There wasn't a single shred of flesh left on the bones—only a clean, pale skeleton. It must have taken decades to decay to this extent. Whoever this was had been dead for a very long time.
The skull was split open from above. A pistol remained clenched in the skeleton's hand.
A suicide.
The angle told the story clearly—gun in the mouth, fired upward, obliterating the skull.
Li Qinwu crouched down and pried the weapon free, intending to inspect it. But the moment he touched it, he realized it was useless. The metal had long succumbed to corrosion. The slide wouldn't move. The magazine wouldn't release.
Time had devoured even steel.
His gaze shifted back to the corpse.
Why would someone like this choose to die here?
Even in death, traces of status remained. The tattered remains of clothing clung to the bones—once finely made, adorned with metal ornaments. In a world where most wore cheap synthetic fibers just to survive, this level of detail spoke of wealth.
Status.
Power.
Li Qinwu began searching the room more carefully. In a corner, half-buried beneath debris, he found a leather-bound notebook.
He flipped it open.
A metallic object slipped free and clattered onto the ground.
Li Qinwu picked it up.
A palm-sized, shield-shaped badge.
Cold. Heavy. Intricate.
He opened the system interface.
Name: The Chapter of Earl White Tree
Value: Priceless
Description:
The White Tree family—three centuries of legacy. Founded by a decorated Star Force Major whose military achievements earned imperial recognition.
Three hundred years ago, he retired to Agricultural Planet 496b. There, by merit and imperial decree, he was granted the title of Earl and established the White Tree lineage.
Through centuries of upheaval, the family endured, becoming one of the entrenched noble houses of the Upper Hive.
This crest—symbol of authority. Symbol of inheritance.
Li Qinwu's pulse quickened.
Before he could fully process the implications, the system notification sounded.
Ding! Important item acquired. Main quest unlocked.
A noble legacy lies before you.
Will you sell it for profit?
Return it for favor?
Or claim it—and become the new Earl of White Tree?
"…What the hell."
Li Qinwu stared at the crest in his hand.
A main quest.
His eyes flicked back to the skeleton.
So this… was an Earl?
Then why die here, alone, like this?
Curiosity surged.
He opened the notebook.
And began to read.
The entries were fragmented, but the story was clear.
Earl White Tree had lost everything.
His strategic warehouse—this very place—had once been a cornerstone of his family's wealth. But political struggles among the Upper Hive nobility stripped it from him. His influence collapsed.
Then came the assassinations.
One by one, his children were killed.
Three sons. Two daughters.
All gone.
Grief twisted into madness.
The Earl gathered forces, prepared retaliation. But when the time came to strike, every move had already been countered.
His enemy knew everything.
The betrayal came from within.
His wife.
She had conspired with a rival noble. Fed them information. Destroyed his final chance.
And worse—
She poisoned him.
Stripped him of his ability to produce heirs.
The final humiliation.
That was when he broke.
The first Earl—the founder—had left behind a final trump card.
A neurotoxin bomb.
A weapon smuggled down from the stars, hidden as a relic.
Earl White Tree used it.
He detonated it in the Upper Hive.
The toxin spread across vast districts.
Hundreds of millions died.
Enemies. Allies. Innocents.
All erased.
The board wiped clean.
And with nothing left—
He came here.
Blew the access stairs.
And ended his life.
Silence filled the room.
Li Qinwu slowly lowered the notebook.
"…Ruthless."
Even in failure, the man had dragged the entire world down with him.
Li Qinwu looked at the crest again, expression unreadable.
Ambition stirred—but so did caution.
A bottom-hive scavenger dreaming of becoming an Earl?
That wasn't ambition.
That was suicide.
Not yet.
He needed information first.
He would investigate the White Tree family—if they still existed at all.
After all… after a massacre like that, their enemies wouldn't have left survivors lightly.
He put the crest away and continued searching.
The rest of the rooms yielded smaller gains:
Two gold wine cups
One gold dining plate
A gold ring
Total estimated value: 50,000.
Not bad.
Gold still held value—even in this distant age. Not for rarity, but for status.
The powerful needed symbols.
And gold never lost its shine.
He packed everything and stepped out onto the metal platform.
Then—
He paused.
A strange feeling crept into his mind.
Something was off.
Like missing loot in a raid.
Like overlooking something important.
His instincts—sharpened by his high mental energy—prickled.
"…No. I missed something."
He turned back.
The room was searched again.
Top to bottom.
Every drawer. Every crack. Every hidden corner.
Nothing.
Dust coated his hands.
Frustration crept in.
"Not possible…"
His gaze drifted—
Back to the skeleton.
And the pile of decayed clothing around it.
Synthetic fiber clothing lasted centuries.
But this?
This was silk.
Natural fiber.
Already decomposed into brittle fragments.
His eyes narrowed.
He crouched down.
Slowly pushed aside the remains.
And there—
A card.
Black. Metallic. Untouched by time.
He picked it up and wiped it clean.
Activated the system.
Name: Black Card — Container Electronic Key (5/10)
Value: Priceless
Description:
Key card used by the White Tree family to manage strategic warehouse containers.
Each use reduces magnetic integrity.
Maximum uses: 10
Remaining uses: 5
After depletion, requires reauthorization by the Earl.
Li Qinwu froze.
Then—
His expression changed.
"…Jackpot."
He rushed back to the locked room and swiped the card.
Click.
Error.
The door didn't open.
Different access system.
But that didn't matter anymore.
His gaze slowly shifted outward.
Toward the massive warehouse beyond.
Countless sealed containers.
Most abandoned.
Some forced open.
Many still intact.
Each one… a blind box.
And in his hand—
Five chances.
Li Qinwu's grip tightened around the card.
His eyes burned with anticipation.
Even if most were worthless—
There was no way all five would be.
He was already planning.
Manpower.
Extraction.
Timing.
Then—
His eyes snapped toward the distance.
Lights.
Movement.
Someone else had entered the arena.
Li Qinwu's expression hardened.
The hunt was about to begin.