"With this basic skill, I should be qualified to participate in the UFC," Lucas said, gaining a boost of confidence in surviving the apocalypse.

Suppressing his excitement, Lucas continued to examine the panel.

Three upgrade plans for the transformation of a large bus were listed.

The first plan focused on increasing the bus's durability, without any additional features.

The second and third plans aimed to increase durability while reducing energy consumption, with the third plan including a silent system.

Each plan had its advantages and disadvantages, but Lucas knew he had to make a decision quickly.

It was currently 9:20, and after upgrading the bus, he would need to make some arrangements around the yard to defend against potential mushrooms or creatures.

"The third plan has a silent system. I'll choose the third plan."

The bus's engine produced a loud noise when running, easily attracting the attention of creatures and infected individuals. Lucas quickly made up his mind.

He had a feeling that the so-called silent system might not only include engine noise reduction but also soundproofing and muffling effects.

Clicking on the third plan, Lucas stood two meters away from the bus, ready to witness the miracle.

The bus he drove was 13 meters long, 3.5 meters high, with 53 seats and a single door.

When he transported goods previously, Lucas had flattened all the seats, but removing them would require quite some effort.

The anticipated scene of shining golden light didn't appear. Three minutes later, Lucas heard the system notifying him that the bus transformation was complete.

As soon as Lucas stepped onto the bus, he felt a change.

As soon as his left foot touched the floor, the interior lights turned on.

Caught off guard, Lucas's eyes felt a bit uncomfortable, but he couldn't find the switch to control the lights.

"Turn off the lights inside the bus."

Lucas tried saying it, and the interior lights instantly went out.

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"It does have voice control."

Muttering to himself, Lucas shifted his gaze to the bus's floor plan on the system panel.

【Level 1 bus transformation complete.】

【Overall shell strength doubled, engine efficiency doubled, energy consumption reduced by 500%, equipped with a silent system. (Upgradable)】

Lucas was aware of the contents of this plan from the start, but what surprised him was that each part of the bus on the floor plan was marked with a "+/-" symbol.

Lucas understood that it meant he could modify the bus autonomously.

He randomly selected a seat and clicked the green "-" symbol. Instantly, that seat disappeared from the floor plan.

Lucas looked inside the bus and indeed, that seat had vanished.

【Reminder to the host: Once a modification option is chosen during the transformation, it cannot be easily reversed. The host currently does not have modification points and cannot undo the choices made.】

The system suddenly reminded Lucas to make decisions carefully.

After some thought, Lucas realized that there were indeed too many seats in the bus. His initial thought was to transform the bus into a motorhome, at least making it livable for himself.

In the end, Lucas only kept six seats, in case they were needed, and didn't make any other modifications for now.

He got off the bus and looked around it. Holding a fire axe he had bought, he struck the bus's body, leaving a deep mark.

"It seems that the doubled shell strength effect is not as strong as imagined!"

Lucas frowned slightly.

This shell strength might be enough to deal with early-stage zombies, but even in front of the lowest-level red creatures, the bus's body would probably be as fragile as paper.

At this moment, Lucas felt a bit impulsive. If he were to drive this vehicle around in the darkness of the apocalypse, he would truly be afraid.

"Creatures!"

Lucas sighed.

"The first plan should be able to withstand creature attacks!"

When the apocalypse began, what Lucas was most worried about was creatures appearing near the yard.

As for other threats, even a giant mushroom could be barely dealt with given his ample preparation.

Only creatures posed a bit of a challenge.

In the previous life, Lucas had lived for eleven years and had only encountered four types of creatures, with the last three being too mysterious and powerful—only heard of through rumors.

Even the lowest-level red creatures, with their three-meter-tall bodies, six sharp and formidable legs, and an exoskeleton comparable to alloy hardness, were intimidating to look at.

Lucas raised his hand and checked the time.

It was 9:30, thirty minutes away from the arrival of the apocalypse, and the silhouette of a helicopter had already appeared in the night sky.

Lucas glanced at the yard gate and got on the bus, starting it in silent mode. He left his phone inside the vehicle, turned up the volume to the maximum, and played some music before getting off the bus.

Once the bus doors closed, there was indeed no sound from the engine, and he couldn't hear his phone either. The yard became incredibly quiet.

Lucas was very satisfied with the performance of the silent system. It seemed that sacrificing shell strength wasn't a wrong choice. At least, he would worry less when facing the red creatures.

The two lowest-level creatures had poor vision in the darkness and relied heavily on their hearing. If any creatures came to the yard later, as long as he hid in the bus, it shouldn't be easy for them to discover him.

With a calm mindset, Lucas's thinking became active again. It took him twenty minutes to arrange seven or eight oil barrels around the yard and pour gasoline around them, creating a simple defense.

If he had more time, Lucas had various traps in mind that he could set up. But for tonight, this was all he could do to deal with the first wave of danger in the apocalypse.

After setting up the oil barrels, Lucas was exhausted. He moved enough water and food to last a week onto the bus and collapsed in the driver's seat, too tired to even move his fingers.

Beside Lucas were a fire axe, a portable high-power outdoor chainsaw, a long knife, and a dagger. The most exaggerated item was a high-power mobile nail gun typically used in carpentry.

The nail gun came with a diesel generator, and Lucas had no idea how useful it could be, but it would at least give him some courage.

This pile of items was all the weapons Lucas could use for now. Of course, he also had a portable gas canister, but he didn't dare to use it lightly to avoid injuring himself.

As for the gasoline bottles and other items he used in his previous life, Lucas didn't have the time or energy to deal with them now.

There were three minutes left until the apocalypse arrived at 10 o'clock, and Lucas had to remain absolutely quiet.

Fortunately, during the bus upgrade, the windows had turned into one-way glass, so he didn't have to worry about creatures and infected individuals seeing inside from outside.

He lit a cigarette as the clock struck ten. Through the windshield, Lucas could already see a meteor shower in the distance.

For some reason, at this moment, the image of that affectionate couple by the seaside appeared in Lucas's mind. They were probably sitting happily on the beach, watching the meteor shower.

He wondered if the 200-pound girl made a wish...