Halfway through Qin He and Gu Qichen's discussion, there was a knock at the door.
If it were Di Shishi or Yu Jing, they would have announced themselves.
The knocking was urgent, and the two exchanged glances. Gu Qichen got up and walked to the door. The old-fashioned door had no peephole, so he only opened it a crack.
Qin He frowned as she watched, then saw Gu Qichen quickly open the door.
A youth with tanned skin walked in with a sheepish grin.
"Bian An, why are you here?" Qin He asked, surprised.
Bian An smiled sheepishly and scratched his head, "I came to ask if you still need me to show you the way?"
Qin He was puzzled. "Didn't your father disagree?"
Bian An looked a little pitiful. "It's fine as long as I agree." He usually had very little pocket money, and after these two left the Bian family today, his father, upon hearing that he had been bragging about his adventures outside, was so furious that he froze his only card.
Next month, his girlfriend's birthday was coming up. His already "tight" finances were stretched to the breaking point.
Five million would be enough for him to spend for a long time, and he could even buy the car his girlfriend liked.
Qin He sighed, "Bian An, we do need someone to guide us, but if your father doesn't agree, we can't take you to a dangerous area without permission."
"How can we not? I'm already eighteen, and I don't need my dad's approval for everything!"
Qin He was helpless. "Why do you suddenly want to guide us?"
Bian An hesitated, but then explained. Simply put, it was two words: short of money.
"This matter, you should be responsible too. If you hadn't come to my house, my father wouldn't have cut off my last source of income."
As Bian An spoke, his expression turned indignant. "So you have to let me guide you this time."
Qin He glanced at Gu Qichen. They were of the same mind.
"Taking you into the desert is definitely not an option. We will respect your family, but if you can provide us with more clues, we can give you some compensation."
Bian An was stunned. He had no more clues.
After repeatedly recommending himself without success, Bian An became anxious. "It was you who came to our door, begging me to guide you, and now that I agree, you're unwilling?"
"Bian An, we are respecting you and your family," Qin He said.
Bian An left in resentment.
Qin He had already planned and prepared for tomorrow's route.
"Alright, I'm going to wash up. We'll depart tomorrow," Qin He said, getting up.
Gu Qichen nodded. "Okay."
His gaze was still fixed on the map.
After Qin He entered the bathroom, she turned on the shower.
She stood under the water, feeling a sense of uncertainty, despite being a firm atheist.
But she knew the dangers that awaited them tomorrow.
"I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow."
Two in the morning.
At the Qingcheng expressway toll station, a black Lincoln stopped.
Monkey was driving, his appearance harmless. He even thanked the toll attendant.
The car drove into the distance.
In the back seat of the Lincoln, Shen Yicong leaned against the seat, looking down at his tablet.
"Are you sure they are in Shazhen?"
"Military Advisor, we have investigated and confirmed that Gu Qichen and Qin He are in Shazhen, posing as members of an archaeological team."
"Archaeological team—" Shen Yicong pondered for a few seconds. "It seems they have found out quite a bit."
Monkey glanced at the rearview mirror. Even with his eyes lowered, the man in the back seat intimidated him, making his back tingle.
"Don't worry, Military Advisor. I have already notified all personnel near Duncheng to head to Shazhen in Duncheng. If Gu Qichen and Qin He are really there, we will be able to corner them this time."
Shen Yicong put down the tablet and closed his eyes to rest.
The headlights on the highway flashed on and off across his face as the car moved.
Qin He, we meet again.
...
At six in the morning, Qin He was already up. The distance to travel today was long, and driving in the desert was more dangerous, which would take up a considerable amount of time.
When she got up, she saw that the spot beside her was empty. Qin He's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately opened the room door.
In the corridor, she saw Gu Qichen standing at the end, talking to Yu Jing.
As if hearing her, he turned and looked over.
He said a few more words to Yu Jing, then turned and walked over. "You're awake. Go wash up, and we'll set off after breakfast."
Qin He nodded. When she saw the empty bed, she almost thought Gu Qichen was going to sneak into the desert alone.
After breakfast, Qin He and Gu Qichen drove out.
Yu Jing followed behind them in another car.
Half an hour later, the cars drove out of Shazhen.
Qin He frowned, glancing at the rearview mirror. Ten minutes later, Qin He confirmed that the black car in the rearview mirror was following them.
Gu Qichen also noticed and looked in the rearview mirror. "It shouldn't be Shen Yicong's people. Otherwise, there would have been a warning by now."
Then who could it be?
As Qin He was wondering, Gu Qichen had already stopped the car, and Yu Jing, who was following behind, also stopped.
The car that was following them also stopped at a distance.
A minute later, the car remained stationary, making no attempt to hide its pursuit.
Qin He's forehead twitched slightly. "Such clumsy tracking? This doesn't even count as tracking anymore, does it?"
She had already guessed who it was with about ninety percent certainty.
In Shazhen, there was only one person they knew.
Bian An.
Gu Qichen had already gotten out of the car and walked over. Qin He watched as Gu Qichen stood by the car, said something to the person inside, and then walked back.
"How is it? Is it Bian An?" Qin He asked.
Gu Qichen nodded and started the car.
"He said he wants to guide us."
Qin He frowned. "He's really headstrong. But Bian's family doesn't agree, so it's not appropriate for us to take him along like this."
Gu Qichen said, "I told him to go back, but he said the desert isn't the Gu family's territory, and it's just on his way."
Qin He was momentarily speechless. Traveling together in the desert was indeed a straightforward excuse, with no intention of deceiving him.
They drove and stopped along the way, with Qin He constantly checking the car behind them in the rearview mirror.
Bian An's car stayed about thirty meters behind Yu Jing's car.
When they ventured deep into the desert, Qin He sighed, "It looks like we can't shake him off. Since that's the case, let him follow closely behind our two cars. It will be safer."
She picked up the walkie-talkie and told Yu Jing her plan.
She watched as Yu Jing's car turned around to communicate their intentions to Bian An.
The black Hummer officially joined the search party.
Bian An's car was not equipped with any detection equipment, but after hearing Yu Jing's words, he obediently followed behind.
By noon, the cars finally stopped.
Yu Jing got out of the car with a solemn expression and walked over. "Mr. Gu, this is where we encountered the quicksand yesterday."
"Here?" Gu Qichen frowned, looking at the quiet and peaceful-looking yellow sand.