The excavation work continued from day to night.

After clearing the outer area and corners, all that remained was a yard full of fallen trees.

The firefighters withdrew after finding no survivors.

Secretary Ling's men also left with their tools.

Only Yan Lin and the Hero Company remained at the scene.

Ye Yunzhu tried to persuade him several times, but couldn't bring herself to say it, so she got up and left.

Dai Chunying also left.

She received a special phone call asking her to handle it personally, so she decided to go back first and come back later.

"Brother Yan..."

Zou Xiaozhou spoke hesitantly.

"Keep digging!"

Yan Lin covered his mouth without even looking up.

The group of people were soaked through and then dried, then soaked through again, but no one complained. They continued to silently accompany Yan Lin as he dug and dug.

Liao Yu drove up in his truck, turned on the headlights, and instantly dispelled the darkness.

As Yan Lin dug, he suddenly smelled a peculiar fragrance...

"What is this? It smells so good!"

The aroma seemed to emanate from beneath the scorched earth.

And the more they dug, the more fragrant it became.

Yan Lin was overjoyed.

His eyes widened, his hands gripped the object with frantic force, his gaze growing increasingly infatuated, and he muttered incessantly, "Zhizhi, Zhizhi, it's you, it must have been you who sent it, giving me a signal..."

Those present were all surprised when they heard this.

This area is only a small part right now.

If there were a tunnel...

Zou Xiaozhou also thought of it and hurriedly shouted, "Dig quickly, dig quickly! Maybe your sister-in-law is inside. It must be the fragrance she released, otherwise it would have been coming out at the beginning."

Once the cheers started, everyone instantly became even more enthusiastic.

Piece by piece, they moved away the fallen tree trunks, stones, timber, and other debris, until a stone table appeared, and underneath the stone table was a charred...box.

A fragrant aroma wafted from the box.

Two skeletons were found on the edge of the stone table; judging from their shapes, one was a cat and the other a dog…

The flesh and blood were burned to charcoal.

The box was also burned to charcoal, but it was propped up by the stone table, so even though there were collapsed objects, it was not crushed into dust.

However, the situation is not very optimistic.

As they were about to move the wooden crate, Yan Lin shouted angrily, stopping them in their tracks.

"Stop! I'll go get my Zhizhi myself—"

Yan Lin dropped the shovel, his steps heavy as if nailed to the ground. The joy that had exploded in his heart vanished in that instant, replaced by a deep, dark silence.

He forced himself to go up.

One step, two steps, three steps, each step difficult, each step heavy.

Those present lowered their heads silently, not daring to look.

But the hope that had burst forth in everyone's hearts has long since turned to ashes after being baptized by this current tragic scene.

My sister-in-law is probably already...

Zou Xiaozhou trembled uncontrollably.

A sense of fear and worry welled up inside him.

If something happens to my sister-in-law, will Brother Yan be able to hold on?

He dared not think about it.

I don't even want to think about it.

He didn't know how long he walked; time ticked by, and it felt like an eternity before Yan Lin finally reached the wooden crate and stretched out his trembling hand...

He dared not approach, fearing that once the truth was revealed, everything would be in vain.

Such a powerful existence as Zhizhi.

Her abilities are no less than his; in some ways, her fighting power even surpasses the strength of reality. How could a fire possibly trap her?

He didn't believe it.

I absolutely don't believe it!

So he pushed hard, and the wooden box in front of him shattered and collapsed.

Wow!

Inside the wooden box was a charred corpse.

Its hands and feet were curled up, folded at an incredible angle inside the box.

Not to mention, he still has a breath left.

The charred corpse was thoroughly burned, and under the surrounding high temperature, it became dry and brittle, resembling a burnt and blackened mummy...

“This definitely isn’t my sister-in-law,” Zou Xiaozhou said.

Liao Yu nodded as well.

“It’s just a charred corpse; it might be someone else,” he agreed.

Slurp, slurp.

Suddenly, a glass bead gleamed beneath the charred corpse and rolled away under the gaze of the crowd.

“This, isn’t this the beautiful bead that my sister-in-law always carries with her?” Zou Xiaozhou suddenly said.

From the moment Xu Manzhi appeared before everyone's eyes, she wore a perfectly round glass bead around her neck, never taking it off, even on her wedding day.

They never cared.

I just think Xu Manzhi likes shiny beads.

Unexpectedly, the beads were in the box.

Yan Lin's vision went black, and his body fell straight down.

His wife's joking words still echoed in his ears: "Don't underestimate this glass bead. It's my lifeblood. Even if I die, I won't abandon it. It also has a beautiful name, Thundercloud Bead, which emits a wonderful fragrance when exposed to high temperatures."

It emits a unique fragrance when exposed to high temperatures...

The fragrance lingered.

The rain washed it away.

But as the excavation progressed, a fragrance emanated from the stones and wood, spreading throughout the entire forest and drifting into the far reaches of the sky.

The fragrance lingered in Haicheng for three days, so rich it seemed as if the entire city was in full bloom with wildflowers.

But no one could tell what kind of fragrance it was.

It doesn't resemble natural flowers, nor does it resemble a synthetic fragrance.

It is elegant yet has a classic charm.

The shadows are faint, and when the wind blows, it seems as if flowers are swaying.

That tasted absolutely amazing.

But there was also a faint sadness in the wind, as if it were telling a story, an ancient story of someone leaving, profound and solemn.

From then on, the people of Haicheng developed a sense of dread towards Linyuan.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!