Finally, three alternative options were left on the screen. Jiang Ling used her little brain to select two amphibious armored personnel carriers and a light off-road vehicle, but she didn't know much about the actual performance of these options, so she planned to ask the professional in front of her for advice.
"How about this Type 28 wheeled tank?" Jiang Ling asked.
"You're talking about this! It's an old model from more than 20 years ago, and there should still be quite a few in stock. But it wasn't designed for the post-nuclear era at the time. The entire car is electronically controlled, and the noise is relatively low. It can barely be used in the yellow zone. Of course, it's no different from paper when encountering mutants." The fat man blurted out, and he recited the basic data of this model fluently like reciting ancient Chinese, and then gave an evaluation of "barely usable".
Jiang Ling shook her head, indicating she understood. She was just looking for a reliable means of transportation, and the outdated models they were talking about seemed like sci-fi to her. "What about the Type 35 tracked tank?" she continued.
"It's a little better than that one. It's also an older model, but it's somewhat useful, so we don't have many in stock. We can allocate one to you if you want, but we can only fill it up to 30% of the fuel. You'll have to find more on your own... It should be quite reliable. It's mechanically controlled, with no electronic components other than the fire control. Are you sure you can drive it?" The fat man took a sip of tea and continued, "Both of these are rotten fish and shrimp. In fact, we have a lot of outdated stuff in our inventory, all the stuff they didn't take with them when they retreated. Otherwise, you can wait a little longer. The latest models are parked on the production line."
"I'm in a hurry, so I won't fight with you for those good things." Jiang Ling waved her hand and showed a picture on the screen. "What does this light off-road vehicle look like? Why is there no data?"
The fat man craned his neck to look at the picture. After identifying it, he said, "That should be the fourth-generation Gladiator. There are quite a few modified models. It's quite good these days. It's good for carrying people or cargo, and it's light and quiet, so its survivability is not bad. But it's lightweight, so it can't hold a lot of weapons and ammunition. If you want this, you have to tell them what you're going to use it for, otherwise it will be bad if the product doesn't match the description."
"We're going west. Can we see the prototype first?" Jiang Ling wanted to be cautious. A test drive would be even better; she didn't want to get one and not know how to drive it. This guy had secretly driven an excavator on a construction site before. If the driving systems of those armored vehicles hadn't changed much, she might be able to master the skills quickly.
"You want to see the prototype? Let me take a look..." The fat man pulled out a roster from under his desk. He found a contact number in it and dialed it. "Hello? Engineer Wang? How's the inspection of your tank going? Can it start? Oh, I have a comrade here who needs to be taken a look. Can you set a time? Waiting in line? We've been friends for so many years and we still have to wait in line? What? Okay, okay, I'll give you a 10% bonus this month!"
The fat man hung up the phone and said to Jiang Ling, "In three hours, you can go to the repair shop in District 6 and take a look. Just say I introduced you there. There's no rush now, why don't you wait a little longer?"
Jiang Ling turned to look at the two white-haired men who were still sleeping soundly, nodded helplessly and said, "Sorry to bother you, may I ask your name?"
"Haha, no need to tell me your surname is Cheng! I'm one of the deputy managers here." The fat man answered happily, "By the way, do you have your pass? Let's register first, and you can go and pick it up directly after you finish looking at the car." He seemed to remember something, and took out a machine from the cabinet behind him that was very similar to the one in the ration store.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling took out his terminal from his pocket, stood up slightly, and placed it gently on the desk.
"Beep!" Fatty Cheng skillfully scanned the terminal and began operating it. A moment later, a printer on his desk began to run. He looked across at the person across from him and habitually asked, "Are you sure you only need one? With your authority... you could easily mobilize an entire regiment."
"Uh, is my authority really that powerful?" Jiang Ling was slightly surprised. Although she did have that idea in mind, she still shook her head. "That's not necessary. I don't have many friends. Besides, my business is quite dangerous. Their words might become a burden."
"Oh, I understand, I understand!" Fatty Cheng nodded repeatedly to show his understanding. He had indeed seen many people who had to carry out missions with no chance of survival. "Wait, what mission did you accept? Is it dangerous?"
Jiang Ling didn't answer, but just said "hmm" and closed his eyes to rest.
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity~" Fatty Cheng pounded his hands and stamped his feet, sighing several times in a row, and no one knew what he was regretting.
The printer completed the task quickly, and a plastic card with a barcode printed on it popped out a little from the dispenser.
Fatty Cheng placed the card on Jiang Ling's terminal and then gently put the terminal back in place. "I've added some extra supplies for you. If you need them, you can pick them up. The location is on the card." He pointed to the plastic card.
It was still early, and the whole process took only about half an hour. If it were normal, Jiang Ling and the others could leave right now. But she still had some credibility. Since this guy was using her as a shield to serve her so enthusiastically, she wouldn't let him down. She didn't even get up to get her terminal, and this move moved Fatty Cheng to tears.
Jiang Ling waited for two full hours, until Baimaotuanzi woke up, and then she got up to say goodbye. Fatty Cheng, no, this guy now calls himself Old Cheng, personally sent the three of them to the door and even helped point the way...
District 6 isn't too far from here, but it's best to stay as far away as possible. It's incredibly noisy, with all those automated lathes blazing away. It's more of an illegal modification shop than a repair shop. Car owners can realize their fanciful ideas here, and as a result, there's a pile of scrapped vehicles from these extreme modifications.
They stood at the iron gate and waited for another ten minutes before a man in a torn protective suit ushered them in. Of course, this man was just an apprentice, not the Engineer Wang that Old Cheng had mentioned.
In theory, military vehicles weren't allowed to be modified, but the vehicles here were usually scrap. Reusing them was a reasonable option, and it also provided a form of protection for the searchers.
Jiang Ling looked around and saw many modified armored vehicles along the way. She didn't understand the purpose of the extra spikes. The base of these armored vehicles was too fragile. No matter how much external armor was added, if they were unlucky enough to encounter a powerful mutant, they would be doomed.
She felt that those cars with heavy turtle shells on the outside were like mobile iron coffins. If it were her, she would definitely ask them to remove the outer shells and leave only the frame, which might make them more capable of surviving.
"Impressive, isn't it!" the apprentice leading the way boasted to Jiang Ling and the others, "These are our prototypes. You may not like them, but the search team loves them!"
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