Chapter 112: Discovering the Crucial Catalyst for Transmigration

After counting the spoils in her hands, Du Yun packed her belongings carefully, ready to head home as soon as the three days were up.

“Dou Zhi, how’s it going?” Du Yun asked excitedly as she finished her final preparations, her thoughts reaching out to Dou Zhi.

“Everything’s ready. I fixed the system issue. Now I can scan the patterns of the space-time rifts, and by using those rifts, time-space travel is possible,” Dou Zhi replied. Seeing Du Yun so eager while packing, he knew she was determined to return, so he hadn’t allowed himself a moment’s slack during these three days.

Previously, Dou Zhi had already pinpointed the space-time rifts, making a return journey almost certain. After these three days of relentless effort, he even discovered the underlying patterns of the rifts. From now on, whenever they needed to travel through time and space, a comprehensive scan of the rifts would nearly guarantee passage anytime, anywhere.

“That’s fantastic! Good job!” Du Yun was overjoyed with the answer. She locked the door of her room, double-checked everything, and with a smile said, “Let’s begin!”

“All set!” Dou Zhi was delighted by Du Yun’s praise, his voice light and cheerful. “Prepare for transmission!”

The familiar crimson countdown appeared before Du Yun’s eyes. As the numbers hit zero, Du Yun’s figure dissolved into a white light and vanished from the room.

Her mind suddenly felt heavy. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself inside the family’s warehouse.

“Xiao Yun, are you in there?” Bang bang bang—the warehouse door was being knocked, and Du Zhi’s anxious voice came from outside.

The door was locked from the inside, so no one could enter. The house was simple enough that one could see inside from the outside, and Du Yun clenched her teeth in frustration. She had no idea how long her sister had been knocking on the door. How would she explain this later?

“I’m here, sis. What’s wrong?” Du Yun glanced down at the clothes she was wearing—her usual home attire, nothing unusual on her body—and hurried to open the door. “I didn’t hear you knocking earlier. What’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter? I was worried you’d gone missing! You’re a grown girl now, and here you are, sitting silently in the warehouse all alone. Didn’t you hear me knocking? I even went looking for you outside. If I hadn’t found you, I was going to call Mom and Dad home!” Du Zhi rolled her eyes, then grabbed Du Yun’s hand and looked her over carefully. Seeing no injuries or anything amiss, she relaxed.

“I’m fine, sis. I was just counting how much glutinous rice flour we have to prepare some snacks,” Du Yun said. After being in the zombie-ridden world for over ten days, she felt a bit disconnected from home matters. Her eyes flicked to the bag of glutinous rice flour in the warehouse, and she seized on the excuse.

“You girl, don’t push yourself so hard. I may not earn money, but I know you’re doing this for me. Just don’t overexert yourself.” Du Zhi reached out and stroked Du Yun’s hair, just like she had when they were kids. Watching her grow from a little chubby bundle into the young woman she was now stirred a wave of tenderness in her heart.

“When I’m no longer at home, you have to take good care of Mom and Dad. Mom tends to work without rest, so remind her to take it easy and not wear herself out. Dad likes to drink a bit; when I have money, I’ll buy him some good liquor. But keep an eye on him—don’t let him drink too much at once, or he’ll get carried away.” With just a month left before her wedding, Du Zhi’s thoughts were filled with worries about the family—about Dad, about Mom—the endless concerns of the heart.

“Sis, I know. I’ll take care of Mom and Dad, and Grandpa and Grandma and our eldest brother. Don’t worry. You just focus on getting ready to marry.” Du Yun had just escaped that bloody zombie world. Although several days had passed, her heart remained unsettled. Yet somehow, hearing Du Zhi’s rambling words miraculously calmed her.

“Still think I’m too naggy?” Du Zhi saw Du Yun’s smiling face and couldn’t help but laugh, playfully poking her nose before pulling her out of the warehouse.

After a brief chat with her sister, Du Yun wandered around the house, carefully recalling what she had done and what remained to be done. Only then did she begin to feel a sense of clarity.

Before traveling back, her eldest brother and she had each set aside some money for Du Zhi’s dowry. The eldest brother had even bought her a pair of silver earrings to serve as a treasured keepsake. When Du Yun went to the town to buy items for Du Zhi’s dowry, she had secretly slipped in many valuable goods brought back from the zombie world.

“The everyday essentials for the dowry are mostly ready, but the three major items aren’t there yet. I wonder how the eldest brother’s snack sales are going.” Du Yun recalled that she had made quite a few snacks for her brother to sell in the county.

Although Du Yun had many items that could be exchanged for money, she hadn’t figured out how to launder such a large sum quietly and bring it home safely.

After all, she was just an ordinary fifteen-year-old girl in this world. Suddenly producing a large amount of cash would surely raise suspicions. It seemed there was no lottery or similar scheme here—winning once or twice might be possible, but not consistently every month throughout the year; no one had ever seen that.

Thus, selling snacks became a crucial breakthrough. If her brother could sell her snacks in the county or even the city, it would naturally bring in some income. She could then manipulate the business to explain the origin of those mysterious goods.

With a legitimate source for the items and a clear origin for the money, it would be easier to justify the expenses at home.

However, the process was complicated and slow; distant solutions couldn’t solve immediate problems. Considering the family’s current situation, Du Yun decided to prioritize her sister’s wedding and postpone other matters.

“Hmm, just one month left before sister’s wedding. It’s time to get everything properly arranged. Money is important.” Though Du Yun had no cash on hand, she still possessed many items. She planned to sort through them and sell some through a couple of small-time hustlers, confident she could make a decent profit. As for explaining the source of the money, she could temporarily use the excuse of winning the lottery.

Thinking this over, Du Yun smiled proudly. Her journey to the other world wasn’t entirely a misfortune—it could at least improve her family’s situation and bring happiness to her loved ones.