He was not afraid at all. If these corpses could come back to life, he could ask them to clarify everything that had happened. He even hoped they could come back to life, especially Shen Qiong. He closed his eyes, and the image of Shen Qiong’s broken body floated in his mind—such a beautiful figure, a high school girl, pure, soft, and radiant with the warmth of youth, now lying shattered on the ground.

As he closed his eyes, he became hazy and felt that his memories of Shen Qiong were slowly becoming clearer in his mind. Yes, he had never really noticed this girl, and she had never noticed him either. Perhaps it was because of their appearances; when they first met, they would naturally glance at each other a few more times, but that was it—she never lingered in Li Cuo’s mind.

Now, the words he had heard and the images he had seen flashed in his mind, and he felt as if he was about to fall in love with this girl. He thought he was being very strange. He didn’t know what kind of emotion this was. Was it regret? If he could have influenced this girl’s life, why didn’t he do anything instead of letting them pass by each other time and time again? What if they had dated? What if they had become good friends? Maybe he could have changed her fate.

But now, it was too late to say anything. Li Cuo didn’t want to see such a life perish so easily. He didn’t want to witness the fragility and unpredictability of life. This was something everyone could understand; the emotions and confusion in his heart could not be expressed, turning into a very strange feeling.

When Li Cuo woke up from the rattan chair, Su Wan had already left, and Yang Hao had not returned. He glanced at the time; by this hour, they should have been back long ago. Even if it was just to use the restroom or change clothes, there was enough time.

He called Su Wan’s phone, only to find it was turned off. Li Cuo knew Su Wan’s character and understood what was going on. Still, he cursed under his breath. He called Yang Hao’s phone, but it was out of service.

Frustrated, he tossed the phone aside. At that moment, he was even more confused about himself. In such a situation, most people would be in a panic, so why was he still so calm?

Could it be true, as Wu Xie said, that he had some kind of gift? He didn’t believe it; his past told him he was just an ordinary boy, nothing special at all.

He stood up and shook his sore arms. The corpses would soon rot and stink if left here. He had to think of a way. But it was already late, and he had no place to find any ice-making equipment. He had no choice but to go out, searching for small shops with freezers, and bought these freezers and their contents at three times the market price.

By around four or five in the morning, he had collected six or seven old freezers. He carefully placed the corpses inside. After completing this task, Li Cuo’s heart had calmed down.

Then, he began to dismantle the remaining boxes. There were nearly seventeen of them, all containing desiccated corpses just like the previous ones.

Li Cu had gained some experience this time. He activated the switch behind the corpses, causing them to sit up on their own. Then, he went to check the hidden compartments beneath the coffins to see if there was anything inside.

As expected, behind all the corpses were severed hands. Li Cu carefully organized his thoughts and concluded that the items were divided into three categories: the first category consisted of weapons and various food and equipment for exploration; the second category was the dried corpses; and the third category was fresh bodies. In his imagination, all of this could be pieced together into a story.

Everyone and everything here were elements of a single exploration accident. The dried corpses were likely found at the exploration site during the incident. Judging by the level of desiccation, these mummies had been around for a long time, suggesting they were items discovered at the exploration destination.

The exploration equipment must have been sent back after the expedition was completed, belonging to the remaining supplies of the exploration team. The fresh bodies presumably belonged to the exploration team itself. In other words, all the exploration gear and items discovered during the expedition had been sent back. Someone had packaged an entire exploration team, including its members, the artifacts they unearthed, and all their equipment, and sent it to him in pieces.

Though twisted, it was also quite impressive.

What needed to be understood now was why everything from the exploration team was sent back as a whole. Something must have happened during the expedition. Were they killed? Did someone think it was too troublesome and decided to send them back?

It couldn’t be that illogical.

It felt like a demonstration, similar to a scene in a martial arts film where a master goes to kill a villain, only to be killed by the villain instead. The villain ties the master’s shattered body to a horse, letting it find its way back home, making others believe he has returned victorious. However, when the horse sees its stable, it starts to run, causing the body to break apart from the jostling. Everyone suffers in despair.

It was like an old Hong Kong movie plot, but it was quite fitting. Was someone trying to prevent these people from exploring by killing the exploration team and using this method to threaten them?

But why send it to him? He wasn’t the one who dispatched them.

Li Cu found it difficult to rationalize all these changes and possibilities. He recalled what Le Yu Chen had said: if the other party did something, there must be a reason behind it. Therefore, all the information should be present.

Li Cu couldn’t figure out the connections in the items that had been sent back; he just hadn’t looked closely enough yet. He told himself not to rush and to take it slow, believing that there would eventually be a breakthrough in the events. Because if the other party was sure he couldn’t solve these puzzles, they wouldn’t have sent all these things to him.

Li Cu didn’t stay in the warehouse; he walked back, preparing to take a taxi home. What weighed most on his mind was actually the situation with Shen Qiong. Both Shen Qiong’s parents and she herself had been murdered. Shen Qiong’s parents had a significant connection to his own family, and he recalled that his father had been acting strangely lately. Could this matter be related to his father?

Was it really just a coincidence that he was embedded in this event? He recalled some strange containers he had seen in the desert, which he remembered from when he was very young. All the clues seemed to suggest an inevitable possibility: he was not chosen by chance, but rather selected. This selection was certainly not some kind of divine choice, but a human one.

If he was indeed chosen, then Huang Yan must have inscribed something on his back, indicating that he already knew his identity. Why? He was well aware that he was just an ordinary high school student with no value to be exploited.

After Li Cu returned home, he found that no one was there; his father still hadn’t come back. However, the paper that had been in the drawer was now placed on the table. Li Cu opened the drawer and discovered that all the blueprints had been taken, leaving only some red hundred-yuan bills behind.

He had often lived this way before; his father frequently had social engagements and couldn’t take care of him, leaving him to fend for himself.

Suddenly, he felt a sense of insecurity at home. What if it wasn’t his father who took the documents? What if someone else had come to his house, just to show him that all his actions were under the other’s scrutiny?