Yun Tutu laid out everything she had, even the medicine she had planned to use for bargaining. Seeing all these rare items, Xie Yufei and her team were deeply moved. If they could bring these things back, their squad could keep some for themselves and submit the rest, earning a lot of points. This would make their future days much more comfortable.

Especially the bag of seeds—it symbolized hope.

Seeing them still deep in conversation, Song Song reminded them, “Hurry up and finish the trade; it’s time to leave. Do you think this is a safe place? Once night falls, dangers lurk everywhere.”

Yun Tutu glanced at the sky. Although it was still gray, there was some time before nightfall.

“If you don’t leave today, you can stay with us in the safe house,” Xie Yufei suggested, looking at the sky outside. “At night, strange creatures come out, and the danger is everywhere. Our safe house has defense mechanisms and can reduce its presence, making it impossible for those monsters to find or attack us.”

Yun Tutu finally understood why she couldn’t find them earlier. She touched the shrunken safe house in her bag, realizing just how valuable this find was.

“So, what were you hiding from before?” Yun Tutu licked her lips, unable to resist her curiosity. What kind of creatures would make them hide so thoroughly?

“Yes, besides the mass deaths of animals, strange creatures have also emerged. These things are nocturnal and feed on human blood. At night, we have to hide well to avoid becoming their prey,” Xie Yufei explained as she activated her wristwatch to project a screen. “The watch the captain gave you also has these; you should take a look.”

On the wall, Yun Tutu saw a projection. “What is that? Hair?”

Her question was understandable—the black mass on the screen looked like a tangle of hair. But each strand seemed alive, writhing and probing.

“This thing is dangerous. Once it targets you, it’s impossible to cut or burn it off. Your body becomes its nourishment, and you just disappear,” Xie Yufei explained, careful not to show the full footage, worried it might scare the young girl too much. “We still don’t know where it came from. After surviving round after round of disasters, this thing appeared, and its origins are still a mystery.”

“And this,” the screen switched to a creature covered in horns, triggering trypophobia for anyone watching. “Don’t be fooled by its size—it can grow as large as a hill when attacking, crushing people into pulp and treating them as food…”

He Ning grabbed Xie Yufei’s arm, shaking her head slightly. If they continued, the girl might be too frightened. They envied her innocence, unaware of the world’s hardships.

Their experiences had hardened their hearts, but they still had moral boundaries. Thankfully, the girl had met them; if it had been someone else, she might not have been so lucky.

“Thank you for telling me this,” Yun Tutu said sincerely, feeling like she had thanked them a thousand times today but still doing it once more.

“Your medicine has arrived, and the trade is complete. I must go now.” Yun Tutu stood up, bowed deeply, packed away her spoils, and, with a final look at them, headed out.

As she donned her helmet, a white light flashed, and both the motorcycle and Yun Tutu vanished before their eyes.

Staring at the empty space above the ruins, Xie Yufei murmured, “Fate brought us together, and now it parts us. I hope she finds happiness and safety in the future.”

“Yufei, is there any way to contact her again?” Ding Zongsheng asked, recalling the screen that had appeared before Xie Yufei earlier. Though he hadn’t seen it himself, he was intrigued.

Xie Yufei shook her head. “No, I don’t know if she’ll ever come back.”

Ding Zongsheng nodded. “No matter what, the things she brought this time are too valuable. We need to prepare to leave; if Ruin and the others don’t wake up by tomorrow, we must head back.”

“And if she comes back?”

“Then we’ll prepare more. If she does come, we can’t let her go empty-handed.”

The more trades they could make, the better. It was their only hope.

☆☆☆

As soon as Yun Tutu disappeared, Zhang Yaowen and his team sprang into action. They reported the situation and quickly gathered researchers outside the villa, monitoring the exact spot where Yun Tutu had vanished.

They had only heard Yun Tutu’s descriptions before, but experiencing it firsthand was mind-boggling.

Wu Haojun personally led the team, securing the area tightly. They even requisitioned the surrounding villas, turning the place into a fortress.

“Yun Tutu said each trip lasts around two hours. Everyone should be prepared; she should be back soon.” Zhang Yaowen, who had been watching the time closely, reminded everyone as the two-hour mark approached.

As the minutes ticked by, ten minutes passed, then twenty. Finally, a white light flashed at the spot where Yun Tutu had vanished, and she suddenly reappeared in front of them.

The team, already prepared, immediately began sterilization procedures. Though Yun Tutu had assured them earlier that she wouldn’t bring back any foreign viruses, they took precautions anyway.

Seeing the disinfectant spray, Yun Tutu silently thanked herself for wearing a helmet—getting sprayed in the face wouldn’t have been pleasant. But she understood Wu Haojun’s concerns and cooperated fully, sitting down in the living room as another ten minutes passed.

When everyone turned their expectant gazes on her, Yun Tutu didn’t beat around the bush. She recounted her journey, particularly emphasizing the environmental disaster caused by the island country sewage disposal, as described by Xie Yufei’s team. She also displayed the terrifying creatures from the projections.

Everyone’s expressions grew solemn. If this alternate world had similar experiences to theirs, it was a matter of grave concern—one that would impact future generations.

Yun Tutu then showcased the high-tech items she had collected: the safe house, storage ring, water storage tank, and nutrient solutions—all highly valuable for research.

“These are all I got in exchange for what I brought over,” Yun Tutu said, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I saw that their situation was dire, so…”

“This is already excellent,” Wu Haojun said, touching the storage ring. “This thing doesn’t require blood to recognize its owner, does it?”

Yun Tutu stared at him in surprise. Did the leader also read those kinds of books?

Wu Haojun cleared his throat. “I read a few in my spare time…”