Upon hearing Zhou Bin say that he had waited for him for more than seven months in the extremely cold apocalypse, and that it was on the orders of the long-lost Chief, Chen Yu was speechless with shock.

Putting aside his unknown identity as a reincarnated person, he was at most just an ordinary entrepreneur. How could he possibly catch the eye of a country's top leader?

He even made his chief secretary wait for him, and he gave the order before the extreme cold apocalypse. This was really too unbelievable.

Zhou Bin seemed oblivious to Chen Yu's shocked expression. He continued, "The Chief and the others' disappearance is extremely strange. They were gathered together for a meeting that day, right under my nose, when they suddenly vanished as if they had never existed. Such a thing is certainly not something that can be done by humans, at least not by humans at present."

"You mean future technology?" Chen Yu raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Bin shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Who knows? Maybe it's an advanced alien civilization."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu felt a surge of turmoil in his heart. His rebirth experience and the extradimensional space between his eyebrows were proof of the terrifying power behind this.

If the disappearance of the chief and others is also related to the mastermind behind it all, then what role does he play in all of this?

What exactly does the person behind it want him to do?

Chen Yu's thoughts surged like waves whipped up by a gale, turbulent and unsettling. He knew that he was not only a witness to this extreme cold disaster, but also possibly a pawn in some deeper conspiracy.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Yu raised his question: "Then why did they all disappear that day, leaving only you?"

“That’s why I’m here waiting for you,” Zhou Bin said.

"You mean, the chief can decide who doesn't disappear?" Chen Yu narrowed his eyes.

“Mr. Chen, you misunderstand. What I mean is that it was precisely because the Chief knew in advance that I wouldn’t disappear that he asked me to wait for you here,” Zhou Bin explained, his tone heavy. “The Chief’s foresight far exceeds our imagination. He may have already discerned certain patterns or forces that we cannot understand before he disappeared, which is why he made arrangements for his backup plan.”

Hearing Zhou Bin's explanation, Chen Yu's mind became even more confused. He decided to stop dwelling on the matter and said in a deep voice, "So, you didn't wait here for me just to tell me this, did you?"

"Hehe, of course not." Zhou Bin's eyes gleamed, as if what he was about to say was of paramount importance. "The Chief believes that only you can break through this unprecedented crisis and save the crumbling edifice!"

As Zhou Bin spoke, he took out a metal box, about 30 centimeters long, wide, and high, from the safe under his desk and solemnly handed it to Chen Yu.

"The chief instructed me to give you this secret box after I meet you. The contents inside can help you!"

Chen Yu took the secret box with some suspicion, placed it on the table, and looked it over. Judging from its texture, it was not ordinary metal.

Guided by Zhou Bin, Chen Yu found the combination lock on the secret box.

However, to Chen Yu's dismay, Zhou Bin did not know the password, and there were no clues on the safe.

Chen Yu was both amused and exasperated by this.

"Why me?" Chen Yu asked.

"Mr. Chen, do you still remember what you said to reporters after you received your prize at the lottery center in December 2024?" Zhou Bin smiled slightly, his eyes sparkling with reminiscence.

Chen Yu frowned upon hearing this, and images from three and a half years ago flashed through his mind.

"Just because I said I traveled back from the future? And told the world that an extreme cold apocalypse would come in three years?" Chen Yu's expression was somewhat strange.

"I think so," Zhou Bin nodded.

“Secretary Zhou, isn’t that a bit far-fetched? There are plenty of people in this world who are always talking about the end of the world for short-term gains, and I’m just one of them. Why would I catch the Chief’s eye because of this?” Chen Yu’s lips curled into a self-deprecating smile. “Besides, even if I guessed right by accident, the Chief had already disappeared before the extreme cold disaster struck. How would he know that I guessed right about the end of the world?”

“I don’t know about that. The Chief’s actions are always unfathomable. His thoughts and plans are never something that ordinary people like us can fully understand.” Zhou Bin sighed. “What I just said was just my personal speculation. As for why the Chief entrusted you with such an important task, I’m afraid only the Chief himself knows.”

Chen Yu fell silent. He knew Zhou Bin was telling the truth. The chief's wisdom and ability have always been a vital asset to the nation; every decision he makes could potentially impact the country's future.

But now, he has mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind only this mysterious box and a series of mysteries.

The chief's choice of him was certainly not based on his careless remarks from a few years ago; there must be a deeper reason behind it.

However, the only thing Chen Yu could be sure of was that the chief's judgment was indeed excellent. He possessed an alternate dimension and was a reincarnated person, so no one in this world was better able to cope with the current extremely cold apocalypse or even deeper challenges than him.

Chen Yu took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his complex emotions, and focused his gaze back on the metal box.

I wonder what good things the chief left him.

"Secretary Zhou, do you have any clues or suggestions regarding the password to this secret box?" Chen Yu asked in a deep voice, genuinely curious about the contents of the box.

Zhou Bin shook his head, indicating that he was also at a loss: "The chief did not leave any clues about the password. By the way, I would like to remind you that this secret box has a self-destruct function. Even if you enter the wrong password once, or try to force it open, it will trigger the mechanism and destroy the information or items inside the secret box. Therefore, you still need to be careful."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu frowned, his brows furrowing.

He knew the importance of this secret box, and he also understood the risks involved.

But since the chief entrusted it to him so solemnly, it must contain key information or tools that can help him deal with this crisis.

"I understand, I will be careful." Chen Yu nodded and began to carefully study the combination lock.

The combination lock was covered by a metal plate, presumably to prevent accidental activation. Pushing the plate aside revealed four rotating dials on the lock, each with ten numbers from 0 to 9.

It's a very simple four-digit password, which is easy to crack, but the key is that it doesn't even give you a chance to try; you only get one chance to enter the password.

The chief didn't leave him any clues and expected him to guess the correct password in one go. Isn't that ridiculous?

Chen Yu pondered for a long time, and many different combinations of numbers flashed through his mind. He even considered the birth years of the chief and himself.

But in the end, he still didn't dare to try entering the password, after all, he only had one chance.

Shaking his head, Chen Yu decided to give up for now and study it properly when he had time.