123: ordinary tourists

"Rest assured, my car has plenty of power."

Jiang Yuan smiled.

Seeing this, Lin Xia stopped wasting time and immediately climbed into the driver's seat to prepare.

Jiang Yuan returned to his own vehicle and shifted into low-range four-wheel drive mode.

"Ready? Let's go."

He gently pressed the accelerator.

The next second, something happened that left Lin Xia dumbfounded.

There was no screeching of slipping tires, no roaring of an overloaded engine, and not even a noticeable shake of the vehicle body.

That old Land Rover, stuck in the mud and seemingly weighing a thousand pounds, was pulled out of the mud pit without any resistance, as if it had been grabbed by an invisible giant hand!

The entire process was incredibly smooth; the tow rope didn't even go taut.

It wasn't until the vehicle was dragged onto solid ground that Lin Xia finally came to her senses.

She had been traveling in Africa for years; what kind of off-road vehicle hadn't she seen? Even a monster like a Unimog would have taken some effort to pull her car out.

But just now... it felt as effortless as pulling a toy car.

"Thanks!" Lin Xia jumped out of the car and checked its condition; aside from being covered in mud, everything was normal. She walked up to Jiang Yuan, her eyes filled with a hint of curiosity and admiration. "Your car is heavily modified; this torque is simply incredible."

"Just a few minor modifications." Jiang Yuan brushed it off lightly.

By now, it was completely dark.

The night wind on the savanna carried a chill and an aura of danger.

"My campsite is not far ahead; it's on high ground with a good view." Jiang Yuan extended an invitation. "It's too dangerous for you to drive alone right now. Why not come over to my place for the night? It just so happens that it's time for me to have dinner, and eating alone is a bit boring."

Lin Xia thought for a moment. She was a bold and cautious person who knew that traveling alone on the savanna at night was a major taboo. Moreover, although the man in front of her was mysterious, his eyes were clear, and he didn't seem like a bad person.

"Alright, then I'll take you up on that. I can provide some filming footage as a return favor." She agreed readily.

The two drove for about two kilometers until they reached a small hill with an expansive view.

It was barren here, with only a massive Acacia Tree stretching its branches out under the starry sky.

Lin Xia got out of the car and looked around, feeling a bit puzzled.

"Where is your tent?"

"Haven't set it up yet."

Jiang Yuan fished a silver metal capsule from his pocket and tossed it casually onto the flat grass.

Just as Lin Xia was preparing to go to her car to get her tent and sleeping bag, she heard a faint, dense "click-clack" sound coming from behind her.

She turned around.

The next second, the camera bag in her hand hit the ground with a "thud."

Her eyes, which had seen it all and had even filmed lion prides hunting at close range, were now wide open, bigger than copper bells.

She saw that after the small metal ball landed, it flowed and spread rapidly as if it were living mercury. Under the starlight, countless tiny nanobots were frantically reorganizing and constructing.

In just over ten seconds.

A fully transparent glass villa covering hundreds of square meters, filled with a futuristic sci-fi aesthetic, appeared out of thin air on this primitive and desolate Africa savanna!

It was a scene ripped straight out of a sci-fi movie.

All four walls were massive, one-way transparent floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, it was brightly lit, revealing a spacious living room, comfortable sofas, and even an open kitchen island.

In the pitch-black night of the savanna, this glowing Crystal Palace seemed so out of place, yet so breathtaking.

"This..."

Lin Xia pointed at the building before her, her lips trembling. As a documentary director, her reason and logic completely collapsed at this moment.

She had seen luxury glamping hotels and rich people driving RVs, but this... an operation where you could toss a ball and conjure up a villa? Was this even Earth technology?

"Just a bit of portable equipment, convenient for camping in the wild."

Jiang Yuan remained as calm and indifferent as ever, as if this were just a trivial matter.

He walked to the entrance, and the glass door slid open automatically upon sensing him.

"Come in, there are a lot of bugs outside."

Like a sleepwalker, Lin Xia followed Jiang Yuan into the villa, her steps uneven.

As soon as they entered, the heat and the buzzing of mosquitoes from the outside were instantly cut off. The climate control system maintained the interior at a comfortable 24 degrees, and the air even carried a faint, fresh scent of negative ions.

The moment Jiang Yuan stepped inside, the black nano-suit on his body retracted and liquefied like receding seawater, eventually vanishing from his skin's surface, revealing a casual and comfortable white linen shirt underneath.

This scene left Lin Xia stunned yet again.

"Make yourself at home."

Jiang Yuan walked behind the open kitchen island and opened the built-in refrigerated cabinet.

"Is steak okay? Or would you prefer some Chinese food? I have a fairly complete selection of ingredients here."

Lin Xia sat blankly on the soft leather sofa, her gaze passing through the unobstructed floor-to-ceiling windows to look at the pitch-black savanna outside.

A few hyenas, attracted by the light, were wandering not far away. Their ghostly green eyes flickered in the darkness, staring greedily at the interior.

But they couldn't get in.

Inside the window was the ultimate luxury of human civilization; outside was the primitive, cruel world of beasts.

This intense contrast gave Lin Xia a feeling of extreme unreality.

"I... anything is fine." She replied subconsciously, her voice a bit dry.

Jiang Yuan nodded and took out two top-quality Wagyu steaks, placing them on the smart grill.

"Then let's keep it simple: pan-seared steak with red wine."

Soon, the aroma of meat began to fill the air.

The two sat at the dining table by the window. Above them was the Milky Way, free of any light pollution and breathtakingly brilliant; beneath their feet was the primitive land of Africa; on their plates was Michelin-level gourmet food; and in their glasses was expensive, aged red wine.

"To this damn weather, and to this beautiful starry sky."

Jiang Yuan raised his glass.

Lin Xia mechanically raised her glass to clink with his.

She looked at the man opposite her—handsome, mysterious, and possessing capabilities beyond her comprehension—and the curiosity in her heart instantly overcame her shock.

As a documentary director, her professional instinct told her that the man before her held a story deeper and more fascinating than the Africa savanna itself.

"Mr. Jiang, who exactly are you..." She couldn't help but ask.

"Just an ordinary tourist." Jiang Yuan cut a piece of steak and put it into his mouth, smiling as he interrupted her. "Here to find a bit of long-lost peace."

Lin Xia looked at the pairs of greedy beast eyes outside the window, then back at the villa that looked like a space capsule.

Peace? An ordinary tourist?

I don't buy that for a second.

In the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds of the East Africa plateau, the transparent Crystal Palace that had stood on the wasteland the previous night once again, under Lin Xia's shocked gaze, receded like melting ice and snow, eventually transforming back into that small silver capsule and returning to Jiang Yuan's pocket.

If not for the dinner of red wine and steak that could rival a three-star Michelin meal, and that bed so soft you didn't want to leave it, Lin Xia would have truly thought she had dreamt a strange, cyberpunk-style dream.