Apocalypse: Last Traveler-Chapter 373 - 352: Mountain Top Pastoral Life, Just the Two of Us

Chapter 373: Chapter 352: Mountain Top Pastoral Life, Just the Two of Us

"Liu Hua has become stronger again."

Lu Xi’an said on the east coast.

Yao Wei nodded in agreement, saying: "Yes."

They had seen Liu Hua in action before, so now just a distant glance was enough to see the progress of this Type C Neo-Human.

Her control over the large fish in the sea was so skillful, and she managed to command a large number at once, something not easily achieved by ordinary Type C Neo-Humans. Even Liu Hua herself by the Guanhai River back then was a bit lacking.

It seems that the battle by the Guanhai River and the long-term exercises according to the manual have greatly benefited Liu Hua.

Although they were heading into the wind, with the large fish clearing the way at the front, the speed of the two sailboats increased significantly. So after a short while, the two boats, along with the fish, Chai Xin, and Liu Hua, disappeared from Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei’s sight.

"Let’s go back."

Lu Xi’an said to Yao Wei.

"Okay."

Yao Wei nodded in agreement.

The two walked back to the mountaintop. From there, they could still see the large fish and sailboats moving away, but neither Lu Xi’an nor Yao Wei paid further attention.

With the tide receding and friends coming from afar, they hadn’t had close contact in a long time. The time was right, so why not enjoy the moment?

The swaying motorhome scared away the two chickens outside. The old hen, startled, flapped its wings and "cluck cluck cluck," laying an egg right into the nest, while the overalls seemed to expand out of sheer fright.

By the time the vehicle stopped, it was already dark.

Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei got out of the vehicle and saw several more eggs in the chicken nest. Lu Xi’an couldn’t help but marvel: "These chickens are amazing."

Yao Wei felt the same and nodded, saying: "Yes, very impressive!"

With this, there was no worry about running out of fresh eggs in the future.

Lu Xi’an happened to feel the need for some nourishment, so he took some eggs from the chicken nest, leaving the old hen with just one, and went back into the motorhome to make some steamed eggs.

After eating, he lay down to rest and said, "Let’s build a little coop for the two chickens tomorrow. In case it rains, they can have a place to shelter."

"Sure."

Yao Wei agreed. These two chickens were their means of production, so naturally, they were inclined to take good care of them.

So the next morning, after their exercise and breakfast, they started gathering stones around the mountain, cutting and polishing them into square bricks of suitable size and shape.

Then Lu Xi’an mixed some mud, and the two of them built walls on the left, right, and back of the open-air chicken nest that Shu had set up before, using the mud and stone bricks.

After ensuring the construction was sturdy enough, they placed a large enough stone slab on top, coated with mud mixed with grass as a waterproof layer.

In this way, a simple chicken coop was completed.

Then they stepped back to look, and the two chickens circled outside the coop for a while, seemingly verifying that this was indeed their coop, with no problems or dangers, before finally going inside.

A bit later, when Yao Wei checked again, there were two more eggs in the coop. She eagerly picked them up and brought them back to the vehicle.

She quickly grew fond of the task and frequently squatted by the coop, checking for new eggs and feeling delighted to find them, leaving the old hen with just one.

This was the joy that came from harvest.

The two chickens didn’t need Lu Xi’an to provide feed, as they were now on the mountain, different from the Base.

At the Base, they were raised in enclosures, but here, they were completely free-range.

When Shu and the others brought the chickens, they told Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei that if the chickens weren’t enclosed and were few in number, they wouldn’t need care; they could find food on their own.

The chickens sent to Shanyang were the same way; with fewer numbers, they required no attention from the townspeople, as the chickens were adept at digging and pecking for bugs.

The people in Shanyang only needed to keep an eye on the coop to ensure there were eggs. The chickens, after foraging, would naturally return.

But as the number of chickens in Shanyang grew, they developed into a flock, requiring supplemental feeding.

—Of course, even without intervention, the chickens wouldn’t necessarily die, but flock size and egg production would be limited. Proper feeding would allow the flock to grow stronger, and egg production would increase.

Now, Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei didn’t have to worry about feeding. They just needed to ensure the chickens were well-cared-for and delivered eggs to them diligently, which was naturally very gratifying.

Seeing Yao Wei’s fondness for the feeling of harvesting, Lu Xi’an suggested:

"Why don’t we try planting something here? Since we’ll be staying here for a long time, if the plants grow well, we can eat our own produce and won’t have to rely on others for deliveries."

Yao Wei furrowed her brows slightly, saying, "But we don’t know how."

She was sure that Lu Xi’an didn’t know either. From Jianshan City to the Institute 923 Base, they had seen many farming scenes and discussed related topics. Lu Xi’an didn’t try to hide his lack of knowledge.

