Doomsday Traveler

Chapter 202 Dog's Home
"drop--"

"Highest privileges verified".

"Opening, please wait."

The sudden sound startled everyone.

Lu Xi'an suddenly understood something, staring intently at the dog, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Dog...

The highest authority?!

Was the access privileges cracked? Or were they already there?!

He had always known that Gouzi was very good at deciphering codes, which was why he let Gouzi come in. He had just planned to let Gouzi try after asking Luo Ping.

But he hasn't given the order yet...

Based on past experience, the dog wouldn't decipher the code on its own without his command.

Even if there's someone else giving commands now, the mechanical dog should still wait for Yao Wei to speak even if she doesn't give any commands herself.

Yao Wei also remained silent...

Therefore, there is only one answer.

The answer was so coincidental, so amazing, so astonishing—

Luo Ping's secret base might be the very place where Gouzi originally lived.

Considering that this place used to be a research institute, could we speculate that the dog was born here?

"Om-"

The massive metal door slowly opened, revealing the long-sealed research institute piece by piece to everyone's eyes.

Liu Hua and Tang Er, who were standing outside the metal door, were startled and turned around, then took a few steps back.

"Snapped--"

The lights behind the metal door instantly turned on, revealing a corridor behind it.

There is electricity.

There's electricity here too!
This kind of energy, which had long disappeared in the apocalypse except for what was stored in "power banks", still exists here!
Lu Xi'an saw two straight light strips running through the corridor, their pure white light illuminating the corridor brightly.

This is definitely related to dogs!
Lu Xian thought.

How could he not think that way?

In this world, besides dogs, where else has electricity ever been?

This kind of limitless energy, detached from worldview and beyond common sense, sometimes made Lu Xi'an suspect that the dog was a bonus he received when he transmigrated, a cheat code for surviving in this world, just like in various online novels.

But as he traveled all the way from the north, something still felt off. After all, the mechanical dog hadn't come with him on his journey; he'd found it in a cellar in the far north, so its arrival wasn't quite mysterious enough.

Now, this seems to have finally been confirmed.

The corridor stretched straight ahead, with light seeping out from both sides, blending with the lamplight.

—That was the light from inside the huge glass window.

On both sides of the corridor are huge, rectangular glass windows that extend inward for several meters before finally ending.

"Dog, is this your home?"

Lu Xian asked Gou Zi.

The mechanical dog's eyes flickered twice, it was unclear whether it was a complete denial or a disagreement with the description of "home".

"Were you produced here?"

Lu Xian asked again.

The mechanical dog's eyes still blinked twice.

Disappointment struck instantly.

It seems my guess was wrong.

Regardless, it's ultimately a good thing that the dog was able to crack the code of this secret base and open the door. Even if this place has nothing to do with the dog, finding a sealed, intact secret base that still has energy is still pretty good.

Lu Xi'an comforted herself in her heart.

"What should we do? Should we go in and take a look?"

"Sharp Brother Luo Ping asked. He felt that since it was Lu Xi'an's dog that opened the door, Lu Xi'an should naturally make the decision."

—Although he has been guarding this place, without this mechanical dog, he probably would never be able to open it.

Therefore, the ownership of this place should belong to Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei.

Even so, he still couldn't help but tremble all over.

It's open! It's finally open! These two are amazing! I'm so lucky to have met them!

"Let's go in and have a look."

Lu Xi'an could only put aside his questions for the time being and respond to Luo Ping.

After speaking with Luo Ping, Lu Xi'an gave the mechanical dog a new command: "Dog, keep an eye on things, and warn me immediately if there's any danger."

The dog's eyes lit up, indicating that it understood.

"I'll carry it with me."

Once the dog's eyes had stopped shining, Yao Wei bent down and picked it up. "Its legs are too short. If there's any danger later, I can run away with it."

Lu Xi'an thought about it and realized Yao Wei made a good point. Who knew what kind of dangers or hidden mechanisms might lurk in this mysterious research institute?
Going straight in seems a bit too reckless.

He glanced back at Lao Shu and Chai Xin: "Why don't you wait outside first? In case something happens, I'm afraid I won't have time to call you back."

Old Shu was timid and cautious. Hearing Lu Xi'an say this, he immediately nodded repeatedly: "Okay! Okay! I'll help guard the door!"

Chai Xin was somewhat unwilling; the little girl was full of curiosity about what was inside and really wanted to go in and take a look. But she still listened to Lu Xi'an and, seeing Lu Xi'an say this, responded with an "Oh..." Lu Xi'an then looked at Luo Ping.

Luo Ping shook his pockets, making a rustling sound inside: "I still have quite a few roasted corn kernels left. They taste pretty good. Didn't I save some before? If something happens later, I can just stuff some roasted kernels in my mouth."

