Chapter 9: The Eccentric Woman

A few seconds later, a yellow taxi outside the airport suddenly accelerated. The driver, drawing on more than a decade of racing experience, sped through the streets, running several red lights and provoking a chorus of angry shouts from both drivers and pedestrians.

Twenty minutes later, Kong Zhe got out at the entrance of Blue Mountain Residences and dashed inside without a backward glance. The driver, still fretting about exceeding Kong Zhe’s strict time limit, feared for a moment that his passenger might lose his temper. But seeing that Kong Zhe paid him no mind at all, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The security guards at the gate watched, dumbfounded, as an ordinary-looking man ignored them entirely, vaulted over the fence, and sprinted wildly into the complex.

“Hey! Stop right there!” After a few seconds, they finally recovered from their surprise, cursing as they grabbed their batons and gave chase. This was a luxury complex, and it was clear from his shabby appearance that he couldn’t possibly live here. He had to be an intruder.

But Kong Zhe was just too fast. In no time, he’d left the security guards far behind.

Building 17, Apartment 601 of Blue Mountain Residences...

Kong Zhe repeated the address silently in his mind. If his information was correct, the treasure he sought should be in that very apartment.

He raced to Building 17, ignoring the elevator and taking the stairs two at a time up to the sixth floor. Less than ten minutes remained before the apocalypse was to begin—he wasn’t about to waste a single second.

He didn’t stop until he reached the door to 601. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he composed his expression and knocked.

Soon, a woman’s voice sounded from inside. “Who is it?”

“Delivery!” Kong Zhe replied offhandedly. These days, online shopping was so common that claiming to have a delivery was a sure way to get a door opened.

As expected, footsteps approached, and the door swung open to reveal a woman with messy hair. She gave Kong Zhe a once-over, her expression suspicious. “Where’s the package?”

Kong Zhe didn’t answer. He was busy sizing her up, gauging her threat level. It didn’t take long to conclude she was just an ordinary person.

She looked young, wearing a white lab coat draped over her shoulders, the lenses on her nose as thick as the bottom of a beer bottle—she seemed either a doctor or a scholar. She looked exhausted, sporting heavy dark circles under her eyes, and her hair hung limply, obscuring most of her face, making her features hard to discern.

After a moment’s scrutiny, the woman’s face changed abruptly. She tried to slam the door shut. Moments ago, she’d been half asleep, but now she was fully alert. The man before her had brought nothing, and was looking her up and down—he clearly meant no good.

But she was too slow. Before the door could close, Kong Zhe had wedged his hand against it. Though he hadn’t yet awakened, he was still a grown man; there was no way a slender woman could outmatch him in strength.

Effortlessly, Kong Zhe pushed the door open and stepped inside. He closed it behind him, locked it from within with a twist of the handle.

“Ah!” Now the woman was truly frightened, stumbling backward as she screamed, “What do you want? Don’t come any closer or I’ll call the police...”

Kong Zhe ignored her. He was momentarily stunned by the state of the apartment. This was supposed to be a luxury residence, and the place was at least two hundred square meters—quite spacious. It was clear the woman lived here alone, but what shocked Kong Zhe most was the utter chaos within.

Clothes, skirts, even underwear and socks were strewn haphazardly across the floor. In one corner, takeout boxes and drink bottles were piled into a mountain. The carpet was nowhere to be seen—the room looked as if it had been hit by a tornado.

A pungent, sour odor hung in the air, the unmistakable stench of spoiled leftovers—some emanating from the kitchen, some from that heap of takeout containers.

If this were the room of a veteran recluse, Kong Zhe would believe it. But to think it belonged to a young woman... He glanced over at her again. Could she be one of those legendary super-otaku women who planned to rot away at home?

Then Kong Zhe’s eyes were drawn to rows of sandalwood shelves lining the walls, upon which rested all manner of bizarre instruments and metallic objects he didn’t recognize. By the window stood a telescope so large it was clearly beyond civilian grade. In the center of the room was an enormous metallic apparatus that occupied nearly a third of the living space.

The meticulous arrangement of these scientific devices contrasted starkly with the overall disorder. Combined with the woman’s attire, Kong Zhe couldn’t help but wonder—was she a researcher?

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