And Yao Wei didn’t mind that Lu Xi’an lacked this skill. Lu Xi’an already knew so much; being inept in this one area wasn’t a concern.

"Wait, let me think of an idea."

Lu Xi’an listened to Yao Wei’s words but wasn’t discouraged. He pondered for a moment, and then decided to turn to Gou for help. He got on the RV and said to Gou:

"Gou, try connecting to Institute 923 over there and ask the AI how to plant corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and barley?"

They had surplus and ready supplies of these, but they didn’t dare mess with the vacuum-sealed seeds. They planned to hand these over to Luo Ping later, who would take them back to Pingchuan County for proper planting.

Gou immediately reacted and responded via the RV’s sound system, saying it was attempting to connect.

Fortunately, they managed to connect to the signal this time, and the AI at Institute 923, thanks to the base’s farming plan and textbook education, had analyzed and mastered agricultural techniques.

Among them, the most complete and reliable knowledge was Shu’s corn planting experience.

So Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei immediately decided to clear some land on the mountaintop and try planting corn.

Lu Xi’an had Gou note down all the detailed steps explained by the AI from Institute 923, and then began working under Gou’s guidance.

—He originally planned to jot things down himself, copying Luo Ping’s method, as it’s often said that a poor memory is better than a good notebook. But then he thought, since he had Gou, why bother?

The teenagers of the New Era have learned to snap photos in class with their smartphones instead of taking notes. Since he had a partner like Gou, whose tech far surpassed a smartphone, why use a notebook?

Thus, for the next while, Gou was consistently on the RV, guiding Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei via the sound system.

Following Gou’s guidance, Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei first processed the corn kernels into seeds, then cultivated the land, sowed the seeds, fertilized, and watered.

These weren’t tasks that could be completed overnight, but both had ample patience. Every day, besides eating, drinking, exercising, and their daily grind, they diligently attended to their cornfield.

The cornfield wasn’t large, just five short rows, but seeing the land they worked on changing bit by bit each day brought them immense joy.

Lu Xi’an suddenly realized he should have started doing this earlier. Apart from exercising, eating, and drinking, having something else to do that brings rewards, anticipation, and a sense of achievement is far better than wandering idly.

Moreover, for Type A Neo-Humans like them with exceptional physical strength, farming wasn’t particularly strenuous, so why not?

Since starting this farming endeavor, even his daily grind felt more motivated.

Conversely, Yao Wei’s attachment to Lu Xi’an lessened. She preferred spending her time tending to the cornfield and checking whether the old hen in the henhouse laid any eggs.

This mutual dedication allowed the two to reach a certain balance, leading to a harmonious daily life.

Days passed by like this.

In those few days, they achieved egg freedom, and sprouts began to appear in the cornfield.

What surprised Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei even more was that the worms in the field required no attention from them; the two chickens in the henhouse took care of them perfectly.

Lu Xi’an guessed that these two chickens were probably trained by Shu at the 923 Base to work so well, eliminating worms without harming the crops—simply perfect.

Such a breed would definitely be popular in the old world.

As days went by, Luo Ping and the others hadn’t returned, but Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei weren’t worried.

They had already visited East Island, which had no Neo-Humans, thus posing no danger to Luo Ping and his group.

Moreover, before departing, Luo Ping had already mentioned that since opportunities like this were rare, they might stay on the island longer, both to gather supplies and to explore and learn.

Therefore, Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei simply needed to patiently live their lives on Caiyang Mountain, waiting for Luo Ping and the others to return.

By the eighth day after the tides came, Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei finally saw three red dots on the Resonant Gene Scanner.

They immediately ran to the East Coast to look and quickly saw a large school of fish speeding toward Caiyang Mountain, splashing the sea waves into rippling patterns forming a cone shape.

Luo Ping, Shu, Liu Hua, Tang Er, and Chai Xin were all riding on the backs of the giant fish, with Tang Er holding a boat high—specifically Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei’s boat.

The rising red sun behind them turned both people and fish into dark silhouettes.

The composition was so beautiful, Lu Xi’an couldn’t help but want to take a picture.

It was only then he suddenly remembered he had scavenged a waterproof camera from East Island, but with so much stuff to sort upon returning, he had forgotten about it.

Now the camera hadn’t been charged, making it impossible to capture this image.

However, after it charges, when Luo Ping and the others land, they’ll be able to take a group photo.

"Wow, this display, if the people on East Island saw it, wouldn’t they be terrified?"

Lu Xi’an couldn’t help but laugh.

And Yao Wei replied, "But it’s quick and convenient."

"True."

Lu Xi’an laughed again and said, "Type C Neo-Humans sure do have it convenient at sea. It’s a good thing Xuan Xiaocao and the others didn’t think of this trick."

"Yeah."

Yao Wei nodded, feeling somewhat relieved too.