I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

"Um... I remember hearing men talking in Sister Zimo's room, so I came out to check..."

"A man?"

Could it be that Wang Ziwen, that bastard, went in to do something shady?

This is outrageous!

Yan Ziming's gaze was serene as he abruptly opened the door and stormed inside.

"You bastard, get out here right now—!"

"You bastard, repeat that again if you dare."

Yan Shan took a sip of tea, looking at his niece with a displeased expression. If her answer didn't satisfy him, he would beat her until she was in tears.

Chapter 136 The Own of the Qilin

"Haha... It's Uncle... I thought a thief broke into the house." Yan Ziming immediately backed down and tried to cover it up when he saw that it was his uncle.

"Big sister, is anyone here?" Ye Qianxue followed in and saw Yan Shan scolding Yan Zimo like a child.

"Hello, uncle."

"Hmm, hmm? What's wrong?"

"Hehe... It's nothing, I just got soaked from the rain."

Yan Shan glared at Yan Zimo, certain that it was this guy who had gotten Ye Qianxue soaked.

"Qianxue, why don't you go and rest for a bit? I have something to discuss with Zimo."

To prevent Ye Qianxue from feeling like she was being treated as an outsider, Yan Shan specifically added a note:

"You can stay and listen in if you wish."

Ye Qianxue glanced at her uncle's serious expression and figured he must be about to say something very important, so she made up her mind and said:

"I'd better stay."

"Change your clothes first, don't catch a cold." Yan Ziming picked up a towel from the bathroom, dried Ye Qianxue's wet little head, and then let her go into the room to change her clothes.

Why did my uncle suddenly come to visit? This should be his busiest time of day!

While waiting, Yan Ziming kept thinking about this question.

The wait was short, only about two minutes, before Ye Qianxue came out and sat down opposite Yan Ziming.

Seeing that the two were ready, Yan Shan sighed:

"You really know how to cause me trouble..."

Yan Ziming remained silent. She knew that her uncle was referring to the fact that she had been taken away for investigation earlier.

"Huang Tao and I have already settled this matter for you. The investigation into you is temporarily over. Don't pursue it any further to avoid being targeted by malicious individuals."

"But Uncle—"

"You don't need to know these things. Your primary task right now is to survive this battle, understand?"

Yan Shan interrupted Yan Zimo, as he was seriously discussing this issue with Yan Zimo.

Ye Qianxue had no idea what they were talking about, and could only fidget restlessly.

"In short, this is one of the country's biggest secrets. If we investigate further, even I won't be able to protect you in the end. The same goes for the Qilin. Try not to let it appear in front of the public."

Yan Shan rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

The matter that his niece was investigating had already exceeded the country's tolerance. Right now, she only knew a small part of it, which was still within acceptable limits. But if she went any further, the state authorities would certainly not stand idly by.

This concerns the future of the entire country, and it's not something a seventh-level ability user like her can access. If she tries to force it, she'll definitely run into obstacles and suffer heavy losses.

Yan Ziming analyzed Yan Shan's words, understood the implied meaning, and exclaimed in shock:

"So the country knew all along that the Qilin was with us?"

The biggest hurdle that artificial obsidian technology cannot overcome right now is the blood of the Qilin. However, the Qilin disappeared after the destruction of the Yongjing Military Administrative Region, so finding out the whereabouts of the Qilin is definitely the top priority.

From Yan Shan's words, we can infer that the state knew all along that the Qilin was in their hands! And it seems they even tacitly approved of it.

What exactly do the top leadership of the country mean right now?

"That's right, it was decided on short notice two hours ago."

Two hours ago, the nation's top leadership held another secret meeting, which lasted forty minutes, and decided on several major issues concerning the fate of the nation, one of which was the ownership of the Qilin.

The national leader had learned a day earlier that the Qilin was in Yan Zimo's hands. Yan Shan had spoken to him privately through a holographic projector. Given his position, there was no reason why he wouldn't know about something as important as the artificial obsidian crystal. So how surprised he was to see the Qilin appear beside Yan Zimo! He immediately contacted the national leader to request a meeting.

After thorough preparations, a meeting was held this morning to finalize plans for the future, including the recovery and reconstruction of the Yongjing Military Administrative District.

After resolving the above issues, the final issue to be resolved by vote is the ownership of the Qilin.

On this point, the voting results at the meeting were almost one-sided, with more than 60 percent of the senior executives disagreeing with handing over Qilin to Yan Ziming for management. Although Yan Shan and Huang Tao both agreed, the meeting was not led by them alone; many other bigwigs also held different opinions.

The final decision was made by the national leader, who quelled the uproar with just one sentence.

