hotmtlnovel Chapter 50 Fuel
Chapter 50 Fuel
Xu Mo had previously prepared an extra AK-47 as a backup, simply out of a sense of "better safe than sorry," thinking that having an extra one was never a bad thing. He never imagined that this backup weapon would actually come in handy one day, and that this day would come so quickly, at the cost of the complete destruction of his primary weapon.
Seeing his old buddy, broken in two and beyond repair, placed in the corner like a soldier's tombstone, Xu Mo silently took out the spare AK-47, carefully inspected it, wiped it, and oiled it, making it his new primary weapon.
However, seeing only a lone rifle left, an unease once again gripped Xu Mo's heart. This unease did not stem from fear, but rather from an instinctive vigilance regarding the loss of "redundant backup."
In this perilous post-apocalyptic world, relying on a single type of critical equipment increases the risk. If one fails today, who can guarantee that the next one won't fail tomorrow? Or what if greater sustained firepower is needed in conflicts with more mutants or other unscrupulous survivors?
"One is not enough, far from enough," Xu Mo thought to himself. He needed to build a more solid weapons reserve, and the next time he "opened the door," his goal was clear—to replenish firearms, especially main battle rifles.
This thought became increasingly clear and urgent in the middle of the night.
Just as Xu Mo was deep in thought by the fire, a faint yet penetrating sound broke the silence of the snowy night.
"Awooo—" "Awooo—!"
It was the howling of wolves! And not just the mournful cry of a lone wolf, but the howling of a pack of wolves rising and falling, echoing each other.
Xu Mo instantly determined the direction from which the sound came—it was the snowy plain outside the town where he had killed the two mutated zombies during the day.
The wolf howls indirectly confirmed Xu Mo's guess during the day: the unfortunate animal that was devoured was indeed a wolf, not a wild dog. This could very well be the wolf pack searching for a missing companion, asserting territory, or fighting over food.
Thinking of this, Xu Mo felt a chill. He hadn't buried the two mutated zombies particularly deep, especially since the wolves had locked onto them by their sense of smell.
As soon as it got light, Xu Mo went to the rooftop, raised his binoculars, and carefully observed the area where the battle had taken place the day before.
really.
The traces of yesterday's struggle and bloodstains on the snow seemed to have been expanded and disturbed. The snowdrift he had hastily buried the two mutated zombies had been completely dug up! The corpses inside were long gone. Only some more torn and fragmented snow, stained with blackish-red grime, and some gnawed, hard bones remained.
"As expected, they either dragged it away or devoured it on the spot..." Xu Mo put down his binoculars, his brows furrowing slightly.
A possible guess came to Xu Mo's mind: Could those wolves, after eating the flesh of the mutated zombies, also undergo some kind of mutation?
The zombie virus is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids. If its carriers are ingested by other organisms, could this lead to secondary mutations of the virus or its spread between different species? If the wolf pack becomes even more ferocious, or even "infected wolves" or "mutated wolves" carrying the zombie virus, the danger level in this area will soar again.
"These animals are truly tenacious," Xu Mo couldn't help but remark. During the height of human civilization, large wild animals had almost disappeared from the areas surrounding cities and towns. However, with the arrival of the apocalypse, human activity plummeted, and order collapsed—all within a little over a year—and these "natives" of nature emerged from every nook and cranny, re-establishing their territories and becoming active on this abandoned land. Their ability to adapt to their environment was far stronger than imagined.
However, another question arises: "The temperature drops to below minus twenty degrees Celsius at night. Aren't these wolves afraid of the cold? How do they move and survive in such extreme temperatures?"
This clearly touched on Xu Mo's blind spot in knowledge, and the wolf pack naturally wouldn't give him an answer. They were simply following their survival instincts, struggling to survive under the harsh laws of nature.
The next day, when Xu Mo observed the area again, he made an even more surprising discovery—the gnawed fragments of zombie bones scattered on the ground yesterday, as well as the remains of that unlucky wolf, had all vanished without a trace! Only some messy claw marks and drag marks remained on the snow, as if nothing had ever happened there.
