Chapter 481

Although Instructor Bell had instructed everyone to bring only essential cold-weather gear and water, Mina had stubbornly insisted on bringing her homemade metal detector. Now, with treasure hunting as her sole focus, Mina was brimming with energy. She gripped her metal detector tightly, her eyes locked onto the small circular display with such intensity that her lips pressed into a thin, determined line. Ariana and Hazel trailed behind her, equally excited. "Mina, are you sure this thing can actually find treasure?" "Of course! This is the Mina Special Edition Treasure Detector, and it’s even been upgraded by well, you know, that Instructor Shawn from before. Trust me, no buried treasure in this desert can escape its detection!" Jane shook her head helplessly, baffled by her sister’s unshakable confidence. That so-called "detector" was just a loop of wire wrapped around a bamboo stick. If it weren’t for Brother Frederick’s modifications adding a battery and a chip the thing wouldn’t have made so much as a peep no matter how much she swept it across the desert. *Beep beep beep—* Just as Jane was lost in thought, an alarm suddenly blared from the device. The group, weary from their trek, instantly perked up and rushed toward Mina. Her face flushed with excitement, Mina tossed the detector aside and began digging frantically with her small hands. "Treasure! I found treasure! I can’t believe my luck first try and we’ve already hit gold! Harold totally mocked me when I was making this thing. Just wait till I show him what I dug up he’ll be green with envy!" "Jane, come help me!" Before Jane could react, Ares Kai dropped to his knees in the sand in front of her and started scooping handfuls of dirt. "Let me help instead, Mina!" he offered eagerly. Soon, Leonard, Jane, Ariana, and Hazel all joined in to help. Jane knelt down beside Ares Kai and started digging too. The children formed a tight circle, their little arms occasionally bumping into each other as they enthusiastically scooped up sand. From the logistics team where he was accompanying Fisher, Frederick's dark eyes turned stormy when he saw Ares Kai brushing against Jane. His fingers twitched with the barely restrained urge to march over and chop off Ares Kai's offending hand. He'd promised John and the others he wouldn't appear on camera or approach little Jane again. Otherwise, those brothers would surely make trouble for him if they spotted him in the livestream. "Hey, we found something!" Mina's excited voice suddenly rang out from the huddle of children. The next instant... "Ahhh—!" A terrified scream pierced the air as Ariana curled into a trembling ball, her tiny voice shaking. "It's... it's bones!" Though Mina had been eagerly anticipating uncovering a skeleton having only played with plastic models before she immediately stopped when she saw Ariana's fright. She wanted to pat Ariana's shoulder to comfort her, but remembering she'd just touched the skull, her hand awkwardly withdrew mid-air. "Ariana, don't be scared. There's really nothing to fear," Mina softened her voice, trying to reassure the frightened girl. "You eat rabbit heads and duck heads sometimes, right? We humans are animals too, after all." "So actually, the human skull isn't that different from a rabbit's or duck's head... I mean, they're all just heads. You really don't need to..." be scared... Before she could finish the word "scared," another loud wail erupted beside them. Elijah was crying while wiping his tears, "I'll never eat rabbit heads or duck heads again! I won't eat any kind of head from now on..." Mina: ... She had intended to comfort Ariana, but instead of succeeding, she'd managed to make another kid cry. Even Hazel nearby looked on the verge of tears. Leonard, being slightly older, wasn't about to cry, but his whole body was visibly tense. Only Jane and Ares Kai appeared relatively unfazed. But Ares Kai had already leaned in to whisper to Jane, "Aren't you scared?" Before Jane could answer, Mina shoved his head away with one small hand. "Are you kidding me? Jane is my own little sister! If she were scared of a mere skull, she'd be disgracing our family bloodline. Right, little Jane?" Though Jane wasn't afraid, her expression was pained—what a mess her sister had stirred up this time! Hesitantly, Jane replied, "I... guess so?" With that, she, Leonard, and Ares Kai led the emotionally overwhelmed Ariana, Hazel, and Elijah aside to calm them down. Meanwhile, Mina remained behind, enthusiastically digging up the skeleton all by herself. The live stream chat was utterly stunned. After a long silence, the comments finally exploded again. "Damn, our girl Mina is a total badass! Most people would freak out digging up a skull, but she's practically thrilled!" "Seriously, this kid has nerves of steel. Comparing a human skull to rabbit and duck heads? Who does that?!" "Ugh, please stop! Now I can never eat rabbit or duck heads again. Just imagining that skull is gonna ruin my appetite!" ...... Mina kept digging until she unearthed the entire skull, then went even deeper but found nothing else. She furrowed her delicate brows, looking genuinely puzzled. "Huh? Just a head and a little tag? Did the wolves eat the rest of his body?" Xing Chao shuddered as he watched her casually cradle the bleached-white skull in one hand. "Mina, sweetheart, could you... maybe put that thing down first?" Obediently, Mina set the skull on the ground and plopped down cross-legged in front of it. She meticulously wiped the small metal tag that had been buried alongside the skull, rubbing it over and over until the engravings became clear. Finally able to read it, she murmured softly, "Serial Number 1508... What the heck is this?" Xing Chao's expression darkened instantly. He strode over. "Mina, let me see that tag for a second." "Here you go!" Without hesitation, she handed it over. After one glance, Xing Chao immediately pulled out his phone and called the police. He had no idea what "Serial Number 1508" meant, but one thing was certain—people who used numbers instead of names usually had identities that needed to stay hidden. This wasn’t something to take lightly. It had to be reported right away.