Treasure Hunt

It was another bright, sunny morning. Chen Xu woke up and stretched lazily in comfort. Getting out of bed, he pulled open the curtains and let the golden sunlight fall across his face. The warmth made him close his eyes involuntarily, savoring this moment of ease and tranquility.

He was growing more accustomed to this leisurely life.

Outside came the sound of water droplets splashing onto the ground. Luo Xiyun was watering the vegetables planted along the roadside.

He turned around, picked up a marker, and wrote the number 120 on the wall.

This was the one hundred and twentieth day since entering the dream, and two-thirds of the time had already passed.

It had also been three months since Luo Xiyun arrived.

As usual, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, shaved, changed clothes, and ate breakfast. Then he slung a hiking backpack over his shoulders, pushed open the door, and headed out.

As usual, Luo Xiyun had already finished watering and returned to her own house.

The streets outside had undergone earth-shaking changes compared to three months ago, when he had been alone. All kinds of plants occupied most of the space, leaving only narrow pathways.

The majority were vegetables, with flowers and other greenery scattered around as decoration. Everything was arranged neatly, and the vegetables had somehow been planted with the feel of a landscaped garden.

Naturally, this was Luo Xiyun's work. Aside from the vegetable seeds, which he had acquired, she had moved the flowerpots and soil over from nearby flower shops. She was also the one who tended to them every day.

Chen Xu left the vegetable garden and arrived at the side alley to the left, which had become his garage.

He chose one of the SUVs he drove most often. Over the past four months, he had driven every luxury car he could find, but after taking most of them out once or twice, he barely touched them again. They simply weren't practical.

He had to bring quite a lot of things whenever he went out, so smaller cars were naturally unsuitable. Trucks were less comfortable, making large SUVs the best option.

Before setting off, he took out a simply hand-drawn map. It was a treasure map he had drawn himself.

After Luo Xiyun arrived, his usual workload had been cut in half, leaving him with much more free time. So he began his treasure-hunting journey. The crude map in his hand was the result of the past few months.

"I've explored most of the surrounding area. This time, I'll go somewhere farther away."

He already had a destination in mind and drove straight there.

XX Road was the city's most famous and most prosperous commercial street. Since it was relatively far away, he had not explored it before.

After parking the car, he grabbed his tools, got out, and headed toward the nearest commercial building.

The moment he entered through the main entrance, he found the inside pitch-black. He put on a headlamp and held another flashlight in his hand. At a glance, he spotted several Lucky Box vending machines nearby.

"More of these money-scamming things."

Though he said that, he still stopped. Setting down his tool bag, he first put on a mask, then took out a hammer and smashed the outer glass with a bang.

A cloud of dust rose up. No one had cleaned the place in months, and every surface was covered in a thick layer of dust. The slightest movement sent it flying everywhere.

He stepped back a few paces and waited for the dust to settle before going forward and taking out the boxes one by one.

"A facial mask? What brand is this? I've never even heard of it."

"A phone case. This is worth a few bucks at most."

"Earphones. Some no-name brand."

"A fifty-yuan coupon for some online marketplace. Heh..."

Chen Xu complained about every box he opened.

These Lucky Box vending machines had suddenly become popular recently. Scan a code and pay thirty yuan, and you could get a box. The advertisements claimed there might be phones, DSLR cameras, tablet computers, and so on inside.

However, over the past few months, he had smashed open dozens, if not a hundred, of these machines. He had never seen a single item advertised on them. They were all these low-value goods.

When he took down the second-to-last box, it felt somewhat heavier.

"Probably perfume." That was his guess. After opening so many boxes, he could roughly tell what type of item was inside just from the weight.

After opening the box, he was rather surprised to see that it actually contained an Apple X phone box.

"Don't tell me it's an empty box?"

He was highly skeptical. An Apple X cost nearly ten thousand yuan. Would whoever stocked these vending machines really be willing to spend that much? He quickly tore open the packaging. There really was a phone inside, and it looked brand-new. After he turned it on, it soon reached an activation screen.

Following the prompts, he activated the phone and entered the system. He checked the serial number in Settings, and it did match the one on the outer box.

"Hope it's not some knockoff from Pinduoduo." He was still somewhat doubtful, but he put the phone into the backpack on his back and marked the vending machine's location and the box's slot number on his treasure map.

He could basically confirm that everything in the dream corresponded to reality.

In other words, anything he could find in the dream would definitely exist in the same place after he returned to reality.

For example, if he opened a Lucky Box and found a phone inside, then the Lucky Box in that same slot of the vending machine in reality would definitely contain a phone as well.

That was why he called this kind of activity treasure hunting.

Over the past few months, whenever he could spare the time, he would come out treasure hunting. Still, his gains had not been great.

Technically speaking, the wealth of the entire world was waiting for him to take it. But no matter how much wealth there was in the dream, it was meaningless if he could not take it out.

Likewise, even if he knew which house hid a large amount of cash or whose safe contained the most jewelry, it was equally meaningless. It wasn't as if he could go steal it after waking up. He would have to be out of his mind.

There were actually very few money-making opportunities he could truly make use of. It was entirely down to luck.

After all, there were too few ventures like Lucky Boxes. He had smashed open dozens of vending machines before getting a single phone. Those odds were truly heartbreaking.

Next, he opened all the remaining boxes. Finding nothing else, he continued onward.

The entire building was pitch-black and coated in dust, giving it the unmistakable feel of a horror movie. Chen Xu casually wandered around the first few floors, then left. The place felt far too oppressive.

After leaving the building, he felt as though he could finally breathe again. I should avoid commercial buildings like this in the future. Besides, nothing in there is worth much to me.

Next, he entered Pedestrian Street. Looking at the pavement blanketed in dust and fallen leaves, he could not help feeling wistful. In just a few months, a street that had once been so beautifully decorated had fallen into such ruin.

Rumble.

He had barely taken a few steps when he heard a muffled boom. Looking up, he saw that a thick layer of dark clouds had appeared overhead at some point.

It was about to rain.