Chapter Forty: Woman, I Have Finally Discovered Your Intentions

The journey to the museum was surprisingly smooth; no zombies blocked their way, and the skyscrapers had already been bombed and collapsed. The real challenge lay in finding the museum’s location among the ruins.

They worked until nightfall, managing only to outline a rough area, and the excavation ahead promised to be even more difficult.

Spending the night camping on scorched earth was hardly romantic. Xu Nuo experienced firsthand the so-called glamour of lying on wasteland, staring at stars and moon as described in apocalyptic novels, and found it to be nothing but fiction. Only after actually lying down did she realize how disgusting and foul the ground smelled.

As a “guest,” Xu Nuo received special treatment—a sturdy tent, at least affording her some privacy. For her, this meant she could conveniently cook for herself.

Back at the base, she had her own room, and the servants only entered to clean. Xu Nuo had acquired many personal items, none of which had ever been discovered; life there was blissful. Now, even in a tent, she refused to compromise. She laid out all her daily necessities, so much so that the tent could barely contain her refined taste.

007 couldn’t help but comment, “Host, is it really necessary to be so particular?”

Xu Nuo nodded. “Of course. Whenever conditions allow, one should demand quality.”

Just then, the tent’s zipper suddenly slid down.

A servant outside, holding a tray of food, stared in bewilderment at the tent’s cluttered interior.

“...Um, delivering your meal?” Xu Nuo smiled as she took the food. “Thank you for bringing it, sister. Goodbye.”

The servant was stunned, but professionalism prompted her to explain and apologize. “I called for Miss Xu just now, but she didn’t answer. I thought no one was inside, so I came in on my own. Sorry.”

Xu Nuo was magnanimous. “It’s fine.”

The servant left, still shocked. 007 reminded her, “She just opened the zipper without notifying you.”

Xu Nuo was unconcerned. “I know.”

007 was curious now, having seen its host’s antics many times. It had learned to ask questions rather than doubt first. “Is she one of Sheng Ming’s attendants, sent to test you? You deliberately showed a flaw during the day to attract his attention?”

Xu Nuo shrugged. “Yes, but honestly, I just wanted a comfortable nap. They barged in so rudely, almost exposing all my secrets.”

007’s budding admiration withered instantly. Evidently, Xu Nuo had really slipped up this time.

007 asked, “How will you deal with Sheng Ming now? Doesn’t this ruin your previous act of ignorance?”

Xu Nuo replied, “Not at all. There’s a saying: ‘The bed will straighten out naturally when it reaches the bridge.’ I’m tired, I’ll sleep first. Wake me early tomorrow, little Seven.”

Xu Nuo slept soundly, blissful in her rest.

Meanwhile, Sheng Ming was anything but calm.

If the servant’s report was true, and Xu Nuo’s tent had suddenly filled with items that shouldn’t have existed, then the situation was grave. The self-heating hotpot that had appeared from nowhere during the day, and now the sudden heap of goods in her tent—it was hard to ignore. The ability to conjure so many items implied spatial abilities.

Xu Nuo had previously passed the instruments’ tests as an ordinary person without abilities, but there were ways to cheat those tests. She could have fooled everyone—she might actually be an ability user, a spatial one at that. What was her goal? She had hidden it so well, why reveal herself now?

If she had been pretending all along, her depth of cunning was terrifying. But if she was genuine, and someone had helped her evade detection, why hadn’t she slipped up during her days at the base given her carefree, clueless demeanor?

Another possibility: Xu Nuo had no abilities, but was secretly aided by someone yet undiscovered...

None of the theories matched the evidence or formed a logical chain. Sheng Ming had never been so mentally tangled because of a woman.

—

The next day, excavation began.

Xu Nuo, trailing behind as usual, had nothing to do and wandered the site, chatting with idle workers.

Those who had once ignored her—the servants especially—now seemed to have had a change of heart, suddenly treating her with warmth, eager to gossip and socialize.

Xu Nuo was mildly satisfied, indulging her curiosity.

007 worried, “Host, be careful not to let them trick you.”

Xu Nuo reassured, “I’m aware, don’t worry.”

Still, 007 couldn’t shake its concerns. This target was by far the hardest to win over. Whether it was the aloof Gu Xingze or the self-assured Lin Qisheng, both had quickly warmed to Xu Nuo, but Sheng Ming was different. Xu Nuo had been acting the fool for nearly half a month, yet his affection value had only risen by two points—a stingy sum.

—

Sheng Ming had people monitoring Xu Nuo’s movements as the excavation continued, but progress was slow.

The buildings above had been shattered, leaving only battered frameworks. The heavy debris buried artifacts below, and the team had to avoid further collapses while salvaging antiques without damage—a daunting task.

Watching their struggles, Xu Nuo, ever helpful, offered, “Let me help.”

“No need, Miss Xu, please rest.” Her teammates were terrified; at the base, Xu Nuo had a reputation for causing trouble. Letting her dig would spell disaster.

