Chapter 9

Three days later, Old Man completed the final upgrade to the engine. After Wu Chen tested it, the horsepower increased by about 30%, just crossing the 300-horsepower mark, and it could reach peak output at 8,500 RPM.

The improvement was significant.

Of course, there were pros and cons. Due to the space limitations of the AE86, Old Man could only fit the modified coolant tank (radiator) into the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat.

"Still no money..." Ignoring Wu Chen's endless admiration, Old Man sighed with his nose in the air and his leg swinging, "When we have money, we'll install an NOS (nitrous oxide system). 6,000 RPM, 400 horsepower, and breaking 100 km/h in 5 seconds won't be a myth!"

Wu Chen drooled, "Old Man, it's already powerful enough!"

Qiu Sheng, wearing wooden clogs, towered over him and gave him a hard knock on the head, "Do you think I'm giving you tofu by spending all my savings?"

"Got it, got it, not just any ordinary delivery..." Wu Chen rubbed his forehead and grinned through the pain.

"Kid, go check if the RSC (run-flat tires) I ordered have arrived."

Wu Chen started to walk away but suddenly turned back, "Old Man, didn't we just change the tires? They were RSC too!"

"This time it's different." Old Man's face was solemn as he raised a finger, "I specially asked the guy at Torii to get them from Yokota Base..."

"Yokota?" Wu Chen's head throbbed, "Old Man, can you not get involved in my business?"

"Do you think I want to?" Qiu Sheng roared back.

Seeing Old Man angry, Wu Chen ran off to avoid another knock on the head.

"This is..." After the delivery man left, Wu Chen struggled to pry open the wooden box and was stunned. Inside the box were oddly shaped rubber rings, covered with tiny transparent holes, like a honeycomb!

"Honeycomb tires." Old Man followed out, his wooden clogs creaking.

"An invention by an American arms company, a special tire that doesn't need to be inflated. The air-filled part of the old tires is replaced with a honeycomb structure, which provides similar shock absorption to traditional tires. Honeycomb tires don't need to be inflated, so there's no issue of punctures. They not only have a higher load-bearing capacity than regular tires but can also withstand attacks from explosive devices and can still travel at 80 km/h even with 50% of the honeycomb structure damaged. They have saved many soldiers' lives."

"Seems pretty impressive." Just as Wu Chen was about to touch it, Old Man slapped his hand away.

"Get the rubber strips." Old Man lifted the tire and nodded toward the clothesline.

Wu Chen looked over and saw two black rubber rings hanging on the empty clothesline. They seemed to be slices of the tire's outer rim.

Looking at the exposed honeycomb tire, Wu Chen suddenly realized, "Old Man, you want to make it look like a regular tire, right!"

"Hehe!" Old Man shrugged and grinned, "This is called deception in war!"

The large tread patterns on military tires are for off-road use and are clearly unsuitable for civilian use. Old Man, without complaint, carefully filled the large tread grooves with melted thermoplastic rubber and then carved out civilian-sized tread patterns. Though added later, they were just as durable.

This was not the final modification.

After replacing the front and rear windshields and windows with bulletproof glass and removing the car doors to replace the soundproofing material inside with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers from bulletproof vests, the AE86 finally had the bulletproof function Wu Chen had long dreamed of.

"The added weight from the bulletproof glass and alloy frame means we won't install ceramic blast-resistant plates inside the doors!" Old Man's expression seemed regretful.

Wu Chen, drooling, suddenly pointed to the fuel cap, "Here?"

"Hehe!" Old Man grinned slyly, "Good son, why don't you open it and see?"

"Really..." When Wu Chen pried open the fuel cap and glanced inside, he was shocked!

Oh my god!

Satisfied with his son's reaction, Old Man patted Wu Chen on the shoulder and earnestly advised, "Good son, your car can withstand all light weapons, but if you encounter an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade), you must avoid it!"

"Got it, Old Man..."

The AE86, modified with all the savings, was certainly not for delivering tofu. After several days of running on Akina Mountain near their home to perfect the handling and adjustments, and after swallowing the last bowl of hot tofu, Wu Chen was finally called to Old Man's side.

Even without a hint, Wu Chen knew it was time to enter the plot.

The information on the portable notebook, scrawled in all directions, was all about delivery tasks. Wu Chen read through them, and the prices were not cheap, clearly not for delivering tofu.

"Choose your own destination. All over Japan." Old Man, not giving Wu Chen a chance to object, crossed his arms and threatened, "Remember, I've already taken the deposit. If you don't complete the tasks, we'll end up sleeping on the streets!"

Tofu wasn't free after all.

Wiping his mouth, Wu Chen climbed into the driver's seat, adjusted his position, and took a deep breath before starting the AE86. As soon as the rearview mirror swung away from the dancing Old Man, N9, which had been lying quietly in the cup holder, transformed into a human form.

"Master, I'm taking over the car's computer." N9's long silver hair extended and pierced into the cigarette lighter.

"Okay." Wu Chen was also excited.

"Chip decoding complete, takeover complete. Starting function integration... radio, DVD, backup camera... integration complete. Starting program optimization..."

Soon, a massive amount of data began streaming across the car's LCD screen. First, all the indicator lights lit up, then a panoramic view of the car's surroundings appeared, followed by the radio tuning through various frequencies. What surprised Wu Chen the most was that N9 could use the radio's frequency to access the internet!

After entering the handwritten notes from Old Man's portable notebook, the information was quickly summarized and spread across the LCD screen!

"How did you do that?" Wu Chen was amazed.

"Fundamentally, the internet is also electromagnetic waves." N9, sitting coolly on the handbrake with one leg crossed over the other, explained.

"Got it." Wu Chen whistled. Come on, I'm a tech geek! Electromagnetic waves, right...

"Master, I've calculated the optimal route." As soon as he spoke, the optimized route appeared on the LCD screen.

Too powerful. Wu Chen couldn't help but laugh, "I don't remember the AE86 having GPS functionality."

"Master, please focus on driving." N9 was too lazy to explain.

"Where to?" The perfect response of the AE86 made Wu Chen's heart race.

"Kawanishi City, Osaka Prefecture, Torinobu Izakaya. It seems to be a regular delivery task, with the destination being Hanabatake Izakaya in Shibuya, Tokyo."

"Get ready!" Wu Chen slowly pressed down on the accelerator, and the AE86 roared to life. Even in the midst of the high-speed sprint, it maintained a rare stability, and even N9 had to admit, "Good car." [[[CP|W:210|H:140|A:C|U:http://file1./chapters/20153/27/3446810635630792500557500982326.jpg]]] Honeycomb tires

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