Steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers is fine, it's a gold entry for every level.

[Regional Channel]

[Brothers! I've noticed something! Look behind us! Isn't that black fog pushing this way?]

【Huh? What black mist?】

[Holy crap! I see it! It's far behind, like a wall! What is that?]

[Could it be the legendary "safe zone shrinking"? I've read similar novels; in these survival games, the map usually shrinks gradually, and you die if you stay outside the safe zone!]

What are we waiting for? Run forward!

Shen Wen's heart tightened, and he quickly looked up into the distance.

At the far end of the highway, in a very distant place, there was indeed a faint black shadow.

Like a wall, or a curtain, it hangs down from the sky to the ground, turning the entire horizon black.

"Is the safe zone shrinking?"

Shen Wen squinted and stared at the black mist for a long time.

Then he noticed a detail.

That patch of black mist... seems to be moving.

It was not a movement visible to the naked eye, but an extremely slow, almost imperceptible wriggling motion.

Like a sleeping giant, breathing deeply.

Shen Wen suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

He considered a terrible possibility—

What if this black fog didn't just begin to shrink at "a certain point in time," but was advancing every moment?

Even if the speed is very slow, so slow that it cannot be detected by the naked eye.

But every second, it gets closer.

Every minute, every hour, every day.

Survivors can drive around, but people always need to sleep, rest, and stop to search for resources.

But the black mist doesn't need that.

It is always awake, always moving, and never tired.

Shen Wen opened the regional channel to see if anyone had noticed this detail.

[Regional Channel]

[Holy crap! I've been staring at that black mist for ages, and it really does seem to be moving! Really slowly! But it's definitely moving!]

[Really? Let me see... Holy crap! It looks real!]

Does that mean that even if we stop to rest, it will still be getting closer?

[Oh no, oh no, oh no! This is like boiling a frog in slowly heating water! By the time it catches up, it won't even have time to run!]

So... we can only keep driving forward until we die?

The regional channel was silent for a few seconds.

Then it exploded.

【I'm done playing! I want to go home!】

This is no joke about a survival strategy; it's clearly a path to death!

[Calm down! Everyone calm down! It's moving slowly, there must be a way! There must be a safe zone or something!]

Shen Wen turned off the regional channel and took a deep breath.

His mind was racing.

The black fog is advancing every moment. What does that mean?

This means that time is life.

Stopping to rest means allowing the black fog to catch up for a distance.

This means that routes must be planned carefully, and a balance must be found between resource points and safe time.

But it also means—

Those that run slowly, have poor range, or dare not take risks will be overtaken sooner or later.

This is an elimination mechanism.

Eliminate the weak and retain the strong.

"interesting."

A smile appeared on Shen Wen's lips.

He glanced at his vehicle.

In its golden roc form, energy consumption is reduced by 90%.

In its giant Kun form, it can consume zombies to regenerate energy.

Others want to save fuel and electricity, but he doesn't; others dare not drive fast for fear of wasting energy, but he does.

"It's no problem for me!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Wen immediately chose to switch forms.

[Golden Roc Form Activated]

[Jinpeng Engine: Energy Consumption Reduced by 90%]

[Current vehicle energy: 38% (equivalent to 380% of the range of other vehicles)]

A strange humming sound came from the car body; it was no longer the slight hiss of an electric motor.

Instead, it was a clear, melodious cry, as if it came from the heavens above.

Shen Wen looked down at the steering wheel.

The original Wuling logo is slowly disappearing, replaced by a logo he has never seen before.

A golden roc with outstretched wings, its feathers detailed and its eyes bright and piercing, seems about to take flight from the steering wheel at any moment.

"This level of sophistication..." Shen Wen's lips twitched. "You have an eye for aesthetics."

He opened the car door and went around to the back of the car for a look.

The original "Wuling Hongguang MINI EV" logo has completely disappeared, replaced by a line of gilded lettering:

[Golden Roc - Kunpeng Dharma Body Limited Edition]

Below is a line of even smaller text: "In the Northern Sea there is a fish, which transforms into a bird."

Shen Wen: "..."

There were so many things to complain about that he didn't even know where to begin.

You can just put a Jinpeng logo on a chopped chili fish head, fine, but why make it a limited edition?

And they even engraved "Free and Easy Wandering" on it?

But reality didn't give him time to complain.

Shen Wen looked up and gazed into the distance.

Just now, while chasing the zombies, he noticed a huge road sign on the left side of the highway with several large characters written on it:

[344 kilometers ahead – Industrial zone under construction]

Industrial zone.

What do these two words mean in Left 4 Dead?

This means there may be gas stations, repair shops, warehouses, and even unexploited supply points.

the most important is--

Such places are bound to have high-level treasure chests guarded by monsters.

"Fortune favors the bold." Shen Wen narrowed his eyes. "Besides, with my current endurance, if I don't go and gather some resources, am I supposed to just wait for the black mist to catch up and feast on me?"

He got back into the car, closed the door, and took a deep breath.

"Come on, let me see just how fast you can run in your Golden Roc form."

Step on the electric switch all the way down.

The next moment, Shen Wen felt himself being pressed down into the seat.

That's not the kind of acceleration you'd expect from a Wuling Hongguang MINI.

That's the explosive power of a golden roc spreading its wings and soaring high!

The sound of the motor had completely changed; it was no longer a soft hum, but a clear, long blare.

"Eh-!!!"

The sound was extremely penetrating, as if it could penetrate the gray highway, the endless void on both sides, and reach another world.

The car transformed into a white phantom, speeding towards the distant construction industrial zone.

The speedometer was jumping wildly.

60……80……100……120……150……180……200！

Shen Wen stared intently ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, his heart pounding as if it would jump out of his throat.

"My goodness..." His voice was ripped apart by the wind, "Is this a steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers? This is a rocket!"

But soon, he discovered something even stranger.

At 200 kilometers per hour, this tiny car, less than three meters long, less than one and a half meters wide, and weighing less than one ton, actually—

It doesn't float.

It's as steady as if it's crawling on the ground.

Shen Wen glanced down at the energy consumption display on the instrument panel.

Current speed: 201 km/h

[Energy consumption rate: 15% of normal mode (Jinpeng engine -90%, additional +5% consumption at high speeds)]

Estimated remaining range: 253 kilometers (at current speed)

Shen Wen gasped.

What kind of god-like skill is this?

A 90% reduction in energy consumption means that his current 38% battery capacity is equivalent to 380% of someone else's battery capacity.

While others consume 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity to travel 100 kilometers, he consumes only 1 kilowatt-hour.

While others crawl along in power-saving mode, he can still travel more than 200 kilometers at high speed on the highway.

"It's time to start going on a rampage!"