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墨書 Inktalez
Seeing that both I and Fatty remained silent, Ah Xiang seemed even more dissatisfied. He tapped the map with his finger and said, "Mr. Zhang, I have already prepared the transportation. We will cross the river from Large Stone Slab, follow National Highway, and branch off near Ban Gui Township. It’s about two hundred miles of mountain roads. I hope we can set off as soon as possible."
I traced his route on the map and asked, "After we get off the vehicle, we need to follow Beipan River. Do we have the tools ready for climbing over mountains? What about lighting and communication equipment? And most importantly, you still haven't told me what our target is. What kind of tomb are we dealing with? How can I prepare without this information? Of course, it would be better if you had more professional personnel guiding us. Have you prepared the necessary tools and equipment?"
My words seemed to take the wind out of Ah Xiang's sails. If they had more professional personnel, they wouldn't be forcing me to accompany them on this trip, which gave me a sense of confidence. However, my main purpose in saying all this was to buy time; I was waiting for Jack's call to confirm Cao Mingzhe's direction after leaving Ban Gui Township. At that moment, the fifty thousand USD that Jack had transferred into my account became significant.
"I'll know the specifics when we get there. I’ve prepared some lighting equipment; you can check if it's sufficient. I also have some explosives, but I didn’t prepare much climbing gear and ropes since they won’t be very useful for us. If you need more, you can buy some additional ones. What else do you think we need?" Ah Xiang shrugged.
"You want to blow up the tomb? I can't agree to that. You'd destroy everything inside in one go. I suggest using more professional methods to enter the tomb. I need a powerful Metal Detector; once we’re in the mountains, there probably won't be any cell signal left. Let’s prepare a few Walkie-Talkies so we can communicate among ourselves. Without knowing the structure of the tomb, I can't give you more suggestions; I'll only know what else we need when we get on-site."
"I can contact someone to get Walkie-Talkies; getting a powerful Metal Detector is trickier. Do you have any connections? Money is not an issue."
"Alright, I'll ask a friend; it shouldn't be a problem." Just as I finished speaking, my phone rang from my jacket pocket. I took it out and saw it was Jack calling.
"The money has been transferred." After answering the call, Jack said only this before neither hanging up nor continuing the conversation. Clearly, he was unaware of my current situation and was waiting for me to give him a cue.
I chuckled lightly into the phone, "Just as I was about to look for you, you called! I need a high-powered Metal Detector that isn’t too bulky or heavy, along with some climbing tools and ropes. Can you help me get these?"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "Have you connected with Ah Xiang?"
"Yes."
"Is it inconvenient for him to talk?"
"Of course."
"Are these things what you need?"
"Yes. I'm in a hurry; please make sure to get them quickly. Also, which direction did Old Cao head? You didn't clarify last time; he still has my things." My question came out somewhat publicly, resembling a coded call during wartime. There was no choice; I needed this information immediately; otherwise, I couldn't make a decision.
“Cao Mingzhe? Head west from Ban Gui Township, that's all I know about the general direction.”
“Got it. Get the stuff to me by phone.” I hung up.
I turned to Ah Xiang and said, “I've contacted a friend. The items I need will take a few days to arrive. Here’s the plan: we’ll split up. I’ll go pick up the items, and you all can head out first. Let’s set a meeting point, and as soon as I get the items, I’ll rush over.”
“Then let’s meet at Ban Gui Township. We’ll wait for you there.”
Hearing this made me uneasy, but I had no reason to argue, so I nodded. “Alright. I’ll make sure to hurry.”
After that, Fatty and I left the hotel. On our way to the bus station, I called Jack to inform him of my decision.
“What? Are you sure their goal is the same as Cao Mingzhe’s?” Jack asked in surprise.
“There’s a strong possibility. This is the safest decision I can make right now. If their destination is different from Cao Mingzhe’s, we can shake them off later. But if they’re headed to the same place, it would be a shame not to follow this lead. What do you think?”
“Yeah, that makes sense. But they’re coming to Ban Gui Township, and there’s only one hotel here. It’s impossible not to run into each other. Xiao Ting and I will definitely be exposed here; should we hide for a bit?”
“You two should head back—no, move towards my direction. Let’s meet in Zhenfeng County. We need to have a face-to-face with all four of us; there’s something important I want to discuss in front of everyone.”
“Is it really important?”
“Yes. Make sure you two hurry over. Have you contacted about the gear and equipment?”
“I’ve already reached out, and we have professional search personnel on standby; we should have news by tomorrow.”
“Alright, see you in Zhenfeng.”
After hanging up, Fatty and I boarded a short-distance bus, and by evening we checked into a hotel in Zhenfeng. The entire journey was nerve-wracking; it felt like we were on the run. Thankfully it was a short-distance bus; if it had been a long-distance one, I would have made Fatty throw away his backpack. I'm almost developing a fear of backpacks at this point.
After checking into the hotel, I found an excuse to slip out. Being with a guy carrying a gun made me feel pressured. The hotel we stayed at was on Fumin Road in Zhenfeng County. Just across the intersection from the hotel, there was a teahouse. Seeking some peace, I sat down in a secluded corner and ordered a pot of Guizhou green tea.
Ever since I learned that Fatty had brought a gun into the country, I felt inexplicably tense. This tension was different from the near-death experience in Myanmar or the risky meeting with Wu Qitai in Laos. While I wouldn't face the death penalty for bringing a gun into the country, my anxiety stemmed more from the fear of losing my freedom and hope. It felt utterly unfair to think that something could go wrong because of this. Hiding in the teahouse was naturally a way to relax, but the main reason for my solitude was to carefully consider my next actions.
The information revealed by Ah Xiang changed my initial plans, and even Jack and Xiao Ting's actions deviated from what we had originally intended. We had initially split into groups to gather more information about Xiao Guolin and his team, but it seemed that neither group had achieved their expected goals; instead, we all inadvertently followed the lead on Cao Mingzhe. Now, the four of us were about to regroup, but I didn't plan on having all four of us act together; I still wanted to split into two groups, and I had my reasons for doing so.
The problem was how to divide the groups, which left me scratching my head.
First of all, Fatty was a nuisance. He was determined to pull off this job, and if he teamed up with Ah Xiang, things would definitely deviate from my expectations. Jack was the person I trusted the least; currently, there wasn't anyone in AE that I could trust. I was filled with doubts about this organization. As for Xiao Ting, I felt both pity and affection for her; I couldn't bear to let her endure any heavier burdens. This trip into the mountains shouldn't pose much danger, and I needed to ensure she remained unharmed.
How should I allocate personnel?
Recently, the story's pace has been slow due to my poor state. I will speed things up and hope everyone continues to support me. Thank you.
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