Chapter 149 Dark Past Update + 40k Nutrient Solution Bonus

Chapter 149: Dark Past Update + 40,000 Nutrition Points Bonus Chapter

"It's you!" Yu Xing never imagined that the kind soul who had sponsored the original host's schooling at Seventh Middle School was none other than Miao Yuanjin's grandfather.

"Long time no see, child." Miao Pengwei's smile was warm and inviting, truly embodying the image of a benevolent elder.

Miao Yuanjin looked from her grandfather to Yu Xing, her eyes wide with surprise. "You two know each other?"

A sudden realization dawned on her. No wonder Grandpa had agreed so readily to help back then, even standing up to a Level 6 Saint.

"Have a seat," Miao Pengwei gestured for them to sit, then turned to Miao Yuanjin. "I've had your favorite snacks prepared. As for you, Little Yu, I'm not sure what you like. Feel free to ask for anything, and I'll have it arranged."

Yu Xing's mind was still reeling. She couldn't quite process whether the sponsorship for the original host's education at Seventh Middle School was a mere coincidence or something more...

"Come on, sit!" Miao Yuanjin tugged Yu Xing's hand, pulling her down onto the sofa.

Chairman Miao's office was surprisingly modest, with simple decor and no hint of extravagance. Judging by the style of the furniture and the wear marks from prolonged use, these pieces had clearly seen many years.

The most abundant items here were documents—paper documents.

In this era, few people still used paper documents. Firstly, electronic devices were far more convenient. Secondly, paper production consumed plant resources, a luxury for those living in the wasteland.

From what Yu Xing knew, Chairman Miao should be at least ninety years old. Yet, he stood tall, his eyes bright, his vitality surpassing even some younger individuals.

Once the three were seated, Miao Yuanjin pouted slightly. "Grandpa, do you not like me anymore? If it weren't for Yu Xing, you wouldn't have seen me this time, would you?"

Miao Pengwei gazed at Miao Yuanjin with tender affection. Lost in thought for a moment, he sighed deeply and beckoned her closer. "Come here, little one. Let Grandpa pat your head."

Miao Yuanjin immediately rose and trotted over, squatting before him with a playful pout.

Miao Pengwei gently ruffled her hair, a helpless smile on his face. "You're all grown up now, yet still so childish."

"I am not! I'm very mature!" Miao Yuanjin lifted her chin defiantly. "I graduated from the church, joined the Exploration Corps, and even worked as a Pollution Source Hunter. Oh, and I'm already a Level 2 Divine Blessed!"

She boasted proudly, "Who can match my rate of progression?"

Then she caught sight of Yu Xing beside her, and the rest of her self-praise caught in her throat.

Miao Pengwei listened quietly, but Yu Xing noticed a fleeting furrow in his brow.

Removing his hand from Miao Yuanjin's head, he picked up a snack box from the table and offered it to Yu Xing. "Have some."

Yu Xing looked down to find simple snacks inside—dried fruit, milk candy, and some biscuits.

She took a milk candy, while Miao Yuanjin chimed in, "The dried fruit is really good. It's my favorite."

After both had taken snacks, Miao Pengwei also picked up a milk candy. He unwrapped it, placed it into his mouth, and closed his eyes slightly, savoring the flavor.

"I heard Yuanjin gave you a game," Miao Pengwei said casually, as if making small talk. "Have you played it?"

"I have," Yu Xing replied, feeling an inexplicable tension in his presence.

"Did you enjoy it?" he asked. "Which coordinates did you choose?"

Before Yu Xing could answer, Miao Yuanjin interjected, "Grandpa, you wouldn't believe it—I told her to find me in the game, but she didn't even ask for my coordinates! She just picked some remote location in the East Asian corner, thousands of miles from me..."

Hearing this, Miao Pengwei turned to Yu Xing with curiosity. "Why did you choose that location?"

The question was tricky to answer, but it suddenly reminded Yu Xing of something else. She asked, "Chairman Miao... who designed the world map in the game?"

