A strong, pure masculine hormone scent assailed her, so potent that Jiāng Suìsuì instinctively took a small step back.
She had to tilt her head up to fully see the man in front of her.
Jiāng Suìsuì's first thought was: so tall... so strong.
The first thing that struck her senses was his height and physique.
This height... must be over 1.9 meters.
The man's physique was like a towering giant, his shadow almost completely engulfing the petite Jiāng Suìsuì.
He wore a simple black t-shirt, the most common style, and his exposed arms were covered in bulging muscles.
The lines exuded explosive power, and his bronze skin was marked with several old scars of varying depths.
One had to admit, he was dangerous, and extremely sexy.
Her gaze moved away from his physique, and Jiāng Suìsuì finally noticed his face.
The man's appearance was far from exquisite; he was ruggedly handsome, with sharp, chiseled facial features and a jawline as sharp as a blade.
His nose was high and straight, his lips thick, now pressed into a slightly stern, straight line.
He had hawk-like eyes, with pupils as dark as ink. His black hair was very short, almost shaved close to his scalp, with a faint old scar at his temple.
What a compelling face, Jiāng Suìsuì thought.
Equally, he looked quite fierce.
The man in front of her had no expression, gazing down at her with detachment in his eyes.
"It's me," Jiāng Suìsuì replied.
Abruptly facing such a large man, especially at such close range, Jiāng Suìsuì felt a tremor of fear.
Where did her maternal uncle find this bodyguard...
"The car is this way, I'll take you to the hotel now. Where's your luggage?"
The man couldn't see any luggage on either side of Jiāng Suìsuì.
Jiāng Suìsuì pointed to her backpack. "Only this."
Jiāng Suìsuì had already put all the necessary items into her space.
The other person nodded. "Let's go."
The man led the way, and Jiāng Suìsuì followed behind.
Suddenly, a voice sounded in her mind—
【Detected suitable target: Qí Lì】
【Level: SSS Grade】
【Favorability not met, unable to bind.】
Jiāng Suìsuì was startled. He was actually a bindable target.
The level was quite high.
It was just that the favorability wasn't enough yet, making direct binding impossible.
For the sake of the binding rewards, Jiāng Suìsuì felt she had to work on the favorability.
She quickened her pace.
In a blink, they arrived at the car.
The man gave her a look, signaling Jiāng Suìsuì to get in.
The car started, heading towards the hotel Jiāng Suìsuì had booked in advance.
Suddenly, the man spoke:
"Chapter 38: The Tough Guy Qí Lì\ Jiāng Suìsuì was stunned for a moment before realizing he was referring to her name.
"Qí Lì?" she repeated.
Qí Lì nodded.
Jiāng Suìsuì said, "My name is Jiāng Suìsuì."
Qí Lì: "Mm."
Silence the rest of the way.
Qí Lì's black SUV drove down the long road.
Even though he was silent, just sitting there, his presence was strong.
The two were not familiar with each other, and Jiāng Suìsuì didn't know what to say to him, so she looked down at her mobile phone.
Fù Wàngjīng had messaged her, asking about her situation after learning she had arrived in Country M.
Jiāng Suìsuì replied while looking down, and told him she would treat him to a meal when she returned to China.
Jiāng Suìsuì hadn't yet thanked Fù Wàngjīng for the medicine incident last time.
Two hours later, Jiāng Suìsuì arrived at the hotel.
After sleeping, she headed straight to the shooting range the next morning.
Jiāng Suìsuì would be staying in Country M for a week, which was ample time.
She spent two days at the shooting range learning to shoot. Otherwise, having weapons but not knowing how to use them would be useless.
Fortunately, Jiāng Suìsuì had good talent, and it only took her two days to figure out how to use firearms, though her accuracy still needed more practice.
On the third day, Jiāng Suìsuì contacted the overseas liaison.
She had already discussed the necessary items with the other party in advance. This time, she would pick up the goods directly, and they had everything prepared.
Jiāng Suìsuì requested two of each firearm available on the market, focusing on handguns and rifles.
She needed up to 100,000 rounds of ammunition.
She had money, and money could buy anything in Country M.
They exchanged money for goods, and after this large transaction, the liaison happily left.
During this period, Qí Lì accompanied Jiāng Suìsuì the entire time.
It was clear that the man beside her was not to be trifled with, so the liaison didn't entertain any crooked ideas.
On the way back, Qí Lì suddenly said:
"You can't take these things back to Huáguó."
