Doomsday Traveler

Chapter 209 My factory name is Mechanical Dog 02, but I don't mind if you call me Dog.

"Hello, fellow countryman, have a pleasant drive."

"This vehicle is a modified version of the classic Melenik off-road RV, covered with radiation-resistant lightweight composite materials and equipped with the Mechanical Dog 02 fully intelligent auxiliary control module, offering a first-class driving experience and first-class safety performance."

"Even so, please drive safely and refuse to drink alcohol. This is our last product, and we cherish it very much."

The audio recording has ended.

Lu Xi'an was stunned. He had initially thought it was the dog talking, but after listening to the whole thing, he realized it wasn't at all.

The dog wouldn't say anything like "supplemented by the Mechanical Dog 02 fully intelligent auxiliary control module," nor would it say the last sentence.

The people who produced and modified this car were all temporarily assigned, so the car factory and workshop must have been temporarily put into use as well.

They knew from the beginning that this might be their last chance to start construction, which is why they left such a message on the vehicle before it left the factory.

Dogs probably wouldn't call each other "fellow countrymen" either...

I wonder if they, like the people here, eventually went to the battlefield...

Lu Xian sighed in his heart.

What kind of war was that? So much so that the unstable X-17 strain, which was originally intended to be sealed away, was brought out. The researchers in this institute had no choice but to use the strain to become new humans and put them into the battlefield.
The movies and TV shows I watched in my past life were all about developing genetic drugs for the purpose of creating weapons of war. The evolved beings who were originally meant to be turned into war machines ended up becoming peace envoys or something similar.

But in this world, it's completely different. These genetically modified drugs, originally produced to ensure the survival of humanity, have ultimately become tools for the production of war machines...

But... perhaps things are different elsewhere?
Outside of this country, those nations that launched a joint attack—was everything they had originally set out for war?
All the reasons for this, and the past, are now dust in the wind. None of it was recorded in the history textbooks he found.

Lu Xi'an was somewhat interested in what had happened, but he didn't feel it was absolutely necessary to know.

The past is past. People left these things here not so that we could look back. What he needs to do is seize the future.

"Dog, can you talk?"

He asked a question that was of most concern to him at the moment.

"Hello user, I cannot speak by myself, but I am connected to this vehicle and have a voice module that enables voice functionality."

The car stereo suddenly started playing again, just like the synthesized electronic sound from before.

Just then, the passenger door clicked open, and Yao Wei and the others moved to the passenger side, opened the door, and were stunned to hear the sound coming from inside the car.

"This is... a dog?!"

Luo Ping asked in surprise.

"Yes."

Lu Xi'an smiled contentedly.

He always thought the dog was great in every way, except for two shortcomings: its legs were too short and it couldn't talk.

Now, with the help of the car, both problems have been solved.

This vehicle can make sounds, and once integrated with the vehicle, its huge wheels can be considered to replace its hooves...

It's barely...

"Let's change the way you address me. Don't call me 'user,' it sounds weird."

Lu Xi'an said, then thought for a moment and said, "Just call me Lu Xi'an."

A voice immediately came from the car stereo: "Hello, Lu Xi'an."

At the same time, Yao Wei got into the car and said, "Hello, Yao Wei."

Yao Wei paused for a moment, then said, "Hello, Gouzi."

The voice said, "My factory name is Mechanical Dog 02, but I don't mind if you call me Dog."

Lu Xian: "..."

Yao Wei: “…”

This car has plenty of space. The front passenger seat has two seats in a row, which can seat two people. If you are a little smaller, three people can also sit comfortably.

Therefore, when Yao Wei came up, she also brought Chai Xin up with her.

Chai Xin tried saying, "Hello, dog, call me Chai Xin."

The dog didn't react at all.

Chai Xin tried again, saying, "Hello, Mechanical Dog 02, call me Chai Xin."

The dog remained silent.

Lu Xi'an thought for a moment and said, "Dog, from now on call her Chai Xin."

The car stereo finally emitted a voice: "Hello, Chai Xin."

Chai Xin immediately beamed and replied, "Hello." Then he said to Lu Xi'an, "It has to be you, big brother. I talked to it and it didn't even react."

Luo Ping didn't come in; he just climbed the ladder and peered through the doorway, clicking his tongue in amazement. When he heard Chai Xin and Lu Xi'an finish talking, he grinned and said, "I won't humiliate myself. Even Chai Xin is useless. If I call Gouzi, Gouzi definitely won't react."

