Chapter 530: Chapter 530

What was Jing Shu’s team’s goal? To find the Seeds. Knowing they were now completely off schedule compared to the fleet, they couldn’t even consider resting. If they didn’t hurry, they would only fall further and further behind.

Even Jing Shu couldn’t help but envy Qian Duoduo’s helicopter. If she had one, she could fly over immediately to assess the situation. However, searching in this mountain range was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and flying a helicopter here was particularly challenging. Despite the massive fuel consumption, it would still be faster than their current pace.

Well, our current method has its advantages, and helicopters have their drawbacks too, Jing Shu could only console herself.

"So, which direction should we go?" Yang Yang asked Lu Liu, the chief steward, in a serious tone. If they chose the wrong direction now, they would only get further from their target.

"We’ll take the main road here," Lu Liu said. "I’ll have the other team members scout the remaining directions. As soon as there’s any news, we can head over immediately."

"This road will take a long time," Lu Liu sighed. In such a vast mountain range, since the fleet couldn’t possibly be here, they would have to search all the way to the end.

"But if the fleet really was washed up here, it actually wouldn’t be too bad," Yang Yang said, stretching out his slender fingers and tracing an area on their map. "If they were washed ashore somewhere around here, rescuing them would be relatively easy. I just fear..." He didn’t finish voicing the worst-case scenario.

"Hopefully, their situation is still okay."

At this, everyone’s mood soured, especially Jing Shu’s. After all, these were the Seeds she had painstakingly brought back from the United States. If not for the lack of space in her Magic Cube Space, and the fact that these Seeds had already been officially documented, making it impossible to transport them covertly... In any case, they had to be handed over to the authorities for transport. Alas, such is fate, she sighed internally.

"They should be able to hold on until we rescue them," Yang Yang offered reassuringly. Without further rest, the group stood up and immediately got into the vehicle, letting Hong Bin sleep while Lu Liu drove.

Rescuing them sooner might mean fewer of my Seeds get eaten, Jing Shu mentally added. Heaven knows, my heart is bleeding! she lamented inwardly. With every mealtime that passes, I know more of my Seeds are gone. It’s not scary if they eat the Seeds; what’s terrifying is losing both the people and the Seeds. Time truly cannot be wasted.

Throughout this, Jun Bao, supposedly the person in charge, didn’t utter a single word. Neither Lu Liu nor Yang Yang consulted him on their decisions, making it seem like Jun Bao was just there for show. Jing Shu had no energy to spare on Jun Bao, merely thinking, He just operates on a different wavelength than everyone else.

While everyone else was anxious about the Seeds, Jun Bao was squatting on the ground, playing with mud. Not only that, but he also ran to a nearby small hill and returned with a bucketful, announcing, "I found some rather unique mud."

Only the considerate Lu Liu, perhaps fearing Jun Bao would feel awkward being ignored, asked while driving, "Is it like the mud we found yesterday afternoon?"

This comment prevented an awkward silence. But Jing Shu had no attention to spare. She didn’t even say anything when Jun Bao, holding a hand warmer, stealthily plucked a few feathers from the fat chicken in the vehicle. Just the previous night, before bed, Jun Bao had asked Jing Shu if he could pluck a few chicken feathers. The fat chicken had looked at Jun Bao in utter shock. What kind of human is this? it had thought. Why does he want everything?

At the time, Jing Shu had refused, "No. I need to keep the feathers to make a down jacket when I get home." The fat chicken had breathed a sigh of relief. Someone wants to pluck my feathers? In their dreams!

"I’ve never heard of chicken feathers being used for down jackets, though. Just one feather, may I?"

"Not even one! Besides, if goose feathers can be used, why can’t chicken feathers? Are you looking down on my chicken? A down jacket made from my chicken’s feathers would be even warmer!" Jing Shu refused decisively. If it were an ordinary person, letting them take a couple of feathers would be fine, she thought. But this man clearly isn’t normal. His thinking is off. Who knows what he’d use them for?

She felt she had to be on guard against such relentlessly persistent people, which she found quite vexing. Usually, when people found out her chicken could both lay many eggs and be eaten, they would be envious, jealous, or even resentful. Some, with darker intentions, might even plot to steal or rob it. She wasn’t afraid of any of them; she’d kill anyone who tried.

But this person’s points of interest and curiosity are just... different, she mused. Whatever. I won’t agree to anything he asks, anyway.

Jun Bao finally fell silent, yet his eyes remained fixed on the fat chicken, clearly not giving up.

Even though I can see perfectly clearly in this apocalyptic darkness, I still wish I had hawk-like vision to spot the fleet immediately, Jing Shu thought.

The minibus continued slowly, beginning its ascent on a winding mountain road. And what a winding mountain road it was.

It was the kind of road from the old songs: "Here, the mountain roads have eighteen bends; here, the waterways have nine rings..." Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽

There were steep cliffs and sheer drops, the road coiling endlessly upwards. A driver with poor skills, failing to navigate a turn, would send the vehicle and its occupants tumbling down the precipice.

The next four or five days were spent traversing these winding roads, climbing one mountain only to face another. Occasionally, the terrain would flatten, and Jing Shu would feel a brief surge of happiness. However, within ten minutes, the endless mountains would reappear. It wasn’t just one or two; as far as Jing Shu’s enhanced vision could see, peaks stretched endlessly in all directions, surrounding them.

It felt as though they were in the center of the mountains, forever unable to escape.

Forever unable to escape?

Jing Shu’s heart skipped a beat. This scene felt strangely familiar. Suddenly, her head began to throb. For a fleeting moment, a flash of insight, it seemed she recalled something important, but then it was gone, like a broken film. Her memory, usually excellent, had failed her at this crucial moment; she had forgotten something vital.

She was all too familiar with this feeling. Every time the Magic Cube was on the verge of an upgrade, all sorts of chaotic things would happen.

Could it be? Is the Magic Cube Space about to upgrade? A jolt of excitement ran through Jing Shu, and she immediately began to intensify her mental connection with the Magic Cube. What else is there to do besides practice with the Magic Cube anyway? In the minibus, Hong Bin and Lu Liu took turns driving. Yang Yang and Lu Liu were in charge of the overall direction and planning. Apart from cooking for everyone, Jing Shu dedicated herself to vigorously practicing with her Magic Cube.

The Magic Cube has been stagnant for over six months now. I really thought it had hit a bottleneck, that it wouldn’t upgrade without some special catalyst. I didn’t expect an opportunity to come so soon. Even though this timing isn’t ideal, I can’t afford to give up. There’s not much time left. I have so many supplies to take with me before the migration; I absolutely must upgrade it further. The current space is completely insufficient.

If I can’t recall it, I won’t force it. Sometimes, the harder you try to remember something, the more elusive it becomes. Jing Shu completely relaxed her mind, immersing herself in the world of her connection with the Magic Cube.

Then, quite strangely, a flash of inspiration struck her. She finally pinpointed the problem! I’ve been to the Tianshan Mountain Range before, but there were never this many winding roads!