Chapter 117 - Bath Time! New Goal!
Chapter 117: Bath Time! New Goal!
A few hours ago on the hillside, the snow that had been stained red with blood had been cleaned and buried by Su Mo in a pit.
Currently, there were no extra stone resources in the base to repair the gap in the outer layer that had been blasted open. Su Mo could only temporarily leave it as it was.
Three hours had passed, and another thin layer of snow had fallen over the hillside. It was like silver gauze, lightly covering the land.
Within a radius of seven miles, Su Mo was alone.
The snowflakes had become gradually smaller but, after a day’s accumulation, there were still layers of thick snow piled up in the distance.
Since the large amount of factory pollution from the civilized era was not present, nor were the overwhelming fumes from car exhausts, Su Mo was astonished when he picked up a handful of snow.
“This is as white as flour. Under the light, it is even whiter than flour. With this level of purity, you could probably eat it directly!”
Gradually, some snowflakes were crushed in Su Mo’s palm. Looking at the melted snow that had turned into water, Su Mo took out a large water tank and began to fill it up with confidence.
This water tank had been brought out of the ruins and was not small in size. It was usually placed in the supplies storage to store food that was not easy to preserve.
However, it was just perfect if used to hold snow water in his current situation.
Searching every corner, Su Mo only took the purest snow on the top. When snowflakes with mud underneath turned up, he would move over to another spot.
It took Su Mo half an hour to collect a full tank of water.
Su Mo kept the water tank back into the storage space and took out a big bucket to once again continue collecting water.
After being thrifty with water for so many days, to suddenly have an inexhaustible source of water, Su Mo had every intention of using it all at once tonight.
After collecting a sufficient amount, Su Mo stepped back to the shelter and closed the main door.
Standing at the entrance, Su Mo shook the snow off his body. After taking off his clothes, the three little ones were already waiting at the door to greet him.
There was enough water for more than one person and Su Mo intended to give all three of them a bath treatment.
“It seems that there is not much wood left. Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, I’ll find the opportunity to chop some wood and replenish my supply!”
Checking the leftover wood supply in the storage room, Su Mo wrote down the task of collecting wood in the diary’s daily to-do list.
Wood was everywhere on the plains. Even without considering environmental conservation factors, they were simply inexhaustible.
After selecting some wood and placing them beside the workbench, Su Mo turned back to the energy distribution room and turned on the diesel generator for electricity supply.
Everything was ready. Putting the robotic arm on, Su Mo started to make the simplest and most practical thing—
Bath barrels!
It was not difficult for Su Mo to make this item. He just had to flatten the wooden boards, polish them, and nail them together.
The only key point to pay attention to was to avoid splinters on the inside surface of the wood. At the same time, he had to ensure proper sealing between the wooden boards to prevent water seepage.
It took approximately ten minutes to make four bath barrels; one large, one small, and two mini-sized. At the same time, a property panel that surprised Su Mo also popped out.
[Bath barrel (Good)]
[Description: Bath barrels made with passion by the entry-level craftsman “Su Mo”. The story behind its construction is heartwarming.]
[Special ability: Heat Preservation (the rate at which temperature of the water decreases in the bath barrel will be slowed to a certain extent)]
[Comment: Please get rid of your bad habit of peeing in the shower!]
“On the workbench, even the bath barrels created can be equipped with special abilities. I look forward to the legendary bath barrels of the future!”
Humming, Su Mo pretended not to see the subsequent comment and moved back over to the living room with the bath barrel “righteously”.
Su Mo took out the tank and bucket containing the snow water and started to boil the water with firewood.
The ability to control the wind was equivalent to having a natural flame fanner. The flames under the iron stove flared, making pleasant crackling sounds.
Boiling water over one stove was not satisfying enough, so Su Mo set up a second and operated them simultaneously.
Su Mo poured the first pot of hot water into the rest of the snow water. After a while, all the snow water melted.
This process was repeated again and again. Sometimes he controlled the wind to fan the flames, sometimes controlling it to remove the smoke in the room, and sometimes poured the water aside to keep it warm; the process kept Su Mo very busy.
The steaming heat covered the interior of the shelter, and his body temperature was rapidly rising as well.
“I have to prepare another tank of snow water for the next use!”
Taking advantage of the long process of boiling water, Su Mo went out again. Running back and forth, he finally collected another jar before the water had completely boiled.
Soon the bath barrels were filled full of comfortable hot water. After putting the bucket of boiling hot water on the side into the storage space, Su Mo eyes suddenly sparkled in anticipation.
At this moment, Su Mo guaranteed that this was the shortest time he had ever taken to undress in his life, without exception.
He had only not taken a bath for half a month but, standing in front of the hot bath barrel at this time, even if he were to receive another pistol, he would not be as happy as he was now!
Su Mo took off his sweater and jeans completely and kicked off the travel shoes on his feet. After testing the water temperature with his hands, Su Mo stepped directly into the barrel.
