Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Visit to the Museum

After Jiang Huan drove over, the boy came downstairs as well. He must have run up and down again, because in just that short time, he was already sweating. Before leaving the lobby, he hurried to wipe his face. "I did as you asked, and I also told Brother Jiang Xi."

"Thank you." The boy was truly thoughtful. Jiang Huan patted his shoulder, slipped something into his pocket, and then called the two to get into the car.

Once the delivery tricycle set off, Chen Pei curiously reached into his pocket. The familiar shape of a stick and a sphere made him pause. Was this... a lollipop?

The delivery vehicle had a driver’s seat in front, with a metal-covered compartment in the back that served as the loading area—barely large enough for a person to stoop and squeeze inside. Because Jiang Huan had made a few trips already, she had taken over as the driver. After more than two hours on the road, the vehicle had slowed considerably.

The fuel gauge indicated it was time for a refill. Spotting a small gas station not far ahead—just two pumps and a little convenience store—she pulled over.

Xiao Yi and Deputy Director Xu got out to stretch their legs and survey the area, while Jiang Huan stepped into the shop.

Its windows had long since been smashed, and everything edible had been looted. In a corner, she found two packs of preserved fruit, but ignored them, heading instead for the staff break room.

It was disappointing. There were none of the small oil drums that might have been found here before the apocalypse. Even the stock of windshield washer fluid was gone.

She had no choice but to find a random plastic bottle and pour in some of the gasoline she’d collected in her dimensional space before heading out.

After refueling, Xiao Yi and Deputy Director Xu returned from the nearby restroom.

With that bottle of fuel, they were able to drive straight to the vicinity of the museum. Compared to the shops, this place was almost untouched. The location was inconvenient, and there was nothing to eat or drink inside—just a few exhibit items for fuel. No one would risk a trip here for a handful of artifacts.

Deputy Director Xu led them through the staff entrance. The building had four above-ground floors—two for exhibitions, a third dedicated to calligraphy and painting, and a fourth for offices.

There was also a basement, which at first glance seemed unremarkable, accessed by a passage behind a wall, sloping like a garage ramp.

Deputy Director Xu opened the door, and they entered a single room of about thirty square meters. It had a vent, but aside from the exhibits, there was nothing of daily use—more like an unfinished concrete shell, all gray.

Inside, about twenty antiques were sealed under glass, along with a dozen stone ornaments and seals, and some ancient paintings mounted and encased in plastic.

Deputy Director Xu carefully found containers to retrieve them, but with all the packaging, the delivery vehicle’s compartment was soon stuffed full.

Jiang Huan simply suggested they push the vehicle into the museum and look nearby for another car.

Deputy Director Xu mentioned there was a martial arts school nearby with a yellow school bus that could seat over twenty people. "I remember the route—it’s close. If we’re lucky, the bus should still be in the parking shed and hopefully still usable."

Jiang Huan had intended to go, but being in the museum, she wanted to conduct an experiment. "You go ahead. I’ve never visited this museum, so I’d like to look around."

Once Deputy Director Xu and the others had been gone a few minutes, Jiang Huan began to wander. On the first floor was a massive reception desk, along with displays on the city’s development over the last hundred years and some LCD screens for educational videos.

Upstairs, she found many fabrics, calligraphy, and paintings by famous figures, a few pieces of jewelry, and about a dozen primitive tools. She picked out the exhibits that looked truly historic and fed them into her exchanger.

Buzz.

A Qing dynasty court lady’s headdress: 590 points.
A reproduction of a calligraphy piece by the Wang family: 50 points.
Gold-wrapped bronze jewelry from the Jin dynasty: 30 points.
A three-hundred-year-old stone mortar: 600 points.

"As expected, they can be exchanged," Jiang Huan said, breaking free from the notion that only gold and silver were eligible. She began to scavenge the entire museum.

Soon, the whole building had been stripped bare—even the printer in the upstairs office was carried away. She hesitated, debating whether to take the exquisite stone sculpture by the entrance, when the sound of wheels rolling over the ground came from outside.

Jiang Huan jogged to the door to take a look. A yellow school bus was slowly approaching.

But the driver was not one of the two who had left earlier. She immediately hid behind the door and drew her weapon.

To her surprise, the first person to jump out was Xiao Yi, face alight with excitement. "Miss Jiang, it’s us. Don’t be afraid—we met some survivors. They’re coming back with us."

Taboo number one: Exposing her identity and the actual number of people in her group.

Taboo number two: The number of people in the bus was far more than just the two of them.

Suppressing the urge to curse, Jiang Huan stepped out slowly from behind the door, though she kept the nail gun concealed in her sleeve. Only when she saw two women and a dozen children get off the bus did she swap the weapon for a dagger.

"They’re all students from the training center. When the ice storm hit, the center was holding an enrollment event, so everyone sheltered there through the worst of the cold. When we arrived, we ran into the bus returning with supplies. They were kind enough to take us in."

The driver had yet to get off. Hearing this explanation, he felt a pang of guilt.

The truth was, he recognized Deputy Director Xu, and seeing that their group’s weapons were no match for their own, he dared to approach—not to take them in, but simply to give them a lift and ask about possible survivor settlements.

Recalling how they had previously taken in two men who ended up stealing their last food supplies and injuring two children, the driver remained wary.

Learning the full story, Jiang Huan’s impression of the two academics dropped considerably. In the future, she resolved never to team up with them for anything risky.

"Hello, I’m Li Xiuguo, the head coach of the center."

"Hello, I’m Jiang Huan." Since her name was out, there was no need to hide any longer. Having come this far, she greeted each of the others and shook hands.

Their spirits seemed good, though hunger had hollowed their cheeks. Seeing this, Jiang Huan’s guard slackened a little.

They seemed like ordinary survivors, though as martial arts instructors, they were likely graduates of martial arts schools themselves. If taken back, they could be an asset for Wu Gang.

"We came looking for supplies and to transport some lightweight artifacts, but our vehicle was too small. Now that you’re planning to return with us?"

Li Xiuguo, hearing Jiang Huan’s strong, steady voice, made up his mind. "A few days ago, we took in two men who ended up stealing our last food. For safety, we’ve decided to leave here. If your survivor settlement is good, we’ll consider staying—but it’s not certain. I still have to discuss it with everyone else."