Chapter 434: Chapter 434

Jing Shu picked up a tube and shook it under the dim light, causing the liquid inside to shimmer with starry colors.

"What is this?" Jing Shu frowned, resting her chin on her hand. The metal box was only marked ZS-880.

Could it be the agent we’re tasked to find, which, when fused with the tripod, can allow cells to divide one more time? But we’re supposed to be looking for the formula, aren’t we? Never mind, I’ll take it for now. Whatever it is, once sold, it would be a large sum of liquid funds. If all else fails, it can also be exchanged for other supplies.

Although Virtual Coins were just numbers to the current Jing Shu in the apocalypse, the increasingly scarce supplies were causing all prices to rise. Jing Shu was about to face the fifth year of icy weather and migration, so she had to spend a hefty sum to prepare. Besides, when it comes to money, no one ever thinks they have too much, especially in the apocalypse.

However, Jing Shu never expected that not long after grandly claiming Virtual Coins were just numbers, she would find herself millions in debt, forced into a daily grind to earn money and pay it back. But that was a story for another time.

SNAP. She closed the metal box and found the most conspicuous item piled up in her Magic Cube Space: more than a dozen apple-sized, pitted stones, accompanied by a card. After using the translator, Jing Shu read the following text:

"Mars Meteorite: Having formed a unique magnetic field and rare elements after falling at high temperatures, it is possible to extract 24 essential rare elements required by ZS-880 from it at intervals."

What is ZS-880? Jing Shu had no idea, but she hazarded a guess. It must be the potion produced from the mission’s target formula, right? This is great. I haven’t found the formula, but I’ve found the necessary refining material instead. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝔫𝔢𝔱

Jing Shu had heard of the valuable Mars Meteorite; one had once sold for tens of millions of Euros—an item of immense value indeed!

In the apocalyptic world, it had become essential for extracting rare elements. One could only imagine its worth. However, Jing Shu also felt the risk of holding something so ’hot’. With so many valuable items, could this lead to her being silenced...?

Afterward, Jing Shu opened the third item: a high-tech data carrier, along with a container frozen in dry ice that appeared to hold an unidentified organism, accompanied by a small card.

Jing Shu’s heart thumped. Could this be the target formula of this mission? Nowadays, technological formulas are stored on chips to prevent hacking; they are generally considered too risky to store in the cloud.

Because the translation function was limited, after adding her own interpretation, Jing Shu read the following:

"Z10 generation bacterial synthetic meat: Protein is generated by cultivating bacteria, and then the protein’s DNA chain is altered to create meat. Currently, the data allows for the replication of synthetic meat with 95% beef flavor, 90% chicken flavor, and 80% fish flavor. Its main components include..."

The glass vessel was labeled ’Z10 Generation Bacterial Sample’.

Jing Shu translated it several times and realized this was most likely the formula and core technology for synthetic meat. For Jing Shu, who had her Magic Cube Space and thus no lack of chicken, duck, beef, or lamb, this wasn’t so critical.

But the apocalyptic world desperately needed it! Huaxia was in dire need! Before the apocalypse, the United States already had synthetic meat. They claimed that in the future, there would be no need to kill or breed animals, nor to waste a lot of time, as synthetic meat could be used directly, its texture identical to regular meat. But why wasn’t it popularized? This was because the cost was far too high, vastly exceeding its actual value. It was much like spending 200,000 coins to counterfeit a 100-coin bill; even if the forgery was undetectable, it was pointless.

I wonder about the cost of this Z10 generation bacterial synthetic meat. However, it does match the giant food that appeared two years later. First, use bacterial synthetic meat, then enlarge it hundreds of times. That would ease the food scarcity in Wu City... Hmm, if done right, this is practically a money-printing machine! So, this also needs to go through the proper channels.

Two years from now, the mere mention of food will make people’s expressions change. I naturally won’t pose as a big shot, but I can offer support from behind. Jing Shu constantly pondered how to prevent Qian Duoduo from collapsing and, in doing so, save herself through indirect means—after all, she was a shareholder in Stone Garden. Isn’t the lack of food the root of all evil? If there were enough food, would the tyrant still act as he did in my past life...? If so, then let’s just pretend I never had that thought.

Jing Shu quickly organized these items. She put those that didn’t need to pass through official channels into her Magic Cube Space and stuffed those that did need official clearance into another sack. Some items she didn’t even have time to examine were also temporarily placed in the space. They were definitely valuable goods, but most couldn’t be used directly.

However, one item among them caught her eye. It was an ordinary-looking card, resembling an identity card at first glance. Upon picking it up, she saw it was a chip. Its use was unknown. The items in a tycoon’s safe are indeed very valuable and generally unique. Anything stored in there must have been considered a ’precious item’ by the tycoon.

Jing Shu kept the card close. Perhaps it would be useful?

Thick smoke billowed behind her, but the alarm still hadn’t attracted anyone. This made Jing Shu even more puzzled. Could it be that this huge tycoon’s mansion is empty, apart from those few security guards from earlier? With such a loud noise, the entire estate should hear it, right? Or is the claim of indiscriminate point-killing heat-imaging within two kilometers just a bluff? Otherwise, with such a commotion, where is everyone?

Jing Shu opened the sack and glanced at Hao Yunlai. His face was pale, and he still showed no signs of waking up. She checked his breathing; he was still alive. Good, he’s alive!

Before leaving, Jing Shu sent a message in the group, saying, "I’ve caused a bit of an explosion over here. It was pretty loud, but not a single guard has come over, not even one person. I suspect this villa is actually unoccupied. Snake Spirit, why don’t you test it from the air and the front."

"Aerial defenses are normal. I just released about a dozen hydrogen balloons around the perimeter, and they’ve all been shot down."

"I’ll drive a few creatures over to take a look."

"I told them I heard an explosion just now, and they didn’t believe me. How are you guys doing in there?"

"The priest will arrive in ten minutes. If you haven’t found anything by then, we’ll have to proceed with Plan B."

Jing Shu dragged Hao Yunlai, along with the items that needed official clearance, to the second location where her Five-step Snake had vanished. It was a European-style villa garden that didn’t look particularly out of the ordinary.

But Jing Shu knew this place must be full of traps, just like the previous one. So, she was preparing to release more Five-step Snakes to scout for traps, even if it meant their deaths.

However, just at that moment, a synthesized electronic voice spoke, nearly scaring Jing Shu into peeing herself: "Welcome home."

Hmm? Did I trigger a mechanism? Jing Shu immediately ducked and backed up several steps, fearful of laser-like traps activating. To her surprise, there were sensors all around!