Old Tree stood on tiptoe outside, peering inside but not squeezing in. Hearing Luo Ping's words, he nodded repeatedly and said, "Dogs are the most loyal creatures. The dog has already recognized its older brother and sister as its masters, so it will definitely only listen to its older brother and sister, not you."

"..."

Lu Xi'an asked, "What kind of dog are you talking about..."

Old Tree retorted, "They're all the same, all the same, they're all dogs." Be careful, the dog might control the drone and launch a couple of shots at you.

Lu Xi'an checked the dashboard and then scrolled through the central control screen for a while to learn about the car's functions.

This vehicle, converted from a civilian RV, still retains its original functions. The large screen has all kinds of music and video playback software. However, the original built-in voice assistant conflicted with the dog and was replaced.

The date displayed on the Dalian screen has been synchronized to April 4, 2197. It's unclear whether this is in line with the previous calculations by the person in the suit, or whether the dog has confirmed the date.

Anyway, let's just call it April 4, 2197. Whether it was right or wrong before, it doesn't matter to them.

There is no other timekeeping system in the world, so this time is the correct one for their future.

Lu Xi'an also found a radio on the large screen. After turning it on, a hissing sound came through. Lu Xi'an pressed the "forward" button and moved the channel forward. After a while, he finally heard a familiar voice:

"This is the National Emergency Relief Command Center. Attention all regions: the disaster is not over yet. Experts predict this will be a prolonged catastrophe that will not subside in the short term..."

It's the same old line, playing on and on.

Luo Ping couldn't help but widen his eyes and ask, "What's going on?!"

Lu Xi'an replied, "This is a radio signal. We found a radio before and detected this signal; it's coming from the new district of Donghai City."

"That's a bit far."

Luo Ping asked, "Who's sending these signals?"

"Who knows?"

As Lu Xi'an answered Luo Ping, something suddenly occurred to him.

From Mengxin City to here, they could hear the signal intermittently, and the broadcast from the Donghai New District never stopped, which meant that the power supply there had been maintained.

He used to think about nuclear energy, but now, looking back, could it also be using the energy of a Dyson sphere?

The broadcast signal kept coming, always repeating the same few sentences, as if time had been frozen at some point decades ago.

Is it possible that... there's no one there anymore, but it's still receiving energy from the Dyson sphere, thus maintaining power supply, while the broadcast signal is still being mechanically and continuously emitted?

But... the suited men clearly stated before that their achievements ultimately focused only on the robotic dog 02, and that another research project aimed at wider application failed...

and many more……

Lu Xi'an suddenly became suspicious.

If the second research result failed, then why was power still maintained here, and why did it suddenly start up after the dog arrived?

This 923 Research Institute is not connected to dogs.

The man in the suit is lying?!

"Big brother/sister, can we see what's behind us?"

Luo Ping's words suddenly interrupted Lu Xi'an's train of thought.

"Okay, go ahead and open it."

Lu Xi'an agreed and wanted to continue thinking.

Luo Ping got out of the car and went to the back to look.

Chai Xin also wanted to go over, so she jumped off the car. This girl was, after all, a Type D new human; jumping off the car from that height shouldn't be a problem for her.

Yao Wei noticed Lu Xi'an's furrowed brows and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Xi'an said, "There's a problem. Let me think about it, and I'll tell you when I've thought it through..."

"Ah."

Yao Wei agreed and then stopped talking. She simply stayed by Lu Xi'an's side, neither following him down nor disturbing him.

"Ka-ka-"

A noise came from outside the back carriage; it must have been Luo Ping trying to open the cabin door. After several attempts, he couldn't open it, so he went over to Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei and said, "Big brother, big sister, I can't open it."

Yao Wei said, "Gouzi, open the back door."

"Click——"

The dog immediately obeyed the command and opened the door to the back of the carriage.

Everyone got into the car, and Yao Wei, to avoid disturbing Lu Xi'an, slipped from the middle to the back.

—This vehicle is connected front and back, so you can go from the middle to the garage at the back.

The garage is quite spacious, with a bathroom, toilet, and even a built-in induction cooker. The sofa on the side and the bed in the back make everyone envious, saying how comfortable it would be to drive this car!

Luo Ping also suggested removing the sofa, since the older brother and sister only use one bed at night and drive in the front during the day, so the sofa is completely useless and takes up space.

If it were dismantled, it could be used to store more supplies.

However, the table next to the sofa doesn't need to be removed. The resonance gene scanner can be placed on it and directly connected to the power supply next to the table, so that people can check if there are any new humans nearby at any time.

Yao Wei remained silent, her eyes occasionally glancing ahead.

Then she saw Lu Xi'an suddenly jump out of the car, and immediately followed suit.

(End of this chapter)