The Truth About the Treasure

Qin Yiguan, the Caregiver, and Underworld gangster slowly walked to the alley entrance.

I turned around and glanced at the back door of the ' Rich Cheese Pizza Shop ' in the distance.

The Dishwasher stood alone under the dim light, washing dishes one after another.

"That's what the Dishwasher said."

He didn't want to lose control and kill again, and he desperately hoped that the cross could heal him.

Wearing a cross, he was just an ordinary person.

We should live the lives of ordinary people.

Therefore, Qin Yiguan and the other two bid him farewell.

"That cross even has damage at the bottom."

"It looks completely ordinary."

The Underworld is still pondering this question, "Why does it have such great power?"

"Now it seems that the effect of that thing is to suppress Qin Yiguan, but it may not be able to suppress AKI."

The Caregiver said slowly, "We should still focus our efforts on finding the Anti-Source Matter."

"Anti-Source Matter..."

Qin Yiguan pondered for a moment, then took out the white water cup given to him by Shangguan Xiaotao, and gently shook it to his ear, making a gurgling sound inside.

The Caregiver and the Underworld knew perfectly well that Biesan wouldn't be carrying a cartoon water bottle for no reason, and they all turned to look at him.

Splash, splash.

Qin Yiguan was still shaking the water glass.

After a moment's thought, Qin Yiguan manipulated the Smiling Face Cane on his wrist, transforming it into a small blade, and slowly pried open the inner liner of the thermos flask along the edge of the rim.

After removing the inner liner, only the white outer shell of the thermos remains.

The rattling sound comes from the gap between the inner liner and the outer shell.

After gazing inside the outer shell, Qin Yiguan slowly poured out a small, silvery metal block.

The Caregiver and the Underworld's eyes lit up suddenly.

Qin Yiguan picked up the small metal piece, held it up to the streetlight, and examined it carefully.

Underworld and Caregiver also gathered around.

It was a silver metal with no signs of oxidation, but one side of it had an irregular fracture, as if it had been cut off from something.

"This material... why does it look so familiar?"

"Isn't this exactly the same as the Dishwasher's cross?"

"There's also an incision below the cross!"

"The size of this thing, and the cut marks..."

The Underworld was stunned. "Isn't this what was cut off from the cross?"

Qin Yiguan's eyes flickered slightly. "That's right, I remember the break on the cross; the two match perfectly."

The Underworld was stunned. "What's going on? How did this thing get into your thermos?"

Qin Yiguan was also completely baffled.

He held the metal in his hand up to the light and twirled it slightly.

But on the back of this metal piece, a line of small characters was actually branded.

Qin Yiguan narrowed his eyes, as did the Underworld and the Caregiver.

--Fubei Alloy Manufacturing Plant, No. 24222 cross bearing, used in gardener's weeding robot.

"Weed-cutting robot?"

"A cross bearing?!"

Qin Yiguan's eyes widened. "Can I understand that this might be an ordinary mechanical part?"

The Caregiver lowered his hat brim. "Be more confident. Drop the 'maybe'."

"Holy crap!"

The Underworld was stunned.

Qin Yiguan's mind went blank.

Fubei Titanium Alloy Manufacturing Plant... it is located near its own orphanage.

However, due to the Great Migration of humans, this once-famous manufacturing plant has been abandoned.

When I was young, I often went treasure hunting there with Boss Meng, and we always managed to pick up some scrap metal.

The thermos cup given to Shangguan Xiaotao was also found nearby.

now.

Qin Yiguan's eyes slowly widened.

Another story popped into my head.

Qin Yiguan in this Metaverse shares most of the same childhood experiences as myself.

But one detail completely changed his fate: the appearance of this cross.

If we deduce the origin of this cross based on our own childhood experiences, it should be like this.

That day.

"He" and Boss Meng went to collect scraps as usual.

Boss Meng found a cross bearing in the ruins of the factory.

While rejoicing over the great harvest, Boss Meng thought of his sworn brother.

Young Qin Yiguan was always afraid of the monsters 'hidden in the night'.

Boss Meng had a sudden inspiration.

After a great deal of effort, the lower half of the bearing was cut off, which meant removing its markings as a mechanical component.

But Boss Meng dared not dispose of the sign casually.

He was afraid that his younger brother, who scavenged for scrap metal in the distance, would discover the piece of metal nearby, because the two of them would search the entire place every time they came.

So be it.

Boss Meng open the thermos he had just found and hid the shard under the inner liner.

At that moment, Boss Meng must have been admiring his own wit; it was simply perfect.

then.

When Boss Meng saw Qin Yiguan, he started making up stories, boasting about the sacred cross and claiming that it could cure Qin Yiguan's mental illness.

Thinking about this...

Qin Yiguan was slightly moved.

The Dishwasher is so stupid, believing that.

Even Boss Meng wasn't very clever; how could there be a cross hidden under the old monk's pillow?!

The essence of this.

It's nothing more than an older brother's... clumsy concern for his younger brother.

But precisely because of this...

This discarded cross bearing became a source of hope for the Dishwasher, a priceless treasure.

call...

Qin Yiguan let out a slight sigh of relief.

Dr. House said that.

In life, 90% of the obstacles we face are psychological.

Similarly.

In life, 90% of one's strength comes from the mind.

There's no treasure cross here.

The power of the Dishwasher's [Gestalt Collapse] comes from the mind.

The same applies to the force that suppresses [Gestalt Collapse]!

As for...

The reason why the lower half of the cross bearing ended up in Qin Yiguan's hands is now quite obvious.

Because it was the same day.

When young Qin Yiguan saw Shangguan Xiaotao begging, he unknowingly gave Shangguan Xiaotao this thermos cup with a hidden secret.

Shangguan Xiaotao was grateful. Even after entering the Metaverse, she scanned the thermos and carried it with her, hoping to one day return it to its original owner.

Back at 053 High School, Qin Yiguan, in an attempt to ease his guilt, impersonated Shangguan Xiaotao.

This world is strange and bizarre, yet it is all due to cause and effect.

The truth has now come to light.

And another key figure in this long-forgotten story... Boss Meng.

Qin Yiguan felt a pang of pain in his heart. He was still so kind, still so caring towards 'him', but why, even in a Metaverse, did Boss Meng still inevitably die?

moment.

Qin Yiguan told this story to the Caregiver and the Underworld.

The two were speechless.

for a long time.

The Underworld sighed, "I don't think we need to tell the Dishwasher the truth."

The Caregiver adjusted his hat brim. "The Dishwasher really enjoys his life now. He doesn't care about wealth or status; he prefers to live a peaceful life."

Qin Yiguan nodded silently.

He looked down at the silver metal in his hand.

Then, Qin Yiguan smiled helplessly, "Now it seems that this thing has absolutely nothing to do with Anti-Source Matter... It's not even a proper bearing anymore."

The Underworld laughed heartily, "Congratulations! We've come up empty-handed!"

And in that very moment...

A blue vortex lit up nearby.

Then, Qin Variants, slowly drove out from inside in a wheelchair.

"Things have unfolded in a way that deviated from my predictions."

Congratulations to the three of you.

"We've obtained a crucial clue to defeating the Ao Council."

The vice president smiled and said, "I suggest the three of you proceed with the next step of your exploration immediately."

Qin Yiguan was stunned.

He glanced at the vice president, then at the bearing fragment in his hand.

"???"