Apocalypse: Last Traveler

"Let's pour some hot water in later and see if this cup is insulated."

Lu Xi'an said to Yao Wei before moving on to the third box.

The box wasn't big, and inside was a stack of newly washed photos.

The top photo showed a family of three: a bald man, an ordinary-looking but friendly woman, and a short boy in open-crotch shorts reaching out eagerly, as if wanting to grab the camera taking the picture.

Was the owner of this park the bald man? And were the things I'm unboxing originally the boy's belongings?

Lu Xi'an glanced at the other photos. There were group photos, a couple of solo shots, and several photos of the boy from childhood to elementary school.

These memories from the past are now useless, their biggest utility for Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei might just be as firewood...

"If we ever come across a camera, I'll take a picture of you too."

Lu Xi'an said to Yao Wei.

"Okay."

Yao Wei nodded without a trace of doubt, as if she believed Lu Xi'an would definitely do it.

After saying this, Lu Xi'an put the photos back into the box.

Thinking of firewood, he remembered another box, opened it, and found it full of books, covering everything from middle school to high school subjects like language, math, history, chemistry, physics, and geography. There were even a few college-level books, though not many: basic mathematics, probability theory, college English, college language, theoretical physics, and so on.

This box was quite large and surprisingly heavy. In the past, Lu Xi'an would have found it hard to carry it alone.

"How about we keep this box?"

Lu Xi'an suggested to Yao Wei, "We can keep it on top of the car, and if we get bored, we can read or use it as firewood, no problem."

"Okay."

Yao Wei picked out a book, which turned out to be high school math. She looked a bit confused and lost.

Lu Xi'an chuckled, took out a language book, and swapped it with the high school math in Yao Wei's hands, saying, "High school math is quite tough, even for me now. You can start with this one on the car and read when you're free."

Yao Wei flipped through it, seeing it was all text and understandable, then placed it on the car along with the insulated cup.

As for the remaining books, she waited for Lu Xi'an to fold the box lid before moving them to the roof, tied them down with a rope to secure them.

Meanwhile, Lu Xi'an opened another box. Inside was a tin box album, and upon opening, there indeed sat a tin box.

Inside the tin box was a stack of postcards, depicting various sceneries from the old world, including mountains, cities, and famous landmarks, making Lu Xi'an nostalgic, reminding him of the past world.

Yao Wei, seeing these photos, couldn't help but exclaim, "Amazing, just like in the videos."

"Yes, amazing..."

Lu Xi'an echoed her sentiment, thinking this tin box album might not be what the original owner intended; it didn't have a special album dedicated to storing those photos.

However, the other items beneath the postcards might satisfy the original owner.

These items were packets of vegetable seeds, with pictures of vegetables like scallions, lettuce, chrysanthemums, bell peppers, eggplants, and radishes printed on green packaging.

Lu Xi'an recalled visiting a supply and marketing cooperative in his village as a child, where the wall shelves were lined with seed packets just like these.

The packaging seemed different though, possibly due to the time of preservation?

Lu Xi'an couldn't be sure if these well-preserved seeds were still viable.

Nonetheless, better to save them. Who knows, there might be a chance to plant them someday.

Lu Xi'an sealed the tin box and handed it to Yao Wei, who placed it in the back seat of the car and secured it with a backpack.

The tin box was sturdy enough to withstand the weight of the backpack.

And now, only one item remained—

The only large item: a mountain bike.

Lu Xi'an unpacked the box to find the bike intact, surrounded by foam for protection. He discarded the foam, and the bike was ready to ride, needing no assembly.

There was a pump tucked in the corner of the box.

Um...

He needed to inflate the tires before riding.

Lu Xi'an lifted the bike from the box, spun the pedals, causing the crank, gears, chain, and wheels to turn.

Although it seemed to have been idle for a long time, there wasn't a significant issue. The wheels turned with some resistance, likely due to a lack of lubrication, but they were still functional.

"What's this?"

Yao Wei asked.

"A mountain bike,"

Lu Xi'an replied, "People used to travel with these. They don't need electricity or fuel, just pedal power to move quickly."

"Okay."

Yao Wei nodded, "I used to see something similar, but larger, without wheels. I guess they were removed, so it couldn't be ridden. And there wasn't this thing," pointing to the pedals in Lu Xi'an's hand.

Lu Xi'an thought for a moment, "What you saw were probably electric or motorbikes. Electric bikes run on electricity, while motorbikes, like this bike, need fuel."

"I see."

Yao Wei understood.

She watched as Lu Xi'an took a cylindrical pump from the box, connected the hose to the bike tire, and pressed down on the handle repeatedly.

The tire quickly filled up. She figured it could be useful for car tires as well, if compatible.

"I'm inflating it,"

Lu Xi'an explained without waiting for Yao Wei to ask, then inflated the other tire.

Once the tires were properly inflated, he mounted the bike, pedaled hard, and the bike carried him forward.

This mountain bike was light, but due to its long inactivity and lack of lubrication, it was not easy to ride, requiring considerable effort.

But that didn't bother Lu Xi'an. He had quite a bit of strength now, a strong will could overcome anything; any bike, no matter how difficult, only required a little more effort.

The yard was spacious, allowing him to ride swiftly, turn up front, and ride back.

Listening to the parts screeching and the wind roaring past, he couldn't help but feel a nostalgic joy: it was truly nice, who would have thought he'd ride a bicycle in this world?

Memories of his school days flashed; he remembered the youthful vigor, riding a worn-out bicycle like it was a race car, sometimes even daring to ride with no hands, leaning into turns.

Thinking back, he realized how bold he was, things he wouldn't dare try now.

Currently, with his improved physique, those actions would be easy and safe, but he had lost interest in such stunts; he simply wanted to ride a lap, as if that simple ride could capture the careless freedom of youth.

Unfortunately, this bike was too large, and not practical on the road; he couldn't take it with him.

"Screech—"

Lu Xi'an rode back to the car, applied the handbrake, and landed his feet. The bike's brake pads ground against the wheels, worn from their original settings, cried out in protest.

After stopping, Lu Xi'an turned around to see Yao Wei quietly watching him. He suddenly had an idea, tapping the back seat with a smile, "Want to give it a try? I'll take you for a ride."