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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 172: Racing Against Time 3
"It went much smoother than I imagined," Yin Nuo said, putting down the binoculars and revealing a relieved smile. She turned to the three of them and asked, "What should we do next?"
"Let me think for a moment." Jiang He squatted by the truck, tugging at his hair as he gazed at the towering silhouettes of buildings in the distance, feeling somewhat at a loss.
The journey from the provincial road into the Gobi Desert had been remarkably smooth, with almost no obstacles encountered. Even the trucks were cooperative; aside from burning fuel quickly, there were no other issues. After more than ten days and nights, the four of them finally set foot on the desolate land of the Gobi Desert. With the help of the graduate student, they used a compass to calibrate their map route and managed to see the Launch Tower standing against the vastness of the Gobi before sunset. As Yin Nuo had said, their progress was surprisingly smooth.
However, this was not the end.
"Is it really this easy to find?" The graduate student jumped out of the car after turning off the ignition, unable to suppress his amazement. The terrain of the Gobi Desert was relatively flat; from a high vantage point, one could see everything within sight. Clusters of Red Willows swayed in the wind, adding a touch of life to the cold-toned Gobi Desert.
"Maybe," Jiang He replied, taking a puff of his cigarette. His mood was somewhat complicated; it wasn't exactly homesickness but rather fear. The so-called Launch Base was right in front of them—would the person they were looking for be here? Rubbing his wind-chafed face, Jiang He stood up and said, "Let's find a sheltered spot to hide the truck. For safety's sake, we should walk."
"What? Walking is so tiring! What if there's danger?" Weiwei exclaimed with an expression as if the sky were falling. This long journey felt more like a leisurely sightseeing trip; after enjoying being driven around, she felt disheartened at the thought of trekking on foot again.
"That's exactly why we need to walk—because there might be danger," Jiang He explained while touching his nose. "The Gobi Desert is flat and open; a truck is too big a target. If we wait until nightfall to go over, we won't be easily spotted."
"But we don't even know if anyone is there; do we really need to be so cautious?" Weiwei thought Jiang He was overreacting.
"Better safe than sorry," Jiang He replied without further explanation. He turned and went to rummage through the back of the truck, where two Mascots had been cooped up for too long and were now bouncing around excitedly.
"Jiang He, how about I go with you? Yin Nuo and Weiwei can stay here; if anything happens, they can drive to pick us up," suggested the graduate student upon noticing Weiwei's displeasure.
"Sure." Jiang He pulled out two leather suitcases from the messy back compartment and tossed them down, shouting, "Let's eat something first. It's still a while until dark; we need to replenish our energy."
"Why don't we go together? It's quite far, and how will you notify us if something happens?" Yin Nuo said anxiously. "It's better to have more people for support."
"Don't worry, I've thought of that already." Jiang He tore open a pack of compressed biscuits and chewed on them, washing it down with a gulp of milk. He smiled and added, "As long as we have a few firecrackers, we'll be visible here at night."
"Whatever you say." Weiwei pouted and looked at the graduate student with concern. "Brother Bear, you must be careful."
"Don't worry about us," the graduate student chuckled, ruffling Weiwei's messy hair. "You all need to stay alert here too. Don't start a fire, and wear more layers."
"I know." Weiwei rolled her eyes at him and huffed a few times in annoyance.
Yin Nuo watched this unfold but didn't know what else to say. She glanced at Jiang He and found him smiling brightly at Weiwei and the graduate student.
"Hey." Yin Nuo nudged Jiang He with her foot and gave him a knowing look. Jiang He understood, chuckling awkwardly as he turned away to rummage through the suitcase.
"Wow!" Weiwei brushed off the crumbs of bread that had fallen on her and pointed at the various exquisite knives of different lengths and sizes inside the suitcase. "Where did all these weapons come from?"
"Picked them up on the way," the graduate student said as he took a silver-sheathed cavalry saber, boasting, "Isn't it beautiful? It was priced over two thousand!"
&&&&&&&&&&&
Zeng Yadong limped along behind the man in black, curiously observing the buildings and crowds around her, feeling somewhat amused. The scene resembled following a eunuch into the palace to meet the emperor, with many male and female attendants passing by. The Guide Eunuch remained silent, neither engaging her in conversation nor slowing his pace for her limp.
Guide Eunuch arrived at the Container building looking for Cheng Long, but he was not there. Chen Zhao Zhou happened to be leading a team to set up an Outpost around the construction area, leaving behind mostly Cheng Long's old subordinates, who had little fondness for the former RCA members and were indifferent to them. After asking around several times, Guide Eunuch finally found Zeng Yadong sitting on a dirt platform, lost in thought. Zeng Yadong was not surprised by this; judging from the events of the morning, it was clear that Su Lan had some connection with that *oss*. Although the meeting did not go as well as hoped, it seemed unlikely that anything would happen to Su Lan. Sure enough, just after noon, an Imperial Edict arrived to summon someone.
With nothing to her name, Zeng Yadong followed the man in black without hesitation after he explained his purpose. To her, there was no difference between being inside or outside; after all, they were all prisoners at the bottom of the hierarchy, and it was naturally better to be with familiar faces.
The direction that Guide Eunuch took her in did not seem to be the main entrance. Given the size of the complex, it was illogical for the main entrance to be so small. Moreover, the space behind this door was limited, with a row of Color Steel Houses extending along the wall. Numerous vehicles were parked on both sides, and men in black of various skin tones busily went about their tasks, ignoring the limping girl.
Zeng Yadong maintained a calm expression, but her mind was racing. Especially when she saw the battlements and added towers on either side of the high walls, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets... The Brick Wall of Nantang Township was clearly a copy! Even the wooden fence's fortifications were identical! Zeng Yadong couldn't understand why Cheng Long and his group, being locals originally, had chosen to stake their claim in such a desolate place. Was it merely for the thrill of being in charge?
Unlike her fanciful thoughts, Guide Eunuch hurriedly led her into the gray-black building and through a dimly lit and empty hall to the entrance of an Elevator.
"Wow, we can still take an elevator?" Zeng Yadong exclaimed in surprise as she looked around; the lobby felt desolate, like a bankrupt office building.
The man in black ignored her. When the elevator doors opened, he ushered her inside and pressed the button for Su Lan's floor before letting out a quiet sigh.
This elevator was different from any she had ridden before; there were no reflective surfaces or LED lights displaying the floors, and it made quite a bit of noise while operating. The man in black remained silent, and Zeng Yadong, not wanting to embarrass herself further, glanced at the Combat Knife tucked beside his boot and shifted closer to him.
"We've arrived." The man in black paid no attention to her movements as he stepped out when the doors opened.
Cursing under her breath, Zeng Yadong dragged her still unsteady leg after him. Looking around again, she couldn't help but mutter: what kind of place is this? Why is there a chain hotel among these strange buildings in the vast Gobi? Who on earth would bother carpeting this place?
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