The salty, fishy sea breeze.
Coarse sand.
And that damn, yet incredibly familiar sun.
Qin Yu lay sprawled on the beach, chest heaving violently. Every breath brought a burning pain, but it felt good.
The feeling of making it out alive was truly exhilarating.
Elena was collapsed beside him, her golden hair disheveled. Her usually cold and beautiful face was now covered in black soot, her tactical suit tattered, revealing large patches of skin blackened by smoke.
"We're out..."
Her voice was hoarse, as if she had swallowed a mouthful of sand.
"Yeah."
Qin Yu grunted in response, not even wanting to move a finger.
"What was that just now?"
Elena tilted her head, looking at the hole behind them that was still billowing black smoke.
"A depleted uranium armored door."
Qin Yu grinned, revealing a set of white teeth that stood out starkly against his blackened face.
"If it weren't for that Nuclear Bomb Core, we'd both be dried-up corpses by now."
With great effort, he raised his hand and reached for his wrist.
The Tactical Terminal was long shattered.
But the System Panel was still there.
"Ding!"
The moment he opened it, the dense barrage of message notifications nearly blasted through his brain.
[Private Messages 99+]
[Missed Call Requests: 56]
Qin Yu's heart sank.
Damn.
The signal had been blocked when they entered that Armory.
He glanced at the time.
His pupils contracted sharply.
"Fuck."
"What's wrong?" Elena sat up alertly, her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger at her thigh.
"Time."
Qin Yu pointed at the time display on the System Panel.
"How long were we in there?"
"Perceived time, about four hours."
Elena frowned. "No more than five hours at most."
"Three days have passed outside."
Qin Yu showed her the panel.
"Three days?!"
Elena's eyes widened. "Was there a Time Field in that Armory? Or..."
"Never mind what it was."
Qin Yu quickly opened Li Ruobing's chat window.
He directly initiated a voice call.
"Beep—"
It only rang once.
Instantly answered.
"Who is it?!"
Li Ruobing's voice was sharp, carrying a noticeable tremor, along with the sound of howling wind in the background.
"It's me."
Qin Yu coughed, his voice a bit hoarse.
"Not dead yet."
Silence from the other end.
A deathly silence.
A full five seconds passed.
"Location."
Her voice had changed.
No longer the hysterical tone from before, but a calmness suppressed to the extreme.
Like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Area 9527, C-14 reef, southeast beach."
Qin Yu reported the coordinates.
"I'm nearby."
"Three minutes."
"Beep."
The call ended.
Qin Yu looked at the panel and let out a bitter laugh.
"What?"
Elena raised an eyebrow, cleaning her wounds with seawater while looking at him teasingly.
"Your little lover?"
"Creditor."
Qin Yu pushed himself up to sit, pulling two bottles of water from his Space and tossing one to her.
"If a fight breaks out later, stay out of the way."
"Why?"
Elena unscrewed the cap and took a big gulp. "Is she going to eat you?"
"It's hard to say."
Qin Yu rubbed his nose.
With Li Ruobing's temperament, when she got fired up, she really could swallow him whole.
...
Three minutes.
Not a second more, not a second less.
On the distant sea surface, a white spray of water pierced through like an arrow.
"Vroom—!!"
The roar of the engine was deafening.
The speedboat showed no sign of slowing down, charging straight toward the beach.
"Hey!"
Qin Yu was startled.
"Brake!!"
"Boom!!"
The speedboat rushed directly onto the sand, plowing a deep trench in the beach, finally coming to a stop just two meters in front of Qin Yu.
Dust flew.
A fiery red figure jumped down from the speedboat.
Short shorts, a hot sports top, revealing large patches of snow-white skin and a wheat-colored abdominal line.
Those long legs were dazzling under the sun.
Li Ruobing.
She wasn't even wearing shoes, stepping barefoot on the scorching sand.
In her hand, she held a modified shotgun.
Her eyes were bloodshot.
From staying up all night, and from crying.
Qin Yu was just about to stand up and greet her.
"You..."
"Bang!"
Li Ruobing threw the gun to the ground.
Her whole body crashed into Qin Yu's arms like a cannonball.
The impact was so great that it knocked Qin Yu back down onto the sand.
"Ugh!"
Qin Yu grunted, the wound on his back aching from the impact.
But he didn't dare move.
Because he could feel it.
The person in his arms was trembling.
Shaking violently.
A warm, wet sensation spread across his shoulder.
Tears.
"You bastard!!"
Li Ruobing bit down hard on Qin Yu's shoulder.
With all her strength.
