Apocalypse: Last Traveler-Chapter 380 - 359: Preparing to Leave the Island
When Lu Xi’an mentioned it, Yao Wei also realized that Luo Ping and the others hadn’t come for a long time, at least for three tides.
Now that so much time had passed, the vegetables on the cart were gone, and if they wanted to eat some, they would have to consume the stored dehydrated vegetables.
And there were no pigeon messages either.
The two exchanged glances and immediately got into the car, trying to get Gou to "make a call" to the 923 Base, but no matter how they tried, the call wouldn’t go through.
They then quickly wrote a letter, tied it to the pigeon’s leg, and let it fly off to the northwest.
——The string used to bind the letter was reused, and every time a letter was sent, they would take it off and keep it. The paper was also reused, with messages written one after another, resembling chat dialogues on WeChat or QQ.
After all, with tight resources, none of them could afford to waste anything.
However, the content of the letters was always vague, never specific, nor did it reveal exact addresses, to prevent unexpected interception by those with ulterior motives.
——It’s also because they have become much stronger now and have the confidence to deal with any external threats; otherwise, even sending messages like this would leave them uneasy.
Now, with Luo Ping and the others not coming for such a long time, and no message being delivered, Lu Xi’an raised his vigilance a bit, and changed to a new piece of paper to start a conversation.
The conversation started with just two simple words and a punctuation mark: "Are you there?"
If Luo Ping and the others saw it, they would naturally understand what it meant.
But after the letter was sent, there was no reply for a long time.
Another tide came after that, but it shouldn’t be able to stop a pigeon in flight.
Hu Xiaodong, Hu Dong, and Hu Xiaodong’s grandson came over by boat from East Island.
Now that Hu Xiaodong’s grandson has grown a lot, Hu Xiaodong plans to formally hand over the sweet water business to his son and grandson, and then focus on being an official on the island.
So the last two times, he brought his grandson along when landing on the island.
When Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei saw this from the mountain peak, they descended the mountain and asked at the East Sea coast whether Luo Ping and the others had said anything before leaving the island for the last time.
But Hu Xiaodong, after trying hard to recall, said they hadn’t said much of anything special, just that they would come next time and wanted him to treat them to pork soup.
"I was planning to ask you two, Mr. Lu, Mr. Yao, if Mr. Luo and the others had something going on?
"It’s been so long since they’ve come, I’ve already told Hao that as soon as they come, I’ll get them some pork soup. Why haven’t Mr. Luo and the others come after such a long time?"
Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei exchanged glances and couldn’t help but frown.
Has something happened since there is suddenly no news from the 923 Base?
The two communicated with their eyes and quickly made a decision. Lu Xi’an said to Hu Xiaodong, "Once this tide recedes, we’re leaving.
"Before that, we need to make several trips up to your East Island to get more food. I’d like you to inform the people on the island to prepare more supplies, and I’ll come up with the money to trade for them later."
Hu Xiaodong was taken aback for a moment and said, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Yao... already leaving?"
Lu Xi’an nodded and said, "It’s been four years; it’s time to leave."
Hu Xiaodong was a little dazed and said, "Yes, four years. I’ve gotten a lot older, my bones feel stiffer, and my grandson has grown as tall as I am.
"But Mr. Lu, Mr. Yao, you two look no different from four years ago. Neo-Humans are really something..."
On the surface, Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei indeed hadn’t changed at all, just like four years ago, without even a hint of wrinkles at the corners of their eyes.
But whether they’ve changed, they only know themselves.
They’ve become more powerful, gained more knowledge, and they are very clear about it in their hearts; there’s no need to explain to outsiders.
Lu Xi’an smiled and didn’t pick up the topic, saying, "Are you all still energetic? If you’re okay, how about you leave the bucket with me, and you return to prepare?
"Tomorrow we’ll fill the bucket with water and head to the island directly to buy supplies from your place. How does that sound?"
Hu Xiaodong patted his chest and nodded, "No problem, leave it to me. Mr. Lu, rest assured, I’m now, no matter what, the chairman on our island.
"Moreover, my prestige on our island is the highest in history; once I return and give the order, the people on the island will definitely cooperate fully.
"We’re setting off to return now, Mr. Lu and Mr. Yao, just come over tomorrow, and I’ll make sure to have your provisions ready.
"Also, I can tell Hao to prepare some pork soup. When you come tomorrow, just drink it directly at my house.
"As you’re about to leave, there’s nothing much my home can give you, just this offer of pork soup. After all, after this, who knows when we’ll be able to drink it again."
Lu Xi’an didn’t decline and said, "Then thank you very much."
Hu Xiaodong said, "Mr. Lu, why are you being polite with me? We’re off then."
With that, he left both buckets with Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei, then called his son Hu Dong and grandson Hu Xiaodong onto the boat, maneuvering the sails to head into the depths of the sea.
