The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Donghao and Xihao underwent an external parameter correction, and at the same time, they sent two humanoid girls who originally had the same appearance as them back to Dongbang.

Thus, Donghao and Xihao completed a clean break, and the matter of buying and selling straw bricks was completely over.

Donghao devoted all his efforts to finding the whereabouts of the residents of Luotian Village. Xihao, on the other hand, prepared all the necessary tools for going to Luotian Village, such as protective equipment and necessary instruments.

Yu Qing temporarily went into hiding in the warehouse. The warehouse was stocked with enough food and drinking water, as well as a complete information processing system.

He remotely summoned his assistant in the ultimate office through his watch, firstly to ask her to provide as much detailed information as possible about the Yu family ancestral graves in Luotian Village, and secondly to ask her to provide information about the hidden forces that the old man had arranged here.

The assistant said that the old man's eastern region was very underdeveloped back then, so he didn't deploy much manpower there, mainly focusing on Luotian Village. As for detailed information about the Yu family ancestral graves, records indicate they are preserved within the two main pillars of the ancestral hall, sealed three meters high, one on each side, with identical contents.

Yu Qing frowned in thought, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table: "Can you determine the exact location of the ancestral hall?"

“Based on satellite mapping and historical records, the ancestral hall should be located in the north-central part of Luotian Village, and it is a building with blue bricks and gray tiles. However…” the assistant paused, “because the area has been abandoned for nearly a century and is heavily covered by vegetation, precise location may require on-site surveying.”

"Continue." Yu Qing's voice was calm and even.

"The good news is that the holographic map of the ancestral graves is indeed stored in the ancestral hall. As long as we can obtain the data particles, we can completely reconstruct the distribution of the grave area from that time."

The bad news is that the last signal from the undercover forces left behind by the old man was in Stone City, after which contact was lost.

It must be admitted that in terms of searching, summarizing information, and processing procedural tasks, the efficiency of humanoids is more than ten thousand times that of humans. Dong Hao also quickly found out where the residents of Luotian Village had moved to.

After the nuclear leak in Fengzhen, the survivors all moved to Shizicheng.

This information was gleaned by Dong Hao from satellite images from that year, and it wasn't as difficult as Yu Qing had originally imagined. Dong Hao reached a definitive conclusion by comparing hundreds of photos.

She arranged the satellite images chronologically, clearly showing the migration routes of the villagers and the changes in their settlements. The last group of villagers did indeed move into Shizicheng thirty-five years ago.

However, during his last visit to Asia City, Yu Qing learned that everyone in Shizi City had died for unknown reasons. This quickly led him to the conclusion that they had been murdered by Yu Guiyi.

Yu Guiyi's purpose was very clear: as long as everyone in Luotian Village died, no one would know the location of the Yu family's ancestral graves anymore. In this way, even if a descendant of the Yu family got the opportunity to share the wealth with the foundation, he would not be able to complete the final procedures.

Those villagers who migrated from the nuclear-contaminated area could have their deaths attributed to the aftereffects of an unknown nuclear accident, making the cause difficult to pinpoint.

Of course, this was just speculation, and Yu Qing had no evidence. But he didn't have time to dwell on this point of doubt; he needed to sneak into Luotian Village and find the holographic map hidden in the Yu Clan Ancestral Hall before Yu Guiyi discovered him.

That area is now a restricted zone, and people are not allowed to enter freely. But so many years have passed, and it doesn't involve any significant interests, so it's probably not strictly controlled anymore; perhaps only a monitoring system remains there to automatically monitor it.

Humanoid beings like Donghao and her ilk are not harmed by nuclear radiation, so it's likely no one will interfere with their movement. They can wear protective gear themselves, which will then be carried in by the others in some way.

Xi Hao did a great job, not only providing the necessary protective equipment but also bringing very useful news. There's still a cosmic observatory operating in the contaminated area, staffed by two to three people year-round, so humanoid creatures regularly visit to deliver supplies.

The equipment used by those humanoid beings is readily available on the market. The one used for transporting supplies is simply a very basic flying vehicle. Yu Qing recently made a small fortune and quickly acquired three such flying vehicles—three large flying spheres.

Both aircraft were filled with food, water, oxygen tanks, and other supplies, all encased in radiation shielding boxes. Yu Qing, Dong Hao, and Xi Hao sat in another sphere. To be precise, they were inside a sphere, as it wasn't designed for human use.

