Cave Refuge-Chapter 274 - 270 Exclusive Items
He casually tossed two boxes and three bags of things into the back of the wagon, then joined his parents in the front cabin for a meal.
Based on past experiences, this disaster was just beginning, and its intensity had not yet reached its peak. If nothing unexpected happened, there should be a series of earthquakes over the next few days.
Thinking of this, Dong Tianyu felt hesitant about whether to move his parents into the Cave for residence.
In truth, now was the best time to take his parents into the Cave for their safety, as it was the only way to ensure their personal safety to the greatest extent.
Yet perhaps Dong Tianyu was indeed somewhat selfish, verbally claiming he didn’t want to restrict his parents’ freedom, but deep down he didn’t really want anyone else entering the Cave.
The Canary women who had already moved in, whom he always referred to as "Canaries," not really considering them as people, but rather as tools for emotional relief and physical exercise. If nothing unexpected happened, they might only leave the Cave after their deaths, when Dong Tianyu would bury them in the outside world.
Seeing the hesitation on Dong Tianyu’s face, Mr. Thompson might have guessed his son’s thoughts and said directly, "Son, your mother and I are in good health now, especially since we’ve started practicing the internal cultivation method you gave us. So, you don’t have to worry about us.
We won’t move in with you for the time being. After all, we’ve made friends here too. We’ve always worried over you in the past, but now you’ve found a wife, and your mother and I want to enjoy our lives and have some time just for the two of us.
If you’re really worried about our safety, why not get your mother and me a vehicle? If there’s ever any danger, we can drive to find you."
Hearing his father say this, Dong Tianyu immediately understood that Mr. Thompson was doing this on purpose not to make him feel awkward. As for getting a vehicle, it was actually not a big deal for Dong Tianyu, as there were still a few vehicles collected into the Storage Space during the Cold Catastrophe that he had forgotten to dismantle at the time.
Although these vehicles seemed unable to start normally, with the expenditure of some Survival Points, they could be modified towards Ink Artifacts in the Cave, and after the transformation, even ordinary people would be able to control these vehicles.
Having found a more suitable solution, Dong Tianyu felt more at ease. Although he was still in the Black Car with his parents, he also began to divide part of his Divine Sense to check which vehicles in the Storage Space were suitable for modification.
First of all, vehicles with low chassis and poor off-road capability were ruled out due to the nature of the disaster.
Next, those with low battery life and small space were also not an option, and lastly, the vehicles should preferably have some defense capabilities to withstand airborne debris following earthquakes.
They should also have strong enough power to carve out an escape route through traffic jams, if necessary.
Not to mention Dong Tianyu’s Black Car, but the armored vehicle that Madeline brought back from Yutai perfectly met all the conditions Dong Tianyu mentioned.
There were no suitable vehicles in Dong Tianyu’s Storage Space, but like the conversion of the Black Car, he would add additional features before transforming them.
Since he was only considering his parents’ use, Dong Tianyu selected the classic model from Iveco as the base, then fitted metal plates to increase its defense.
He extended the wheelbase, set the wheels not under but beside the body like a go-kart, and equipped it with over half a meter diameter construction tires, raising the ground clearance and improving off-road capabilities.
Besides that, Dong Tianyu also installed many small household appliances in the vehicle and added solar panels to the roof.
After Dong Tianyu’s haphazard modifications, the vehicle could hardly move a few meters forward after starting up, let alone drive on roads.
However, these issues were not very important, as almost anything could be resolved by using Survival Points in the Cave.
This time, due to the many additional features Dong Tianyu installed, he spent more Survival Points than on the Black Car. However, since it was transformed into an Ink Artifact, the energy requirements were perfectly preserved, unlike the Black Car which could consume Spiritual Stones or be powered by Dong Tianyu infusing it with Spirit Power.
After transformation, the vehicle appeared in the Cave: the nearly five-meter length of the original Iveco was stretched to about eight meters, and the width and body height also expanded to three meters. However, the more than one-meter-diameter tires elevated the body height another half a meter.
This new vehicle was smaller in volume than the Black Car, but its ground clearance was considerably higher. Of course, its off-road capability couldn’t compare to the Black Car’s.
After all, the Black Car was a Magic Artifact, theoretically a weapon meant for battle, whereas this new vehicle was an Ink Artifact, created with the original intent of making a comfortable transport.
Although its off-road capability couldn’t compare with the Black Car, in comparison to ordinary vehicles, the performance of the new vehicle was light years ahead.
