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墨書 Inktalez
I was momentarily taken aback. The problem was that most of the people in the room were Caucasian and Black, with only two being Asian. However, they all spoke Chinese, and quite fluently too; if you didn’t look at their faces, you would genuinely think it was a group of Chinese people.
“Hey, hello. Where are you from?”
“Hello, I’m Relaxed.”
“Nice to meet you, my Chinese name is Cui Jianshe.”
I glanced around and asked, “Are you all going to Lop Nur?”
“Of course, I heard there’s going to be some big movements over there soon. We should head over and keep watch.”
After asking around, I realized I was the only Chinese person. Most of these individuals had been here since last year when Xiao Guolin’s Expedition Team had an incident. They were from various countries involved in Archaeology and the media. I didn’t dare reveal my identity; if they found out I was part of the current Expedition Team, my photo would probably make headlines. Of course, not in the entertainment section—I wouldn’t want to add to Wang Feng’s troubles.
Although I had to be cautious around these foreigners and avoid slipping up, observing them and listening to their casual chatter gave me some confidence about this trip. Several of them weren’t first-timers on this route; although it could be tough, they hadn’t encountered any major issues.
After warming ourselves by the fire for a while, we set off as dusk fell.
While driving on the main road, I didn’t really grasp the hardships faced by the foreigners until we turned onto a gravel path. That’s when I truly understood what they meant. It felt like sitting in a blender; unless you held onto the handles on the back of the front seats tightly, you risked flying up to kiss the ceiling at any moment.
There were seatbelts in the Seats, which gave me a sense of flying on an airplane. Once I secured myself in my seat, some mental pressure lifted. The vehicle never slowed down or stopped until we finally arrived at Luobupo Town just before dark.
When I got out of the car, it felt like all my bones had fallen apart. But there was no time to rest or complain; the local people who picked us up swiftly led us into a deep alley. It was a dead-end alley, and at the end stood a courtyard with a garden that contained several Mud Huts.
Everyone was exhausted, just wanting to find a place to rest. However, the person picking us up extended his hand. "One thousand each. No credit."
I was taken aback; I hadn't expected to pay for lodging. The two bills in my pocket felt pitifully small, barely enough for a night. There was no choice but to settle in first; this journey had nearly worn me out.
I stumbled into a room and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep immediately. When I woke up, it was already afternoon; this place got dark early, and it was just past three. The sun was already on the horizon.
I had very little luggage—just a few changes of clothes in my bag and no food prepared. Fortunately, this shady establishment provided meals. I quickly devoured two large bowls of Sauce Noodles, then went back to my room to call Fatty.
He couldn't possibly take a flight with that thing; he was still on the road. I explained my situation to him and urged him to be careful. I told him to call me as soon as he arrived at Lop Nur. I worried whether the money in my pocket would last until he got here; I hoped I wouldn't end up kicked out onto the street.
The first call I received was from Jack. He and Liu Squad Leader had arrived at Lop Nur third. I welcomed their arrival with tears in my eyes.
Liu Squad Leader had military credentials that allowed us to stay at the Government Guesthouse, finally liberating me from the sunless Mud Hut. Currently, aside from this Government Guesthouse, no other hotels were allowed to operate.
Because of this, the government guesthouse was fully booked. Liu Squad Leader only managed to secure a standard room with his military introduction letter. Three of us squeezed into one room; although it was uncomfortable, it was still much better than the Mud Hut, and there were other food options besides Sauce Noodles. I felt much better already.
It was just awkward sharing a room with Liu Squad Leader; I could only pretend not to see him and ignore him.
After a couple of days, Fatty's convoy arrived. Three Military Jeeps rolled into town, drawing a lot of attention.
They didn't unload anything from the vehicles; Jack and I climbed inside to take a look. It didn't resemble any weapon at all. At first glance, it looked like a power distribution cabinet—about one and a half meters tall, nearly a meter wide and thick—with a touchscreen on the front.
Jack fiddled with the touchscreen for a while before giving me a slight nod. Liu Squad Leader didn't get into the vehicle but stood outside; Jack wouldn't do anything in front of him anyway. But it wasn't necessary; from Jack's expression, I could tell that this thing was indeed the real deal.
I glanced at Liu Squad Leader. "Let's not stay in town any longer. There are too many eyes here; various countries' archaeologists, media, and even spies are lurking around. If they catch us, we'll all be famous for sure—guaranteed to make the front page of newspapers and magazines, though it might not necessarily be in China."
"There's a garrison to the north of the town where I was supposed to meet up. Brother Gang insisted I come to the town first. That place is also the base camp for this archaeological operation, and they've already prepared everything. The conditions there are much better than here."
"Then what are we waiting for? Get in the car," Fatty said, nodding at Liu Squad Leader.
This vehicle had been modified to transport the Antimatter Bomb; one row of seats had been removed from the back, and a few brackets had been welded onto the chassis to secure boxes. Oh, Fatty and his crew referred to the Antimatter Bomb simply as "the box" on their journey. This way, it was less likely to attract attention, and it was quite fitting.
Fatty took the passenger seat while Jack and I squeezed into the back row. When Liu Squad Leader saw Fatty motioning for him to get in, he forced his way into our vehicle. He even chose his spot carefully, sitting between Jack and me. Jack didn’t object much, but I found it quite irritating. If I didn’t need him to help carry the box down, I would have definitely kicked him out of the car.
Just as Liu Squad Leader was about to close the door, Vietnamese A San appeared at the entrance. "Brother Qiang."
I reached out and patted his shoulder. "Thanks for your hard work."
A San glanced at Fatty in the front seat. "I'm fine; it's thanks to Brother Gang coming along that things went smoothly."
Although I didn’t know the specifics of their difficulties, I could estimate that it hadn’t been easy given how long they had been delayed.
Worried that A San might accidentally let something slip in front of Liu Squad Leader, I hurriedly urged him into the car. "Get in first; once we settle down, I'll throw a celebration for you."
"Just make sure you cover for me when it comes to Director Cao. I haven't called him yet."
"Got it; I'll take care of it."
As our convoy pulled away from Roborov Town, I noticed a few foreign faces rushing toward us through the rear windshield. We were lucky to leave in time; otherwise, we would have ended up on their film rolls.
"Brother Qiang, what is this?" Liu Squad Leader asked me, tapping on the box in front of him.
I shivered; how could he dare to tap it? If it made a sound, it wouldn't just be our problem—Roborov Town would likely be leveled.
"Don't mess around; this is a High-Precision Instrument. If you break it, you won't be able to pay for it."
"Brother Gang, didn't you go to Vietnam to deal with weapons? How did you bring something like this back?" Liu Squad Leader looked a bit confused.
"The weapons are in the truck behind. This thing was ordered by Qiangzi from Europe. I don't really understand it, but it's supposed to detect human brain activity signals. Once we go down there, as long as someone is still alive—even if they can't move, their brain can still function—it will be able to detect them. We'll need it to find Xiao Guolin and the others. It's high-tech stuff."
Hearing this, I realized that Fatty could spin a tale even better than I could, leaving Liu Squad Leader in a daze.
(To Be Continued...)
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