Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 270: Chapter 260: Everything Went Smoothly

The people of Hulan Base were still groggy and half-asleep. Staring at the suddenly empty plains, they couldn’t help but wonder if everything that had just happened was a hallucination.

"Looks like those bears came for the cubs tonight."

Qiangba stood at the very front of the crowd, weapon in hand. As a leader, he would be a fool not to have figured out his opponent’s intentions by now.

"Everyone, stay where you are! No one moves! I’m going to see for myself just who was pulling the strings tonight."

Everyone had been at the front lines fighting the enemy, yet the cubs in the tents at the rear had been set free. This could only mean one thing: there was a traitor in the base.

Therefore, whoever was absent was undoubtedly the traitor.

Qiangba had a vengeful nature. There was no way he would simply let this go!

The attribute of Hulan Base wasn’t quite the same as those of the city bases. Population turnover wasn’t high, as most of its residents were permanent.

After all, ordinary people wouldn’t stay on plains with almost no mutant beasts, and the empty grasslands offered no place to spend the night. Therefore, everyone returned to the base to rest at night.

Hiding in the crowd, Duoyang was extremely thankful he had returned in time. ’This completely clears me of suspicion,’ he thought. ’No one will ever suspect me now.’

He secretly sent a message to Tang Mo on his ID Watch.

Tang Mo was already on her way to the forest. She saw Duoyang’s message about Qiangba’s investigation and wasn’t the least bit flustered.

’If this goes smoothly and I find what I’m looking for in the forest, I’ll never have to go back to Hulan Base.’

Qiangba’s actions were destined to end in disappointment.

Tang Mo only departed from the rear of Hulan Base after the Bear Clan had fully retreated, and she had to take a roundabout path to get to the forest.

By the time Tang Mo reached the forest, the sky was completely dark. However, the woods were filled with boisterous sounds, completely unlike the dead of night.

It was the Bear Clan, joyfully welcoming the return of their cubs.

Tang Mo walked toward the Bear Clan’s gathering place, which was right beneath the giant tree where Lin Yu had stayed before.

It seemed as though every bear in the forest had come out and gathered together.

When the bears on the perimeter saw Tang Mo approaching, their faces lit up with smiles.

The Bear Clan naturally held goodwill toward humans, and now, Tang Mo was considered the best of friends by every one of them.

"You’re here!" The Bear Leader saw Tang Mo and hurried out to greet her.

"The cubs are back! They’re really back!"

Children are the foundation for the survival of any species, and this was especially true for the Bear Clan, who had a low birth rate.

Now that sixteen cubs had been recovered, how could they not be ecstatic!

While this wasn’t the total number of cubs they had lost, recovering sixteen healthy ones was an incredible blessing.

Fifteen of the cubs were reclaimed by their mothers, who now held them tight, unwilling to let go.

As for the cub Duoyang had found—an orphan whose mother had died at birth—it was being held in the Bear Leader’s arms.

"As long as the cubs are back, that’s what matters."

Watching the family reunions, Tang Mo felt a warmth spread through her heart.

She suddenly thought, ’You know, being a good person feels pretty nice.’

But she hadn’t done all this purely out of the goodness of her heart. She had her own motives.

"It’s all thanks to you that the cubs are home. How can we possibly repay you?"

The injured man had already been picked up. The Bear Leader knew Tang Mo couldn’t have come all this way just to watch their reunion.

The Bear Leader was perceptive enough to ask, though he had no idea what in their impoverished forest could possibly interest their benefactor.

"To be honest, I originally came to this forest for a certain treasure."

Tang Mo’s objective had always been clear: she was here for the bead.

"Treasure? We’ve lived in this forest for a very long time. We’ve rarely seen any abnormal treasures, let alone a treasure."

The Bear Leader truly had no idea what treasure Tang Mo was referring to.

"I’m not making excuses. You are the savior of our entire clan. In this vast forest, whatever you desire—even my own life—is yours for the taking!"

Fearing Tang Mo would think his clan was ungrateful, the Bear Leader hurriedly added, his sincerity evident.

Tang Mo could see the Bear Leader’s words were sincere and not an act. ’Perhaps they really don’t know about the bead,’ she mused.

But even if they were in the dark, Tang Mo knew a thing or two.

"Since you’ve said so, I’ll take the liberty of getting it myself. Pardon the intrusion."

"Please, do as you wish, benefactor."

The Bear Leader immediately ordered the other bears to disperse and go back, instructing them not to disturb Tang Mo no matter what she did in the forest.

Soon, the vast clearing was empty, save for the Bear Leader standing behind Tang Mo, still holding the cub.

Tang Mo took out her Heaven-reaching Giant Axe from her Space and walked over to the giant tree in the center of the clearing.

The trees in the forest were all tall, but the one in the very center was especially prominent.

At first, Tang Mo hadn’t noticed anything unusual, not until she had treated Lin Yu by channeling her spiritual power into him.

Lin Yu had been leaning against the trunk of this tree, and as Tang Mo’s spiritual power flowed, she had keenly sensed a fluctuation of energy.

Based on Tang Mo’s experience, the bead emitted a certain kind of energy fluctuation.

However, one had to be extremely close to sense it. The energy fluctuation she had sensed near the tree was identical to the one she’d felt when she had collected a previous bead.

’If I’m not mistaken, the bead is hidden under this tree.’

For a tree to have grown so tall and majestic, it must be a cherished treasure to the Bear Clan.

But since the Bear Leader had told her to do as she pleased, she wasn’t about to hold back.

After all, Tang Mo wasn’t so noble that she would abandon her goal just to save the Bear Clan’s tree.

Standing beneath the tree, Tang Mo touched its rough trunk. It was so thick that even five people holding hands might not be able to wrap their arms around it.

The spiritual power fluctuation was located just over a meter up from the base of the trunk.

Tang Mo pinpointed the location, feeling for the energy fluctuation once more.

’This is it! No doubt about it!’

She swung the giant axe, took a few steps back to build momentum, and then slammed it viciously into the trunk.

The power of the Heavenly axe was immense; the first strike alone left a gash half a meter deep in the wood.

But that was far from enough. Tang Mo continued to swing the axe...

The nearby Bear Leader stared, dumbfounded. ’What kind of strange hobby is this?’ he wondered. ’Don’t tell me our benefactor...’

’...wants this tree?’