Although Xu Ershao had secretly reprimanded himself and realized that he might have to lower his seniority, it would still take some courage and opportunity for him to actually call someone "Dad".
Right now, he lacks both courage and opportunity, and needs to think things through further.
But aside from him and Tian Sisi, everyone in the subway tunnel was genuinely happy.
Even though Gou Fugui made it clear that the 120 bottles of mineral water, three boxes of instant noodles, and various snacks he brought back had to be obtained through digging holes or other labor, and wouldn't be given away for free, everyone still felt reassured.
Some of them are too physically able to go out, and others may not be able to find food if they do go out, but they still have the strength to dig holes underground!
The water and food they have now should be enough to get them through two days. Maybe the rain will stop in two days and they can go home.
Once people have a goal and something to look forward to, their spirits lift.
"Hey buddy, can I join the digging crew? But I'd like to borrow an umbrella first to go outside and look around before I can find something for myself, okay?"
I'm a big guy with a big appetite. Although you brought back a lot of food, it won't last long for so many people. I'll eat what I can, and the extra food can be left for the elderly and children; they can't easily go out on their own.”
Wang Daqiang spoke first. Although he was a bit weak, thirsty, and hungry, he still had the energy to go out and find food. It wasn't that he was particularly loyal or anything; it was just that he was, after all, a strong and healthy man and the leader of his gang, and he felt embarrassed to take advantage of the long-haired guy again.
"Big brother! How can I let you go out alone! Wherever you go, I'll go! I'll always be your most loyal little brother! I'll just borrow an umbrella and a few chocolates from my brother, okay? We'll return the umbrella and chocolates to you double when we find what we're looking for!"
As soon as these two spoke, many other young and middle-aged men and women in the subway tunnel also spoke up.
Besides their youthful self-awareness, they also witnessed the fact that Gou Fugui and Xie Tianlang both returned safely after going out.
This proves that as long as they go out with an umbrella, they can withstand the "hot rain" falling from the sky. As long as they have a chance to go out, even if it's just for an hour or half an hour, and they don't get trapped here, that's fine!
Gou Fugui knew what they were thinking, and he didn't stop them from going out with their umbrellas. However, he still wanted to explain the precautions.
"I brought back about ninety umbrellas, but it's best not to go out with more than forty people at a time."
"It's not that I'm stopping everyone. Although the temperature outside has dropped quite a bit due to the hot rain, it still feels like 50 degrees Celsius. It might drop a little more in the latter half of the night, but it probably won't drop below 40 degrees Celsius. Even if you have an umbrella to protect your skin from the rain, your non-waterproof shoes will definitely get wet after walking around for a while."
As Fugui Cat spoke, it raised its bare feet, which were now completely exposed.
He wiggled his nicely shaped, long, and slightly red feet: "Look, my feet are completely wet. And they're scalded red!"
Everyone stared at those perfectly shaped and pretty feet, lost in thought.
Is this what you call being burned red?
Then Xie Langren reached out and pressed down on Fugui Cat's feet, and then took out a towel from somewhere and put it on his feet.
"Don't stretch out your arms."
Then he showed his almost completely soaked shoes to the bewildered group: "We haven't gone very far, but it's been raining for almost two hours, and there's a lot of water on the ground."
"The temperature will drop a bit when the hot rain hits the ground, but the perceived temperature through shoes is still around 40 degrees Celsius. In addition, the rain keeps falling, and umbrellas can't completely cover everyone's body. The hot rain may splash onto the calves and ankles."
Xie Tianlang finished what Gou Fugui wanted to say: "In addition, hot rain may accelerate the wear and tear on umbrellas, so it is best for each person to carry two umbrellas, one as a backup."
Once this was explained, everyone understood and nodded in agreement.
But Wang Daqiang, who is very big and whose body is basically too big for ordinary umbrellas, is in a bad situation. He usually has to use the largest size umbrella, which is hard to find in shopping malls. In this situation, is it possible for him to find an umbrella that he can use?
However, in the end, Brother Qiang still managed to get a big umbrella!
It's just not the ordinary folding umbrella that everyone uses—
That was a sun umbrella that the rich young master had found while killing time on a shopping spree, labeled as "the most durable, windproof and sunshade-proof"...
Yes, it's one of those big, sturdy parasols that you can carry out and put directly on the beach.
The young master hadn't originally planned to take this umbrella with him when he pulled it out of his storage pocket, but when he saw the parasol standing out among the small pile of folding umbrellas and small umbrellas, he decided to bring it out anyway. He figured it might come in handy.
Then, Qiang Ge immediately took a liking to the alloy windproof sun umbrella and held it in his arms, looking very fond of it.
"Wow, this umbrella is wonderful! It's like it was made just for me!"
"This umbrella will definitely protect me from the rain from all angles once it's opened! And look at its weight and the metal material! It's definitely a windproof and durable umbrella!"
