Opening the Treasure Chest

The situation inside the Settlement was much as Qu Jianlei had imagined.

Most of the buildings were low single-story houses, with a few two-story Small Buildings and three or four three-story ones.

Great Dao was not particularly narrow, about ten meters wide and able to accommodate five cars abreast. However, the alleys along the road were much narrower.

Xiao Jing had never been to this Settlement, but he still had a fairly good grasp of its general layout.

The two of them did not ask anyone for directions. Instead, they rode their motorcycle through the streets and alleys.

After wandering around for half the day, they discovered that the Settlement's bustling markets were mainly in East Market and West Market.

The south was the Rich District, while the north was the Adventurer District... that was roughly the layout.

Xiao Jing offered a suggestion. "With this layout, the place where the treasure chest is stored should be in the south."

Qu Jianlei thought so too. He asked curiously, "Xiao Jing, where did your family used to live... what kind of area was it?"

"Of course, the Rich District." Xiao Jing's face was covered by a cloth mask, so his expression could not be seen, but his mood sounded somewhat low.

Qu Jianlei did not press him further. "Let's check the prices of various goods first. Once we retrieve the items, we'll turn them into cash directly."

The two arrived at the market.

Although both of them wore cloth masks, and quite a few people dressed that way, someone still noticed that the two were newcomers.

Some people proactively approached them, offering to guide them around. The lowest price was just one tube of Nutrient Solution.

Xiao Jing bluntly replied, "You're working with the sellers. Do you really think I don't know that?"

Watching this, Qu Jianlei found it somewhat amusing. Such things were not unusual. Blue Star was more or less the same.

He was simply curious how a seven- or eight-year-old child could understand so much. Blue Star children at that age were considered independent if they could tie their own shoelaces.

They said that poor children grew up early, but Xiao Jing's family had been exceptionally well-off.

Maybe... that was the Wasteland.

By the time they had roughly inquired about the market prices, it was already evening. Without identification, they could not stay at an inn and could only make do on the street for the night.

Qu Jianlei noticed that there were quite a few people sleeping rough, some of them carrying firearms.

The looks some people gave the two of them were far from friendly.

Fortunately, he had a long blade and a short blade on him, while Xiao Jing had a short dagger. They deliberately displayed them.

Those with ill intentions hesitated for a while before leaving in frustration.

They had probably weighed the cost and decided it was not worth it.

What puzzled Qu Jianlei was this: Why were there no night patrols?

Xiao Jing explained, "There are too many homeless people. They simply can't check them all."

Therefore, only the Rich District had patrol personnel. The other districts were left alone.

Of course, if gunfire rang out, guards would definitely come.

However, that rarely happened. After all, everyone who entered the Settlement had been verified.

After hearing that, Qu Jianlei could not help but remark, "They can enter the Settlement, yet they still end up on the streets... and some even have guns."

Hairless Freak answered calmly, "There are more opportunities inside the Settlement, and some people were once glorious too."

The rest of the night passed without incident.

At dawn, the two went to a breakfast stall. This was Qu Jianlei's first time eating out since arriving in the Wasteland.

The stall mainly sold processed Nutrient Solution mixed with other ingredients, which tasted better than drinking Nutrient Solution dry.

There were also grain-based breakfasts, though they were not made entirely of grain and contained vegetables or something similar—perhaps wild vegetables?

There was even meat for sale, in very small portions and at exorbitant prices.

Qu Jianlei ordered a grain-based breakfast, but found the texture unimpressive and immediately lost interest in trying anything else.

After breakfast, they continued asking about market prices.

Once they had learned enough, Qu Jianlei bought two large slabs of meat, then casually asked, "I have some things I want to store in a treasure chest, but I rarely come to Hong Five. Which way should I go?"

The shopkeeper did not suspect anything. Anyone who could afford so much meat had to be reasonably wealthy, so he casually pointed them in the right direction.

This question was quite important. There was a Checkpoint and guards on the road leading to the Rich Area.

After examining the silver plate, one of the guards even asked, "Do you know where to go?"

Xiao Jing replied in an old-fashioned tone, "You won't be earning the guide fee."

His words were rather sharp, but as he watched the two leave, another guard's eyes shifted. "I'm going to relieve myself."

The first guard understood what he meant and could not help snorting. "Keep your eyes open. Some people aren't to be provoked casually."

The other man replied with a false smile, "No need for your concern. I know who can and cannot be provoked."

Without revealing their identities, they wanted to retrieve a treasure chest. There had to be a story behind it... perhaps they had picked up the silver plate. Who knew? Qu Jianlei carried Xiao Jing on the motorcycle, and within a few minutes, they arrived at the place where the treasure chest was stored.

It was a shop that sold Energy Blocks.

There was no Energy Block production anywhere within the Settlement. Anyone capable of opening such a shop had an impressive background.

Before they even entered the shop, someone stopped them and said stiffly, "Those improperly dressed are forbidden from entering."

