Apocalypse: Last Traveler

This row of single-story townhouses runs through seven rooms, with the main hall occupying three large rooms, and east and west rooms each two.

Many tiles on the roof have peeled off, making it look pitted, with grass growing between the seams, though not as lush as on the ground.

When Lu Xi'an looked from outside before, he was a little unsure of the role of that grass.

He felt the grass seemed like the culprit for causing the tiles to peel off, yet at the same time appeared to bind the tiles firmly onto the roof, preventing further peeling off.

The useful things in the main hall had been ransacked, leaving only a redwood table that collapsed due to missing a leg.

But now the redwood showed no sign of its former luxury, only decay and decline.

Lu Xi'an flipped the table, wanting to see if there was any hidden compartment underneath, just like in that village in Fengcheng County.

Lu Xi'an could no longer recall the village name, but the clue to Tan Village Shelter was found in a hidden compartment under the floor tiles of a house there.

He was about to call Gou over to take a look, but unexpectedly, Gou's eyes already glowed at the entrance of the west room.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei exchanged glances and quickly crossed through the small door between the main hall and the west room, entering the west room.

There was nothing left in the west room; dust was spread evenly on the floor tiles, revealing nothing but Gou's metal paw prints, with the tile seams tightly sealed.

To the naked eye, this floor did not look like it had any hidden compartments.

Lu Xi'an thought Gou would shine his eyes on the floor and discover a secret hidden beneath those flawless tiles.

Unexpectedly, when he asked where Gou was looking, Gou raised his head and shone his eyes toward the ceiling.

The ceiling was also seamlessly sealed, painted white, smooth and even, with occasional peeling paint looking quite normal, nothing noticeable on the surface.

But Lu Xi'an tried jumping high, utilizing his strength and a body capable of substantial jumping power, allowing him to touch the ceiling.

Just to avoid excess strength control,

he raised his hand to push at the spot Gou's gaze indicated, unexpectedly moving something and causing the ceiling to wobble and a shower of dust to fall heavily.

"Ack! Ack ack!"

Lu Xi'an quickly stepped back, brushed off the dust from his head and body.

It seemed that no one had been up there for ages, accumulating dust.

Moreover, the secret door was locked and felt strong, not easily accessible by ordinary people.

But being no ordinary person, holding his breath and exerting a bit more force wasn't an issue.

After clearing the dust off himself, Lu Xi'an prepared to try again, but Yao Wei stepped forward, saying, "Let me."

Lu Xi'an stopped Yao Wei, saying, "Better let me. I've got the hang of the strength now and can open it this time.

"Besides, one person taking the dust is enough. Why should both of us end up covered in dust?"

He was insistent, so Yao Wei had to step back.

Then Lu Xi'an jumped anew.

This time, as he leaped, he held his breath and closed his eyes.

With Gou's confirmation, Lu Xi'an didn't need to worry about any dangers up there. He just needed to get the position right, then jump and lift his hand.

With one lift of his hand, he easily propped up that secret compartment.

The lock edge made a "click" sound, suggesting the lock didn't break, but the lock slot couldn't withstand the pressure and cracked.

Lu Xi'an sensed large amounts of dust falling, covering his head thickly.

With a flick of his wrist and a bit of force, he pushed upwards like he was shooting a basketball, raising the secret door, then landing on the ground.

At this point, he couldn't help but start dusting off again, removing all the dust from his head and body.

Yao Wei also came to help, dusting off Lu Xi'an's back completely.

"Thank you."

Lu Xi'an expressed his thanks to Yao Wei.

Yao Wei frowned a bit, saying, "No need to say thank you."

Lu Xi'an smiled, saying, "Alright."

So he stopped speaking of it.

The dust that fell from above still lingered, but no longer affected breathing.

Lu Xi'an glanced at himself, thinking that both his clothes and hair would need a wash later, but for now, it wasn't the time to worry about that.

The two jumped up onto the ceiling one after the other, discovering a compartment above, stretching from the east room to the west room, connecting through the middle hall, forming a vast attic space.

The attic's side windows were also blocked, airtight, with the only source of light being the secret door he had just opened, letting light seep from below.

Thankfully, when Yao Wei came up, she brought Gou, whose shining eyes illuminated the attic; otherwise, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei would have to search in the dark.

Lu Xi'an looked around and was somewhat perplexed by this large attic hidden on the flat roof.