"I did," Miao Pengwei answered without hesitation. "I started designing this game twenty years ago. Every detail in it carries my effort."

Yu Xing's heart raced. Did that mean Miao Pengwei was truly someone from the same era?

Suppressing her excitement, she pressed further, "Then why did you design the map that way?"

Miao Yuanjin shot Yu Xing a puzzled look. Wasn't she here to ask about that strange symbol? Why was she so fixated on the game map now?

Glancing at her grandfather, she noticed how unusually kind he seemed today, despite his usual sternness.

"Well..." Miao Pengwei paused, then smiled. "It's not that I designed the map this way—it's that the world was originally like this."

"What?" Yu Xing was stunned.

"Wait here." Miao Pengwei stood and walked to a bookshelf. After searching briefly, he retrieved a rectangular box.

Placing it on the desk, he carefully opened it and pulled out something—a worn, folded piece of paper.

With utmost care, he unfolded it on the table and motioned for them to come closer. "Take a look."

Yu Xing approached, and her eyes widened in amazement. The paper bore a world map.

"A world map?" Miao Yuanjin stared at the writing on it. "This is..."

"This is a relic from the Old Era. People today no longer have the capability to create a world map," Miao Pengwei explained.

"Oh my God." Miao Yuanjin was dumbfounded. "So this is what the world really looked like?"

Miao Pengwei patted her head again. "In the Old Era, humans were everywhere on this planet. But after the disaster, we were forced to retreat behind walls, like livestock. That vast world, that freedom... gone forever."

His eyes seemed to glisten with moisture.

"Do you understand?" Miao Pengwei suddenly locked eyes with Yu Xing. "Do you think humans should live like this?"

Yu Xing hesitated. She had never considered such a question.

"I... haven't thought about it," she admitted.

"Then have you thought about what kind of life you want in the future?" he asked.

This, Yu Xing had pondered. "I want to be wealthy, to live in a big house with my grandmother and brother, and to have many friends..."

"But none of that is guaranteed," Miao Pengwei said. "Destruction could come at any moment. Just like with the Twenty-Five Cities—no one knows if the next second will bring annihilation."

Yu Xing's pupils contracted slightly. She didn't understand why he was suddenly saying this, but she grasped his meaning. This world was dangerous. Pollution incidents could strike anytime, and no one could ensure their own or their loved ones' safety.

"I can guarantee it," Yu Xing held his gaze, as if answering him—or perhaps herself. "I will make it happen."

Miao Pengwei gave a faint smile and didn't pursue it further. Instead, he pointed to the East Asian corner on the map. "Actually, the location you chose is excellent. We're right here now. Most of us are descendants of the people from this area."

"Really?" Miao Yuanjin examined the spot curiously. "But the books say that during the Old Era, people were everywhere. This wasn't the most populous area—why did only people from here survive?"

Miao Pengwei gazed at the map. "Strictly speaking, after the Old Era, people from here never went elsewhere again. So we can't be sure if others survived outside."

Yu Xing agreed. Tomorrow Village was proof. The world is vast—it was entirely possible that people still lived elsewhere. Perhaps other regions had even formed their own federations.

Miao Yuanjin seemed to have a realization. "Grandpa, during our field exercise, on the way..."

"Ahem," she coughed twice, raising her voice to drown Miao Yuanjin out, and asked, "Why did you help me get into Seventh Middle School back then?"

That happened? Miao Yuanjin immediately forgot everything else, gaping at Yu Xing and her grandfather.

"Because I thought you..." Miao Pengwei said, "looked like someone I knew."

"Who?" Miao Yuanjin was even more curious than Yu Xing. "Have I met them?"

"She..." Miao Pengwei looked nostalgic. "Someone I met when I was very young..."

As he spoke, the office door was pushed open, and the same beautiful woman from earlier walked in carrying a teapot.

All three went quiet.

The woman approached with the teapot, considerately pouring tea for them.

Miao Yuanjin suddenly frowned, making a face. Yu Xing recognized this look—it was the same one Miao Yuanjin wore when encountering pollutants.

