CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: IS THIS AN OASIS?

There’s really a signal?!

Lu Xi’an slammed on the brakes and exchanged a glance with Yao Wei.

Shifting into neutral, pulling up the handbrake, they both simultaneously opened the doors and jumped out of the car.

Yao Wei handed the radio to Lu Xi’an to operate, while she picked up her gun to stand guard, constantly keeping an eye on Lu Xi’an and occasionally glancing at the radio in his hands.

"Buzz—buzz buzz—"

"Buzz buzz—nationwide emerg—headquarters—buzz buzz—please—buzz buzz—"

"Buzz buzz buzz buzz—"

Lu Xi’an kept moving, taking a few steps to the left with the radio in hand, then a few steps to the right, adjusting the height—sometimes lowering, sometimes raising it. The radio continuously emitted static.

But when he moved to certain positions, the static occasionally mixed with human voices, as if broadcasting some information.

After trying a few locations, he found that the signal was relatively better near the passenger seat and in another open area.

But the open area was too exposed and unnecessary to check further, so Lu Xi’an moved to the car’s passenger side, opened the door, stepped on it, and climbed onto the car roof.

There was a spare tire on the roof, and Lu Xi’an crouched on it, which improved the signal slightly—

"Buzz buzz buzz—national emergency disaster command center—buzz buzz buzz—national emergency disaster command center, we—buzz buzz buzz—please—"

Lu Xi’an frowned and turned to Yao Wei, asking, "Is there still such a national emergency disaster command center in this world?"

Yao Wei replied, "I’ve never heard of it."

Luo Ping didn’t mention it before, either.

If such a place existed now, wouldn’t Luo Ping be eager to respond or seek it out?

Then what was with the voice in the radio signal?

Moreover, considering the current state of the world, it’s likely that the whole world has been plunged into disaster for decades; can there still truly be emergency disaster relief?

"Could this national emergency disaster command center be like the Reconstruction Faction or the Joyful Gang, relics of the past?"

Lu Xi’an pondered further.

Yet he couldn’t make sense of it; even if it were an old relic, if it persisted until now, they’d know the current situation by now, so why would they still use a name like ’emergency disaster relief’?

And in this desolate world, how many people could even hear such a broadcast?

Yao Wei shook her head, equally puzzled.

With a heart full of questions, Lu Xi’an stood up, lifted the radio high, and turned around in all directions.

When he turned towards a particular direction to the east, the static weakened, and the mixed voice finally became clearer—

"This is the national emergency disaster command center, this is the national emergency disaster command center, all locations, please note: the disaster is not over. Experts analyze that this will be a prolonged disaster, and it will not abate in a short time.

Please conserve energy and maintain normal water and electricity supply operations as much as possible. Allocate resources reasonably to ensure residential supplies. Headquarters will provide guidance via radio at 18:00 daily.

Communications stations across regions in good condition, please send signals to headquarters as soon as possible via radio. Headquarters will conduct multi-band searches at any time to seek contact.

If any region is short of supplies and unable to sustain, those in a position to do so can quickly migrate to headquarters. Headquarters has mobilized forces and established a temporary base around local power and water plants in the New District of East Sea City, with consistent water and power supply and ample resources, ready to receive people from other locations at any time.

This is the national emergency disaster command center, this is the national emergency disaster command center...

The voice started repeating.

Lu Xi’an listened for a while longer, gently exhaled, jumped down from the car, and said, "There’s no new content. This voice should be a recording. The power supply there seems to be maintained quite well."

"Mm."

Yao Wei nodded.

She quickly returned to the car and sat in the passenger seat.

As Lu Xi’an returned to the driver’s seat, he saw Yao Wei flipping through the World Map One.

After turning many pages, the page of East Sea City was finally found. She pointed her slender finger on that page, saying, "Found the water plant, but there’s no power plant on the map."

Lu Xi’an pondered and said, "Do you think...it could be a nuclear power plant? Such places might not be marked on maps."

Yao Wei paused for a moment, nodded, and said, "Mm...possibly..."

Lu Xi’an scratched his head. "Then, do you think we can go to this place? If someone maintains it, that’s fine, but if no one maintains it, I can hardly imagine what it would be like."

Yao Wei said, "We can’t go."

Lu Xi’an glanced at Yao Wei and saw her solemn expression, asking, "Have you ever been to a nuclear power plant?"

Yao Wei replied, "I haven’t been, but I’ve seen one. An explosion already happened. The bodies of people and animals living nearby underwent changes; they became ugly and fragile. Such places are too dangerous, it’s best not to get close."

It seems such a place left a deep impression on her since she mentioned so much all at once.

Lu Xi’an nodded and said, "Alright, let’s not bother with it now. Let’s keep going."

He started the car and continued heading west. Considering the back-and-forth journey, they didn’t need to refuel at the Changshengtian Petroleum Station.

The fuel tank hadn’t been depleted much; if they put the nozzle back in now, it would probably just click off immediately, right?

Anyway, they still had a full barrel of fuel on the car. This time heading west, they were no longer as anxious as before, and they didn’t need to rush to replenish this little fuel.

The car drove past the gas station and also past the two-story building next to the station.

The small building was still desolate, with weeds growing wildly, covering the door, and the traces of their coming and going were completely unrecognizable.

Heading further, it was still a field of wild grass, the sky tall and clouded, with shadows like curtains.

As Lu Xi’an drove on, he suddenly thought of a question and asked Yao Wei, "Do you think...that could be what people consider an oasis?"

Yao Wei didn’t understand at first and asked back, "What?"

"That national emergency disaster command center."

Lu Xi’an said, "It says on the radio that the water and electricity are intact, the resources are ample, and they can receive people from other places. For people who can’t survive, wouldn’t that be considered an oasis?"

Yao Wei thought for a moment and replied, "Seems...so."

But Lu Xi’an asked again, "But in that case, wouldn’t the Reconstruction Faction also be considered an oasis according to Fang Shuxin’s perspective?"

Yao Wei paused and thought for a moment, then said, "I don’t know..."

Lu Xi’an took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, saying, "The world is vast. Where is the oasis?"

"I don’t know."

Yao Wei still gave the same answer.

Lu Xi’an suddenly turned to Yao Wei and said, "Yao Wei, do you think...if we have a chance in the future to reach East Sea City, can we stand a bit far away and see how things are there? We have Gou and a drone; we can send Gou to investigate."