"Ah, then there's no problem! Shu, we really owe it all to you!"

Luo Ping, hearing Shu's words, said, and then cheerfully added, "Great! Just great! Life is really getting better. We can now plant crops, have a house to live in, use the toilet, and even chat with old friends and siblings.

"How were people back then so impressive? They could make it all work? Comparing ourselves to them, we're really just useless!

"Old buddy, keep talking to us more in the future. With your constant guidance, our life is sure to get better and better."

"Zzzzz——"

Just as the words were spoken, a burst of static came from the speakers, and then all of Luo Ping and the others' voices disappeared.

Lu Xi'an: "..."

Yao Wei: "..."

The two remained silent for a while, then Lu Xi'an couldn't help but laugh, and Yao Wei, as if infected, also let a slight smile slip.

"What a jinx..."

Lu Xi'an said.

Yao Wei nodded in agreement: "Yeah."

"Gou, what's the success rate of connecting the signal?"

Lu Xi'an asked the mechanical dog.

The mechanical dog answered: "No higher than one in ten."

Well, then what's the point of saying 'stay in touch' often?

Plus, even if we do get connected, we should hurry to say important things to avoid sudden disconnection.

Anyway, being able to connect is better than not being able to connect at all.

"Play some music."

Lu Xi'an opened the laptop, connected it to the car, and let Gou randomly choose some music to play.

Gou played a soft, soothing instrumental track, and Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei continued to sit by the window, watching outside and feeling the strong wind rocking the car, peacefully passing the day.

The cold weather persisted for a few days, so during that time, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei mostly stayed in the car.

No longer needing to get out of the car to solve hygiene problems, they only had to step outside for a short while to exercise.

—After experiencing the Neo-Humans incident in Jianshan City and Institute 923, both were eager to improve their own abilities.

After all, they knew that the south would have more Neo-Humans, who might have mastered the Fungus Stone for a long time.

Improving one's strength, becoming stronger, would ensure greater safety upon reaching the south.

Outside was icy and freezing, making bodies stiff and hard to move, even Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei tried hard to adapt, exercising in the cold and returning to the RV to warm up. They realized that training in such harsh conditions was far more effective than in ordinary environments.

This reminder brought Lu Xi'an to think of scenes from "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and "Saint Seiya" where they trained under waterfalls, and it seemed quite fitting.

"If only we knew, we wouldn't have trained inside the rooms at Institute 923."

Lu Xi'an said. During the time at Institute 923, there was also a period of cold, and there was enough space in the research area, so they trained inside rather than going out.

Thinking back now, it feels like they wasted great weather.

Yao Wei nodded and said, "It's not too late to start now."

Indeed, it's not too late now, as there's still a stretch of road to Tan Village Shelter; after detouring from Tan Village Shelter, there's still a journey southward. Any unexpected weather changes along the way can be used for training.

He laughed and said, "In martial arts novels, they say that training under the pressure of a waterfall is very effective. We can give it a try if we encounter a waterfall in the future."

Yao Wei shook her head and said, "It's useless, the pressure of a waterfall is too small for us."

It seemed like she had seen waterfalls before—probably when she was a child.

Lu Xi'an thought it was true; given his current strength, even if Yang Guo were to stand in front of him, launching a set of Desolate Soul Palm, then another set of Heavy Sword No Edge, Great Skill No Art, it would be a piece of cake for him.

Technological mutations and secret martial arts manuals still have a gap.

As for Lushan Dragon Ascending Dominance, that's based on mythology, so there's no point in bringing it up.

A few days later, the severe cold finally passed, as there wasn't much snow, the ice quickly melted away. Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei continued their journey.

This time, with Gou reporting road conditions, it was indeed much more convenient. How far ahead the turns were, or any special conditions, Gou could give prompts.

Of course, even so, Yao Wei and Lu Xi'an sitting in the passenger seat would occasionally take out the "World Map One" to check where they approximately were and how much farther to their destination.

These could also be viewed on the Resonant Gene Scanner, but the problem was the scanner was placed in the back, and they were sitting in the front, so to view it, they'd have to crawl over the middle, which was a bit inconvenient.

After another day's drive, they finally left Pingchuan City and entered Yubei City.

The roads in Yubei City rise upwards due to the higher terrain. Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei felt as if they were back in Jianshan City, navigating those winding and rugged mountain roads again.

But thankfully, Yubei is not Jianshan; the altitude isn't as high, the terrain not as steep, and the roads not as difficult to traverse.

