Rebirth Returns, Bodhi Ancient Tree

[International Summary: The Bodhi Ancient Tree was stolen half a month ago. Legend has it that Sakyamuni attained enlightenment and Buddhahood under this tree, and it is revered as a national treasure of Tianzhu. The Tianzhu government attaches great importance to this matter and has ordered the security department to establish an investigation team.]

[World Wonders: The Loch Ness Monster has been spotted again. A traveler posted photos, initially concluding it was at least a hundred meters long. Later, experts determined all photos showed clear signs of manipulation, and the individual has since apologized.]

[Financial Weekly: Recently, a mysterious tycoon in Shanghai City has been massively selling off stocks and real estate, cashing out nearly ten billion. This trend continues, with financial experts stating that while the domestic economy is stable and improving in the short term, this move will cost him hundreds of millions in the next six months.]

July 18, 2025.

Shanghai City, at a private port.

Lu Yuan scanned the news on his phone, his expression calm.

"It's about time."

Lu Yuan put away his phone and picked up his binoculars to gaze into the distance.

At this moment, on the distant sea horizon, a ferry was slowly emerging. It carried only a single container, and upon closer inspection, one could see it was covered in seals, as if holding something extremely precious.

Half an hour later, the ferry arrived, anchored, and stopped steadily at the port.

Soon, dozens of people dressed in black and wearing sunglasses disembarked.

The leader was a tall, bald man with thick muscles. A black thousand-legged centipede was tattooed on his neck, extending to his face. His eyes held a chilling glint, and his presence alone exuded a powerful sense of pressure.

The bald man approached, removed his sunglasses, and said, "Mr. Lu, this trip almost cost me several of my brothers. When do you plan to pay the balance?"

"In about half an hour at most."

Lu Yuan smiled calmly and continued, "The Centipede Organization's reputation is renowned internationally. Who would dare default on a debt?"

The bald man looked at the young man before him, who appeared to be only in his early twenties but was remarkably composed. He nodded. "With your word, Mr. Lu, I am reassured. If that's the case, please come aboard with me to inspect the goods. If everything is in order, we'll unload."

"Alright."

Lu Yuan nodded.

The two then boarded the ship. The seals on the container were torn off, and with a grinding sound of metal, the door opened.

Inside lay a gnarled ancient tree, uprooted, measuring at least ten meters in length.

Its roots, branches, and lush green leaves seemed to have been dug up recently.

But now, it lay quietly within the container.

Seeing this, the bald man sighed, "I really don't understand what you rich people think. Spending so much money just for a broken tree."

Lu Yuan, however, gently shook his head. "This isn't just any tree. It's the Bodhi Ancient Tree where the Buddha Sakyamuni attained enlightenment."

That's right.

He was the one who hired people to steal the national treasure of Tianzhu, the Bodhi Ancient Tree!

The bald man beside Lu Yuan was the leader of one of the top three major thief organizations internationally, known as Thousand-Legged Centipede. It was said that if the price was right, there was nothing he couldn't obtain.

And for this operation, he had spent nearly a hundred million in total.

However, as long as the item was in hand.

In Lu Yuan's opinion, it was all worth it.

Because he was reborn.

In his memories, a little over a month later, on the evening of September 1, 2025, a global anomaly would occur.

Various myths and legends would descend upon the earth, with countless monsters, spirits, and other beings appearing.

A new era would begin!

At that time, the world would no longer be driven by money, but by the law of the jungle, where the strong reigned supreme.

Some would awaken, gaining lightning bodies and controlling electricity; some would revert to their ancestral bloodlines, possessing unparalleled talent; some would grow wings and soar through the heavens.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree would also transform at that moment, becoming an ultimate divine artifact. After refinement, it could directly increase one's talent by billions of times, turning a cripple into a genius. The benefits would be unimaginable. A hundred million would be less than a pile of scrap paper in comparison!

In his previous life, Lu Yuan knew about this too late. As a result, one step behind meant falling behind at every step.

He was eventually killed, his blood staining the earth, unable to keep up with the pace of the new era.

And in this life.

Lu Yuan was reborn three months before the anomaly, given a second chance.

Therefore, he would lay the groundwork for the future before the global anomaly!

In this life, he would get ahead of everyone else!

In this life, he would ascend to the highest peak!

"Who cares what kind of tree it is? Money is the most important thing."

The bald man, unaware of Lu Yuan's thoughts, waved his hand. "Since you've confirmed everything, Mr. Lu, can we start unloading now?"

"Yes."

Lu Yuan naturally wouldn't explain. He smiled and walked off the ferry.

Shortly after, the container holding the Bodhi Ancient Tree was unloaded and loaded onto a truck.

The truck was one he had prepared long ago, without a driver; he would drive it himself. To prevent any accidents or discovery, Lu Yuan had made extensive preparations beforehand. For instance, this port was purchased not long ago, and all the surveillance cameras had been dismantled.

You see, this item is unlike others; it's a national treasure of Tianzhu, steeped in various myths and legends.

Even with Lu Yuan's current wealth, it would be a huge problem if it were discovered.

As for Baldy and the others.

What they did was already illegal, so naturally, they wouldn't say a word.

"The final payment has arrived."

At this moment, Baldy, standing beside him, looked at the balance displayed on his phone and immediately broke into a smile. "It's truly a pleasure working with President Lu. If there's another opportunity, just give me a call anytime."

Although the Bodhi Ancient Tree is a national treasure, the Tianzhu authorities hadn't set up any security measures.

After all, who would have thought someone would target a tree?

So, for the Centipede Organization.

Although this job seemed a bit strange, it was ultimately easy and paid well.

He wished Lu Yuan would give him a few more jobs like this; as for the earlier comment about almost losing a few brothers, it was just a joke.

"Definitely."

Lu Yuan smiled, shook hands with the other party, then directly climbed onto the truck, started it, and drove out of the port.

Baldy from the Centipede Organization and his crew didn't linger either and soon left.

Late at night.

In the northern part of Shanghai City, there was a vast expanse of forest, rarely frequented by people.

However, in the center of it all stood a three-story villa. The villa was brightly lit inside and luxuriously decorated. Outside, a towering, thick wall, dozens of meters high, enclosed the entire villa, preventing any light from escaping, making it appear quite mysterious.

At this moment, Lu Yuan, who had been busy all day, sank back into the ground-floor lobby, his body weary.

He casually poured himself a glass of red wine, then cast his gaze towards the courtyard outside.

There, the Bodhi Ancient Tree brought back from the port had already been planted and watered extensively to keep the soil moist.

Actually, Lu Yuan knew this tree could live for thousands of years and wouldn't have any problems even without this care.

However, adhering to the principle of extreme caution.

He didn't want any issues to arise.

Ring ring.

Just then, Lu Yuan's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw it was a foreign number.