Mobile Shelter

Chapter 165 Meeting and Accompanying

Although the outside temperature is still within the comfortable range for humans, and according to seasonal calculations, it is normal for the outdoor weather to gradually warm up at this time.

But after Dong Qi realized this situation, he had a persistent feeling of unease.

If the internet were still available, Dong Qi could search for past temperatures and compare them, but now, due to the global electromagnetic pulse disruption, the once convenient internet is no longer usable.

Therefore, relying solely on past experience, Dong Qi really cannot judge whether the feeling that suddenly appeared in his heart is right or wrong.

Just as Dong Qi was still fretting about the unusual outdoor temperature, he heard the noise of a vehicle approaching in the distance.

From a distance, a convoy that looked quite large was slowly approaching the area where Dong Qi was located.

If Dong Qi hadn't clearly seen that the leader's car was Lu Ziye's, he would have immediately returned to his car to keep watch.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Lu Ziye saw Dong Qi standing by the roadside, but the convoy still didn't stop. He simply rolled down the window and shouted at Dong Qi, "Follow the convoy, we'll talk on the radio if anything comes up."

Lu Ziye's vehicle then entered the highway entrance.

Following closely behind Lu Ziye's vehicle were several RVs from the original convoy. The other members of the convoy also opened their windows and gave Dong Qi a brief greeting.

However, like Lu Ziye, all the vehicles maintained a forward speed of about 30 or 40 miles per hour, but none of them stopped.

As the original vehicles in the convoy left, Dong Qi noticed a large group of people following behind the convoy members' vehicles.

Just like in many novels, the subsequent population was divided into several different levels.

The group of people closest to the original convoy all owned cars. Although the vehicles they rode in were varied, they were all four-wheeled motor vehicles.

Following behind were human-powered vehicles, whether tricycles or bicycles. Dong Qi even spotted two- or three-person bicycles, typical of tourist attractions, among this group.

Those trailing behind these people were truly the walkers who had no means of transportation and relied solely on their own two legs.

Those people were either on skateboards or wearing roller skates. Although everyone was carrying huge backpacks, they were still able to keep up with the slowly moving convoy ahead in terms of cycling mobility.

When those people passed by Dong Qi's location, they saw him standing alone beside his car. Some of them had a fleeting look in their eyes, as if they had other thoughts.

But upon seeing the rifle that Dong Qi was holding with one hand, the thoughts that had suddenly surged in his mind instantly calmed down, like a raging fire being doused with cold water.

It was at this moment that Dong Qi returned to the car with a hint of curiosity, genuinely wondering where Lu Ziye had found so many people to join the convoy.

Back in the car and turning on the car radio, Dong Qi couldn't help but ask, "Captain Lu, where did you find so many people?"

Perhaps having anticipated Dong Qi's question, Lu Ziye immediately began to recount their experiences over the past two days after hearing Dong Qi's inquiry.

After Dong Qi parted ways with them, Lu Ziye went to the city to replenish supplies according to the plan he had made.

To be honest, without prior planning, even without the appearance of mutated creatures, resupplying along the way with supplies and fuel is a rather troublesome matter.

After all, these days, neither supplies nor fuel can be bought anywhere as easily as before, as long as you have money.

The reason Lu Ziye chose this city for resupply was mainly because he knew the location of the city's oil storage transit warehouse.

Compared to relying on luck at scattered gas stations, there are definitely plenty of reserves at oil transfer warehouses.

Keep in mind that their vehicles are all gas guzzlers, and even when fully loaded, the numerous gas stations available probably wouldn't be able to supply all the vehicles in the convoy.

And most importantly, compared to gas stations, which are the first thing everyone thinks of when there is a shortage of oil, ordinary people, unless they are professionals, will basically not consider this place.

More importantly, oil is different from ordinary goods. Whether it is large-scale storage or long-term storage, it requires highly specialized equipment.

This makes it difficult to find suitable places to transfer and store oil even at this time, which ensures that even now, there is a high probability that oil can still be replenished there.

However, Lu Ziye's previous considerations were indeed correct, but he did not take into account that the city center had been occupied by mutants, and the remaining survivors could not adapt to long-term survival in the wild and could only return to the suburbs to settle down.

Because of the mutants, the densely populated residential and commercial areas on the outskirts of the city are now no longer suitable for human habitation.

On the contrary, isolated buildings in remote locations became temporary shelters for humans.

The oil depot perfectly met all the above conditions, so when Lu Ziye got close, he discovered that the place had become a temporary gathering place set up by the surrounding survivors.

When Lu Ziye first arrived, he saw the convoy of heavily modified vehicles with a futuristic, sci-fi look and thought it was a rescue team dispatched by the government.