"I don't intend to take them back to Huáguó," Jiāng Suìsuì replied.
Qí Lì said nothing further.
The car stopped in front of a villa Jiāng Suìsuì had rented in advance. They began moving the items into the villa one by one.
The firearms didn't require much effort, but the ammunition was quite heavy.
Jiāng Suìsuì was panting after moving only a little, while Qí Lì worked tirelessly.
If possible, Jiāng Suìsuì would have liked to put everything directly into her space, but with Qí Lì present, she couldn't be too obvious.
After some effort, they finally moved all the items into the villa.
"You can wait outside, I'll find you in a bit," Jiāng Suìsuì said.
Qí Lì nodded, then turned and left.
Jiāng Suìsuì lifted the curtains of the room and saw him standing by the car, smoking. Only then did she feel slightly relieved.
Moving everything back and forth seemed redundant but was also necessary.
Jiāng Suìsuì stored all the firearms and ammunition piled up in the house into her space, and loaded a handgun with a magazine, just in case.
The issue of weapons was temporarily resolved.
Next was the matter of energy.
With Qí Lì around, Jiāng Suìsuì couldn't openly store energy in her space, so she had to rent a warehouse as a cover.
However, Qí Lì's presence ensured that no one dared to double-cross her.
All these people could see that Qí Lì was not someone to be provoked, and they honestly completed this business transaction.
Jiāng Suìsuì first had all the goods unloaded at the warehouse. After confirmation, she paid the remaining balance, then went to retrieve the goods from the warehouse, with Qí Lì waiting outside.
They busied themselves like this for several days, and Jiāng Suìsuì successfully stockpiled enough energy to survive the apocalypse with Shěn Rúfēng.
As for coal, firewood, and other necessities for the extreme cold, these could be purchased domestically, and Shěn Rúfēng was already stockpiling them.
On the sixth day, Jiāng Suìsuì finished purchasing all the items she needed for this trip abroad.
Money flowed out like water.
On the seventh day, Jiāng Suìsuì went to the shooting range early in the morning to refine her shooting skills.
The only regret was that there was little interaction between her and Qí Lì; her favorability had barely increased, making binding impossible.
Qí Lì was a competent and quiet bodyguard, never saying much to Jiāng Suìsuì.
With him around, Jiāng Suìsuì indeed encountered no danger.
It was already noon when Jiāng Suìsuì and Qí Lì left the shooting range, and they went to a restaurant for a meal.
Jiāng Suìsuì felt they couldn't just wait passively!
Even if she couldn't see Qí Lì again in the future, she at least wanted to get this binding reward.
"Will you be staying in Country M the whole time?" Jiāng Suìsuì initiated a conversation.
Qí Lì hadn't expected Jiāng Suìsuì to proactively talk to him, especially to ask such a personal question.
He looked at her with surprise and replied, "Not the whole time. I only came here in the last few years."
His indifferent attitude left Jiāng Suìsuì unsure whether to continue.
She felt that Qí Lì wasn't very interested in talking to her, which made Jiāng Suìsuì a bit dejected.
She braced herself and asked again, "Then... do you know of any places where I can find bargains?"
"Bargains?" Qí Lì raised his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Jiāng Suìsuì had an idea. "Are there any antique shops nearby?"
She had already visited almost all the antique streets in City C and bought everything she could.
Now that she was in Country M, she didn't believe there was nowhere for her to find bargains.
She had heard that many people had taken their treasures out of the country back then, and some must have ended up in private hands.
Upon hearing this, Qí Lì pondered for a moment and then said, "I can take you to Chinatown to have a look."
Chinatown might offer an opportunity to find bargains.
Jiāng Suìsuì's eyes lit up. "Then I'll trouble you!"
After they finished eating, they headed straight to Chinatown.
The moment they entered, Jiāng Suìsuì even felt as if she had returned to Huáguó.
Jiāng Suìsuì wasn't sure if there would be treasures here, but since they were already here, she had to look.
During her time in Country M, she hadn't activated her treasure hunt function, and its cooldown had long since ended.
Jiāng Suìsuì immediately turned on the treasure hunt function.
She was already very familiar with this function and skillfully sensed the mini-map.
"Let's go this way," Jiāng Suìsuì said to Qí Lì.
Following the map's guidance, they arrived at a small stall.
Various old items were displayed on it.
The stall owner was an elderly old woman. Seeing them stop at her stall, she called out:
"Come, come, come and take a look. These are all genuine."
