60: Chapter 60 Cooperative Treasure Hunt

Upon reaching the third floor, Song Yang did not rummage around for potential food like the people downstairs.

He looked around, chose a relatively clean corner, and then, as if performing magic, pulled a folding table out of thin air.

"Clatter."

The table legs unfolded and stood steadily on the floor.

Immediately following were three folding chairs of the same style.

This series of actions might have made a newcomer's jaw drop, but Xiao Xue and Bai Jie, who were following behind Song Yang, were long accustomed to it.

They just watched quietly, with no surprise in their eyes, only a hint of imperceptible anticipation.

They had seen this "miracle" of Song Yang's too many times and were used to it.

With the table and chairs set up, Song Yang's movements did not stop.

With a wave of his hand, the tabletop was instantly covered with a dazzling array of food.

A glistening, fragrant roast chicken, lamb chops roasted until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with oil sizzling, and a basin of bright red spicy crayfish that made one's mouth water at the sight.

Everything was steaming hot, as if just taken out of the pot.

The aroma of the food precisely tickled the appetites of Xiao Xue and Bai Jie.

"Gurgle..."

"Gurgle..."

Two protests from their stomachs sounded almost simultaneously.

Xiao Xue subconsciously covered her stomach, but her eyes were fixed on the roast chicken, her throat swallowing involuntarily.

Bai Jie also pursed her lips, her gaze scanning back and forth between the lamb chops and the crayfish; being able to eat a hot, cooked meal in the apocalypse was simply a heavenly enjoyment.

If it weren't for the choice to submit to Song Yang back then, how could they have lived such a godly life?

They would have likely been dead long ago, turned into rotting corpses.

Xiao Xue grabbed a lamb chop and tore off the tender meat, not even noticing the grease running down the corner of her mouth.

Bai Jie peeled a bright red crayfish, popped the plump meat into her mouth, and savored the long-lost spicy, fresh aroma, her eyes filled with undisguised satisfaction and relief.

The roast chicken, lamb chops, and crayfish on the table disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Before long, only messy bones and shrimp shells remained on the table.

"Hiccup..."

Xiao Xue covered her mouth and let out a satisfied burp.

Bai Jie also put down the napkin in her hand and gently rubbed her visibly distended belly.

Song Yang glanced at his watch, estimating that the time was about right.

He stood up and waved his hand again.

The leftovers on the table, along with the plates, vanished instantly, followed by the folding table and the three chairs, which disappeared into thin air.

"Let's go, let's go down and take a look."

Song Yang led the way downstairs.

Xiao Xue and Bai Jie followed immediately, their steps much lighter.

Arriving at the first-floor lobby, they saw from a distance that the four people had already gathered together.

Under the light of the flashlight, they could see a plastic bag in their midst containing a few pieces of bread, covered in bluish-black mold, with white fuzz growing in some places.

The bread had clearly been forcibly torn in half by someone and hidden away.

Seeing Song Yang and the others appear, Zhao Lin immediately stood up, a warm smile on her face, and hurried forward.

"How was it? Did you find anything on the third floor?"

Song Yang shook his head, his face showing a timely display of disappointment.

"Sigh, don't mention it. It's cleaner than a face up there; we didn't find any food. To be honest, I haven't had a proper meal in days, and I'm so hungry I can barely stand."

He said this with genuine emotion, and combined with his expression, it was very convincing.

Xiao Xue and Bai Jie stood behind him, eyes lowered, remaining silent.

They had just been eating until their mouths were oily, and now, watching Song Yang "playing the victim" without changing his expression, they felt that Song Yang's acting skills were truly unfathomable.

Hearing that Song Yang hadn't found any food, Zhao Lin was somewhat disappointed.

She turned and walked back to the group, bent down to pick up the half-bag of moldy bread, and held it out to Song Yang.

"We were a bit luckier; we found this bread in a corner on the second floor. Although it's moldy, it's better than starving to death. Why don't we share it? A little bit of food, if we eat it sparingly, can still pad our stomachs."

Song Yang waved his hand. "No, no."

A "grateful" smile appeared on his face. "It's not easy for you to have found these; this is the result of your hard work."

"I already accepted your ham sausages earlier, how could I be embarrassed to share your bread? You keep it for yourselves, we appreciate the gesture."

Hearing Song Yang say this, the expressions on the faces of the four people were varied, all revealing a sense of disbelief.

