This Is Not The End

They trained for a long time. Lu Xi'an didn't feel particularly tired, but his stomach was empty and he was getting hungry.

So he stopped and asked Yao Wei, "Do you want to continue? I'm hungry. How about we make something to eat?"

Yao Wei paused, thought for a moment, and requested, "Can you cook? I want to train a bit more. I won't be able to for a couple of days."

Lu Xi'an didn't think much of it, assuming Yao Wei meant they would be leaving the Shelter in a couple of days and continuing their journey.

He thought to himself, This woman is really dedicated. But it's good this way. The stronger Yao Wei gets, the more she can ensure our safety.

—At least until they part ways.

His current combat strength and marksmanship couldn't compare to Yao Wei's. It was fine to handle the logistics for her.

Let Yao Wei become stronger first, and then he could slowly improve himself under her protection.

"Okay, you continue."

Lu Xi'an said, heading to the kitchen alone. Thinking about leaving in a couple of days, he felt a bit reluctant.

Honestly, the supplies here were abundant, and with Doggy's help, water and electricity weren't issues. If he settled down here, he could probably live peacefully for countless years.

For a moment, Lu Xi'an really wanted to stay put and not leave. Let the cold and storms rage outside; he would hide in this Shelter and live a quiet, simple life. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

But upon careful consideration, no matter how many years passed, the supplies would eventually run out.

If he stayed, he would just be living day by day, consuming resources.

Moreover, if he stopped now, his firm resolve to find a place where he could survive long-term, for his entire life, would inevitably be worn away.

By then, when the Shelter's supplies were gone, would he still have the courage to leave the Shelter again and embark on his journey?

This was just a temporary safe harbor, not the destination.

Lu Xi'an took a deep breath, telling himself he had to stay firm in his resolve and absolutely not waver.

After two days, he had to leave as planned, no lingering.

For breakfast, they still had rice and rehydrated vegetables in soup.

However, this time Lu Xi'an had a new idea. He cooked more rice and rehydrated more vegetables, setting them aside.

He finished cooking and called Yao Wei. When Yao Wei came over and saw the extra portions, she felt a pang of concern and decided to eat it all now, so she wouldn't have to eat much for the next meal.

Lu Xi'an quickly stopped her. "Don't rush. These are for the next meal. I specifically made extra so we can stir-fry them tonight."

Yao Wei finally relaxed.

Hearing Lu Xi'an say "stir-fry," she recalled the stir-fried river shrimp Lu Xi'an had made when they were outside, and unconsciously swallowed.

Stir-fried food should be tastier than this, right...?

She found herself looking forward to the next meal.

For the next meal, neither Lu Xi'an nor Yao Wei was sure if it would be at night.

They had taken a second nap today, so it was hard to tell what time it was.

Including meals, bathing, and other daily water usage, they consumed five buckets. After eating, they went to replenish their water from the reservoir outside.

Speaking of which, with three buckets remaining, they could still last for a while.

But Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei both knew they had to replenish water frequently to ensure they had enough.

The weather outside was unpredictable. Who knew when a severe cold snap might come and freeze the water surface?

If the ice was thin, it would be easy to chisel through. But if it froze too thick, they would have to haul the ice back to melt, which would be more troublesome.

In such a situation, they could only hope for snow, to bring back snow to melt for water.

Bringing back snow was much easier than chiseling ice from the river.

Originally, they had ten buckets. Lu Xi'an had modified one into a showerhead for washing. So now, they each had three, needing to carry back six buckets of water.

When they went to get water, they called Doggy over. Having Doggy operate the drone for reconnaissance was indeed much better than them operating the machine themselves.

After the drone confirmed there was no danger outside, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei carried their buckets out.

The sun was in the western sky, so it was likely afternoon.

But the problem was, they had eaten not too long ago. By the time it was evening, they wouldn't be very hungry. This next meal couldn't be timed before nightfall as usual.

Perhaps by the time they wanted to eat, it would already be the next day.

The Shelter, lacking sunlight and effective timekeeping tools, made it impossible for them to plan their days according to a normal schedule.

Lu Xi'an had even gone to the computer in the annex office. He checked it and found it surprisingly lacked a timer. He wondered who had designed it that way.

This also proved from another angle that the Shelter was indeed not suitable for long-term living.

This was not the end of their journey, but merely a rest stop along the way.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei tried their best to make their time in the Shelter fulfilling, ensuring enough rest, setting aside necessary time for training, and treating training as a form of recreation.

When training made him hungry, Lu Xi'an went to prepare the next meal.

He stir-fried the leftover rice from the previous meal with the rehydrated vegetables. With oil and salt, and the flat-bottomed pan, the food turned out much more delicious than boiled vegetables and plain rice.

Yao Wei ate with great appetite, but Lu Xi'an still felt a little regretful.

"A pity... there are no eggs. Otherwise, we wouldn't need these vegetables."

What delicacy could compare to fried rice made with leftovers?

A pity, no eggs.

The next meal, Lu Xi'an used sausage, served cold.

The meal after that was still boiled vegetables with rice.

The meal after that was the leftover boiled vegetables stir-fried, eaten with white rice.

The meal after that, he sliced and stir-fried the sausage.

The meal after that, he simply stir-fried white rice.

Unbeknownst to them, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei had been here for quite some time. He estimated that three days must have passed outside. The locals guarding the intersection, having found nothing, should have retreated by now.

So, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei planned to pack up their things and continue their journey.

But as they were discussing their plans, Lu Xi'an suddenly noticed Yao Wei frown, looking a bit uncomfortable. He asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Yao Wei said, "It's just a few days every month that hurt. I'll be fine if I endure it. Let's pack up and get ready to leave."

Lu Xi'an suddenly seemed to realize something and asked, "You said you couldn't practice for two days before, was it because of this?"

Yao Wei nodded and replied, "Mm."

So that's how it was