46: Chapter 46 Finding a Guide

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

After washing up, he put on his small backpack and left the hotel. Mae Sot was very quiet in the early morning, with almost no one on the streets. Only a few breakfast stalls were open, wafting the aroma of food.

He bought a portion of Thai fried dough sticks and soy milk from a stall, eating while walking toward the vegetable market.

The vegetable market was at the east end of the town, housed under a large shed. Inside were various stalls selling vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and dried goods—it had everything. There weren't many people, and the vendors sat lazily, occasionally chatting with regular customers.

Li Xin walked around the market but didn't see anyone who looked like a guide.

He walked up to a fruit stall and asked in Thai, "Excuse me, sister, has Somchai come today?"

The woman selling fruit looked up at him. "Are you looking for Somchai? He hasn't arrived yet. Go check out the tea place over there. He usually has some tea before coming over."

Li Xin thanked her and walked to a small tea stall at the edge of the market. There were a few plastic tables and chairs, with several people sitting, drinking tea, and chatting.

He scanned the area and spotted a man in his forties with sun-darkened skin, wearing an old military green jacket and muddy rubber boots. He sat alone with a cup of tea in front of him, not talking to anyone, his eyes half-closed as if dozing off.

Li Xin walked over and sat down across from him.

"Hello, are you Somchai?"

The man opened his eyes and sized him up. "Who are you?"

"My name is Li Xin, and I'm from China. I want to go trekking in the mountains. The people at the hotel said you know the trails around here well, so I'd like to hire you to guide me."

Somchai picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked unhurriedly, "Trekking in the mountains? Where to?"

"Around Mae Ramat Village. I heard the mountain scenery there is quite nice."

Somchai put down his teacup and shook his head.

"You can't go there. It's close to the border, and there are military patrols. Just a few days ago, some people were caught and accused of illegal entry. You're a foreigner; it'll be even more troublesome if you get caught."

"I know," Li Xin said. "That's why I want to find someone who knows the area to help me avoid the Patrol Teams. I'm not going to the border; I just want to wander around the nearby mountains and look at the scenery."

Somchai stared at him for a few seconds. "You came to Thailand to trek all by yourself?"

"Yes. I like pristine mountain forests, and Northern Thailand is very suitable for that. But I don't know the way and am afraid of getting lost, so I want to find a guide."

Somchai was silent for a moment. "How much are you paying?"

"Three thousand baht a day."

Somchai shook his head and held up four fingers. "Four thousand."

Li Xin pretended to hesitate for a moment, then said, "Five thousand. But I want you to take me to the Mei River area, and you have to listen to me on the way. If there's danger, we pull out immediately."

Somchai was taken aback, probably not expecting this young man to be so straightforward and even offer to pay more on his own initiative.

"There's nothing much to see over by the Mei River, it's just a small stream," Somchai said. "Are you sure you want to go there?"

"I heard the rocks over there are very unique, and I want to take some photos," Li Xin smiled. "I'm a photography enthusiast and like to take pictures of unusual things."

Somchai stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Fine. But let me make things clear first."

"Go ahead."

"First, if we run into a Patrol Team, you follow my orders. If I tell you to get down, you get down; if I tell you to run, you run. Second, there are venomous snakes and wild boars in the mountains. If you get bitten, don't blame me. Third, whatever you see in the mountains has nothing to do with me."

"No problem."

"Fourth," Somchai held up five fingers. "Five thousand baht a day, half paid upfront."

Li Xin took out his wallet from his pocket, counted out two thousand five hundred Thai baht, and placed it on the table.

Somchai took the money and stood up. "When do you want to leave?"

"Can we leave today?"

"Not today. I still have some things to take care of. It has to be tomorrow. Tomorrow morning at five o'clock, wait for me at the entrance of the town. I'll take you into the mountains."

"Alright."

Somchai turned and walked away. After a couple of steps, he stopped and looked back at Li Xin.

"Aren't you afraid, coming to Thailand all by yourself?"

"What is there to fear?" Li Xin smiled. "I'm just traveling and looking around."

Somchai said nothing, turning to disappear into the crowd.

Li Xin returned to the hotel, lay on the bed, and recorded today's situation in his memo.

"Found guide Somchai, five thousand baht a day. Heading into the mountains tomorrow morning at five. Reason: hiking adventure, photography."

Then he opened the system panel and glanced at the data. Still 30 tons of gold short of upgrading.

Tomorrow, hopefully, there will be some harvest.

He closed the panel and shut his eyes, calculating the gear and excuses for tomorrow in his mind.

He would put water, biscuits, and a camera in his small backpack—just for show. The real gear was in his space, and he would find an opportunity to take it out before entering the mountains. If Somchai asked, he would just say the things were in the car and he'd get them when they went into the mountains.

After entering the mountains, if he found gold, he would collect it when Somchai wasn't paying attention. Somchai was an old hand and wouldn't keep staring at him. He could just find an excuse to leave for a bit, like "I'm going over there to take a picture," and it would only take a few seconds.

As for whether there would be any anomalies when collecting the gold? The system said there wouldn't be, just a slight vibration of the ground that would last for a very short time and wouldn't attract attention.

Li Xin went over tomorrow's plan in his head once more, confirming there were no issues.

Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened.

He went downstairs for dinner, returned to his room, and went to sleep early.

Tomorrow, into the mountains.

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