Chương 81: Back Online

Early the next morning, Jack and Megan got up and began packing for the trip. They didn't know whether the Portable High-Capacity Energy Cell, Industrial-Civilian Crossover could charge the Tesla. Even if it could, they had no idea how long it would take to build up enough charge to drive back. Since they might not make it home before dark, they packed enough supplies to spend the night at the cave. Along with food and drinking water, they brought sleeping bags, camping lights, and anything else they might need.

Once everything was loaded into the cargo trailer, they split up. Megan went to get Gordon so he could guide them, while Jack found Elias and explained the day's plans. Elias had no idea what a Tesla was, but he didn't ask.

"Don't worry about things here. Leave everything to me," Elias said.

"I'll have Harvey teach the group outside how to make brick blanks today."

"And have Mort keep an eye on them." Jack's voice grew more serious.

"They act tough around anyone weaker than them, but back down as soon as they meet someone stronger. That doesn't make them harmless. Who knows what else they might try? We should be careful." Elias understood his concern.

"I'll talk to Mort." With everything arranged, Jack went to find Vane. He took back the submachine gun and handed him the revolver.

"I'm taking the submachine gun with me. Keep the revolver here. If anything happens, don't worry about conserving ammunition. Protect our people first." Vane accepted the revolver with a serious expression.

"I understand." A short while later, the three of them gathered beside the CUEV. Megan took the driver's seat, Gordon sat in the back to give directions, and Jack climbed into the cargo trailer with the energy cell and the rest of their supplies. Jack had also brought along his phone, even though it had long since lost its signal. It was now almost useless except for checking the time, but that was exactly what he needed today.

Once they knew how long the trip to the cave took, it would be easier to plan any future visits. After making sure all the supplies were secure, Megan started the CUEV and followed Gordon's directions into the wasteland. The ride in the cargo trailer was clearly much rougher than in the front seats. Every patch of loose rocks or uneven ground sent Jack bouncing up and down. Fortunately, the CUEV wasn't moving very fast, and the terrain was still passable.

Apart from the uncomfortable ride, they didn't run into any problems. About an hour later, Gordon pointed ahead.

"It's over there." Megan slowed down and followed his directions around several huge rocks. The cave entrance soon came into view. As soon as the CUEV stopped, Jack jumped out of the cargo trailer. He stretched his stiff, slightly numb body, then took out his phone and checked the time.

"A little over an hour." He couldn't help marveling at the difference.

"Having a vehicle really is convenient. It may be as slow as a turtle, but it's still better than walking. Before we had it, getting here from the convenience store probably would've taken us more than half a day." He even held up the phone for emphasis.

"Save the speech for later. Let's see if we can charge the car first." The three of them quickly got to work. Gordon unloaded the energy cell and placed it beside the Tesla. Megan retrieved the mobile connector from the car, plugged one end into the charging port, and handed the other end to Jack. Jack took the connector, still unsure whether this would work.

"No idea if this is going to work." He glanced at Megan.

"Guess we'll find out." Megan waited without rushing him. Jack plugged the connector into the energy cell. Once he was sure the connection was secure, he switched it on. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a faint light appeared on the previously dark touchscreen. A red critically low battery warning flashed onto the screen, followed almost immediately by a charging notification.

"It worked!" Megan instinctively threw her arms around Jack and kissed him on the cheek. Jack went still, clearly caught off guard by the sudden kiss. Megan, however, was completely focused on the touchscreen coming back to life and didn't seem to realize what she had just done. By the time he came to his senses, she had already let go. Jack touched the spot where she had kissed him but said nothing, simply turning his attention back to the screen.

"Now we just have to see how much charge it can hold." Megan could barely contain her excitement.

"As long as it reaches around twenty percent, we can drive it back. Once we get to the convenience store, we can charge it the rest of the way."

"Twenty percent is enough?" Jack asked.

"I thought we'd need at least half."

"Twenty percent should give us a range of around eighty to one hundred kilometers," Megan explained.

"We traveled at about thirty kilometers per hour, and it only took us a little over an hour to get here. That means the convenience store is at most a little over thirty kilometers away. Even if we have to take a few detours, twenty percent will be more than enough." That cleared up Jack's confusion. Gordon had been listening beside them.

"So all we have to do now is wait?"

"That's right," Jack said.

"Then why don't we go back to our old settlement and move some things?" Gordon suggested.

