Li Sang had known from the very beginning exactly what Xu Jiao’s space was.
After all, she was clearly aware of Xu Jiao’s “cheat code” and her story, so she knew perfectly well what object Xu Jiao used to store all things. It wasn’t a space bound to Xu Jiao’s soul; rather, it was the necklace Xu Jiao wore, which had been a gift from her grandmother.
In other words, as long as one held the necklace, Xu Jiao herself was technically unimportant. Simply seizing the necklace would be enough.
But that wasn’t what Li Sang wanted to do. This space belonged to Xu Jiao, and no one should take it from her. Li Sang also knew that if she had phrased things differently, the state’s decision might not have been to guarantee Xu Jiao’s safety at all costs, but rather to seize that necklace.
However, that would be unfair to Xu Jiao. Xu Jiao could choose whether or not to help the country, but they could not strip her of her ability.
Fortunately, Xu Jiao understood her meaning.
Upon hearing Lin Shushan’s words, Xu Jiao’s gaze shifted to the dozens of parked vehicles. She asked for confirmation, “Just one, or all of them?”
Lin Shushan’s eyes lit up. “You can take them all in at once?”
Xu Jiao didn’t give a definitive answer but said, “I’ll give it a try.” She had never tried to store so many things at once and wasn’t entirely sure.
As she spoke, Xu Jiao walked up to one of the large vehicles, raised her hand, and pressed it against the surface. With a thought, the dozens of large cars vanished instantly without a trace!
It was as if they had disappeared into thin air.
Everyone present widened their eyes in shock, except for Li Sang, who remained unfazed. This was nothing; there were even bigger “cheats” coming later. Since this was a world where several protagonists converged, it was only natural for there to be many “cheat-level” powers.
While others were merely shocked, Lin Shushan became visibly agitated. He walked over to the empty space, pacing back and forth in disbelief. The light in his eyes couldn’t be hidden. Only after he managed to suppress his joy with great difficulty did he speak again. “Can you release those cars now?”
The way he looked at Xu Jiao was as if he were looking at a priceless treasure.
Xu Jiao felt a bit embarrassed by his gaze. She scratched the back of her head and nodded. “Yes…”
Standing before her was a distinguished academician. Being stared at by someone of his stature felt quite strange. It was as if she, too, had become someone incredibly powerful and worthy of respect.
The moment Xu Jiao nodded, the cars that had vanished into thin air instantly returned to their original spots. The entire process took only a few breaths. Throughout it all, the vehicles remained completely undamaged.
Lin Shushan walked to one of the cars and reached out to stroke it, his eyes filled with tenderness. After a long while, he stood beside Xu Jiao, regained his serious expression, and took the initiative to extend his hand. “Welcome to the team. You are contributing a valuable force to the construction of our motherland!”
The middle-aged man’s voice was full of vigor, completely different from his slightly frail appearance earlier.
Treated with such formality, Xu Jiao also straightened her posture and slowly reached out to shake the calloused hand.
“If I remember correctly, Xiao Sang mentioned your name is Xu Jiao, right? Is it alright if I call you Xiao Xu?”
“Yes, Uncle Lin.”
Hearing this, Uncle Lin nodded repeatedly. “Good, good, good. So, do you have any other matters to attend to right now?”
At this point, Li Sang immediately looked away, not wanting to watch any longer. The curl of her lips completely gave her away. She felt guilty; she had lied.
Xu Jiao possessed such an incredible ability, and with the date of the comet’s disintegration approaching, did she really think she could still rest? Use her space “when necessary”?
Impossible. Right now was exactly when it was necessary.
Xu Jiao was somewhat confused and gave an answer after a moment’s thought. “I… I need to go back and open my shop.”
“Open your shop?” Lin Shushan seemed puzzled, but he quickly realized what she meant. “You mean your snail noodle shop, right?”
Technically, it belonged to her mother. Xu Jiao came from a single-parent family and had taken her mother’s surname since childhood. However, there was no difference; what was hers was her mother’s, and what was her mother’s was hers. “Yes.”
Hearing this, Lin Shushan waved his hand. “There’s no need to open the shop. We will send people to protect your mother and have them stay by her side in your place. Before the apocalypse arrives, your main task is to seize every moment to stockpile materials.”
Just an hour ago, Lin Shushan had received a call from Liu Chengyun, asking if the person had been found, when they would be found, and if that girl was actually lying.
Liu Chengyun was a major figure in the Army, responsible for stockpiling enough firearms and thermal weapons before the end of the world. In the apocalypse, besides food, clothing, housing, and transportation, munitions were equally vital. Whether it was for killing the zombies that might appear or for protecting the country, having enough weaponry provided the confidence to speak.
Everyone knew not to put all their eggs in one basket, so Liu Chengyun needed to stockpile enough military equipment in various locations. Over the past week, the soldiers responsible for the transportation had been so exhausted they were practically falling apart. It was said that they had even worked over a hundred robots until they broke down.
If there were a space that could instantly store items, those soldiers who were working day and night could finally catch a break. Thus, upon learning that someone had a space capable of storing all things, Liu Chengyun hoped just as much as Lin Shushan that it was true. It would not only save time and effort but also be much faster.
Because of this, he had been calling once a day for the past three days, sounding even more anxious than Lin Shushan.
Hearing Lin Shushan’s words, Xu Jiao felt something wasn’t quite right. How did she remember Li Sang telling her that they would just “use her space when necessary”? Had “right now” already become “when necessary”?
Just as Xu Jiao was about to look at Li Sang, she heard Lin Shushan’s voice again. “Xiao Xu, someone will come to pick you up in a moment. Just follow them when they arrive.”
This wasn’t right. How were tasks already being assigned right after joining?
Xu Jiao stood frozen in place for half a minute, finally speaking with a look of resignation. “Leaving now? Don’t I need to say goodbye to my mom?”
She seemed to want to struggle a bit more.
Lin Shushan was a man of action, but because of Xu Jiao’s unique situation, he fell into a rare moment of hesitation upon hearing her question. He stared at Xu Jiao for a while, and just as he was about to speak, Xu Jiao raised her hand to stop him.
“Fine. In such a critical moment, the country is more important than the individual family. I’m sure my mom will definitely understand me! There’s no need for the goodbye, right, Uncle Lin?”
Lin Shushan nodded, agreeing with what she said.
“…”
Standing to the side, Li Sang suppressed a laugh and gave Xu Jiao a “fighting” gesture with a clenched fist.
January 18, 2424, 3:00 PM.
Liu Chengyun received a phone call. After hearing what the person on the other end had to say, the smile on his face never faded. After hanging up, he immediately headed out.
“Where is Yu Peng? Tell him to come with me.”