Jiāng Suìsuì's gaze swept across the stall and she actually saw an item emitting a flowing light.
It was a copper coin, and the engraved characters were no longer clear.
Jiāng Suìsuì pointed to the copper coin. "How much is this?"
The old woman quoted a rather high price.
Jiāng Suìsuì haggled with her for a while and finally acquired the copper coin.
Next, Jiāng Suìsuì eagerly pulled Qí Lì to another stall.
The red light flashing on the mini-map was on these stalls.
One of the stall owners was a black young man.
Jiāng Suìsuì glanced at his stall and was stunned by one of the items.
In the corner of his stall was a sandalwood bracelet.
The flowing light from the bracelet almost blinded Jiāng Suìsuì.
This... it's comparable to the bangle my maternal uncle gave me!
Jiāng Suìsuì's heart pounded, and she quickly walked towards the stall.
This must be a valuable item! Definitely a valuable item!
If she got this, perhaps her space could upgrade again!
Jiāng Suìsuì's face flushed with excitement. She was determined to get this bracelet!
However, a figure arrived at the stall one step ahead of Jiāng Suìsuì.
An Asian woman glanced at the stall and pointed at the bracelet.
"That one, I'll take it. Chapter 39: The Mysterious Bracelet\ The black young man's face lit up with a smile. "Two hundred dollars."
The Asian woman frowned upon hearing this and muttered softly, "So expensive."
Jiāng Suìsuì clearly heard her mutter in Chinese.
Two hundred dollars was clearly beyond the woman's budget, and she looked conflicted.
"This is a good item," the black young man said.
Jiāng Suìsuì quickened her pace to the stall, wanting to buy the bracelet before the woman spoke again.
Never mind two hundred dollars, she would pay a thousand.
"I really like this bracelet, could you let me have it?"
Out of politeness, Jiāng Suìsuì negotiated with the woman, speaking in Chinese.
The other party looked at her as if she didn't understand.
Jiāng Suìsuì frowned slightly and repeated in English.
Only then did the woman turn her head, scrutinize Jiāng Suìsuì, her upturned eyes narrowing slightly as she glanced at Jiāng Suìsuì before looking away.
She didn't answer Jiāng Suìsuì's question, extended her long red fingernail, and pointed at the bracelet.
"I'll take it."
Jiāng Suìsuì: "..."
The black young man nodded repeatedly, picked up the bracelet, and smiled at Jiāng Suìsuì again. "Sorry, this lady was here first."
He had a first-come, first-served rule for his business.
Jiāng Suìsuì clenched her fists, suppressing her anxiety.
She had thought that since they were both compatriots, the other party would be more accommodating. Jiāng Suìsuì had been naive.
This woman was definitely doing it on purpose!
From the way the other party had looked at her earlier, Jiāng Suìsuì sensed disrespect, even a hint of disdain.
Was it because she had spoken in Chinese?
What made her so condescending?
Jiāng Suìsuì dared to say that if she hadn't spoken up just now, the other woman wouldn't have bought the bracelet so readily.
Since that was the case, Jiāng Suìsuì couldn't show weakness!
Just as Jiāng Suìsuì was about to use her 'money power,' another Asian woman with blonde hair walked over.
"Alice, why are you here? I've been looking for you for ages," the blonde woman complained.
The Alice she mentioned was the woman about to buy the bracelet.
Alice looked at her and explained, "I'm buying something here."
The black young man, fearing his sale would fall through, interjected, "Ma'am, two hundred dollars."
"Got it," Alice replied, and looked down to search her backpack.
The blonde woman beside her gasped, "What are you buying for two hundred dollars?!"
The black young man fiddled with the bracelet in his hand and smiled, "This, two hundred dollars."
"Are you crazy?" the woman muttered.
Alice searched for a while and only found one hundred dollars in cash.
"I only have this much cash. Can I use a credit card?"
The black young man shook his head. "Cash only."
Thinking of Jiāng Suìsuì eyeing from the side, Alice looked at her friend. "Kelly, do you have any cash? Lend me some."
Kelly's expression twisted for a moment. "Are you crazy? You're not actually going to spend two hundred dollars on this thing, are you?"
"I like it very much," Alice said. "Just lend it to me, I'll pay you back later."
Kelly searched her bag reluctantly.
She only managed to find sixty dollars in cash.
She usually used credit cards when going out and didn't carry much cash.
"This is all I have," Kelly said.
