68: Chapter 68 Corregidor Island

In the early morning, Li Xin opened his eyes, feeling groggy.

He really couldn't sleep; he had too much on his mind. Lying in bed, he stared at the ceiling for a while, then rolled over and went to the mirror. Looking at himself, he saw slight dark circles under his eyes, but his energy was decent.

By this time, the small restaurant downstairs had already opened. He walked in and ordered a Filipino breakfast—garlic rice, a fried egg, sausage, plus a cup of black coffee. The landlady recognized him and asked in English with a smile, "Handsome, going to have fun on the island today?"

"Yes, boss lady." Li Xin took a mouthful of rice. "What time does the boat arrive?"

"There's one at eight o'clock. It only takes ten minutes to get to the pier from here."

Li Xin checked his watch: 7:15. Plenty of time.

After eating, he went back to his room to pack. Carrying his old backpack, he set off casually like any other tourist.

When he checked out, the landlady smiled at him. "Handsome, heading off to the island now?"

"Yes," Li Xin replied with a smile.

"Then you must be careful. Some parts of the island are still undeveloped, and there are quite a few snakes." She smiled, gently reminding him again.

"Just stick with a tour group. There are plenty of guides there, so don't wander off on your own."

"Thanks, I'll be careful."

Li Xin nodded with a smile, then walked out of the hotel with his backpack and headed along the coastline toward the pier.

Manila Bay was very quiet in the early morning. A few fishing boats floated on the sea, their bow lights flickering faintly. The air carried a subtle, salty, fishy scent.

Arriving at the pier, a Ro-Ro ship was docked at the shore, with the large letters "CORREGIDOR" written on its hull. By now, many tourists were already standing on the ship's deck.

At exactly eight o'clock, the ship set sail. Li Xin found a spot near the edge to stand, resting his hand on the railing. Gazing into the distance, a sense of peace and stability welled up inside him.

The sea breeze was strong, blowing his hair all over. Li Xin squinted as he looked at the distant sea. As the ship sailed further away, the seawater gradually turned blue, growing deeper in color.

The tour guide on the ship began introducing in English, "Corregidor Island, with an area of about 5 square kilometers, was the last stronghold of the US military in the Philippines during World War II. In 1942, MacArthur evacuated from here, leaving behind his famous words, 'I shall return'..."

"Pfft..." Hearing the guide's introduction, Li Xin almost choked on his own spit.

"I will be back!" It gave him a bit of a Big Bad Wolf vibe.

The outline of Corregidor Island gradually appeared on the sea. It was high in the middle and low on both sides, looking like a turtle shell lying in the ocean. Some white buildings could be seen on the island, which were the war memorials.

As soon as the ship docked, Li Xin followed the crowd and quickly got off. At the pier, several modified military jeeps were parked, painted military green, towing open-air carriages that could seat over a dozen people. The island's tour vehicles had been waiting here early.

The guide was a Filipino uncle with sun-baked, dark skin, wearing an old military cap, and speaking in a loud voice: "Welcome to Corregidor Island, everyone! My name is Mario, your guide for today. Please get in the vehicle, we will first visit the artillery batteries."

The tourists chatted and laughed as they boarded. Li Xin found a seat near the side. Next to him was an elderly white couple, seemingly in their seventies, with completely white hair.

The Old Lady looked at him and smiled, "Young man, traveling alone?"

"Yes, I heard this place is pretty interesting, so I came to check it out."

"Young people are great." She patted her husband's arm. "We came with a tour group and are staying on the island for one night."

Li Xin smiled and didn't say anything.

The jeep started up and drove east along the island's only concrete road. Both sides of the road were filled with tropical plants—coconut trees, banana trees, and various nameless shrubs.

At this moment, Mario stood at the front of the vehicle, holding a microphone, pointing and explaining, "On the left is the US military cemetery, with over six thousand tombstones, where US soldiers who died in World War II are buried. On the right is the Japanese Military's position. Back then, the Japanese Military dug many tunnels here..."

Listening to his explanation, Li Xin kept looking out the window, silently chanting in his mind, "System, background Scan."

[Scanning... No gold detected within a radius of 8,990 meters.]

None. No rush, they had only toured half the island.

Before long, they reached the first stop—the artillery batteries.

It was a massive coastal artillery battery, with its barrels pointing toward Manila Bay. The barrels were rusted, covered in mottled rust, but one could still see its former grandeur. Beneath the battery lay layers of concrete structures, including ammunition depots, command posts, and soldiers' quarters.

Mario led everyone into the tunnels beneath the battery. The tunnel was wide enough for three people to walk abreast, with dim yellow electric lights installed on the ceiling. Old black-and-white photos hung on the walls, showing scenes of US soldiers living on the island back then.

"These tunnels were built by the US military, with a total length of several kilometers," Mario's voice echoed in the tunnel. "After the Japanese Military captured the island in 1942, they expanded them significantly."

Walking in the middle of the group, Li Xin had the system Scan as he walked.

Still nothing.

He frowned. Was the treasure on the island merely a legend?

Mario took everyone to visit several batteries, a war museum, and the former site of a Japanese command post. The tourists took photos, listened to explanations, and walked and stopped along the way.

Mingling with the crowd, Li Xin took a few photos just for show. The system kept scanning in the background, but there was still no response.

At lunchtime, Li Xin ordered a simple meal at the island's restaurant. He looked at his phone's map while eating.

