Apocalypse: Last Traveler

Gou once again demonstrated its value.

Gou always proves to be valuable.

Lu Xi'an called Gou over and said to it, "Check the fuel tank and see which one contains gasoline first."

The mechanical dog looked into the fuel tank, its shining eyes illuminated the valve of the tank on the left.

Lu Xi'an asked again, "Is there enough fuel in there?"

Gou's eyes remained bright, indicating the fuel is sufficient, enough for Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei to use.

Then the third question: "Is it safe inside? After opening the fuel tank valve, will there be any danger... hmm, is it still safe?"

Lu Xi'an originally wanted to ask whether opening the fuel tank valve would pose any danger, but then reconsidered, realizing that the answer to this question might conflict with previous questions, causing confusion.

Even if Gou understood it in its own way and responded, he wouldn't be able to judge if Gou's answer was to the first question or the second one.

So he quickly changed the question.

Gou's eyes still shone brightly.

This reassured Lu Xi'an that the fuel tank could be opened, with the mechanical dog's confirmation; being cautious while opening the valve should guarantee safety.

He said to Yao Wei, "Why don't you back off a bit? Drive the car away, I'll open the tank."

Yao Wei shook her head and said, "Let me do it."

Lu Xi'an asked, "Have you done it before?"

Yao Wei shook her head again, "No."

Lu Xi'an said, "Then why you? If there's a mishap, it would be a huge loss, wouldn't it?"

"…"

Upon hearing Lu Xi'an's words, Yao Wei fell silent.

But she didn't know that Lu Xi'an hadn't actually done it either.

Joking, Lu Xi'an wasn't managing a gas station in his previous life, how would he know this!

If he knew, he would have thought about checking the oil tank long ago, rather than trying hard to recall and rely on impressions to remember the valve in the cement oil tank pool now.

Regardless of knowing or not knowing, Yao Wei still insisted on not backing down.

She stood by Lu Xi'an's side and said, "I'll stay here, watch you open the valve."

Lu Xi'an rejected, "Why watch here? The car's still parked at the gas pump.

If the fuel tank explodes when I open it, wouldn't the car be blown away too? That would be a huge loss."

Unexpectedly, Yao Wei suddenly glared at him and said, "People could be blown away too..."

Lu Xi'an: "..."

He had to admit Yao Wei had a point, he had inadvertently overlooked this issue.

He wanted to say something more, persuading Yao Wei to back the car away, and then calmly go to open the fuel tank valve, but Yao Wei spoke first.

"Gou already said it's safe,"

Yao Wei said.

This woman now has complete trust in the mechanical dog, more confidence than Lu Xi'an.

Moreover, what supports her to stand beside Lu Xi'an is not just her confidence in the mechanical dog.

After these words, she added, "Can't let you be the only one risking being blown away."

Lu Xi'an was slightly stunned and turned to look at Yao Wei, seeing her calm demeanor with no emotional fluctuations, as if discussing a trivial matter.

But he could feel beneath Yao Wei's calm expression lay profound resolve.

This hidden determination under her calmness made Lu Xi'an suddenly find Yao Wei even more captivating than when they were outside the rough shelter in Xiaogang Village.

Having such a soulmate in life, what more could one ask for?

"Stop looking at me, go open the valve."

Yao Wei felt a bit uncomfortable under Lu Xi'an's gaze, avoiding his eyes and focusing on the valve.

Lu Xi'an chuckled, "Alright."

He stepped forward and tried to open the valve.

The valve was locked, but with a padlock, not an electronic lock, presumably to ensure access in power outages.

That padlock was crafted from high-strength material, looking thick and heavy, ordinary people couldn't open it.

But for Lu Xi'an, this was a minor issue. He directly reached out, applied force, and effortlessly snapped it.

Removing the anti-theft bolts followed the same principle.

At this moment, Lu Xi'an felt that Type A Neo-Human should be called Universal Neo-Human, applicable in countless scenarios and performing countless functions.

He now believed "strength creates miracles" were the most reasonable words.

How does a miracle happen?

It comes from strength.

After removing the padlock and anti-theft bolts, the rest of the job required caution.

Lu Xi'an controlled his force but the burgeoning power within still played a key role.

He gingerly turned the valve, lifting it, the "squeak" sound was so steady, no mishap occurred.

A gasoline scent wafted from beneath the valve. The aged oil, preserved by special chemical agents during the apocalypse, retained its distinctive smell.

"It's fine! No problem!"

