Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 271: Chapter 261: Item in Hand

Tang Mo’s target, of course, couldn’t be the tree itself. ’Seriously? A tree this massive? Where would I even move it? As a house-warding treasure?’

The Heaven-reaching Axe, amplified by Tang Mo’s own strength, was a force to be reckoned with.

But thankfully, the trunk was massive enough that Tang Mo managed to carve a hole straight into it.

The hole was over a meter, nearly two meters deep, but it had only reached the center of the trunk.

Hollowing out the trunk revealed the object hidden inside.

It was something Tang Mo was very familiar with: a bead that glowed with a faint, fluorescent light.

Just like the first bead she had obtained in the desert, this one floated in the very center of the trunk, half-translucent and half-solid.

Tang Mo reached out to touch it and, just as she expected, her hand passed right through.

The Life Force bead hadn’t been like this. Tang Mo didn’t understand the reason for this difference between the beads.

In truth, she didn’t know that the Life Attribute bead had also started out this way, growing in some unknown corner.

It had only turned from ethereal to solid when it was claimed by Da Jing.

As for why Da Jing had been able to take the bead without a special pattern, that was, of course, because it was the master of that sea.

Being the master meant that whatever appeared in its domain belonged to it.

She had long since memorized the pattern Lin Yu had given her. Forming it in her mind now, she quickly absorbed the bead into her sea of consciousness.

Only after the bead had fully entered her body could Tang Mo feel what it was: a Strength Attribute bead.

Tang Mo was overjoyed. A Strength Attribute bead was exactly what she needed most right now.

She was well aware that her foundation was spiritual power, and she had already obtained and successfully fused with the Spirit Power Pearl.

And now she had obtained beads for both the Life and Strength attributes, which she had lacked the most.

She already had Space abilities, so she didn’t have a pressing need for a spatial attribute bead.

As for agility, Tang Mo could enhance her spiritual power to use it in place of agility.

Besides, her base agility attribute wasn’t low to begin with, so there was no rush on that front.

While Tang Mo was still reveling in her delight, the Bear Leader’s jaw had dropped.

He had lived here with his clan for so long and never knew that the giant tree they saw every day concealed such a treasure.

Although he didn’t know what it was, a single glance at its glow told him it was no ordinary object.

But the Bear Leader’s heart wasn’t stirred in the slightest. To him, the safe return of his clan’s children was the most important thing of all.

"You can use this big hole in the tree to store fruit and perishable food. It’s a natural cold-storage space."

Although Tang Mo had taken the item from within the tree, the bead had resided there for so long that it had left behind a significant amount of residual energy. Even the surrounding wood of the trunk had now become an abnormal treasure imbued with special energy.

Attribute Pearls possess immense energy and can affect their surrounding environment.

In other words, treasures are more likely to appear in the vicinity of an Attribute Pearl.

Take the Crystal Stone Mine discovered in the desert, for example. At first, Tang Mo had assumed there would be a Crystal Stone Mine near every Attribute Pearl.

But now she understood that such things were just random formations, created under the influence of an Attribute Pearl.

And this giant tree had clearly been influenced in the same way, becoming a treasure itself.

"This is wonderful! Now we won’t have to worry about the fruit we worked so hard to gather going rotten! We can make our hard-won meat last longer, too."

The Bear Leader was ecstatic. This preservation ability was incredibly useful for the Bear Clan.

"I’m in a good mood today. How about I give you another big gift?"

Tang Mo was in an excellent mood. Not only had she obtained the bead so smoothly, but it was the Strength Attribute bead she had wanted most.

She had nothing else to do on the plains now anyway, so she figured she might as well meddle a bit.

Meanwhile, by investigating everyone one by one, Qiangba had finally identified Tang Mo—the woman who had only recently arrived at the base—as a major suspect.

Not only that, but Qiangba also discovered that a mysterious pattern he had once chanced upon on a sheep raised for meat had also vanished.

Although he still hadn’t figured out what the pattern meant, its disappearance now confirmed his suspicions: it was no simple object, and it was likely connected to a great treasure.

The more Qiangba thought about it, the more suspicious Tang Mo seemed. A woman that powerful, coming to live alone on the plains.

The idea that she wasn’t after something was completely implausible.

Thinking of his lost possession, the freed bears, and how he’d been played for a fool tonight, Qiangba grew increasingly furious.

’Don’t let me see you again. The next time I do will be the day you die.’

Qiangba had killed so many that his eyes seemed tinged with blood. He was terrifying at this moment, capable of striking fear into anyone with a single glance.

Just as she was emerging from the forest, Tang Mo sneezed.

At that moment, she had no idea she’d suddenly been saddled with all the blame.

Then again, if one really looked into it, while she hadn’t stolen the pattern, she had been the one to take the treasure in the end.

As the biggest beneficiary, it wasn’t exactly unfair for her to take the fall.

Tang Mo was now heading back toward Hulan Base. Originally, she hadn’t planned on returning after getting what she came for.

But her desire to give the Bear Clan that "big gift" had made her change her mind.

As for why she was returning in the pre-dawn hours without any rest, Tang Mo had her reasons.

Hulan Base had just been thrown into chaos. Now that the Bear Clan had retreated, the men there would surely assume they wouldn’t be back anytime soon. They’d let their guard down and go back to sleep.

If she waited until morning, even a group as arrogant and conceited as the people of Hulan Base would surely have their guard up.

By the time Tang Mo circled around to the back of Hulan Base, even Qiangba—who had just vowed to make her pay—was asleep.

She snuck over to the tent where the sheep were kept. After dealing with the two guards, she went inside and, one by one, broke open the cages.

Tang Mo slashed the tent’s flap open. The first rays of the rising sun streamed through the opening, falling upon the sheep.

Although these sheep had been raised in captivity since birth, they were still mutant beasts.

Having never seen the sky, the sight drove them into a frenzy. One after another, they bolted, scrambling to get outside.

Outside was the freshest air, the brightest sunlight, and a freedom they had never known in their entire lives.

The tent holding the sheep was the largest one in Hulan Base, and the number of animals inside was enormous.

By the time Qiangba heard the commotion and rushed out, all he could see were the backsides of sheep frantically fleeing into the distance.

The sight almost made him choke with rage, but the true culprit had already blended into the flock and was long gone.