CHAPTER 194: CHAPTER 192 TEST DRIVE AND EXPLOSION SOUNDS

A set of snow track wheels was quickly manufactured and placed on Chen Xin’s workbench.

Looking at the four completed snow track wheels, Chen Xin hadn’t expressed anything yet, but Ding Ning and Li Yulong were already eager to try them out.

"Brother Chen, how about taking them out for a test drive? Now that we’ve made them, we should test whether they are useful." Li Yulong said to Chen Xin with some anticipation.

Chen Xin thought for a moment, then nodded, "Testing them is a good idea. Let’s see if there’s any need for improvement. We can use my car for the test."

Seeing Chen Xin agree, Ding Ning and Li Yulong immediately rushed eagerly towards the shelter’s entrance, each carrying two snow track wheels.

Watching the two hurry off, Chen Xin and Qin Lan exchanged a glance and smiled at each other before walking up together.

Installing the snow track wheels was very simple. You just needed to place them on the ground, set up two boards, then drive the car onto them. The weight of the car wheels would snap into the grooves of the snow track wheels, completing the installation.

Therefore, it didn’t take long for the newly made four snow track wheels to be installed on Chen Xin’s car wheels.

Having agreed to test out the new equipment, Chen Xin wasted no time instructing Ding Ning and Qin Lan to change into outdoor protective gear. He himself put on a Protective Suit in the preparation room, placed a pistol in his pocket, and donned a breathing mask before opening the shelter door, getting into the car, and preparing to drive out.

Qin Lan sat in the front passenger seat, while Ding Ning and Li Yulong squeezed into the back seat together.

After making sure everyone had fastened their seat belts, Chen Xin started the car and drove out of the shelter.

Due to previous handling of supplies by Li Yulong’s men, part of the snow at the entrance had collapsed, conveniently forming a ramp for Chen Xin’s car to drive out.

If the car hadn’t been equipped with snow track wheels, facing this nearly half-meter deep snow at the entrance, even with a ramp that had been more or less packed down, it would still be challenging to ascend.

But everything was different with the snow track wheels.

The snow track wheels, being attached to the wheels, significantly elevated the original chassis of Chen Xin’s car, undoubtedly enhancing the vehicle’s ability to traverse rugged terrain or snow surfaces that are prone to causing vehicles to get stuck.

The shields added in front of the snow track wheels effectively helped the wheels press down on the snow surface rather than sinking directly into it.

As the wheels turned, driving the track, the entire front of the car lifted sharply, climbing onto the snow slope, and with a burst of high-speed engine revs, drove out.

"That climbing capability is impressive!" Li Yulong, being someone who sells SUVs and understands cars, remarked on how effortlessly the car climbed with three people onboard, showcasing its uphill performance.

Chen Xin nodded as well, "Tracks have better climbing ability than tires, with a larger contact area and greater friction, making them less likely to slip."

However, even though he drove the car out, Chen Xin didn’t continue driving forward immediately. Instead, he stopped the car at the entrance and told the three inside, "Wait for me. I’ll go down and check, and also close the shelter door."

Saying that, Chen Xin got out of the car, closed the shelter door with a remote control while using a flashlight to inspect the four wheels of his car and the condition of the snow track wheels after installation.

There was no issue with the installation, and the uphill performance had been very satisfactory, which naturally made Chen Xin quite pleased.

Still, issues weren’t entirely absent. Considering snow track wheels were merely modifications and not complete snow track components, some sinking occurred on the snow.

While the sinking was minimal, only a few centimeters, it made Chen Xin realize there was a problem.

Compared to professional snow track systems, the snow track wheel’s contact area wasn’t large enough, inevitably causing sinking.

But compared to tires, the snow track wheel’s performance was already very good, and this level of snow sinking didn’t affect the use of the snow track wheels. They could still operate smoothly, holding the entire vehicle securely without getting stuck in the snow.

After inspecting the connecting components and chassis suspension chains and finding no issues, Chen Xin returned to the car.

"Xin, everything okay?" Qin Lan, sitting in the passenger seat, asked Chen Xin with concern.

"The tracks aren’t wide enough, there’s still some sinking, but it doesn’t affect usage." Chen Xin shook his head, explaining the situation to Qin Lan, before turning back to the two in the back seat to ask, "As we’re here to test the car, where do you think we should drive?"

