Chapter 75: My Master Is Shiratsuki Bai

Standing at the entrance of the cave, Yun Xuan smoked a cigarette. His clothes were a bit dirty, and his whole appearance was dust-stained and disheveled.

“One ton of gold bars, at the current price, that’s three hundred million. The key is, how do I handle all these gold bars…” Yun Xuan frowned.

Gold bars could be considered a form of currency, but one ton of them? That was almost terrifying—this wasn’t iron, after all.

“I can’t deal with them for now. I’ll wait for another opportunity in the future.” Yun Xuan hesitated for a moment, deciding not to bring them out for use.

Holding onto a ton of gold bars was like clutching a burning coal—too hot to handle. Even the Dongfang family wouldn’t dare to claim they could help him liquidate that amount.

Glancing at the time, Yun Xuan stubbed out his cigarette and walked away.

“How was it? Any discoveries?” Lin Chao, who was sitting by the path, asked.

“There’s no way in. It’s so stifling inside, you could suffocate.” Yun Xuan shook his head.

“I was about the same back then. Come on, Xiuxiu should have finished cooking.” Lin Chao chuckled.

…

After lunch, Yun Xun’er arrived by car to help Lin Xiuxiu load her luggage. Lin Shitou and Yun Xuan followed behind on motorcycles, and in less than half an hour they arrived at the Xuanxue Restaurant.

Lin Xiuxiu was settled into the restaurant by Yun Xun’er, while Lin Shitou and Yun Xuan completed the contract, paid the 1.5 million, and left Lin Shitou to distribute it among the people of Shitou Village.

Yuan Peng had already gathered a team the previous night to prepare for the plantation’s construction. First on the list were the courtyard walls and the greenhouse for the plantation—these alone would take a month to finish.

Yun Xuan gave full authority to Yuan Peng, instructing him not to skimp on costs and not to use inferior materials.

He paid Yuan Peng an advance of three hundred thousand, thus freeing himself from the details altogether.

Once Lin Shitou finished the contract, he entrusted Lin Xiuxiu to Yun Xuan’s care and hurried back to Shitou Village.

Yun Xuan didn’t try to keep him; he was eager to see what was inside the USB drive.

…

In the afternoon, Lin Xiuxiu passed Dongfang Aoxue’s skill assessment and became her apprentice, moving into the apartment Dongfang Aoxue had rented right across from Xuanxue Restaurant.

Yun Xuan asked Dongfang Aoxue to mentor Lin Xiuxiu, aiming for her to become the future head chef of Xuanxue Restaurant, while he returned home.

Once home, he locked the door and drew the curtains before opening up the USB drive. Most of the files were videos.

He clicked on the first video.

With a thunderous boom, something like a smoke grenade fell into the city center in the footage. The camera panned downward, revealing panicked, fleeing humans and others whose eyes glowed red—along with mutated creatures.

“Zombies?” Yun Xuan was startled. The video was titled “The Beginning of the Apocalypse.”

He opened the second video, “Mid-Apocalypse.” In it, a human was tied to a utility pole, being torn apart by a pack of zombies, while gunshots rang out from the surrounding buildings.

“Are they using bait?” The scene made Yun Xuan’s stomach turn. He closed the mid-apocalypse video.

He clicked through some others—they were all about the apocalypse, all shot from the same angle, likely by some kind of machine.

As for why these were among the belongings of that transmigrator, it was obvious: this was his world, not a movie.

“The apocalypse is essentially an unknown treasure trove.” Yun Xuan mused. All those novels he’d read in his previous life hadn’t been for nothing.

The first rule of the apocalypse: food is the guarantee of life.

“For now, it’s better not to take risks.” Yun Xuan didn’t dare—if he accidentally brought back a virus, it would be over.

…

Island Nation.

In a courtyard, a black-haired girl clutched three kunai, staring at the wooden plank before her.

With a crisp clang, all three kunai struck the bullseye.

“Milady.” A masked girl in black, wearing a cat-face mask, appeared beside her.

“Is something the matter?” the black-haired girl asked coolly.

“It seems the Huaxia team has found the next master.” The masked girl respectfully presented her with a dossier.

“Yun Xuan?” The black-haired girl scanned the file.

He had earned the title of Food Spirit, won the Xingyue Cup, risen to fame in a short time, opened an original cuisine restaurant, and achieved three consecutive victories over Dongfang Aoxue, who was now his apprentice.

“Book me a flight to Huaxia. Recall all our members abroad. Our next master is him—the Sacred Relic can only be opened by him!” The black-haired girl’s tone was earnest.

“Yes,” the masked girl replied and left.

…

That night, Yun Xuan was searching for the strategy device online, but found nothing.

“It seems the strategy device really can’t be found so easily.” He shut down the computer. If only there were a strategy device leading to a regular world.

His phone rang.

Yun Xuan glanced at the unfamiliar number, hesitated, and answered.

“I’ll introduce myself. My name is Bai. Do you know what ‘strategy’ means?” a cool female voice asked.

“You have that thing?” Yun Xuan paused.

“If you want it, come to Room 2, Basement Level, at Autumn Pavilion now.” The voice was soft.

“I’ll be there in half an hour,” Yun Xuan replied and hung up.

He dressed, went downstairs, and rode his motorcycle toward Autumn Pavilion. Trap or not, Yun Xuan wasn’t afraid.

…

In less than twenty minutes, Yun Xuan parked his motorcycle in a nearby alley, glanced at the brightly lit Autumn Pavilion, and walked in.

“Boss!” He Wenyue was standing by the lobby entrance. When she saw Yun Xuan, she was momentarily stunned, then hurried over.

“How many people in Room 2, Basement Level?” Yun Xuan asked directly.

“One person. The basement rooms are mostly for the wealthy, and each has a thousand-yuan cover charge,” He Wenyue replied after a moment’s thought.

“I see. Go back to work, don’t worry about me.” Yun Xuan nodded and walked upstairs.

He Wenyue watched his retreating figure, thinking Yun Xuan must be dissatisfied with her for some reason.

“Sister He, who was that?” a young waitress whispered. She’d never seen He Wenyue show such respect to anyone before.

“The new boss. If you have nothing to do, go rest,” He Wenyue replied softly.

“What?” The waitress looked at where Yun Xuan had disappeared. That boy, younger than herself, was the new boss?

…

Room 2, Basement Level was on the fifth floor. Yun Xuan approached the door and knocked.

“Come in.” The voice inside was the same as on the phone.

Yun Xuan pushed the door open.

The spacious private room had a girl in a kimono standing by the window.

“You called me here? Just what is it you know?” Yun Xuan sat down and spoke coolly.

“I know nothing. But my master said, whoever reacts to the word ‘strategy’ and can control the Sacred Relic is my next master.” The kimono-clad girl turned around. Her face was flawless, her long hair flowing, her expression calm.

“Take out your phone,” Yun Xuan said, tapping the table.

“So you really are the next master.” The black-haired girl smiled faintly, withdrew a small wooden box from her sleeve, and set it before Yun Xuan.

“What’s your master’s name?” Yun Xuan opened the box and, as expected, found a strategy device inside.

“Mizunotsuki Bai,” the black-haired girl said softly.

“What?!” Yun Xuan stared in shock at the strategy device—could this be the gateway to that world?

(P.S.: Still searching for the strategy device. When to go? That’s for later. Please vote for recommendations.)