Yu Xing's eyes darted, and she abruptly turned to look at the woman, only to catch her quickly averting her eyes—had she been... watching Yu Xing just now?

Yu Xing felt a strange familiarity. Though this was their first meeting, the woman inexplicably gave her a sense of déjà vu.

Had this happened right after her transmigration, Yu Xing might have written it off as her imagination. But after all she'd been through, she was no longer that naive.

Yu Xing suddenly jumped up, pointing at the woman and muttering, "Avada Kendagua."

The woman looked horrified as she scrambled up to the ceiling at an impossible speed, clinging to the top of the study like a human spider.

"What the hell?!" Miao Yuanjin jumped in fright. "What is that?!"

The woman clung to the ceiling, waiting for lightning that never came, then turned a bewildered gaze toward Yu Xing.

Now certain, Yu Xing didn't hesitate. She drew the Sword of the Lake and chucked it at the woman with everything she had. The sword flew like a meteor toward its target.

The woman's pupils trembled as she barely managed to gasp, "Wait—"

"Thunk—"

The sword buried itself into the wall with a piercing sound.

Looking closer, they saw the Sword of the Lake pinned to the ceiling, piercing what looked like the woman's skin. Miao Yuanjin froze. She immediately shielded Miao Pengwei behind her and shouted, "Help! Where are the guards—?!"

"That's enough!" A strange woman appeared to Yu Xing's left, staring at her in terror. "Can you just listen—?"

Yu Xing wasn't about to listen. Countless movies and shows had taught her one thing: never listen to the villain's speech during a fight.

She stepped onto the sofa, propelling herself several feet into the air. Grabbing the hilt of the Sword of the Lake, she landed and charged at the woman with an earth-splitting stance.

The woman finally lost it, yelling, "Yu He, are you just going to watch?!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Yu Xing's shadow twisted beneath her. A single eye opened in the inky darkness, darting around suspiciously before a pair of black hands emerged, grabbing Yu Xing's ankles.

Her legs immobilized, Yu Xing toppled forward.

"Ugh!"

She hit the ground but felt no pain. Yu He had appeared beneath her at some point. As she fell, he swiftly moved to twist her arms.

The last time they'd met, Yu Xing had been reeling from too many hits, her mind a mess.

But later, she'd decided: no matter what state Yu He was in, no matter his motives, the next time they met, she'd capture him. Tie him up, lock him in a dark room. He wouldn't see the light of day again until he came clean.

With that thought, Yu Xing whispered in Yu He's ear, "You're in trouble now."

Yu He froze. The next second, Yu Xing pulled out the Undead Necklace. She was about to put it on and possess Yu He—then he'd have no escape.

But just then, Miao Pengwei, pressed against the wall by Miao Yuanjin, shouted, "Enough! Everyone, stand down!"

The peeled woman, Feng Ju, pointed at Yu Xing, gasping for air. "She started it!"

"Xiao Yu," Miao Pengwei said sternly. "Let him go."

Yu Xing: "?"

In her moment of confusion, Yu He released her arm, pushed her aside, and stood up, moving to Miao Pengwei's side with Feng Ju.

Miao Yuanjin: "???"

"What's going on?" Miao Yuanjin's mind was a whirl of questions. "Grandpa, you know them?"

Miao Pengwei pushed his granddaughter aside, frowning. "At your age, still so easily spooked? Do you think just anyone can wander in here?"

"But they..." Miao Yuanjin pointed at the two in shock. "They're polluted..."

Halfway through her sentence, she noticed something else. "Wait—why does this one look so much like Yu Xing... Hold on, isn't this her brother? Yu Xing! We found your brother!"

Yu Xing, scrambling up, her eye twitched. Yeah, no kidding.

"You two, out," Miao Pengwei said to Yu He and Feng Ju. "We have things to discuss."

As they turned to leave, Yu Xing blocked their path. "Hold it!"

She glared at Yu He. "You're not getting away this time!"

Beside them, Feng Ju sneered, "Oh? Think you can stop us?"

Yu Xing raised the Sword of the Lake at her. "Say one more word. I dare you."