In the apocalypse, food is life.

Let alone moldy bread, even tree bark would be gnawed on by someone starving.

Actively pushing away food that was already in their mouths simply refreshed their understanding of things.

Xiao Xue and Bai Jie only wanted to laugh at this moment. With the delicacies in Song Yang's space that were enough to last until the next century, let alone this moldy bread, even if fresh food were handed to him, Song Yang wouldn't spare it a second glance.

"Alright then, since that's the case, we won't force you."

Seeing that Song Yang's attitude was firm, Zhao Lin stopped insisting.

She took the half-bag of bread and walked back to the crowd, skillfully tearing the bread into four portions and handing one to each person.

The three men and Zhao Lin herself stuffed the bread into their mouths almost immediately after receiving it.

They wolfed it down, their cheeks moving rapidly, as if they weren't eating moldy bread, but some kind of delicacy.

Xiao Xue and Bai Jie watched silently. They remembered how they had been tearing into lamb chops and sucking on crayfish not long ago, and then looking at these people fighting over moldy bread, they felt a mix of complicated emotions.

But more than anything, it was a sense of relief—relief that they had followed the right person.

The four of them ate very quickly, but halfway through, their movements slowed down in unison.

The three men stopped first, carefully wrapping the remaining half of the bread in the plastic bag they had brought, and carefully stuffing it into their inner pockets.

This was clearly their ration prepared for tomorrow, or even longer.

Zhao Lin picked up the last few crumbs of bread, put them in her mouth, and chewed them carefully before swallowing.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, looked at Song Yang, and forced a smile onto her face again.

"What are your plans next? To be honest, we want to invite you to join us to go treasure hunting in a certain place."

"Oh? What place?" Song Yang asked.

"A hotel!"

Zhao Lin lowered her voice, "It's not far from here. About a day ago, we passed by there and smelled a very strong aroma wafting out from inside!"

"Aroma?"

Song Yang raised an eyebrow.

In the apocalypse, besides the stench of rot and the smell of blood, things that could be called "aroma" were truly rare.

"Yes! It's an aroma!"

Mike hurriedly interjected, as if afraid Song Yang wouldn't believe him, "That smell, it was incredibly fragrant! It must be something good! It smelled like stewed meat!"

Zhao Lin nodded:

"We were few in number at the time, and the inside of the hotel was pitch black. We didn't know if there was any danger, so we didn't dare to rush in. Now that there are more of us—seven people—we're a bit braver, why don't we go in and take a look together?"

"Maybe there really is something good hidden inside!"

A hotel? Aroma? Stewed meat?

These words combined together were simply a fantasy in the apocalypse.

Rotting corpses and mutated creatures were the main theme of this world; the aroma of food, especially the rich scent of meat, was almost impossible to exist.

Unless...

He recalled the sporadic rumors he had heard in his previous life.

After the apocalypse descended, the rules of the world underwent some unknown changes. In certain places, "mysterious objects" that transcended common sense would occasionally be born.

Some could instantly restore injuries, some could strengthen the physique, and others contained incredible energy.

Could it be that there was really something special in that hotel?

"The smell of stewed meat?"

Song Yang feigned surprise. "Are you sure you didn't smell it wrong? In this day and age, where would there still be stewed meat?"

"Absolutely certain!"

Mike patted his chest. "That smell, it was so thick it couldn't be dissolved! I've never smelled such a fragrant scent in my life! It must be meat, big chunks of meat!"

Zhao Lin also nodded forcefully, adding:

"We all smelled it, there's absolutely no mistake."

Song Yang thought for a moment.

There was definitely risk there. A place that could emit such an alluring aroma was either a trap or an opportunity.

If it really was a "mysterious object," its value would be immeasurable.

Moreover, weren't these four people in front of him ready-made scouts and meat shields?

Thinking of this, a "troubled" look appeared on Song Yang's face, and he sighed:

"Sigh, to be honest, I'm so hungry right now that I'm dizzy, and I really don't want to take any more risks."

"But since you've all said so, with more people comes more strength, it might be good to go and take a look together. If we find something, we'll split it equally per person; if we don't, we'll just consider it an adventure and look out for each other."

Hearing Song Yang agree, joy appeared on the faces of the four people.

When they actually found something, wouldn't it be up to them to decide how to split it?

Split it with the three of them?

Unless their brains were broken!