Seeing Bian An wavering, Qin He smiled.
"If there's anything else you're worried about, just say it."
Bian An scratched his head sheepishly. "If I bring you there, what's in it for me?"
"You name it," Qin He said decisively.
No matter what Bian An asked for, she would agree if she could.
Shen Yizong was his greatest threat. As long as he could be dealt with, anything was worth it.
Bian An tentatively extended a hand. "Five million?"
"Agreed," Qin He said without hesitation.
Actually, five million wasn't a lot for someone of Bian An's background.
It was just that he usually caused trouble, so Bian Jianguo had limited his pocket money.
"Then it's settled! If my father agrees, I'll go with you." Bian An became excited.
"Good, then we'll talk to your father later. As long as we know you have no objections, that's all we need."
After talking with Bian An for about ten minutes, Bian Jianguo came down from upstairs.
"How did it go?" he asked with a smile.
Qin He stood up. "Mr. Bian, we'd like to talk to you."
Bian An, afraid his father would know he had agreed, quickly retreated to the side hall.
A few minutes later, Bian Jianguo stood up in anger. "Miss Qin, Mr. Gu, this is absolutely impossible."
"Listen to me—"
"I won't listen!" Bian Jianguo's face darkened. "I know your Gu and Qin families are powerful and we can't afford to offend you, but no matter what, I won't send my son to his death!"
Qin He frowned slightly. "Mr. Bian, please believe us. I will do my utmost to ensure Bian An's safety."
"That's what you say now, but in the desert, you won't even be able to save yourself!"
Gu Qichen, standing beside them, suddenly spoke. "Mr. Bian, you're a businessman. You wouldn't believe in those sand god rumors, yet you're so resistant. Do you know something?"
Bian Jianguo's expression turned grave.
"Yes, that's why I advise you two, no matter why you've come, it's best to turn back now."
Qin He sat up straighter.
She said kindly, "If you truly don't want to, we won't force you. Rest assured, we are determined to go to this place. Why don't you tell us what you know so we can be prepared? Can you?"
Bian Jianguo pursed his lips, and after a long while, he finally spoke.
"It's not that I don't want to say, it's just that not many people would believe me if I did—"
Then, Bian Jianguo recounted some of his experiences.
In the town of Sha, the common people feared the rumors of the sand god and rarely ventured into the desert.
But the Bian family, due to their power generation business, had to expand into the desert.
On several occasions when they went deep into the desert, some workers never returned.
According to Bian Jianguo, they had conducted geological surveys beforehand because they feared the quicksand.
After Bian Jianguo finished speaking, his face was filled with dread.
"Miss Qin, to be frank, I didn't believe in these things before, but sometimes, what happens in reality makes you have to believe."
Qin He narrowed her eyes. She felt that Bian Jianguo was not lying.
However, the sudden appearance of quicksand was unlikely to be due to rumors of a sand god.
There must be a scientific explanation behind this phenomenon, but they, as laymen, didn't understand it.
"Mr. Bian, can you tell us the specific location? We can find it ourselves."
"What specific location is there in the desert? I can only tell you that the place where my son almost got into danger is to the north, and my previous projects were also to the north."
Bian Jianguo frowned, recalling. "It's about a hundred kilometers north of the town."
"Alright, I understand. Thank you."
Qin He and Gu Qichen left the Bian family and got into the car.
Sitting in the car, Qin He sighed softly.
"Originally, I thought I could agree to any condition Mr. Bian proposed. But looking at his reaction, he believes we will definitely run into trouble if we go."
"Yes, we can't force it." Gu Qichen nodded.
"But getting a specific location is already quite good!" Qin He's spirits lifted.
They had been circling Sha Town for a week. According to Bian Jianguo's directions, if they hadn't received this information, they would have spent another week searching, and might not have found it.
"After we get back, we'll pack up and head north tomorrow," she said with a smile.
Gu Qichen had been silent since leaving the Bian family.
"The situation tomorrow is unclear. You stay at the hotel for now. I'll take people to check it out first," Gu Qichen said sternly.
Qin He immediately replied, "No!"
"If we go, we go together. Otherwise, you're not going!" Her expression was serious.
Gu Qichen's brows furrowed. "The wind power station Mr. Bian wanted to build should be quite large, and he's a local who understands the situation. Under these circumstances, he still lost manpower—"
The danger was self-evident.
Especially since they had brought a limited number of people this time to avoid Shen Yizong's attention.
Qin He's little face was stern, her attitude resolute.
"I had planned to come alone in the first place. How can I let you go into danger when I discover it here? If something happens to you, what will I do? Not to mention, there's Lele."
Gu Qichen's eyes softened.
"Alright, then we'll go together."
Upon returning to the hotel from the Bian family, as soon as they entered, they encountered Di Shishi and Yu Jing, who had just returned.
Di Shishi was disheveled, covered in dust.
Qin He frowned. "What happened? How did you get like this?"
Di Shishi's face was still covered in sand.
"We ran into quicksand, He'er. I almost didn't get to see you!" Di Shishi said pitifully and walked over.
Qin He was startled. "Looking at you, you didn't get stuck, did you?"
Di Shishi shuddered. "Yes, but luckily it was at the edge of the quicksand. Otherwise, I would have lost my life and wouldn't be able to see you again."
Yu Jing, standing beside them, was reporting the day's events to Gu Qichen.
"That area was a route we scouted the day before yesterday, so we didn't realize there would be any trouble. Then the car got stuck."
Gu Qichen's expression became grim. "Are you sure it was scouted before?"
"Certain."
Qin He's lips tightened as she comforted Di Shishi. "You rest at the hotel tomorrow. I'll go and see what's going on."
Di Shishi, covered in dust, hurried upstairs to wash up.
Qin He returned to her room and lay on the bed, contemplating the plan for entering the desert tomorrow.
In fact, in such a dangerous situation, it was best to be fully prepared, but they no longer had the time.
Given Shen Yizong's vigilance, he must have realized they were no longer in Qingcheng.
Qian Zimo was in Duncheng, and Xiao Liyan was in Sha Town.
They had to go!
Qin He and Gu Qichen had visited the Bian family in the morning. Although they hadn't convinced Bian An, they had at least made a directional breakthrough.
The group returned to their rooms to rest and tidy up for a while, then had lunch at a restaurant.
In the afternoon, Qin He began to lay out the route.
The geographical location of Sha Town appeared as a stretch of yellow sand on the satellite map.
"Bian Jianguo could only remember it was north of the town. This clue has screened out a large area for us, but the remaining area is still too vast."