Cave Refuge

"I've found a good place in the subway station, designed as a reserved platform for a new line that's not fully excavated yet. It's a U-shaped area; as long as the entrance is well guarded, its safety and concealment are pretty good."

Instead of directly responding to going to Dong Tianyu's sanctuary, Mr. Thompson mentioned that he had found a more suitable location.

Listening to this, Dong Tianyu understood his father's thoughts. Mr. Thompson was reluctant to live in the refuge built by his own son.

This isn't because Mr. Thompson doesn't love his son, but rather it's precisely because of his deep love for him that he made such a choice.

After a period of working in the district office, Mr. Thompson noticed that his son wasn't the only one who had built a Private Sanctuary in Pengcheng - others had also established their own refuges.

From chatting with colleagues, Mr. Thompson knew that unless these refuges gained the officials' consent and followed their arrangements, they were doomed not to receive any support from them.

These private sanctuaries are like mountain dwellers, their survival depending entirely on themselves and thus inevitable to not receive support from the officials.

Therefore, when Mr. Thompson understood this, he knew he couldn't persuade his son to not deliver hot food home anymore. Although he couldn't lend much help, he could help conserve a small amount of food for his son.

In terms of food, however, Dong Tianyu did not follow his father's arrangements. After all, he was aware that the food quality in the Grand Dining Hall was deteriorating, though it was still filling.

But the quantity of meats and short-preserved green vegetables was increasingly diminishing. Considering his parents were getting older, they needed to eat some meat, dairy, and vegetables for vitamin supplements.

"Dad, I guess you're moving into the refuge soon. You should contact Uncle Dai and Uncle Chen and go in together when the time comes. It's safer with more people," Dong Tianyu suggested. "And, these are for self-defense that I've prepared for you."

Dong Tianyu crouched down to open a box on the ground, inside which were small iron rods of forearm length. He pressed the only button on an iron rod.

The end of the rod instantly extended: this was the weapon Dong Tianyu had prepared for his family – a retractable baton.

As the saying goes in this apocalyptic time, "my neighbor hoards food, I hoard guns. My neighbor is my granary."

Even though in the refuge, law and order is maintained by the officials, violent incidents could still emerge in theoretically the safest place like schools(poning sound).

So the difference between 'having and not using' and 'not having' any weapons is significantly enormous.

In addition to these, Dong Tianyu also handed Mr. Thompson a sabre with blood grooves made from an alloy.

Dong Tianyu initially wanted to get a mitsubishi spike for his father. But after some thought, he decided to give up on it. The spike was overbearing, it was difficult for an average person to control, and not easy to carry around.

In comparison, a dagger would be much better. Despite its lower killing power than the spike, its efficiency isn't much lower once it has blood grooves. As for portability, it can be bound to the arm or the thigh without affecting normal movements when needing to be concealed.

"Dad, besides bringing these things for you two today, I also want to remind you to contact our relatives and friends as soon as possible. Have them prepared in advance. I reckon we will have to move into the refuge in a day or two."

Hearing his son's words, Mr. Thompson immediately realized the seriousness of the situation, so he asked his son, "Or how about summoning Dai Dai and the rest now, and we can together..."

"Dad, it's not appropriate now. Don't mention that I'm staying in a Private Sanctuary, otherwise you guys will not be able to live peacefully. Just say I'm with my unit in a different refuge and won't be able to come back for the time being."

Mr. Thompson had been just worried out of concern for his son earlier. But having heard what his son said, he instantly understood his son's thoughts, so he nodded, "I understand your point, your mother and I won't spill the words."

Later, Dong Tianyu chatted with Mrs. Thompson for a little while longer before he got up to leave. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson didn't accompany him to the front door but only stood on the balcony, watching their son riding his bike until his figure gradually disappeared.

Mrs. Thompson, a tad worried, asked Mr. Thompson, "Do you think it's dangerous where our son is?"

Mr. Thompson gently patted Mrs. Thompson's back, exhibiting confidence despite some inner worry, "Our son has been preparing for so long. From looking at what he's brought for our family and relatives, it's clear enough to see that he is well-prepared for the circumstances."

"Our biggest aid to our son is for us to live fully and not worry him."

"Ok, don't overthink it. I still have work to do at the district office tomorrow. I'll leave the task of contacting our relatives to you. The bicycle is yours to use. Our family is not large, so let's send one person from each family over tomorrow night."

"It's time to share my plan with the others, so we can act together, and also distribute the weapons that our son has prepared for us."

"Alright, get some sleep early. You'll have a tough day tomorrow. You'll be in charge to notify everyone. After all, we only have this bicycle left from Zachary."

"If it doesn't work out, you can go to our eldest brother-in-law's place in the morning, and you can lend the bicycle to Haiyang. He can then notify the others. In the afternoon, you can go to our second brother's place, and their son-in-law can ride the bike to notify the others. So, you won't be too tired."

Hearing that Mr. Thompson was considering her, Mrs. Thompson was really happy, but she did deny her husband's idea, "No, you know very well the value of a bicycle these days. What if..."

Upon hearing Mrs. Thompson mentioning the price of the bicycle, Mr. Thompson intervened and reassured her, "Didn't you hear what our son said? We'll soon be entering the refuge. Whether we can bring the bicycle in is still a question."

"Besides, they're our dear family. If we can't trust them in times like these, who can we trust?"

It's not that Mrs. Thompson is stingy. What she's thinking is that if the bike gets lost or damaged, it's not easy to repair it, and she worries that this little thing might affect the relationship between both parties. She's not being petty about money. It's just that she doesn't want a small matter to interfere with the relationship.

Although the price of bicycles are inflating at the moment, in Mrs. Thompson's heart, they don't have a high status.

Say for instance, you lend a friend a SLR camera worth several thousand dollars, and your friend accidentally breaks it. If that friend's family isn't doing so well financially...

Even if they have the financial means to compensate you, they might have difficulty continuing normal life after the payment.

You have a bit of money. This item doesn't mean much to you. You generously tell him he doesn't have to pay for it.

But this friend of yours is a decent person. He insists on compensating you in the end. But after this, your relationship may start to fade.

This doesn't mean anyone is in the wrong. Whoever broke it pays for it, and whoever suffered the loss accepts the compensation. But anything, once objectified, is sure to become a problem.

Mrs. Thompson has seen things like this before. So, in order to keep the relationship the same, it's best not to borrow or lend something that one party considers valuable.

As a couple who had passed four decades together, Mr. Thompson understood Mrs. Thompson well. In a few words, he trivialised the value of the bicycle and allayed Mrs. Thompson's doubts.