What exactly would a rich man's private garden have? Poverty really limits people's imagination. Even Jing Shu, who had seen her share of things, couldn't picture what kind of treasures might be hidden there. What did "luxury" even mean in the apocalypse now? Would there be marble fountains flowing with filtered water or climate-controlled greenhouses filled with exotic blooms?
She rubbed her hands together, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. Now this felt like the proper way to sneak into America. New York was the very symbol of prosperity, and she was dying to see what it had become three years after the end of the world. The news always made it sound like the country had turned into a nonstop action movie full of gunfights, but since she got here, not a single bullet had come her way. She had even worn a thick coat for months for nothing. Totally not thrilling enough!
Then again, what had she been doing these past two months? She had ended up in a godforsaken no-man's-land near the Mexican border, lived in an underground city where the air was thick with the smell of damp stone, almost got buried alive by an earthquake, then wandered into the radioactive ruins of Austin and nearly got cooked by radiation.
When she tried to scavenge something useful, she found herself stuck between two extremes. Either the people were so rich she couldn't get close to their fortified compounds, or they were so poor their stuff wasn't worth looking at.
The only real profit she made was from Peggy's little treasure hoard. That small-time tycoon's stash had been full of American specialties—glass bottles of olive oil, crates of wine, collectibles, and even some weapons. The priciest items were probably caviar and other luxuries that few could afford now.
And then there was the seafood, deli meats, and frozen goods she "borrowed" from the yacht. Even with all that, her Rubik's Cube Space still wasn't full after the latest upgrade. Something still felt missing, though she couldn't say what.
Life just didn't feel complete until that space was packed to the brim with supplies. So when she heard "a rich man's private garden," her excitement shot through the roof. Wealthy people had to have secret vaults, and she just loved looting those. She really hoped this one wouldn't let her down.
Everyone else seemed fired up too, their faces reflecting the same greedy interest.
Yang Yang spread out the map on the table and said, "At the same time, we will meet up with our final team to complete this mission."
Right—he had mentioned that before. When they first arrived in America, Yang Yang said another team had landed at the opposite end of the country. They had been moving south while her group moved north. After all this time, they were finally going to meet.
Snake Spirit frowned, his brow furrowing as he looked at the marker lines. "Why does this mission need two teams?"
"Because it's difficult," Yang Yang said simply.
That one line made everyone go quiet. Difficult? Harder than what they had already been through? The answer was obvious. It definitely was.
Yang Yang stamped his feet to warm up, the sound of his boots echoing in the quiet cabin. He tightened his thin leather jacket. "I will say it again. We came here to gather supplies, not to die. Things back home aren't looking good, and while America still has resources, we grab what we can. You have seen it yourselves. Everything outside the government's control is chaos. Half the population can't even feed themselves anymore, except for the rich."
He glanced around the room. "So remember this: safety first. The last mission is tough. If we can finish it, great. If not, we pull out. Once we meet the other team, we will decide together."
A heavy mood settled over everyone, even Jing Shu. Though curiosity still itched in the back of her mind. What kind of "treasure" could that so-called sacred cauldron be? Was it one of those huge bronze tripods with four legs? And how the hell could that extend someone's life? What, they scrape off a bit each day to brew tea? No way it could compare to her Rubik's Cube Space anyway.
Back in her room, she started practicing with her upgraded cube. The deeper she got, the more natural it felt, like the moves had become part of her bones. Now, when she played with it, she could freely manipulate and restore it without much thought. It felt almost magical, even though solving a 9-tier cube still took her an hour or so.
After three years of training, she was finally at what could truly be called the beginner stage. Before, she had only been using memorized formulas. Sure, she had been fast—world-class even—but that wasn't mastery. Because the true Rubik's Cube Space wasn't just about solving it.
She still didn't quite understand how to advance to the next tier, but she knew one thing. There would be resistance. And that resistance was the key. Based on past experience, it would definitely tie into whatever new ability came with the upgrade.
The Cube Space didn't exactly grant her powers. Except for the Spirit Spring that gave her physical strength, the rest had simply been unlocking layer after layer of its sealed strength. Actually, it felt more like it was slowly merging with her, as if too much power too soon would overload her body. That only proved her suspicion. The Cube was probably a higher-dimensional object blending into a lower dimension. It needed stable anchors to exist.
"Maybe one day," she murmured to the quiet room, "the Cube Space will fully merge with me, and I will be able to step inside for real. When that happens, even if Earth is destroyed, I will still have a place to live. Seven years. I have got seven years left. Who knows if Earth will even survive that long."
The team they were about to meet had to be strong as hell, right? After all, her group was already made up of elite squads from the Capital and Wu City. The other team should be just as good. She had imagined a big crowd of powerful fighters when they finally met. But after trekking through mountains and rivers, crossing half of America, she realized she might have been a little too optimistic.
"May God bless you with peace, joy, and eternal life, my children. Finally, we meet. Amen."
When the so-called priest appeared before them, Jing Shu's brain nearly short-circuited. The man wore a spotless clerical outfit, held a Bible in one hand, and leaned on a cane with the other. He sported a pair of sunglasses that didn't quite hide the greasy stubble and shifty eyes underneath. But when he spoke, his tone was full of divine grace, as if a holy light shone behind him. For a second, it was hard to tell if he was genuinely devout or just putting on a show.
Yang Yang frowned. "Where is everyone else? Don't tell me you're the only one."
The priest crossed himself solemnly before answering, "Their souls are eternal. Those who believed in Christ have gone to heaven."
Jing Shu was silent for a moment. "So… you mean everyone is dead?"
The priest spread his arms to the sky. "They have merely gone to heaven."
"Then why didn't you go?"