Speaking of the current defense measures of the bus, apart from its own insect exoskeleton, the air barrier could be considered as one.
When he thought of the air barrier, Lucas found the corresponding "+" sign and directly clicked to upgrade it. The blueprint refreshed, and the air barrier now had the ability to withstand attacks at the yellow-level.
However, this thing couldn't be used for a long time. It consumed gasoline too quickly, and Lucas felt the pressure of using it.
Energy became a problem that Lucas would eventually have to face as time passed in the apocalypse.
This brings up the utilization of various crystal nuclei.
In the previous apocalypse, almost every shelter city had established crystal nucleus research laboratories to study how to harness the energy within the nuclei.
Lucas thought that if he had the opportunity this time, he should pay attention to talents in this field.
But this was just wishful thinking.
When the apocalypse arrived, all countries were not foolish. Scientific talents in this field were undoubtedly brought into the doomsday fortresses. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack to find people in this field in the apocalypse.
As a low-level civilian from the previous apocalypse, Lucas felt helpless at this moment.
[Quest: Find a researcher in bioenergy at Annan. Reward: Unknown. Quest type: Non-main quest, can be refused]
"Well, this is convenient."
Since he had the system, this was the first quest that Lucas found relatively satisfactory. Why would he refuse it?
Lucas directly accepted the quest, regardless of whether there was a reward or not. For the long-term plan of Blue Sky Lake and for the energy needed for the bus, it was necessary to do this.
Fortunately, the system did not impose a time limit, so Lucas was not in a hurry to leave.
Strengthening the defense of the bus must be implemented now, and he didn't know when he would obtain the next bus upgrade values.
The bus's outer shell currently couldn't be reinforced as he hadn't encountered orange-level insects or infected beings yet, and he didn't have the materials to strengthen the shell.
After thinking it over, Lucas approached the problem from a different angle.
The typical attack method of infected beings and insects was to attack the bus's outer shell.
The shell issue could be resolved once there were materials available; it couldn't be rushed.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
At this moment, Lucas thought of another possibility. What if the bus was attacked by heavy weapons, especially high-power missiles? What should he do?
Although the bus's outer shell could withstand attacks from yellow-level insects and infected beings, it probably wouldn't withstand a barrage of dozens of cannonballs or missiles.
Thinking of that scene, with the night sky filled with dazzling projectiles that couldn't even be counted, all landing on the bus...
At this point, Lucas felt some sweat forming on his back.
When exposed, fighter jets and ships were easy targets for missiles, so they were equipped with a device called a countermeasure launcher.
When they were under attack, they would use this device to launch countermeasure flares to divert the missiles from their trajectory or to exchange one projectile for another.
As for being bombarded by a barrage of cannon fire, Lucas had never experienced it and couldn't think of a good countermeasure.
Thinking of doing it and actually doing it were two different things.
Based on his imagination, Lucas installed a square metal box behind the turret of the bus, which was the countermeasure device he had drawn.
This square metal box has secret perforations on all five sides, with a diameter of five centimeters each. There are a total of forty-five holes, allowing it to launch forty-five interference projectiles in one go. The total ammunition capacity allows for three volleys.
The reason Lucas felt heartbroken was that this thing directly cost him a yellow-level blank blueprint and the exoskeletons of two yellow-level insects, and the obtained interference projectiles were only enough for one round of ammunition.
After feeling heartbroken, Lucas opened the third orange capsule.
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining an artificial mini-sun]
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining an increase in physical strength attribute, +20 Strength]
"Artificial mini-sun?"
Lucas suddenly had a sense of enlightenment, but also a touch of worry.
Before clicking on the explanation for the artificial mini-sun, Lucas already guessed what it was.
If it was really what he was thinking, could it be that the appearance time of the sun would change, or it would no longer rise?
Lucas's worry was not unfounded. If the sun truly ceased to appear, would anyone be able to survive in the apocalypse?
Without food, everyone would die!
He clicked on the explanation.
[Artificial Mini-Sun]
A technological product that simulates the effects of the sun on animals and plants. The effective range increases with each level. The current effective range is a circular area with a diameter of three hundred meters. (Can be upgraded)
The maximum usage time is eight hours, with a recharge time of twelve hours, and it consumes 300 liters of gasoline per use.
Note: Mysterious technology, operation does not generate high temperatures and is non-hazardous.
After reading the explanation, Lucas fell silent for a moment.
Consuming 300 liters of gasoline in one go was not a small amount.
Lucas regretted not being a scientist himself and not knowing how much sunlight plants needed in a day.
At this moment, Lucas felt an even stronger need to find someone to research the energy of crystal nuclei.
If the refined core energy could replace various existing energy sources, the difficulty of surviving in the apocalypse would be greatly reduced.
"Well, I'm in luck!"
This time he opened three orange capsules, and the rewards were actually quite useful.
The interference projectile device was not used in the bus's modification points, so he hadn't used it up yet, and Lucas didn't have any good modification plans for the time being.
Options like lengthening and widening on the blueprints didn't seem necessary at this stage, in Lucas's opinion.
However, there were still two unmanned aerial vehicle control stations and two unmanned aerial vehicles that he hadn't produced yet, and Lucas was quite hesitant.
He still had the yellow-blueprints and yellow exoskeletons, but Lucas thought about creating more sturdy facilities after returning to Blue Sky Lake, such as a research laboratory.
By that time, the consumption of blueprints and materials would definitely be substantial, and it would be disadvantageous if he wasn't prepared.
At this moment, perhaps without even realizing it himself, Lucas shifted his thinking from a self-centered approach to considering the construction of Blue Sky Lake as something of great importance.
Better safe than sorry!
He wasn't in a hurry to return to Blue Sky Lake this time. He could obtain materials at any time, and he could make the unmanned aerial vehicles later.
Lucas closed the system panel, located the city of Annan on the navigation system, and returned to his space bedroom to sleep after recalling his shadow clone.
The unmanned aerial vehicles were on high alert in the sky, while the bus calmly headed towards the city of Annan in the dark night.
Passing through a plain area on the way to Annan, it would take nearly two hours at the bus's speed. This was the time Lucas chose to sleep.
As long as he didn't encounter yellow-level insects or infected beings, the dumbfounded woman would take care of any cleaning required. Lucas didn't need to worry too much.
Since leaving the seaside villa, Lucas hadn't slept in a large bed. The room was set with a soothing blue ambient light, which made him quickly fall asleep. When he woke up, the bus had already arrived in the plain area.
Lucas got up and checked the driving record. There were no dangerous situations during the past hour. However, a segment of the convoy's footage in the recording made Lucas furrow his brow again.