The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers-Chapter 982: Cigarette Butts

"Huh? Where’s Ji You?"

"Right here."

"Where?"

"Underneath you."

With those words, down in the deep, cold underground, clad in protective clothing and night vision goggles, the three of them—Chu Jiaojiao, Shen Changqing, and Sheng Qingyan—jumped suddenly: "Where?"

"Below." A clear voice filled with helplessness emerged from beneath Chu Jiaojiao, Shen Changqing, and Sheng Qingyan’s feet. Because it was separated by a metal layer, the volume was a bit low.

Chu Jiaojiao asked curiously, "Ji You, how did you end up under our feet?"

Shen Changqing thought for a moment and said, "That shouldn’t be possible. I’ve thoroughly searched this underground area, and there shouldn’t be any holes here. Even if it were a Black Gold Rat’s burrow, it wouldn’t be possible."

Sheng Qingyan covered her mouth, yawning endlessly: "How did that poor dead end up falling down there?"

"Look, stop talking nonsense and figure out a way to get a rope to pull me up," Ji You’s voice echoed in the pitch-black cave, sounding more and more helpless.

"Ahem..." Shen Changqing, slightly embarrassed, thought for a moment and said, "Ji You, do you know the approximate height of this hole? I can lower a rope for you."

"Hmm..." Ji You guessed and said, "About...3 meters? 5 meters? Or...oh, it’s written here as 3.33 meters."

Sheng Qingyan was shocked: "A 3.33-meter pit, and you can’t jump out?"

Ji You: "..."

"I don’t allow you to laugh at Ji You!" Chu Jiaojiao angrily said to Sheng Qingyan, "Ji You is short; it’s normal he can’t get out."

Ji You: "..."

Sheng Qingyan realized, "Oh... I almost forgot that poor dead is only 1.65 meters tall..."

"..." Ji You gritted his teeth: "Spicy Eye, you’re only 41 centimeters taller than me? What’s there to be proud of? True strength isn’t determined by height but by capability! I, Ji You, am the king at the Peak of the Universe! What’s wrong with being 1.65 meters? I’m still a king!"

Sheng Qingyan shrugged: "Oh—a king stuck in a pit."

Hearing this, Ji You ignored Sheng Qingyan and, gritting his teeth, turned to Chu Jiaojiao: "Jiaojiao, I really appreciate you defending me."

Chu Jiaojiao scratched her head with a smile, "Ji You, why so formal? I’m your die-hard fan. How about I come down and carry you up?"

Ji You snorted lightly, "Forget it, I’ll climb up myself."

Just then, the climbing rope Shen Changqing lowered reached Ji You. Grabbing the rope, Ji You was about to jump up when Shen Changqing suddenly said, "Wait, why don’t you take another look inside?"

Ji You said, "I’ve looked already. It’s bare, nothing inside. Just an enclosed space. I guess it was a secret smoking room built by someone during the construction of Dock 6..."

Shen Changqing furrowed his brows: "???"

Ji You said, "There’s a floor full of cigarette butts here. Judging by the traces, they were probably thrown here 7 or 8 years ago."

After saying this, Ji You was startled: "No, wait!"

Simultaneously, Shen Changqing, Chu Jiaojiao, and Sheng Qingyan turned their heads at once and said in unison, "Something’s not right."

Ji You let go of the rope and, no longer in a hurry to jump out of the pit, turned her gaze back to the floor full of cigarette butts. Some were half-smoked and discarded, while others were fully consumed...

More astonishingly, all these cigarette butts were from the same manufacturer. The brand on the cigarette ends bore large letters saying—[Produced by Zhonghui]

The humans of Ancient Earth suffered various catastrophes. With technology advancing unprecedentedly, they entered the interstellar era and ventured into the stars. Like humans, the flora and fauna of Ancient Earth endured repeated devastations, leading to countless extinctions. Tobacco also became extinct in the course of time. But—

The number of smokers was originally enormous. To ensure the survival of tobacco, smokers spent considerable time and effort cultivating it, barely preserving its continuation...

Human effort, resources, survival rate... Various factors affected the yield of tobacco, which made natural tobacco extremely expensive. The tobacco produced by Zhonghui Company is the most renowned and expensive natural tobacco brand globally, sold by the piece at 50,000 credit points each.

50,000!

Moreover—

There are at least several hundred cigarette butts here.

How much money is that?

What kind of tycoon would do this?

...

Would such a tycoon come to a hazardous planet to work as a construction worker, building the underground pipes of a dock? Is it possible?

Impossible.

Unless, this tycoon wants to experience life.

Ji You shared her discovery with Chu Jiaojiao, Sheng Qingyan, and Shen Changqing. Upon hearing it, all three furrowed their brows. Shen Changqing said, "I’ll go down and take a look."

Chu Jiaojiao said, "I’ll go down, too."

Sheng Qingyan also wanted to go but was stopped by Shen Changqing: "Three of us can’t be in the pit together. You stay outside just in case."

Sheng Qingyan thought for a moment, then reluctantly agreed, saying, "Quickly go... let me know immediately if there’s any discovery."

Shen Changqing: "Hmm."

Done speaking.

Shen Changqing and Chu Jiaojiao jumped down into the pit beneath their feet. Their nimble movements were quiet and graceful, landing silently in front of Ji You.

Once there, standing in this pit, Shen Changqing and Chu Jiaojiao only needed to lift their heads to easily see the world outside the hole. With their skills, they could probably jump out with just a small leap.

Ji You glanced up, pulling at the corner of her mouth: "This height, it’s not fair."

Chu Jiaojiao reached out and ruffled Ji You’s hair, comforting, "Ji You, stop looking. I’ll just carry you out later."

Ji You’s face darkened as she said, "Take your hands off, or I’ll show you the might of the king at the Peak of the Universe."

Chu Jiaojiao chuckled, moved her hand away, crouched down, and began to carefully examine the cigarette butts with Shen Changqing.

A while later, with a somber expression, Shen Changqing nodded, "They’re definitely Zhonghui products. There are about 500 cigarette butts here."

Chu Jiaojiao furrowed her brow: "How could there be so many?"

None of them could figure it out. Ji You, Shen Changqing, and Chu Jiaojiao meticulously checked every inch of the less than 40-square-meter small cave, not missing a speck of dust, but remained completely baffled.

Ji You stroked her chin and said, "Could someone have been trapped here and smoked out of boredom?"

Shen Changqing, frowning, whispered, "That’s possible, but the underground construction at Dock 6 wasn’t particularly sealed off and could still connect to the Star Network. Even if trapped temporarily, they wouldn’t be stuck here indefinitely."