But when Lu Ziye got out of the car and talked to them, the two sides got a brief understanding of each other's situation.

However, they knew that Lu Ziye had already planned the convoy's route before the mutants appeared.

Furthermore, the convoy had already set off on its migration journey before the mutants appeared.

Therefore, after learning about the situation of the convoy, some people in that temporary base hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to leave with Lu Ziye and the others.

Of course, there are also some people who, even knowing the existence of the safe zone, are worried about their safety on the road. So, after careful consideration and taking into account their own circumstances, they finally decide to stay here.

After all, a considerable number of people in this temporary gathering point have already decided to leave.

So once those people leave, the camp will become much more spacious.

It was only because of the leader of that camp, who was originally just a minor official.

However, because he had already awakened his superpowers and become an Awakened One, and because he had also demonstrated considerable political skill during this period, even when he chose to leave that temporary gathering point, he still brought many followers with him.

After confirming that those people had no intention of submitting or behaving subserviently, and also knowing his own family's situation, Lu Ziye...

Eventually, the two sides evolved into two mutual aid teams, with Lu Ziye's team usually leading the way.

But in case of danger, they will step in and fight alongside Lu Ziye and his group.

Then, for reasons unknown, Lu Ziye openly and meticulously explained the details of the cooperation between the two parties on the radio.

After explaining the details of the cooperation, Lu Ziye gave a concluding speech: "Actually, everyone shouldn't think too much about it. In the future, when encountering danger, protecting yourself should be the highest priority."

However, if it doesn't endanger your own safety, you should lend a hand if you can, since we are all of the same kind after all.

In this situation, if the number of survivors in the entire Great Xia Dynasty were even one-fifth of what it used to be, we should be grateful and thank Heaven for its mercy.

After Lu Ziye finished expressing his feelings, the radio station fell silent.

Perhaps realizing he had made the atmosphere a bit awkward, Lu Ziye casually made a comment in an attempt to ease the tension: "Don't you guys feel that the temperature outside is changing a bit too quickly?"

I remember that at this time of year, it's not usually the season for ice cream, but the recent high temperatures have really whetted my appetite.

"Sigh, why didn't I think of buying some ice cream to take with me when I left?"

Hearing Lu Ziye say this, Liu Yi also chimed in with a sarcastic remark: "And you're still exchanging ice cream? Don't forget that the electromagnetic pulse that suddenly appeared destroyed most of the electronic equipment."

Whether it's a small household refrigerator or a large commercial cold storage, there are basically very few that are still in normal working order.

The popsicles used to be melted and consumed as various drinks. Now, unless you're willing to make them yourself, if you want something cold, you might as well just eat some ice cubes.

Upon hearing Liu Yi mention ice, Yin An couldn't help but ask, "Is the car refrigerator in your car still working? The car refrigerator in my car seems to have suddenly broken down for some reason."

And it's not just refrigerators; other small household appliances have also developed problems to varying degrees.

Are the small household appliances in your car the same as those on mine?

After hearing Yin An say this, the radio station fell silent again, and everyone returned to their cars to check if the small appliances in their vehicles were still working properly.

After a while, other people's voices finally came through the radio.

It seemed that only Yin An's car had an electrical problem, while the electrical systems in the other vehicles in the convoy were still working normally.

Hearing the responses from others after their examinations on the radio, Yin An suddenly felt somewhat depressed.

Before he could even feel annoyed, Lu Ziye's words instantly plunged him into a state of anxiety: "When you modified the vehicle, did you forget to install an anti-interference coating?!"

"What anti-interference coating?"

After hearing Yin An say this, everyone roughly guessed why all the small appliances in Yin An's car had suddenly broken down.

"Did you forget about the electromagnetic pulse that destroyed most of the vehicles? That electromagnetic pulse directly destroyed most of the electronic equipment on Earth."

Most vehicles break down and become unusable at that time. Since you have the experience from last time, why don't you add an anti-interference coating to your modified car?

Although the overall effect of adding this anti-interference coating may not be very strong due to the large size of the vehicle, it is sufficient to protect the vehicle's electronic equipment from some low-intensity electromagnetic pulses.

Upon hearing the explanation from the radio, Yin An quickly asked, "When I modified this car, I asked an acquaintance to help me."

I'm not really sure about the specific modification details, but he's my childhood friend, so he shouldn't rip me off.

Hearing Yin An defend his friend, the others didn't want to delve into the details.

"Alright, Yin An, stop explaining. It's no longer a matter of whether or not to install an anti-interference coating."

