Chapter 27 Desert Ruins - 1 *** ……

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Tang Bufan slept until 10 a.m. When he woke up, the RV was still parked outside the gas station, and Lu Yi was not in the vehicle.

Tang Bufan, rubbing his throbbing head, got up from the iron bunk bed. He pulled back the curtains opposite him and saw that the sun was shining brightly. Lu Yi was standing in the ruins of the small supermarket, throwing a rock about half a person's size far away. At his feet were two oilcloth boxes that Tang Bufan had never seen before, already filled with things.

Kids are great, even picking up trash is so efficient.

Noticing Tang Bufan's gaze, Lu Yi turned her head and waved at him under the scorching sun, her smile gentle and bright.

"You're back!" Tang Bufan shouted at him through the car window, his throat a little dry.

"They're here!" Lu Yi bent down and picked up the two boxes at his feet.

He quickly returned to the RV, where Tang Bufan was drinking water from a pretty mug he had found in the kitchen.

"The water tank in the RV is full, and the gas tank is also full," Lu Yi reported to Tang Bufan, placing the two boxes he was carrying on the ground. "Is there anything else I forgot, teacher?"

Lu woke up at six in the morning, but Tang Bufan was still fast asleep. So, staring at the sleeping man, Lu thought and thought and decided to wait for him to wake up before starting the journey.

Tang Bufan was, after all, the owner of the RV, and Lu Yi didn't want to overshadow him.

"Nothing's left out, let's go." Tang Bufan put down his mug and patted his face to clear his head.

He clearly thought he would get up early today before going to bed yesterday, but ended up sleeping for 11 hours straight.

"I'll make you breakfast." Lu Yi walked towards the freezer.

Tang Bufan quickly said, "Don't fry any meat for me, just cut some lettuce for me."

His digestion is very poor now; he feels uncomfortable if he eats fried meat in the morning.

Lu Yi glanced at Tang Bufan's thin body, his eyes showing worry, but he could only nod helplessly.

Tang Bufan walked to the driver's seat and sat down. Through the front window, he saw Anderson lying lazily on his big and cool black motorcycle under the sun, his long legs crossed and resting on the back of the motorcycle. He was very relaxed. So, he had an idea and pressed the steering wheel twice.

"Bang! Bang!"

The piercing horn startled Anderson, who shuddered. Tang Bufan laughed in the driver's seat, then started the RV under Anderson's annoyed gaze.

"Xiao Tang, the RV has plenty of power now, you can let me drive," Kai said to Tang Bufan in a gentle electronic male voice.

"I want to be more awake." Tang Bufan turned the steering wheel and instructed Kai Ge, "From now on, if I sleep for more than ten hours, you should set off an alarm to wake me up."

"Xiao Tang, when you feel sleepy, it means your body needs sleep," Kai said gently. "It's better to let you sleep naturally."

Tang Bufan's smile faded, and his voice lowered slightly: "What if I don't wake up one day?"

"Teacher, don't say discouraging things." Lu Yi came over with a large bowl and a plate, and handed the bowl of lettuce salad to Tang Bufan.

Tang Bufan then handed the driving over to Kai Ge, sat in the driver's seat, and reached out to take the large bowl.

He noticed that Lu Yi's plate contained a large, heavy piece of frozen meat.

"Aren't you going to fry the meat?" Tang Bufan asked him.

“Eating raw meat occasionally is not bad.” Lu Yi actually quite likes eating raw meat. Before meeting Tang Bufan, he often ate raw food.

"Cooked meat is more hygienic." Tang Bufan then adopted an elder's tone: "Eating too much raw meat can cause parasites."

After saying that, he started eating the salad.

"..." Lu Yi wanted to tell Tang Bufan that high-level beastmen don't grow parasites, but after hesitating for a moment, he decided to be a good boy and teach him a lesson.

Kai drove the RV across the vast desert, its heavy tires rolling over the dry ground and kicking up clouds of dust.

Lu Yi took a bite of the frozen meat, which was still very hard, so he put the plate on the counter and raised his hand to unlock the bracelet on his left wrist.

"Teacher, let's confirm the route to the East District Underground City first," Lu Yi said to Tang Bufan.

“Okay.” Tang Bufan, holding the large bowl, turned the spacious driver’s seat towards him.

Lu Yi's black bracelet lit up.

"Why are you still keeping it locked up?" Tang Bufan asked, somewhat puzzled, as he forked some lettuce into his mouth. "Hasn't Anderson already caught up?"

And right now, they're following right behind their RV. Tang Bufan saw Anderson in the rearview mirror; he was riding a motorcycle, wearing holographic glasses, his silver hair flying.

Lu Yi's expression became somewhat evasive, and he stammered as he explained, "If I activate the AI... my father will also be able to locate me... he might send someone to capture me and take me back."

So he needs to get Evelyn to help him determine the route before the RV leaves the desert, and then turn off the AI.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Tang Bufan felt that a normal father was out looking for his runaway child.

“...But I don’t want to go back.” Lu Yi said softly, glancing nervously at Tang Bufan, knowing that with his personality, he would probably try to persuade him to go home again.

Tang Bufan chewed on his salad and looked at Lu Yi. He thought Lu Yi looked no different from a primary school student who didn't want to go home, and couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, I won't rush you home." Tang Bufan compromised, deciding to respect Lu Yi's decision, but also because of his own selfish reasons.

Without Lu Yi, it would be virtually impossible for him to reach the East District.

Lu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, and at that moment Evelyn's gentle electronic female voice rang out unhurriedly.

"Hello, Louis."

“Louis, hmm.” Tang Bufan raised an eyebrow.

Lu Yi blushed a little at his "hmm": "This is my real name... Teacher, you can just keep calling me Lu Yi."

