"Finally..." Xiang Xueyuan gazed at the half-suspended stone before him, his expression filled with excitement.
He knew there had to be a way!
There was indeed another identical stone in the world. Although smaller, his preliminary measurements showed the peak value remained unchanged.
If that was the case, then all his efforts thus far were worth it.
Worth it!
With trembling hands, Xiang Xueyuan took out his phone to make a call, only to find there was no signal. Undeterred, he produced a special communicator.
He had come prepared.
As soon as he found this stone, he would use this communicator to one-click contact all his informants hidden within the major families worldwide, instructing them to act immediately.
The warships he had positioned in the surrounding bays would converge upon receiving the signal.
Now, all he had to do was wait for his people to arrive so he could take this treasure away.
"So beautiful..." Xiang Xueyuan stared dreamily, his heart racing, a tightness in his chest causing him to cough softly.
Covering his lips with his hand, Xiang Xueyuan knew approaching the treasure without protection was incredibly dangerous, but...
How could he bear to let go now?
This was the ultimate treasure he had pursued his entire life.
If he couldn't protect even this, then his life would be meaningless.
Xiang Xueyuan would not allow such a thing to happen.
"Shhh..." The door was ajar. Master Shi, the curator, raised his pen to signal others to stay behind. His eyes were half-lidded as he peered into the room, then he turned back to the person behind him and whispered, "That stone looks strange, and it's glowing."
"It must be that one." Xia Qingyu had seen Xiang Xueyuan's original stone. "That thing has very strong radiation. Don't go in rashly."
"Let me see." Xia Qingtian still felt something was odd. She moved closer, narrowing her eyes to examine the stone carefully. Soon, Xia Qingtian spotted a cluster of strange blue currents flickering erratically on the stone's surface.
"No way..." Xia Qingtian muttered, her mouth twitching. She mentally called out, *System? Is that you?*
[!!! Qing Tian! Is that you calling me! Where are you!] A young man's voice entered Xia Qingtian's mind, filled with urgency. [Damn it, someone's stealing my home! I just took a nap, and this guy comes to steal my place! This is my energy; what the hell is he doing getting so lost in himself here!]
[After so long, you...] Xia Qingtian recalled the system's previous voice. [You've matured quite a bit!]
[Of course! I've been working really hard on this island!] The system grumbled. [I finally waited until today, and now I have to go through tribulation again. What is this person doing! So annoying!]
[You ran away and left me with this mess!] Xia Qingtian finally understood. [I owe you! Can you be more reliable? You didn't choose any of the many islands where you could have worked hard alone, but you had to come here and mess around!]
[Is this how you treat me after we meet again after so long! Are you looking for a fight?] The system felt wronged by Xia Qingtian's scolding. [What's wrong with me taking back what belongs to me! This is all mine! Mine!]
If it weren't for the Heavenly Dao deliberately causing trouble, it would have successfully completed its tribulation long ago and wouldn't have to waste time here.
"Sister, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Xia Qingyu noticed Xia Qingtian's expression change and couldn't help but ask softly, "Do you want to rest for a bit?"
"I'll tell you later." Xia Qingtian didn't have time to talk to Xia Qingyu at the moment. She took two steps back, moved aside, and focused on verbally sparring with the system in her mind.
Beside her, Lu Yaoyang noticed this and his gaze flickered. He instantly guessed what was happening, pursed his lips, and tentatively asked in his mind, [Why are you still here? Didn't you leave?]
[Holy crap! You're here too? What are you guys doing here? On vacation!] The system was startled to hear Lu Yaoyang's voice. [You guys aren't married yet, are you? Honeymoon? Congratulations, congratulations!]
[It is you, indeed.] Lu Yaoyang confirmed his suspicion and took a deep breath, further solidifying his conviction.
From beginning to end, none of this was an accident. An invisible hand had brought him, Xia Qingtian, and the system together and pushed them to this point.
As for the purpose...
Lu Yaoyang looked at the person inside the room, his heart sinking.
He had lived seven lifetimes, and in each of the previous ones, a madman had brought about the end of the world.
Initially, it was just climate change, a sudden ice age that caused global temperatures to plummet. After surviving the cold winter, came bizarre heatwaves, windless and rainless.
Soon, food and energy became scarce, accompanied by inexplicable infectious diseases. The entire world descended into chaos, and the death toll rapidly increased.
The apocalypse followed.
The outcome was similar in each life, with only slight variations in the timeline.
Lu Yaoyang had been trying to unite the forces of the world's major families, attempting to alter the situation, all in vain.
So, in his fifth and sixth lives, Lu Yaoyang began searching for the person causing all this.
The organization was mysterious. It took him immense effort to gather some information. He knew that madman's power was immense; he not only possessed absolute strength but had also infiltrated many major families with his informants.
Eliminating him was extremely difficult.
However, Lu Yaoyang couldn't understand how that person managed to drag the entire world towards its doom.
Today, combining all the information he had gathered, Lu Yaoyang had formed a clear network map in his mind. The fog that had troubled him began to clear, and he finally understood what was happening.
[System, I'm talking to you! Can't you hear me!] Xia Qingtian, seeing the system fall silent, pouted impatiently. She looked up and saw a diagram placed not far in front of her.
"Huh?" Tilting her head, Xia Qingtian walked towards it step by step.
This diagram...
Xia Qingtian narrowed her eyes and examined the diagram thoroughly. Soon, a truth surfaced in Xia Qingtian's heart.
She looked around, her mouth twitching slightly. "So, I was schemed against! Tsk..."
[Hey, hey, hey! Can you give me a moment to breathe!] The system was also exhausted. It had to argue with Xia Qingtian while also dealing with Lu Yaoyang. It hadn't communicated with anyone in so long. Being forced to communicate different things simultaneously at different frequencies was very taxing!
[System, setting everything else aside, can you get that thing away from here now?] Xia Qingtian felt it was more important to deal with the immediate issue.
[This thing cannot remain here.] Lu Yaoyang also told the system in his mind. [Make it disappear immediately.]