Feng Ju shrank back—clearly, she was all talk. For some reason, Yu Xing had her number. Against anyone else, she'd never felt so powerless...

Out of options, Feng Ju turned to Yu He and snapped, "Say something already!"

Yu He's brow furrowed. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, everything went black.

Not just for him—for everyone. Earlier, Yu Xing's strike with the Sword of the Lake had damaged the ceiling. Now, it finally gave way, collapsing with a thunderous crash and plunging them into darkness.

"Ahhhh!!!"

Miao Yuanjin's frantic voice rang out in the dark. "What's happening?! Grandpa, are you okay?!"

"Yu He! Yu He! *cough cough*..." Feng Ju's shouts added to the chaos. "Where are you? Let's get out of here while we can!"

"Get off me! I can't breathe..." came Miao Pengwei's feeble protest.

"Sorry, Grandpa..."

By the time the security bots arrived and light returned to the office, the situation became clear.

Miao Pengwei was pinned to the wall by Miao Yuanjin, who spread her arms like wings, shielding a monkey statue behind her. Feng Ju cowered by the door. Yu Xing stood in the corner, and at her feet lay Yu He, trussed up.

"Yu He!" Feng Ju pointed at Yu Xing, "Release him!"

Yu Xing gave her a cold glance, brandishing the Sword of the Lake as if ready to charge forward.

"Don't come any closer!" Feng Ju let out a shriek, pressing herself against the wall before scuttling away spider-like.

It took a while for the robots to clean up the study and replace the lighting.

But their earlier conversational mood had vanished for good...

On the sofa, Miao Yuanjin and Yu Xing sat ramrod straight beside each other. Miao Yuanjin glanced at Yu He on the floor, then at Yu Xing's calm face, and finally at her grandfather, who was taking deep drags from his cigarette. She felt like an outsider.

"Just now..." Miao Yuanjin broke the silence, "Where were we?"

Yu Xing lowered her head and scratched her hair—the thread of their conversation escaped her.

But whatever she'd forgotten clearly wasn't crucial. Yu Xing had always kept her purpose for coming here firmly in mind.

"Chairman Miao," Yu Xing produced a diary page from her storage bag, "This is why I came today. Yuan Jin said you had matching diagrams in your collection. Can you tell me the origin of this pattern?"

Miao Pengwei reached out and took the paper from Yu Xing's hand.

He studied it intently for a long time before finally saying, "Of course."

Truth be told, Miao Yuanjin was also curious. What did this pattern represent? Why would Yu Xing risk danger just to ask her grandfather about it?

At the same time, she found the whole scenario bizarre. Usually, when adults discussed such topics, they would ask her to leave. But today, no one had dismissed her—her grandfather and Yu Xing were engaged in grave discussion, yet she was allowed to stay.

Miao Pengwei, his gaze growing distant as he contemplated the pattern, seemed to be seeing through the paper into the far past.

"The first time I saw this pattern was when I was six," Miao Pengwei said softly, a faint smile unconsciously forming on his lips. "It was the dawn of the New Era, the darkest time for humanity. Someone took me in and fought for our survival together in that darkness. It was from her that I first saw this pattern."

"Who?" Miao Yuanjin knew her grandfather had lived through that darkest era, but she had never heard about his past experiences. Had someone so powerful once been protected and raised by another?

"This is someone you both know," Miao Pengwei said. "Her name was Ku Lan."

For a moment, both Yu Xing and Miao Yuanjin sat thunderstruck.

"Ku Lan?!" Miao Yuanjin's thoughts whirled. "The first Divine Chosen who led humanity in establishing the Federation?"

Yu Xing recalled her distinctly—Ku Lan had been mentioned in the very first lesson she attended at the church.

The first Divine Chosen in human history, the first Moon God Chosen. She had guided humanity through the darkest and most desperate times, led the establishment of the Federation, and was finally welcomed into the divine realm by the Moon God. She was immortalized in the annals as mankind's everlasting guiding light.

She was someone revered by all humans, all Divine Chosen—especially the Moon God Chosen.

