Seeing the expression on the woman's face, Chen Pingchuan felt utter disgust, but his own expression remained unchanged. He was well aware that while women could be very open about some things, they were often extremely sensitive in other areas. If he accidentally touched a nerve, things could get very complicated.

Chen Pingchuan first directed his gaze toward the redwood bookshelf. For others, cracking passwords and similar protective measures might be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but for him, there was a simpler, cruder, and more direct method. The next second, Chen Pingchuan tensed his muscles, put power into his legs, and threw a fierce punch. Under the heavy blow, the wooden bookshelf instantly shattered. Fragments flew everywhere, striking the surrounding walls and floor with sharp thuds.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Without pausing, Chen Pingchuan threw dozens more punches in quick succession. The wind from his fists howled with astonishing power. The stone wall behind the bookshelf was also smashed, leaving several large holes from which rubble cascaded down.

Sure enough, Chen Pingchuan's almost barbaric approach worked. The secret hidden behind the stone wall appeared before them.

He simply swept aside the rubble and wood scraps and looked at the treasure hidden within the wall, a surge of excitement rising in his heart. Before coming here, he'd never expected Li Laoqi to have any real treasures; after all, he was just a mine owner. What good could he possibly have? His original intention was merely to find out where the nightingale had detained the mine guards, then quietly kill them to absorb their life force and physical attributes. Threatening the woman had just been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but unexpectedly, it had yielded a real harvest.

Then again, since Li Laoqi was taking bribes from those cyborgs and occupied such an important position in energy supply, it's not surprising he had some good things.

"Let me see what treasures are hidden in here."

There weren't many items hidden behind the stone wall, only three: a small wooden storage box, a roll of parchment, and a key.

Chen Pingchuan carefully took out the small storage box and applied a bit of force.

CRACK!

Under the immense pressure, the wooden box was forcibly snapped in half, revealing its contents: a beautifully embroidered pouch bearing the image of a Black Demon.

Chen Pingchuan hefted the small pouch in his hand. He didn't even need to open it to know what was inside, because the system prompts had already sounded.

[Ding! Energy Crystal (Yellow) detected. Can be used for simulated energy recharge. Do you wish to recharge?]

[Ding! Energy Crystal (Yellow) detected. Can be used for simulated energy recharge. Do you wish to recharge?]

…

Chen Pingchuan did not choose to recharge. Instead, under the woman's envious gaze, he stuffed the pouch into his robes and turned his attention to the other two items.

He picked up the parchment and slowly unfurled it, revealing a map. As his hands moved, the geographical scene on the parchment projected into the air above them, displaying a high-tech holographic map. The woman behind him clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes glinting with greed. Maps, no matter where one was, were exceedingly rare strategic resources.

"Nice!"

It felt as though the Goddess of Luck had finally awakened from her slumber and was once again smiling down on him. When your luck's in, it's in.

Not long ago, he had been worried about his escape. He vaguely remembered that in a previous simulation, he and Belia had already figured out how to evade the Celestial Palace's tracking: head for the Western Barbarian Lands. But when it came time to actually implement the plan, he realized the difficulties far exceeded his imagination.

The first problem was logistics. How would he carry enough food and water to avoid running out on the long journey? This was the first challenge he faced. Of course, the solution was simple enough—stockpile the supplies in a simulation, then use Simulation Points to redeem them into the simulator's storage space, just like he did with the Federation Coin. However, this raised another question: would the Simulation Points required to redeem these mundane supplies exceed their actual value?

The second problem was the route. In the simulation, he and Belia had simply headed west and encountered the Wanderer Tribe. This meant that even if that specific tribe wasn't there, other factions would be. It was hard to say whether these groups would be neutral and friendly or dark and malevolent. Their strengths would also vary. If he constantly had to detour to avoid them, his route would become even more circuitous.

In fact, there were many other problems. If that unknown force hadn't fought so dirty and nuked him in the last simulation, he might not have been in such a hurry to escape the White Crystal Mine. Compared to being nuked, a little risk seemed well worth taking, and he could only grit his teeth and push forward.

Now, Li Laoqi's map had solved his most pressing problem. How could he not be happy?

Brimming with excitement, Chen Pingchuan turned his gaze to the last item: a key hanging from a Beast Fang Keychain.

To be honest, at first glance, Chen Pingchuan couldn't tell what the key was for, but that wasn't a problem for him.

"Appraise!"

He used his Titanium Alloy Dog Eye talent, which he hadn't used in a long time.

[Ding! Appraisal successful. Remaining item appraisals for today: 0.]

[Armored Vehicle Key: Land Combat Armored Vehicle, Model G108-2P. The latest model secretly produced by the Silver Crocodile Modification Society, equipped with powerful armaments and defensive capabilities.]

[Minimum drive power: Yellow Energy Crystal.]

[Maximum weapon payload can deliver a destructive strike to any target below Level Five (assuming the target does not evade).]

[Protective energy shield can withstand continuous attacks totaling 10,000 energy units (maximum capacity can withstand a standard attack from a Level Six individual).]

This time, Chen Pingchuan could no longer suppress his elation. He stuffed the items into his robes, turned around, and looked at the curious woman. He decided he might as well use his daily character appraisal on her too.

"Appraise!"

[Li Chuntao: Former manager of a massage parlor in the outer district of Heng City, once commanded several hundred masseuses. Forced to flee here after the Red Rain event and became Li Laoqi's mistress.]

[Character Card Level: White. Personality Traits: Cunning, deceitful, malicious, and resourceful.]

[Current Status: Harboring a grudge.]

Wow, is the simulator some kind of pervert? How can it list 'resourceful' in its information so seriously? Is it even trying to be proper?

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