28: Chapter 28 Stepping onto the Bus in Tengchong

Early the next morning, Li Xin woke up at six o'clock.

After washing up, he went downstairs to check out of the hotel and had a bowl of rice noodles at a small shop next door.

Drinking the piping hot soup made him feel refreshed.

After finishing breakfast, he took a taxi to the Western Passenger Station.

The station was crowded, mostly with people heading to various prefectures in Yunnan.

He picked up his ticket, found the waiting hall, and sat down in a seat.

The bus was scheduled to depart at 7:30, and it would take about seven or eight hours to reach Tengchong.

He leaned back against the seat, took out his phone, and checked the weather in Tengchong.

The forecast said there would be rain this afternoon, but it wouldn't be heavy.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief—as long as it wasn't a torrential downpour, the roads should still be passable.

The announcement in the waiting hall sounded; he stood up and followed the crowd to have his ticket checked and board the bus.

The bus was a standard tourist coach, and the seats were reasonably spacious.

He chose a window seat and placed his backpack at his feet.

Sitting next to him was a man in his forties with tanned skin and hands covered in calluses, likely from years of manual labor.

"Little brother, where are you headed?" the man asked, initiating the conversation.

"Big brother, I'm going to Tengchong."

"Me too. You're going there for tourism, right?"

"Something like that, just taking care of some business while I'm at it," Li Xin smiled. "What about you, big brother?"

"Going home. I work in Kunming, but my wife and kids are in Tengchong, so I have to go back once a month."

"That sounds pretty tough."

"Can't be helped, it's for a living," the man sighed. "Little brother, you must be doing business in Tengchong, right?"

"Not business, just... going into the mountains to gather some medicinal herbs."

"Gathering herbs?" The man looked him up and down. "You don't look like someone who gathers herbs."

"I learned from an old master; this is my first time coming out on my own to gather some for personal use."

"Then you'd better be careful. There are wild boars and snakes in the mountains. A couple of years ago, someone even encountered a bear."

Li Xin smiled, "Thank you, big brother, I will be careful."

The bus started up and slowly pulled out of the station.

Kunming gradually faded away outside the window, replaced by rolling mountains and farmland.

The road conditions weren't great; some sections were full of potholes, and the bus jolted violently, making one dizzy.

However, the man next to him fell asleep very quickly, and his snoring was quite loud.

Li Xin leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, but his mind was busy planning his route into the mountains.

After a while, he picked up his phone and marked several possible locations on the map: "Areas near the border, desolate, and with a history of gold mining."

Since the system wouldn't provide exact coordinates, he had to rely on these external clues to deduce them.

"System," he asked internally, "If I reach the area where the gold mine is located, can you Scan it?"

[System: Yes. As long as the gold mine is within the detection range, the system will automatically identify and mark its location.]

"The detection range is 990 meters, right?"

[System: Yes. Once the host arrives at the gold mine area, the system will Scan for all gold deposits within a 990-meter radius, centered on the host.]

A 990-meter radius means a range with a diameter of nearly two kilometers.

If the gold mine covers a large enough area, he wouldn't need to walk directly over it to detect it.

This made him feel much more at ease.

The bus stopped at a service area, and the driver let everyone get off for a ten-minute break.

Li Xin got off to stretch his muscles, bought a bottle of water, and used the restroom.

Several buses were parked at the service area, with passengers smoking, chatting, and eating in twos and threes.

He stood in the shade, looking at the distant mountains, and took a deep breath.

The mountains in Yunnan are different from those in Shenzhen.

The mountains in Shenzhen are hills—neither too high nor too low, and lush with greenery.

The mountains in Yunnan are massive, undulating, and stretch as far as the eye can see.

But thinking about the fifty tons of gold hidden in those mountains...

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Brother, want a cigarette?" a middle-aged man nearby offered him one.

"Thanks, I don't smoke."

"Not smoking is good, saves money." The man lit one himself and took a deep drag. "Are you really going to Tengchong to gather herbs?"

"Yeah."

"They've been checking strictly over there lately; there are often Patrol Teams along the border. If you're going into the mountains, it's best not to go too deep."

"I'm just going to gather herbs, I won't go toward the border."

"That's good." The man nodded. "It's not peaceful over there; a while ago, some people were caught for illegal border crossing."

Li Xin felt a tightness in his chest, but his face remained expressionless. "Is that so? Don't worry, big brother, I won't go anywhere near there."

"That's good."