However, when they reached a section of the mountain road, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei saw a road on the mountain opposite. It was carved into the cliff side and had fallen into disrepair over the years, with many sections collapsed.

"Lucky for us, we didn't take that road over there."

Lu Xi'an remarked.

Yao Wei nodded. If they had taken that road, they would definitely have to turn back again.

Turning back would still be fine; the real danger is if the road suddenly collapses halfway through.

They also noticed a goat leaping on that mountain cliff; it looked as if it was clinging to the cliff face, its hooves barely standing on the protrusions, at risk of falling any second.

"It's a pity it's on the other side, otherwise we could catch it and eat it."

Lu Xi'an sighed. It should be a mountain goat, which Lu Xi'an had seen in "World Map One" in his previous life, leaving a deep impression on him.

It's quite unexpected to find mountain goats here.

The weather in this world changes rapidly. I wonder if the mountain goats would slip and fall when harsh snow arrives while they stand on the rocks?

Perhaps not... Animals that have survived until now have their own skills. Who knows what unique abilities the mountain goats on the opposite cliff might have?

Yao Wei also felt it was a pity, but since Lu Xi'an had already expressed it, she could only reply with an "hmm".

The goat jumped again and nearly missed the next rocky protrusion. Luckily, it managed to regain its footing. If it had fallen, who knows which person or animal at the base of the mountain might benefit.

Unexpectedly, they soon discovered a mountain goat on their side of the cliff too.

—They didn't see it directly, but heard it.

The sound of the mountain goat stepping on the rocks below traveled to Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei, prompting them to stop the car, get out, and lean over to take a look. They saw it was a deep cliff below, with a goat standing close to the cliffside, not far from the highway.

"I'll go catch it."

Lu Xi'an immediately said.

Yao Wei replied, "Be careful." She wasn't really worried, as Lu Xi'an's physical fitness now could easily handle climbing down the cliffside.

It's just that getting across to the other side might be a bit tricky.

Lu Xi'an leapt out, descended swiftly, and directly grabbed the goat by the neck, anchoring himself on the cliff with a handhold.

The goat had no time to react and was immediately suffocated by Lu Xi'an.

With his feet secured on supports, Lu Xi'an pushed upwards, releasing the hold and quickly scrambling back to the highway.

"Got it."

He informed Yao Wei.

Yao Wei nodded and said, "Hmm." Although she was confident that Lu Xi'an would be fine, seeing him back brought her a sense of relief.

Lu Xi'an tied the goat on top of the vehicle to prevent the smell from contaminating the car interior.

A new car is always treated gingerly, kept meticulously clean, lest it gets dirty.

They continued driving until they exited the highway, found a river, filled up with water, and located a relatively safe spot nearby to skin and clean the goat, then started a fire to roast it.

Firewood is useful in such scenarios. Since they planned to replenish their supplies in Fengcheng County later, this meal was slightly extravagant, with extra salt added to enhance the flavor.

Lu Xi'an also cleaned the innards to prepare a goat offal soup.

After a hearty meal, they both felt they could go several days without the need for more food.

"Now that we're full and satisfied, let's take a good bath. It's been ages since we washed. Anyway, we're close to a water source now, so we can refill again after using it."

After cleaning up and getting back into the car, Lu Xi'an suggested.

Yao Wei nodded vigorously: "Hmm." She had been eyeing the showerhead in the vehicle ever since they saw it at Institute 923 with Lu Xi'an.

At the Tan Village Shelter, she had noticed the showerheads, but they were no longer functional, requiring Lu Xi'an to use a bucket to improvise a shower for bathing.

Even those cold bucket showers left Yao Wei longing for more; they felt refreshing. Now, having another chance, how could she resist?

Lu Xi'an invited Yao Wei to the bathroom, demonstrating how to use the shower, including adjusting the water flow and temperature. The bathroom water tank had a heating function, enough to let Yao Wei enjoy a nice hot shower.

—Unfortunately, bearing in mind post-disaster usability and considerations about parts, materials, and space utilization, the company chose this RV model which doesn't offer a hot water feature outside the bathroom. Otherwise, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei could have simply heated water for drinking.

Of course, even now the bathroom faucet water is perfectly fine for them, these Neo-Humans.

Lu Xi'an just felt inexplicably averse; besides, there was no shortage of heated water even in snowy conditions, so they simply boiled their own water.

After explaining, he turned to leave, with Yao Wei following, saying, "I need to undress."

Lu Xi'an sensibly closed his eyes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.