Chapter 177: Baby Carrier Artifact
Lu Xi immediately straightened up, excitedly and seriously saying, “I’ll definitely research weapons that are stronger than abilities.”
Then, he immediately reverted to his usual cheerful self, happily telling Lu Weiyi, “Brother, I already have a lot of ideas. They’re all about using crystal core energy as a power source for weapons. But they’re all theoretical. Once we have the equipment, I’ll be able to start research right away.”
“This direction is very good,” Lu Weiyi said, as it was exactly the same as in his previous life. He reminded him, “You could also try researching the conversion of crystal core energy for daily applications, like for electricity.” After all, they had limited gasoline and natural gas. They couldn’t afford long-term consumption, and once they ran out, their lives would become a big problem.
“Yes, that definitely needs to be addressed. If we want to survive long-term, there’s a lot more to consider,” Zhuang Mingxu thought about setting up a base, and the thought of such a large project made him passionate.
“There’s also another matter that needs solving,” Lu Weiyi said after a moment of silence. He asked, looking at Lu Xi and Zhuang Mingxu, “How are your chemistry skills?”
Lu Xi wasn’t shy about naming a top national academician. “He’s my mentor. He said my math, physics, and chemistry are at a doctoral level. I can do research on my own. Actually, I understand what they’re doing in the base.”
“The problem is they mixed in some reactions related to the human body, something I’ve never worked on before. It’ll be a bit difficult to study on my own, but if you need it, I can learn. I pick things up quickly.”
“Not really,” Lu Weiyi said, taking half a cup of transparent water out of his space and handing it to Lu Xi. “This can purify the impurities in the crystal cores. I want you to see if you can crack it and make it artificially.”
Lu Xi had always thought that purifying crystal cores was one of Lu Weiyi’s hidden abilities, but he didn’t expect it to be just a cup of water. He carefully took it and sniffed it—it had no smell. He shook it and saw it was just regular pure water. Upon closer inspection, he even noticed some… dirt?
“This is just regular water. It’s from the first snow after the apocalypse. I collected snow and melted it,” Lu Weiyi explained as he took an unpurified crystal core from his space and tossed it into the water.
The three of them watched closely as they saw the visible substance in the crystal core slowly move, and the color gradually faded. When the crystal core became completely transparent, Lu Weiyi quickly took it out. It had turned into the kind of crystal core they absorbed every day.
Lu Xi was amazed by the process and carefully observed the water. Nothing much had changed, but it seemed like some substance in the water had changed.
“If we have this, we can keep exchanging crystal cores with other bases,” Lu Weiyi said.
“I know,” Lu Xi said, looking at the water cup again. “I need some chemical elements. I think I saw them in the laboratory at the base today. We’ll take them tomorrow, and I’ll check again after we’re done.”
“No rush, we’ll wait until things settle down. I just wanted to let you know, so you have an idea. I don’t trust this to anyone else,” Lu Weiyi said.
“I’ll do my best to research it. I’m very interested in this,” Lu Xi said, feeling a sense of mission as he was trusted with such an important task.
“Yes, don’t just focus on analyzing the chemical elements. There should be… energy involved in this,” Lu Weiyi recalled what the scientists from his past life had said. “Consider energy neutralization, something along those lines.”
“Got it. I’ll explore it from all angles,” Lu Xi said.
The next day, before leaving, Lu Weiyi accompanied Lu Xi to the research institute. The equipment that Lu Xi had previously dismissed as useless was now all highly valuable. Lu Xi made Lu Weiyi pack up everything usable, and by the end of the visit, nearly all the functional equipment from the institute was stored in Lu Weiyi’s space.
Now, Lu Weiyi’s space was completely filled, so tightly packed that there wasn’t even a tiny gap left.
At six o’clock, the group of over ten people began checking their backpacks. To avoid any surprises, everyone, except for Zhuang Mingxu, carried an emergency pack containing some water, food, and medicine for unforeseen circumstances. Even Zhuang Ai Yi wasn’t excluded, though his pack was child-sized.
“I’ll carry Zhuang Mingxu, and Ning Yuan, Wu Yue, and Brother Mu will be in the same group to assist me. Lu Xi and Li Zhuang will carry Zhuang Ai Yi, and Bai Miao and Li Dongsheng will assist. Brother Xiong will protect Brother Xi, and Xu Sa and Liu Rui will assist. Antonio will take Dean, and Gu Qingji and Gu Qingyue will assist. We’ll move in four groups until we can drive,” Lu Weiyi assigned the tasks based on each person’s abilities.
“I’ll carry Mingxu, you stay close by to protect us. It’ll be safer that way,” Wu Yue suggested, seeing that Zhuang Mingxu’s frame was larger than Lu Weiyi’s, and Lu Weiyi’s smaller build would feel awkward carrying him.
“No need. Just look after Brother Mu,” Lu Weiyi replied. As long as they didn’t run into high-level zombies or large groups of mutated animals, he felt confident in handling Zhuang Mingxu himself. It would be safer for Zhuang Mingxu to stay with him.
