VIP Volume Chapter 043: The Mysteriously Vanished Archaeological Team

For eighteen years, the farthest Ye Xiaoxuan had ever traveled was to the township. His exposure to the world was extremely limited, so it was understandable that he had never heard of Qitian Group. He was, after all, a professional country bumpkin, a genuine mountain dweller—anything above five stories qualified as a skyscraper in his eyes. Apart from television, the closest he had ever come to modernity was the computer Jiaran used at school, and even that was agonizingly slow online.

Wen Xiaoyu shot him a glare, “Qitian Group is the largest industrial conglomerate in Central Nation. They have factories, hotels, and are involved in all kinds of fields—business, collectibles, finance. They control forty percent of Central Nation’s economy!”

Ye Xiaoxuan curled his lip, clearly uninterested. He asked Wen Xiaoyu, “What about you? What do you do there? What percentage do you control?”

Wen Xiaoyu rolled her eyes, “You wouldn’t understand if I explained! My father sent me here—he works for Poly Auction. He told me to follow Sister Hua and broaden my horizons. I just graduated and failed the college entrance exam, so I’m treating this as a vacation!”

Ye Xiaoxuan looked her up and down in surprise, “You’re still taking college exams at your age? That’s real perseverance!”

Wen Xiaoyu was so annoyed she pinched his arm hard and scolded, “What do you mean, ‘my age’? I’m only seventeen! You’re almost a whole year older than me!”

Ye Xiaoxuan grimaced in pain, “The way you dress, you look like you’re in your twenties! Stop following Hua Lingluo around—she has no sense of style, making you look like an old lady!”

Wen Xiaoyu bit his shoulder, “Say that again! Don’t you dare talk bad about Sister Hua! I only dress maturely to keep creeps like you at bay. What, if I were older than you, would you not want me?”

Seeing the look in Wen Xiaoyu’s eyes, Ye Xiaoxuan shrank his neck and grinned, “Impossible! The older the woman, the more precious she is!”

Wen Xiaoyu snorted, “Well, now we’re the same age!” Ye Xiaoxuan pulled a face, “Same age, then I’ll carry you around—it’s perfect!”

Only then did Wen Xiaoyu’s face soften; she gave him a look and said, “I’m eight or nine months younger than you.”

Ye Xiaoxuan nearly lost his mind, grabbing Wen Xiaoyu and planting a fierce kiss on her cheek, his eyes bulging as he shouted, “No matter the age, I want you. Is that enough?”

Though there was no one else around, Wen Xiaoyu still blushed to her neck, lowering her head shyly, “You rascal! Always taking advantage! What about this side?”

Ye Xiaoxuan was speechless.

Little Green, too, had shed its previously disciplined demeanor. Its four legs moved spasmodically, propelling it forward like a motorcycle running out of fuel, jerking along in fits and starts.

The benefit of this movement was that the two people riding had to cling tightly to each other or risk being shaken off. Ye Xiaoxuan’s shirtless torso, his clothes tied around Wen Xiaoyu’s waist, felt the warmth of her delicate body, stirring a new wave of desire in his heart.

Nestled in his arms, Wen Xiaoyu immediately sensed the change in Ye Xiaoxuan’s body. She bit her lip and struggled to pull away, spitting out, “You scoundrel! Can’t behave even in broad daylight!”

Ye Xiaoxuan chuckled awkwardly, pulling his legs together and grinning, “That just proves my girlfriend is attractive! If I didn’t react at all, you’d be crying!”

Wen Xiaoyu’s cheeks reddened further, giving him another glare, “Shameless! And you, too!” She slapped the turtle shell and scolded Little Green, “Swim properly! Spend one night with him and you’re corrupted, always up to tricks!”

Little Green blew a string of bubbles in the water, as if snickering, but it did swim much more steadily after that.

The rest of the journey passed without incident. Little Green’s familiarity with Daxian Lake was beyond Ye Xiaoxuan’s imagination, though the creature was playful and spent the entire day taking them on a tour through the lake, returning to Reed Village only at dusk.

He thought the day’s wonders had been enough, but once they reached shore, something even stranger occurred: everything had disappeared!

The Fortune vessel, the small fishing boat, the archaeological camp, Hua Lingluo—all the equipment and people brought by Qitian Group were gone!

If not for the traces of camp and leftover garbage on the lakeside, Ye Xiaoxuan could have believed he’d dreamed the whole thing and never met Hua Lingluo’s group.

Wen Xiaoyu was dumbfounded, staring at the bare lakeshore, nearly in tears, “Where is everyone? Where did they go? Did they leave? Why didn’t they wait for me?”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s face darkened. He grabbed Wen Xiaoyu’s hand and strode toward the village. After a few steps, he heard a rustling behind them and turned to see Little Green still following!

“Go back!” Ye Xiaoxuan pointed toward Daxian Lake and shouted at Little Green. The turtle shrank into its shell, and Ye Xiaoxuan turned to walk away, but soon heard the rustling again.

Ye Xiaoxuan spun around and scolded Little Green, “Do you want to die? Go back! If anyone sees you, they’ll catch you and make turtle soup!”

Wen Xiaoyu, reluctant to part, squatted and stroked Little Green’s shell, “Little Green, go back! Once I figure this out, I’ll come find you!”

Little Green’s eyes, peering from inside its shell, were full of grievance as it stubbornly crawled to Ye Xiaoxuan’s feet. Ye Xiaoxuan kicked it and cursed, “Go back! I’m in a bad mood—don’t follow me!”

Wen Xiaoyu’s eyes reddened. She tugged Ye Xiaoxuan’s arm and pleaded, “Let Little Green stay with us—I’ll protect it!”

Ye Xiaoxuan shook his head, eyes stern, “No! No one can see it, not even your people! Xiaoyu, I’m starting to doubt your group’s purpose here at Daxian Lake. And the more I think about it, the less I understand this place. Anything related to it must be kept from outsiders, or our village is done for.”

Wen Xiaoyu asked in shock, “Why do you think that?” Ye Xiaoxuan shook his head, staring at Little Green, “I don’t know—it’s just instinct. All we experienced last night must not be mentioned to anyone. Remember! Little Green, go back, I’ll find you by the lake in a few days.”

Little Green seemed to understand, letting out a whimper and slowly turning to crawl toward Daxian Lake. It paused after a few steps, looking back at Ye Xiaoxuan and Wen Xiaoyu, then continued, stopping and starting, until it finally vanished.

Wen Xiaoyu, eyes rimmed with red, clutched Ye Xiaoxuan’s arm, “Xiaoxuan, I’m scared. I don’t know why, but something feels wrong.”

Ye Xiaoxuan spoke gravely, “I know what’s wrong. We weren’t on Xiangsha Island for just one night—it’s very likely we were there for more than five days.”

Wen Xiaoyu stared at him in shock, “How can that be?”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded, “It’s entirely possible. Only a corpse soaked for four or five days could float to the surface.”