Doomsday Traveler

Chapter 217 Focusing on the Future

The heavy snow only lasted for two days before stopping, but this time the severe cold was exceptionally long, lasting for a full seven days.

Because of the "heating system," the inside and outside of Institute 923 have become two completely different worlds.

Whether in the living area or the research area, the room temperature is just right, making it very comfortable to stay in.

The snow outside was already freezing cold, and the gate at the entrance of the passage, which had been raised with great difficulty, was also covered with a layer of ice, making people worry whether it could still be opened.

However, it was just a worry; Lu Xi'an confirmed that the door could be opened.

—They need to go out every day to take care of their personal problems. They are all new-age people. No matter how cold the weather is, they can go outside and tough it out.

Lu Xi'an also took a look at the top when he went out. Thanks to the optical camouflage of the 923 Institute system, all that could be seen looking down from here now was a deep pit.

The smooth walls and ground had disappeared, and what Lu Xi'an saw was a deep ravine that blended into the mountain and the snow, natural and untouched by any trace of human intervention.

"Amazing……"

He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

After a few days, everyone felt that their skills had improved significantly, and compared with the contents of the booklet, they all felt that there was still a lot of room for adjustment.

They had all memorized the contents of the booklet and knew that practicing according to the book was a long and painstaking process.

—Including pheromone resistance training.

In the first few days of pheromone resistance training, they didn't even feel any effect. It wasn't until the fifth day that they started to feel something and could increase the training time.

By the seventh day, they felt that even amidst a range of negative emotions, they could still maintain a degree of rationality and clarity.

This preserves the possibility of bringing emotions back on track during a crisis.

According to the booklet, this is the main purpose of pheromone resistance training.

The pheromones of the new human type C affect human hormones, acting directly on the body and controlling emotions through the body.

With targeted training, the brain can gradually become aware of the difference between external pheromones and naturally generated pheromones, thus helping people stay rational and clear-headed.

Further training increases resistance, and combined with mental clarity, it makes it harder for people to be controlled by hormones, or rather, harder to enter a state of being controlled.

For a Type C new human to influence the emotions of a specially trained person, the dosage must be increased, which is also a huge drain on the Type C new human.

If, when the time comes to fight, the dosage is increased and the effect is still not very good, then the situation will be different.

On the eighth day, the weather cleared up and the temperature warmed up. The snow on the roof melted into water and flowed down the walls. In addition, the snow in the yard melted, making the outside wet.

Fortunately, the underground utility tunnels in this area are quite wide and the drainage is fast, preventing the base from being flooded.

Liu Hua and Tang Er became expectant, wondering when Luo Ping would arrive.

While they were filled with anticipation, they were also somewhat apprehensive, repeatedly muttering, "After so many days of freezing, I wonder if they've all made it back? What if some of them froze to death because they didn't make it to Shanyang County?"

"Ugh……"

Old Tree sighed and said, "When I went to Shanyang County with Brother Luo, did I make a mistake by letting you all run away?"

Liu Hua and Tang Er both shook their heads and said, "Uncle Shu, you and Mr. Luo are not wrong. The situation was dangerous at the time, and you weren't sure if anything would happen here. You made the decision because you were afraid something would happen to us."

"Who could have predicted what would happen next? Fortunately, you two came, so things were finally back to normal here, and Mr. Luo was able to go to the county town to bring everyone back."

"Otherwise, what would have become of us now? I really don't want to think about it."

The "elder brother" and "elder sister" they were referring to were naturally Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei. Luo Ping and Chai Xin both addressed them that way, so they followed suit.

As for the nickname "Uncle Tree," the two of them learned it from Lu Xi'an.

On the first and second days after the weather warmed up, Luo Ping did not return, so everyone continued with their lives and exercise as usual.

Another day passed, and on the fourth day, Luo Ping finally returned, bringing many people with him, who were all clearly ordinary people.

These people were all people that Luo Ping had arranged to work in Shanyang County, so they all knew Liu Hua and Tang Er.

They were all shocked when they saw Tang Er's current appearance. After learning the whole story, Luo Ping sighed, patted Tang Er's shoulder heavily, and said, "I'm sorry you had to suffer."

—Now the scabs on Tang Er's body have all fallen off, but the cracks have not completely healed. They have just grown into scars, which, like the scabs, look somewhat ferocious and are painful to look at.

However, Tang Er had already adapted and didn't mind. He grinned and said, "It's alright, Mr. Luo. I feel great now, much better than before."

"I'm willing to suffer a bit to become this capable and useful as I am now."

……

Yao Wei and Lu Xi'an did not participate in their gathering. When Lu Xi'an saw so many people arrive, he noticed that Yao Wei was not comfortable with it.

He even sensed that Yao Wei was about to pull out a gun.