“No need to be polite, I really can help,” Xu Nuo insisted. “I can find the entrance to the underground storage.”

“What entrance?” They doubted their ears.

Xu Nuo replied, “The entrance to the underground vault where the antiques are kept.”

“How do you know where it is?”

“I worked here before,” Xu Nuo said with a straight face. “I used to be a cleaner at the museum for a while.”

In truth, her previous visit with Gu Xingze and the others had familiarized her with the museum.

—

“So, do you still remember where the entrance is?” They were skeptical.

“Of course. Leave it to me.” Xu Nuo patted her chest, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work.

She walked around the site with exaggerated seriousness, then stopped at a spot. “It’s here.”

Her teammates exchanged doubtful glances—her methods seemed utterly unprofessional.

But Xu Nuo seemed hypersensitive to others’ moods. “I’ve found the entrance. The vault is below. Now it’s up to you. Good luck!”

As she walked away, some couldn’t help laughing. They had actually counted on Xu Nuo—what were they thinking?

No one took her words seriously. Once she left, they resumed their work, ignoring her selected spot as nonsense.

Sheng Ming soon heard of Xu Nuo’s claim to have found the vault entrance.

A servant dutifully reported, “Master Sheng, that’s the situation.”

“Hmm...” Sheng Ming pondered, then ordered, “Dig at the spot she indicated.”

The servant was baffled—was Master Sheng losing his mind too?

—

“Sigh, why won’t they believe me? They’re deliberately avoiding my spot. At this rate, they’ll never find the entrance, even after a hundred years.” Xu Nuo watched them labor in vain, feeling genuinely anxious for them.

007 ventured, “I think, Host, if you didn’t tell them the location, their work would be more efficient.”

Xu Nuo frowned. “What do you mean, Seven?”

007 quickly hid, pretending to be offline.

—

However, the next day Xu Nuo noticed that the previously neglected spot was now crowded with workers. By noon, they had indeed found the entrance to the museum’s underground vault.

Due to collapsed walls, the structure below was complicated, and the entrance door was hard to break open with existing machinery.

This was the cue for the ability users to perform. Among them were metal and earth manipulators, both rather impatient and dismissive of the professionals’ instructions.

Most of the excavation crew were ordinary people; the ability users tended to be arrogant.

“Enough with the nagging, let’s get on with it.”

The professionals, helpless, began their work.

After half a day, they finally broke through an entrance.

Sheng Ming led his group below; it was clear he truly loved antiques.

Xu Nuo eagerly volunteered, “Master Sheng, I want to go with you!”

At this crucial moment, she was, of course, denied. Sheng Ming also assigned several people to stay with Xu Nuo, ostensibly to care for her, but in reality to monitor her.

“Tch, she only gets Master Sheng’s attention because she has a brother with abilities. She’s always clinging to him for presence.”

“She really should know her place. A toad lusting after a swan, thinking her tricks can win his favor?”

“We can all see it—Xu Nuo is after Master Sheng, trying to climb into his bed.”

“Just look at her. Does she deserve it? Our master is noble and wise, he sees right through her!”

Outside the tent, the servants gossiped energetically, until one peeked inside and found it empty.

“Where’s Xu Nuo?”

“Where did that... Miss Xu go?”

“Weren’t you watching her?”

“Nonsense, you were guarding the door just now!”

A living person had vanished, and despite a crowd at the entrance, no one could keep watch. They panicked.

—

The underground passage stretched seemingly without end. Before the apocalypse, the museum’s lower levels had been open for exhibitions, now transformed into a lifeless corridor.

Sheng Ming walked in the gloom. They didn’t dare light a fire, for the air below was limited. They had been inside for some time, yet hadn’t found the vault’s main door. Signs of collapse were everywhere, and the structure was unstable; the path could be buried at any moment.

“Master Sheng, time’s almost up…”

Before he could finish, the ground shook violently, soil and debris crashing down. The entrance they’d used collapsed most severely, sealing itself off in seconds, letting not a single ray of light through. Panic ensued—staff scattered, the air filled with the sounds of collapse, stampedes, and cries for help…

In the chaos, Sheng Ming recalled Xu Nuo’s face. In his memory, her naïve, innocent features slowly broke into a smile—stunning and unfamiliar.

Damn it, he’d fallen for her scheme. He had never been so foolish, knowing she was trouble, yet still caught off guard!

“Hey, Master Sheng, you’re still alive?”

Sheng Ming’s eyes snapped wide open. In the darkness, a slender silhouette appeared—Xu Nuo smiled innocently at him.

Not a memory—she was actually there!

Sheng Ming had no time to ponder how Xu Nuo came to be here. Instinctively, he summoned sparks at his fingertips.

“Hey, calm down,” Xu Nuo quickly soothed him. “Don’t use your powers recklessly, or you’ll trigger a total collapse and trap us forever.”

“Who are you, really?” Sheng Ming restrained his emotions, fixing Xu Nuo with an eerie calm.

“I’m just me—Xu Nuo.”

