Picking Up Supreme Treasures in the Dream Realm-Chapter 529 - 356. The Power of Misfortune_2

"What you call effort is really just struggling against the tide of the era. At the end of the day, it’s nothing more than a desperate thrashing in water."

Zhang Hehua gave a bitter smile, "Yes, you’re right."

From walking openly into Old Sam’s house living room to sneaking in like a thief, she realized that she had been going around in circles for the past ten years, never moving forward a step, only constantly regressing.

That high school classmate of hers, although living life step by step, had managed to keep up with the rising and setting tides of the era, without much effort, living a life much better than hers.

Zhang Hehua couldn’t help but ask, "Ten years ago, the Carmenia Federation was so far ahead of Great Xia. Why is the trend shifting in Great Xia’s favor?"

She truly couldn’t understand.

The mysterious figure replied, "The trend of the era is just a metaphor. In essence, it’s the efforts of countless small individuals. Their combined strength becomes the trend of the era."

Zhang Hehua remained silent.

The next words from the mysterious figure were dripping with sarcasm: "Sleeping with people isn’t effort. Quite the opposite, this behavior cuts off many more beautiful possibilities in your life."

Zhang Hehua looked embarrassed.

The mysterious figure continued, "There’s food and drink here, and no safety issues; you can rest here for a day. But you must do one thing first."

Zhang Hehua asked, "What is it?"

The mysterious figure said, "In the bedroom on the right lies a corpse. There’s a watch on her wrist. You need to open the watch face and press a red button.

"You have to repeat this at 9 AM and 9 PM each day, or you’ll be in big trouble."

Zhang Hehua listened to these inexplicable words and couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been caught up in some big trouble.

But she had already boarded the pirate ship and couldn’t turn back, so she could only agree, "Understood."

The mysterious figure’s voice did not reappear.

Zhang Hehua gritted her teeth and, summoning her courage, walked towards the right side room and reached out to open the door.

A body was lying on the carpet, positioned face down, with the face toward the bed; it immediately came into view.

It was clear that this was an old woman.

The old woman wore a gray nightgown, an exposed right arm revealing faint ice-blue patterns on the skin’s surface.

Zhang Hehua glanced at it and quietly said, "Did she die from Cold Night Syndrome?"

She immediately envisioned the process of the old woman’s death in her mind.

While asleep, Cold Night Syndrome suddenly struck, making it difficult to breathe. The old woman struggled, trying to reach the phone placed nearby for help.

But the old woman ultimately failed. Instead, she rolled off the bed, her heart stopping abruptly as she died.

Zhang Hehua took a light breath and cautiously approached the corpse, intending to lift the clothing on the left arm.

Just then.

The corpse suddenly moved.

"Ah~"

Zhang Hehua let out the loudest scream of her life, falling backward and landing heavily on the carpet.

In extreme fright, she crawled up and fled from the bedroom in a panic.

A few drops of urine trickled along the carpet to the doorway, extending all the way into the living room.

She had wet herself in fear.

After a good while passed.

Zhang Hehua found clothes in another room to change into, then mustered the courage to approach the bedroom door and take a peek inside.

The old woman still lay there on the floor, her head turned, eyes full of pleading, her mouth moving slightly.

It turned out the old woman wasn’t dead, only clinging to life by a thread.

Zhang Hehua couldn’t hear what the old woman was saying but could guess it was something like "help."

Gazing at the old woman, a thought occurred to her: "Should I report this to save her?"

The fact that the old woman could hold on for this long suggested the symptoms weren’t too severe, just the toll of old age weakening her.

If she were promptly hospitalized, there was a good chance she would survive.

But Zhang Hehua quickly dismissed this thought: "No, I can’t report it!"

If she did so, the police would undoubtedly investigate her, bringing nothing but trouble for herself.

She glanced down at the conspicuous urine stain on the carpet, her eyes turning malicious as she stood at the door, coldly watching the old woman.

Zhang Hehua intended to wait for the old woman’s last breath, but after several minutes, the woman’s mouth still moved from time to time.

She hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself: "You old hag, let me send you off."

She retrieved a towel from the bathroom and, under the terrified gaze of the old woman, firmly smothered the woman’s face.

The old woman had no strength to resist, could only desperately gasp for air, trying to breathe.

But it was all in vain.

After a minute.

Zhang Hehua released her hand.

The old woman had stopped breathing.

She didn’t lift the towel, fearing to see the woman’s face.

Zhang Hehua crouched down again and lifted the left sleeve, immediately spotting a black wristwatch.

It was evidently what the mysterious figure had referred to.

After some examination, Zhang Hehua finally managed to open the watch face, revealing three minute buttons in red, yellow, blue, and green.

There were no other textual instructions; it would be easy for someone unaware to press the wrong button.

She extended her pinky finger and cautiously pressed the red button on the left side.

"Beep!"

A soft sound.

An electronic voice immediately followed, "Good morning, Lady Kalaya!"

The old woman, smothered to death with a towel, was clearly Lady Kalaya.

Zhang Hehua closed the watch face, her expression unreadable, "What exactly was this Lady Kalaya involved in?"

She had a hunch that Lady Kalaya was likely connected to the Federation’s intelligence department.