Chapter 344: Solution to Insufficient Energy (5000 words)
Half an hour later, the day had fully brightened, with only a few pedestrians on the streets and a gradually increasing number of cars.
The black SUV now reached the edge of Shuntian City, where Qian San turned to look at Yan Junze and asked, "Are you sure you want to head to the outskirts?"
Yan Junze appeared calm, but his mood had actually hit rock bottom. He nodded slightly, "Take this road to the outskirts, about two kilometers further, then stop."
"And then?" Qian San, fearing he might have to travel even farther into the outskirts, probed cautiously.
After all, he had been driving all night without sleep, and now his eyelids were fighting a fierce battle, feeling like they could close at any moment.
Actually, now that it was bright, going to the outskirts wouldn't be a problem, but as a qualified veteran driver, safety was his primary concern.
He needed to rest. If Yan Junze could still hold up, they could call the company to replace him with another driver, but Qian San was ready to refuse if there was a need to go to other places in the outskirts.
"If we still can't find it, we'll go back home, rest, and then continue," said Yan Junze.
"At least he knows to rest, this kid isn't dumb," Qian San thought to himself, nodding quietly without speaking and driving the SUV towards the outskirts two kilometers away, as instructed by Yan Junze.
Before long, the SUV stopped on a relatively high slope. Beyond this road lay an area known as Gaopeng Town, lying on the outskirts of Shuntian City.
According to Yan Junze's estimation, there was no need to go that far now as he could only release one more detection with his Different Dimension Energy.
This place, although two kilometers from the city, was the most suitable for releasing the detection, covering an area that included both the last unexplored parts of the city and encompassing a swath of unfamiliar territory on the outskirts.
Even now, stopping on the hillside road, Yan Junze did something different this time; he got out of the car, stood by the roadside, and Qian San, seated in the driver's cab, watched him, not feeling it was appropriate to ask any questions.
"Last detection!"
Yan Junze's eyes surveyed the downhill area with a wide field of vision. Taking a deep breath and falling silent for a moment, he released the last of his 1000 points of Different Dimension Energy.
Time passed...
Inside the car, Qian San watched the figure silently from the driver's seat and, after a short while, saw Yan Junze turn around, his face expressionless. He approached the SUV, pulled open the door, and sat down without a word.
The inside of the car fell silent.
Qian San noticed Yan Junze's mood was a bit off, seeming very repressed. It looked like he wasn't speaking, but buried in that repression was an indescribable and unclear anger.
Rage.
"Now... where to?" After a few minutes, Qian San couldn't help but ask.
"Back to FH Community," answered Yan Junze, his voice calm.
The SUV quickly entered the urban area and stopped outside the entrance to FH Community half an hour later.
Yan Junze took out his cell phone, scanned the QR code Qian San had in the car, tapped a few keys on his phone, and then Qian San's phone pinged with a notification.
He opened his phone, looked at it in surprise, then raised his head to look at Yan Junze.
Yan Junze said, "This extra thousand yuan is for your hard work. Now go home and sleep. After you wake up, have a meal, and then come over at 5 pm sharp. We... continue."
"We're still searching?" Qian San exclaimed in amazement, "Haven't we covered the whole city already?"
"We'll start heading to the outskirts from now on," Yan Junze said as he got out of the car, closed the door, and walked away.
Qian San stared in puzzlement at Yan Junze's departing figure until it was no longer visible. Then he snapped back to reality and, gritting his teeth, thought, "If he's a big spender, then to the outskirts we go. I'm not getting out of the car anyway. If we encounter strangenesses, I'll just drive away. What's there to be scared of!"
The main reason was that Yan Junze was very generous, and Qian San knew that if he followed him for another day or two, the tips he would receive would certainly be no less than what he got that day.
Back home, when the others saw Yan Junze's state, expressions of concern appeared, but no one spoke.
Yan Junze was also very tired and didn't initiate any conversation. He went back to his bedroom, dropped his backpack, closed the door, collapsed on the bed, and pulled the blanket over his head.
"Seems like things aren't going... too smoothly," Li Man mused, sitting on the couch.
Xiang Er nodded, "Let's wait until he wakes up, then I'll ask."
Ku Zai stayed silent.
The three were gathered together, with a basket between them, full of washed green beans.
Li Man took a green bean, snapped it gently, and said, "This child, he seems to have matured a lot, completely different from before. Oh yes, Xiang Er, is it dangerous for you all to clear strangenesses day in and out?"
Xiang Er was startled, tossed the snapped bean into the winnowing basket, and shook her head, "Dangerous it is, but I feel like Yan Junze has never really encountered any true danger. No matter what he's dealing with, he always seems to have everything under perfect control, as if carefully calculated."
Li Man smiled, seeming proud, then remembered something and said to Xiang Er, "You should take care to keep warm and eat more blood-nourishing food. With weak blood, hands and feet will become cold, and for a girl so young to be like this, you mustn't neglect it!"
"Got it, Auntie," Xiang Er nodded.
Because Xiang Er was always helping Li Man in the kitchen, the two had more interaction, and Li Man quickly noticed the abnormality of Xiang Er's cold hands and feet.
Next, Li Man turned to Ku Zai, who was secretly eyeing Xiang Er.
Li Man laughed and said, "Hey, skinny boy, you should also take note. Eat more. You're getting skinnier by the day, looking like a monkey. I've increased the portions in our meals every day."