"Gold?"
Celine's heart skipped a beat. She asked cautiously.
Red burst into laughter, full of pride and excitement.
"That's right, gold! A full five kilograms!"
As he spoke, he untied the bundle. A golden light spilled out instantly, so bright that Celine had to squint her eyes.
All kinds of gold jewelry, bars, and nuggets filled the entire bundle. In the dim space, they sparkled like a shining mountain.
Celine gasped, stunned by the sudden wealth.
"This... this much gold? Where did you get it?" she asked, unable to believe her eyes.
Red scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "Well, it all started a couple of days ago…"
He explained everything from the beginning.
It turned out Red had exchanged some food and warm clothes from Celine with just basic-level crystal cores—twice. He'd felt guilty ever since. In a world like this, food and warm clothing were incredibly valuable.
So he told his teammates that the items he got from her weren't free—they were on credit, and he owed her.
Once they were full and warm, his teammates immediately agreed to repay the debt. They decided to head to the city to fight zombies and scavenge whatever gold and jewels they could find, things that were no longer useful in this world but still held some worth.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Red was pleased.
The next morning, they braved heavy snowfall and went to the nearest city.
The city was abandoned. Buildings were broken down, streets empty, and everything was covered in thick snow. In the sunlight, the snow even looked a bit holy.
Because of the cold, zombies moved slowly. The team took them down with ease, collecting plenty of crystal cores along the way.
After dealing with one group of zombies, Red told his teammates not to stick around fighting—what they really needed was to raid the mall for gold and silver.
Soon, Red led them to what used to be a busy commercial plaza. They went straight to the first floor.
This area used to be filled with jewelry shops—gold, silver, and jade everywhere.
Now, the mall doors were smashed, glass shattered across the floor. Display counters were destroyed, products scattered in chaos.
Even so, the shine of gold couldn't be hidden.
The teammates rushed inside, excitedly collecting every piece of scattered jewelry.
"Captain! Look at this gold necklace! It's beautiful!"
"Over here! A big gold bar!"
"Wow! So many gold rings!"
Their voices echoed across the empty mall, full of joy and energy.
Red watched his teammates busy searching, a proud smile on his face.
He knew this gold wasn't just to repay Celine. It was their hope of survival in this world.
And it was all because of Celine.
Thinking of that, Red looked at her with deep gratitude.
"Miss Celine, thank you," he said sincerely.
Celine looked at the pile of gold in front of her, emotions flooding her heart.
She never expected that by simply giving them a few warm items, she would receive such a generous return.
Celine had already given Red the crystal cores, and he had used them to trade for so many antiques from Hogan.
Just a while ago, she had even made two million by selling antiques.
She didn't expect Red to bring her so much gold again.
Could this be what people meant by "kindness will be repaid"?
A warm feeling filled Celine's heart. This heavy gold wasn't just material wealth—it was recognition for her kindness.
"Captain Red, I'll accept this gold," Celine said.
"Is there anything else you need? As long as I can help, I'll do my best."
Red scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed, but there was a hopeful sparkle in his eyes.
"Well… Miss Celine, our team only has a small train now. The space is tiny. Could we maybe… maybe trade for a bigger truck?"
"And… could we also get some more food…"
Red spoke carefully, afraid his request would trouble her.
Celine nodded without hesitation.
"Sure, no problem! I can give you food tomorrow. The truck might take two more days."
When Red heard how quickly she agreed, he let out a long breath, relief showing on his face. He smiled with gratitude.
"No rush, no rush. Two days is more than enough!" he said excitedly, rubbing his hands. Then he nervously asked, "Is all this gold… enough?"
"It's enough, more than enough!" Celine quickly answered.
Five kilograms of gold in her world was worth over three million. That was enough to buy a decent truck and a lot of food.
After they agreed to meet again the next day, Red left the space.
Celine, worried that her older brother Shenan was still waiting for her outside, quickly stepped out of the space too.
As soon as she appeared, Shenan looked around carefully to make sure no one was nearby, and only then did he relax.
"Celine, you can't use the space in public again. It was dark today, and I was watching, so no one saw. But next time, we might not be so lucky," he said, his tone full of worry.
Celine knew her brother was just worried about her, so she quickly promised, "Brother, I understand. I won't use the space outside anymore."
Only then did Shenan feel at ease. He looked at his sister with love and care in his eyes.
He knew she had an incredible ability now, but such power also came with danger. All he wanted was for her to stay safe.
Celine didn't know what her brother was thinking.
Right now, she just wanted to get home, take out the bag of gold, and show it to the family to cheer them up.
Of course, she also wanted to pick a few nice pieces for Mother Zhou to wear.
More importantly, she needed to save some for the future.
After all, with four older brothers and one younger brother, they would all get married someday.
So the three gold wedding gifts… no, five gold gifts could be prepared in advance.
Thinking about that made Celine feel very happy.