The electromagnetic pulse, which had supposedly ended, has reappeared, though this time its intensity is low and it can only damage small, unprotected household appliances.

But no one can guarantee that the intensity of the electromagnetic pulse will not become as strong as before.

It's good to be prepared; even if we can't make plans now, we need to be mentally prepared in advance.

Hearing Lu Ziye's reminder over the radio, Yin An asked somewhat nervously, "If my car really doesn't have that anti-interference coating installed, will it suddenly break down while driving?"

Upon hearing Yin An's question, the radio station fell silent again, and no one else spoke for a short period of time.

As the radio station fell silent, Yin An's heart sank deeper and deeper into despair.

Before he could even complain, Ji Yunting said, "Brother, don't be so pessimistic. The damage to those small appliances in your car might not be because the anti-interference coating wasn't installed during the vehicle modification."

It's because you didn't secure those electrical appliances while the vehicle was in motion, causing them to be damaged due to the rough terrain when traveling on bumpy roads.

Furthermore, even without installing anti-interference coatings on the entire vehicle, nowadays, for any modified car, the engine is always the first thing to be upgraded.

As long as the engine is working properly, other problems that occur in the car are not major issues.

It's important to understand that some things are actually quite simple, but once you start thinking about them, you make them complicated.

So don't scare yourself unnecessarily, bro. Some things might not be as bad as you think.

After hearing Ji Yunting's words of comfort, Yin An's panicked emotions gradually calmed down.

In order not to upset Yin An, the group changed the subject again, eventually returning to the slightly unusual temperature outside.

"By the way, I don't know if you guys have noticed, but since the last rainstorm, the gloom in the sky seems to have been completely washed away by that rainstorm."

Now, no matter when you look up, the sky is cloudless.

The stars, which were already difficult to see before, can now be seen everywhere at night simply by looking up.

To be honest, everyone used to talk about environmental protection, but the environment is actually not as good as it is now.

"Give up modern life and return to the barbaric era, huh?"

Amid Liu Yi's reflections, Ji Yunting abruptly interjected with a comment.

Although no other laughter came from the radio, everyone who heard that sentence couldn't help but smile.

Listening to the casually rambling conversation on the radio, Dong Qi couldn't help but say, "I still think the weather is a bit abnormal right now; the temperature is noticeably higher than usual."

Most importantly, as mentioned earlier, there isn't a single cloud in the sky right now. If the sun continues to shine directly on the earth like this, it's very likely that something will happen in the future—.

Before Dong Qi could finish speaking, someone on the radio couldn't help but say, "Severe drought, the land is barren for miles."

The world is already quite difficult, and if what everyone is guessing is true, the already small human population will soon face an even more brutal elimination.

Although everyone was still shaken by what Dong Qi had just said, Dong Qi couldn't help but continue, "We've experienced droughts before."

However, in addition to this, it is also important to consider whether the stored materials can be preserved in a high-temperature environment for a long time.

Given the current situation, even though we had stockpiled a lot of supplies before leaving Kyoto, most of those supplies could be stored at room temperature for a long time.

However, once exposed to high temperatures, no one knows how long it can remain unspoiled.

More importantly, compared to the supplies our convoy was carrying, the vast majority of supplies were still in the city.

If the high temperatures cause those supplies to spoil, even if we can find suitable supply points later, it will be difficult to obtain sufficient supplies.

Hearing Dong Qi's worried words, everyone was speechless.

However, compared to others, the reason Dong Qi spoke so seriously was simply to draw their attention.

In fact, even if Dong Qi can no longer collect any more supplies, the supplies currently stored in the warehouse are enough to ensure that he will not lack supplies for a long time.

The reason Dong Qi kept making this matter sound so serious was because there were so many ordinary people following behind their convoy.

You know, if they really run out of ammunition and food, some of the people following the convoy might have other thoughts when they face a desperate situation.

Whether it's a desperate attack after going all out, or lurking in the shadows to sow discord, it will have a significant impact on the convoy.

Even without unusually high temperatures outside, it would be premature to allow so many people to follow the convoy.

Regardless of their current behavior, those people will always be a destabilizing factor.

After spending time with him, Dong Qi felt that Lu Ziye usually acted very shrewdly and capablely. Under normal circumstances, he shouldn't be carrying around those unlit time bombs.

Although the awakened ones in their convoy always maintained a decisive suppressive force when facing ordinary people.

However, Dong Qi had no intention of taking action against his own kind unless absolutely necessary, which is why he directly pointed this out on the radio.

In fact, anyone who isn't a naive and inexperienced teenager could see the drawbacks of the things Dong Qi mentioned, as long as they have some experience.