Chapter 220: Into the Mountains in Search of Treasure
Wan Xiaozhou’s cooking skills were exceptional, and the dishes she prepared were a feast for the senses. A table was soon filled with fragrant, delicious food.
Fang Xiaocao’s mouth watered at the sight. “Come on, everyone, sit down! Xiaozhou, you too!”
Sitting at the head of the table, she warmly invited Tom and the others to join.
Tom and his companions did not refuse and took their seats. Wan Xiaozhou served everyone a bowl of rice, and Fang Xiaocao lifted her bowl, saying, “Let’s eat! No need to be polite!”
Thus, the four of them shared their first reunion meal.
After eating to their heart’s content, Fang Xiaocao went upstairs for a nap, Wan Xiaozhou cleaned up, Taotie sneaked into the Blacklist to steal equipment, and Tom prepared electronic devices.
By evening, the four gathered again in the villa.
Wan Xiaozhou once again cooked a grand meal, and after indulging in another feast, they began preparations—changing outfits and getting ready to head into the mountains in search of treasure.
Fang Xiaocao pulled out her phone and tapped on the avatar of “Hot Noodles,” intending to check the script before setting out… uh, she meant the weather forecast!
Fang Xiaocao: Hey, are you there? We’re about to head into the mountains to dig up that treasure. Any last-minute advice?
Future Timeline
At that moment, Hot Noodles was watching TV.
Beside her sat Tom, Taotie, and Wan Xiaozhou, but they were in Villa No. 5, not the countryside villa.
Hearing her phone chime, Hot Noodles picked it up and, after recalling her memories of this treasure hunt, she typed a reply.
Hot Noodles: From what I remember, this trip is full of dangers but also great rewards. However, my memories are only temporary. Every choice you make now shapes my future. I can only follow your path, not foresee your chosen future.
After sending the message, she put down her phone and continued watching TV.
Present Timeline
Seeing Hot Noodles’ response, Fang Xiaocao blinked. She felt like she had asked for nothing.
“Full of dangers?”
“What kind of dangers? How many? Couldn’t she be more specific?”
Fang Xiaocao sighed, giving up on asking further. If something truly dangerous happened, Hot Noodles would probably message her first.
Stretching lazily, she went upstairs and changed into jungle camouflage tactical gear, put on high-top hiking boots, and packed all the high-tech gear Tom had given her—only carrying the essentials and stuffing the rest into her backpack.
She donned a high-tech bulletproof vest, strapped on two black short knives, and holstered a pistol. After ensuring she could still move freely with the added weight, she nodded in satisfaction and headed downstairs to the living room to wait for the others.
Ten minutes later, everyone was ready.
Gathered in the living room, Taotie handed two black short knives, two pistols, and several magazines to Wan Xiaozhou.
“Little maid, these are your weapons. Don’t worry about saving bullets; we have plenty!”
Wan Xiaozhou took the knives, spun them skillfully in her hands, and sheathed them into her thigh holsters. She then took the pistols, checked the magazines, chambered a round, and flipped the safety on with practiced ease—clearly well-trained.
After securing her weapons, she even flashed Taotie a rare smile. “Thanks, Brother Taotie!”
“Alright, let’s move out!” Fang Xiaocao clapped her hands, leading the group out the back door of the villa toward the dangerous mountain Hot Noodles had warned about.
Taotie, Tom, and Wan Xiaozhou followed closely behind, their footsteps eerily silent. Even though they were only two meters away, Fang Xiaocao couldn’t hear them move.
“Okay, okay, everyone’s a pro, and I’m the only rookie here, huh?”
Into the Mountains
Once in the forest, Wan Xiaozhou volunteered. “Princess, I’m fast and agile. Want to give me the map? I can scout ahead.”
Fang Xiaocao hesitated, then glanced at Taotie and Tom for their opinions.
She had absolute trust in Wan Xiaozhou’s loyalty—if anything was off, she would sense it through their mental link. But for wilderness survival, Taotie and Tom had far more experience than her, so she sought their judgment.
The two men exchanged glances and nodded.
Seeing their approval, Fang Xiaocao took out a printed map and handed it to Wan Xiaozhou. “Alright, scouting is yours. Leave the agreed-upon markers, and if you spot danger, return immediately to regroup.”
Wan Xiaozhou smiled. “Got it, Princess!”
Tom stepped forward and handed her a tiny black device. “Here, this is an earpiece. Just put it in your ear. It won’t get stuck, and you’ll have a one-kilometer range for clear communication. Battery lasts 72 hours.”
Wan Xiaozhou blinked, then beamed at him. “Thanks, Brother Tom~”
She popped the earpiece into her ear. “Like this?”
“Perfect. Be careful—don’t go beyond one kilometer,” Tom reminded.
With a grin, Wan Xiaozhou glanced at the map, then dashed into the darkness of the forest, disappearing within moments.
Once she was gone, Tom distributed earpieces to Fang Xiaocao and Taotie as well.
They followed Wan Xiaozhou’s markers for three kilometers when her voice came through the earpiece.
“Princess, I found fresh wolf droppings and hunting traces. The wolves must have just passed through. We are in their hunting territory.”
Fang Xiaocao froze.
“What the heck?! We’ve barely entered the mountains, and we’re already in wolf territory?!”
She turned to Tom and Taotie in shock.
They remained calm.
Tom spoke into the earpiece. “Keep moving. Avoid direct encounters. If you do run into them, climb a tree and wait for backup. Also, try to estimate their numbers.”
Fang Xiaocao was dumbfounded.
“Wait, are we actually planning to fight wolves? We came to find treasure, not hunt predators!”
“Uh… Tom, do we really need to mess with the wolves?” she asked hesitantly.
Taotie scoffed. “Princess, they’re just overgrown puppies. I can take them all with my knife alone.”
“Well…” Fang Xiaocao had no argument. Taotie probably could.
Tom added, “He’s right. These wolves hunt in this area, which means our villa is also in their territory. If we don’t deal with them now, they might attack us later. Better to take care of it first.”
Fang Xiaocao sighed, finally understanding.
“Alright then…”
A kilometer later, Tom suddenly grabbed Fang Xiaocao’s hand and drew his gun.
Taotie stepped in front of her, blade at the ready, eyes scanning the forest.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
Before she got an answer—
“Awoooooooo!”
A wolf howled. Then another. Soon, the howls echoed all around them.
Fang Xiaocao’s face paled.
They were surrounded.
“Little pups came fast,” Taotie chuckled.
The underbrush rustled. Shadows leaped forward.
“Here they come!” Taotie roared, swinging his blade.
Tom fired three quick shots—Bang! Bang! Bang! Three wolves howled in pain and collapsed mid-leap.
“Hey! Tom, let me have some fun!” Taotie complained, slashing another wolf clean in half.
Tom smirked. “Fine, fine. Go nuts.”
Laughing maniacally, Taotie charged, his blade flashing in the moonlight as he cut through the wolves like a butcher at work.
(End of Chapter 220)
