can use regular 66-octane gasoline, tanks and armored reconnaissance vehicles cannot. The engines of armored vehicles require higher octane gasoline, specifically 78-octane. To facilitate logistical support, the military has stipulated that 78-octane gasoline should be used uniformly.

“No wonder they seemed flustered when they saw us. There’s definitely something fishy going on here. The fuel they just filled up must have come from the military. I’m afraid someone is reselling it,” Shang Ke said.

"I was wondering why the car was so comfortable to drive. Turns out it's because it's eating the finest rice and grains! Sir, what do we do?!" Wang Zhang said, lightly tapping the brakes to slow down, preparing to turn around and go back to find out what was going on.

"Wait, don't rush, take the fork in the road ahead to get off the highway."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)