Chapter 101 - 94: So Many Pots
A night without words.
Even though many people were killed yesterday, Li Yu still woke up promptly at 6 a.m., and under his influence, the younger generation in the family also began to enjoy getting up early and running around the mountain woods.
Fitness can be addictive, and so can running.
Once the body gets used to exercise, it stimulates the secretion of dopamine, putting the entire body into a positive cycle.
Before the apocalypse, many people in their twenties and thirties had severely declined physical fitness, some due to lack of exercise, some due to unscientific dietary habits, and others because they couldn't give up certain addictions. It seemed like they couldn't muster the energy for anything, except for certain things that brought them brief happiness.
This is actually because certain activities can secrete dopamine, and this negative cycle, the longer it lasts, the worse the physical and mental condition becomes, creating more need for the empowerment of dopamine.
But if you stick to working out and regular sleep, dopamine secretion enters a positive cycle, and the whole person's state keeps improving.
A clear mind and refreshed spirit.
Facing the sunrise, Li Yu led a group of youths behind him, running through the mountains and fields.
Among the younger ones, like Li Suxin, who was a bit mischievous, would run and occasionally stop to pick a couple of wildflowers by the roadside, then call out for "Guoguo."
But there were too many "Guoguos" at home, so at the time it wasn't clear whom she was calling.
However, someone always ended up carrying her on their back, so every time they went out for exercise and running, Li Suxin was always the most enthusiastic.
She could choose whichever brother's back to sit on, deciding where to stop as she pleased because later there would be other "Guoguos" to carry her.
After exercise, Li Yu went back to his room and took a warm bath.
Then after breakfast, he went to the small house where those two men were kept.
Third Uncle had watched them all night, and now Li Zhengping was guarding the door.
Li Zhengping saw Li Yu coming and hurriedly stood up, shouting, "Big brother!"
Li Yu nodded, said a few caring words and entered the small room. He saw that the two men were still lying on the ground. Li Yu pulled down the black cloth covering their eyes.
It seemed like they hadn't seen sunlight for a long time, and now the morning sun shone through the door into the room, causing them to squint slightly. They were unable to open their eyes for a while.
Li Yu said, "We are leaving today. You will lead the way later." He then left the small room.
Yang Tianlong and others had already charged the car and refueled it, following Li Yu's plan, taking along Yang Tianlong, Li Hang, Li Tie, Li Gang, Zhao Dapao, and those five part-time workers.
These part-time workers, led by Ding Jiu, whose daughter was recently becoming close with Li Hang...
After Li Yu had rescued them before, they had integrated into the group, being able to use their physical strength to chop zombies and people.
These days, everyone in the base had been continuously practicing with the crossbow, and the part-time workers' proficiency with crossbows had also improved considerably.
A total of 11 people were going on the journey, while Third Uncle, Second Uncle, and Uncle and others remained in the base. Although no other teams were discovered nearby for the time being, having two veterans in the base was more reliable. Moreover, during this period, young men like Li Haoran had grown a lot and could also help protect the people in the base.
This time, Li Yu had everyone equipped with riot armors, which, although named armors, were quite convenient to move in despite being light yet sturdy.
Once everything was prepared, Li Yu and the group were ready to depart.
Li Yu pulled those two men out, still covering their eyes, and wrapped an extra layer of black cloth outside, making sure they couldn't see where they were.
The base's location was a secret; Li Yu had built it here because the area was surrounded by mountains yet accessible, and the surrounding woods provided the best camouflage for the base.
They sped along the road.
Xin City is in the south, the city center is in the north. The small town where Li Yu is located is even further south in Xin City.
Thus, this time, they had to travel north.
However, the distance wasn't very far, less than a hundred kilometers.
The path through the county was relatively smooth, as Li Yu and the others had traveled it countless times already. But as they continued northward, they encountered more and more obstacles on the road. Some were cars without gasoline, some were large and small rocks that had fallen from the mountains, some were miscellaneous debris.
The roads had not been maintained for several months now, hence more and more potholes were appearing.
Fortunately, this time in addition to the anti-explosion vehicle, Li Yu also drove a 7-seater new energy vehicle, which didn't consume gasoline during frequent stops.
This part of the journey would normally take about an hour at the usual driving speed, but due to numerous obstacles on the road, it took one and a half hours.
...
They were almost at the edge of the city center.
Li Yu remembered, the last time he came to the city center, it was also the last time…
It was right after he had returned from M city, starting in the city and then transferring to Xin City.
Inside the car, Li Yu rolled down the windows, allowing the air from outside to enter, the roadside trees still stood beside the fields.
However, the fields had become deserted, and most of the trees were still there, with the majority of the people gone.
In the air, Li Yu suddenly felt that the post-apocalyptic air seemed fresher, without factories, without car exhaust. After a few months of cleansing, the air seemed to have gotten even better.
As he was nearing the city, Li Yu rolled up the car window again, then turned to the two people in the back seat and said, "Where is that place you mentioned?"
The composed man hummed for a while but didn't manage to say anything.
Li Yu slapped himself, darn!
He had forgotten to remove their gags. He then untied the black cloth, removed their blindfolds, and finally unfolded the duct tape covering their mouths.
The composed man and the young man adjusted to the light and then looked at Li Yu with some resentment. They had seen cautious people before, but never someone this cautious, needing two layers just to cover the eyes?
After catching his breath, the composed man said, "It's near Yugu Platform. Go straight from here, then turn left, then..."
"Don't rush, take it slow. Tiezi, take out the map and take a look," Li Yu said.
He then asked the composed man again, "Are there any big buildings around?"
The composed man, a bit puzzled, asked, "Aren't we going directly there?"
Li Yu glanced at him and said, "I want to observe first and then decide whether to go directly."
The composed man didn't say anything further, and Li Yu didn't bother him anymore.
Seeing that Li Yu wasn't speaking anymore, the composed man thought for a moment and said, "Nearby there's a Glory Building that directly overlooks our headquarters."
Li Yu pulled out the map, looked at it, and marked a circle on Glory Building, then marked another circle on another nearby building.
Pointing at the other building, he said, "Can't this place see it?"
The composed man said, "It's more or less the same, but Glory Building is closer."
"Oh."