「Powered by combustion pellets. Insert ten pellets per cycle. Battery life is dependent on work intensity. Maximum load-bearing weight: 50kg. Maximum towing weight: 80kg. Operation method: Voice control.」
Chen Yuan read the instruction manual, his hands trembling with excitement. With this thing, wouldn't he be able to haul in supplies like a king?
What's more, after he took the robot dog from the platform, the store thoughtfully produced a set of side-mounted metal baskets and a five-meter-long tow rope with a hook.
He quickly ran back to the other room, grabbed a small handful of combustion pellets, and returned to the warehouse. He opened the cover on the silvery-gray robot dog's back and poured in ten pellets. After closing the cover, he pressed a button on the dog's head.
Whirrrr...
The robot dog's combustion chamber began to heat up. A faint red glow appeared on its silvery-gray body, and it was warm to the touch.
「Beep~ Robot dog initial startup. Please assign a name.」
Chen Yuan rubbed his chin. "Tiedan! (Iron Egg!)"
「Name assignment successful.」
「Voiceprint recorded.」
...
With a few more mechanical sounds, the robot dog, about a meter long and less than half a meter wide, rose from its prone position.
「Hello, Master. I am Tiedan.」
Chen Yuan looked at Tiedan, who stood about as high as his thigh, and felt that the technological level of this thing absolutely surpassed anything from his original world. He took the mounting baskets from the platform and attached them to Tiedan's sides.
「Master, please pay attention to the weight on both sides during use. The difference should not exceed 10kg, otherwise it will be very difficult for me to walk.」
Chen Yuan patted Tiedan's hard, metallic head. "Follow me."
He carried the instruction manual back to the living room, then ordered Tiedan to stand guard at the front door. This robot dog could not only carry heavy loads, but it also had patrol, guard, and moving object detection functions. If he could mount a gun on it, it would be perfect.
As Chen Yuan thought this, he realized it wasn't an impossibility. It was probably a matter of the materials he fed into the store. If he threw in a large amount of steel, maybe the store really would give him some heavy-duty hardware. But those materials were hard to come by right now. For the moment, he had to prioritize survival supplies.
He didn't plan on going out at night. Even though Tiedan had a lighting function, he still felt it was too dangerous.
He settled onto the sofa, turned off the lantern, and quietly watched the stove as it radiated a warm, red glow. To have this kind of living environment in the apocalypse... he imagined many people would be envious.
The night passed without incident. The next day, Chen Yuan slept until he woke up naturally. With Tiedan standing guard, his mind was exceptionally relaxed, and he woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.
He went to the window and looked at the thermometer hanging outside. The temperature had already dropped to negative fifteen degrees Celsius. Twenty-six degrees inside, negative fifteen outside—a difference of over forty degrees!
He splashed his face with water, ate his daily compressed biscuit, and prepared for his second expedition.
Almost everything he owned now ran on combustion pellets. If he didn't fill his rooms with these things, he would always feel a sense of unease.
After some simple preparations, he set out with Tiedan. The snow was now deep enough to cover his knees. But with Tiedan clearing a path in front, it saved him a lot of effort. In the single-lane-wide alley, the only sounds were the crunching of his and Tiedan's steps in the snow.
He held the axe in his hand, still on high alert.
The man and his dog arrived at the main road. The car he had broken into yesterday was once again covered in a thick layer of snow.
"Tiedan, stay alert. If you detect any living thing approaching, notify me immediately."
「Understood. Living object detection range: six hundred meters.」
After responding, Tiedan stood up on its two hind legs, and the image recognition sensor on its head began to swivel left and right.
With his dog on lookout, Chen Yuan could focus on chopping down trees. He gripped the axe with both hands and swung at a greenbelt tree. The dull thump, thump echoed down the street.
After about an hour of chopping, the thigh-thick trunk was severed, and the five-meter-tall tree crashed to the ground.
CRUMP! A cloud of snow flew into the air. The tree had landed directly on the roof of an abandoned car, setting off its piercing alarm.
Chen Yuan frowned slightly and was about to have Tiedan drag the tree back to the building. But just then, Tiedan spoke.
「Living object detected approaching. Quantity: 1.」
Chen Yuan's expression hardened. He looked in the direction Tiedan was facing. Sure enough, about six hundred meters away, he saw a dark figure approaching. Because the snow was knee-deep, the person was moving with difficulty.
Chen Yuan steadied himself and said to Tiedan, "Go hide in that building over there. Don't come out until I call you."
「Roger.」
Tiedan took off at a run, quickly disappearing around the corner of the alley.
Chen Yuan held the axe in one hand and placed his other on the Flame Dagger tucked horizontally at his lower back, quietly waiting for the person to arrive.
Gradually, he could make out the figure more clearly. Although their head was wrapped up tightly, judging from their build, it was probably a woman. As long as it's not some burly man, Chen Yuan thought, letting out a small sigh of relief.
When the person was about two meters away from him, he held out his hand and said in a deep voice, "Don't come any closer!"
The newcomer paused slightly, her eyes taking in the axe in Chen Yuan's hand. She stopped. She pulled down the mask covering her face, revealing delicate features.
"Hello, my name is Jiang Nan. I'm a member of the Fenghuo Squad."
Hearing the name "Fenghuo Squad," Chen Yuan's expression became strange. Weren't these the people who had tried to recruit him two days ago? No wonder her voice sounded familiar. It seemed they had claimed this area.
"What do you want?" Chen Yuan frowned, putting on an impatient act.
Jiang Nan looked him up and down, her voice gentle. "You're not wearing much, you must be cold. We've established a base at the Dongyao Shopping Mall about a kilometer away. We're recruiting people right now. Would you be willing to join us?"
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, probing, "What's in it for me?"
"We found food in the mall's warehouse, and we have heating materials now. It's better to be with us than to be alone."
"Heh, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world," Chen Yuan said with a hint of disdain.
The smile on Jiang Nan's face stiffened. "Of course, you have to work. Our squad has daily tasks. Either bring people back, or bring resources back..."
"And if you don't bring anything back, you don't get to eat, right?" Chen Yuan interrupted.
Jiang Nan's expression tensed, then she forced a relaxed tone. "Not exactly. Your food rations are just halved."
Chen Yuan nodded. There was some order, but not much. The person who organized this squad had some brains, knew there was strength in numbers, and had even implemented a punishment system.
He once again sized up the woman's delicate features and offered a well-intentioned warning. "I'd advise you to protect yourself well. In this apocalypse, anything can happen. A woman, a beautiful woman, your situation is very dangerous."
Jiang Nan frowned slightly at his words. "Not just anyone can join our squad. We look at education, ability, and most importantly, character. The situation you're describing won't happen."
"Heh, is that so? Well, my character is so-so. You'd better not waste your time on me. Be careful your dinner doesn't get halved."
As he spoke, Chen Yuan raised his axe and brought it down on the trunk of the felled tree.
THWACK!
Snow was shaken loose from the branches. What kind of idealistic squad looks at things like that? Can you really rely on that?
Jiang Nan bit her lip, unwilling to give up. "The fact that you would warn me proves your character is fine..."
"Alright, you should go. I'm not going with you," Chen Yuan said, rejecting her sternly.
"Well, alright then... If you change your mind one day, come find me."
With that, Jiang Nan turned and ran back the way she came. Her task for the day wasn't finished yet. She had to hurry, or, just as the man had said, her dinner would be halved.