Chapter 81: Luck on My Side

Chapter 81: Divine Fortune

Most importantly, leaving the radioactive object out in the open is far too dangerous. It must be found as soon as possible to put our minds at ease.

Everyone spoke with determination, forming small teams and dividing the area into zones for a thorough search.

However, before heading outdoors, everyone first tore their homes apart.

Some wondered why they needed to search their own houses—wasn’t the radioactive object supposed to be a meteorite that fell from the sky? Meteorites wouldn’t just land inside houses. If one did, it would surely leave a gaping hole in the roof. It was obvious—if the house was intact, there was no need to search inside.

Searching the rooftop would make more sense than scouring the indoors.

“The officials said that the radioactive object looks incredibly beautiful—a pale purple piece resembling a gemstone, glowing with an otherworldly sheen. Unsuspecting folks might easily mistake it for treasure and bring it home.”

“It might not have been brought in by our own family. It could have been accidentally snuck into shipments we purchased and unknowingly brought back.”

“It seems many radioactive objects look quite appealing. Remember that news report about someone finding a glowing chain at work? Thinking it was valuable and afraid others might notice, they panicked and stuffed it into a nearby shipment.”

“They planned to retrieve the chain after work and sneak it home.”

“But by the time their shift ended, they discovered the shipment containing the chain had already been transported—who knows where. There was no way to track it down.”

“The radioactive object traveled through logistics, affecting countless people along the way, until it ended up in a household. The entire family fell ill, and only after investigation was the culprit identified.”

“Also, it seems animals are quite fond of this gemstone. If you have pets like cats or dogs, they might mistake it for treasure and drag it back to their nests. Even without pets, you’d have to ensure there are no mice. Some small animals might still manage to carry it despite its size—who knows?”

“So it’s best to thoroughly check your home first.”

Even if money weren’t a factor, the effort would still be worth it.

After all, the reward was a million bucks—not split among the team, but given to each member of the registered search party. If a family formed a team, even a small household of three would mean three million bucks.

That’s no small sum.

Even if the odds seemed slim—searching an entire planet for one radioactive object felt like winning the lottery—most couldn’t ignore the risk.

It wasn’t just about the money.

Even without the reward, having a radioactive object at home without knowing would be like a death sentence—not just for oneself, but slowly poisoning the whole family.

How could anyone sleep soundly without a thorough search?

No matter how small the chance, no one dared to gamble.

Even those who’d rather veg out had to stay alert. Everyone sprang into action.

“At least the radioactive object is purple. If it were green, I’d freak out over every broken beer bottle on the street,” someone grumbled after hours of exhausting, sweaty searching.

True enough.

Tianlanxing [the planet] was vast, but thankfully, many were searching.

In recent days, despite the crushed remnants of the gemstone being completely inert—dead beyond revival—precautions were still taken. The remaining gemstone might have hidden itself or simply landed in soft ground like desert sand or swamp mud.

With the impact force, the gemstone could easily sink deep, buried out of sight.

Even scarier, if it fell into a river, lake, or sea, it would sink into the depths, lost forever. How could anyone find it then?

Even with a massive search effort, if it couldn’t be seen, it was useless. They couldn’t possibly scan every inch of seabed or dig up every patch of soil.

So, fueled by Amber Nectar and Memory Leaves, the scientists toiled relentlessly, developing a Roaming Gem-specific detector before things spiraled past the point of no return.

With these detectors, even if the gem was buried underground or submerged underwater, it could still be detected. Though underwater detection required diving due to distance limitations, it was still far more convenient than relying just on their eyes.

After developing the detectors, the scientists didn’t rest. Instead, they joined another team consisting of industry heavyweights focused on creating a locator specifically for the Roaming Gem.

Detectors could only identify the gem if it was nearby, making them relatively easier to develop but limited in practical use. The locator, however, was different—once operational, it could remotely pinpoint the gem’s exact location with precision.

But the locator’s development was far more challenging. Even with the aid of Amber Nectar and Memory Leaves, there was no guarantee it would be completed in time. So, the search efforts continued unabated.

The first batch of detectors was limited in number, but Sheng Qingquan managed to secure one.

From the very beginning of the search, Sheng Qingquan had lifted the restrictions using the imperial seal.

If someone capable of reading auras had been present, they would have seen his luck surge exponentially in an instant, reaching heights so blindingly radiant they were impossible to ignore.

The world’s darling, destiny’s chosen—this was him in essence.

Sheng Qingquan primarily relied on this overwhelming fortune to increase his chances of finding the Roaming Gem.

Otherwise, searching aimlessly across the vast expanse of Azure Star (the planet’s name) for something so small—how long would that take?

If not for the missing gem, by now, according to the original plot, the power would’ve gone dark.