"It isn't far from here. With the CUEV, we should be there in no time. By the time we come back, the Tesla might have enough charge." Jack considered the suggestion. It certainly made more sense than waiting around at the cave.

"Good idea. Since we have to wait anyway, we might as well bring the fabric and anything else we can use over here first. We can load some into the Tesla and put the rest in the CUEV's cargo trailer, then drive both vehicles back together." Megan checked the charging status on the touchscreen. Everything appeared to be working properly. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Let's go, then." The trip from the cave to Gordon's former settlement was even shorter than they had expected. They arrived in less than ten minutes. As soon as the CUEV stopped outside the settlement, the three of them began moving the old fabric left behind. Jack had assumed they could take all the fabric in a single trip. But once they started moving it, he realized he had seriously underestimated how much Gordon had collected over the years.

Rolls and bundles of fabric of every size were piled throughout the settlement. Even after they filled the cargo trailer, a large amount remained in the ruins. Jack stood beside the fully loaded trailer and surveyed the fabric still scattered around the settlement.

"Just how much do you like collecting junk? No wonder Harvey couldn't stand you before." Gordon shifted awkwardly.

"I didn't realize I'd collected this much. Whenever I came across something that could still be used, I brought it back."

"You call this picking up a few things here and there?" Jack gestured toward the old fabric and rolls piled throughout the ruins.

"Were you planning to open your own fabric store?" Gordon had no answer. Megan urged them to get moving.

"All right, stop wasting time. Let's take this load back to the cave first. A few more trips should be enough to move the rest." Jack studied the fabric piled high in the trailer. They would still have to fit some of it into the Tesla later.

"Are you sure your car can hold this much?"

"It should be fine. My car is a Model Y. There's plenty of space inside, and the trunk can hold quite a lot." That only made Jack more curious.

"Why did you buy such a big car when you lived alone? I thought girls preferred smaller cars." Megan shot him an annoyed look.

"At the time, there was only a twenty-five-hundred-dollar difference between the Model 3 and the Model Y. They were almost the same length, but the Model Y had much more interior space and a much larger trunk. Which one would you have bought?" The explanation made perfect sense to Jack.

"So that's why." Megan waited for his answer, but Jack added with a perfectly serious expression, "I wouldn't have bought either one. I don't have a driver's license." Megan was speechless.

"Jack, shut up." Gordon pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh, but his shaking shoulders gave him away.

"If you want to laugh, just laugh," Jack said.

"Why are you holding it in?" Gordon finally burst out laughing.

"You two are really entertaining." Jack was about to respond, but Megan cut him off.

"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and move the fabric." Jack reluctantly kept quiet, picked up a roll of old fabric, and carried it toward the trailer. The three of them continued making trips between the settlement and the cave. It took them three trips in total to move all the old fabric that was still in relatively good condition. Back at the cave, Jack dropped onto a nearby rock and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"My God. We're finally done." Gordon began sorting the fabric piled on the ground, setting some aside for the Tesla's trunk and leaving the rest for the CUEV's cargo trailer. Megan went to check the Tesla's charging progress. A short while later, she came back with an update.

"It's charging more slowly than I expected. It's only at around five percent."

"Only five percent?" Jack asked.

"At this rate, we'll have to wait at least another three or four hours for it to reach twenty percent." Jack wasn't particularly worried.

"Then we'll wait. We've already finished moving everything anyway. Let's rest for a while and get something to eat." They took out the food and water they had prepared that morning and ate a simple lunch near the cave. Afterward, Gordon continued sorting the fabric while Megan checked the Tesla's charging status from time to time. Jack wandered around for a while, but with nothing else to do, he eventually found a shaded spot and sat down.

Just as boredom began to set in, a faint rustling came from outside the cave. Several Gray-Eared Jump Hares bounded out from behind the rocks. They had probably just returned from foraging. The moment they saw Megan, they seemed to recognize her and quickly hopped over. Megan's eyes lit up. She crouched down and petted the first Gray-Eared Jump Hare to approach. The others soon gathered around her as well. Some circled her feet, while others stood upright and gently touched her hand with their noses.

After watching for a while, Jack couldn't resist joining her. The Gray-Eared Jump Hares soon noticed him. They stopped to observe him for a moment, then seemed to sense something and approached on their own. One even hopped straight to his feet and looked up at him. Their reaction caught Megan by surprise. Jack was equally surprised, but he soon remembered his Basic Animal Affinity.

Gordon was still sorting the fabric nearby, so Jack waited until he was sure Gordon wasn't paying attention before leaning closer to Megan and quickly explaining how Animal Affinity worked. That explained it.

