Chapter 136: The Bulletproof Vest and the Letter

Lin Yan fiddled with the briefcase, but instead of immediately attempting to enter the password, she asked, "Li Gang, was this briefcase truly found in the wardrobe of my old room?"

In reality, the reason was simple: she had no idea what the password was either.

Li Gang nodded, looking quite earnest, his expression as if to say to Lin Yan, "How could you possibly doubt me?"

Lin Yan thought for a moment and said, "Let’s go back and take a look. If it appeared in the wardrobe of that room, the clues to the briefcase's password must be in there as well."

Intrigued, she picked up the briefcase and headed toward the iron door leading to the rooftop stairs. Li Gang scratched his head and followed immediately. As he walked, he thought to himself, "So even Sister Lin doesn't know the password. I assumed that since it was in her old room, she would likely know about the object and its code."

Soon, the two returned to the room where Lin Yan once lived. Lin Yan carefully inspected every corner of the wardrobe, but found no clues. She turned and scanned the entire bedroom. There wasn't much in the room, and her gaze soon settled on the desk drawer.

Li Gang, standing nearby, immediately said, "I already checked the desk drawer. There’s nothing in there."

Lin Yan made no comment and stepped toward the desk. She pulled open the large drawer, and just as when Li Gang had opened it, it contained nothing but a few sheets of blank paper. Lin Yan took the paper out, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Li Gang asked from the side, "Sister Lin, is there something suspicious about these blank sheets?" He had already examined them thoroughly and felt they were just ordinary pieces of paper, nothing special.

Lin Yan nodded. "I wouldn't find it strange if these papers appeared anywhere else, but here, it feels very odd. Military discipline is extremely strict and meticulous; everything is done with precision, including the cleaning of vacant rooms. I am certain that when I left and tidied the room, I would never have left blank paper behind. These sheets were definitely placed here by someone after I left."

With that, she took out some drinking water from her pack. Watching this, Li Gang felt a surge of excitement. He had often seen in movies that secret messages written with special reagents only appeared when wetted. He never expected to witness it himself.

Lin Yan poured the water onto the desk, soaked the sheets one by one, and moved them to a dry spot, laying them out neatly. Li Gang leaned in to look, but discovered that, contrary to his expectations, no information appeared on the paper.

He turned to Lin Yan. "Sister Lin, what is this?"

Lin Yan saw through his thoughts and smiled. "It wouldn't be military intelligence if it were that easy to crack. It’s only natural that a special liquid is required to reveal it. Soaking it in water is just the first step. Let’s leave for now to find that special liquid; by the time we return, the paper will be perfectly dry."

Li Gang nodded, and they left together.

They visited the military infirmary, then the kitchen, and finally returned to the room. In the infirmary, Lin Yan searched and found two medical reagents and an alcohol lamp; in the kitchen, she found two common seasonings.

She mixed these four liquids with water in specific proportions, soaked the now-dried papers in the mixture, and then carefully dried them over the alcohol lamp. Li Gang watched in astonishment, thinking, "This is quite a complicated process. Even if enemies obtained these papers, they would never uncover the secret without the exact method."

There were three sheets of paper in total. Under the heat of the alcohol lamp, two numbers and a sequence number slowly appeared on each. The sequence numbers indicated the order of the digits.

Lin Yan memorized the six digits and entered them into the briefcase’s combination lock.

*Click.*

The moment the code was entered, the briefcase popped open. Inside were two items: a new JGS bulletproof vest and a letter.

Lin Yan didn't open the letter to check its contents. Instead, she took out the new JGS vest, unfolded it, and inspected it thoroughly. "No mistake, this is my vest. I never imagined it wouldn't be melted down, and that I would actually get it back."

As she spoke, Li Gang keenly noticed that there wasn't much joy in her tone. Lin Yan stared at him without saying a word. Li Gang asked, puzzled, "Sister Lin, what’s wrong?"

Lin Yan replied, "I need to put on this vest now. Are you sure you want to stay here and watch me change?"

Li Gang realized that this type of JGS vest needed to be worn close to the body. His cheeks flushed, and he stammered, "Uh, I’ll head out now." He quickly retreated from the room and closed the door.

Lin Yan glanced at the door, then turned toward the letter in the briefcase. She reached out to take it, but then, as if realizing something, she sighed and placed it back into the case without reading it. She shut the briefcase and paid it no more mind.

Sitting in the small guest parlor, the flush on Li Gang’s face had faded. He thought to himself, "Sister Lin must have wanted me out of the room because she didn't want me to know what was in the letter."

A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened, and Lin Yan emerged wearing the new JGS vest. Li Gang scrutinized her expression but couldn't discern anything. Although he was curious about the letter, he didn't ask; if Sister Lin wanted him to know, she would tell him herself.

The most important thing was that Lin Yan had reclaimed her vest, which lifted a great weight off his mind. Their primary goal for this long journey to the South China Military District had been achieved. Now, the question was which country to head to next.

From the time Li Gang was born until the ten-year "Death Hunt" game began, he had only ever lived in two cities: his birthplace—YD County, YC City, Hebei Province—and the city where he attended university—WH City, Hebei Province.

Therefore, any destination was a new place he had never been, and he was happy to go anywhere.

On the 36th night of the game at 7:00 PM, the sky had grown dark. Li Gang and Lin Yan did not leave the Huaxia military special zone, deciding to stay the night. After dinner, Li Gang didn't rush to cultivate. Instead, he sought out Lin Yan to ask about their next destination.

It was clear that Lin Yan had already made her plans, but she asked first, "Li Gang, are you truly okay with going wherever I decide, and coming along with me?"

Li Gang didn't hesitate for a second, nodding immediately. It was no joke—before meeting Lin Yan, he had intended to strive for victory in the game to win the prize that could resurrect everyone erased by God, including his parents. But after meeting her, he only wanted to stay by her side, accompanying her; even if he could only serve as a stepping stone for her to reach the summit of this game, he would be content. Even if she hadn't saved his life with that gunshot, he would still feel the same. Unless she drove him away, he would stay with her forever, never leaving her side.

Lin Yan smiled, clearly satisfied with his response. She said, "Very well. Let me tell you my plan: I intend to leave Huaxia territory and head to Africa."

"Africa?" Li Gang was stunned, then realized something. He had heard Lin Yan mention that her father, Lin Hua, had last been on a mission in Africa. With that realization, he understood why she had chosen this place.

Lin Yan asked, "What do you think? If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them."

Li Gang shook his head immediately. "Africa sounds fine. We can go to the grasslands to see lions and giraffes. Honestly, besides the cities where I grew up and went to college, I've never been anywhere. Anywhere is fine."

He emphasized that he would go anywhere, provided they left Huaxia. After all, Li Gang knew that they would eventually have to face other "Chosen Ones," and he had no desire to kill his own compatriots. If they left Huaxia, any "Chosen Ones" they encountered would likely be foreigners; to him, that was much better than killing his own people. This was one of the major reasons he wanted to leave the country; seeing new places was only secondary.

He had shared this sentiment with Lin Yan early on. When she heard him, she had looked at him with profound meaning, and shortly after, agreed, saying she too did not wish to hunt too many of her own countrymen, even if their fates were mostly sealed.

Reflecting on this, Li Gang asked, "Sister Lin, when shall we set off? Or should we stay here for a few more days?"

He had just finished using all his enhancement opportunities and his physical fitness had improved significantly. He hadn't yet fully adapted to the changes in his body and wondered if they could stay a while longer so he could master his current strength. That way, if they encountered other "Chosen Ones" on the road, he would be able to perform at his peak.