Chapter 13: Digging Something Up

On the other side, Jiang Xiaoya had no idea she was trending on the hot search, nor that unknown netizens were distorting her image and hurling various insults at her.

Well, although she didn't really have much of an "image" to speak of.

She was still scavenging through the Sea of Trash.

After a full hour, she hadn't managed to find a single thing.

The stench of the Sea of Trash had nearly knocked her unconscious at one point, but she refused to give up.

She truly didn't believe that in such a massive Sea of Trash, there wouldn't be a single piece of junk.

However, reality proved otherwise. Forget one hour—even after digging for two, Jiang Xiaoya had only unearthed a single piece of rusted scrap metal, which had likely only survived because its color was similar to the surrounding ruins.

Jiang Xiaoya tossed the lightweight scrap into her gunny sack, glanced up at the scorching sun that felt capable of steaming a person alive, slammed her shovel into the ground, and pulled off her gas mask.

She couldn't go on; she needed to find a place to rest.

If she stood any longer, she’d end up buried herself.

In the livestream room, the fifty to sixty thousand viewers felt a wave of disappointment seeing that after more than two hours of digging, Jiang Xiaoya had only found a piece of scrap metal.

As the saying goes, the higher the hope, the greater the disappointment.

The bullet comments collectively began to vent.

[I was just eating, and my dad slapped the back of my head asking if I was crazy. Other people watch food vlogs to enjoy their meals, but I watch someone scavenge trash while I eat. I don't know why I'm so stupid, watching someone dig through ruins for two hours.]

[Jiang Xiaoya finding human remains before was just luck. When it comes to actual scavenging, she’s truly hopeless.]

[Exactly! Look at Zhou Yuyu next door. She entered the sorting station and picked up several sacks of stuff. Even the other contestants who didn't enter the sorting station found plenty of strange and valuable scrap. Only Jiang Xiaoya found nothing but a piece of rusted iron.]

[With just this junk, she's the number one ranked streamer? Top fifty on the platform? There must be inside info.]

[No skills, no looks—why are fifty or sixty thousand people watching her dig holes like a startled roe deer?]

[Don't make such a fuss. Jiang Xiaoya gained so much hype from finding those dismembered remains; she definitely attracted a huge crowd of fans. As long as she manages it well and keeps them, she could become an influencer.]

[From the looks of it, she doesn't seem able to keep them.]

[You don't even need to "look at it that way"—she'll fall from the number one spot very soon.]

On the other side, Zhou Yuyu asked an older female employee where the restroom was. Taking advantage of her bathroom break, she pulled out her phone to watch the livestream. Naturally, she saw the comparison between her reputation and Jiang Xiaoya's, and she was so happy she nearly burst out laughing inside.

Jiang Xiaoya's hype would fade sooner or later; she had predicted this long ago. As for whether Jiang Xiaoya could retain her fans before the hype died down?

How could a fresh college graduate from a poverty-stricken family understand how to operate a brand and retain followers?

She would soon become a mere ripple in the internet—a flash in the pan that leaves no trace.

.

Jiang Xiaoya didn't let her rest time go to waste; she had to find a way to scavenge.

After some thought, she realized she couldn't just dig on the outskirts. Who knew how many scavengers had already swept through the perimeter? What would be left?

Having thought it through, Jiang Xiaoya quickly headed toward the back mountains. When she wandered to the desolate area at the foot of the crumbling ruins, she indeed saw many plastic bottles. After briskly picking them up and tossing them into her sack, she put her gas mask back on and began digging vigorously with her shovel.

Right at that moment, a system notification rang out.

[Ding! Valuable item detected. Valuable item detected...]

The shovel Jiang Xiaoya had just thrust into the ruins tilted, and her bent body nearly toppled over.

She slowly straightened her back, scanning the surrounding mountains of trash. After confirming that no familiar red blood mist had appeared, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

It made sense. The system's notification didn't necessarily have to be something as bloody as human tissue. The killer she encountered by the seaside last night was an exception; the most crucial factor was the bounty behind it.

Well, although the danger level of a killer who dismembers people and the human tissue itself weren't much different.

But this time, it was broad daylight in the middle of the wilderness; she couldn't afford to have such a dangerous person show up again.

Therefore, in conclusion, the system's notification was simply related to "value."

As the saying goes, fortune is found in danger. If she actually dug up a real treasure or an antique, wouldn't she strike it rich?

Having thought it through from every angle, Jiang Xiaoya began to feel restless again.

Let's go!!

Jiang Xiaoya put on her gas mask and began digging with all her might.

After another hour of digging, her arms gradually became sore and numb when she finally heard a "clink."

Though it was faint, it was heard clearly. It was definitely not the sound of porcelain hitting stone; it was most likely copper or iron.

Could it be a bronze artifact?

If it's a bronze artifact, how much money would that be!!

Excitement surged through Jiang Xiaoya like an adrenaline shot. She continued digging along the location, and soon, a piece of rusted iron emerged.

Jiang Xiaoya was somewhat disappointed. Although it wasn't bronze, even a "mosquito's leg" is still meat—she continued to work hard.

Dig, dig, dig, I'm digging, digging hard, digging like crazy.

The deeper she dug, the larger the rusted iron piece became.

Jiang Xiaoya was momentarily surprised. Although scrap iron wasn't worth much, heavy scrap iron was worth something.

In the livestream room, the viewers had been nodding off while watching Jiang Xiaoya's rhythmic digging. When they casually looked up, they finally saw what she had unearthed. They blinked in disbelief, their eyes momentarily freezing.

[What is that? Why does it look familiar?]

[It looks so big, and there are sharp iron wires on top... could it be a scrapped car?]

[Don't say that, it actually might be!]

[If that's a scrapped car, how much would it sell for? At least a few hundred, maybe a thousand?]

[It wasn't a waste of my time this afternoon! The sky is almost dark, and finally, expectations have been met.]

[It really is a big thing!!! As expected, you can always trust Stupid Sister's luck!]

[You're making me want to go scavenging with Stupid Sister.]

[Want to scavenge with Stupid Sister +1.]

[Want to scavenge with Stupid Sister +1008611.]

The viewers lurking in the livestream room reacted almost instinctively, immediately pulling out their phones to call for backup.

"Stupid Sister found something again! Get to the livestream, quick!"

"Hurry up, right now! If you miss it, don't say I didn't warn you."

"It's not human remains this time, it's a scrapped car! Isn't that insane?"

"Stop cooking! Hurry up and watch the replay—nothing is as exciting as a live broadcast!"

"Hey, didn't you ask me to keep an eye on Stupid Sister's stream for you? Hurry, hurry, hurry! She dug up a scrapped car in the junkyard!!"

"..."

The netizens in the livestream room witnessed with their own eyes as the room, which had only had fifty or sixty thousand viewers just a moment ago, surpassed 100,000+ within a few short minutes. It hit number one on the program's livestream chart and broke into the top twenty of the platform's overall rankings.

The bullet comments were a frenzy of screaming.

They were all guessing what old brand or model the car might be. However, judging by the level of rust, it should be decades old—perhaps left behind before the Sea of Trash was formed. Because it was a certain distance from the nearby sorting station, the person in charge had never arranged for anyone to process it, and no one had discovered it for such a long time.

(End of Chapter)