Chapter 336: Ramble! I

“My dear friend, please believe me—this matter is extremely, extremely complicated. You must leave. Getting involved won’t benefit you at all.”

“Don’t be blinded by the woodcutter’s words or any other emotional factors. For ordinary people, nothing happening is the best outcome.”

Beina’s voice came through the monitor, causing Wang Ya’s expression to freeze.

“Beina. You’re not dead.” Wang Ya turned her head toward the surveillance camera, as if she could see through it to the girl with long brown hair on the other side: “Are you still a spy?”

“No, I was an archaeology student, and now I’m an archaeology scholar. But our nations are loyal to different states. In your eyes, I might as well be classified as a spy.”

Facing Wang Ya’s accusations, Beina’s tone carried a hint of regret as she spoke: “Among my cohort, before I went abroad, I learned a little about spirit grains and was assigned a so-called mission. Before I encountered this ruin, I was just an ordinary student—I truly liked you. But after meeting the spirit grain ruin, everything changed.”

“If I can escape alive, I’ll definitely invite you to travel through Northern Europe.”

Beina’s words stirred complex memories in Wang Ya.

Both were lovers of furry characters, and they shared a secret: Wang Ya was a vixen, while Beina was a little she-wolf. They had once promised to visit a furry habitat together in Northern Europe when they had time.

“You can’t escape. The entire area is sealed off layer by layer by the Anquan Bureau—even some top leaders, whose names alone strike fear, are personally overseeing this operation.” Wang Ya stared at the camera: “Beina, surrender! Our Xia State follows leniency for confession and severity for resistance. We don’t recognize any Miranda Declaration.”

“The sooner you confess, the lighter your sentence. If you reveal everything—the masterminds behind the organization—you could be out in three to five years.”

"I'm sorry, Xiao Ya," Beina said. "It's not as simple as you think. The me you see now isn't even really me. Even my organization can't interfere. This is a crucial chip tied to the nation's destiny."

“Besides, when you brought your people here, we already paid the price. We can’t possibly abandon the excavation now.”

As Beina spoke, the camera swept briefly over the woodcutter. Even across the digital connection, her disdain felt palpable.

Although the woodcutter’s main duty is managing domestic spirit beasts and spirit grain matters, the resurgence of spiritual energy once spanned the entire globe, just as it does now. The Anquan Bureau also has dedicated overseas officers, whose official titles are [Forest Resource Surveyor] and [Forestry Engineer].

In the instant she was exposed, Beina knew her nation’s wolf-cub archaeology mission would be deliberately obstructed.

“Do you know Beina’s background?” Seeing Wang Ya’s failed persuasion, An Sheng turned to Wang Qiqi: “By the way, can we currently forge spirit grain metal?”

“There are theories—we initially suspected the Immortality Club’s ancient vampires, but after the ceramic factory explosion, they were cleared. They couldn’t have done anything this extreme.”

“Beina belongs to a European organization called [Forest Wolf].”

Wang Qiqi said: “Within Forest Wolf, contributions determine status. The higher your contribution, the closer you get to the core—and the more spirit grain data you gain from other member nations.”

“Acquiring contribution points is simple: share your own nation’s spirit grain research data, or excavate ancient spirit grain ruins worldwide and submit artifacts and documentation to the organization.”

“As for forging spirit grain metal—no institution on Earth can do it yet. The best anyone can manage is coating objects with a thin film of spirit grain extracted from plants.”

Wang Qiqi looked at the camera, smiled, and said: “If you don’t want to come out, stay buried underground forever! I’ll bring a cannon to blast you soon.”

“So… that’s how it is?”

After a brief pause, Fu Li Lao Ye raised his finger toward the surveillance camera and cursed:

“Better hide deep! If I catch you, Fu Li Lao Ye will treat you to a pineapple pizza, then force-feed you two glasses of grape Americano until you swallow it down!”

“And I’ll bake that pineapple pizza crust with American-style dough—just for you!”

“Oh no! You evil, cunning white fox—how dare you defile pizza and coffee!” Beina, hidden in the monitoring room, erupted in fury, as if a Chinese person had added strawberries to mapo tofu.

Italian pizza and espresso were among the few things Beina’s homeland took pride in—second only to its automobile industry.

Though Beina felt a tiny, suspicious thrill at Fu Li Lao Ye’s insult, the overwhelming emotion was rage.

How could he humiliate her like this? He wanted to force-feed her American-style pineapple pizza!

“No spirit grain metal? What the hell are you talking about? When I catch you, just see if I don’t tell the guards to serve you frozen American-style pineapple pizza every single day!”

“Bao Bao, help me!”

Fu Li Lao Ye pressed his arms against the door and called to Jin Qianbao. Behind the metal door were two hydraulic presses mounted on the wall.

I can’t break the spirit grain metal fan door—but can’t I snap the bolts holding the hydraulic presses in place?

“You above, I below!”

Fu Li Lao Ye pressed against the door, looked up at Jin Qianbao, whose muscular form had shifted, and said:

“Got it!”

Fu Li Lao Ye and Jin Qianbao pushed with terrifying force. Though separated by the door, the sustained pressure produced a metallic groaning, “squeeeak,” from within.

Then, a crack appeared on the sealed door.

Beina, inside the monitoring room, stared in shock at what was happening before the ruin’s entrance.

“No… no…”

“How is this possible? The door’s being pushed open. The fox really will feed me pineapple pizza every day. What kind of cruel fox exists in this world?”

“.”

Compared to the frantic Beina, Wang Ya glanced back at the screaming monitor and gave a look of envy and jealousy.

Hawaiian pizza… actually tastes pretty good. Sweet and sour, with a little fox hand-feeding you bite after bite—how blissful it must be…

“I’ll help too!”

After a moment of envy, Wang Ya extended her arms and pushed against the door. With her added strength, the crack widened. The anchor bolts inside, unable to withstand the hundred-ton force, snapped one by one. The two hydraulic presses crashed directly into the ruin’s corridor.

Beina’s scream reached its peak as the door fully gave way—filled with despair, yet tinged with strangely suspicious excitement and sorrow.

“No—”

“You can’t do this—”

(End of Chapter)