But if things dragged on any longer, within days, the world would still descend into the chaos foretold in the story. So finding the Roaming Gem was a race against time.

After lifting the restrictions, Sheng Qingquan hit the jackpot every time—wherever he searched, treasures revealed themselves.

“A ruby this large and pure?”

“A lump of raw gold?”

“An egg from the endangered *Jiajia bird*?”

“A giant, umbrella-shaped lingzhi mushroom?”

...

He collected countless valuables but found none of what he truly sought.

Just as he began to doubt whether his luck wasn’t cutting it, Sheng Qingquan obtained the detector.

After checking three locations with it, while en route to the next, his mech suit in stealth mode flew low over Mingfeng City when suddenly, the detector lit up red and emitted a rapid *beep-beep*.

“The Roaming Gem is nearby?”

Below was a woodland park, filled with trees and a lake.

He guided his mech down and continued scanning with the detector. The further north he went, the red signal flared brighter. In other directions, the light dimmed.

This suggested the Roaming Gem was most likely to the north. He pressed forward until, beneath a towering tree, the detector blared a sustained alarm—the red light vanished, replaced by a steady green.

This meant the Roaming Gem had been found.

“I remember Professor Zhang saying that when the light turns green, the gem is within five meters.”

His eyes gleamed as he scoured the area.

His gaze swept over the blanket of leaves covering the ground. A few small pebbles lay scattered about, but their drab yellow-gray coloring marked them as ordinary stones—none were the Roaming Gem.

"Is it underground?"

"First, dig a 5x5 pit centered on where I'm standing. The gem's gotta be there."

With that thought, Sheng Qingquan raised the mechanical arm, morphing it into a shovel, ready to dig.

But before he could even dig in, his gaze suddenly shifted to the surrounding trees.

"Digging will topple these trees."

"But hey, they can always be replanted."

He could easily give these plants a boost, ensuring they not only survive after being replanted but thrive more.

So Sheng Qingquan paused—not out of fear for the trees' survival, but because a lightbulb went off in his head.

"Five meters—could be up, not just down!"

"These trees have such dense foliage—what if the gem is wedged in the branches? And that previous gem put someone in the hospital because it appeared at a distance. If this one popped into existence at the treetop, without gravity or speed, it would simply stay there, causing no damage."

Though Sheng Qingquan had shrunk the mech to just slightly larger than a human, it was still clunky in the woods. Climbing trees or flying upward was impossible—it would wreck the treetops.

So despite his urgency, he didn’t act recklessly.

Inspecting the trees? Easy.

Sheng Qingquan linked his senses to the tree before him, his perspective instantly shifting to its vantage.

As the tree, he could perceive everything about it—even a speck of a bug crawling on a tender leaf at the very top, nibbling away, was clear as day to him.

He made the leaf curl tightly, squashing the bug like a vice.

If he could see a speck of a bug, a gem the size of his fist? No way he'd miss it.

"Not in this tree."

Just as he was about to switch trees, he spotted a small bird’s nest perched on a forked branch in the canopy of the neighboring tree.

No eggs were inside.

Only a faint purple gem, smudged with grass and feathers, lay quietly there.

Even though it looked battered and dirty, Sheng Qingquan, having seen the real thing before, knew it at a glance—this was the Roaming Gem.

"Found it!"

He swiftly retracted the shovel from the mechanical arm and zapped the gem with a beam.

Like a pro, he sliced it cleanly in two. Sheng Qingquan had trained extensively in mech operation. Though he still didn’t dare pilot it solo into space, the beam was entirely his doing—fast and flawless. Not only did it split the gem, but it left everything else untouched.

After retrieving the fragments, just a nick in the bark remained where the gem had been.

The trunk beneath was unharmed.

This made Sheng Qingquan, already elated at finding the gem, smile even wider. He channeled a bit of energy into the tree, and the bark’s wound healed instantly, leaving the tree even more vibrant.

Though he was absolutely certain the Roaming Gem was destroyed, he considered the possibility—what if he was wrong? What if even shattered and ground to dust, the gem still had some juice left?

Therefore, Sheng Qingquan didn't rush to contact the authorities. Instead, while crushing the gem into finer pieces, he summoned his cheat ability.

"Qiankun Coins: +8,888."

Sheng Qingquan let out a sigh of relief. It worked after all.

At this thought, Sheng Qingquan didn't bother checking the newly appeared merchandise gifts and immediately sent the message back to reassure everyone.

Simultaneously, he himself piloted the mech back.

Only after submitting the gem powder did Sheng Qingquan finally have time to pay attention to the merchandise gifts.

A pale purple stone, about the size of an adult's fist, with shimmering light rippling across its surface—it was clearly no ordinary object.

He recognized it instantly, and his blood ran cold.

"Another Roaming Gem?!"