Qiang's underlings flattered him from the side: "Big Brother and this umbrella are a perfect match! When it's open, it's an umbrella; when it's closed, it's a cannon that can sweep away everything! Big Brother is mighty and mighty!"
The wealthy young master twitched his lips, then turned back to continue distributing the umbrellas.
The first group to decide to go out and explore consisted of thirty-seven people. Most of them were fathers and mothers, some were adult sons and daughters, and some were in dire need of supplies.
Gou Fugui didn't stop anyone, but gave each of them a bottle of water and a packet of instant noodles to carry with them.
"Consider the water and instant noodles as a loan from you. I hope you will gain more than this when you come back."
"But don't worry if you don't find it, just dig a hole with me tonight."
Then everyone laughed. After laughing, they prepared to leave, but they discovered that Gou Fugui and Xie Tianlang were going to go out with them again.
"Hey, Fugui, aren't you going to rest a bit more?" An old woman, who already knew the names of Gou Fugui, Xie Tianlang, and Song Sanchuan from the little boy's question, asked.
"Yes, we have enough food, there's no need to rush to go again."
Everyone who spoke up meant well, because the food and water that Gou Fugui and Xie Tianlang brought back were enough for the three of them to eat for a long time. They didn't need to look for food anymore, and the extra food would probably end up benefiting them anyway, so there was really no need to go to any more trouble.
But Gou Fugui shook his head: "We still need to go out. My third brother, you know, the one with the round face, he studied mechanical engineering. When he came back from Heilongjiang Province, he brought back several usable machines. At least one solar generator and a high-temperature resistant alloy electric trolley. If we can find these two machines, at least after our phones run out of power, we can continue to charge them and then use them to light up the cave, right?"
When everyone heard that Song Sanchuan was a mechanical engineer and could even build solar generators, their eyes lit up as they looked at the young man.
"This young man is a top student!"
"Oh my, that's why I say if you master math, physics, and chemistry, you can go anywhere in the world without fear!"
Song Sanchuan was somewhat speechless. He was a high-end IT talent majoring in information technology! Mechanical manufacturing was secondary... although he was also very good at it, he still insisted that he wasn't a machine manufacturer, he was a top-notch hacker!
"Hey young man, do you know how to make an electric fan? It's a bit chilly here, but also a bit stuffy."
"No, no, no, I think we should make a refrigerator first, rather than an electric fan. Preserving food is the most important thing!"
"Then I think we should get a washing machine or a gas stove too?"
Song Sanchuan: "..."
Song Sanchuan rolled his eyes and walked over to his wealthy second brother: "Remember that generator I drew a red five-pointed star on? I added waterproofing when I designed it. At the time, I thought it was a bit redundant, but now it seems so brilliant."
"Also, let's go to the train station and take whatever we can find. I can fix the broken refrigerator when we get back. More importantly, we can bring back some power strips and other wiring that isn't burnt out. If we're going to live underground permanently, we'll need to prepare all sorts of lighting and other living equipment."
Gou Fugui nodded. He understood what Song Sanchuan meant; the key was "take whatever you have," as long as he could fit it in his pocket. Even a broken chair could be used on the ground.
The thirty-seven people who were about to leave were also listening to Song Sanchuan's words. At this moment, they nodded in agreement and automatically added the point to their minds: "Take whatever is available."
Wang Daqiang, being particularly outgoing, spoke on behalf of everyone:
"Don't worry, Third Brother, we'll bring back some useful things after we find food! I don't think this rain will stop anytime soon, and the temperature is too high. We might have to stay in that cave for a few days, where we'll lack everything."
Song Sanchuan raised his round eyes and face to look at Wang Daqiang, and chuckled inwardly.
There are only a handful of people who can make Song Sanchuan call him "brother," but there will always be a chance for you to kneel down and call him "daddy."
Then, Gou Fugui, Xie Tianlang, Wang Daqiang, and the other 39 people walked towards the subway entrance.
The hot rain showed no signs of stopping, and the world was still filled with white mist and rain. Coming out of the subway exit didn't feel like stepping out of a stuffy cage; instead, it felt like entering an even bigger "steamer."
Fortunately, the temperature of the large steamer was not particularly high at this time.
It was 9:00 PM, and the east where they were located had completely lost sunlight due to the Earth's rotation.
Gou Fugui strained to look up, trying to see if he could glimpse the increasingly bright moon through the rain and clouds, but ultimately he was met with nothing. On a moonless night, even with white mist drifting between heaven and earth, the darkness made it almost impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face.
"Uh, well? I'm leaving now? Dengzi and I will be back in an hour at most, so don't go too far. It's really dark at night."
"I didn't expect it to be so dark outside, but my phone still has some battery. I can use it to see if it gets in a pinch. I think we should split into four groups and head in four different directions. It feels too dangerous for just one or two people to go."
Finally, the thirty-seven of them split into four teams. After enduring the high temperatures and hot rain of the day, everyone who came out was extremely cautious. Even Wang Daqiang and his underlings joined one of the four teams. However, because Wang Daqiang looked to be very strong, his team had fewer members, only seven.