"With the current conditions, everywhere is pretty much the same, right?" Ding Ning thought that anywhere was snow-covered, making no difference in where to test drive.

Li Yulong had a different perspective. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about we head towards the high-speed rail station? That area is more open, good for testing performance. Besides, if we want to test rugged terrain, there are mountains between here and the station. Crossing them would be the best test."

"The high-speed rail station?" Chen Xin hesitated for a moment and saw Qin Lan showing a look of agreement, so he did not say much more, stepped on the accelerator, and drove towards the former high-speed rail station.

There used to be a highway connecting Chen Xin’s home to the high-speed rail station. Before it snowed, Chen Xin had walked to the vicinity of the station and found a group of survivors.

However, as the temperature dropped and snow piled up on the ground, the original road was no longer visible. All he could see was a slightly undulating, snowy field.

Driving on the snow, the snow track wheels operated smoothly. Apart from the noise, which might be a bit louder than just using tires, there was no other noticeable feeling.

The experience of testing something new was exciting for Li Yulong and Ding Ning, sitting in the back seat. After Chen Xin drove the car to a more open place, they suggested wanting to experience driving a car equipped with snow track wheels.

Chen Xin did not mind. After stopping the car, he switched to the back seat with Qin Lan, allowing Ding Ning and Li Yulong to sit in the front.

These two competed with rock-paper-scissors to decide who would drive first. Ding Ning won and got to hold the steering wheel.

Watching the two laughing and joking in the front seat, Chen Xin couldn’t help but shake his head. Such a scene was common before the disaster, but with the apocalypse, it had been a long time since he had gone out like this with friends, and even longer since he had heard such laughter.

However, while the inside of the car was reminiscent of the past, outside it remained a cold, dark landscape of biting wind and snow.

Despite relying on past memories, and noting the statue nearby that wasn’t completely buried by snow, he could determine they were at the station’s square. But clearly, the square was long buried under snow.

Even the statue standing originally over ten meters high had been damaged, leaving only a bit of the base and a battered statue protruding above the snow.

The distant high-speed rail station was visible only as a shadow standing amidst the wind and snow, with a corner collapsed, seemingly resulting from a meteorite impact.

The high-speed rail network was an important national transportation system built in Flame Country in the new century, greatly facilitating travel and changing the way people traveled.

But compared to traditional railways, the high-speed rail network, built with significant investment, depended more on routine maintenance and the support of modern civilization, all of which collapsed with the apocalypse, rendering it useless.

The operation of high-speed trains is heavily reliant on electricity, as the trains themselves are electric locomotives, and without electricity, they cannot run.

Thus, the entire high-speed rail network now only has tracks and stations remaining, and the original electric locomotives no longer have enough power to supply the whole rail grid, nor is there enough human and material resources to maintain it.

Chen Xin did not know about other places. Perhaps some areas could operate one or two sections due to needs or favorable conditions, but the city’s high-speed rail station was clearly abandoned.

After all, if it’s just about using tracks, the old ones were sufficient; there was no need to spend more effort and resources to maintain operations at the high-speed rail station.

Especially since the city’s high-speed rail station was built on the outskirts, with few surrounding residents and insufficient underground space for renovation, unless a shelter was newly constructed on site.

Therefore, for the city government, abandoning the high-speed rail station wasn’t difficult to decide and judge.

Looking at the abandoned station through the car window, Chen Xin couldn’t help but sigh, lamenting the high-speed rail network built by Flame Country at great expense and the collapse of former prosperity and civilization.

Just then, as Chen Xin was sighing, a sudden muffled sound like thunder reached his ears.

This quickly snapped him out of his melancholy, and he glanced at the other three in the car, while Ding Ning hurriedly stopped the car.

"What happened?" Li Yulong looked anxious and quickly peered outside, hoping to see what was going on.

"Could it be a meteorite falling? This is quite common now; the city experiences it every few days, probably..." Ding Ning seemed somewhat optimistic, thinking it was the sound of a meteorite impact.

However, before she could finish, a second muffled sound came again.

Ding Ning and Qin Lan’s expressions changed. They clearly realized this was not a meteorite impact but the sound of a bomb exploding.

"It’s a bomb!" Ding Ning shouted and quickly turned her gaze to Qin Lan and Chen Xin in the back seat, asking, "What should we do?"

"Drive back, don’t worry about anything else," Chen Xin looked at Qin Lan and said.