Not only were their clothes shabby, but both of them wore cloth masks.

Such attire was not uncommon in other districts, but few people dressed that way in the Rich Area.

For the wealthy, showing one's face was the proper way. Those who hid their faces too easily attracted attention.

Xiao Jing said nothing more and raised his hand, revealing the Secret Silver Plate.

Someone in the distance saw this as well, and his eyes immediately lit up. He muttered softly, "Oh? A windfall has come knocking?"

The man blocking their way recognized the silver plate too, but still insisted, "You are improperly dressed and may not enter. Wait here."

At that point, Xiao Jing did not know what to do, because he only knew the general situation and not the details.

Qu Jianlei snorted. "We want to put some more things inside. Do we have to change clothes first?"

The other party did not get angry, but neither did he yield. He replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I'm only here to handle matters. Why make things difficult for me? I'll report to my supervisor."

That manner of speaking felt somewhat out of place in the Wasteland. Qu Jianlei even sensed a trace of Blue Star in it.

Before long, a well-dressed man walked out.

He did not mind the attire of the two people before him. Having seen many wealthy people, he naturally knew that some truly had peculiar habits.

After inspecting the silver plate, he looked somewhat stunned. "This is from fifty years ago... It's nearly expired, isn't it? Why didn't you come earlier?"

Before Xiao Jing could speak, Qu Jianlei said flatly, "Whether we came or not was our own business."

The man froze for a moment, then coughed lightly. "Please wait. I'll check whether it has expired."

Neither Qu Jianlei nor Xiao Jing spoke. To others, they seemed completely confident.

Not long after, the man came out again and said calmly, "It still has over two years before it expires. You truly came at the right time."

Qu Jianlei could not be bothered to say more. He lifted his chin slightly. "Lead the way."

The treasure chest was not located by the street.

The man led them into a courtyard. After passing through three layers of guards, they arrived at a warehouse.

The warehouse was exceptionally neat and brightly lit, with rows of cabinets arranged in perfect order.

The man brought them before one cabinet and said seriously, "This was stored over forty years ago..."

"We can guarantee that it has not been touched, but we are not responsible for any changes to the contents caused by the passage of time."

"We'll judge that ourselves," Qu Jianlei said.

Xiao Jing was even more direct. "Please step aside now."

The supervisor turned and left. Qu Jianlei placed the silver plate into a recessed slot in the cabinet, which gave an extremely slight tremble.

The trembling lasted for about half a minute. When it stopped, he reached out and pulled, and the cabinet door opened in response.

The cabinet was not small, but its door and walls were quite thick. The space inside was less than half a cubic meter.

When they saw the golden gleam scattered within, both Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing gave soft cries of surprise.

There were actually two thick layers of gold bars.

A divider lay on top of the gold bars, holding a stack of documents and a small box beside them.

They took out the documents and looked through them. They were all property deeds and land titles.

When they opened the small box, they found a jet-black ring inside, marked with deep, intricate patterns.

Qu Jianlei did not think about it further. He put the ring back into the box and slipped it into his pocket.

Looking at the two layers of gold, he felt troubled. It did not look like much in volume, but it definitely weighed over a hundred kilograms.

How was he supposed to carry it? Gold was heavy, disproportionately heavy, and extremely difficult to transport.

A hundred kilograms of grain was far easier to carry than a hundred kilograms of gold.

After thinking it over, he walked to the warehouse entrance and waved to the supervisor. "Please come over for a moment."

The supervisor had stepped aside to avoid suspicion, but since the customer had called him, he could naturally go over.

In fact, he was curious as well. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I need a sturdy bag," Qu Jianlei said with a frown. "One that can bear two hundred kilograms. I'll pay a high price."

The supervisor froze for a moment, then replied, "A bag is no problem... What are you putting in it? Is it corrosive? Can it be bumped around?"

After giving it some thought, Qu Jianlei led him to the cabinet. "Gold."

Seeing the golden shine filling his vision, the supervisor's mouth twitched involuntarily, and his expression shifted uncertainly.

"This really is... a treasure chest from over forty years ago. Gold hasn't been permitted for trade for a long time now."

Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing were both somewhat speechless. In the current Wasteland, gold was indeed a controlled material, and buying or selling it was illegal.

However, Qu Jianlei did not care too much. Gold was controlled, but not that strictly.

He had spent his time in the Garbage Dump before and understood this best. Many discarded components could be processed to extract gold.

That gold ultimately did not enter official circulation either. It was still absorbed by private individuals.

In the end, it was forbidden, but enforcement was lax—Fat Sister had even dared to accept gold.

Thinking of Fat Sister, Qu Jianlei's heart clenched again. Several hundred lives... had died because of me.

Then he began to feel anxious for no reason. "Gold can be traded... just don't tell anyone."

"Gold... can certainly be traded." The supervisor paused, then answered seriously, "It can still be traded now."

He had not expected the other party to know nothing about it, so he earnestly suggested, "We buy gold, and our prices are fair."