Cave Refuge

'The sound of rain drips and patters outside the window,

Three days and three nights, it's still falling,

Just like my beloved who,

Won't answer the phone even after three days and three nights.'

As Dong Tianyu listened to this song, he was contemplating about his primary and secondary occupations.

Is his primary occupation a survivor?

And his secondary, a cultivator?

At this thought, Dong Tianyu doubted if he had embarked on a false path of cultivation. Maybe only Deep Blue could understand his current idle cultivation method.

After all, without familiarizing himself with the internal circulation routes of his cultivation method, he already reached the ninth level of Qi training.

Reaching the ninth level of Qi training in about a year, compared to those cultivators who reach the Foundation Building Stage in a hundred days, wasn't his aptitude for cultivation quite poor?

Only when one truly begins cultivation do they realize how regardless of how strong one might be during the Qi training period, they've merely transcended ordinary people, merely becoming extraordinary.

Only when one breaks through to the Foundation Building Stage can they be said to have left their human roots behind and reached a realm beyond the ordinary.

Three days ago, when he had just left the Refuge Center in the office building, the sky was foggy and drizzling. Some literary youths found this scenery quite artistic, strolling down the streets without an umbrella was quite a unique experience.

This misty, drizzling day, apart from making people feel a bit humid, didn't really have much of an effect on the survivors, so they didn't pay it much mind.

However, when the sun rose again, instead of dispelling the foggy weather, it intensified the drizzle into a slight rain.

But this didn't cause much of an impact on the survivors of Pengcheng, who had experienced extreme cold weather. Led by the officials, everyone was actively involved in the reconstruction of the city.

Seized by a sudden whim, Dong Tianyu built a rain shelter on the platform outside his cave mansion. He lay on a lounge chair he took out from the Shadow Space, held half a watermelon grown from the fruit tree, and admired the scenery while scooping out the watermelon with a spoon.

It was only when it rained that he found out that the seemingly flat platform outside the cave mansion actually had quite a few hollow areas where water could accumulate.

In order to keep from draining his mood, Dong Tianyu dug several drainage channels on the ground to let the accumulated water drain naturally.

As time passed, the amount of rainfall increased, and the rain became stronger.

Despite the issues with Pengcheng's drainage system, fortunately, many underground shelters had been built beforehand. Once puddles began to form on the surface, street personnel diverted them into these underground shelters.

Previously, from the melting snow, the rainwater had already formed into a large pool. So, at this time, diverting the surface water into it didn't weigh much on their conscience.

After dealing with the water accumulation, despite the incessant rainfall, it really didn't bother anyone too much.

Pengcheng is located right at the junction of the north and the south; it experiences snowy winters from the north and rainy summers from the south, making it a city with distinctive seasons.

Over the past years, it hasn't been uncommon for Pengcheng to experience continuous rainfall for a week. So the survivors, and even the high-level officials, weren't overly phased. Everyone continued to work towards the reconstruction of Pengcheng.

In relation to the rebuilding of Pengcheng, the priority of the high-level officials was first to clear the roads. After all, this task could incorporate a large number of able-bodied adults, not only giving them jobs but also preventing them from idle thoughts.

While it was just misty drizzle, the clearance work didn't stop. On the contrary, under the urging of the street workers, they worked even more diligently to connect the roads to other cities.

The clearing approach was extremely straightforward—several people would jointly push the vehicles left on the road to the sides.

Though the process was a little bothersome, it wasn't as hard as one might imagine.

Breaking the car window, opening the car door, climbing in, releasing the handbrake; one person controlled the steering wheel while several others pushed the car to the roadside.

If there were only sedans left on the road, the whole process would be quite easy. The main trouble came from the trucks, especially if they were fully loaded.

To clear these trucks, they often had to first unload the goods from the truck before carrying on with the clearance work. During this time, it was like unboxing blind boxes.

If the goods in the truck were edible or useful, the clearance crew would distribute them among themselves.

Some may question why they aren't turned in. But considering the current situation, ignoring whether or not the owners of these goods could even be found, who would transport these goods? What tools would be used to transport? Who would load and unload? Where would they be stored? Who would be responsible for them? And who would look for their original owners?

If it was before the electromagnetic pulse hit, these issues could be easily resolved. But after the pulse, these matters became much more complicated.

As such, regarding the clearance crew's independent handling of the goods in the trucks, both the street workers and the high-level officials turned a blind eye. Their top priority was to clear the roads; they would make concessions for all other matters.

For this reason, quite a few people worked hard to clear the road in the small rain. Although not every road had trucks, they could still make some astonishing gains from some sedans. This was their motivation for clearing the obstacles on the road.

"Big brother, the road we've taken responsibility for is almost cleared. The rain is getting heavier; should we continue with the clearance?"

Hearing his brother's inquiry, Lai Sanding wiped the rain from his face, glanced at the black bag not far away on a car, and gave it some thought:

"The rain's getting heavier. Let's divide up today's harvest first, and then let the guys go home if they want. At this time, health is paramount; we can't afford to get sick. As for whether or not to continue contracting the clearance, I'll ask the street workers after the rain stops."

Once the last vehicle beyond the stop line at the traffic light was pushed off the road, Lai Sanding emptied the car of all useful items and joined the others taking shelter from the rain under the eaves.

Everyone brought out the gains of the day. Having been through life in the underground shelter, Lai Sanding casually divided the resources evenly among everyone.

The remaining items of any nominal value were placed in the center. Everyone could only purchase them with today's gains.

Once the simple auction of items was over, the final items to be distributed were the alcohol, cigarettes, and food found in the cars.

Truthfully, these were difficult to divide. The cigarettes could be divided by stick, and any remaining could be auctioned off.

But the liquor was a bit more troublesome. Fortunately, the harvest today was pretty good, so it was first divided by three people per bottle. As for how the three people would divide a bottle among themselves, that was their business.

The food found in the cars, regardless of whether or not it was expired, could only be divided roughly based on its original selling price.

Luckily this wasn't their first time distributing items after road clearance. Everyone could barely accept this rough distribution.