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墨書 Inktalez
I opened the door of a taxi parked outside the bar and got in, saying to the driver, "Take me there. It's fate."
Coincidentally, the only driver I know in all of Beijing is this very taxi driver. I'm back in his car again. That's good; it saves me from having to give him my address since he already knows which hotel I'm staying at.
"It's a karmic connection," the Beijing guy said, sounding rather blunt.
"You’re overthinking it; we don’t have that kind of relationship." Although this fight didn’t turn out as satisfying as I expected, at least it allowed me to vent a bit, and my words began to flow more easily as I teased him.
Before I got out of the car, the driver said to me, "You should hurry and leave; don’t stick around in Beijing. The person you hit today has connections—one of the most troublesome groups of princelings in the city. If they block off Beijing, it won’t end well for you."
I smiled at him. "Let’s get going then; I’ll be on my way."
I figured this Beijing guy would be pondering my words for a while. Was that a departure or a journey?
Early spring in Beijing is still quite chilly, but I could already see hints of green. Meanwhile, Korla still felt like deep winter.
The walk from the tarmac to the Departure Hall nearly froze me solid. After getting off the shuttle bus, I decided to stay put in the Departure Hall for a moment to warm up.
I was in a hurry not to meet up with Cao Mingzhe's main group; I needed to see Fatty first to sort out the bomb situation. At least figure out whether it was a bomb or just scrap metal.
I dialed A San's number. Currently, contacting Fatty was the safest line; no one else knew this number.
Fatty answered the phone and immediately asked me, "Where are you?"
"In Korla, just got off the plane. Where are you? Have you contacted Jack? What’s going on?"
"I'm almost at Lop Nur, on the way now. The American Guy hasn't given a clear answer; we need to see the thing to confirm. I've asked Liu Squad Leader to come along. Let's meet at Lop Nur, you should hurry over here too."
"Are you crazy? If Liu Squad Leader comes along, what if he takes a look at that thing?"
"Pfft. You think too highly of him. Even if a weapons expert sees it, they'll be just as confused. Don't let him guess; just telling him what it is won't help either. He won't believe it. You'll see when you get there—it's useless; it really doesn't look like a weapon at all.
Also, Lop Nur is completely sealed off right now. If he doesn't come, it's not just that thing—no one can get in."
"Brother Jiang, listening to you makes me feel like you've been fooled. If it doesn't even look like a weapon, then it probably isn't one."
There was a moment of silence. I heard Fatty mumbling, "Let's wait until we arrive. A San is pretty sure; he can hear some secret conversations that we can't."
"Alright then. I'm heading to Lop Nur now." I resigned myself to it.
After rushing from the airport to the long-distance bus station, I found out that the buses to Lop Nur had already stopped running; currently, that place only allows people to leave but not enter. I circled around the bus station but didn't see a single bus heading to Lop Nur; even the ones that used to pass through had changed their routes.
Just as I was feeling troubled, a short man approached and asked me, "Where are you going?"
I tightened my coat around me. "Lop Nur. Are you heading there?"
The short man gave me a knowing look and gestured for me to follow him. We exited the bus station and walked two streets over. He stopped in a secluded alley.
"I could tell right away where you were headed. You've found the right person; that's correct—I specialize in trips to Lop Nur."
I looked around but didn't see any cars. "Where's the vehicle? You can't be serious about making me run all the way to Lop Nur."
The short man chuckled. "Of course, there's a car. But the price is a bit high."
He stared at me, not in a hurry to discuss the fare, as if assessing my ability to pay.
I smiled. I still had two stacks of cash in my pocket and had no intention of taking it underground. No matter how I spent it, it was better to use it wisely.
"Let's go over the route. I'm familiar with that area. I want to hear if you can actually take me there without wasting money, especially if you plan on giving me trouble halfway."
"Heh heh. You're a smart guy, so I won't deceive you. First, we'll head to Ruoqiang, then take the road towards Lop Nur. After passing the Milan Sixth Group, we'll turn onto another road and go around the west side into Roborov Town. There will be people waiting for us there."
"This route seems convoluted. Running back and forth to Lop Nur should be enough. There are no roads over there; what kind of vehicle do you have? If it breaks down halfway, there's no place to seek help."
"You'll find out when we get there. So, are you feeling reassured now? This is a legitimate job; I guarantee I'll get you to Lop Nur."
"Alright then. The route is a bit roundabout, but if we can really avoid checkpoints in that area, it should be fine. Let's go check out the car."
"First, you need to pay."
"Are you kidding me? I'm not handing over money without seeing the car first. You know this city well; if you run off with my cash, where would I find you?"
"Well, let's settle on the fare first so we don't have any regrets later."
"Fine, how much is it?"
"Ten thousand, one person."
"Are you selling a car? With that price, we could gather a few people and buy a vehicle."
"Brother, this is a life-and-death business. If the checkpoint finds us, they’ll shoot on sight. It’s dangerous work; ten thousand isn’t too much."
I shivered at his words. Damn it, I'm risking my life for this trip too—who's paying me?
"Listen up. Right now, all the hotels in Roborov Town are closed. If you go there without local connections, you'll have to sleep on the street. Think about it—this all-inclusive service for ten thousand is a bargain."
No matter what, I couldn't enter Roborov Town without a local's black car. Once I realized that, I stopped hesitating. Besides, I wasn't short on cash at the moment.
"Alright, deal. But let's get one thing straight first: ten thousand to get me into Roborov Town. If you try to pull any tricks or raise the price halfway through, don’t blame me for getting angry—I don’t have extra money for you to extort."
"Trust me; we’re doing honest work here. We won’t cheat you."
The shorter man led me into a courtyard. It was quite large, and in front of a mud hut was an old minibus. From afar, it looked pretty worn out, and my heart sank as I felt a sense of dread. If this junk broke down on the way, everyone inside would probably freeze to death.
"This old thing? Is it reliable?"
"We're not new to this; don’t worry, we’ll get you to Lop Nur safely."
Can I really trust them? I certainly didn’t want to die unjustly.
I walked over and circled the old minibus, noticing that while the body was worn, the frame was intact. It was clear that it had been privately assembled or modified. Lying on the ground for a closer look, I could see that the suspension system and tires had been replaced. The new tires were wide and large, giving the vehicle a monstrous appearance.
"Looks good. Seems like it was done by professionals, real experts," I remarked.
"Of course, you can't do this job without some skill. Come inside and warm up," the short man said, pointing to the mud hut.
"You're eager for money, huh?" I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
As soon as I entered, seven or eight pairs of eyes turned to look at me.
(To Be Continued...)
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