The space inside the sphere was cramped, so Yu Qing could only huddle inside a specially designed protective cabin and observe the outside world through thick lead glass.

Such supply transport vehicles come and go frequently every day, so no one paid any attention to them when Yu Qing and his group left Yadu. It only took them about twenty minutes to arrive above Luotian Village.

The view from above is breathtaking.

The former human settlements have been reclaimed by nature, with dense trees forming a green ocean that has submerged all roads and houses. Only the occasional glimpse of crumbling walls hints at the traces of human life that once existed here.

Yu Qing didn't have the aircraft land immediately, but instead circled the village for about ten kilometers. He wanted to find the ancestral graves directly, but from the air, all he could see were dense, green trees, and nothing at all.

He adjusted the resolution of his observation equipment, trying to penetrate the dense canopy, but it was all in vain.

After a hundred or two hundred years of vigorous growth, those plants have inadvertently altered the terrain and landform beyond recognition.

Yu Qing is worried that even if a holographic map is found, it will be difficult to identify the precise location of the ancestral graves unless detailed coordinates were marked back then.

After circling around several times without success, Yu Qing decided to land in an open space in front of a building in the village that appeared to be an ancestral hall.

Donghao and the others went down first to check if there was any danger, while Yuqing remained inside the sphere to wait.

Through the observation window, he saw two humanoid figures cautiously step out of the aircraft and begin scanning their surroundings.

In fact, as soon as Donghao and the others stepped out of the sphere, seven or eight large wild boars suddenly rushed over, startling everyone.

These wild boars had clearly lived here for generations; they were much larger than ordinary wild boars, with menacing tusks and fierce eyes. Xi Hao couldn't dodge in time and was knocked to the ground by one of these massive boars, which weighed over a thousand pounds.

Since Donghao and Xihao are both administrative assistant-type humanoids with no offensive capabilities and only basic self-defense abilities, they appear quite clumsy in dealing with this situation. They tried to drive the wild boars away with stun guns, but these creatures seemed to have an astonishing resistance to electric shocks.

Yu Qing anxiously observed everything from inside the aircraft, muttering to himself, "If Yao Dan and the others were here, they would have dealt with these beasts long ago. How come even the humanoid beauties are getting worse with each generation?"

Unbeknownst to him, his thoughts were relayed to Yao Dan through their telepathic connection, and she hurriedly said, "My lord, I'll find a way to get here right away."

Yu Qing stopped him, saying, "Don't do anything reckless. I'm acting in secret right now. Are you trying to let the whole world know I'm here? You should know that you're now officially a tomb guardian."

Seeing that Donghao and Xihao hadn't managed to take down the wild boars, Yu Qing shouted at them, "They can't bite you! Don't be afraid of getting bitten, pick up stones and smash their heads with all your might!" It took them thirty or forty minutes to finally kill the wild boars. Donghao found a thick tree branch, while Xihao picked up a sharp stone in case they were attacked again.

Then they entered the building in front of them. Yu Qing saw the details inside the building through their visual systems.

Although covered in a thick layer of dust, it is still clear that this is a traditional Chinese ancestral hall. The high beams, the carved window frames, and the altar in the center all retain their ancient appearance.

However, this ancestral hall doesn't appear to be a hundred or two hundred years old; it's probably only twenty or thirty years old. Despite being covered in dust, it remains in excellent condition. There are no obvious cracks in the walls, and the roof shows no signs of collapse, indicating that it has clearly undergone a complete renovation or reconstruction.

Yu Qing slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Damn it! If the ancestral hall has already been renovated or rebuilt, what's the point of looking for holographic data left over from almost two hundred years ago!"

Records indicate that the data point was sealed 3 meters high between two large pillars in the center of the hall, and the data in both pillars was identical; finding either one would suffice. However, the ancestral hall has been rebuilt; are the current pillars the same ones from back then?

Yu Qing decided to go inside and take a closer look. He put on his protective suit and carefully stepped out of the aircraft. The radioactive particles in the air made a faint crackling sound on the protective suit, but he ignored it and quickly walked into the ancestral hall.

He took the dagger and went to the pillar, making a heavy slash at it, but couldn't even find a scratch. It was made of a super alloy material.