Seeing this, Xu Mo understood.
"It seems the wolves aren't having an easy time either," Xu Mo speculated. "They're in a state of extreme food scarcity, otherwise they wouldn't have come back and dragged away even bones that had already been gnawed once and had little meat left. This is truly 'scraping the ground clean,' leaving no stone unturned in their search for anything that could fill their stomachs."
Winter, with its sweeping cold, tests not only the surviving humans but also cruelly sifts out all living things in nature. Every link in the food chain bears immense pressure in this white catastrophe.
In the following days, apart from his unwavering cultivation, Xu Mo did not idle. The urgency of stockpiling weapons prompted him to take immediate action.
When the next opportunity to "open the door" came, Xu Mo used the "gun room" sign again.
Xu Mo first efficiently moved a massive amount of 7.62mm rifle ammunition, pistol ammunition, and .338 sniper ammunition, replenishing several times the amount consumed. Next, he went straight to the area where the firearms were stored. He didn't touch the precision sniper rifles that required special maintenance, but instead specifically selected five identical, well-maintained AK-47 assault rifles, along with a large number of spare magazines.
Seeing the weapon rack become full again, even more "abundant" than before, Xu Mo's unease caused by the broken gun finally subsided. Having six intact AK-47s and plenty of ammunition made him feel much more at ease.
However, just as the weapons problem was resolved, another survival crisis quietly emerged—fuel was running out.
The two stoves Xu Mo had previously scavenged were both wood-burning. Initially, the firewood mainly came from wooden furniture, doors, windows, and flooring in abandoned houses within and near the shelter. However, as winter continued, the readily available wood resources in the vicinity had been almost entirely depleted. To obtain more firewood, he needed to travel further afield, braving the bitter cold and potential dangers, to dismantle those frozen, rock-hard ruins.
Xu Mo found it troublesome, inefficient, and risky.
Xu Mo then turned his attention to the "door's" ability. He recalled that when he searched the outdoor equipment store before, he seemed to have seen some portable fuels, such as charcoal, solid alcohol blocks, and even small cans of gas.
These items are high in calories, have good storage properties, and are easy to use, making them the best choice to solve the current predicament.
Finding a new piece of cardboard, Xu Mo pondered for a moment and wrote down the words "Outdoor Fuel Specialist". This sign should be able to accurately point to the supplies he needs.
The countdown ended, and Xu Mo pushed open the door with the new logo.
As the dim light faded, Xu Mo found himself in what looked like a warehouse for an outdoor gear brand or a large wholesale store. The shelves were filled with a dazzling array of tents, sleeping bags, trekking poles, and other items, but his gaze immediately fell on several large cardboard boxes in the corner, clearly labeled with words such as "High-efficiency machine-made charcoal" and "Smokeless and environmentally friendly."
Xu Mo quickly stepped forward, opened a box, and inside were neatly arranged, long strips of machine-made charcoal wrapped in eco-friendly paper. This type of charcoal has high calorie content, a long burning time, and is relatively smokeless, making it ideal for use in enclosed spaces.
"This is it!"
Without any hesitation, Xu Mo began frantically carrying things. One box, two boxes, three boxes… He used every sixty seconds he could to move the boxes of charcoal to the safe area outside the door. In addition, Xu Mo also grabbed several large boxes of solid alcohol blocks as a supplement for quick start-up and emergency cooking.
When time ran out and he returned to the apocalypse, Xu Mo nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the mountain of machine-made charcoal boxes piled up before him.
This fuel should last him for a long time.
They carried the precious fuel back to the shelter and carefully stored it along with food, ammunition, medicine, and other supplies. Looking at their replenished reserves, Xu Mo felt a little more at ease.
Weapons, food, medicine, fuel... he replenished the basic elements of survival one by one.
Outside, wolves roam in the famine and cold, mutated zombies may lurk in the shadows, and the bitter cold still reigns supreme. But within this small shelter, Xu Mo, relying on his abilities and preparations, tenaciously builds a relatively safe island.