Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 365 Goodbye
This small village called Lancuo has only four households and a little over thirty people.

The convoy had more than fifty people in total, and it was unrealistic for everyone to rest in the village.

That evening, everyone lit a bonfire next to the car and set up camp.

However, it is worth mentioning that a small accident occurred when the convoy entered the village.

A car overturned into a wind-eroded ditch. The people inside were unharmed, but the car was totaled.

The cruelty of nature is already beginning to show.

Around the campfire, everyone gathered together to chat and kill time.

"Let me tell you, this car is just the beginning. The deeper you go, the harsher the environment becomes, and the more often your car will be destroyed."

"Although the off-road vehicles you prepared are top-notch, they are ultimately civilian products. If you had brought a fleet of military pickup trucks, they might have lasted longer."

By the campfire, Hu Ming used his thumb to pry open the cap of a beer bottle, handed it to the deliveryman, and said softly.

"China! Where do you think we are right now?"

"If this were any other small country, let alone military vehicles, I could get you as much heavy weaponry as you want. But in China, forget about military vehicles!"

Ah Ning rolled her eyes dramatically and said irritably.

She knew what Hu Ming was worried about, but there was nothing she could do. Due to limited resources, they couldn't obtain better equipment.

In fact, for the rest of the journey, when modern transportation was not feasible, camel caravans were the best option.

The problem is that Aning brought far too many people—more than fifty in total!
Add to that all sorts of miscellaneous equipment and facilities, and the number of camel caravans would need to be at least a hundred to carry all of this.

A caravan of over a hundred camels is already quite large. Not only is it bulky and prone to accidents, but such a large caravan, just by being assembled, is very likely to attract the attention of the local government.

However, the identities of this group of people are all questionable to some extent and cannot withstand scrutiny.

"There's nothing I can do about it. I've traveled this road before, and I can tell you very clearly that when we arrive at our destination..."

"Of these seventeen or eighteen vehicles, it would be a miracle if seven or eight survived. The harshness of the environment ahead is far beyond your imagination."

"You should be grateful if half of them survive!"

Hu Ming shrugged as he chugged down a bottle of beer.

These days, although some people claim that humanity has conquered the woods.

However, in reality, the safe areas of the vast Chaidamu Basin are limited to the areas covered by the road network, which accounts for only about two percent of the entire basin.

The remaining 98 percent is all desert, swamp, and salt flats.

Under harsh natural conditions, these fifty people and more than a dozen vehicles were all crammed in without even a splash of water.

Too many people die in the no-man's-land every year, so fifty more skeletons won't make a difference.

"Do you have any good suggestions?" Aning remained silent.

She knew that Hu Ming wasn't exaggerating or trying to scare her.

"What good way is there? If you want to get into Chaidamu, you'd better be prepared to lose your life at any time. That way, you might be more open-minded when you die?"

"Throughout history, anyone who has ever ventured into uninhabited areas to challenge nature has been risking their life without exception."

Hu Ming said calmly.

Nature's cruelty and ruthlessness far exceed ordinary people's imagination.

Seeing Ah Ning deep in thought, Hu Ming shook his head in boredom.

To put it bluntly, these people still haven't learned from their trip to the Heavenly Palace. They underestimated the natural environment and the ancients.

After saying this, Hu Ming lost interest in saying anything more. The group sat silently by the campfire for a long time, until late at night, before finally crawling into their sleeping bags to rest.

Midday on the moon.

The moon over the Gobi Desert is a few degrees brighter than the moon over big cities.

At this moment, everyone except those on night watch at the outermost perimeter was already fast asleep.

at this time.

In the camp, two pairs of bright eyes opened.

It's Hu Ming and his brother.

The two exchanged a smile. Well, actually, the young man remained expressionless, while Hu Ming simply smiled slightly.

The two of them, quite tacitly, crawled out of their sleeping bags and headed towards another campsite, which was Dingzhu Zhuoma's campsite.

After the two figures disappeared into the distance, Hei Xiazi mumbled a few words with his eyes closed, then turned over and continued to dream.

……

Before long, Hu Ming and his brother arrived at the edge of Dingzhu Zhuoma's camp.

Without exchanging any words, the two sat cross-legged on the blanket by the campfire, their eyes fixed intently on Dingzhu Zhuoma's granddaughter-in-law.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat strange and silent.

"You two are as boring as ever. Don't you know it's rude to stare at a lady like that?"

"And what's the meaning of your silence? Are you having a contest to see who can stay silent the longest? How boring, are you children?"

After a long silence, Chen Wenjin seemed to admit defeat and reluctantly spoke first.

"But don't you seem to be enjoying it too?"

Hu Ming laughed heartily, stood up, and gave Chen Wenjin a light hug.

"Long time no see, Wenjin! It's so good to see you're still safe and sound."

"Long time no see, Hu Ming!"

Chen Wenjin said softly, with a nostalgic tone.

"And you, Zhang Qiling, it's been a long time since we last met, don't you have anything to say?"

Chen Wenjin smiled and looked at Zhang Qiling.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

The young man sat motionless in place like the Immovable King of Hades, his face indifferent, only his lips moving slightly.

"You're as cold as ever..."

"But then again, I've been wearing this human skin mask for a long time, and no one has recognized me. How did you recognize me at a glance?"

Chen Wenjin sighed, as if she had known all along, and finally couldn't help but ask.

"The Zhang family is most skilled at using human skin masks, and in the last century, human skin masks were used far too often. If you are observant, it is not difficult to detect them."

"As for Hu Ming, his intuition is exceptionally sharp, almost precognitive, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to know it was you."

The young man remained indifferent as he spoke.

(End of this chapter)