Apocalypse: After Being Reborn, I Stocked Up on All Supplies
Chapter 450 - 446: National Treasure Hunt, Departure!

Chapter 450: Chapter 446: National Treasure Hunt, Departure!

"I bought it abroad before. It seems to be extracted from beneath a glacier," Jiang Yan said, taking a sip herself.

The half-bottle of mineral water she handed to Mo Jingsheng had a small amount of Spiritual Spring Water mixed in as well.

Mo Jingsheng took a few more sips, confirming that his earlier feeling was not an illusion.

Jiang Yan changed the subject, "By the way, Leader Mo, when do we plan to set off?"

"It depends on how the ice and snow outside the base melt. Once the water level is sufficient, we’ll leave," Mo Jingsheng stood up, adding, "It should be soon."

Jiang Yan stood up as well. "Isn’t it already possible to sail outside now?"

Mo Jingsheng explained, "The draft of a destroyer is much deeper than that of an escort ship. The current water level does not yet support normal operation."

Jiang Yan looked even more puzzled. "If we encounter an area with shallow water levels along the way, wouldn’t that mean the ships would get stranded?"

"In reality, the scientists, specialists, and warriors participating in this expedition, along with the large-scale equipment being used, vary by location.

So, just regard these ships as mobile resupply and escort platforms," Mo Jingsheng said, turning to look at her with a smile. "You should have joined the last two professional meetings."

Jiang Yan gave an awkward smile.

The two exited the warehouse.

Qin Lang and Li Haoyang came over to greet them.

Mo Jingsheng had a meeting to attend shortly thereafter.

Upon leaving the warehouse, the two went their separate ways.

Mo Jingsheng returned to the core area of the base, while Jiang Yan took the opportunity to visit the base’s agricultural planting laboratory before departure to learn about rice cultivation from the senior professors and major grain producers.

After bidding farewell to Mo Jingsheng, Jiang Yan closed her eyes and focused for a moment.

A faint point of light was moving farther and farther away from her.

She also tried sensing the others.

Whether due to the distance or the base walls being made of special metals, all she could perceive were scattered weak glimmers of light, except for one slightly brighter point.

Jiang Yan guessed the brighter one might be Kong Wu.

She was curious—the Spiritual Spring Water she drank wasn’t metabolized and excreted through urine.

So, what exactly were these perceivable points of light?

*

Time flew by, and half a month passed.

The compass became increasingly accurate, temperatures outside the base continued rising, and so did the water levels.

Finally, the water depth was sufficient to meet the draft requirements of the destroyer, as Mo Jingsheng had mentioned.

Everyone prepared themselves and embarked according to the original plan.

A destroyer, two escort ships, a cargo ship, and an icebreaker, carrying over three hundred people, quietly departed from Yaoben Base on a clear morning.

Since ultraviolet radiation was intensifying, all the glass in the ship cabins had been retrofitted with UV-blocking film.

Looking out from the ship cabins, the white, snow-covered, glittering landscape appeared dim and subdued.

Everyone, except for the warriors on duty wearing protective clothing, spent most of the daylight hours inside the ship cabins.

Jiang Yan, Song Haitao, and Mo Jingsheng, due to their unique roles and importance, were stationed on the destroyer.

The ship’s lounge had been renovated.

Their three rooms were adjacent, with a duty room outside staffed in rotating shifts by Song Qian, Ye Qing, and Li Haoyang, each leading a small team.

Zhao Yougong and Zhao Zhichao, two brothers, each led two teams of warriors to guard the two escort ships.

Sun Jingtao, Kong Wu, Lin Xiaohui, Su Dai, Jiang Ye, Zhao Xiaofei, Zhou Haotian, and Miao Miao, along with the rest of the researchers, were on the icebreaker.

Su Dai was assigned to a temporary nursing team, while Lin Xiaohui was part of the medical team.

With the sound of a ship horn, the national treasure-hunting operation officially set sail.

In the conference room, everyone sat upright as Sun Ziqing, Song Haitao’s assistant, stood before the projection screen with a laser pen and began explaining.

To maintain confidentiality, the route was only disclosed to everyone after departure.

Jiang Yan had the treasure map and knew their destination.

But as for the route itself, she was just as much in the dark.

She did, however, know their primary objective upon reaching Rong City was to collect several shield machines and two aircraft carriers stored there into the Space.

Of course, there were other resources too, but the aircraft carriers and shield machines were crucial.

Sun Ziqing continued explaining, "Afterwards, we’ll reach Sky City, which is at a higher altitude... Finally, we’ll return to Musen Base."

When the meeting ended, Jiang Yan felt stifled.

Feeling a bit seasick, she glanced at the crowd still actively discussing matters in the conference room and sought out Mo Jingsheng, saying, "Captain, I’d like to request permission to get some fresh air on the deck."

Mo Jingsheng pondered for a second before replying, "Have Ye Qing accompany you, wear your protective clothing, and don’t stay out too long."

"Got it." Just as Jiang Yan was about to leave, Zhang Yongliang walked over. "Xiao Jiang."

Jiang Yan smiled politely. "Dr. Zhang."

Zhang Yongliang handed her an A4 sheet. "The test results for the items you provided earlier are out."

"What items?" Mo Jingsheng asked, stepping closer.

Looking at the images of severed limbs on the paper, his eyes flickered slightly.

"They’re—" Jiang Yan hesitated for a few seconds before explaining her earlier trip to Yunding Tower to Mo Jingsheng.

The items sent for testing were the packaged "two-legged sheep" from Yunding Tower.

The related equipment previously stored at the base had since been brought onto the ship to facilitate ongoing research during the journey.

Zhang Yongliang explained,

"The tests detected high levels of hormones, small amounts of prion virus, some snail mucus extract, and several unidentified viruses capable of self-devouring, splitting, and evolving."

Jiang Yan was dumbfounded. "Doctor, what does ’self-devouring, splitting, and evolving’ mean?"

"The cells continually divide while devouring each other during the process. It’s somewhat akin to survival of the fittest—

The stronger cells prevail, continuing to divide and devour, until only the ’king’ remains.

The entire process is essentially one of evolution and renewal," Zhang Yongliang elaborated, raising his hand as an example. "When we injure our hand, sometimes scars form, but other times it heals completely, with intact skin.

This is partly because skin cells can renew and regenerate."

Jiang Yan nodded, half understanding. "But, Doctor, are you saying the cells you detected are not limited to skin cells with regenerative abilities?"

"Correct, all cells possess this ability."

"As for the hormones, they mainly regulate metabolism and reproductive functions. We identified progesterone and growth hormones, but the rest are unknown and cannot yet be analyzed."

After hearing this, both Jiang Yan and Mo Jingsheng were taken aback. "So, what does this signify?"