Many people are like this. After reaching a certain stage of wealth and material possessions, they usually encounter a bottleneck or a period of confusion and begin to seek spiritual solace.
The navigation showed a gas station fifteen kilometers ahead. The fuel warning light had only just come on, so there was no problem; I could make it.
"What's your name, beautiful?" I asked.
"Wu Qian."
"Kou Tian Wu?"
"Mm."
"Same surname, my name is Wu Chengfeng," I said.
"Did that fellow villager say you're a teacher?" Wu Qian asked.
"No, I'm from Shabia. I only said I was a teacher to avoid worrying him," I replied truthfully. For a top-tier beauty from the capital like her, Shabia wasn't a secret; she might even know a few people who worked for Shabia.
"What's your mission coming to Mount Zhongnan?" Wu Qian asked again.
"My apologies, Ms. Wu. It's classified information, and I cannot disclose it," I said with a slight nod.
"Understood, I won't ask then." With that, Wu Qian turned her head to look out the window, admiring the mountain scenery.
Although she said she was here to hike, I noticed she was wearing a white business suit. I glanced back; the back seat of the Mercedes was spacious, and she could comfortably cross her legs. Her white high-heeled leather shoes were quite striking. It was already winter, yet she had her ankles exposed and didn't seem to feel the cold.
"What is it?" Wu Qian asked, noticing I was observing her.
"Nothing, Ms. Wu. You are very beautiful and elegant," I said.
Wu Qian smiled slightly. "It's just a pretty face, of little use. Just focus on your mission; you don't need to mind me and don't let me delay your important business."
"Alright," I replied, turning back to concentrate on driving.
Before long, an unknown number called. I answered; it was Bai Qingcheng.
"We've arrived in Hanzhong. What's the other party's vehicle number?"
I gave her the license plate of one of the vans. I hadn't memorized them all, but the last three digits were 678, and the vehicle was a plain white Jinbei commercial van.
"Okay, where are you?" Bai Qingcheng asked.
"Following them from behind," I said.
Wu Qian, in the back seat, suddenly asked, "Oh, is that 201?"
"Who?" Bai Qingcheng asked suspiciously over the phone. It was a critical moment.
"It's me, Wu Qian."
"Oh, Xiao Qian, how are you with Wu Chengfeng?" Bai Qingcheng's tone immediately softened. Did they know each other?
"Just a coincidence, haha. Xiao Wu is borrowing my car," Wu Qian said, taking my phone from the armrest and chatting enthusiastically with Bai Qingcheng.
After listening for a few moments, I understood. It turned out that Wu Qian's company was a subsidiary of Shabia, responsible for providing various new weapon support. My G98 was designed by their company and then manufactured by a factory in the Northeast.
Purely one of our own!
After the call, Wu Qian returned the phone to me. "I thought it was just a common name just now, but it really is you."
"You flatter me," I said.
"Then I won't bother you any longer. You can drop me off at the gas station ahead. That way, I won't be a clumsy burden to you," Wu Qian said honestly.
"That's not necessary," I replied. "I wouldn't feel at ease leaving you here in this desolate place. Let's go together."
"Then I won't be polite. I've always been in the rear echelons. I wonder if I'll get to witness the style of your Shabia warriors this time."
I doubted it. If Bai Qingcheng were to make a move, those few blue-aura great demons wouldn't be enough for her to handle. There likely wouldn't be any intense battles.
As we spoke, we reached the gas station. According to the map, Hanzhong was still twenty kilometers away. Fearing we'd waste time, I only put in two hundred yuan of gas; it was enough. After refueling, I immediately resumed our pursuit.
However, as we were chasing, I realized something was wrong. The navigation showed we were getting further and further away from Hanzhong.
Because I had been focused on tracking the vans, I hadn't paid attention to the road signs (or perhaps there weren't any). I thought back and recalled that shortly after passing the gas station, there was a fork in the road. The two vans took the right fork. I followed their scent, and naturally, I also took the fork. The two roads looked almost identical, both newly paved asphalt. So, I hadn't paid much attention.
Looking at the map, it seemed that road was the one leading to Hanzhong.
"Damn it, they're not going to Hanzhong," I exclaimed.