NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: Turbocharged Engine
"How should I kill this thing?" Zhang Tuohai's mind raced.
Suddenly, he spotted a turn up ahead. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he had an idea.
He slammed on the gas pedal, accelerating to the limit, drifting smoothly through the curve.
The black bear lost sight of him and grew anxious, running a few steps before chasing after him.
As it rounded the corner, it saw Zhang Tuohai standing 20 meters away, holding a dark object that emitted a strong light.
"Idiot, look here!" Zhang Tuohai shouted.
Though the black bear couldn’t understand his words, it instinctively sensed danger and used its thick paws to shield its eyes from the blinding light.
Seeing the bear cover its eyes, Zhang Tuohai switched the flashlight in his hand to a shotgun.
Boom!
A gunshot shattered the silence of the night, as a 12-gauge shell hit the black bear.
At a distance of 20 meters, it was well within the shotgun’s lethal range.
The 12 pellets spread in a circular pattern, striking the bear in various parts of its body.
Although the injuries weren’t fatal, they enraged the bear, triggering its primal fury.
The black bear roared in anger.
Seeing this, Zhang Tuohai once again shone the flashlight into the bear’s face.
Caught off guard, the bear instinctively shielded its eyes again, falling victim to Zhang Tuohai’s trick once more.
Taking advantage of this, Zhang Tuohai jumped back into his car, not even bothering to close the door, and floored the gas pedal.
The car shot forward like an arrow, aiming straight for the bear.
Twenty meters flew by in an instant.
The bear didn’t have time to react before it was hit hard.
Zhang Tuohai didn’t know the exact force of a car weighing three tons at a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour, but judging from the bear’s reaction, it wasn’t pleasant.
The bear lay sprawled across the car's hood, coughing up black blood. Its beady eyes were filled with hatred.
If looks could kill, Zhang Tuohai would’ve been dead a hundred times over by now.
"Still not dead? Guess I’ll have to do it again."
Zhang Tuohai quickly reversed about 50 meters, and the bear was flung off the hood.
After backing up, Zhang Tuohai noticed that the bear's legs had been shredded by the spiked bumper.
The bear sat half-slumped on the ground, roaring at him.
"Can’t move anymore?" Zhang Tuohai's spirits lifted.
If he missed this chance, he might as well be useless.
He accelerated again and rammed into the bear.
Thud!
The car hit the bear solidly, sending it flying two meters away.
The bear’s bulky body crashed heavily to the ground.
After two collisions, its legs were now a bloody mess, making any movement nearly impossible.
"System, is it safe to get out now? Does the bear still have any ability to fight back?" Zhang Tuohai, still cautious, asked the system.
[The black bear has lost its mobility. As long as you stay more than two meters away, it won’t be able to retaliate.]
"Even after all that, it can still fight back?" Zhang Tuohai was secretly shocked, gaining a newfound respect for the bear's resilience.
Now that he knew the safe distance, it was easy.
He parked 10 meters away, got out of the car, and approached cautiously.
If not for the potential damage further collisions might cause to his vehicle, he would have considered running over the bear again just to finish it off.
But since it couldn’t move, it was a good opportunity to test his firearm’s power.
Zhang Tuohai aimed his Remington at the bear and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three consecutive shots were fired, with more than 30 pellets hitting the bear’s body.
Blood poured from its wounds, but the bear still seemed to have some fight left, roaring at Zhang Tuohai.
"That strong?" Zhang Tuohai was shocked that the bear wasn’t dead after all those shots.
If it weren’t for his quick thinking and help from the system, the bear would’ve killed him by now.
He now had a clearer idea of the shotgun’s power.
It was effective against regular animals, but for larger prey like this, he’d need specialized ammo like slugs.
Zhang Tuohai moved a bit closer, aiming for the bear’s head this time.
He fired three more shots directly at its head.
The bear’s head was torn apart, finally ending its life.
Only then did the system notification sound.
[The black bear is dead.]
With the system's confirmation, Zhang Tuohai finally relaxed.
He approached the bear's corpse and plunged a skinning knife into it.
[Acquired: 500g bear meat x 300]
[Acquired: Bear paw x 4]
[Acquired: Bear entrails x 1]
[Acquired: Tattered bear hide x 1]
[Acquired: Regular essence x 1]
Looking at the tattered bear hide, Zhang Tuohai became more determined to obtain slugs. Without them, he’d suffer too many losses.
However, the fresh meat was a valuable gain. Some could be braised, and the rest made into sausages for preservation.
No more wasting it by making lard.
After loading the supplies into the car, Zhang Tuohai finally let out a sigh of relief.
He lay back in his seat and opened the regional channel to check on how everyone else was doing.
The moment he opened the channel, dozens of death notifications flooded in.
Ninety-nine percent of them were people killed by animals.
Zhang Tuohai glanced at the list, noting that nine of the dead were people who had bought spears from him.
Seeing the names of the deceased, Zhang Tuohai shook his head and sighed.
He had guns, a modified vehicle, and the system, yet his victory was still so hard-won. These people thought they could hunt with just a spear? They were dreaming.
In the regional channel, some unlucky survivors were also injured, desperately pleading for medical supplies.
After some thought, Zhang Tuohai posted 10 anti-inflammatory pills for sale and reopened orders for custom medicine production.
The price remained the same: 3 units of herbs per dose.
To prevent hoarding, he added a condition: anyone wanting to buy directly must submit a photo of their injury.
Custom orders, however, had no restrictions.
This condition infuriated those trying to stockpile, but the injured were unanimously grateful.
Soon, the injured retaliated against the hoarders, silencing them.
After selling this batch of anti-inflammatory pills, Zhang Tuohai earned a decent profit, including two blueprints.
One was for headlights, and the other was for a turbocharged engine.
[Headlights: Allow you to avoid unnecessary dangers while driving at night.]
[Materials needed: Glass (2 units), Metal ingot (2 units), Electronic components (2 units)]
[Turbocharged engine: Temporarily boosts power by consuming gasoline, increasing speed by up to 100%.]
[Materials needed: Metal ingot (5 units), Metal parts (20 units), Electronic components (1 unit)]"