Chapter 443: Chapter 443

Right, I’ve absorbed some of that blood-red crystal and liquid. I wonder if it can save people? If so, how? Jing Shu’s consciousness returned to the Magic Cube Space. The one cubic meter of blood-red liquid stored there had decreased slightly.

One thing was certain: the red liquid was diminishing. Perhaps it’s due to its unique nature; after all, it’s a ’temporal’ substance from the fourth dimension. Just as time flows, so too could it diminish. Or perhaps the Magic Cube Space is covertly using it, or my own body is absorbing it. I’ll have to research this when I get back. Right now, returning to Huaxia is the most critical thing!

They had to hurry and escape the United States. As they were all wanted, being discovered could mean they’d never make it back.

I still wanted to check out the largest place in the United States, but the space is already full, and we have enough loot to transport back, Jing Shu thought, considering their substantial haul, and decided it was enough.

After more than half a day’s journey, Cargo Ship 808 reached the new dock. Their arrival at the transfer point was uneventful. After ’settling accounts’ onboard, everyone bid farewell to the 808 and boarded a luxurious private jet.

Qian Duoduo’s private luxury jet couldn’t carry much cargo, so the group redistributed the spoils from Rhein Manor.

Jing Shu’s items stored in her space weren’t included in this tally. However, the Z10 generation synthetic meat she found when obtaining the chip key would need to be publicly declared later. Although Jing Shu would bring them out, these spoils still belonged to her.

The distribution of the team’s loot was straightforward: whoever collected the goods had the right to distribute them, choosing what they needed first. The remainder could be auctioned for Contribution Value or d to the country for Contribution Value rewards, which would then be evenly divided among the group.

Some convenient and high-value items Jing Shu kept for herself, such as the Z10 generation synthetic meat formula and this mission’s target, the ZS880 liquid.

The equally precious Mars Meteorite, a source of rare elements for ZS880, was unanimously designated for handover to the state. This would yield a large amount of Contribution Value, to be split evenly among them.

Jing Shu claimed most of the dozen or so packages she had collected from the villa. The rest were offered to whoever bid the lowest Contribution Value. If multiple people were interested, an auction was held, with the resulting Contribution Value still being divided among everyone.

As for the seven or eight packages from the high tower, Jing Shu took only a few items, giving almost ninety percent to her teammates. These contained many precious foods and supplies.

Although these were valuable, Jing Shu already possessed most of these supplies and food. Furthermore, she had acquired enough high-grade materials from the villa and Job Sibus to fill her space, so she didn’t need more.

"Mirror, you collected the most goods. Don’t you want the high tower’s stuff anymore?" Snake Spirit asked somewhat sheepishly.

After all, to others, the items from the villa—jewelry, crystal picture frames, everlasting candlesticks—might have seemed like junk. However, the supplies from the high tower’s secret room were substantial and genuinely vital for survival in the apocalypse.

Most importantly, Jing Shu had risked her life to save these supplies, snatching them at the last second before an explosion. It wasn’t that she was taking more than her share; she had taken greater risks, so it was only fair.

"No, I’ve taken quite a bit already," Jing Shu coughed. I’ve used my space to store so many things, she thought. It’s not that I’m embarrassed—COUGH COUGH—after all, I relied on my own abilities to pack these materials into my unique space. Without it, these items would have just been left to rot. No one else would have had time to take much anyway.

Their access to the villa’s goods, and subsequently the high tower’s more abundant supplies, had only been possible after navigating the laser room and obtaining the key.

Though, perhaps the priest might send a nun to try and snatch them... But he probably can’t get past those dangerous lasers to obtain the chip key.

Speaking of the priest, he hadn’t left with them. "The priest still has unfinished tasks. We’ll go ahead. Little Black will continue to assist him," Yang Yang had said at the time.

Little Black couldn’t return to Huaxia with them, Jing Shu mused. His best option was to continue completing tasks with the priest in the United States. Maybe he would even take over the priest’s work someday. I just hope that if we meet again, he won’t be constantly uttering ’God’ and ’Amen’.

Once Jing Shu’s items were sorted, the weapons dismantled from the high tower were next. These were all loaded onto Cargo Ship 808. Jing Shu reserved an early warning aircraft for herself. Most of the other weapons were turned over for Contribution Value, which was then distributed fairly. The other squad members took some miscellaneous usable weapons.

Next came Monkey’s loot. After he made his selections, the remainder was divided among the group. Jing Shu didn’t see anything she particularly wanted.

Yang Yang had also found a lot of materials—an entire truckload. He was clearly quite capable, having emptied the entire Technology Building. It held a real trove, much of it valuable scientific research material that could be exchanged for a significant amount of Contribution Value.

Aside from the ZS880 formula—a mission item that had to be handed over—Yang Yang kept some items he needed. The remaining scientific materials were collectively traded for Contribution Value, which was then split equally. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵

Jing Shu, however, spotted an interesting item among Yang Yang’s haul: a desiccated tree trunk in a glass container filled with a special fluid. The label read: "Unknown. Item under research. Appears dead. All attempts to revive it have failed, yet it does not completely perish."

It doesn’t seem very useful, and probably wouldn’t fetch much Contribution Value either. It resembles the withered tree at the entrance to the fourth dimension, yet it’s not quite the same, Jing Shu mused. She acquired it for 50 Contribution Values, planning to try nurturing it in her space to see if it could be revived. Jing Shu had an unusually strong affinity for all plants and Domestic Poultry, provided they were valuable—that is, productive.

If Fat Chicken didn’t lay eggs, it probably wouldn’t have ’Number 1’ status. So, the treatment Fat Chicken receives depends on its will to survive... COUGH COUGH. Sensing an inexplicable gaze, Fat Chicken hurriedly laid an egg.

Contribution Value truly is the universal currency in this circle, Jing Shu reflected with growing certainty. And it’s hard to earn, since only materials from abroad can be exchanged for it. I wonder how much these people have managed to gain from their ventures abroad.

In the distribution of the manor’s goods, Jing Shu received the most, but the others also earned a substantial amount of Contribution Value. The ZS880 life-extension formula alone would yield a considerable amount for everyone. Add to this the cauldron they all obtained, and that was another source of Contribution Value. After all, the first mission was a collective effort, but this last one, being partly official and partly private, definitely came with Contribution Value rewards.