Cave Refuge

Thanks to the efforts of several young people, an explosion-proof door gradually opened with a 'creaking' sound.

As soon as the door opened, an odd smell rushed into everyone's nostrils.

"What on earth is Thomas keeping in there? Why does it smell like that? Have something spoiled due to improper storage?"

Hearing others' skepticism, Thomas only responded with a mysterious smile, foregoing a response and instead chose to stand by the door, waiting for the scent to dissipate.

Perhaps the odour did not linger for long due to the ventilation duct opened earlier, any lingering smell in the air quickly dissipated.

It was only then that Thomas calmly stepped inside, and the others followed him into the second underground floor.

Unlike the neatly arranged boxes on the first underground floor, things on the second floor appeared to be somewhat randomly placed. All were covered with deep green canvas, and no one knew what lay beneath.

Thomas looked nostalgically at a covered object in the distance. Before anyone could ask, he quickly walked over, carefully untied the ropes securing the canvas, and then lifted it up.

To everyone's surprise, underneath the deep-green canvas were packs of components swathed in plastic air bags. Although the components were wrapped in plastic airbags, people could tell from their exterior outlines that they came in various shapes and sizes.

"What you see here are some sturdy and durable vehicles. Before they were disassembled, these two pickup trucks were personally tested by me and stamped with approved seals before being brought in here."

Upon hearing that each canvas cover concealed a disassembled vehicle, everyone wore a look of surprise.

It was only then that someone remembered that the smell that floated out earlier was somewhat like the smell of spoiled grease, mixed with a scent similar to a rodenticide.

(I was fortunate enough to smell it once, and I can tell you the odour is utterly unbearable, not just for pests but for humans as well.)

By this time, almost all of the vehicles in Pengcheng had been destroyed; steam cars before the flood had corroded in the water, and after the water receded, those boats all remained in various lakes in Pengcheng.

The most common modes of transportation seen in Pengcheng now are refurbished bicycles and wooden two-wheeled vehicles.

So, everyone was exceptionally surprised at seeing the large quantities of complete vehicle component kits stored here.

By the firelight, Mr. Thompson quickly scanned the area. Based on the distance between these canvas covers and the size of this place, he estimated that there were at least a thousand of these vehicle kits covered with canvas.

And judging by the various sizes of the canvas covering the vehicles, Mr. Thompson knew that there were definitely more than just jeeps like the one Thomas had unveiled.

The others wanted to lift the canvas near them and have a look, but they were discouraged by Smith, who was standing at the back.

"Don't bother lifting them. All you'll see are a bunch of parts. With our old bones, even if we have the technical skills, we wouldn't be able to assemble these things.

Let's not worry about it now. We know what's on this floor. Let's go, let Thomas show us the next level and see what other treasures are hidden there."

Hearing Smith's words, everyone's attention turned back to Thomas.

Thomas, his face filled with nostalgia, carefully placed the part he was holding down. It was unclear what he had been thinking about, but now he seemed self-composed, his face showing a free and easy smile:

"Farewell, my dear old fellow. Tomorrow I'll have someone bring you out, and just like the old times, we can be together again." He said that and patted the plastic airbag covering the components before he left.

Hearing these words from Thomas, everyone began to recall if they had heard any 'scandals' about Thomas, while their bodies instinctively followed the others.

By the time Thomas stopped, they found they hadn't reached a wall and saw no indications of a passage leading to the next floor.

But nobody there was a fool. If the passage was not on any of the surrounding walls, it must be somewhere on the ground nearby.

Everyone began to search around the area where Thomas was standing, but after a long time, they found nothing special apart from the things covered by the deep-green canvas.

Perhaps sensing the confused glances directed at him, Thomas lifted the canvas next to him, revealing an object that looked like a well.

"Thomas, what is this?"

"Can't you tell, it's a well. When it was first built, we planned to dig as deep as three floors, but who could have imagined that there was an underground river here, so you understand."

Hearing Thomas's explanation, everyone nodded in understanding.

When others showed no particular concern about the presence of underground water here, Thomas did not elaborate.

"It's cold here, and we've seen enough. Let's not stay here any longer. Let's go back."

Hearing what Smith said, everyone else didn't say much. After all, they were relatively old, and after staying in the cold environment for so long, they were feeling a little uncomfortable.

The group safely returned to the surface. By this time, a set of stairs had been built from top to bottom by the flower garden, which they didn't know when it happened. This made it easier for them than when they used ropes to descend earlier.

When the senior group left the bottom of the flower garden and walked up, the soldiers had already sealed off the area, and a group of middle-aged folks was standing on one side of the flower bed.

Watching the elderly men climb up the stairs, the lead middle-aged man stepped forward. He looked like he was about to speak when Smith gestured, "Just as you thought, Thomas was right. The day's grown late, and we old folks can't stay awake any longer. The rest is up to you."

Hearing Smith's words, the middle-aged man didn't say more. Instead, he stepped aside to clear a path.

As the middle-aged man moved aside, the crowd behind him likewise cleared a path.

Before the elderly team could leave, Thomas appeared to suddenly remember something, and he turned to speak with the middle-aged man. "On the second floor, one of the canvas covers that was removed contains the parts of my old friend. Once it's assembled, please bring it over to me."

Hearing Thomas's instructions, the middle-aged man looked troubled. Just as he was about to respond, a resounding groan came from behind him. "Don't worry, sir; leave it to us."

Hearing these words, a smile spread across Thomas's face: "I always say, among the younger generation, you show the most commitment. Xiao Li, I'm not criticizing you, but look at Little Ye, then look at yourself. Ah~~~."

Not just Thomas, but Smith, who was walking in front, though he didn't turn back, looked unhappy. He paused momentarily before continuing on as though nothing had happened.