Chapter 479 - 240: Really Found It

Chapter 479: Chapter 240: Really Found It

"AWOO~"

A tiger’s roar echoed, causing the two figures to stop in their tracks. They both stared at the big White Tiger walking toward them.

The White Tiger walked up to the two of them, sniffed the vaguely familiar scent, let out a snort, and then turned back to its den.

Su Chen and the other two who were eating also heard the commotion. Su Chen poked his head out and saw Chen Fei and Mel standing at the door, just snapping out of their daze.

"Chen Fei! Mel!" A look of pleasant surprise flashed in Su Chen’s eyes. ’There’s been no word for so many days. Their sudden return must mean they have good news.’ He quickly put down his chopsticks, shot to his feet with a *SWISH*, and walked toward the living room.

Xiao Chen also heard Su Chen’s involuntary exclamation and naturally understood who had returned. He told Li Li to take her time eating and followed him out.

Li Li watched the two excited men, knowing something important must have happened. Although she was very curious, she also understood that it was best not to pry into matters her boss hadn’t told her about. She simply closed the door connecting the dining room to the living room.

Su Chen heard the sound from behind him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, a satisfied look on his face.

When he got a clear look at the clothes Chen Fei and Mel were wearing, as well as their condition, he froze. Even Xiao Chen, who was following behind, widened his eyes upon seeing them.

Chen Fei and Mel’s clothes were tattered and torn. Bruises and cuts could be seen on their skin through the rips, and their clothes were stained with blood. Mel, in particular, had bandages wrapped around his head and arm. They both looked as if they had narrowly escaped death.

Su Chen’s heart sank. Seeing Chen Fei and Mel’s miserable state, and the fact that only the two of them had returned, a terrible premonition instantly flooded his mind. ’Could something have happened to the nine-person treasure hunting team?’ he couldn’t help but wonder. ’Besides Chen Fei and Mel, did everyone else... perish?’

Suppressing his unease, he gestured for Chen Fei and Mel to sit down before finally asking, "Chen Fei... what on earth happened? You’re covered in blood, and Mel is injured. Where are the other seven?"

Xiao Chen, sitting beside them, kindly poured each of them a cup of tea and said in a gentle tone, "Have some water first. There’s no rush, take your time."

Chen Fei and Mel picked up their cups and gulped down the tea as if it were an ice-cold cola on a scorching summer day. Their condition visibly improved, and a glimmer of light, like that of someone reborn, even appeared in their eyes.

"Sir, we found it!" After speaking, the gloom on Chen Fei’s face vanished, replaced by a wide, excited grin as he looked at Su Chen and Xiao Chen.

"You found it?" Su Chen and Xiao Chen shot up from the sofa with a *SWOOSH*, staring at the two in shock.

"We found it! Hiss~" Mel nodded emphatically, but the movement was too forceful and aggravated the wound on his head. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a sharp breath.

Chen Fei didn’t waste any more time and explained the whole story from beginning to end. Only then did Su Chen understand why they were in such a state.

It turned out that after they set out half a month ago, they had followed the experience summarized by Mel and his brother, but they had found nothing. Forget treasure; the nine of them had nearly gotten lost for good in the primeval forest.

Later, while Chen Fei and the others were studying the map with Mel, someone raised a question: what if they had the orientation all wrong? The map had no compass rose, so there was no guarantee they were holding it the right way.

Coupled with the fact that the terrain along the shores of Lake Baikal was mostly uniform, this idea immediately sparked an inspiration in Mel. By observing the map’s topography from several different orientations and cross-referencing it with historical maps and data, they soon identified three locations that closely matched the map’s markings.

Their fighting spirit was instantly renewed. They spent a week searching two of the locations thoroughly—rivers, canyons, caves—anywhere something could possibly be hidden. Unfortunately, they still came up empty-handed.

They could only pin their hopes on the last location: the Chersky Mountain range, due north of Olkhon Island and nearly four hundred kilometers away from Su Chen’s ranch!

The Chersky Mountain range spans fifteen hundred kilometers along the northern shore of Lake Baikal, with its highest peaks exceeding three thousand meters. It boasts over three hundred and fifty glaciers, and the area below one thousand meters is covered in larch forests. Being far from any urban settlements, few people ever ventured there, making it a paradise for wild beasts.

Chen Fei and his team finding the Tsar’s treasure was purely a matter of luck. In fact, the group had nearly lost their lives.

Just as they located the approximate position based on the map, an avalanche suddenly occurred on the mountaintop—perhaps due to the warming weather. Chen Fei and his team were right on the mountainside and had almost no time to react.

The group of nine had just huddled together when the avalanche buried them. Fortunately, the avalanche wasn’t massive. Because they were clustered together, they were swept down into a fissure in a gorge between two mountains. Aside from Mel, who was unlucky enough to suffer a minor injury, the others were largely unharmed, sustaining at most some soft tissue contusions.

Just as Chen Fei and the others were celebrating having cheated death, another member of the team noticed something unusual. While clearing away the snow, they accidentally discovered something under the ground.