However, the wind was favorable on the way there and unfavorable on the way back, making the boat zigzag through the sea, slowing it down considerably.
Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei carried four buckets back to the mountaintop, tidied up their things, and pulled out the towering corn stalks that always bore ears of toxic corn for ordinary people, which wasn’t a main crop at the Institute 923 base anymore. They just planted a few for the Neo-Humans to eat.
Lu Xi’an was concerned about leaving the corn there, fearing that one day Hu Xiaodong and his group might pick and eat it, which would be a disaster.
So, it’s better to destroy it all now. If they need to settle here in the future, they can just replant it.
As for the two chickens, Lu Xi’an thought for a moment and decided they could only handle them differently.
They thoroughly cleaned the inside of the car with water, only wiping the outside glass briefly. The rest was left untouched. Nowadays, the dirty dust served as a protective color for cars in this world, so there was no need to clean it too meticulously outside.
Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei agreed that cleaning the inside of the car was enough.
Once they finished cleaning, they drove the car to a spot halfway up the mountain and refilled the water tanks.
—This was a temporary cleaning. When the tide recedes and the time comes to leave, they would definitely have to tidy up again.
After organizing the items in the car, it was nearly evening. The two used some small umbrellas as covers and spent a night in the car.
—Until the tide recedes, they’ll probably spend more nights this way. Once they leave here, they’ll have to return to the dangerous world, and they can’t be as indulgent as they are now; they’ll need to stay vigilant at all times.
However, both of them were super-enhanced Type A Neo-Humans with extraordinary physical qualities. Even after spending a night in the car, they woke up the next day with their spirits relatively unaffected.
After washing up and tidying themselves, they grabbed four buckets, slung the rattan box on their backs, collected water from the pond, summoned the big fish at the East Coast, and rode them to East Island.
The rattan box contained two chickens, and Lu Xi’an’s pocket held an egg.
It wasn’t convenient to keep them in the car, so they decided to leave the two chickens with Hu Xiaodong as a means of bartering.
Once they reached the island, they headed straight for Hu Xiaodong’s home.
There were quite a few people gathered at Hu Xiaodong’s home, waiting for Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei to collect food.
Yuan Laotie was also there, personally making pork soup for Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei at Hu Xiaodong’s home. It was hard to tell whether it was because Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei commanded respect or because of Hu Xiaodong’s high esteem.
Anyway, as Lu Xi’an observed for a while, he sensed that people were both respectful and amiable towards Hu Xiaodong, enough to joke around with him. Their relationships seemed quite good.
It seemed that Hu Xiaodong really was an excellent committee leader.
Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei had some pork soup there and collected enough supplies, paying everyone one by one.
During this time, Lu Xi’an carefully observed and gradually understood—
This Hu Xiaodong was modeling his words and actions after Luo Ping. No wonder this place felt like a low-budget version of the 923 Base...
Lu Xi’an didn’t have suitable containers to transport the supplies, so Hu Xiaodong generously asked everyone to drink up the sweet water in the buckets, freeing them up for Lu Xi’an to use.
The people eagerly helped Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei load the supplies, while Lu Xi’an took the two chickens from the rattan box and handed them to Hu Xiaodong, saying, "Here, these two chickens are for you.
"And there’s this egg, don’t eat it, just place it in the hen’s nest to hatch another egg."
Hu Xiaodong’s eyes widened as he hurriedly said, "How can I accept this?! How can I accept this?!"
But his eyes were glued to the two chickens.
Lu Xi’an laughed and said, "Just take them. Why act so bashfully? Who are you putting on a show for? These chickens are inconvenient for us to carry, and if you don’t take them, they’ll end up roaming on the mountain."
Only then did Hu Xiaodong stop hesitating. He took the chickens and handed them to his daughter-in-law.
—Four years had passed by now, and his wife was no longer around.
He looked at the two chickens, feeling a bit regretful.
Lu Xi’an caught that look and understood, saying, "Two are enough. You want more? Let me tell you, these chickens are different.
"This one in overalls is in charge of protecting the flock. The more chickens you have, the bigger it grows. If you get a few more, it’ll grow bigger than you, and even a standard Type A Neo-Human wouldn’t be able to handle it.
"It’ll end up tearing down your house, believe it or not?"
Hu Xiaodong shivered, exclaiming, "Really?"
Hao’s eyes lit up, seemingly wishing for pigs to be the same.
Afterward, Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei filled the rattan box with supplies, and under the crowd’s escort, they reached the seaside and rode the big fish away.
Of course, the buckets needed to be returned. They returned to the island, rested for a day, fetched water for Hu Xiaodong, rode the big fish to deliver it to the island, then added more supplies to the rattan box; thus, the car was nearly full. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
In the following days, the two spent their time exercising, eating, drinking, and resting in the car until the tide receded. They then cleaned the car again, refilled the water, and set off.
