The Ultimate Comfort

They still needed the Mechanical Dog's help with this job.

The dog took a look and confirmed that breaking through the middle of the house's back wall wouldn't affect its structural integrity. Only then did Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei start working.

For two New Humans, the job was easy enough. They smashed through the wall with a hammer, snapped the rebar exposed inside, then gradually dug away the bricks and dirt around the opening until it was wide enough.

But once the opening was big enough for a car to fit through, they ran into another problem—

The house had stayed standing all these years thanks to its reinforced concrete, but that same reinforced concrete meant they couldn't level the ground at the opening.

The exposed part of the floor could damage the tires if they drove the car inside.

But that didn't stump Lu Xi'an.

He immediately suggested, "Why don't we carry the car in?"

"Okay."

Yao Wei nodded. She didn't think there was anything wrong with Lu Xi'an's suggestion.

As New Humans, the two of them were strong enough to lift the car. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to clear the entrance to the shelter tunnel, which had been blocked by a cave-in for so many years.

The mess inside the house was only to be expected. Its cluttered, empty rooms were proof that it had been thoroughly looted. The sofa and beds had probably been carried off, and even the tables and chairs were gone.

Scattered black ash lay on the floor, along with a corner of colored paper. Beside it was a tiny, curled-up scrap, brown fading to gray, that looked like the "corpse" of a photograph that hadn't burned completely.

Someone had once stayed here and burned things for warmth. But judging by the traces, it had been a long time ago.

The place was empty, just like Wanhu Village had been. If not for the dog, there'd have been no reason for anyone to come inside; it would have been completely worthless to anyone searching for salvage.

Lu Xi'an first had the dog search the place. After confirming there weren't any hidden compartments with safes inside, he and Yao Wei carried the car in together.

The car weighed several tons. The two of them could lift it, but it still took some effort—not as effortless as the other things they did.

After carrying the car in and setting it down, they rested briefly, then opened up the shelter tunnel entrance again and moved the things from the car into the tunnel. They used bricks they'd taken from the wall to stack up a makeshift seal over the opening.

Only after finishing all that did they go inside the tunnel and seal the entrance.

The wall was of course nothing like it had been before, but they'd stacked it up well enough that from any other angle, it was hard to notice anything wrong.

Who would go out of their way to inspect the wall from this side?

"We're back here again..."

After entering the tunnel and blocking the exit, Lu Xi'an couldn't help sighing. "Ever since we met, it feels like we've been going back to the same places over and over."

Yao Wei thought over everything that had happened in the past two days. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, almost without her noticing. "Mm."

After a few trips back and forth, they moved everything from the entrance through the tunnel and into the shelter.

"Dog, go connect the power."

They'd already confirmed that the shelter was safe, so they didn't need the dog to scout for them while they stayed inside. Having it supply power was a much better use of its time.

The dog's wheels spun at once, and it raced off to the monitoring room and power room at the very back.

Before long, the shelter's corridor and the rest area at the front lit up.

Lu Xi'an went to the dormitory beside the rest area, stepped inside, and found the switch near the door. When he flipped it, the lights in the dormitory came on too.

In the light, the dormitory was neat and clean. The smooth, inviting bed drew Lu Xi'an over.

The two beds on the outside had only their pillows, mattress pads, and sheets left. Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei had taken the blankets to the car.

The shelter had blankets of its own, so Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei hadn't brought those back.

Lu Xi'an turned around and dropped onto the bed, letting out a satisfied groan.

Heavenly!

A bed really was the best!

Even better than that big bed in the villa.

No matter what, that mattress had already started to wear out. Lying on it, it wasn't exactly soft or hard; it was just better than sleeping on the ground. It still left something to be desired.

But the bed and mattress pad here were both in perfect condition. They were a little thin, but soft enough for Lu Xi'an. Lying there was the ultimate comfort.

Yao Wei followed Lu Xi'an's example and lay down on the other bed.

As soon as she did, she understood why Lu Xi'an had made that sound.

The softness and comfort of the mattress pad immediately made her feel languid and lazy. She didn't want to get up. She almost wanted to let out the same kind of groan, but it felt a little embarrassing, so she held it in.

"Are you staying here tonight, or am I?"

Lu Xi'an asked.

"Both of us," Yao Wei replied without hesitation.

"There are so many dorm rooms here. We can have separate rooms. It's rare to be somewhere this safe, and I want to sleep naked."

When things were safe, sleeping naked under a blanket was wonderful. You could enjoy the chill against your skin gradually turning warm, then stick a leg, an arm, or half your body out from under the covers and let the cool air wash over your skin again. That was the ultimate comfort.

Since the apocalypse began, Lu Xi'an had traveled all the way north, always afraid he'd freeze to death or worried about people or wild animals. Besides, he hadn't had a bed or blankets. He'd never had a chance to enjoy that simple pleasure again.

Now he and Yao Wei were going to stay for a while in a shelter they knew was safe. Of course he didn't want to miss this perfect opportunity.

Yao Wei looked at Lu Xi'an strangely, as if she couldn't understand why it mattered.

Catching her expression, Lu Xi'an was slightly taken aback. Could this woman really not understand the boundaries between men and women?

Then he heard Yao Wei say calmly, "Go ahead and take them off."

All right. It seemed she really didn't understand...

That made sense, though.

When he'd first met her at that villa in Jiang Yu District, Yu Bei City, she'd been so wary. If the hyenas hadn't suddenly attacked, she wouldn't have worked with him.

With aim that good, strength that great, and such decisiveness in a fight, perhaps no one had ever given her the chance to learn about the boundaries between men and women.

"I'll take them off when it's time to sleep."

Lu Xi'an lay on the bed for a while, then got up.

They couldn't see the sunlight outside from inside the shelter, so he couldn't tell what time it was. But it wasn't time to rest yet.

Before they could relax, there were still plenty of things to prepare—

First, they needed to find a few buckets to fetch water over the next few days.

Then they needed to test whether the shelter's drainage system still worked, so they could deal with their household waste later.

After that, they had to clean up the kitchen. The rubbish they'd cleared out of the cold-storage room was still lying in there, and now they needed to get rid of it.

Finally, they had to inspect the kitchen and see whether the old stove could still be used. If not, they'd have to consider other ways of cooking.

He went to the bathroom first and used some of the water in the pot to flush the toilet. The water drained smoothly, proving there was no blockage. With water available, the bathroom was perfectly usable.

Next was the kitchen.

They might as well clear out the rotting rubbish.

The cold-storage room had been well sealed before, and nothing had been wrong outside. But if they kept that rubbish in the shelter now, it might affect the air.

—Somehow, the shelter still managed to keep the air circulating normally, but it was still different from being outdoors. Leaving rotting rubbish in here probably wasn't a good idea.

Before leaving, Lu Xi'an found several buckets stored in the corner of the bathroom.