Incidentally, Wu Qian informed me that the hydraulic components were ready and asked where to transport them. This time, unlike the previous shipment of G98 which required several trucks, the hydraulic parts were small and few in number, easily fitting into one truck.
I couldn't make this decision myself. Last time I went to Dai Lu's firearms camp, Xie Bi’an took me through the Chenghuang Temple in Shengjing, but I wasn't sure if it was the best route, as after entering the underworld from there, we still rode horses with Xie Bi’an for a considerable distance.
I used the Soul Requisition Order to contact Xie Bi’an and asked where the best place to enter the underworld by car would be.
Xie Bi’an thought for a moment and suggested a Chenghuang Temple in Benxi. It wasn't the closest in distance, but entering from there to the Divine Machine Firearms Camp meant not having to traverse enemy territory.
After clarifying the specific location, Xie Bi’an said she was far away and on assignment, so she couldn't accompany me this time. She would ask Little Yama if her colleague could go with me. I replied that it didn't matter whether someone accompanied me or not, as long as I had the route. I still had no grasp of the geography of the underworld; it was too vast. I had been there a few times, but only to isolated areas, without forming a comprehensive map in my mind.
However, the location in Benxi was clear. Benxi lies between Shengjing and Lüshun. I then instructed Wu Qian to have the Shengjing Ice Factory people deliver the hydraulic components to Benxi.
The road to the underworld is treacherous. With the previous experience, I knew trucks wouldn't be practical. I asked them if they could use an off-road vehicle, explaining that the rear seats could be removed, but its traversability had to be excellent.
While Wu Qian was on the phone arranging this, Xie Bi’an replied that Little Yama was taking this matter seriously and had dispatched Fan Wujiu to the Benxi Chenghuang Temple to meet me.
“Fan Wujiu… I think I’ve heard you mention him,” I said.
“Impossible, I haven’t.”
“Perhaps Wu Zhao mentioned him?”
“Then I wouldn’t know. That’s all,” Xie Bi’an remained aloof on the phone, unwilling to say more, as if nothing had happened between us.
She didn’t even leave me a contact method!
Frustrated, I had no choice but to use the relay station to inquire.
“Lord Wu, good morning,” I noticed that in the Northeast, it was almost always this sweet-voiced operator.
“It’s almost noon, and you’re still saying good morning. Did you just start your shift?” I asked with a smile, lighting a cigarette, as we had become quite familiar.
“Is it? It’s just past eight in the morning here, Lord Wu. Who are you looking for?”
I was too lazy to ponder time zones and such, and said I was looking for Lord Fan Wujiu.
“Okay, I’ll transfer you now. Please wait a moment, Lord Wu.”
After more than ten seconds of connection, someone answered. I looked at the name and initially assumed it was a man, and upon hearing the voice, I still thought so. However, upon listening more closely, I realized it wasn’t; it should be a woman with a low-pitched, alto voice.
“Lord Fan, hello, I am Wu Chengfeng.”
“Oh, I know you.”
“His Highness must have told you about the matter in Benxi.”
“Just now. I’m on my way to Green Stone Valley, and it should take about an hour.” Fan Wujiu’s voice was devoid of any emotion, like an AI robot.
“It will take me about two hours as well. Then, I’ll see you at the Green Stone Valley Chenghuang Temple.”
“Okay.”
And that was it. The handover was smooth.
After Wu Qian left, I also tidied up and prepared to set off. Benxi was a familiar place. According to the map, Green Stone Valley was closer to the Old Crow Ridge where we had fought before. The fox demon was confident he could find it by driving, and Zheng Bingbing had to go along because only the two of us could enter the underworld. With two people escorting the vehicle, at least there would be some mutual support.
Bingbing also had a new dagger-gun in her hand, but it was different from mine, even smaller. I thought it was a gift from Shen Xingyue, but upon asking, I learned it wasn’t from Shen Xingyue, but from Lin Chi. Then I understood; it was a professional match, and Lin Chi giving Zheng Bingbing a gift was a form of indirect "bribe."
The fox demon drove us to Benxi, but Kun Kun was overly confident and insisted on not using navigation, which resulted in us taking a wrong turn and delaying us by half an hour. However, it didn’t cause any significant problems, as we arrived at Green Stone Valley at the same time as the ice factory’s escort vehicle.
They had indeed prepared an off-road vehicle for us, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, with the rear seats removed and converted into a cargo box. The components filled the cargo box, leaving enough space in the middle for the rearview mirror.
No wonder Shabia spent so much money; they were incredibly generous. This G-Class would likely be burned in the underworld, unable to be driven back.