Fugui Cat and Xie Tianlang naturally remain a separate team.
No one forced anyone; they simply looked at each other, encouraged one another, and stepped into the damp, dark place with firm resolve and courage inspired by the disaster.
They entered the night, but they were not docile.
But this night will eventually give way to dawn.
After they left, Xie Tianlang also took Gou Fugui's hand and stepped into the dark rain. However, his hand was quickly released, causing Xie Tianlang to pause slightly.
But soon he had another rope in his hand that looked very sturdy.
He heard his beloved's voice: "Hold on tight and don't get lost! If you get lost, I won't look for you!"
"Besides, no matter how good your eyesight is at night, can it be better than mine as a night owl?"
No flashlight was needed at all; the Sand Dune Cat Fugui's beautiful big eyes shone faintly even in the darkness.
Xie Tianlang reached out and gripped the rope tightly, chuckling softly, "Don't worry, as long as you don't let go, I'll never lose you."
Upon hearing this, the wealthy cat felt a strange heat rising in its ears, yet also a surge of joy. It tugged at the leash: "Let's go! Let's begin our cleaning activity!"
"Go straight to the train station and take everything that hasn't been burned to ashes!"
And those foods stored in the refrigerator, if we don't take them now, they'll probably rot in the high temperature in a day.
Xie Tianlang was suddenly pulled forward a step, and then he touched the rope in his hand and his mouth twitched.
That's not some sturdy rope at all! It's clearly a dog leash! And he's holding the collar side!
Five minutes later, Night Owl Fugui led his big wolf to the entrance of the train station waiting hall.
By this time, the fire in the car lobby had been extinguished.
But just standing in front of the door, Gou Fugui already felt an indescribable heaviness.
He didn't look at it intentionally, but his eyes, enhanced by his bloodline, made it impossible for the darkness to conceal the tragic and even terrifying scene in the hall. Less than half a meter in front of him was a charred corpse, with one of its hands still stretched out towards the door.
There were many more such corpses in the hall.
So much so that Gou Fugui could hardly control his body as he walked into this place.
At this moment, the person who had been walking behind him suddenly stepped forward and gently covered his eyes with his hand. Then he wrapped the rope around his arm, but grabbed Gou Fugui's hand again.
"Don't be afraid. Close your eyes, I'll lead the way this time."
Then, the wealthy cat was led by the hand by his big wolf into the hall filled with blood and charred remains.
Gou Fugui initially had his eyes closed. When Xie Tianlang led him to a place and asked him to put something away, he reached out and touched it, putting away several rows of metal seats in the waiting hall.
Next, he went through some food shops on the second floor that had been affected by the flames but hadn't been completely burned down. Gou Fugui put all the refrigerators, freezers, water dispensers, and even tables, chairs, pots, pans, and stoves in these food shops into his spatial pocket. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked directly at everything.
Perhaps it was because that strong and warm hand never let go that he suddenly gained a lot of courage.
In this darkest of worlds, there is still one person who has always been there.
As soon as the rich cat opened its eyes, the collection of supplies became even faster; they collected almost everything they could find in the train station.
Fu Gui'er's pockets suddenly had a lot of miscellaneous things. When he went back, Gou Fu Gui cut the 6.6-meter-long space in half again, creating an extra 3.3-meter-long space for storing miscellaneous items.
Now, he has four "pockets".
As they approached the subway tunnel, Gou Fugui pulled out the solar-powered waterproof generator that Song Sanchuan had drawn a five-pointed star on from his pocket, along with an electric shopping cart that was about the size of four supermarket shopping carts. He put the waterproof generator, a blackened freezer, and a toolbox inside, and then added a table after thinking for a moment.
When they reached the entrance of the subway tunnel, they found several elderly women waiting there slapping their thighs and shouting down:
"They're back! They're back! Little Fugui and Tianlang are back! Now everyone's here!!"
Then a dozen or so people scrambled up from below and carried away the things that Gou Fugui and his group had brought back.
Gou Fugui and Xie Tianlang walked down, and when they saw the things laid out on the ground like a general store, they couldn't help but laugh.
Just then, someone's cell phone rang.
Everyone checked their phones in disbelief, but it was Xu Ershao, who had been huddled to the side, who finally answered the call.
Everyone held their breath and listened intently, though they didn't know what they wanted to hear.
But then they heard Xu Ershao suddenly roar into the phone:
"Mom, don't let them bully you! They lied to you about bringing supplies to rescue me!! You wait, your son will dig a tunnel to the safe zone to find you himself!!"
There was a moment of silence, then suddenly several people burst into loud laughter, the sound of which was truly jarring.
But Xu Lei didn't say anything more and hung up the phone directly. He then turned around and shouted "Grandpa!" at Gou Fugui.
"Grandpa! I was wrong! Please let me dig the hole!!"
He's determined to go underground and beat those people's faces until they're swollen!
Gou Fugui: "..."
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