Lu Xi'an gently placed the opened valve back and smiled at Yao Wei.

"Alright."

Yao Wei responded with a "Hmm," and exchanged a glance with Lu Xi'an, then they both started laughing.

Lu Xi'an gently exhaled and said, "Looking at it now, we really did look quite foolish.

"Gou clearly said there was no issue, yet we were so cautious, telling each other to run and leave, really, what was that all about!"

Yao Wei replied, "Being cautious isn't wrong."

Lu Xi'an nodded, "That's true, better to be safe than sorry."

The two shared another smile, saving their words, and both bent over the valve to peer inside.

Below the valve was the oil tank. Perhaps the pump here broke a long time ago, so the oil inside was still full.

But even when full, the oil only reached the bottom of the tank's pipe.

—— There was a small section of pipe extending downward from the tank, not very deep, but it was still a bit difficult to reach in and draw oil.

Gasoline shone in the tank, calm and undisturbed, almost as if mocking the people peering over the spout, saying they shouldn't think too much; even if the tank's open, getting the oil won't be that easy.

"What should we do?"

Yao Wei frowned and asked.

"I don't know."

Lu Xi'an examined the tank opening for a moment and sighed, "Logically, there should be a ladder for access, otherwise how do people clean the tank?

"But the problem is, there's no ladder up here now, and we can't step down; simply using a bucket to get oil won't work.

"Sigh... it's hard to believe that after opening the oil tank, we're still stuck in this step, unable to get any oil."

"So, do we drive until the gas runs out and then head to Jianshan City to find more oil?"

Yao Wei suggested.

She was decisive. Once she made up her mind, she wouldn't hesitate, saying, "If that's the case, let's hurry up and leave, no point in wasting time here."

However, Lu Xi'an didn't move. He continued staring into the tank, thinking, recalling, racking his brain for something that could help.

"Don't rush, wait a moment... let me think..."

He said to Yao Wei.

"Is there another way?"

Yao Wei asked. Just like she trusted Gou, she trusted Lu Xi'an implicitly.

Seeing Lu Xi'an contemplating, she immediately reconsidered her decision.

"Maybe..."

Lu Xi'an didn't give a definite answer. He couldn't confirm, but felt that with all he'd learned and the education he'd received, surely, he could think of a solution.

Even if those things learned in school had been buried by time in his memory.

Being buried by time wasn't scary; with effort, he could recall and extract the knowledge he needed.

The real fear was if he had completely given up and compromised.

In a post-apocalyptic world, one should exhaust every possibility to survive and use every available resource.

If he easily gave up like that, abandoning what he knows, has learned, and can do, then what right did he have to survive in this world?

"Alright, I'll get the bucket."

Upon hearing Lu Xi'an's "maybe," Yao Wei turned to the car.

Feeling she couldn't contribute anything else, she decided to do what she could — allow Lu Xi'an to think without distractions, and act once he figured it out.

After a while, if Lu Xi'an found a way to get oil, surely a bucket would be used.

So Yao Wei went to the car, opened the door, grabbed the bucket from the back, and brought it next to the valve, placing it in front of Lu Xi'an.

Lu Xi'an saw what Yao Wei had brought immediately.

The bucket had a lead-sealed lid and a long spout for easily filling a car's gas tank.

Lu Xi'an gazed at the bucket, deep in thought.

How could this bucket be used to draw oil?

But as he thought, his eyes involuntarily landed on the spout.

"Aha!"

He slapped his forehead as a thought flashed through his mind.

Yao Wei saw this and quickly asked, "What happened? Did you find a way?"

"I have an idea, but we can only see if there's a chance."

Lu Xi'an said as he stood up instead of grabbing the bucket. He carefully closed the oil tank valve again, finishing with the anti-theft bolt.

As for the oversized and heavy padlock, that had been broken by him earlier and couldn't be used.

Lu Xi'an didn't waste it, picking it up.

"Is this also meant to be a hidden weapon?"

Yao Wei asked.

Lu Xi'an replied matter-of-factly, "Certainly, it's so heavy, with good quality, it'll be more useful to me than toy wheels."

The padlock's body and bar were now two separate pieces. Lu Xi'an gathered them up, then remembered something, and smiled at Yao Wei:

"Speaking of which, my firepower now far exceeds yours.

"Let's go, let's put the stuff back in the car."

He turned and started walking toward the car.

Yao Wei looked deeply at Lu Xi'an's back and pressed her lips together.

This guy, figuring out a way but not saying it clearly, who does that?! Really infuriating!