"Hisss—"
Qin Yu grimaced in pain, but he didn't make a sound, letting her bite.
If he dared push her away now,
that would be asking for trouble.
"Three days!!"
Li Ruobing released her bite, lifting her head. Her beautiful face was streaked with tears, her eyes fierce like a mother tiger protecting her food.
"Three whole days! Not a single message! You didn't reply to private messages! Your location disappeared!"
"Do you know how I spent these three days?!"
"I thought you were dead!!"
"I almost went to fight those people to the death!!"
Qin Yu looked into her bloodshot eyes, and something soft inside him was deeply touched.
This woman.
Usually she seemed fiery and open, carefree.
But at critical moments, she truly gave you her heart.
"My fault."
Qin Yu reached out, gently wiping the tears from her face. His fingers were rough, rubbing her skin red.
"Ran into some trouble."
"Signal was jammed."
"I didn't expect the time flow inside and outside to be different either."
"Excuses!"
Li Ruobing sniffled, glaring at him fiercely.
Then.
Her gaze moved past Qin Yu's shoulder.
Landing on Elena, who was watching the scene nearby.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, a hot figure. Though covered in dirt, that exotic charm was unmistakable.
Especially that tattered tactical suit.
Revealing what should and shouldn't be shown, quite a bit was exposed.
Li Ruobing's expression instantly changed.
From the wronged little wife just moments ago, she switched instantly to the scrutinizing mode of the main wife.
"Who is she?"
Li Ruobing pointed at Elena.
"Is this why you disappeared for three days?"
"Playing wilderness survival on an island with some foreign girl?"
The air instantly froze.
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
"Alright."
Qin Yu quickly changed the subject.
He stood up, brushing the sand off his clothes, his eyes turning toward the still-smoking cave entrance.
All weariness vanished in an instant.
Replacing it.
Was a heart-palpitating greed.
"We can catch up later."
"Ruo Bing, how many storage containers did you bring?"
Li Ruobing was taken aback.
"Storage containers?"
"My raft is full of them."
"They were originally loaded with supplies to rendezvous with you, with a capacity of about twenty large containers."
"Why?"
Qin Yu pointed at the pitch-black opening.
A mad grin curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Bring the ship over."
"Gather all the Valkyrie team members."
"We're about to strike it rich."
Li Ruobing followed his pointing finger.
"What is that place?"
"An armory from the previous era."
Qin Yu's voice was low, tinged with unconcealable excitement.
"The defense systems inside have already been disabled by us."
"That S-Class high-temperature sterilization program has also been shut down."
"Now."
"It's like a naked beauty inside."
"Ours for the taking."
Elena also stood up, the exhaustion gone from her eyes.
"Boss."
"You want to..."
"Empty it out."
Qin Yu clenched his fist.
"Don't leave so much as a single screw behind."
...
Half an hour later.
Li Ruobing's ship docked.
Dozens of Valkyries, under her command, carrying various tools and storage containers, surged toward the opening in a mighty tide.
Qin Yu walked at the forefront.
Returning to this place that had nearly claimed his life just moments before.
This time.
His feelings were entirely different.
Passing through the blasted-open passageway.
Returning once more to the core laboratory on the second underground level.
The lighting was still dim.
But all the indicator lights on the instruments had gone dark.
A deathly silence.
"My god..."
Li Ruobing stood at the laboratory entrance, staring at the rows of silver-white hibernation pods and those sci-fi-styled instruments.
Her mouth hung open in an 'O'.
"These..."
"Are all these S-Class equipment?!"
She casually touched a microscope.
[Item: High-Energy Electron Microscope (A-plus-grade)]
"Even a microscope is A-plus-grade?!"
"Stop gawking."
Qin Yu waved a hand grandly.
"Get to work!"
"Everything that can be dismantled, take it all!"
"That workbench! Move it!"
"That mechanical arm! Take it off!"
"That screen on the wall! Pry it off!"
Qin Yu was like a rat that had found its way into a rice jar, his eyes gleaming.
He walked over to the wreckage of the Tyrannosaurus Mecha from before.
Although it had been burned to scrap.
The parts inside were still priceless.
"This armor plate."
Qin Yu tapped the mecha's chest.
"S-grade titanium alloy."
"Take it back, melt it down, and reinforce our ship!"
"And this power core."
Even though it was broken.
The rare metals inside were still there.
"Take it!"
The group swept through like a plague of locusts.
The once-tidy laboratory was instantly reduced to a scene of chaos.
"Boss!"
Not far away, a Valkyrie shouted excitedly.
"There's a warehouse here!"
