Chapter 25: Return to Shelter 92

"Woof, woof, woof!"

On the road up the mountain, Tie Zhu kept circling at Xu Wang's heels, looking up to bark at him from time to time.

It was strange, to say the least. Perhaps it was truly a case of neurosis syncing with neurosis, but Xu Wang and the dog seemed to have no trouble communicating. Seeing Tie Zhu’s behavior, Xu Wang immediately guessed what it wanted. "What, you're looking for another enhancement?"

"Woof!"

Tie Zhu let out an immediate, excited bark, its tail wagging furiously.

Xu Wang, however, put on a serious expression. "What I give you is yours. If I don't give it, you cannot snatch it!"

"Woo?"

Tie Zhu lowered its front paws, tilting its head with eyes full of confusion. It didn't understand what Xu Wang meant, but Xu Wang suspected the silly dog was playing dumb.

An amusing thought struck him, and he smiled. "How about this? When I find a frisbee, we'll play a game. If you can catch the frisbee I throw, I'll give you another enhancement."

"Woof!"

Tie Zhu stood up at once, looking up and barking excitedly. It understood this time. Whether it was happy about the enhancement or the game, it was hard to tell.

Chatting with Tie Zhu, Xu Wang continued his steady climb. He was quite satisfied with the dog he had picked up. Perhaps due to genetic modification, Tie Zhu was significantly smarter than an average dog. Yes, this husky had undergone genetic engineering. After transmigrating back, Xu Wang had specifically checked Tie Zhu's body and found the United Corporation logo on its collar. Clearly, this silly dog was one of the animals modified by that bio-park. That explained why its rating was as high as 36.

With 5 as a unit, a rating of 36 meant Tie Zhu was eligible for seven enhancements. While that seemed like plenty of slots, the myriad worlds were boundless. To maximize benefits, every enhancement for the silly dog needed to be carefully considered. After all, it wasn't like him; it couldn't increase its enhancement slots by adding points. This made every slot for Tie Zhu all the more precious.

About two-thirds of the way up the mountain, Xu Wang finally spotted a tourist sign by the winding road. It was clearly a pre-war relic, corroded by over two hundred years of exposure, looking rusty and dilapidated.

However, with careful observation, the text was still legible. It was written in Federal language, which resembled hieroglyphics and shared some similarities with the Chinese of his past life. Because his soul had transmigrated, Xu Wang had no issues reading, writing, or understanding the Federal language.

"Xishui Mountain, a tourist attraction in Liumu City. There is a senior citizens' park on the mountain and a municipal sports park at the base. At the summit stands the 72-meter-tall, nine-story Giant Lake Pagoda; ascending to the top offers a panoramic view of half of Liumu City."

Xu Wang widened his eyes, scrutinizing the cartoon map on the sign. He finally had a rough understanding of his location, as if the fog of war had lifted. He now knew that the city he was in was called Liumu City, which was better than being completely in the dark.

Xishui Mountain must have been a place for local citizens to relax and escape the heat during the pre-war era. According to the map, he was currently on the south side of the mountain. The slope here was gentle, which was why a road had been built for citizens who didn't want to hike. To the northeast, there was a winding stone path specifically for hiking enthusiasts, which was much more difficult to climb. On the west side of the mountain was an artificial cliff, which featured sightseeing elevators and rock climbing activities in the pre-war days. It was from there that he had been pushed to his death a few days ago.

Strictly speaking, this wasn't a famous mountain. It was a mystery why both Shelter 91 and Shelter 92 had been built here.

As he walked, the paved road vanished, replaced by a parking lot. Xu Wang noticed that most of the cars were derelict. It was worth noting that the designs of these vehicles felt very retro, reminiscent of the 1950s or 60s. Most private cars only provided seating for one or two people.

Intrigued by every aspect of this wasteland world, Xu Wang called Tie Zhu over to examine the abandoned vehicles. He discovered that they were different from the cars in his memories. These vehicles seemed to be molded as a single piece. Aside from the doors, windows, trunk, and windshield, everything else was seamless. Xu Wang couldn't even find a hood, nor were there charging ports or fuel inlets.

"Could the pre-war technology of this world be so advanced that vehicles didn't require secondary energy replenishment?"

Xu Wang wandered around the parking lot for a while. Suddenly, he noticed that when he approached some of the more severely damaged vehicles, the Geiger counter on his personal terminal began to click rapidly. This indicated that the radiation levels were severe—severe enough that an ordinary person could suffer significant radiation damage just by staying nearby for a short while.

"Damn! That’s extravagant! So these cars were nuclear-powered all along. No wonder they didn't need refueling or charging."

Xu Wang stepped away from the leaking atomic cars for now. He still had work to do; once he was finished, he would test what kind of reward he might get if he were killed by radiation.

It didn't take long for Xu Wang and Tie Zhu to reach the summit. Behind the Giant Lake Pagoda, he saw the entrance to Shelter 92. At first glance, the entrance resembled a simple tunnel. A few steps inside, he saw a massive, gear-shaped blast door with the number "92" inscribed on it. This was a door capable of withstanding a nuclear explosion; the sheer terror of its defensive capabilities was evident just by looking at it.

It was precisely because of this that a saying had circulated throughout the wasteland: unless the "Blue Mice" chose to come out themselves, no one could open the doors of a shelter. However, the door, which should have been sealed, was now ajar. The gear-shaped door had rolled aside halfway, revealing a three-meter-wide gap.

That gap had surely been left by those raiders. So many days had passed, and he wondered what the situation was like inside. Since he couldn't die anyway, Xu Wang felt no fear and strode straight inside, as if walking into his own home. Well, since he was originally a resident of this shelter, that wasn't entirely inaccurate.

He used his personal terminal to link with a retro-looking computer inside the blast door. The bridge ten meters ahead was activated. A red alarm light flashed, and a siren wailed. As a mechanical arm extended, the bridge slowly moved forward, locking onto the metal platform beneath Xu Wang's feet. Only once the connection was complete did the alarm stop.

Xu Wang called out to Tie Zhu and stepped onto the bridge. He glanced down as he crossed; it was pitch black, and falling would certainly mean certain death. Suppressing the impulse, he crossed the bridge, pressed the elevator button, and waited leisurely while whistling.

*Ding!*

The elevator arrived, and the doors slid open. The moment they did, Xu Wang saw a man in leather armor standing inside.

A raider!

The raider clearly hadn't expected a "Blue Mouse" to be standing outside, and his face was filled with shock.

Xu Wang’s reaction was much faster. He transformed both his hands into sharp claws and lunged forward with a fierce strike!