"Get back on the bus, time to go!" the driver shouted, and everyone boarded one after another.

The bus continued onward, and the scenery outside the window changed from mountains to canyons, and then to winding mountain roads.

The road grew narrower and the curves more frequent; the bus swayed from side to side.

At some point, the man next to him woke up, rubbed his eyes, and asked, "Where are we?"

"Still on the road, probably another two or three hours."

"That's still a while." The man yawned and then took out his phone to scroll through videos.

Li Xin leaned back, eyes closed, but his mind was on the man's words: "There are Patrol Teams on the border, checks are strict, people have been caught."

He had to find a way; if he could bypass it, he definitely would.

Pretending to be a villager gathering herbs might avoid some trouble, but if he encountered a serious Patrol Team and they checked thoroughly, it would be troublesome.

If he really did run into one, he would have to handle it well. He took a deep breath and rehearsed it over and over in his mind.

How he should speak, how he should stand, how he should smile, and how he should look into their eyes if he encountered a Patrol Team.

The "Mastery of Disguise" skill given by the system had imprinted a massive amount of information into his mind, such as micro-expression management, body language control, and tone and inflection adjustment...

He hadn't really used these skills yet, but the theoretical knowledge was already very solid.

When the time came, it would depend on whether he could put it into practice.

The sky outside gradually darkened. He took out his phone to check the time—it was past 6:00 PM.

At this speed, it would take at least another hour to reach Tengchong.

At this rate, the time he requested for leave might not be enough, but never mind. He'd just find an excuse later; he was already out anyway, so he'd just play it by ear.

He sent a message to Luo Maifa: "Almost there, probably around eight o'clock."

Luo Maifa replied with an "OK" emoji.

He also sent a message to Yang Hong: "Going into the mountains tomorrow, might not have signal, don't worry."

Yang Hong replied immediately: "Stay safe, call me if anything happens."

"Okay."

The bus got back on the road, and the sky outside was pitch black.

Li Xin leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, but his heart grew increasingly calm.

Everything that needed to be thought through had been thought through; everything that needed to be prepared had been prepared.

All that remained was to take action.

The bus finally arrived at the Tengchong Passenger Station; it was already past eight in the evening.

Li Xin got off the bus and took a deep breath.

The air in Tengchong was more humid than in Kunming, carrying the scent of vegetation.

Carrying his backpack, he walked out of the station and hailed a taxi on the side of the road.

"Driver, go to this address." He showed the hotel address on his phone to the driver.

The driver glanced at the address: "Alright, get in."

The car drove for about ten minutes and arrived at the entrance of a small hotel.

Li Xin paid the fare, got out, and walked into the hotel.

The receptionist was a woman in her fifties, watching TV.

Seeing him enter, she looked up: "Checking in?"

"Yes, I booked a room."

"ID card."

Li Xin handed over his ID card. The woman registered it and handed him a key: "Second floor, 205."

"Thank you."

Li Xin went upstairs, found the room, and unlocked the door to enter.

The room wasn't large, but it was very clean.

He tossed his backpack onto the bed and went to wash his face. A while later, he left the hotel, found a small restaurant nearby, and ate a bowl of Ersi (rice noodles). It was actually quite tasty.

After eating, he walked along the street and saw a general store. He went in and bought a pair of liberation shoes, a straw hat, and a bamboo basket.

The owner was an old man in his sixties who took one look at him: "Are you here to gather herbs?"

"Yes, my first time here, wanted to go into the mountains to have a look."

"Be careful when going into the mountains; the roads are difficult, and there are Patrol Teams lately. They're checking strictly."

"I know, thank you, boss."

Li Xin paid and returned to the hotel with his things.

He put his things away, lay down on the bed, took out his phone, and checked tomorrow's weather forecast: "Cloudy, with light rain."

He frowned slightly but didn't pay it much mind.

Then he sent a message to Chen Hu: "Going into the mountains tomorrow, I'm going alone, you wait for me in the county town."

Chen Hu replied immediately: "Boss, is there anything you need me to do?"

"Prepare an off-road vehicle and wait for me to come out."

"Understood."

The reason he didn't drive here was so he could understand the situation along the way and ask for information.

It was safer, and he wouldn't have to squeeze onto a bus when going back.

Li Xin put down his phone, turned off the lights, and closed his eyes.

The night in Tengchong outside the window was quiet, with the occasional sound of a dog barking.

He turned over and went over the route for tomorrow in his mind one more time.

Then he fell into a deep sleep.