There was still one area of the island he hadn't been to—the west coast.

Mandeni had said that almost no tourists went to the western coastline. Perhaps there would be a surprise there.

Putting down his chopsticks, he walked over to Mario. "Guide, where are we going this afternoon?"

Mario checked the itinerary. "This afternoon we go to the lighthouse, and then to the Japanese Military's tunnel complex. Those tunnels were where the Japanese Military made their last stand; they are very deep and long."

"What about the west coast? Are we going there?"

Mario shook his head. "The road there is hard to travel, and it's not on the regular route. Besides, there are no attractions over there, just rocks and trees."

"I'd like to go take a look, is that okay?" Li Xin continued to ask.

Mario glanced at him. "You can go if you want, but you'll have to walk. The tour vehicle doesn't go there. It takes about two hours round trip, and you must be back before dark. The last boat leaves at five in the afternoon."

"Alright, no problem."

Mario pulled a crumpled map from his pocket and pointed to the west. "Walk west along this road, go over that small hill, and you'll be there. There's no signal over there, so stay safe on the way."

Li Xin took a photo of the map, slung on his backpack, and set off.

The sun was very strong now, baking the ground hot. Walking on foot was quite exhausting.

[Ding... Gold detected, seven kilometers ahead. Reserves unknown, need to get closer to confirm.]

A sudden wave of ecstasy washed over him. "Hahaha, there really is a treasure!" Li Xin was overjoyed and quickened his pace.

After walking for about an hour, he finally crossed the small hill, and his vision suddenly opened up—the west coast had arrived.

Unlike the east side, there was no pier here, no buildings, only a black volcanic rock coastline. Waves crashed against the rocks, splashing white foam. The shore was covered with cacti and low shrubs, and the wind blowing over felt hot.

Li Xin stood on the shore and looked around. No people. No boats. Only the sea and the rocks.

"System, Scan."

[Scanning...]

A few seconds later.

[Ding... Gold detected. Location: approximately 25 meters directly below, in a natural rock fissure. Traces of artificial piling detected.]

[Gold content: approximately 30.2 tons. Type: finished gold (gold bars, gold bricks, gold Buddhas).]

[Cultural relics detected simultaneously: approximately 300 pieces. Type: bronzware, porcelain, Buddha statues, jewelry, silverware. Origin: 60% lost cultural relics from China, 40% cultural relics from Southeast Asia.]

[Estimated value: gold approximately 8.1 billion RMB, cultural relics approximately 1.5 billion RMB.]

Li Xin took a deep breath.

Pressing his hand against the rock, his heart pounded wildly. The sea breeze was strong, making his clothes rustle loudly, but he felt neither hot nor cold.

25 meters deep. In a rock fissure.

No wonder no one had found it. Ordinary detection equipment couldn't possibly probe to this depth. Moreover, the entrance was by the sea, submerged during high tide and only exposed at low tide. Even if someone walked here, they would only see a pile of random rocks.

"System, Extraction."

[Extracting... Please wait.]

[Extraction complete. Obtained 30.2 tons of gold and 300 cultural relics.]

[Cumulative refined gold: 291.7057 tons.]

Li Xin jumped up abruptly, waving one hand in the air, his excitement unable to subside for a long time.

He glanced at the coastline. The waves were still crashing, the wind was still blowing, and the cacti were still growing. Nothing had changed.

But he, Li Xin, had once again found a treasure left behind by the Japanese Military. Just thinking about it made him happy.

He spun around happily and skipped his way back.

When he reached the small hill, he stopped and looked back at the west coast. The sunlight shone on the sea, sparkling like a handful of scattered gold.

His gold-seeking journey in the Philippines was temporarily coming to an end.

When he returned to the visitor center at 3:30, Mario was taking photos with the tourists under the lighthouse. Seeing Li Xin return, he asked with a smile, "How was it over there? Any luck?"

Li Xin's heart suddenly tightened, thinking, "Did he notice something unusual?"

However, he still replied with a smile, "What?" while quietly observing the other party out of the corner of his eye.

"Didn't you say you were going to look for attractions?"

"Oh, there's nothing much over there." Li Xin finally felt relieved and smiled. "Just rocks and trees. I took a few photos."

Mario nodded and didn't ask further.

At five in the afternoon, the last boat left Corregidor Island.

Li Xin stood on the deck, watching the island grow smaller and smaller until it finally vanished below the horizon. The sea breeze blew against his face, feeling chilly. However, at this moment, the corners of his mouth curled up imperceptibly; this trip to the Philippines could be said to be highly rewarding.

By the time the boat docked, it was almost dark. Li Xin didn't spend the night in Manila, but directly hailed a taxi to the airport.

In the car, he sent a message to Chen Hu: "Book a ticket to Dubai for tonight."

Chen Hu replied instantly: "Understood. Boss, what time?"

"The sooner, the better."

"There's a flight at eleven tonight, direct from Manila to Dubai."

"That's the one."

He sent another message to Li Jiayi: "The business in the Philippines is done. Flying to Dubai tonight."

Li Jiayi replied: "Okay. Stay safe."

Li Xin slipped his phone into his pocket and leaned back against the seat.

Outside the window, Manila's night scene was very bright, filled with neon lights everywhere. The car threaded through the traffic, with honking horns and motorcycle engines blending together.

He closed his eyes.

Dubai, time to go deal with this treasure.

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