A Thousand-Mile Solo Ride

Quiet Orchid Hall.

The food and drinks had all been served.

"Luo, we're just waiting for you. Come on, take a seat." Ye Yiming waved Luo Yang over.

Luo Yang said apologetically, "I'm terribly sorry, but there's a matter of life and death I need to deal with. I'll have to excuse myself."

Ye Yiming stood up and asked anxiously, "What matter of life and death? Do you need me to drive you?"

For a moment, Luo Yang wanted to tell Ye Yiming the truth, but even with the words on the tip of his tongue, he couldn't get them out.

What good would telling Ye Yiming do? He was getting on in years. If the anxiety brought on a heart attack, that would be disastrous. Besides, telling him wouldn't solve anything, and it might even tip them off.

"No, no, I'll just call a car. I have to go. Please excuse me." Luo Yang turned and left.

A rideshare car headed toward Ba City International Airport.

In the car, Luo Yang called Ye Zi twice more, but both times she was outside the service area.

Ding-dong.

A new WeChat message arrived.

The Contrarian: Brother, if there's anything I can help with, just say the word. We're brothers, so don't stand on ceremony.

The Contrarian was Hu Bufei's WeChat name.

Luo Yang replied: Thanks. If I need anything, I'll contact you. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for work, Brother Hu?

The Contrarian: It's hard to explain. I'll tell you someday, but not now.

Luo Yang already had his suspicions.

Hu Bufei had a gun concealed on him, which left only two possibilities: he was carrying it illegally or legally. Hu Bufei had grown up in a government residential compound, and his father was as close as a brother to Ye Yiming, so the former seemed unlikely. As for what sort of person could legally carry a gun, that hardly required much guesswork.

The Contrarian: Brother, if you don't mind me asking, what's this matter of life and death you've run into?

Luo Yang hesitated over whether to tell him.

A minute later, The Contrarian sent another message: If you can't talk about it, just forget I asked.

Luo Yang had made up his mind too. He replied: I'll check out the situation first. If I need help, I'll let you know.

It wasn't that he wanted to play the lone hero. This was a carefully considered decision. Assuming Hu Bufei was a police officer, his authority wouldn't be much use outside his jurisdiction. Besides, if Luo Yang told Hu Bufei and Hu Bufei then told Ye Yiming, he might as well have told Ye Yiming earlier.

Moreover, he had only happened to overhear Liu Youshui plotting with the Song Family's father and son. He couldn't actually be sure whether Liu Youshui had made a move. It was true that he couldn't reach Ye Zi by phone, but plenty of places out there had no reception. If she simply happened to be somewhere without a signal and was perfectly safe, wouldn't it turn into a farce if he told Hu Bufei her life was in danger and asked for help, only to be proven wrong afterward?

Since he was going to Qingdi to take a look no matter what, he might as well wait until he got there and confirmed the situation.

Four hours later, at Huatu'gou Airport in Qingdi.

As he walked out of the airport, a hot, dry wind carrying the smell of sand and earth blew into his face, as though intent on stripping every drop of moisture from his body. Luo Yang stood by the road and gazed into the distance. Beyond the Gobi stretched a range of rolling, sandy mountains. Some peaks towered into the clouds, their summits still capped with pristine snow, even though it was summer and the air was scorching.

Accustomed to the basin's mild, humid climate and greenery everywhere he looked, Luo Yang found this desolate yet magnificent plateau both novel and awe-inspiring.

Soon, however, Luo Yang returned to the harsh reality at hand and began to worry.

The airport was tiny, and there wasn't a single taxi in sight along the road. While waiting for his flight at Ba City International Airport, he had checked the map and relevant information. His destination lay in a saline desert nearly three hundred kilometers away, with not even a village along the route. Walking there was clearly out of the question.

"Boss, need a ride?" someone asked behind him.

Luo Yang turned around. The man who had spoken was dark-skinned and sturdily built, with the distinctive smell of beef and mutton about him.

The man gave Luo Yang a friendly smile.

"Yes, I'm looking for a car. Where's yours, brother?" Luo Yang hadn't seen any cars by the roadside.

"They don't let us pick up customers here. My car's in the open lot outside. Where are you headed, boss?" the man asked.

"A lithium mine in Mangya, right here." Luo Yang took out his phone and showed the man the screenshot he had saved while looking up information earlier.

The man glanced at it and immediately frowned. "That far? I thought you were going downtown, so I could take you along on my way. Your destination's out in the desert. If the car breaks down or something, we'll be in trouble."

"This should be the last flight, so you won't get any more customers anyway," Luo Yang said. "How about this? Name your price. We can work something out."

The man thought for a moment. "A thousand yuan. I won't do it for less."

"I'll give you five thousand."

"Huh?" The man looked astonished, thinking he must have misheard.

"I might need to travel around the desert," Luo Yang said. "Don't take any other customers for the next couple of days. Just drive me wherever I need to go. I'll pay for the fuel."

"Sure, no problem. Come with me." Delighted, the man led the way.

"By the way, your Mandarin is very good. Are you Han Chinese?" Luo Yang chatted with him as they walked.

"Do I look Han to you?" The man glanced back with a smile, wrinkles creasing his weathered face.

Luo Yang shook his head.

"I'm Mongolian. My name's Batu Ga'er. It means 'strong hand' in Chinese. Does this hand look strong to you?" Batu Ga'er clenched his right fist. It was as big as a bowl, and the muscles of his forearm bulged in cords. It certainly was a strong hand.

Luo Yang smiled back. "It does. Brother Batu, do you know this area well?"

"I do," Batu Ga'er said. "I live in Mangya and run a restaurant there, but business isn't good, so I drive people around to make a little extra. By the way, boss, what's your name?"

"My name's Luo Yang. Just call me Brother Luo," Luo Yang said.

"Sure thing, Brother Luo."

They reached the open lot, where a Chinese-made Haval H9 SUV immediately caught their eye. A fine layer of dust covered its windows and hood, staining its white paint a dusty yellow.

The two of them got in. Batu Ga'er started the car, drove across the lot, turned onto the national highway, and headed onward.