—After all, this woman had always drawn her gun as a sign of respect when facing a stranger.

So he took Yao Wei's hand and quietly returned to the research institute to rest in the car.

"It's getting dark now, how about we leave tomorrow?"

After getting into the car, the lights came on without the dog needing to turn on the power. Lu Xi'an sat down on the sofa and said to Yao Wei.

They've been resting in this RV every night for the past few days, and the dog turns on the power every time they get back in the vehicle.

At first, Lu Xi'an thought the car could only run when the dog was on it, but later he discovered that it also had a battery that could keep the car powered for a short time when the dog wasn't on it. The reason it ran out of power earlier was because the car had been stored there for decades and the battery had run out.

Batteries have been depleted for decades, and no matter how special the materials or how advanced the technology, they are no longer as good as they used to be.

Even though it's not very good, the dog catches it every night and it can still store some electricity, enough to last for a while.

However, after the dog got in the car, it still went to the front control panel to turn on the power, preventing the battery from continuously draining.

Yao Wei watched silently as the dog turned into a box and sank to become one with the car. After a long silence, she asked Lu Xi'an, "But our pheromone resistance hasn't been trained yet. Isn't it too hasty to leave like this?"

Lu Xi'an said, "But you're not comfortable staying here."

Yao Wei gritted her teeth and said, "It's okay, I can bear with it."

Lu Xi'an thought for a moment and said, "Then let's stay here for a while longer. Just stay here and don't go out."

"I think it's enough to arrange for the people Luo Ping brought to stay outside; they don't need to come inside for the time being."

“I call Liu Hua over every day to practice here. By the time your period is over, we should have practiced enough to set off.”

Yao Wei frowned slightly and asked, "Is this alright?"

She felt uneasy about monopolizing the research institute and excluding everyone else.

Lu Xi'an smiled at her and said, "It's okay, don't worry. It's only for a while, and we'll be leaving soon."

Yao Wei hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes."

Lu Xi'an said, "Alright, stop overthinking. Let's just follow our plan. Don't worry about it so much."

"Ah."

Yao Wei hummed in agreement again, blinked her eyes, and her long eyelashes fluttered, giving her a slightly mischievous and lively look.

"All you have to do is smile, right?"

Her eyes were fixed on Lu Xi'an, the light reflecting off her pupils, making them exceptionally bright and beautiful.

Lu Xi'an laughed again and said, "Just let me smell one fragrance."

"What smells good?"

Yao Wei was puzzled. This was another word she had never heard before, and she wondered what trick Lu Xi'an was up to this time.

Lu Xi'an explained, "It means to give someone a kiss."

Yao Wei then leaned forward slightly, her soft lips brushing against Lu Xi'an's.

"Dong dong."

Someone knocked on the car door.

Lu Xi'an opened the door and saw Luo Ping standing outside, grinning.

He chuckled as he asked, "I couldn't find you guys earlier, so I guessed you must have come here. Did I disturb you?"

Lu Xi'an said, "No, I'm not going to sleep for a while yet. Have you made arrangements for everyone outside?"

Luo Ping said, "That's about it. I've handed everything over to Liu Hua and Tang Er. They can handle it."

He paused slightly, then asked, "So, are you planning to leave?"

Lu Xi'an shook his head and explained his and Yao Wei's plan.

Luo Ping breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then grinned and said, "Great! Great! It would be better if we stayed a little longer."

"Brother, I happen to have something I'd like to ask you. If you stay a little longer, I can get some proper advice from you."

"what's up?"

Lu Xi'an asked.

Luo Ping said, "It's that song you sang before, the one that lets the world know we are all Chinese. I think it's pretty awesome."

“If you teach me, I will teach others. If everyone sings it more often, it can boost morale.”

Lu Xi'an immediately agreed, "Of course, no problem. I can teach you a few more songs."

Luo Ping shook his head and said, "This song is enough. I just feel that the group I've gathered lacks spirit and energy. This song might help them unite as one."

"We'll be living here from now on, and our safety will be guaranteed. But with the increased access and the injections that transform us into new humans, the gap between people is likely to widen."

"I need to think of a way to get people to stop focusing on these things. Whether they are new humans or ordinary people, we should work together and look forward. That's the right thing to do."

Lu Xi'an nodded in approval, "As expected of you, you've thought of a lot, and your ideas make a lot of sense."

Luo Ping said modestly, "I'm nowhere near as good as you, brother. The only thing I can think of right now is to rely on your song to get everyone excited. Do you have any ideas, brother?"

Lu Xi'an thought for a moment and said, "Propose your program, clarify your goals, define your organization, establish your order, and turn everything into regulations that must be followed."

"Then, everyone, including you, must comply, and everyone must strive toward the goal accordingly."

(End of this chapter)