"Full of raw materials!"
Qin Yu rushed over to look.
Good heavens.
An entire wall of metal ingots.
[Item: Refined Titanium Alloy Ingot (S-grade)]
[Quantity: 500 pieces]
[Item: High-Purity Tungsten Steel (A-grade)]
[Quantity: 1000 pieces]
"Move them!!"
Qin Yu roared.
"Don't leave a single piece behind!"
These things.
In the current Wasteland World, they were hard currency.
Something you couldn't buy even with money.
"Qin Yu!"
Li Ruobing called to him from another area.
Her voice trembled slightly.
Qin Yu ran over.
He saw Li Ruobing standing before a blown-open safe, holding a thick book in her hands.
It wasn't made of paper, but of some kind of special metal sheets.
"What is this?"
Qin Yu took it.
[Item: Titan Heavy Industries · Mecha Manufacturing Blueprint Compendium (Incomplete Volume)]
[Rating: SSS-grade (Non-Tradable)]
[Description: Records the core design principles of all land-based mechas from Titan Heavy Industries in the Previous Era. Though incomplete, it contains the complete blueprints for the "Raptor" series of mechas.]
[Special Effect: After reading, the host and affiliated Crafters gain a 500% increase in mechanical manufacturing proficiency and unlock the "Mecha Manufacturing" Tech Tree.]
Qin Yu's hand shook, nearly dropping it.
SSS-grade!
And blueprints!
What did this mean?
It meant that as long as he had enough resources, he could mass-produce those S-Class Tyrannosaurus Mecha!
Just imagine.
In future naval battles, while others were firing arrows from their Rafts, he could airdrop ten Tyrannosaurus Mecha for boarding actions.
That scene would be nothing short of a dimensional strike.
"Keep it safe."
Qin Yu solemnly stored the book in his system Space.
This thing was even more precious than any nuclear bomb.
"Keep searching!"
"There must be more good stuff here!"
With such a promising start, everyone's motivation soared.
...
B-3 Area.
Armory.
When Li Ruobing saw the warehouse full of ammunition, her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed.
"This… this…"
She pointed at the mountains of crates, stumbling over her words.
"Is this enough for us to fight a world war?"
"Pretty much."
Qin Yu casually picked up a grenade, weighing it in his hand.
"Before, my Space was full, so I couldn't take it."
"But now…"
"It's all ours."
"Move it!"
Dozens of Valkyries formed a human chain, transporting crate after crate of ammunition out like ants moving their nest.
Suddenly, an exclamation came from a corner.
"Boss! There's a big one here!"
Qin Yu walked over.
It was a massive machine covered by a dust cloth, standing five meters tall. It had been overlooked earlier due to the dim lighting.
Now, with the cloth removed, its formidable form was revealed.
It wasn't a weapon.
It was…
[Item: Molecular-Level 3D Printing Center (Military Edition)]
[Rating: SSS-grade (Unique)]
[Description: As long as there are blueprints and raw materials, it can print anything. Including firearms, prosthetics, and even small vehicles.]
[Status: Standby (Insufficient Energy)]
Qin Yu felt as if his breath had stopped.
A printer!
This was the real divine artifact!
With blueprints, materials, and this printer, he could rebuild an industrial system in this Wasteland World!
"This…"
Li Ruobing was also stunned.
She knew its value.
"This thing…"
"We must take it!"
Qin Yu said resolutely.
"But…"
Li Ruobing looked at its massive size.
"It must weigh at least ten tons."
"How do we move it?"
"And the hole at the exit isn't big enough either."
Qin Yu circled the machine twice, his eyes fierce.
"If the hole isn't big enough, we'll blow it open again."
"As for moving it…"
He glanced at the [Windrunner Exoskeleton (Leg Module)] blueprint he had just stored in his Space.
Even if it was just a module, as long as he could Craft it, the added strength would be enough.
"First, dismantle this thing!"
Qin Yu gave the order.
"Elena, you're the expert. You take charge."
"Break it down into modules."
"I refuse to believe it."
"Can we really let this meat that's already at our lips fly away?"
For the next three hours.
The entire underground base turned into a sea of revelry.
The sounds of electric drills, hammering, and moving echoed everywhere.
Qin Yu was like an inexhaustible overseer.
Wherever there was something good, there he was.
"That chair! That's an ergonomic chair! Take it!"
"That coffee machine! It still works! Take it!"
"The copper wires on the wall! Pull them all out!"
Until finally.
The entire laboratory and armory.
Except for the load-bearing walls and floor.
Were basically empty.
Not a single hair was left behind.