“Okay, if you get tired, we can switch,” Wu Yue said. Even though they were all considered “weaker” ability-wise, the power of each person was enough to manage a lot of things.
“Mm,” Lu Weiyi nodded, then took out a kind of harness from his space, strapping it onto Zhuang Mingxu and explaining, “This is something I had Brother Xi make. It will be more comfortable for both of us.”
A piece of cloth of just the right size was wrapped around Zhuang Mingxu’s back, extending down to cover his backside. The straps crossed over his legs, allowing enough space to fit his thighs, and the extended straps were tied around Lu Weiyi’s waist, with another pair of straps going under Zhuang Mingxu’s arms and onto Lu Weiyi’s shoulders, securing him to Lu Weiyi. This allowed Zhuang Mingxu to move his arms freely.
“This is… a baby-carrying device?” Xu Sa asked, noticing Lu Xi using a similar method to carry Zhuang Ai Yi. After speaking, he realized everyone was looking at him with a “you’re the only one who didn’t get it” expression. He silently zipped his lips and stepped back.
Zhuang Mingxu seemed unfazed. He tugged on the straps and smiled, “It’s sturdy, doesn’t dig into me.”
“As long as it works,” Lu Weiyi adjusted the fit and stood up to address the others, “Let’s go.”
The group, wearing matching high-top Martin boots, camouflaged outfits that fit just right, and wielding familiar weapons, looked more like a movie crew than people on the run. Walking through the desolate, debris-strewn base, they shone like a scene from a film, drawing all eyes.
“Are you guys filming a movie?” Li Qing, waiting at a crucial junction, asked with a smile.
“Yeah, want to join?” Ning Yuan joked.
“I’ll pass. Can’t keep up with your looks,” Li Qing teased, then grew serious. “I’ll send you off. It’s a long way, see you when we do.”
“Take care,” they all said, moving ahead and leaving the last moments to Lin Yimu, who quietly walked at the back.
As Lu Weiyi carried Zhuang Mingxu, he noticed the absent-minded expression on Lin Yimu’s face. His heart softened, and he took out ten deep green crystal cores from his space, handing them to Lin Yimu. He whispered, “These can help improve your upgrade success rate. One or two should be enough.”
Lin Yimu was stunned for a moment, pursing his lips, before he took the crystal cores into his hand and said, “Thank you, Young Master.”
Lu Weiyi noticed Li Qing’s almost clingy gaze on Lin Yimu and sighed. “Brother Mu, if you want to stay… you can,” he said, though he was reluctant to part.
Lin Yimu smiled and shook his head before walking toward Li Qing.
Li Qing bit his lip and hesitated, finally saying, “Captain.”
Lin Yimu stepped forward and adjusted his collar, standing tall and looking at the young face in front of him, just like when he first appeared in the team, becoming his student. “Live well. In the future… we’ll meet again.”
“Mm.” Li Qing clenched his fists tightly, then stepped forward and hugged Lin Yimu tightly. A silent tear dropped onto Lin Yimu’s shoulder, wetting a small spot.
Lin Yimu allowed the warmth from the embrace to soak into his shoulder, silent, neither discouraging nor responding.
“Brother Mu must like Li Qing, right?” Lu Weiyi asked in a low voice, glancing at Zhuang Mingxu carrying Zhuang Ai Yi.
Zhuang Mingxu also turned his head and sighed. “Before I enlisted, Brother Mu was already a top-tier soldier in the combat unit. If it weren’t for him risking his life to save Li Qing, he wouldn’t have been retired.”
“Then why didn’t they end up together?” Dean asked innocently, like a naive young master.
“Li Qing’s father is a military general. His late wife left him with just this one son, so he wouldn’t allow Li Qing to have a same-sex partner. After Brother Mu was injured and retired, Li Qing tried using his father’s connections to find Brother Mu a good post-retirement job. When Li Mu found out, he became furious and cut off Brother Mu’s options. That’s why he ended up as your bodyguard, and Li Qing was moved back to his father’s side, leaving the special forces,” Zhuang Mingxu explained. “Brother Mu knows this situation, and he doesn’t want to cause trouble for Li Qing, so he never actively approaches him. Naturally, he wouldn’t choose to stay.”
“Now that it’s the apocalypse, you still want to think about all that useless stuff,” Xu Sa glanced back at the two embracing people, one almost using all his strength to merge with the other, while the other had his hands hanging down, restraining himself with visible veins. He sighed and said, “Just do whatever feels right. Who knows if we’ll ever meet again after this parting?”
“Sa… Brother Sa, you’re… you’re right,” Liu Rui responded, naturally grabbing Xu Sa’s hand.
This scene immediately caught Lu Weiyi’s eye, and he stared in surprise at their intertwined hands. Just as he was about to ask someone nearby what was going on, he turned around and noticed that Antonio was holding onto Dean, Xiong Jie was pulling Xi Shi, and over there, Gu Qingji and Gu Qingyue, the two brothers, were also holding hands.
