In the preparation room, Chen Xin put on the Protective Suit and fastened the protective mask on his face, organizing the equipment he planned to take.
Originally, Chen Xin intended for Qin Lan to bring the completed oxygen machine to Mo Qingyan when she came to exchange supplies with him. However, out of concern for Mo Qingyan, Chen Xin decided to deliver it to her himself.
The entire oxygen machine had already been stuffed into the SUV’s backseat compartment, with secure binding to ensure it wouldn’t roll due to its round shape.
After all, this thing was made of glass, and if it got bumped, it could be damaged.
The equipment Chen Xin brought included a flashlight and a folding hiking pole, the same gear he used on his last trip out, except this time he swapped his homemade gun for a handgun he obtained from Qin Lan.
Initially, Chen Xin had not planned to bring a gun, considering he was heading to the city. However, after hesitating for a while, he decided to carry the gun for his own safety.
In addition, Chen Xin brought along a bottle of oxygen.
This was a bottle of oxygen he had previously stored, with not many on hand, and once used up, there wouldn’t be more. But considering the current reduction in oxygen levels outside and the potential risk of hypoxia, he carried one bottle to prepare for the possibility of insufficient oxygen.
Having organized his equipment, Chen Xin opened the upgraded shelter door and drove the car out.
After securing all doors, Chen Xin set out on his journey to deliver the oxygen machine to Mo Qingyan.
In the rearview mirror, the shelter door looked much more proper than before, no longer resembling a gate buried into a dirt pit, but rather a reinforced solid door with cement surroundings.
In fact, it was all constructed from reinforced concrete, not just cement. Although it looked more conspicuous, there were advantages.
Sturdiness was, of course, the main one, and besides that, it facilitated drainage.
Although the major precipitation had turned into snow as the temperature dropped, a sturdy cement ground was still more drainage-friendly than ordinary mud ground and easier to maintain.
Driving towards the city, Chen Xin had to turn on the headlights this time instead of keeping them off as before when going out.
This was because the roads had deteriorated compared to when Chen Xin went out last time, and with the recent rainfalls and occasional meteor impacts, the road was now littered with more debris than during his last trip to the city.
This considerably slowed down Chen Xin’s progress since the car was carrying a glass-made oxygen machine. Too much jostling would easily damage it, so Chen Xin had to carefully navigate smoother paths to protect the oxygen machine.
Last time Chen Xin entered the city, most of the city’s buildings were merely fire-damaged, with their overall structure still intact.
But this time, upon entering the city, Chen Xin noticeably saw some buildings had collapsed.
Those were collapses caused by meteor impacts. Over time, the floating dust and meteor debris in the sky would gradually settle, with larger chunks falling first; now, the larger debris was among those falling.
In a sense, this was also a blessing. The continuous descent of debris meant the dust clouds in the sky wouldn’t be as thick, and after one to two years, the land would gradually regain sunlight.
For humans currently, transitioning from a lightless to a dimly lit environment in one or two years could significantly improve human survival conditions.
However, restoring normal lighting would still require prolonged periods; such dust-clouded years might last at least several decades, requiring at least two generations.
As for restoring Earth’s ecosystem to its original state, that would require an even longer period, possibly hundreds of years before the Earth’s ecosystem could recover.
To Earth, this might merely be a fleeting moment, an insignificant instant in Earth’s billions of years, and despite the significant damage caused to Earth’s ecosystem in this instant, it remains trivial in the broader scope.
However, for humanity, this is an apocalyptic catastrophe affecting the survival and development of civilization across generations. Despite humanity’s self-perceived dominance over Earth, humans are extremely small and fragile compared to Earth itself.
Arriving at Mo Qingyan’s doorstep, Chen Xin called her via radio as he did previously.
Compared to the last time Chen Xin visited, Mo Qingyan’s home had evidently undergone some fortification and modifications. A ring of barbed wire had been added to the wall, and the iron gate appeared reinforced. The storefront doors and windows facing the street had been nailed shut, and a simple barricade made of angle iron and wood was placed at the entrance of the back courtyard gate.
Though somewhat conspicuous, it indeed provided a measure of security. At least making it more difficult for anyone wanting to do something to Mo Qingyan’s house.
Receiving Chen Xin’s call, Mo Qingyan and Mo Qingxin opened the iron gate together, removed the barricade, and gestured for Chen Xin to drive in.
After Chen Xin drove the car in, the Mo sisters quickly moved the barricade back to its original position and closed the gate again.
Just like the last time, Chen Xin drove into the elevator and descended into the shelter with the Mo sisters before getting out of the car and removing the mask from his face.
"Hey, your Protective Suit looks great! Where did you get it? I didn’t see you wearing it last time," Mo Qingyan said, looking at Chen Xin’s Protective Suit with envy.
Although she had some protective gear, it was evidently nowhere near as professional as Chen Xin’s Protective Suit that covered him from head to toe.
When Mo Qingyan asked about his Protective Suit, Chen Xin lifted the cap off his head before responding, "I modified it myself. If you’re envious, Mo Qingyan, you can give me the materials, and I can modify one for you too."
"Oh! Did you make it yourself? It’s really well-done! What materials do you need? Make one for me and little Xin next time!" Mo Qingyan didn’t hesitate upon hearing that Chen Xin could make one for her, readily requesting his help.
Chen Xin nodded in agreement. It was just a Protective Suit, and even if it required survival points to upgrade, it wouldn’t cost many survival points with Mo Qingyan providing the materials.
"By the way, this is the oxygen machine I made for you. I mentioned the oxygen issue previously, and worried that you wouldn’t be able to cope, so I made one for you," Chen Xin didn’t forget the purpose of his visit, opening the car’s trunk and taking out the completed oxygen machine, "As long as there’s no power outage, this machine should be enough for you and little Xin."