Radish and Cabbage

Cabbage: a light passenger and cargo van. The former flagship product of Haian Auto Works—a counterfeit bread van reborn into another world, now in its golden upgraded, all-out version! It still retained that absurdly ruthless cost-performance ratio, pushed its payload capacity to an insane new height, and preserved all the modular modding potential standard for Haian Auto Works since reopening. On top of that, its fluid plastic steel frame and chassis—the very same type used in the Huanggua—had received an entirely new upgrade packed to the brim with premium materials. The venue even livestreamed a real-time crash test taking place in another workshop. Beyond standard test protocols, it showcased a dazzling variety of simulated wrecks to prove the new frame's safety rating. After a dizzying array of outrageous stunts, the central air-conditioning was running in overdrive and still couldn't keep up with how fast the crowd was sucking in cold breaths. Especially once Ji Jue announced the price. Seventy to one hundred and forty thousand! The cost rose depending on the selection of engine, chassis, interior trim, and seating capacity. But even the bare-bones base version retained the same carrying capacity and safety assurances showcased on stage. As for the top-of-the-line S100 trim, it had practically transformed from a little bread van into an entire loaf of rye, scraping the absolute regulatory limits of a light passenger vehicle with every single performance spec maxed out. Behind Ji Jue, every digit flashing across the massive screen had the unlicensed cab drivers in the livestream frantically taking screenshots, cursing in awe, and shouting with passionate fervor. *Sob... It's back! It's all back!* *My beloved little bread van—* At this moment, throughout Yacheng—no, throughout all of Haizhou—countless veteran drivers sat holding beers and stroking the Huangguas they had just traded their old clunkers for, moved to silent tears. After experiencing the little bread van of the past, how could anyone not feel a hollow pang of loss once it was gone? Just like the eternal white moonlight in every broke working man's heart, the unattainable cinnabar mole never to be met again, or the childhood sweetheart every veteran driver knew best: after years of parting, there it was, reappearing under the dim streetlights, its smile unchanged from the days of old. How could hearts not race? Just look at that maniacal payload and horsepower, my friends! Look at that wicked room for modifications, and check out that suspension and spec sheet! Whether hauling passengers or fleecing customers, delivering freight or running contraband, it handled every need across city streets, suburban outskirts, and a twenty-kilometer perimeter outside the walls with absolute perfection. It was nothing short of an unprecedented bread van miracle. Before Ji Jue had even finished speaking, the server for Haian Auto's official website—which had only recently had its bills paid—began showing signs of crashing. Every customer service line listed on the page was backed up in a queue. At the same time, viewership in the livestream exploded at an insane rate... Below the stage, Ye Chun checked the metrics, looked up, and flashed Ji Jue an OK sign. They were ready. "Now then, next up, allow me to introduce a new friend to everyone." In the brief hush that followed, Ji Jue smiled and clapped his hands. "To accommodate campers, outdoor hikers, geology enthusiasts, and field workers, and to eliminate the dilemma of breaking down on rough roads and being stranded in the wilderness... "After a lengthy period of research, development, and design, we overcame past limitations and obstacles, and at long last, it is ready to officially meet the world... "Please allow me to present the brand-new product of which Haian Auto Works is most proud—the final answer sheet we submit to the customers who have supported us ever since our reopening." He spread his arms wide. "The heavy-duty pickup truck—[Radish]!!!" It was hard to imagine how anyone could shout the name of a vegetable with such rousing, impassioned conviction. Yet just as everyone was looking around in confusion, wondering where this new vehicle was, the wall panel behind Ji Jue began slowly rising. And from the darkness behind it emerged headlights that resembled the eyes of a monster. A chilling, violent glare blasted outward. Accompanied by the roar of an engine, an enormous, pitch-black vehicle of razor-sharp angles surged onto the stage under heavy throttle, rolling directly beneath the spotlights. Heavy tires ground against the floor, letting out a sharp screech. Against that beast-like, colossal frame, Ji Jue standing at the front of the stage suddenly seemed dwarfed. Six point four meters long, two point seven meters wide, two point eight-six meters tall. There was not a single curved surface or contour in sight; the entire body was composed of stark, angular lines, its edges so sharp they felt capable of cutting one's gaze. The front intake grille took up more than half the front fascia, gleaming with cold metallic light like the gaping maw of a beast. Towering high above, the massive headlights stared down like gargantuan eyes, radiating an incomparable sense of oppression. In the eerie silence, countless people stood dumbfounded. Even the scrolling comments in the livestream thinned to a trickle, the glow of screens illuminating one dazed face after another. Right now, countless question marks popped up over heads everywhere, carrying utter bewilderment and shock: *What the actual fuck—is this?!* *Bang!