"The Qilin is not necessarily a blessing in the hands of the state; it is only in the hands of an individual that it can realize its true value. I hope everyone can remember the tragedy of Yongjing."

Only then was the ownership of the Qilin settled.

Then Yan Shan received Ye Qianxue's request for help. After sending someone to coordinate, he came to Yan Ziming's current residence to tell her about some of the decisions made at the meeting.

Yan Ziming still felt it was all a bit unreal. It turned out that the ownership of the Qilin had been decided two hours earlier, without his knowledge!

It's really unpleasant to feel ignored...

But she still had many questions, such as why the national leaders would entrust the Qilin to her. Yan Ziming honestly asked herself, and she didn't think she had that much ability.

Perhaps she did have it but didn't realize it, but she didn't want to take on that responsibility. All she wanted was to live a quiet and peaceful life.

"Are you trying to ask why the national leaders would agree to this?" Yan Shan saw what Yan Zimo was thinking. He had watched his niece grow up, and even though they hadn't had much contact in the past five years, he could still guess based on many of her habits.

"Well, I just wanted to take it in for a while, but why?"

"Hey! Is it just for a short period of time?"

Ye Qianxue was anxious. She really liked the Qilin and had even named it.

Oh right... I forgot about this girl's opinion.

Yan Ziming closed her eyes. If Ye Qianxue insisted on keeping Xiao Ze, there was nothing she could do. As the older sister, she had to go along with her.

Of course, the most important thing is that her younger sister is so cute, how could I possibly refuse?

"Don't worry, it won't happen, Yan Ziming. This is a mission assigned to you by the country, so listen carefully." Yan Shan reassured the anxious Ye Qianxue, stood up, saluted Yan Ziming, and said solemnly:

"Yan Ziming, from now on, the nation requires you to establish a friendly relationship with the Qilin and do everything in your power to protect it. Can you do that?"

Yan Ziming couldn't accept such formality, so he forced himself to stand up and saluted Yan Shan in return.

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

Yan Shan nodded in satisfaction, quite pleased with Yan Ziming's attitude.

"Didn't you ask me why the national leaders agreed to this? Actually, we had already discussed it privately, and it was just a formality at the meeting."

Yan Ziming suddenly realized, "That's how it works! If that's the case, then it makes sense."

But judging from this, it seems my uncle has a rather unusual relationship with national leaders.

Yan Shan took a sip of tea. There were still some details he hadn't mentioned. When he had his private conversation with the national leader, there was another person present. Originally, the national leader did not approve of Yan Ziming possessing the Qilin. Giving a key that could change the fate of the country to a nineteen-year-old girl was inappropriate, both rationally and emotionally.

Only after that person expressed his agreement did the national leader agree to the matter, and the words he uttered at the meeting were a direct quote from that person.

However, that person's existence is an absolute secret, with a level of secrecy no less than that of the artificial obsidian technology. In the entire country of China, probably only the leaders and the five pillars of the nation know of her existence.

Chapter 137 Transformation Period

Why did the national leader say, "We hope everyone will remember the tragedy of Yongjing"? And what is the connection between this and the ownership of the Qilin?

There is only one reason.

It is an auspicious beast, a favorite of heaven.

The status of a mythical beast allows it to bring good fortune, which is a good thing. However, if it falls into the hands of a state or a large organization, then it's a completely different story.

The downfall of the Yongjing Military Administrative Region is a case in point. Because the state needed it, it was imprisoned, and its resources were forcibly extracted to develop artificial obsidian crystal technology. How is this any different from slapping God in the face?

Thus, the Yongjing Military Administrative Region was destroyed; this is an indisputable fact.

The saying "The Qilin is not necessarily a blessing in the hands of the state" refers to this. The Qilin followed Yan Zimo of its own volition, so the state leaders tacitly approved of this.

Well, I've been away from the military for quite a while now...

After chatting with Yan Ziming and Ye Qianxue for a while, Yan Shan patted his trouser leg and finally said to Yan Ziming and Ye Qianxue:

"You all need to get a good rest today. Tomorrow morning, or at the latest by noon, we will begin our final battle. You must keep your spirits at full strength, understand? Also, remember to come to the conference room at eight o'clock tonight for the meeting."

Yan Ziming's heart tightened; she took this matter very seriously. She nodded.

"Okay, Uncle, be careful on the way."

Before leaving, Yan Shan specifically instructed him on one thing:

"By the way, a batch of new weapons and equipment will be delivered to the firing range this afternoon. You guys should go and try them out. Those things are quite powerful, so don't hurt yourselves on the battlefield."