The house the two rented was in the farthest outskirts of the city, in a remote and desolate area. During the day, the bus only ran four times, making travel extremely inconvenient.
For this mission, they had ridden bicycles.
Before entering the wilderness that morning, they had hidden the two bicycles deep in waist-high grass by the roadside.
Now that they were heading home, the two bent down and pushed through the grass, parting the tangled weeds with both hands. They wheeled out their bicycles, coated in dust and covered in grass clippings, then raised their hands to brush the dirt from the seats and handlebars.
They swung onto their bicycles. The wheels rolled over the concrete road with a light rumble as they rode along the highway toward their home in the suburbs.
"Ring-ring-ring..."
The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated urgently, its shrill ringtone especially piercing on the quiet road.
Mu Qi steadied the handlebars with one hand, tilting his body slightly to keep his balance as he pulled the phone from his pocket with the other. The caller ID showed the organization's contact person.
He instantly guessed the reason for the call. Tapping both feet lightly against the ground to brake, he pulled his bicycle over to the roadside before answering.
"Hello. What is it?"
The contact person asked bluntly, "Has the camp reconnaissance mission been completed?"
"Completed," Mu Qi answered truthfully. "We slipped into the woods to investigate early this morning. The footage, hand-drawn maps, and shift rotation records have all been collected. We just returned to the safe zone."
"You two have worked hard." The contact person sounded upbeat. "The mission was completed to a high standard. Submit the materials once you get home, and the organization will issue a reward. We won't let you