He saw the slanting upward walls were reinforced with steel frames, and the floor beneath felt like it wasn't tile but seemed to have high material strength, appearing specially prepared for an apocalyptic scenario.

Yet it was empty above, with nothing but junk piled in the east corner, and no supplies whatsoever.

It seems the owner of this picking park built the house and then either didn't have time to arrange supplies, or felt it was flawed and gave up using it as a shelter.

As time passes, it's not easy for this abandoned shelter to remain intact till now.

Due to the low roofs on both sides, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei had to walk to the middle to straighten their backs.

There was too much dust on the ground, so they walked lightly to avoid stirring it up. Yao Wei simply held onto Gou without putting him down, using Gou as a flashlight.

Four rows of footprints were left on the ground. As they walked inside, they saw boxes of varying sizes piled in the corner, all still sealed.

New stuff?!

Lu Xi'an was somewhat surprised, not expecting to see brand new, packaged items in a world decades after a disaster.

Yao Wei raised Gou, letting the mechanical dog's eyes shine light, and Lu Xi'an saw the labels stuck on those boxes.

He made a simple count and saw there were seven boxes in total.

The box on top was white, and after wiping off the dust, a black and white machine was drawn on it, with a slender slot that looked like a DVD player, presumably for inserting discs.

The label on this box read: Game console, 13th birthday, open on December 20, 2099.

Game console?

"What's a game console?"

Yao Wei asked.

Lu Xi'an replied, "Used to play games, like Solitaire on the laptop... Hmm, you haven't played it. We don't have a mouse; it's not easy to operate and can't be played.

"Anyway, you just need to know it's recreational and not useful for survival.

"Sigh... If we were in a shelter and not wandering around, I would definitely take this game console back.

"But now, it's pretty useless."

The space in the car was too small, and they lacked a monitor. They only had a laptop, and weren't sure if streaming worked in this world or if it could directly connect to the game console.

But even if it could, the solar-powered battery life on the laptop wouldn't last long for gaming.

Better to forget it; playing games in the apocalypse is too much of a luxury...

Lu Xi'an thought about this and didn't even bother to open the game console box, just moved it aside.

But Yao Wei, standing beside Lu Xi'an holding Gou, kept her eyes fixed on the game console box for a long time.

Because her gaze wasn't directed at him, Lu Xi'an didn't notice.

He continued to look at the next box. This box was vertical, sandwiched between other boxes and the side wall, looking somewhat large.

After brushing off the dust, the label read:

Mountain bike with seat addition and puncture-proof tires, 14th birthday, open on December 20, 2100. The brake cable is also a survival rope, this message is for him.

Upon seeing these two lines, Lu Xi'an suddenly understood something.

On top of the mountain bike box, there was also a small box. He continued to look at it, and after removing the dust, it was written in the same handwriting:

Waterproof electronic watch with built-in compass, 15th birthday, open on December 20, 2101. Consider opening early in special situations.

Indeed, it's still a gift.

Lu Xi'an realized the items piled here were presents once given by the park's owner to his child.

Back then, people here knew a disaster was coming, so they bought several years' worth of gifts in advance to avoid being unable to buy later.

The owner hid the gifts here but then something happened, causing these items to be left behind, ultimately never given out.

Looking at the next one—

Iron box album, 16th birthday, open on December 20, 2102. The vendor said there are photos from various regions and specially treated vegetable seeds inside, bought at a high price for long-term preservation.

If the disaster persists, it will be useful. Note it down to avoid forgetting, hope the vendor doesn't cheat.

The next one—

Thermos cup, 17th birthday, open on December 20, 2103. I couldn't think of what to give, this cup looks nice, things are hard to buy now, storing so many gifts isn't easy, kid don't blame me when you see the label.

Another one—

Albums, for everyone, can be placed into the iron box album. If the disaster hasn't passed then, these photos can be a memory. Open on December 20, 2104.

Next one—

Books, middle school, high school, college textbooks. If the disaster hasn't passed then, self-study will be the only option. Open on December 20, 2105. Or earlier.

After looking at all these boxes, Lu Xi'an was momentarily dazed.

The label mentioned that procuring supplies back then was already tricky, but people still went through the trouble to collect so many gifts to hide here.

But unexpectedly, none of the items on them ended up being given away.

Lu Xi'an couldn't help but think of the Fish Rider on the Liangcheng County reservoir, and the things he hid in the fish's belly.

How in the face of apocalypse, all preparedness, all familial affection, seem to be in vain?