Dong Hao said, "This material only came into existence seventy years ago."

"Yes, that means the original pillar has been replaced. Where else can we find those particles?" Yu Qing felt a wave of frustration, as if the goal that was within reach had vanished again.

"Your Excellency, please don't panic." Dong Hao's voice remained calm. "Even if the pillars have been replaced, as long as they are still there, we can use the element detector to find those particles. After all, its constituent materials are very special and very different from the other things here."

“That’s a great idea. Hopefully, the building materials that were originally demolished will be buried on the spot or stored somewhere.”

Xi Hao said, "I went to get the detector. Knowing that Your Excellency was looking for something, I also bought this tool and put it with the living supplies."

"Okay, go and come back quickly."

While waiting, Yu Qing's attention finally turned to the interior layout of the ancestral hall. In fact, this was also his ancestral hall. An entire wall in the central hall was covered with the ancestral tablets of his ancestors.

The dusty memorial tablets stood quietly, the characters on the top few rows blurred, but the surname Yu could still be discerned in the middle.

Standing here, he felt an indescribable sensation, a feeling he hadn't experienced alone for the first time. These memorial tablets represented an unbroken bloodline, and he was now the continuation of that bloodline. A strange sense of belonging welled up within him, an emotion he had never felt before.

He looked at Dong Hao and said, "Think about it, if the ancestors here knew that most of their descendants were either piles of metal materials or ox-headed and horse-faced demons, how would they feel?"

"I'm not human, so I can't understand that feeling of alienation."

“Perhaps there is also desolation,” Yu Qing said softly, his fingers gently brushing away the dust on a memorial tablet to reveal the character “Yu” carved underneath.

Just then, Xi Hao brought over the detector. This thing worked quite well. She turned on the instrument and was showing Yu Qing how to use it when she discovered that the data particles were only a few meters away.

Yu Qing suddenly realized and exclaimed, "I understand!"

Dong Hao asked, puzzled, "You understand? We don't need the detector anymore?"

"Of course we need to use it. But I know it's still inside the pillar. The original pillar wasn't discarded; instead, it was encased in an alloy. Okay, just probe that pillar and find its exact location."

Xi Hao quickly found the spot on the pillar, about 1.4 meters above their heads. Dong Hao had her sit on his shoulders, lifted her up, and marked the precise location.

"Make an incision and take it out."

Xi Hao quickly dug a hole in the pillar with a piercing knife, a specially made tool that could precisely cut alloys without generating excessive heat and debris.

She quickly found the small box containing the data particles. The box was made of a special alloy and remained shiny and new even after all these years.

In handling these specific matters and taking action, they had never disappointed Yu Qing. Dong Hao had even put the holographic device using data particles in her pocket. It seemed they were very well prepared.

Before long, a holographic image of the ancestral grave unfolded before Yu Qing and his companions.

The hologram clearly marks the location of each grave and the name of its owner; even the inscriptions on each tombstone are clearly legible.

Yu Qing noticed a special mark in a corner of the map, with the words "Secret Passage Entrance" written in small print next to it.
Looking at the complex distribution of burial grounds on the hologram, Yu Qing realized that the search had only just begun. He had to use this map to find the true location of his ancestral graves in Luotian Village, which had been completely altered by nature.

During this process, he also had to be constantly vigilant about potential spies of Yu Guiyi, as well as other dangers that might exist within this radiation zone.

“We need to hurry,” Yu Qing said to Dong Hao and Xi Hao. “We need to find the location of the main cemetery area before dark.”

Dong Hao nodded: "I have made a preliminary comparison between the hologram and the current satellite images, and roughly determined several possible locations. I suggest we start the search from the largest ancestral grave, as it should be the easiest to locate."

The three left the ancestral hall and began their search in the abandoned village. About twenty or thirty meters outside the village, the dense vegetation made their movements very difficult, forcing them to frequently use knives to clear a path.

As they passed through a particularly dense thicket of bushes, Xihao suddenly stopped: "We detected a metallic reaction ahead; it's not naturally occurring."

Yu Qing cautiously approached and discovered it was a metal plaque half-buried in the ground, engraved with the Yu family crest. "We've found the right place," he said softly, a surge of excitement welling up inside him.

But as they continued onward, they failed to notice a small surveillance camera slowly rotating in a large tree in the distance, recording their entire journey. (End of Chapter)