* At that exact instant, a furious fist slammed onto a conference table at Echo Tech-Industry. Shang Tongwen hurled an ashtray to the floor, his face livid. A pickup?! That's a fucking pickup?! Who are you trying to fool! That's clearly a military armored off-road vehicle! You think just because you chopped off half the rear roof and called it an open bed, I wouldn't recognize what it is?! And that scale, that silhouette, and all the specs on the faxed pamphlet... If he wasn't mistaken, this thing was aimed squarely at Echo Tech-Industry's current bestseller, the Warhorse! At that moment, on the screen behind Ji Jue in the livestream broadcast, the outrageous specs from the pamphlet flashed once more amid the collective gasps and shouts of the audience: An 8.0-liter turbocharged heavy phlogiston engine, a curb weight of 3,080 kilograms, zero to one hundred in six seconds, top speed of 181 kilometers per hour... Shedding any pretense of practical thrift, this thing was an unapologetic, pure-and-simple gas guzzler. Yet even as a fuel fiend, it set countless eyes blazing with excitement, their gazes glued to it, completely unable to look away. Saliva began pooling uncontrollably in people's mouths. They couldn't even begin to imagine how incredible it would feel to drive this beast through the wilderness— Not to mention... Hey, buddy, what are all those interesting-looking hardpoints and interfaces on the bed, roof, and body actually supposed to be used for? Up on stage, Ji Jue was still droning on about its cargo capacity and payload—as if anyone gave a damn about hauling cargo right now! Is *that* the point, brother?! Give us the good stuff, please! Never mind the terrifying towing capacity and torque; never mind its potential to transform on the fly into an overland hundred-ton king; never mind the fluid plastic steel frame that had become Haian's signature since resuming production. And as for crash tests, everyone had seen enough of those just now—hurry up and move on! The real highlight was a sheet of ballistic glass descending slowly from the ceiling of the factory floor, thick and heavy, walling off the stage from the audience. Ji Jue glanced back, and right on cue, someone rolled out a massive crate on a handcart. "As we all know, the environment outside the city walls is exceptionally harsh. From the very inception of its design, in order to protect drivers from monster attacks and sudden disasters in the wilderness, our factory's primary consideration was safety. "Now, allow me to demonstrate Haian Auto Works' new patent—the Multi-Layer Dual-State Armor Body." *Clack.* A crisp sound. From the opened crate, Ji Jue hauled out a submachine gun. Practiced and deft, he clicked off the safety, spun around, and opened fire frantically on the Radish behind him. A savage cacophony rang out without pause as spent shell casings clattered continuously against the floor. Emptying an entire magazine, Ji Jue slotted in another, shifted his angle, and opened fire again. Only after chewing through more than a hundred rounds did the gunfire abruptly cease. In the livestream, an endless torrent of exclamation marks cascaded down like a waterfall. Behind the clearing gunsmoke, Ji Jue tossed aside the empty submachine gun and waved his hand. Someone immediately stepped forward to take the weapon away, and the ballistic glass rose once more. Finally, he gestured toward the stunned audience. "Alright. Now, our guests in attendance are welcome to come up and take a look for yourselves." From the moment the shill Ye Chun had planted in the crowd raised his hand, the rest of the curious onlookers could no longer hold back. The camera swept forward, panning over the clear bullet impacts across the vehicle's body, the webbed cracks on the reinforced windows... And... the completely unscathed cabin and rear compartment! Full-body armor plating! Someone leaned in close to an impact crater out of curiosity, peering inward. Inside, they saw the completely flattened bullet, followed by the complex, mille-feuille structure beneath the heavy outer shell—layered like a honeycomb, with... some kind of liquid oozing from within? "Building upon the foundation of our one-piece fluid plastic steel molding process, we carried out a further upgrade. The interior is filled with a newly developed, patented liquid material. Through multi-layer cushioning and non-Newtonian fluid dynamics, it dissipates the kinetic impact of bullets to the greatest possible extent, guaranteeing the safety of the cabin." Ji Jue smiled and explained, "Of course, if you encounter explosives... then I recommend stepping on the gas and leaving as quickly as possible. I can promise you that under the built-in engine overload mode, while maintenance afterward might be a bit of a hassle, no one will be able to catch you across the complex terrain of the wilderness." The entire Radish—from engine architecture to chassis and body—was built entirely on Haian's self-developed technology. Or to be precise... self-developed by Little Niuma! This was the product of Ji Jue taking the state Little Niuma had naturally evolved into before their departure for Quancheng, trimming and refining it, stripping away the massive enhancements granted by alchemy and dragon blood, and replicating it purely through mechanical engineering! Though rather than engineering, it was more like biomimetics. Under this architecture, there was no design more mature. The biggest modification was simply outfitting the entire body with a new ballistic material derived from Fluid Alchemy, combined with the frame of fluid plastic steel. A heartfelt thanks to Little Niuma for selflessly donating its intellectual property to its master! *I'll feed you a chicken drumstick later.* Following that, after absorbing over a hundred rounds, the restarted Radish—steered by an employee—put on a live performance of stunt driving outside the workshop for everyone to see. The employee in the driver's seat threw up the moment he stepped out of the vehicle. All he had done was pretend to hold the steering wheel, and the damn car started doing tricks all on its own! One hardcore flex after another! Now he finally understood why Engineer Yan had looked at him with such a complicated expression when he volunteered... And at the very end, beneath the rapt gaze and bated breath of the crowd, Ji Jue stood before the giant screen and spoke in a steady voice: "The heavy-duty armo—cough, pickup truck, Radish, will officially launch next month. "Thanks to the merger and restructuring of Haian Group and Panshi Group, we shouldn't have to worry about production capacity going forward. At the earliest, the first batch of pre-order customers will be able to take delivery next month. For subsequent production, we will also add relevant jobs and assembly lines to meet market demand. "As for the most important matter—the price..." Ji Jue paused, giving a slight shrug. "Regrettably, we cannot give back to the community the way we did with our previous models. Following internal discussions, we have decided that the base model of the Radish will be priced at 1.1 million." The moment the words left his mouth, a dead silence fell over the room. Not a single person spoke. There were only pairs of innocent, utterly baffled eyes staring right at Ji Jue—from the livestream, and from the audience on site. Complete, utter disbelief.