School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

Xiao Han glanced at the map and then said, "The location marked on this map isn't here!"

"Ah?" Kato was taken aback and asked, "Where is it then?"

"Follow me!" Xiao Han, intelligent as he was, realized that although the map was quite old, it was essentially the same as the current one. The only difference was that the location it marked had already been mined out. Fortunately, the place had completely changed. Everything had been transformed. However, according to the map in Kato's hands, it shouldn't be here anymore.

Xiao Han led the way, with Kato and the others following behind.

Kato might have been over fifty years old, but he still walked with agility. He didn't show any signs of the frailty usually associated with old age.

The two female secretaries and the assistant also walked briskly, quickly keeping pace.

They left the copper mine behind and took a small path up the mountain. About five hundred meters away from the mine, an enormous tree unexpectedly came into view.

Xiao Han pointed at the tree and said, "If it's not marked incorrectly, it should be there."

Kato caught sight of the large pine tree and said excitedly, "Yes, yes, that's it, that's the place!"

From a distance, the giant pine tree looked imposing and powerful, resembling a huge umbrella-shaped object that seemed especially striking.

Kato walked swiftly toward it, saying excitedly, "Yes, this is the place."

"Why are you so certain?" Xiao Han was a bit puzzled.

With shaking hands, Kato took out an aged photo from his chest, saying, "This… this is the evidence!"

Everyone leaned in for a look and saw a black-and-white photo. The edges had faded, but indeed, there was a pine tree on it that stood out conspicuously. Decades had passed, and the pine tree had grown significantly, yet its shape remained unchanged.

"That's right, it's right here!"

"Yes, yes!"

Everyone seemed somewhat excited.

The Corporation's people, in particular, were so agitated they wept openly. The man impersonating Kato even knelt down, kowtowing frantically. He was extremely moved, almost as if he had lost his own parents.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Kato said, "Good, good, this is wonderful, we've finally found it."

"Mr. Kato," Xiao Han smiled at this moment and said, "We may have found the general location, but finding your grandfather's remains here will not be easy, I'm afraid."

"Why do you say that?" Kato furrowed his brows.

"This area is quite large, and the mark on your map doesn't seem very precise!" Xiao Han smiled and said, "Unless you can provide a specific spot."

"But I have a photo!" Kato said hurriedly.

"What good is a photo?" Xiao Han looked at him and then said, "A photo alone cannot prove anything. Besides, are you certain about the location in the photo?"

Kato hesitated for a while, then said, "Ah, well. Then... do you have any better ideas, Mr. Xiao?"

Xiao Han thought for a moment and then said, "We'll need to excavate with a target in mind. We can't just dig randomly!"

"Yes!" Kato nodded.

"Since the photo indicates this very pine tree, let's start with this one," Xiao Han said with a smile. "This tree might have some significant meaning. I suspect your grandfather's remains might be right beneath this tree."

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Kato was immediately overjoyed and exclaimed, "Then... what are we waiting for, let's start digging!"

"Alright!" Xiao Han nodded and said, "I'll get some people to prepare."

At this moment, Zhao Lizhong immediately began making phone calls, and soon after, over ten workers carrying shovels and hoes came their way, a formidable group.

"Director Zhao, do you have any instructions?" The group showed great respect towards Zhao Lizhong.

"I'm asking you to dig for treasure!" Zhao Lizhong gave a chuckle and said, "Hurry up, start digging from beneath this tree. Keep going down!"

"Got it!" Several of the workers nodded immediately.

Afterward, everyone began to dig feverishly, their excitement palpable.

Although the treasure they dug up wouldn't be theirs, just having the chance to be part of a treasure dig and possibly seeing what the treasure looked like would make them extremely happy.

The group started to dig furiously.

The strength of over ten people was formidable, and they didn't stop from the moment they started.

Xiao Han and the group of Kato observers stood off to the side. The sun wasn't harsh at that time, and the climate atop the mountain was quite cool. They stood under the shade of trees, watching the workers begin their excavation.

Red soil was shoveled out, and in no time at all, they had dug a sizable pit. The strength of over ten people was impressive; they dug a pit one meter deep in just an hour.

"Director Zhao, how come we haven't found anything yet?" The leading worker asked curiously.

