Cassian stepped into the cave and ran his hand along the stone wall until he found a small, inconspicuous bump. He pressed down hard. Nothing happened. Natalie blinked. "Uh … what's that supposed to do?" Cassian gave an awkward smile. "It's built that way to prevent accidents—the trigger needs a lot of force." He braced himself and pressed again, this time harder. Still nothing. Natalie was trying not to laugh. "You sure you're pressing the right spot?" He said nothing, just tried again and again. By the time Natalie thought he might start jumping on it, the stone finally sank in with a dull click. Cassian let out a nearly invisible sigh of relief and wiped his forehead, pretending calm. "There we go." The moment he spoke, a deep rumbling echoed through the cave. The seamless rock face ahead began to shift, slowly parting to reveal a passageway. Natalie stared, amazed. She leaned in to inspect the stone he'd pressed. It really was a hidden button. But there were hundreds of similar little bumps all over the wall—how had he known which one to press? Cassian explained, "You memorize the approximate area, then look closely. There's a very faint difference in the pattern." Natalie clicked her tongue. "Yeah, no normal person would ever find that." Cassian led the way, with Natalie and the three little ones following him into the narrow passage. The inner walls looked different from the outer cave. They glimmered faintly green, and the air was thick with the scent of flowers and herbs.Lucky sniffed everywhere, nose twitching rapidly. Yes—this was the smell it had caught earlier. Cassian kept walking and said, "The walls are coated with a special fragrance. It can last for decades without fading." Natalie frowned. "Why bother with that?" Cassian glanced down at the dog. "Protection and concealment." Natalie understood immediately. The scent masked everything inside. Even if someone like her showed up with a sharp-nosed dog, they would never trace it here. The fragrance matched the natural smell of the mountain perfectly, leaving nothing out of place. Soon, the tunnel ended at a blank wall. Natalie raised an eyebrow. "So there's a second mechanism?" Cassian nodded. "There are layers of doors." She stared at him. "This is starting to sound like a treasure cave. Have you been reading too many tomb-raider novels? What is this, a royal mausoleum?" Cassian smiled faintly. "Never read one. I just like the sense of security it gives." Natalie gave him a look. "Security for what? You built this before the apocalypse, didn't you?" He nodded. "It was just for my collection. Think of it as a private collection—not open to the public." Then, almost smugly, he added, "Good thing I built it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had anywhere to store all those goods and high-value supplies once everything collapsed." Natalie couldn't help but laugh. "You really are something. No matter what happens, your life never seems to get too bad." Even if it hadn't been the apocalypse but the sudden fall of the Holland Group, he could still rebuild his fortune on the back of his priceless antiques. The man didn't just leave himself a backup plan—he built an entire highway out of it. Before she could finish the thought, Cassian had already moved on to the second mechanism. This wall was different from the last; it was made of neatly arranged stone bricks. Natalie watched him press a few specific bricks, and moments later, the door began to slide open. She let out a low whistle. "So this one works differently too?" Cassian shook his head. "No markings this time. The bricks all look the same." Then he explained, "You just have to remember the sequence. First row, ninth brick. Fourth row, fifth brick. Eighth row, 15th brick." Natalie frowned. "Is there any logic to that pattern?" Cassian nodded. "It's a date. Easy to remember." "A date?" She thought for a moment, repeating softly, "One, nine, four, five, eight, fifteen ... That's 1945, August 15." It took her a second, then her eyes widened. "That's the day Borduria surrendered to Drakoria!" Cassian nodded again. "A memorable day." Natalie clapped for him, half teasing. "Not bad. Never thought a capitalist like you could be this patriotic."