"My God," Miao Yuanjin was nearly speechless. "Grandfather... you were really raised by Saint Ku Lan?"

Miao Pengwei smiled. "I've only told you this. Even your father and uncles don't know."

Some magical sigil of Ku Lan's? But Ku Lan had long since left this world. Yu Xing pressed, "Then do you know why this pattern appeared? What does it do?"

"I don't know. I never noticed its significance before Ku Lan passed away. The only reason I have this pattern in my album is to keep some memento of her." Then, Miao Pengwei's tone shifted. "But later, after Ku Lan's death, the Federation began researching what she left behind. This pattern was also studied. We discovered that drawing it with blood calls forth something... otherworldly."

Yu Xing was about to ask what kind of otherworldly thing when Miao Yuanjin burst out, visibly upset, "Grandfather, what are you saying? Saint Ku Lan didn't die—she was welcomed into the divine realm!"

Miao Pengwei lifted a staying hand. "Don't speak for now."

"Why can't I speak?" Miao Yuanjin's voice grew louder. "Why won't you answer my question?"

Miao Pengwei took a deep breath, his expression darkening. "If you can't control yourself, leave."

Miao Yuanjin's face cycled between red and white, tears coursing down her cheeks.

"What kind of otherworldly thing?" Yu Xing pressed.

"You don't know?" Miao Pengwei parried, then elaborated, "Something beyond the ordinary. Do you know what in this world is beyond the ordinary?"

Yu Xing wanted to say that this world was already inherently extraordinary relative to Earth.

Then she realized something and frowned. "You mean... the Corruption? And... the Divine Chosen?"

"After the New Era, the Purple Moon and the White Moon have been influencing this world. Though invisible, you should be able to sense it—the power of the Purple Moon and the White Moon suffuses every corner of this world."

This explanation... When Yu Xing first became a Divine Chosen, Bai Qinghe had told her something similar. The Corruption of the Purple Moon was everywhere—though invisible, it filled every crevice of the world.

Back then, Bai Qinghe had only mentioned the Purple Moon, but Miao Pengwei spoke of both the Purple Moon and the White Moon.

The White Moon... This was the first time Yu Xing had heard this term. Usually, it was reverently referred to as the Moon God.

She glanced at Miao Yuanjin and saw fury burning in her eyes. If not for her desire to stay and listen further, Miao Yuanjin would have loudly refuted and accused her grandfather of blasphemy against the Moon God.

So it wasn't just the Corruption of the Purple Moon that was omnipresent—the Moon God's power was too?

Seeing Yu Xing's growing understanding, Miao Pengwei continued, "Whose blood is used to draw that pattern, the extraordinary power will flow toward that person, suffusing their being with that power..."

"Wait," Yu Xing interrupted. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean you could create Divine Chosen?"

Miao Pengwei gave a derisive smirk. "In theory, yes. But in reality, all results ended in abominations—twisted into ravenous beasts."

Yu Xing asked, "Is it because the Purple Moon's power is stronger?"

"The Purple Moon is stronger?" Miao Pengwei's expression became inscrutable. He didn't pursue the topic, instead saying, "Did you know? In the early days of the Federation, when technology was just recovering, we once entertained restarting the space program. To study the cosmos, and also... to investigate the Purple Moon and the White Moon..."

His words grew vague, and Yu Xing detested cryptic talk. She said sternly, "Could you speak plainly?"

Miao Pengwei went quiet. After a long pause, he said, "There are some things even I don't fully understand."

With that, he stood and slowly walked to a painting hanging on the wall. Miao Pengwei moved the painting aside, revealing a hidden safe behind it. Opening the safe, he withdrew a modest case and carried it back to Yu Xing, handing it to her.

Yu Xing accepted the box, bewildered. It wasn't large—only about two handspans across.

"What is this?" Yu Xing asked, about to open it.

"Not yet," Miao Pengwei stayed her hand. "Open it only after you leave, in a safe place."

Then he turned to Miao Yuanjin. "Leave. I have something to discuss privately with Yu Xing."