“Hiss~~~~”
The impact of the hot water made the shackles on his body shatter in an instant, and a refreshing feeling washed over the depths of his soul that almost made Su Mo faint in comfort.
This feeling was a kind of joy that could never be experienced through a shower.
In the water, Su Mo felt as if he had become a merman; closing his eyes, it felt as if he was swimming through the sea.
The hair follicles that had been clogged up over the past few days, under the subtle beckoning of the hot water, opened their mouths one after another, soaking in the refreshment.
Within a few seconds, Su Mo’s fair body was tinged with a hint of red.
“Oreo, go in quickly, otherwise the water will be cold in a while!”
Seeing Su Mo enjoying himself so much, Oreo, Big Spark, and Little Spark, who were lying next to the bath barrel, had been staring mesmerized.
However, as they watched the steam from the heat rise from the water, the three of them were cowered, not daring to take the first brave step.
Compared to the size of Big Spark and Little Spark, Oreo was very large. Even after hearing Su Mo’s urging at this time, she still felt extremely shy.
Oreo walked tepidly to the small barrel and tested the temperature of the water with her front paw.
“Woo~”
For the three little ones, Su Mo did not make the water too hot; it was a very comfortable temperature.
This time, Oreo lowered her defenses and jumped into the barrel before howling comfortably.
Big Spark and Little Spark on the side also laid in their mini-sized barrels, soaking in the special bath barrels made for them by Su Mo.
Suddenly, there were only comfortable moans echoing throughout the shelter.
The creatures of the wasteland could not be deemed similar to the creatures on Earth. The creatures here, whether it was Oreo, Big Spark, or Little Spark, all had a basic level of intelligence.
If one were to use age as a basis, Oreo should have an intelligence level equivalent to humans between fifteen to eighteen years of age.
Big Spark and Little Spark also had intelligence levels equivalent to humans between the ages of eight and ten. However, the level of intelligence did not mean that they could understand language, emotions, and communication like humans.
Even so, Su Mo was surprised to find that the mental state of the three little ones was rapidly evolving as time passed.
It was especially obvious in the cases of Big Spark and Little Spark, where their growth could be seen from the innocent beginnings, when they first came to the shelter, to the clarity and agility reflected in their eyes now.
“It would be nice if Big Spark and Little Spark could transform into phoenixes in the future. Then I’d be able to bask in their light and warmth!”
Regarding the two chickens that created crystal fertilizer instead of laying eggs, Su Mo had also begun to take the matter lightly these days.
On the wasteland, and after sharing feelings of camaraderie, Su Mo no longer intended to treat the two of them as food.
More often than not, in Su Mo’s heart, Big Spark and Little Spark had become irreplaceable partners in the apocalypse!
With these partners and the sense of attachment between them, Su Mo would feel at ease whenever he returned to the shelter!
“It’s great! My current strength is growing rapidly, and it won’t be long enough before I’m strong enough to take care of my family.”
“The only shortcoming of the shelter now is that I haven’t accumulated enough food and do not have sufficient sustainable food sources.”
“It is very possible that I’ll spend a lifetime in this world, and I have to maintain a diverse supply of food!”
In the initial stages of Su Mo’s time in the doomsday wasteland, water was scarce and he had experienced the difficult period of living hand to mouth; not having enough supplies for subsequent days.
Life had made great progress since then!
There was a steady stream of psychic energy water every day for daily drinking, and there was a motor-pumped oil well that continuously produced sustainable development resources.
He had an electric crossbow that could take off people’s heads from a hundred meters away, and there was a pistol that was invincible within fifty meters.
At least in the aspects of self-protection, Su Mo already had enough “capital” to speak for himself in the doomsday wasteland!
Lying in the hot water of the bath barrel, Su Mo’s thoughts drifted farther. Some persistent thoughts that he had when he just arrived at the wasteland also slowly dissipated as he soaked in the hot water.
“According to the current development trend, the cycles of disaster in the future will gradually get longer. In Magoo’s diary, it took a month and a half from the snow till the next disaster, which was 45 days of development.”
“Judging from the current situation, it should not be much different after this blizzard disaster either. Otherwise, no one except for people like me who owns the system would be able to survive!”
From the first disaster to the present, time was very tight.
In just half a month, even with these mysterious modular technologies, mankind did not have enough time to even develop the basics.
Only after successfully overcoming this disaster would there be a little more time to complete the first round of development.
Of course, the disaster this time was also the toughest survival test.
It would be very likely that half of the humans would die during this disaster.
“For my specific situation, I will have to take time to locate the human gathering site, over 100 kilometers away from the shelter, before being able to make any accurate judgments on the situation.”
“If it is an enemy or a bad person, then I won’t hesitate to destroy them. If it is a normal shelter, perhaps a deal can be established, or I might even be able to employ them on a part-time basis as well!”