Chapter 531: It doesn't matter whose it is; what matters is who discovered it

Weird, where are Lu Yang's companions?

He was clearly here just a moment ago; how did he disappear in a blink?

He couldn't have slipped and fallen into the water, could he?

Impossible, we didn't even hear a splash; maybe he's hiding behind a rock, ready to jump out and scare us.

Quite possible!

At this moment, someone suddenly noticed that Lu Yang seemed to have disappeared.

Just as everyone was searching all around, a voice came from above.

Following the sound, they saw a rope lowered from the cliff top, with Lu Yang standing there waving at them.

Tie on the safety rope, climb up one by one, and finally hoist the equipment up with the rope.

Silence.

Deathly silence.

Everyone widened their eyes, staring at Lu Yang above as if seeing a ghost.

In the blink of an eye he was up there; did he fly up or take an elevator?

Chen Panpan spoke up: 'Could it be that Brother Yang climbed up?'

The others first wore expressions of utter shock, then gradually accepted it, and finally all turned their gazes toward Kang Changyi.

Kang Changyi, congratulations, you've gained a father.

Your father Yang is calling you from above; hurry up.

The safety rope is ready; with it you needn't fear and can give it your all.

What a sin!

Carelessly, how did we end up with a father?

Kang Changyi wished he could slap himself twice; he spoke too soon!

But at this point he had no other choice; he could only go up, tug the rope to see if it was sturdy and safe.

Then, reluctantly, he began to climb up using both hands and feet.

Bare-handed rock climbing in the wilderness, and it's raining; though it looks dangerous, it's actually not safe at all.

Although there are many artificial wooden wedges left on the cliff face, getting a firm grip to gain leverage remains difficult.

Moreover, they had just come by boat after a bumpy ride, having vomited their guts out; their heads weren't clear either, feeling as if something inside was jangling about.

Kang Changyi with great difficulty had climbed halfway, just about to catch his breath, when a tree branch fell from above and struck his head.

Kang Changyi looked up and saw Lu Yang crouching there, holding a small stone in his hand.

He let go of his hand, the stone fell freely, startling Kang Changyi who quickly turned his head aside, thus narrowly avoiding it.

What the hell are you doing, throwing things around?

Nonsense, hurry up and climb; even an old woman selling eggs moves faster than you!

Lu Yang urged impatiently: 'I'll count to ten; if you don't make it up, I'll piss; 5,6...'

Kang Changyi's lungs were about to explode with anger: you can even start counting from five?!

Seeing Lu Yang stand up, preparing to undo his belt, Kang Changyi panicked and climbed using both hands and feet, much faster than before.

After he finally managed to climb to the edge, Lu Yang reached out and pulled him up; this guy's first words were:

Your hands are dirty; don't touch little Lu Yang, then grab my hand again?

Lu Yang rolled his eyes and told him to get lost and rest.

With Kang Changyi setting the example, plus the safety rope and the wooden wedges for support, everyone felt a bit more confident.

One after another, following Lu Yang's instructions, they climbed up from below; finally, the backpacks were also hoisted up from below via the rope.

Ding Tengfei: 'My goodness, that's terrifying; just looking down made my hands go weak.'

Liu Ziqiang: 'Isn't that right? I just nearly missed my step, my foot slipped, and I was lucky to have quick eyes and hands to grab that wooden wedge.'

Guo Yongwen: 'Don't you find it strange? How could there be wooden wedges on a sheer cliff; they couldn't have grown there themselves, could they?'

Zhou Kaidong: 'No need to ask; it's definitely left over from previous Special Operations training; those who planted trees before, we who come later enjoy the shade—we're basically following along and taking advantage.'

If we didn't have these wooden wedges, even with a safety rope, under these circumstances we'd probably struggle to find a foothold and make it up.

Lu Yang didn't mention that these wooden wedges were left from his earlier training.

Instead, he was more interested in the other matter Chen Panpan had quietly told him about.

Liu Ziqiang started a ruckus: 'Kang Changyi, do you remember what you said down there? Whoever comes up calls you Dad; now we've got a bunch of dads here.'

Kang Changyi picked up a lump of mud and threw it: 'Get lost, get lost, get lost—I never said that, I don't admit it...'

After a simple tidy-up, Lu Yang prepared to first bring everyone to the cave to settle down.

Although the lighthouse and watchtower could also accommodate people, the space is too small and cramped to hold this many.

Along the way, Zhou Kaidong gradually recalled the details and told everyone about the special forces training he had witnessed.

He also pointed to that flat spot, saying that's where they had placed the supplies and even set up tents there.

The others listened with bright eyes, obviously full of curiosity and longing for the Special Operations training methods.

But what everyone was even more curious about was how Lu Yang knew this place, how he knew the island's exact location—could he have been here before?

Lu Yang didn't elaborate, merely saying he had come earlier to scout the spot, without mentioning when; just as he led the group toward the cave, he suddenly stopped.

Zhou Kaidong curiously asked: 'What's up?'

Lu Yang furrowed his brow, looking toward the right-side woods.

His master-level survival skills left a deep impression of this chaotic wilderness environment on him.

Moreover, having lived on the island for several months at that time, even a mere passing by let him instantly notice something amiss.

Lu Yang slowly squatted down, picked up a cigarette butt from the tangled grass on the ground, and held it close for careful inspection.

Zhou Kaidong shone his flashlight over: "The cigarette butt—did someone from the earlier training leave it?"

Lu Yang shook his head: "This is foreign cigarette."

"What does that mean?"

"Someone from abroad has been on the island?"

"Damn, isn't this our waters? How could a foreigner even get onto the island?"

Lu Yang raised his hand in a gesture, and Zhou Kaidong immediately caught on, turning off the flashlight.

The few of them gradually took out low‑light night‑vision devices, and their tension rose, fearing enemies hidden nearby.

Lu Yang didn't need one; his eyes naturally possess some night‑vision. He followed the trail forward, eventually reaching a tree that had been marked.

On the trunk were three inconspicuous horizontal marks; otherwise, even with the system‑enhanced senses that set Lu Yang apart from ordinary people, it would be hard for him to find any trace in this vast forest.

Lu Yang lowered his head toward the base of the tree; the soil seemed disturbed: "Around the roots, dig up this ring of earth."

"Alright."

Chen Panpan and Ding Tengfei immediately fished a combat engineer's shovel from their packs and began digging.

Lu Yang stared intently as a warning popped up before his eyes, indicating soil heavy‑metal contamination.

With a clang, the shovel seemed to hit something hard; Lu Yang instantly squatted down and pried the soil apart.

It turned out to be three small, yellowish gold bars, not very heavy—each about fifty grams.

Under the bars lay a sheet of waterproof fabric, which, when opened, revealed a large black travel bag.

"Whoa, gold bars—are they real?"

"It can't be… the Pirate King's treasure, right?"

"What's in this huge bag underneath? It can't also be gold, can it?"

Driven by curiosity, Lu Yang unzipped the travel bag, and what met his eyes were neatly stacked packets of white powder.

Ding Tengfei scratched his head: "What is this, packed in bags—protein powder?"

Zhou Kaidong replied: "Not everyone is as dumb as Kong Long; it's definitely not protein powder!"

"Then what is it?"

"It's drugs."

When Lu Yang said that, everyone else widened their eyes and gasped.

"Who—who put this here?"

"Fifty grams can already warrant the death penalty; this much—being shot a hundred times would still be enough!"

"Who placed it here isn't important; what matters is who discovered it."

Lu Yang took out a packet, weighed it in his hand with a cold sneer: "Modern drug dealers really love to be inventive, daring to play 'darkness under the light'?"