Although he was asking Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei, he didn't seem afraid of being blamed by his older brother and sister at all, and he grinned with his teeth showing.

Lu Xi'an rolled her eyes: "If you want to eat it, just keep it. Why are you sneaking around? Do you think I can't hear you? I already knew."

"..."

Luo Ping paused for a moment, then sighed, "Type A New Humans are really awesome... I have food, so if there's any danger later, I can hold on. I'll go in and check it out, is that alright?"

Lu Xi'an said, "Okay, then you can come along."

So only Lu Xi'an, Yao Wei, and Luo Ping went into the long-sealed corridor of School 923.

Yao Wei, carrying the dog in her hand, swayed as she stepped into the corridor.

After passing through the long glass windows on both sides, two doors appeared on the left and right sides of the corridor.

The door is also a metal door, with a metal lock that is integrated into the door.

Beyond the two doors lay long glass windows, and behind those windows were more doors. Lu Xi'an felt that the place was divided into sections, creating one office area after another.

His gaze passed through the glass door on the left and he glanced inside. There was a row of long white tables against the glass window inside the door. The tables were clean and empty.

Then there are rows of tables facing the glass windows, like the control consoles in the control room of a sewage treatment plant, with computers on them, but they look much more high-end and technologically advanced than those in a sewage treatment plant.

"drop--"

Something made a sound near the metal door.

Lu Xi'an looked and saw a rectangular raised box on the wall next to the metal door on the left. It was long and wide, with a screen.

It looks like a time clock.

"Mechanical Dog 02, checked in."

It really is a time clock!

The sound startled everyone.

Yao Wei and Luo Ping both hurriedly took two steps back, momentarily confused about the situation, staring at the "time clock" with great vigilance.

Luo Ping said, "What are you hitting?!"

"Punch the card."

Lu Xi'an squinted at the long, horizontal screen on the "time clock" and looked thoughtfully at it.

There's a time clock installed here, probably used by people from Institute 923 back then. But why is Gouzi able to clock in?

Perhaps... I asked the question wrong?

"Doggy, have you been here before?"

He changed direction and asked the mechanical dog.

Indeed, perhaps I shouldn't have asked that question.

That question is actually somewhat off-topic. The dog may have been here before, and was one of the equipment provided here, but it doesn't necessarily have to have been born here.

I shouldn't have asked if this was Gouzi's home. After all, Gouzi is just a mechanical dog, and this Institute 923 is just a workplace. To consider an old, dusty research institute as Gouzi's home is indeed a mistake.

My thinking was limited...

Lu Xian thought.

Yao Wei lifted the dog up so it was at eye level with everyone. Lu Xi'an, Luo Ping, and even Lao Shu and Chai Xin outside couldn't help but look at the dog.

Then they saw the dog's eyes light up.

"What?! What is that?!"

Luo Ping was the first to exclaim in surprise, "Big brother, big sister, did your dog really come from here?!"

Lu Xi'an ignored him and went to ask Gouzi, "Did you come from here?"

The mechanical dog's eyes are always lit.

That's right! You've come to the right person this time!
Lu Xi'an became excited, which meant that the secret of the dog might be about to be revealed!
His voice trembled slightly as he asked, "Where did you come from? Point me specifically."

The light emanating from the mechanical dog's two eyes pierced the corridor and shone deep into Institute 923.

Lu Xi'an had a guess in his mind—perhaps the dog was produced elsewhere and then underwent modification at Institute 923, which is why it turned out the way it is now.

So if you ask it if it was produced here, it will deny it; but if you ask it again if it came from here, it will confirm it.

Its judgment on the acceptance of these two languages ​​is different.

"So...is this a place for energy research?"

He asked the question that he had deduced based on his judgment.

The dog's eyes are always bright.

really……

Good guy!
The answer to the problem of dogs running out of energy is right here!

"Damn! That's awesome?!"

Luo Ping was dumbfounded and couldn't help but swear. This guy's vocabulary was just as limited as Yao Wei's; he only knew "awesome," while Yao Wei only knew "amazing."

Lu Xi'an ignored him and glanced at Yao Wei. Yao Wei was staring at the dog and felt Lu Xi'an's gaze. She turned to look at Lu Xi'an with an unwavering look in her eyes, as if to say, "I'll listen to you."

Lu Xi'an took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and asked the dog another question: "Is it safe inside?"

The dog's bright eyes gave Lu Xi'an and the others a reassuring signal.

Once Lu Xi'an had made up his mind, he gave the dog the order: "Let's go, take us to see the place where you study energy, and the place where you came out."

(End of this chapter)