Chapter 105: The So-Called Treasure

“Xiaoyu, the base gate is about to open. Let’s go.” Zhao Meng walked into the tent and said to Qin Yu, who was resting with her eyes closed.

“Okay, I know. I’ll be out right away,” Qin Yu replied as she opened her eyes.

“Mm, all right. We’ll wait for you outside.” Zhao Meng finished and left.

Qin Yu stood up, smoothed out her clothes, and went outside.

The moment Qin Yu emerged from the tent, she saw the concerned looks on Wang Bing and the others’ faces. She smiled faintly and said, “I’m fine. Go pack up the tents. We’re getting ready to head back to the base.”

Wang Bing and the others nodded and began working. Meanwhile, Zhang Yang, seeing that Qin Yu was unharmed, came over and said, “Qin Yu, there were still some things we didn’t finish talking about last night. Would it be convenient?”

Qin Yu looked at Zhang Yang, who had a trace of longing in his eyes, and recalled that before the accident the night before, he had seemed to have something to say. So she nodded and agreed.

Zhang Yang and Qin Yu stepped aside, while the others stood at a distance, watching the situation.

“Qin Yu, tell me honestly—did you people get those treasures?” Zhang Yang said with a serious expression.

Qin Yu looked at the solemn Zhang Yang and smiled. “Do you even know what those so-called treasures are?”

Zhang Yang froze.

What were the treasures? He actually didn’t know. He had only heard from higher up that there were extremely important treasures there. As for what kind of treasures they were, he truly had no idea. Thinking of this, he helplessly shook his head.

Qin Yu wore an expression that said, as expected. Then she said, “Since none of you even know what the treasures are, why send people there? Or should I ask it another way—was the person who leaked the news to you someone you trusted completely?”

Zhang Yang shook his head again, then said rather helplessly, “All I know is that the information came from someone among the higher-ups. As for why they said there were treasures there, it was probably because that place was that person’s secluded residence. Thinking about it, how could someone like that not have hidden a few things away?”

“That person?” Qin Yu asked.

“Mm. I don’t know his real name, but his military codename was Zero. He was the creator of all modern firearms, and himself a genius of great renown. Many years ago, he took part in one of the country’s secret research projects, but for reasons unknown, he suddenly withdrew from the project fifteen years ago and vanished without a trace. We only discovered in recent years that he had been hiding in Kaiyuan Town. We originally wanted to find him, but then the apocalypse arrived, and the plan was shelved.

“A month ago, we received word that he was already dead. But he spent his whole life in Kaiyuan Town, and when we thought back to his sudden withdrawal fifteen years ago, along with the fact that one very important file had gone missing from the research, and that man was always a research maniac to begin with, we concluded he could not have simply lived there idly. He must have been researching something. So the higher-ups decided to go after his research results.

“Besides, given that man’s passion for firearms, he surely must have stored a great many there. Now that the apocalypse is upon us, a large number of scientists have gone missing, and with issues like raw materials and the like, firearms are becoming fewer by the day. Yet the zombies are growing stronger, and even the low-level ones are becoming more and more numerous. So the military decided to try their luck there.

“Still, even so, I always feel that the reason the higher-ups sent Chen Yang’s team was far more than that. But beyond this, I don’t know anything else.”

Hearing this, Qin Yu suddenly remembered that she seemed to have faintly overheard Chen Yang say something about that fellow’s treasure.

If the half-dead man in her spatial dimension was indeed the so-called Zero, then could she assume that the supposed treasure was actually Tao? After all, even after losing consciousness, that man still could not bring himself to lay a hand on Tao.

So, in truth, what the military had sent people to find was Tao, while those people still thought it was some priceless treasure?

Pfft.

At the thought of it, Qin Yu could not help laughing out loud. She truly looked forward to the expressions on those people’s faces when they learned the truth. Tsk—she would forgive herself for this little wicked taste.

Seeing Qin Yu fall into thought after hearing his words, Zhang Yang’s expression gradually grew grave as well. But Qin Yu, why were you suddenly laughing? And laughing so happily at that—didn’t she realize this was a very serious matter?

Zhang Yang’s face darkened in an instant. Qin Yu saw this and nearly laughed herself breathless. She patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t look so grim. It’s unbecoming. I was just thinking of something very amusing.”

“What thing?” Zhang Yang asked curiously. He muttered inwardly that only someone as usually composed as she was could laugh like that.

“Just something amusing. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand,” Qin Yu said, her faint smile returning, as though the one who had laughed so wantonly moments ago had been someone else entirely.

Zhang Yang looked at her and muttered under his breath, “As expected, women change their faces the fastest.”

“What did you say?” Qin Yu asked with a faint smile, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.

“N-nothing. I was saying the base gate should be opening soon. We should hurry over,” Zhang Yang said, then quickly strode away.

Watching Zhang Yang practically flee in defeat, the smile at the corner of Qin Yu’s mouth deepened. Hmm, she suddenly discovered that watching men change their expressions was rather fun.

And so it was that Qin Yu wandered farther and farther down the path of sly cunning, which in turn made Qing Li’s life all the more colorful in the years to come.

Returning to the present, Qin Yu slowly strolled over to Zhao Meng’s side. Wang Bing and the others had also finished packing and were waiting for the base gate to open.

Under everyone’s gaze, the great gate of the base slowly opened. Watching it part bit by bit, Qin Yu suddenly felt as if she had been cut off from the world for ages.

It had only been about half a month, yet she felt as though an entire century had passed. It was almost as if someone most important to her was inside, and she had unknowingly been away from him for far too long.

Qin Yu shook her head and gave a self-mocking laugh. She really was growing more and more fond of wild thoughts.

The others followed Qin Yu into the base. The people inside, seeing Qin Yu at the very front, all widened their eyes and began whispering among themselves.

“Look, the one in front is Qin Yu. I heard she’s amazing.”

“Mm, I know, and she’s so beautiful too. I really like her.”

“So strong and so beautiful—oh! Come into my arms already!”

“With a face like yours and you still want her in your arms? Why don’t you go take a look at yourself first?”

“Damn it, say that again?”

“Hmph!”

The discussion seemed to have veered off in a strange direction again.

Qin Yu looked at the base, seemingly long lost to her, and the smile on her lips became a little more genuine.

And in the villa not far away, Qing Li pressed a hand to her wildly pounding heart and looked toward the base gate, her face alight with excitement...