Doomsday Traveler

Chapter 237 Acquaintances Underground

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei immediately began working, moving away all the stones that the mechanical dog's eyes were pointing at.

It only took them a short while. For them, the stones, whether big or small, were not heavy. Even if they had been there for too long and the pieces of stone had frozen and stuck together, it would still be easy for them to lift them.

The slightly troublesome part is that after they move the stones in the middle, they bring down a lot of loose stones from the sides, which they need to pick up and throw away one by one.

Before long, a "hole" was dug out. If a roof were built over it, it would be a good place for someone to shelter from the cold.

However, to hide here, one needs to be relatively small, like Chai Xin.

The mechanical dog's eyes were still looking down, focusing on the very center of the hole they had dug.

The area was originally tiled, but the tiles have shattered because the building collapsed and hit that spot.

Lu Xi'an handed the mechanical dog to Yao Wei, carefully pried open the tile, and tossed it aside.

The tiles were already loose and separated, and it took no effort at all to pry them apart.

After removing the tiles, you can see a thick layer of soil underneath.

"Go and get the small shovel."

Lu Xian and Yao Wei said.

Yao Wei hummed in agreement and turned to get her tools.

A moment later, she picked up the shovel and said to Lu Xi'an, "Our car... I suddenly feel something's wrong."

"what happened?"

Lu Xian asked.

Yao Wei said, "It's too clean."

Lu Xi'an understood what she meant. She felt that such a clean car was too eye-catching on the road and would attract unnecessary attention.

He took the shovel and, while shoveling away the dirt on the ground, said to Yao Wei, "Our car, no matter how dirty it is, will still stand out, right?"

"Being a little dirty just makes it less conspicuous."

"But you're right, in this kind of world, it's best to attract as little attention as possible."

"From now on, we'll only wash the inside of the car and ignore the outside."

"Ah."

Yao Wei nodded and said, "The windows still need to be washed."

Lu Xi'an laughed: "Yes, if you don't wash the windows, the view will be affected. You should wash them."

"when--"

The shovel went down and hit something.

Lu Xi'an quickly withdrew his strength and carefully shoveled away the soil on top, revealing a doorway.

That really is a door.

Even a normal wooden door for a room has developed cracks because it couldn't withstand the weight of the collapsed building.

However, the door was not completely cracked; even if there were dents or folds, they were still connected.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei had to clear away the surrounding ruins and lift up other bricks until they could remove the entire door.

Building a door under the tiles... what kind of operation is this?
He looked at it more closely and noticed that the tiles and the door fit together perfectly, as if the tiles were specially applied to the door according to its specifications, making the tiles and the door form a whole.

The soil he dug away, in both color and texture, seemed quite different from the surrounding soil.

I have this strange feeling that the door, the soil, and the tiles were all connected as one, as if the soil and tiles on the door were the outer shell of the door.

—Or rather, disguise?
"Do you remember that underground shelter next to the gas station in Mengxin City?"

Lu Xian asked Yao Wei.

When they first arrived in Mengxin City, they found a courtyard next to a gas station. There was an underground shelter against the wall in the courtyard. After lifting the bricks and throwing away the soil, they could see a door with a broken hydraulic rod.

With the help of the new humans, they opened the door and found a voice message from the former homeowner, which led them to another cliffside shelter. From there, they found a radio.

In fact, their later digging of a shelter in Kenzan City was inspired by that cliffside shelter they had built back then.

Why does he feel that the style of this door is exactly the same as that one, only the materials used are different?
"Ah."

Yao Wei nodded, stood to the side, and asked Gouzi, "Gouzi, is it dangerous down there?"

The dog's eyes blinked twice, indicating that there was no danger.

Now that Lu Xi'an could rest assured, he reached out and grabbed the doorknob of the flat wooden door, pulling it up with one swift motion.

"Squeak-"

The door, which had been idle for a long time, groaned in pain. When it was lifted, the musty and damp smells wafted out, forcing Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei to hold their breath.

Then they saw what was under the door and were all taken aback—

The area beneath the door was not what they had expected; it wasn't a large shelter, but merely a small pit large enough for one person to lie down in.

There used to be a person lying in that pit, but now only a skeleton remains, wrapped in a coat.

Lu Xi'an's heart skipped a beat.

So, was this the "tomb" that the owner of this place built for himself decades ago?

People who knew they would die in the cold chose to bury themselves in this way?

K……

Or perhaps not...

But never mind, let's see if there's anything useful first.

Lu Xi'an tried to push the door up completely, but to his surprise, with a slight effort, he heard a "crack" and the door hinges broke off.

He had no choice but to throw the door away, then bent down and groped for the skeleton's coat, trying to see if there was anything inside. —Nothing.

However, while exploring, Lu Xi'an noticed a square "pillow" under the skull.

He reached out and touched it. The "pillow" looked like something wrapped in layers of cloth, and because it was covered in dust, its original appearance was no longer visible.