"No wonder they aren't afraid of you at all." Jack crouched down and stroked one of the Gray-Eared Jump Hares. Instead of pulling away, it leaned into his palm. As Jack watched the Gray-Eared Jump Hares gathered around them, an idea suddenly came to him.

"What do you think about bringing them back to the convenience store?" Gordon overheard him.

"What would you bring them back for?"

"To raise them, of course," Jack replied as if the answer were obvious.

"If we can get the Gray-Eared Jump Hares to reproduce near the convenience store, wouldn't that give us a steady source of meat?"

"You want to eat them?" Megan asked in alarm.

"What's wrong with that?" Jack said.

"People used to eat rabbit meat too. They're not that different from other animals raised for food, are they?" Megan glanced at the Gray-Eared Jump Hares gathered around her, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

"But I already know them so well. How could we…"

"I didn't say we had to eat these ones," Jack cut in, gesturing toward the Jump Hares around them.

"We can keep them and take good care of them. I mean, if they're willing to settle near the convenience store, they might attract other Gray-Eared Jump Hares." He continued, "Then we can take some from the other groups and raise them separately. That way, these ones will be safe, and we'll still have a steady source of meat. Wouldn't that work out perfectly?" Megan fell silent and looked at the Jump Hares by her feet again.

As long as they didn't eat the ones in front of her, the idea didn't seem quite as difficult to accept. People in the wasteland already hunted Gray-Eared Jump Hares. Raising them would clearly provide a more reliable source of meat than searching for them in the wild every time. After a moment, Megan accepted his reasoning.

"You have a point. We have water and food there, so we might be able to attract other groups." Gordon agreed as well.

"Gray-Eared Jump Hares reproduce quickly. As long as they have enough food, their numbers will grow in no time." Jack broke into a smile.

"Then it's settled. We'll bring them with us when we head back." Three hours later, the energy cell suddenly let out a rapid warning tone.

"Warning. Insufficient power remaining. Please recharge as soon as possible." The energy cell stopped supplying power, leaving the Tesla's battery at nineteen percent.

"Just one percent short of twenty," Jack said, sounding a little disappointed as he checked the touchscreen.

"That's already enough." Megan climbed into the driver's seat and tried to start the car. A faint hum followed, and the Tesla came to life. The touchscreen lit up as its functions returned one by one. After a quick check confirmed that everything was working properly, Megan smiled.

"We can drive it back." The three of them immediately began packing. Megan disconnected the mobile connector while Jack and Gordon loaded the old fabric into the Tesla and the CUEV's cargo trailer. They packed away the sleeping bags and food, then secured the drained energy cell firmly inside the trailer. Once everything was ready, Jack turned his attention to the Gray-Eared Jump Hares still gathered nearby.

"We're leaving. Do you want to come back with us?" The Jump Hares naturally couldn't understand him. They simply looked up at him, and one hopped forward to touch his pant leg with its nose. Jack had no idea whether that counted as an answer. He pointed toward the two vehicles, then beckoned in the direction of the convenience store.

"There's food and water over there. If you want to come, just follow us." He left them to decide and headed toward the CUEV. Since Megan needed to drive the Tesla back, Jack would have to drive the CUEV. Gordon took the back seat, and Jack settled into the driver's seat for the first time. As soon as he gripped the handlebars, he remembered the CUEV's route memory function. When the system first introduced the vehicle, it had explained that the CUEV would automatically record any route it traveled.

Since they had driven from the convenience store to the cave, the return route should already be saved. Jack began examining the control panel, only to discover that the function wasn't as simple to use as he had expected. The panel was filled with icons, and he selected the wrong one several times. One turned on the lights, while another displayed the remaining battery level and distance traveled. After fumbling with the controls for a while longer, he finally brought up the route they had taken.

Jack selected the return direction, and a simple set of directions appeared on the panel.

"Found it!" Jack breathed a sigh of relief. With the route guidance, all he had to do was follow the recorded path. Megan had already driven the Tesla out of the cave. She lowered the window and waved to him.

"Ready?"

"Ready." Jack started the CUEV and slowly followed the Tesla. To his surprise, the Gray-Eared Jump Hares really did follow them. They bounded along behind the CUEV without any sign of stopping. Jack smiled at the sight. And so, a Tesla brought back to life, a CUEV towing a trailer full of old fabric, and a group of Gray-Eared Jump Hares set off together for the convenience store.