Just as Dong Tianyu was contemplating how to give this vehicle to his father, he discovered that items transformed in the Cave could only be used by Dong Tianyu himself.
Whether it’s low-level Magic Artifacts or the potentially upcoming innate Spiritual Treasures, anything transformed through the System by consuming Survival Points seemed to be soul-bound and could only be used by Dong Tianyu himself.
After learning this, Dong Tianyu felt somewhat helpless. In terms of comfort, the Black Car actually was not as good as this newly created Ink Artifact.
After all, when the Black Car was originally made, it was only intended to be a vehicle that allowed me to move around freely in the scorching heat. At that time, I did not consider living inside it, so it was put together simply and not taken too seriously.
This time, in order to find a safe vehicle for my parents, Dong Tianyu did focus and tinkered with it a bit. It’s a pity that although the converted vehicle met Dong Tianyu’s original expectations, it could not be used by Mr. Thompson.
Moreover, it wasn’t just this vehicle—any item transformed inside the Cave later on couldn’t be used properly by outsiders.
Actually, not all functions inside the car were unusable; others could still make use of some ancillary functions, such as the cooking facilities, air conditioning, water supply, and various other miscellaneous functionalities added later.
However, the main functions could only be activated by Dong Tianyu himself. After activation, though, the driver could be changed.
The biggest difference between an Ink Artifact and a Magic Artifact is that Ink Artifacts require real-time operation by a person, whereas Magic Artifacts only need to be controlled by Dong Tianyu using Divine Sense.
Upon reflection, if the Ink Artifact is not shut down at all, then Mr. Thompson could technically use this Black Car. But then a new problem arises: a Magic Artifact, much like a cold weapon, can be normally used from the start and only shows wear and tear with use or over time.
But an Ink Artifact is like machinery; if it remains on for a long time, it will start to show something akin to mechanical fatigue. The longer the machinery operates under these conditions, the higher the probability of mechanical failures.
Besides, Dong Tianyu couldn’t come over every day just to help his father start up the Ink Artifact and then leave, right?
While Dong Tianyu was still pondering over what to do with this new car inside the Cave, he heard someone knocking on the door of the Black Car.
Upon opening the vehicle’s side door, Ye Liuyun walked in up the vehicle stairs and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. Then the two of them went to the front of the van to chat quietly.
"So, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"Shall we take on a big job?"
Ye Liuyun’s sudden question took Dong Tianyu by surprise; he couldn’t guess what Ye Liuyun was thinking at the moment.
"Let’s hear it."
"There have been two earthquakes in succession already. If nothing unexpected happens, the magnitude of the earthquakes will only get stronger, and it’s likely we won’t be able to stay in the Pengcheng urban area anymore.
Without asking, I know those guys at the West City District Command Post must be discussing where to migrate to.
No matter where the migration is to, the already limited communication will undoubtedly be affected. But that’s not our concern. What concerns us is that, with more earthquakes confirmed to occur in the future, survivors can’t all live together in one place.
If they do, it will be difficult to disperse and escape when an earthquake hits due to the large number of people gathered. I reckon the most likely scenario is that, like the former refuge centers, survivors from the West City District will be scattered across various open spaces.
If the Command Post makes such arrangements, then our opportunity to make money will come."
Ye Liuyun rambled on for a while, and Dong Tianyu still didn’t understand what the other was trying to say.
"Be clear about it."
Seeing the impatient look on Dong Tianyu’s face, Ye Liuyun stopped beating around the bush and spoke directly: "There are not many open spaces on the west side of Pengcheng.
If they want to relocate all the survivors from the city area and, for safety, reduce the density of survivors’ living quarters, then the source of danger won’t only be the earthquakes. Have you forgotten about those Bugs that keep appearing?"
With Ye Liuyun’s reminder, Dong Tianyu remembered those Bug Nests that could never be completely eliminated.
Although the Bug Nests were still fearful of Martial Artists, fleeing immediately upon their appearance, it’s undeniable that without Martial Artists present, the Bugs from a single nest could consume five to ten survivors in just a few minutes.
So the danger facing the survivors isn’t just earthquakes, but also those flesh-eating Bugs.
Usually, it’s relatively safe for everyone to hide in the safety zones patrolled by Martial Artists, but when an earthquake strikes with a small amplitude, it’s fine to wait it out on the spot.
But if the amplitude is large and cracks appear on the ground, and everyone needs to leave their location, stepping out from under the protection of the Martial Artists, ordinary survivors might die without knowing how it happened.