When the "pillow" was pulled out, the skull fell down and broke open.

Lu Xi'an said, "Amitabha, forgive me." Then he brushed off the ashes and went to open the "pillow".

Yao Wei, listening nearby, found it strange and didn't know what "Amitabha, forgive me, forgive me" meant. But seeing Lu Xi'an focused on unpacking the "pillow," she didn't ask.

Just as Lu Xi'an had predicted, the "pillow" was indeed something wrapped in cloth.

The cloth was white, but it was already stained and couldn't be cleaned. After unfolding the cloth layer by layer, what was revealed inside was a thin notebook.

—Something that someone would specifically carry on their person and take to the coffin must be something very important, right?
I wonder what's written in the notebook?
Although he was curious, Lu Xi'an did not open it immediately. He searched the tunnel again and, after confirming that he could not find anything else, he brought the door back.

They put the door back on top of the tunnel, filled it back with rubble, and restored the place to its original state. Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei then left the ruins.

Whether it was an illusion or not, when Lu Xi'an jumped out of the ruins and looked back, he suddenly felt that the continuous ruins resembled a huge tomb, in which the owner of this place was buried.

The lonely man felt that no one would help him build a grave, so he made one himself and buried himself there.

After shaking themselves and the notebook to make sure no dust came out, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei got into the car.

Once they were seated in the car, the two opened their notebooks to read.

2123st January 1

Teacher Dong is dead, and all the records of planting trees have been burned. Fortunately, this notebook was left. Let me write something down.

I'm getting old, and I can't remember much anymore.

I haven't written anything down in a long time. I wonder if those recordings from the underground in my hometown are still preserved?
If I hadn't left back then, I would probably be fighting now and dying on the battlefield, right?

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the emergency disaster relief command center that was mentioned on the radio. Instead, I was rescued by Teacher Dong in a daze and ended up here.

Teacher Dong asked me to cut down all the apple trees he had selected and bred, saying that there was no need to keep them in this world, but I couldn't bear to, so I left one tree.

No matter what, these are the fruits of Teacher Dong's hard work, how can they all be destroyed?
I transplanted that tree into the abandoned tree area. People these days have no patience at all. I planted it so deep, who can find it?
Lu Xi'an's heart skipped a beat as she looked at the diary.

He turned to Yao Wei and asked, "Why does it seem like it matches that recording from Mengxin City?!"

"Ah."

Yao Wei nodded. She and Lu Xi'an looked at it together and also noticed the problem.

Lu Xi'an turned the page; the content on the second page was more than half a month old.

2123st January 2

Teacher Dong should be considered a reconstructionist, right? I used to think I was, but now that I think about it carefully, I should be considered a decadent.

Ugh……

I originally thought the world had already become like that, but I never expected that the so-called reconstructionists, hedonists, decadents, and adaptors were all just special products of the early days of the New World.

It's not this chaotic anywhere else.

But that was then. Now, all that's left are the decadents and the hedonists, right? Although people don't say it that way.

Otherwise, Professor Dong wouldn't have been so disappointed that he burned all the research materials and made me cut down the trees.

But there was nothing I could do. I had been his assistant for so long, and I had personally watched these trees grow.

It's been such a long and difficult journey, from initially only growing leaves and no fruit to now looking just like before the cold disaster!
How could I bear to part with it?
Anyway, there's only one tree left now. I don't care whether it turns out well or badly, I'll just leave it to luck.

I should go too.

The broadcast was still going on. Maybe I could walk a little further and see if I could make it to Donghai City.

After all, the reason I left home was because of the National Emergency Relief Headquarters.

I want to see the reconstructionists again.

……

Upon seeing this, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei were now certain that the people here were the same ones who had left the voice recordings in the shelter beneath the courtyard next to the gas station in Mengxin City.

Unexpectedly, after going around in circles, from north to south and from west to east, they still managed to run into an "acquaintance." It was truly a rare occurrence.

Turn to the next page—

2213st January 2

Didn't make it.

I'm too old to walk anymore. And there are new people blocking the road to the south, so I can't get through.

Alas... Children without guidance possess great strength but only know how to act recklessly and tyrannically. The world today is even more chaotic than it was back in the early days of the Mongol Empire.

I've decided to just wait here to die. I've even dug myself a hole. The day I'm completely unable to move, I'll just lie down in the hole and close the door.

Teacher Dong, back then I was there to bury you, but now that you're dead, I have no one else to help me, so I have to bury myself.

2123st January 3

Unexpectedly, in the end, it was the tree that was moved into the abandoned tree that saved its life.

There's no food left. If it weren't for the fruit on the tree, I wouldn't have survived this long.

However, that tree was among the abandoned trees, blocked from the light, so it wasn't growing well, and the fruit was very small. I don't know if it will survive...

Forget it, I'm about to die, why should I care about that tree?

Unfortunately, he was ultimately unable to reach the National Emergency Relief Headquarters.

(End of this chapter)