From their meeting to now, barely half a minute had passed. Xu Nuo immediately pulled out a flashlight, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day, then grabbed Sheng Ming and ran.

—

“Was this your doing?” Sheng Ming demanded.

Xu Nuo protested, “I swear, I just came down and found we couldn’t get back up. Right now, we need to escape—this stretch is about to collapse.”

“Hmph, don’t try to fool me.”

Xu Nuo dragged him along, racing against the collapse. Finally, they reached the vault’s main door.

Inside lay priceless antiques and treasures. The door was exceptionally sturdy, untouched by the collapse. Opening it quickly was nearly impossible.

Sheng Ming prepared to use his power, but Xu Nuo intervened. “Let me.”

She pulled out a knife—almost magically—cut a perfect circle in the door, big enough for a person to pass through, and with a clang, the metal disc fell away.

“Go! Let’s get inside!” Xu Nuo darted through, nimble as a cat.

Sheng Ming followed.

Once inside, Xu Nuo conjured the circular metal piece again, taping it over the hole.

“Phew…” Xu Nuo sighed in relief, “We’re safe for now.”

Sheng Ming surveyed the room. It was indeed the antique vault; with the power out, much was dusty and damaged.

But the situation was better than expected. Yet, something was wrong—the count of antiques didn’t match. Many had been taken, clearly recently.

“Let’s rest for a bit.” Xu Nuo collapsed on the floor, no longer caring for appearances. She’d lost her super-protective suit, unwilling to use her last one, so this trip had cost her dearly.

Sheng Ming looked directly at Xu Nuo. “Who are you, really? Why are you so determined to get close to me?”

Xu Nuo replied, “I’ve already introduced myself.”

Sheng Ming’s tone was forceful, grabbing Xu Nuo by the collar. “Answer me.”

“Don’t get rough,” Xu Nuo raised her hands. “I mean you no harm—I just saved you, didn’t I?”

“You’d better not test my patience!” Seeing her unaffected, Sheng Ming angrily let her go.

“We can’t get out for now. Let’s save our strength,” Xu Nuo said calmly, pulling out a lounge chair and immediately falling asleep, snoring.

“You!” Sheng Ming was speechless.

Outside, the collapse was nearly complete. Unlike Xu Nuo, Sheng Ming couldn’t relax. The vault had ventilation, meaning there could be another exit.

When Xu Nuo awoke, Sheng Ming stood in a corner, back turned, his movements urgent, doing something unknown.

“Hmm? Master Sheng, are you alright?” Xu Nuo approached, seeing him covered in cobwebs, dust, and debris. His once immaculate clothes were in disarray, his carefully styled hair messy. He was fussily fixing his appearance.

“Switch off the light!” Sheng Ming snatched the flashlight.

So protective of his image—Xu Nuo stifled a laugh. “Glad you’re okay. Aren’t we collecting antiques? Let’s grab them and leave soon; this place won’t last.”

“Leave?” Sheng Ming was in a foul mood. “You’ve found a way out?”

“Yeah, there’s a tunnel over there—it should still be intact.” Xu Nuo pointed casually.

This woman knew so much. For now, he’d let it pass, but once they were out… Sheng Ming’s eyes flashed sharply.

He carefully stored the remaining antiques in his watch-shaped spatial storage—a device created by the northern base after years of research, in cooperation with spatial ability users. Only the Sheng family possessed them, each one extremely precious.

But even such storage only provided a maximum of one hundred cubic meters, with usage restricted to ability users.

He confirmed only he and Xu Nuo were here. Xu Nuo must either be a spatial ability user or possess a device like his—but how could she have the northern base’s exclusive storage? Her having spatial abilities made more sense.

One hundred cubic meters was more than enough for these antiques. Still, Sheng Ming regretted arriving too late; those missing treasures might never be recovered.

Wait… He suddenly realized, “Xu Nuo, you’ve been here before?”

Xu Nuo admitted, “Yes.”

Sheng Ming pressed, “Did you dig that tunnel?”

Xu Nuo replied, “Half of it was me.”

Sheng Ming’s anger flared. “So, you took the missing antiques?”

Xu Nuo smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

Sheng Ming burst into laughter. “Ha ha ha… Very good…”

007 grew anxious. “Host, stop provoking him. He’s on the verge of losing control.”

Sheng Ming interrogated, “Why did you do all this?”

Xu Nuo answered, “For fun.” Back then, her livestream’s theme was treasure hunting; the audience loved it, tipped generously, and she was happy.

“Ha,” Sheng Ming fell silent for a moment, then his eyes gleamed. “I understand now.”

Xu Nuo asked, “Understand what?”

He smiled coldly, “I know your purpose. I underestimated you before, never guessed your aim was this… Going in circles, it’s still this…”

Now, even Xu Nuo felt uneasy at his manic demeanor. She asked the system, “Sheng Ming hasn’t gone mad, has he?”

007 replied, “No, not at all—his mood is actually very stable.”

Xu Nuo was puzzled. “What state is he in now?”

007 answered, “Extremely confident.”