Miao Yuanjin shot him a venomous look. Miao Pengwei's voice took on an edge. "Do you want me to throw you out?"

Miao Yuanjin had never imagined facing such treatment—especially by her beloved grandfather. Somehow, she suddenly remembered the stories about her aunt, Miao Nianzhen. The elders had said that her aunt had once been her grandfather's favorite child...

"Hmph!" Miao Yuanjin snorted loudly and stormed from the room.

Now, only Yu Xing and Miao Pengwei remained in the room, along with the unconscious Yu He on the floor.

Miao Pengwei stared deeply at the closed door, his throat working. His usually calm expression finally started to fracture.

"There's something I'd like to ask for your help with," Miao Pengwei pleaded, looking at Yu Xing.

Yu Xing was surprised. Chairman Miao, a heavyweight in the Federation, would actually plead like this? She said, "Go ahead."

"I don't know what this world will become in the future, or whether my company will even survive," Miao Pengwei said. "I'm asking you, if possible, to keep Yuan Jin safe no matter what."

...

Yu Xing walked out of the office, clutching the box in one hand and dragging Yu He with the other.

Before she left, Miao Pengwei hesitantly told her one last thing.

"There's something that might be useful to you," Miao Pengwei said to Yu Xing as she reached the door. "In my memory, Kulan is different from the other Moon God Chosen."

Yu Xing countered, "Meaning what?"

"You've met quite a few Divine Chosen. Perhaps you've noticed how fragile the current Moon God Chosen are. You might want to think about how such fragile Moon God Chosen led humanity to establish the Federation during the dark early days of the New Era..."

Yu Xing was pondering the meaning of his words when Miao Yuanjin suddenly burst in. Her eyes red, she glared at Yu Xing and demanded, "What did the old man tell you?"

From "Grandpa" to "old man" in an instant.

"Oh, he asked me to protect you," Yu Xing answered truthfully.

"You're lying!" Miao Yuanjin fumed. "He'd never say that crap. He's a traitor to the Moon God! He was raised by the Moon God Chosen, yet he betrayed the Moon God..."

Miao Yuanjin ranted bitterly in Yu Xing's ear, who just took it, unable to comprehend the feeling of worshipping a deity as one's sole faith.

"I shouldn't have brought you to see him," Miao Yuanjin concluded. "He's probably tainted already by the evil god!"

Yu Xing retorted, "Then why don't you Purify him?"

"..." Miao Yuanjin was stumped, because she hadn't sensed any corruption on her grandfather.

Still, Yu Xing had to admit Miao Yuanjin wasn't wrong. Miao Pengwei had clearly struck some kind of deal with Yu He and the others. And Yu He and Feng Ju were hardcore devotees of the evil god, so it was possible Miao Pengwei had been corrupted.

But judging by Miao Pengwei's words, he didn't seem to hold any reverence for the Purple Moon either. Yu Xing couldn't figure out his stance.

As they reached the end of the hallway, a nearby door cracked open slightly. Feng Ju whispered through the gap, "Let Yu He go!"

Yu Xing glanced through the crack.

Feng Ju: "He's your brother! How can you treat him like this?"

"This door," Yu Xing sneered, "One thrust and I'd skewer this door."

"..."

"Shut the hell up!" Miao Yuanjin kicked the door, sending it crashing. "I'm in a bad mood!"

The door closed, and silence fell inside.

Miao Yuanjin pointed at Yu He and asked Yu Xing, "How are you taking him out?"

Yu Xing thought it was simple. She took out the Undead Necklace, turned into an undead, and possessed Yu He. Soon, Yu He stood up and said to Miao Yuanjin, "Easy—we'll stroll right out."

Miao Yuanjin stared at her, biting her lip, then tugged at Yu Xing's arm and whispered, "Gimme that necklace?"

"What for?" Yu Xing asked.

"I want to possess my dad," Miao Yuanjin murmured, her voice mosquito-small.

Yu Xing admired her idea. "You want to experience being a dad?"