Alice grabbed the sixty dollars from her and, combining it with her own cash, said to the black young man, "I have one hundred and sixty now."
Jiāng Suìsuì saw an opportunity and immediately spoke up. "I can pay two hundred dollars! I have two hundred dollars!"
She quickly took out two hundred dollars in cash from her bag.
The black young man looked conflicted.
If Alice were the only one wanting it, he might have sold it for one hundred and sixty.
But Jiāng Suìsuì was willing to pay two hundred dollars!
Business is business, after all!
The black young man made a decisive choice and said to Alice, "I'm sorry, ma'am."
He then looked at Jiāng Suìsuì and smiled brightly.
"No! I want this, I was here first," Alice stared intently at the bracelet. "I'll go get the money now. Wait for me."
Kelly couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled Alice and whispered in her ear, "Don't be rash. That bracelet doesn't look like much. Calm down!"
Alice argued, "It's quite nice. I like it."
"You can't like everything... Alice, this bracelet gives me an eerie feeling!"
Kelly's expression was complicated. "Didn't they say a few Chinese people were kidnapped recently? This thing might have an unknown origin."
Recently, a few Chinese businessmen had been targeted, and it was rumored they were later dismembered by the roadside. When found, they were in pieces.
Their families had to reassemble them piece by piece.
Coincidentally, Kelly had met one of the businessmen, who used to wear a sandalwood bracelet just like this one.
The moment she saw it, she thought of that businessman, who was found in pieces, and felt it was very ominous.
Alice immediately got goosebumps. "Kelly, don't scare me."
Kelly said, "In any case... this thing gives me a very bad feeling. You should let that woman have it. The man with her also seems difficult to provoke."
After saying this, Kelly glanced in Qí Lì's direction.
Undeniably, the man was handsome and his physique was impressive, but it was clear he was not someone to be easily provoked.
She couldn't help but wonder how this seemingly delicate woman had gotten involved with him.
Alice heard this and also glanced at Qí Lì.
Her gaze happened to meet Qí Lì's.
Qí Lì's eyes were cold and indifferent, yet they made her break out in a cold sweat.
Alice: "I... I understand."
She looked at the black young man. "I don't want it anymore."
Saying this, she pulled Kelly and left.
Jiāng Suìsuì quickly completed the transaction with the black young man.
Although she didn't know why the woman gave up on it, it was a good thing for Jiāng Suìsuì.
The moment she got the bracelet, Jiāng Suìsuì put it into her handbag.
In reality, she used the bag as a cover to store the bracelet in her space.
At this moment, Jiāng Suìsuì's anxious heart began to calm down.
Finally, she got it!
Jiāng Suìsuì never expected that having Qí Lì by her side would have such a benefit.
"Ma'am, would you like to look at anything else?" the black young man enthusiastically promoted his stall.
Jiāng Suìsuì smiled and declined.
"Let's go," she said to Qí Lì.
"Finished buying?" Qí Lì asked.
To be honest, he didn't quite understand why Jiāng Suìsuì wanted to buy such a sandalwood bracelet.
It didn't seem particularly special, was it worth two hundred dollars?
Jiāng Suìsuì: "Finished buying. We can go back."
Jiāng Suìsuì had looked at all the red dots on the mini-map, and she had bought all the worthy items.
She hadn't expected her luck to be so good, to encounter such a valuable item.
Jiāng Suìsuì was in an extremely good mood, a smile constantly on her lips.
Meanwhile, Alice, who was leaving, was not in a good mood.
Not long after leaving with Kelly, she began to regret it. Chapter 40: The Space Upgrades Again
She didn't know why she had this emotion, as if she had lost something important.
The only explanation was... the bracelet.
She had really wanted that bracelet.
They hadn't walked far when Alice pulled Kelly back.
This time, no matter how much Kelly tried to dissuade her, her steps didn't falter. Kelly had no choice but to follow.
They soon returned to the black young man's stall.
"Hi ma'am, you're back," the black young man greeted her proactively.
"Did you sell that thing?" Alice asked impatiently.
The black young man was taken aback, then nodded. "Yes."
Alice instantly became agitated, her tone turning sharp: "Why didn't you wait for me!!"
Now it was the black young man's turn to be bewildered.
"Ma'am, are you alright?"
Didn't she say she wasn't buying it? Why was she saying this now? Was she crazy?
Alice said anxiously, "Where did they go?"
The black young man pointed in a direction.
Alice then pulled Kelly and hurried off to find them.