Chapter 408 - 187: Underground Shelter

Chapter 408: Chapter 187: Underground Shelter

Xu Mo drove slowly across the wilderness. The windshield wipers swung back and forth, making a monotonous scraping sound.

The rain was coming down hard. The world outside the windows was a blurry, grayish-white haze, with distant scenery hidden behind the curtain of rain. He could only see a few dozen meters ahead.

But Xu Mo was in a great mood. Not even the rain could dampen his spirits.

Xu Mo glanced at the Mountain-Cutting Saber on the passenger seat, then looked into the rearview mirror at the back. A Two-Handed Broadsword lay there. The Two-Handed Sword had a long blade and a heavy hilt, exuding a primitive, murderous aura. Next to the Broadsword were neatly stacked supply crates filled with compressed biscuits, mineral water, medicine, fuel, and more—enough for him to survive alone in the wilderness for a long time.

All of these things were compensation.

Xu Mo recalled the events of a few hours ago, and a smile touched the corners of his mouth. ’That guy, Li Rui, blew up my car. The plan was to kill him and loot his shelter. I figured I’d get a lot of good stuff out of it. After all, judging by the way he was using that drone, his supplies had to be substantial.’

But Li Rui’s surrender was so fast it left Xu Mo speechless.

The moment Xu Mo blasted open his shelter wall with a rocket launcher and postured as if he was about to blow the man and his house to smithereens, the guy immediately waved a white flag and surrendered.

After coming out, the man was incredibly earnest without a second’s hesitation, spouting things like, "I was wrong," "I’ll compensate you," and "I’ll give you whatever you want."

Xu Mo was stunned for a moment. He had been getting by in the apocalypse for a long time and had met all sorts of people. He’d seen tough guys who would fight to the death, treacherous schemers, and cowards who were timid as mice. But someone like Li Rui, who was provoking him with a drone one second and then begging for mercy the next, was a rare sight indeed.

What surprised Xu Mo even more was that Li Rui was a Superpower User.

Superpower Users were a scarce resource in the apocalypse. Any survivor with a Superpower, as long as they weren’t an idiot, could do quite well for themselves. And Li Rui had a Superpower, a sturdy shelter, and ample supplies. He was fully capable of fighting Xu Mo to the bitter end. Even if he couldn’t win, he could have just hidden in his basement, and Xu Mo would have had no way to get to him. ’It wasn’t like I was actually going to level the entire house with a rocket launcher, was it?’

Yet Li Rui had chosen to surrender. His apology was so sincere that Xu Mo felt a bit embarrassed to press the attack.

Xu Mo asked Li Rui for his reason, and Li Rui explained his situation with a wry smile.

It turned out that before the apocalypse, Li Rui had suffered from severe mental health issues. He was constantly convinced the end was nigh, that the world was about to be destroyed. So he spent his days digging a basement and hoarding supplies, turning his home into a complete mess.

After hearing this, Xu Mo had a complicated, indescribable feeling. ’He even wondered if Li Rui might be a reincarnator or something.’

Li Rui said his family was well-off. At first, his parents were driven mad by his behavior, but eventually, they ran out of options. They gave him a large sum of money and told him to do whatever he wanted with it, essentially paying for some peace and quiet.

So, Li Rui took the money and started building his shelter.

Before the apocalypse, he used that money to build a custom villa on this spot. But that was just a front. His real shelter was underground!

Li Rui had dug a five-story-deep underground shelter, stockpiled massive amounts of supplies, and equipped it with all sorts of survival gear.

His Superpower had a very special trait: an extremely strong premonition for danger. Whenever he considered a course of action, if that choice would lead to danger, he would be overcome by a powerful sense of crisis, making him restless and physically uncomfortable.

And that was precisely why Li Rui chose to surrender when facing Xu Mo.

"I was hiding in my shelter," Li Rui explained. "I was thinking, should I stay hidden, or should I go out and surrender? At first, I planned to stay hidden, but that sense of crisis immediately washed over me. I felt awful..."

At this point, Li Rui shook his head with a wry smile.

"Then I thought, since I started this whole mess, maybe if I go out, apologize, and offer compensation, I can resolve the situation? The moment I had that thought, the sense of crisis vanished completely."

Hearing this, Xu Mo couldn’t help but ask, "So you were certain that surrendering would be safe?"

Li Rui looked at him and answered seriously, "I wasn’t certain. But my Superpower told me that staying hidden was a dead end. Surrendering offered at least a glimmer of hope."

Xu Mo was silent for a few seconds after hearing this.

’This Li Rui accurately assessed the situation and my personality. If he hadn’t come out, I might have really had to use my ’gate’ ability to bring out something big for him.’

Since things had reached this point, Xu Mo didn’t press the issue. He simply demanded compensation for his vehicle and supplies, though he did ask for a bit extra as payment for his emotional distress.

Hearing Xu Mo’s demand, Li Rui nodded with a calm expression. He then led him to the real shelter—the one hidden underground.

Xu Mo followed Li Rui through the wrecked first floor to a hidden entrance. After opening the heavy iron door, Xu Mo finally realized that this shelter was far more extravagant than he could have ever imagined.