This task still requires the help of the mechanical dog.
After Gou took a look and confirmed that opening the middle of the back wall of the house would not affect the load-bearing, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei began the construction.
This task was very easy for the two Neo-Humans, as they used a hammer to break open the wall and gradually cleared the bricks and earth around the opening to enlarge it, completing the job.
Just when the opening was big enough for a vehicle to enter, they still faced a problem—
The house had stood for so many years due to the reinforced concrete, but this also meant they couldn't level the ground at the opening.
The exposed parts on the ground might damage the tires when driving the vehicle in.
However, this was not a problem for Lu Xi'an.
Lu Xi'an immediately suggested, "Why don't we carry the car inside?"
"Sure."
Yao Wei nodded, not finding any issue with Lu Xi'an's suggestion.
As Neo-Humans, the two of them had enough strength to lift a car. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to clear the entrance of a refuge tunnel that had been sealed for so many years.
The mess inside the house was expected; the cluttered and empty room bore signs of having been ransacked, with sofas and beds presumably removed and the tables and chairs vanishing without a trace.
There were scattered black ashes on the ground and a corner of colored paper, brown to grayish at the edges, slightly curled, resembling a burnt fragment of a photo "corpse."
Someone had once stayed here and burned things for warmth, but from the looks of it, it was a long time ago.
The place was deserted, much like the previous Wanhu Village. If it weren't for Gou, it would have completely lost its value for scavenging, and no one would easily venture inside.
Lu Xi'an had Gou investigate first to ensure there were no hidden compartments with safes before he and Yao Wei carried the vehicle inside.
The vehicle, which weighed tons, required them to exert some strength to lift, but it was not as easy as other tasks.
Once they moved the car inside and settled it down, they took a short rest. Then, they opened the refuge tunnel's entrance, transferred the items from the vehicle into the tunnel, and used the removed bricks to roughly close off the wall.
After doing all this, they entered the tunnel and sealed the entrance.
The wall, of course, was not as intact as before, but once it was more or less stacked up, from other directions, it was hard to see any issues.
Who would deliberately come to inspect this angle behind the wall?
"Back on familiar ground again..."
After blocking the exit of the tunnel, Lu Xi'an couldn't help but remark, "Ever since we met, it seems like we've been constantly revisiting familiar places."
Yao Wei reflected on their recent experiences, a slight smile unconsciously forming on her lips, and said, "Yes."
The two of them made several trips, moving everything from the entrance into the refuge.
Lu Xi'an commanded, "Gou, connect to the power source."
The refuge had already been confirmed to be free of danger, so while the two of them stayed inside, they didn't need Gou's help for surveillance. Having it supply power was the best choice.
Gou's wheels spun quickly as it rushed to the innermost monitoring and power supply room.
In no time, the corridor of the refuge and the outermost rest area lit up.
Lu Xi'an walked to the sleeping quarters adjacent to the rest area, found the switch at the entrance, and pressed it, causing the lights inside to turn on as well.
Under the light, the dormitory was tidy and clean, the neat bedding irresistibly inviting Lu Xi'an to walk over.
The two southern beds only had pillows and bed sheets remaining. The blankets had been taken by Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei into the vehicle.
Since the refuge had these amenities, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei had left them in the vehicle and not brought them back in.
Lu Xi'an turned around and fell back onto the bed, letting out a comfortable sigh.
Beautiful!
The bed was indeed the best!
This was even more wonderful than the big bed in the villa.
After all, that mattress was somewhat worn out, neither soft nor hard, merely better than sleeping on the ground, but still lacking something.
However, the bed and mattress here were both perfectly intact. Although slightly thin, they were soft enough for Lu Xi'an, making lying in them an absolute pleasure.
Yao Wei, imitating Lu Xi'an, lay down on another bed.
Immediately upon doing so, she understood why Lu Xi'an made such a sound.
The softness and comfort of the mattress induced a feeling of laziness and reluctance to get up. She almost wanted to make that sound too but held back out of a sense of awkwardness.
"Are you staying here tonight, or should I?"
Lu Xi'an asked.
Yao Wei replied without hesitation, "We'll both stay here."
Lu Xi'an said, "There are so many dorms here, we can each have our own room. It's so safe now, I want to sleep completely naked."
In times of safety, sleeping naked, wrapped in a blanket, enjoying the cold gradually turning warm, and then stretching out your legs and arms or half your body into the cool air, feeling the chill against your skin—this was the ultimate pleasure.
In this post-apocalyptic world, traveling south from the north, Lu Xi'an was always worried about freezing to death or being attacked by people or wild beasts, and there was never a bed or bedding to allow such enjoyment.
Now that he and Yao Wei were going to stay in a confirmed safe refuge for a while, he certainly didn't want to miss this great opportunity.
Yao Wei gave Lu Xi'an a puzzled look, as if she didn't understand the relevance.
Catching Yao Wei's gaze, Lu Xi'an was taken aback slightly. Did this woman not even understand the boundaries between men and women?
Then he heard Yao Wei calmly say, "Just go ahead and strip."
Alright, maybe she really didn't get it...
After thinking about it, it was possible.
This woman had been so wary during their initial encounter at the villa in the Jiang Yu district of Yubei City, and if not for the sudden attack by the pack of hyenas, she wouldn't have cooperated with him.
With such excellent marksmanship, great strength, and decisive actions, probably no one had ever brought her to the point of understanding the concept of boundaries between men and women.
"I'll undress when it's time to sleep."
Lu Xi'an lay on the bed for a while longer before getting up.
Unable to see the sunlight from the refuge, he couldn't ascertain the time, but it wasn't time to rest yet.
There were still many things to prepare before resting—
Firstly, they needed to find some buckets for fetching water over the coming days.
Then, they had to test whether the refuge's drainage system could still function properly for future waste disposal.
Next, the kitchen needed tidying up. The garbage cleared from the cold storage room was still thrown in the kitchen and now needed to be disposed of.
Finally, they needed to check the kitchen to see if the stove could still be used. If not, they would have to consider alternative ways to cook.
Lu Xi'an first went to the bathroom, using some water from a pot to flush the toilet. The water flow smoothly cleared away, proving no blockage, meaning the bathroom could be used with water available.
Then onto the kitchen.
Those rotting garbage pieces should probably be cleared out.
Previously, with the good seal of the cold storage room, there's been no issue outside, but now, if that garbage continued to be kept in the refuge, it might affect the air.
—Though it was unclear what methods were used to ensure normal air circulation even now, it was ultimately different from outdoors. The presence of decomposing garbage wouldn't be ideal here.
Before leaving, Lu Xi'an found several buckets stored in a corner of the bathroom.