SSS-level catastrophe? That's my wife!

Lin Mu turned around and walked into the adjacent bedroom, then took out his phone after closing the door.

The balance displayed on the screen was only 2000 yuan, which was just the living expenses given by the family.

As for the money in the old account... well, unless Bai Jue reappears, it's completely untouchable.

He sighed softly, his fingertips swiping through his contacts as he dialed a number.

beep--

The phone rang for a few seconds before being answered, and a sweet, cheerful female voice came through: "Brother! Why are you calling all of a sudden? Did you miss me?"

Lin Mu rubbed his temples: "Yan Yan, I need your help in an emergency. Lend me 20,000 yuan."

"Huh? Twenty thousand?!" Lin Yan on the other end of the phone raised her voice instantly, her tone full of panic.

"Brother, what did you do? You didn't go to...that kind of place to find...and got caught, did you?!"

Lin Mu's temple throbbed, and he said with a dark expression, "What are you thinking, you little brat?"

"I rented a room across from the college, and the landlord requires a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent in advance."

"Speaking of which, I should really thank you! You arranged everything for my schooling so perfectly." He practically spat out the last few words through gritted teeth.

A guilty laugh came from the other end of the phone: "Hehe, what can I do? You're my own brother! Who else would I think of if not you?"

She quickly changed the subject: "By the way, bro, which card should I transfer the money to? I'll transfer it right now!"

"I'll send you the card number now, remember to hurry, the landlord is still waiting," Lin Mu said helplessly.

"Okay, okay! I'll come visit you in the city when I'm on vacation! Bye, bye, send me your bank card number!"

Lin Yan hung up the phone in a hurry after speaking, leaving Lin Mu staring at the phone, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

……

Holy Capital.

Inside a heavily guarded research and development base, Lin Yan, dressed in a white lab coat, had just hung up the phone. Her fingers flew across her phone, and 30,000 yuan was instantly transferred to the designated account.

She put her phone back in her white coat pocket, unable to hide the smile on her lips, and even the sound of her silver high heels on the ground was light and cheerful.

"Yan Yan, I heard everything from behind."

A gentle voice came from behind, and an elderly man with gray hair walked slowly towards them, a kind smile on his face.

"These days, scam phone calls are very sophisticated. You're so naive, don't get scammed."

Lin Yan turned around and gave the old man a sweet smile: "It's not a scam, Grandpa Zhu, it's my brother calling."

"Your brother? Oh, I remember now!" A look of understanding flashed in the old man's eyes.

"Is this the Lin Mu you mentioned this morning? He should have arrived at the Awakened Academy in Jiangcheng by now?"

"Yes, we've arrived!" Lin Yan nodded, her tone filled with gratitude. "I really need to thank you, Grandpa Zhu."

"Hey, what's there to thank me for?"

The old man waved his hand and said with a smile, "Your brother was originally an Awakened One, but he registered a little late. He doesn't even qualify as someone who took a shortcut."

He changed the subject mysteriously, saying, "Perfect timing. I'll take you to a classified area. Only a few of us old guys can get in. But if you go, Yan Yan, who would dare say a word against it?"

"Great!" Lin Yan's eyes lit up, and she quickly followed the old man's steps.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly noticed that the old man was holding a silver hilt of a knife, but without a blade. Curious, she asked, "Grandpa Zhu, what's that in your hand? Why is it just the hilt?"

"Haha, I'll tell you when we get there." The old man kept everyone in suspense and took the lead into the depths of the base.

A short while later, after three layers of strict identity verification, a heavy metal door slowly slid open, and the lights illuminated the neatly arranged glass containers in the room.

Lin Yan was instantly stunned by the scene before her.

Each container contained a weapon lying quietly, complete with swords, spears, halberds, and other weapons. The surface of the weapons gleamed with a cold, icy light, as if they still retained the aura of their owners.

"Wow... what are all these?" Lin Yan couldn't help but exclaim.

"These are all [Sacred Artifacts] used by awakened individuals of the seventh rank or above within the last hundred years," the old man's voice deepened, carrying a hint of solemnity.

"Each one has a unique structure and is bound to its owner; only the first user can unleash their true power."

He paused, his tone tinged with regret: "The fact that these sacred artifacts can appear here means that their owners... are no longer here."

"If someone else uses it, it's just an ordinary lump of iron."

Lin Yan's gaze also darkened, and she said softly, "So that's how it is..."

She then looked at the hilt of the knife in the old man's hand: "Who is the owner of this hilt?"

The old man sighed heavily, his voice full of regret: "He, like Yan Yan, is a child that we old folks like from the bottom of our hearts."

"Moreover, he's very young. If nothing had happened, and he had been given a few more years, China might be a completely different place..."

"Grandpa Zhu, is he really a seventh-level Awakener at such a young age?" Lin Yan asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yes, a high-level seventh rank, and he awakened the power of ice element in the initial stage." The old man's gaze fell on the hilt of the sword, as if he was recalling something.

"He is the head of the Zhen'e Tingting, Bai Jue."

"Grandpa Zhu, it's the White Reaper!?" Lin Yan exclaimed again.

"Yes." The old man nodded, took heavy steps toward the empty container in the corner of the room, opened the lid, and carefully placed the silver hilt inside.

Just as he was about to close the container, with a "clang," the knife handle fell out of the container by itself and landed on the ground with a crisp sound.

"Huh? That's strange." The old man frowned and bent down to pick up the knife handle.

"Could it be that I didn't put it in properly?" He put the knife handle back into the container, this time adjusting its position to make sure it was stable.

The moment the container was closed, the knife handle fell out with a "clatter".

The old man was stunned. He scratched his head, looked at the hilt of the knife in his hand, and asked in confusion, "Your master is gone. What is there that prevents you from resting in peace?"

"Grandpa Zhu."

Lin Yan stepped forward, her gaze falling on the hilt of the sword, and asked softly, "Do these sacred artifacts really have to be stored here?"

The old man was taken aback by the question.

For centuries, sacred objects have been stored in this way; there is no strict rule that they must be placed here.

"Yan Yan thinks that since it fell twice, it probably doesn't want to be locked in the container forever, right?" Lin Yan's eyes were clear, and her tone was serious.

"This... this is truly the first time I've encountered something like this. It's a bit eerie." The old man examined the hilt of the knife again, his brows furrowing even more deeply.

"Grandpa Zhu, anyway, it will just be an ordinary weapon in the future, and it only has a hilt, unlike other complete sacred artifacts," Lin Yan said cautiously to the old man.

"How about I keep it? If there's a regulation requiring it to be stored later, I'll return it, okay?"

The old man remained silent for a moment, carefully considering the feasibility.

There are no regulations stating that it must be stored here, and the fact that the knife handle fell off twice is indeed unusual.