Chapter 38: Lost Artifacts: The Blind Box Competition

So, on the very first day of his cooperation with the state, Li Xiao issued his first request.

It was to mobilize the entire strength of the nation to search the entire world for every antique that might possess incredible properties.

Furthermore, Li Xiao gave this mission a code name: "The Lost Vessels."

And it was from that day forward that this ancient, powerful nation, long established in the East, finally began to reveal its formidable side.

Starting from the third day after Li Xiao's return, the state dispatched 43 diplomats to various countries of different sizes.

Of course, most of these missions involved various forms of mutual interest exchange.

It was the kind of situation where they were afraid you knew their strength, yet afraid you didn't—the kind that would keep an entire neighboring island nation tossing and turning in bed for over ten days.

Due to this single move, both domestically and internationally, the global atmosphere became inexplicably tense throughout mid-November, entering a rare period of uneasy peace.

But the good news that followed was that "cultural relics" that had been scattered overseas for many years were being continuously recovered.

Some were in foreign museums, some in the private collections of tycoons, and some were even found in the homes of certain leaders.

One by one, even piece by piece, they were all being gathered into the heart of this Eastern nation.

Meanwhile, the Terracotta Army Museum, which had been closed for over half a month, suffered structural damage due to an earthquake in the middle of the night.

Archaeologists were forced to conduct "emergency" salvage excavations.

During the same period, Sanxingdui also failed to escape the clutches of the earthquake.

——

The 26th day since the maid cafe closed.

It was also the final night for Zheng Zha and Li Xiao in the real world.

"Boom! ~~~"

Li Xiao felt the entire room vibrate as he stared at the massive metal crater punched out by Zheng Zha's fist.

He manually forced his jaw, which had dropped in shock, back into place.

He asked with uncertainty and suspicion, "You... you succeeded?"

Zheng Zha shook his head regretfully. "No, this was just an accident. But I feel that if you gave me another month, I could definitely master this ability!"

In his heart, Li Xiao could only complain that he truly was the reincarnation of that great powerhouse. This rate of growth was simply unreasonable.

This was a half-meter-thick metal plate, yet Zheng Zha had managed to punch straight through it with his bare hands!

The way the two types of energy blended through his fist just now—the destructive power was essentially maxed out.

"But every time I use this power, I can't help but think of the spaceship... and that terrifying Alien Queen. That's a terrible memory."

Seeing the jealousy in Li Xiao's eyes, Zheng Zha gave a sheepish laugh.

*Listen to yourself. You take the reward points, you want the side quests, and you can even invent new skills when you go berserk. Are you still not satisfied?*

The gravity chamber shut down.

As the oxygen in the room returned to normal levels, both men took deep breaths.

They grabbed towels and wiped the sweat from their bodies.

"It's the last day. Aren't you going back to see your family?" Li Xiao asked suddenly.

"I've already arranged it with them. They'll bring my parents and the little girl to the company building to wait for me."

"We can have one last gathering before I leave. What about you?" Zheng Zha looked at Li Xiao.

After this period of training, Li Xiao's physique had become extremely robust; he had even grown a few centimeters taller under the pressure of the gravity chamber.

Now, his exposed upper body muscles were bulging and sharply defined. He looked vastly different from when he had first returned.

Li Xiao shook his head calmly. "Me? Don't worry. Once I finish my last task, they'll send me straight back to my apartment via helicopter."

*Knock, knock, knock!*

A knock sounded at the door.

"Gentlemen, the car is ready. Shall we depart now?"

Once they were in the car, Zheng Zha asked thoughtfully, "Li Xiao, do you think we'll find the things Chu Xuan mentioned?"

Li Xiao smiled confidently. "If they exist, they will be found. Since this space hasn't existed for the first time, it must have left traces of its existence."

"I'm just afraid the pearls are covered in dust and we'll be two blind men walking right past them."

Zheng Zha thought for a moment. "True. Isn't it just a matter of luck? Using the modern term, it's like opening a blind box."

Sitting in the Hongqi car, the two soon realized their destination. They both asked the communications officer in front of them in surprise.

"Is this the Forbidden City?"

The communications officer, dressed in black with a tie, replied, "That is correct. Because those items are too precious and numerous, the General Staff ultimately decided to place them on the courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

"The final batch was settled into place in the early hours of this morning."

Zheng Zha froze and asked Li Xiao blankly, "The Hall of Supreme Harmony? Is it the same courtyard I'm thinking of?"

Li Xiao patted his wide-eyed, inexperienced captain. "Yes, the very same courtyard that the ancient civil and military officials used to pass through on their way to court."

Zheng Zha muttered, "Alright, this is my first time going to the Forbidden City."

Li Xiao shrugged. "My dear Captain, it's my first time inside as well. And we don't even have to buy tickets. Not bad at all."

Like two elderly villagers entering a grand estate for the first time, they looked left and right.

As they passed the Golden Water Bridge, they saw the communications officer stop and asked, "Aren't you coming in with us?"

The officer replied quickly, "Gentlemen, everything north of the Golden Water Bridge has been completely cordoned off. Aside from the two of you, there is currently no one else here."

Li Xiao scratched his head awkwardly. "I was just thinking of asking you to call a guide over to give us a tour. Well, alright then. ~(￣▽￣～)~"

Hearing this, the officer gave an awkward yet polite smile. "My apologies, sir."

After passing through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, they walked several hundred meters along a wooded path.

When they finally saw the courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the two couldn't help but stare at each other.

Zheng Zha instinctively rubbed his eyes, his face full of disbelief. "No way... isn't this... isn't this a bit too much?"

Even Li Xiao's super-intelligent brain stalled for a moment before returning to normal operation.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, he gave a bitter smile. "Well, I didn't expect the state to go this far. Perhaps I gave too broad a scope, but this is fine—better to have too many than to miss a single one."

Zheng Zha finally processed the scene. "But there are so many. How are the two of us supposed to pick through these?"

At that moment, across the vast, empty courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, spanning thousands of square meters, thousands of "antiques" were laid out in neat rows.

Some were exquisite, some were broken; some were long, some were short; some were large, some were small.

Just from what Zheng Zha could see, everything from blades, spears, and staves to swords, halberds, hooks, whips, jewelry, clothing, and even pots and pans seemed to be present.

The sheer quantity gave them the overwhelming sensation that they wouldn't even know where to begin.