"Huh? Get real!" Miao Yuanjin said exasperatedly. "I want to become my dad and go to the old man's side to figure out what he's really thinking."

"No," Yu Xing refused flatly. "What if you lose the necklace? Do you know how precious this is?"

The two squabbled as they left Eternal Entertainment. Employees watched as the young mistress walked arm-in-arm with a handsome young man, whispering about who this guy was. Was he from the company? Why hadn't they seen him before?

Once in the car, Yu Xing urged Miao Yuanjin to hurry back to the clinic. She was itching to see what was inside the box.

As they drove through District C, Yu Xing caught Miao Pengwei's mug on a massive billboard.

"Hey!" Yu Xing jabbed Miao Yuanjin's shoulder. "Look!"

Miao Yuanjin turned her head just as the screen switched to an emergency news broadcast.

"...Today, the Federation's prosecutor's office uncovered a shocking case of human experimentation, rescuing over a hundred victims..."

As the anchor spoke, footage appeared of a group of freakish people—some with deformed bodies, others half-human, half-plant. Yu Xing even spotted the little girl from the research center—the one who had told her where her grandmother was and whom she had rescued from Floor B23.

"...Eternal Entertainment's Chairman Miao Pengwei is suspected of funding the experiments. If confirmed, he will face multiple charges, including crimes against humanity..."

"Bullshit!!" Miao Yuanjin's furious scream nearly blew out Yu Xing's eardrums. "Absolute bullshit!!!"

Yu Xing frowned, recalling the pained, reluctant look in Miao Pengwei's eyes after Miao Yuanjin had left the office...

"Calm down," Yu Xing said, digging her fingers into Miao Yuanjin's shoulders.

Miao Yuanjin was freaking out. "I can't take you back to the clinic. I need to go home. You... go back on your own..."

They were already in District C, so Yu Xing took the bus and quickly returned to the clinic.

Carrying the box, she walked in. Jiang Hui did a double-take at her and asked, "Here for a check-up?"

Then he suddenly paused. "Huh? You look... Yu Xing?"

"It's me," Yu Xing said.

Jiang Hui stared at her in disbelief. "Did you get a sex change? Not bad—you clean up nice as a dude."

Yu Xing shot him a death glare. She wasn't in the mood to argue. Placing the box on the table, she wondered what was inside.

Just then, an arm slung around her neck. Jiang Hui whistled. "Hey, buddy, was that chick who got ceiling-smacked last time the one you really liked? Did you change genders for her?"

Yu Xing bit her tongue—for about two seconds—then snapped.

Through gritted teeth, she said, "One more wisecrack, and I'll possess you and have you volunteering for bottom surgery at the hospital."

"..."

Finally, silence. Yu Xing carefully prized open the box a sliver, then bent down and eyeballed the gap to peer inside.

A weird smell leaked out—one Yu Xing often smelled on old objects.

She jiggled it carefully. Sounded like more than one thing inside. Confirming there were no ticking bombs, she flipped the lid open.

Then, to her surprise, she found that there were indeed two very old items inside.

Their design and craftsmanship were unlike anything from the Federation. One was a cylindrical object, while the other looked like an electronic device—somewhat similar to a terminal, but more like… a phone. The remaining flecks of paint were pink, which didn't seem like something Miao Pengwei would own.

"Huh? What's this?" Jiang Hui peered curiously from the side. "Where did you get this?"

"You know what this is?" Yu Xing asked.

"Of course. This is a communication device from the Old Era. After the New Era, tech took a different path, and now we all use terminals." Jiang Hui sounded fascinated. "This is an antique—worth a fortune. You wanna sell it? I can connect you with buyers."

Yu Xing pressed a few buttons on the device, but there was no response. Frowning, she muttered, "Is it out of power or broken?"

"Totally busted. I mean, it's an antique." As Jiang Hui spoke, he placed the device on a wireless charging pad.

Suddenly, the device lit up, displaying four words:

"Charging in progress"

"..."

Yu Xing shot Jiang Hui a look, and he muttered a curse. "It's in crazy good condition..."