After he finished speaking, he looked down at his bracelet: "Evelyn, connect to Kaige's network, send it the latest topographic map, and then calculate the best route from here to the East District Underground City."

“Yes, Louis,” Evelyn replied gently, then projected a holographic map into the air.

"According to the latest satellite maps, the RV needs to cross the Tarim Basin to reach the underground city in the eastern district. Considering the size, weight, and climbing ability of the RV, it is advisable to take the gentler terrain. After leaving the basin, it should first enter the Mongolian Plain, bypass the Asian Rift Valley, and then enter the North China Plain..."

"Huh!" Tang Bufan stared in shock at the holographic map showing the Great Rift Valley that almost cuts across the entire country, his eyes widening in astonishment as he held the large bowl.

When did such a large rift valley appear in China? The extent of the fracture makes it seem like the underground tectonic plates have cracked.

"Doesn't the teacher know about the Asian Rift Valley?"

Tang Bufan was startled and immediately looked up. He saw the 17-year-old orc boy scrutinizing him. His golden-green eyes were calm, but they were also probing.

"..." Tang Bufan suddenly felt guilty, having forgotten how many times he had given himself away in front of Lu Yi.

"I...forgot a lot of things." Tang Bufan's eyes darted around. Even though he knew that Lu Yi had long suspected him, he could only pretend to lie to him.

"Is that so..." Lu Yi looked at Tang Bufan, who was lying, his eyes lowered, but he quickly regained his gentle smile.

"This great rift valley appeared four years ago during an earthquake, which nearly destroyed the underground city of the East District." Lu Yi began explaining to Tang Bufan, pointing to a spot on the holographic map: "The underground city of the East District is located beneath the Sichuan Basin, and the earthquake's epicenter was in the northwest of the basin. The surface was torn apart during the earthquake, and the rift stretched all the way to here... a distance of 3,000 kilometers."

After Lu Yi finished speaking, he looked up at Tang Bufan: "At that time, both the West District Underground City and the North District Underground City were prepared to receive refugees, but the East District Underground City, with the help of the Eastern Federation, repaired the damaged walls. However, I heard that the living conditions below are still not as good as before. The filtration system is broken, which has led to poor air quality, and groundwater seepage has made the city damp. So now the humans in the East District Underground City are negotiating with the orcs of the Eastern Federation, hoping that they will help build a human surface base."

Tang Bufan understood, but he was very concerned about the timing of the earthquake—four years ago…

He also traveled here four years ago. Is there any connection between the two?

Tang Bufan stared at the holographic map in thought, but the epicenter was in the upper left of the Sichuan Basin, while he and Chen Fei had fallen near the Black Sea, which was too far away.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Bufan decided to throw caution to the wind and asked Lu Yi directly, "Did the Western Federation feel the earthquake at that time?"

“There’s a slight lingering calm in the outlying towns,” Lu Yi replied.

The earthquake could be felt even on the edge of the Western Federation, so there's no reason why the Black Sea wouldn't feel it. However, Tang Bufan had no memory of the earthquake, which means it happened before he transmigrated.

Was it a coincidence or a connection? Tang Bufan frowned, unable to figure it out, and finally decided to stop thinking about it and continue studying the route.

Now that we're already here, there's no point in overthinking. The important thing is to find that doctor.

"So we need to go around this great rift valley and enter the North China Plain from above to reach the Sichuan Basin... Isn't the Eastern Federation of Orcs here?" Tang Bufan pointed to the Great Mount Tai on the holographic map.

“It’s here.” Lu Yi also looked at the plain on the map: “So we will definitely pass through the Eastern Federation of Orcs on that day.”

Tang Bufan frowned. "But I'm wanted by the police... What should I do?"

“First, avoid the orcs of the Eastern Federation, second…” Lu Yi’s expression became a little shy, and his voice became a little softer: “Pretend to be my lover… I guarantee you, we can pass through the Eastern Federation openly and honestly.”

Tang Bufan looked up in surprise, and Lu Yi continued somewhat embarrassedly, "A high-level beastman can vouch for a human criminal."

Given his status, no one dared to say anything.

"...That would be too unfair to you." Tang Bufan didn't quite agree. "We're so far apart in age, wouldn't that be like an old cow eating young grass?"

Lu Yi hesitated for a moment: "Ten years old is alright, isn't it..."

“That won’t be good for your future marriage either.” Tang Bufan still frowned: “Your wife will definitely mind me as her ‘ex-boyfriend,’ even if she knows you’re helping me.”

Lu Yiwei's expression turned serious: "I'm not getting married."

"Kid, don't be so absolute." Tang Bufan looked at him seriously: "Nothing in life is certain. Just like four years ago, I didn't know I would end up like this."

After saying that, he shoveled a few pieces of lettuce into his mouth, feeling rather annoyed.

Lu Yi fell silent, while Tang Bufan swallowed the lettuce in his mouth and continued looking at the holographic map: "Anyway, let's get through this desert first. We're still far from the Eastern Federation."

Because the RV was towing a bus and 11 barrels of oil, its speed slowed down. The desert they were in was easy to drive on, but the roads ahead would definitely not be so easy. Evelyn's calculated route was a bit roundabout, but it was guaranteed to be flat.

“Louis, this map was updated four years ago, and some areas may have undergone minor geological changes.” Evelyn’s gentle voice rang out at this moment: “We will be entering the Taklamakan Desert ahead, so please be mindful of water consumption and resupply.”

"Okay." Lu Yi replied, afraid that his father would be able to figure out where he wanted to go based on his movement path, so he raised his hand and turned off the bracelet.

"Desert..." Tang Bufan looked up and saw golden yellow sand on the horizon.