"Add some more hot water." Chu Zhiqin held up the showerhead, and steam rose into the air.

"No, I still can't open it..." Xi Xi tried to pry it open again, then sat down on the ground in frustration, giving up. "Looks like they've frozen to death... I'll just leave them soaking here."

In the washroom, the air was thick with steam. Fine water droplets seeped from the treasure chest, which had been frozen solid. Xi Xi and Chu Zhiqin had just dragged it out of the treasure-attracting magnetic device, and it was frozen harder than concrete.

Before the words were finished, urgent shouts came from outside the bathroom curtain.

Xi Xi rushed out of the bathroom and saw her father limping towards her to greet her—it turned out that Cheng Xu's car had pulled up behind them.

She couldn't let it slip... Xi Xi rushed to the driver's seat and plopped down in it. Her eyes were fixed on the rearview mirror, and as Cheng Xu's car drew closer, she pretended to grip the steering wheel.

Sure enough, less than two minutes later, Xi Xi received a notification in her private message.

Cheng Xu's voice rang out from inside the car: "Guess who we ran into?"

His voice sounded fairly energetic, suggesting he had successfully weathered last night's blizzard.

Who else could it be but Liu Yunyan and the others... Xi Xi had the answer in her heart, but since she felt that Cheng Xu was still a child, she casually went along with the topic and asked.

"who?"

"Your cousin!"

The unexpected answer made Xi Xi pause, almost losing her grip on the steering wheel.

Huh? Xi Yunchen?! She looked at the screen connection interface with a face full of astonishment, listening to Cheng Xu explain in detail.

Cheng Xu didn't seem surprised by Xi Xi's reaction. He continued unhurriedly, "Just right there on that stretch of road, your cousin was dismantling streetlight bases with a few burly men!"

"Moreover, the hydraulic shears they're using are clearly military-grade, which is rather unusual..."

"Luckily, I was quick and managed to snap a few photos. Wait a minute, I'll send them to you now!"

Cheng Xu disconnected the light screen connection and then sent several blurry pictures.

"..." Xi Xi pinched her brow and saw Xi Yunchen's profile in one of the relatively clear photos.

He looked haggard, with slightly protruding eye bags and sparse stubble, appearing very weathered.

In a quick pan, another photo, in which the people are not clearly visible, clearly shows the van behind them—its license plate begins with JPN, and there are red painted kana characters next to it.

This is the symbol of the Yamato Guard!

"That bastard!" Xi Zhongcang already had a bad impression of the island nation, and now that he saw his own people had become traitors, he felt a lump in his throat.

But then, thinking back to the previous situation, Mr. Xi sighed deeply again.

"Tsk, it seems your brother's family has joined the Yamato Guard..." Chu Zhiqin was also a little surprised. "They're really lucky. They lost their car but still managed to survive."

Xi Xi didn't speak. She looked at the conspicuous guard team insignia and quickly started thinking. Just then, Cheng Xu sent her another private message.

He suddenly rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Sis, do you have any methods to locate tiny creatures?"

"?" Xi Xi was taken aback and immediately looked at the rearview mirror with alertness.

Could it be that the ability of its automated system and map chip to locate living organisms has been exposed?

Cheng Xu (Ping): "Oh my god, you wouldn't believe it, a mouse somehow got into our RV. We didn't know before, and now all the pancakes my mom and her family painstakingly made outside have been gnawed to pieces..."

"My car is small and full of supplies. My dad and I tried to catch it together, but we just couldn't... My mom is afraid of mice, so she had no choice but to hide in a high place and didn't even dare to put her feet down. Sigh."

"Sis, if you have any ideas, could you help me out in this emergency? Next time you want anything, I promise I'll get it for you!"

So that's why... Xi Xi was relieved. She pondered for a moment and rummaged through the golden lucky bag, considering the "locator" talisman, but then abandoned the idea because it was not cost-effective and it would be difficult to find the rat's lost items.

Thinking this, she glanced at Aura—the cow cat was curled up and dozing against the interior wall of the car.

To be honest, she wouldn't dare make such a boast about other breeds, but her black and white cat really does have the ability to catch mice.

Aura had no interest in rat meat, but it had a strange fetish for torturing rats... Once, Aura captured a baby rat, released it, then captured it again, releasing and releasing it repeatedly, until the rat was tortured to death...

So, using purely natural methods to get rid of rodents is okay, right?

When Cheng Xu took the "secret weapon" from Xi Xi through the car window, he was completely shocked.

Xi Xi waved to Cheng Xu, briefly explained the cat food in the bag she handed over, then started the RV again and drove off without looking back.

Aura couldn't believe she had been sold by her master like this, and stared wide-eyed at the exhaust fumes of the car in front of her.

Meow meow meow... What kind of crappy place is this? It's so cold! Where's the damn car wall? What's going on? It's not getting warm!?

"That's good, that's good!" Cheng's mother finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly told Cheng Xu and his son to put the cow cat on a pedestal.

Compared to Xi Xi's carefree attitude, Chu Zhiqin was more worried about Aura's situation. She was afraid that it was thirsty or cold, and she would send things to Cheng Ma through the light screen from time to time.

The day passed by as they shared their progress in catching mice in Aura. Although a blizzard was still raging outside, they didn't find it unbearable; on the contrary, they found it quite interesting.

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