Never expected that he would form a strange connection with Brian Sullivan, as if they had merged into one. The King Kong was now like an extension of Brian Sullivan's own body.

"Well, this is good too. With a more powerful King Kong, my chances of survival in this apocalypse are much higher."

The giant pit had reached the bottom, where there was a steel plate.

This was originally the secret door to the warehouse basement. Brian Sullivan was a paranoid, always feeling unsafe without strict protection, so he kept most of his important belongings in the basement, using a steel plate as a barrier to entry. Now, this steel plate had done a great job protecting the basement for him.

……

The shelves and workbenches in the basement were toppled and askew. The entire 150-square-meter space was a mess, clearly affected by the shockwave from the meteor impact. Fortunately, most things were still usable.

For the next three days, Brian Sullivan shuttled back and forth between the King Kong and the basement, not in a hurry to leave.

The King Kong was badly damaged. Although it had a month to absorb free active energy for repairs, this process was slow and couldn't drastically alter materials at will. Some components could only be replaced with new ones, and then assimilated using the alloy ability.

During these three days, Brian Sullivan also took the time to repair the radio on the King Kong, trying to contact the outside world.

But all he ever got on any frequency was meaningless static.

Sometimes, Brian Sullivan would climb onto the roof of the King Kong and gaze into the distance. Yellow sand stretched to the horizon, with no end in sight. The whole world was silent; he was the only one left, not even the sound of dogs barking or insects chirping.

Another week passed.

Brian Sullivan had completely repaired the King Kong, and all the equipment had been alloyed into part of the vehicle.

The King Kong still ran on fuel, but some of its power came from batteries. Brian Sullivan had also placed two solar panels in the vehicle to keep it running when fuel was low.

Once the fuel ran out, the King Kong's power would be severely limited. The battery voltage was a bit low, barely enough to keep one motor running at low speed, allowing the King Kong to move just a bit faster than a person running. After every two hours of travel, the solar panels had to be used to recharge.

There was no choice—fuel took up too much space, and he couldn't carry more.

"The King Kong is fully repaired. It's time to leave this place."

The mechanical watch showed June 28th. Brian Sullivan lowered the steel plate over the basement, filled the sand back in, and left a long-wave transmitter inside the basement. Only Brian Sullivan knew the frequency of this transmitter. When he wanted to return, he just had to find this frequency.

Now, with nothing but sand and rubble above, this was the only way to locate the place.

This was Brian Sullivan's root, and he didn't want to lose it.

He picked up the welder.

On the remaining steel pillars, Brian Sullivan welded a line of words: "FM90.8, survivor Brian Sullivan, I have left."

With everything done,

He took one last look at the steel pillars, then jumped onto the King Kong.

He closed the armor, raised the radar, and floored the accelerator.

The engine roared loudly, and a puff of smoke came from the exhaust pipe extending from the top of the cab. This steel war machine, whose streamlined steel-spiked armor had been actively modified by Brian Sullivan, with its raised chassis and widened special tires, left a deep tire track in the sand and rubble as it sped north.

That direction led to Wuwei County.

In a moment,

A gust of wind swept by, yellow sand billowed into the sky, and when the wind died down, there was no trace of the tire tracks.

If not for the few load-bearing pillars still standing, this place would look like a desert that had existed since the beginning of time.

Chapter 4: Encounter with the Burrowing Worm

Half an hour into the journey, everything looked like a dead land to Brian Sullivan.

Once, he saw the ruins of a building, which looked like a factory, with only the twisted steel structure remaining.

Brian Sullivan got out to check, but found no signs of life.

The battlefield detection radar showed nothing moving, and the infrared thermal imager couldn't pick up any heat.

He had thought most people wouldn't survive this disaster, but only at this moment did Brian Sullivan realize he still couldn't adapt to the desolation of being the only one left in the world.

And he hadn't found any food.

The supplies stored on the King Kong, if used sparingly, would only last three years. The diesel was only enough for a thousand kilometers. Brian Sullivan had thought that after the apocalypse, gas stations would be free, but who knew a storm would destroy everything—there weren't any gas stations left.

Fortunately, the King Kong had "come alive." He could slowly guide its evolution, using solar or other energy sources for power.

Active energy could grow stronger—Brian Sullivan understood this deeply. A month ago, only the metal frame of the King Kong was active; now, the whole vehicle was, and it fed back into his own body, greatly enhancing his physical abilities.

He felt like he could kill a bull with one punch.