"If it were easy to find treasure, wouldn't everyone have it?" Zhao Lizhong looked at him and said, "Keep digging, don't stop."

"Yes, sir!" The worker nodded reluctantly.

Subsequently, they continued digging relentlessly—a frenzy of excavation that showed their immense excitement and eagerness. The group was visibly thrilled, evidenced by the smile on his face.

Driven by the impulse to unearth treasure.

The excavation went on for an entire day.

It started with more than ten people, and later on, Zhao Lizhong called for twenty more. Over thirty people feverishly dug around the pine tree, opening up a perimeter of more than ten meters, creating a pit over a meter deep.

The continuous digging without any discovery started to make the crowd consider giving up, but with the boss not speaking, they couldn't just abandon the task.

"Keep digging. Dig further down!" Zhao Lizhong commanded with a wave of his hand.

After giving the order, Zhao Lizhong hurried to Xiao Han's side, then asked, "Xiao Han, are you sure we're not wrong in our digging? Are the remains really buried under the pine tree?"

"There shouldn't be a mistake!" Xiao Han nodded and said, "Otherwise, why would there be a photo of the pine tree left behind?"

The group thought about it and agreed it made sense.

It was getting dark.

Kato had been watching from the side, eyeing the excavation site, as if something could be unearthed at any moment. Unfortunately, despite his day-long vigil, nothing had been uncovered. Their excitement and anticipation were palpable nonetheless.

"Mr. Kato, please take a rest to the side!" a man by his side suggested.

"No!" Kato immediately shook his head and said, "I've waited a long time for this day. I must watch it be unearthed from the ground today."

More than ten workers continued to dig, and everyone worked up a sweat. However, they couldn't relax as part of the job ordered by the boss; they had to complete it earnestly or else risk losing their jobs.

Clang...

Suddenly, there was a loud noise as someone's hoe struck something metallic.

"We found something!" one worker shouted at that moment.

Clatter...

The crowd quickly gathered around.

Xiao Han also moved closer out of curiosity. The worker, standing excitedly in the hole he had dug, said, "There's something underneath!"

"Quick, dig it up!" Kato said, unable to hide his excitement.

He even jumped down eagerly, snatched a shovel from another worker's hand, and started to dig frantically.

Before long, the metallic object finally revealed its true nature. It was a green iron kettle with the flag of Japan on it. The Qing-colored appearance gave it a sense of antiquity.

Clutching the iron kettle, Kato excitedly said, "Yes, that's it, it's here, quick... keep digging!"

Subsequently, over thirty people focused on this spot and began to dig frantically.

Following the kettle, a rifle was soon unearthed, completely rusted with its wooden stock partially decayed. There was even an unfired bullet lodged inside the barrel.

"We found it!" someone exclaimed as they uncovered a set of white bones.

The crowd surrounded the discovery, and the workers began excavating with small shovels for a protective dig. It didn't take long for the skeleton to be unearthed. Unexpectedly, Kato shouted, "Keep digging, keep digging, there's more!"

Confused, people glanced up at Director Zhao.

"If I tell you to dig, you dig!" Director Zhao declared.

Hearing this, they all bent over and resumed their fervent digging, brimming with excitement once again.

They dug crazily. Ammunition boxes, unexploded ordnance, and even some German-made equipment surfaced from the ground. Even crates of bullets were brought out. The remains of Japanese soldiers were uncovered one after another.

However, Kato seemed to have little interest in the bones. He was more fascinated by the boxes, examining each one to see what they were.

Unfortunately, each opened box led to disappointment. Clearly, these were not the items he was searching for.

"Mr. Kato, what exactly are you looking for?" Xiao Han approached him.

"I..." Kato hesitated, then said with an awkward expression, "I won't hide it from you. My grandfather left a will that I must retrieve something that belonged to him!"

"What thing?" Xiao Han asked curiously.

"Mr. Xiao, this is a family matter, so please, don't ask any further," Kato replied, still looking uncomfortable.

Xiao Han frowned, then said, "You better not forget, this is China's land."

Kato was taken aback.

Just then, someone shouted, "There's another one, we found another one!"

Xiao Han turned to look, noticing that this box was different from the others—it was a wooden box, and it had been wrapped with lacquer, which is why it could be buried underground for decades without decaying. This discovery left Xiao Han both surprised and perplexed.