The two were not in a hurry to go inside. Only after Gou indicated it was safe and would not affect their health did they hold their breath and walk into the metal door.
According to Yao Wei, the two of them were already Neo-Humans, with physical fitness far surpassing that of old-time humans. They could hold their breath for a long time, making it perfectly fine to inspect inside while holding their breath.
Inside, as expected, were rows and rows of vacuum-packed rice. The upper part of the packaging had some transparency, revealing the slightly white rice grains inside, each distinct and seemingly untouched by time, just like new rice.
Lu Xi'an counted them. The rice filled a whole wall, with five stacks per row and ten bags per stack, all undamaged.
This was likely intended to supply the entire refuge. If there weren't too many people in the refuge, this could last quite a long time.
And now, it all belonged to Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei, allowing them to eat for even longer.
"It's a pity your car can't hold much..."
Feeling it was fine to breathe, Lu Xi'an commented while continuing to look inside.
Yao Wei followed Lu Xi'an, biting her lip, feeling a bit pained at the sight of so much food.
Why couldn't her car hold this much?
Going deeper, they found another wall.
This refuge had not only prepared rice but also flour. However, these couldn't be vacuum-sealed and were just stored here as provisions, which had already gone bad.
Unlike the north, where the perennial cold winds preserved food, this place suffered the erosion of rotten air, spoiling with those vegetables and meat inevitably.
Lu Xi'an, unwilling to give up, had the mechanical dog scan, and the dog confirmed that all the flour on the wall was completely spoiled and inedible.
Yao Wei felt even more heartache.
Lu Xi'an consoled, "Don't mind it. We still have to continue our journey, and we can't take everything, can we? There's still so much rice."
"Mm."
Yao Wei nodded and glanced at Lu Xi'an.
Hearing Lu Xi'an say this, she realized how knowledgeable he was about handling these foods.
This person seemed to be from before the world fell, and he seemed to understand everything.
But that time was so far from now; how could someone so young know so much?
Lu Xi'an noticed Yao Wei's gaze and looked back, but Yao Wei quickly avoided eye contact, a bit flustered.
Lu Xi'an ignored Yao Wei, deciding not to ask since she wouldn't answer anyway.
Continuing to explore further, they found another wall leading to the entrance, where six rows of boxes and two rows of vacuum-packed millet bags were stacked.
This place stored not only rice but also millet.
Lu Xi'an pointed at the millet and smiled at Yao Wei, "Look, here's more grain to eat."
"Mm."
Yao Wei nodded again, not wanting to speak.
Most of the time, she wasn't used to talking, but now she genuinely didn't want to.
More food that could be eaten, but her car was destined not to carry all of it.
The more edible items there were, the more heartache she felt. More than seeing the spoiled flour.
Meanwhile, Lu Xi'an went to inspect the boxes.
The boxes were clean, with nothing on them, as if they were freshly produced, with no markings.
Lu Xi'an took one down, using a Blade he carried to cut open the tape sealing the box. To his surprise and joy, the box was packed with packages!
Inside the packaging were vacuum-sealed dehydrated vegetables!
The people who came here to seek refuge had not only prepared fresh vegetables but also prudently kept dehydrated vegetables as a backup!
He then went to the doorway, took down the outermost box to open, and it was also fully packed, but instead of dehydrated vegetables, it was vacuum-sealed sausages.
He quickly called Gou over to scan, and Gou confirmed that these sausages were also edible, with minimal impact on human health.
"We're in luck!"
Lu Xi'an turned around smiling at Yao Wei and said.
Yao Wei had come over by then, standing behind Lu Xi'an, watching.
She had seen sausages and dehydrated vegetables before; during her years of wandering alone, she occasionally managed to get some by sheer luck.
But she had never imagined seeing so much.
It was truly a surprise!
Yao Wei bit her lip, feeling heartache amid her surprise.
"Alas..."
Lu Xi'an sighed and said, "Really... why is your car so small? Wouldn't it be great to have a larger vehicle?"
Yao Wei didn't understand what Lu Xi'an meant by a larger vehicle, but she understood the context, feeling somewhat ashamed for no reason.
With so much food that she was destined not to take, wasting it would naturally bring shame, wouldn't it?
Nevertheless, having survived in a post-apocalyptic world for so long, she wasn't someone who indulged in unwanted emotions. After the initial shame, she quickly recovered and said, "Let's clean up here and lock it up, marking it on the map."
"That's all we can do."
Lu Xi'an nodded in agreement.
With these supplies unable to be entirely carried away, they could only be left here temporarily as a storage point. Later, when they're in dire straits, they could come back here for food and drink to sustain life.
They acted immediately, carefully lifting the shelves filled with rotten vegetables and meats, moving them to the kitchen.
—Fortunately, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei were both immensely strong now; otherwise, with such heavy shelves, the two of them wouldn't be able to move it. And even if they could, they wouldn't move it steadily.
Neo-Humans are truly capable... including themselves.
—At the bottom of the shelf were unopened boxes of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, neatly arranged in a straight line.
Before moving the shelves, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei shifted these items aside.
These items were also meant to be stored in the cold storage; they were essential resources for their future supply point.
When they moved all the shelves out to the kitchen, Lu Xi'an couldn't help but think to himself.
Then Lu Xi'an retrieved a broom, mop, spade, and dustpan from the kitchen, cleaning up the items they had left scattered on the floor with Yao Wei.
The spade was brand new, probably meant for cooking a large meal, but using it now to scrape away dried liquid stains was just perfect.
While handling these things, Lu Xi'an picked up a frying pan, a cooking ladle, and a soup ladle from the kitchen floor to store in the storeroom.
Yao Wei's car didn't have these items, and now with so much rice and dehydrated vegetables, plus oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, these items became indispensable.
Once they finished all this, the two of them moved all the flour outside too.
The cold storage room suddenly became much more spacious, and the moldy smell seemed to dissipate. It felt much fresher, lifting Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei's spirits.
"Shall we check the other rooms, let the air here clear out, and after exploring, we can move the supplies to the car?"
Lu Xi'an asked Yao Wei.
Yao Wei had no objections, nodded, and said, "Alright."