The border defense team's camp on the mountain was very large. Throughout the night, patrol teams constantly went in and out of the camp, patrolling in different directions. This meant that it took us three or four hours to get around to the side of the mountain.

By the time we finally circled around to the side of the mountain, the gloomy sky had gradually faded, and a faint glimmer of dawn was breaking on the horizon.

Xue Dong found a sheltered mountain hollow and said to us, "Everyone has been busy all night, let's rest here for a while. I'm going out to scout the terrain. If I haven't returned before sunrise, it means I must have encountered an accident. In that case, you must evacuate this place as quickly as possible to avoid being caught by the searching soldiers."

When I heard that Xue Dong was going to conduct reconnaissance, I turned my gaze to Lin Que: "You go with Xue Dong, that way you can have someone to look after you if you encounter danger."

“I’ll go myself! I know nothing about feng shui or geomancy, but don’t forget, I’m a professional bodyguard. If too many people go, it will only be a burden if there’s danger!”

Xue Dong left behind a sentence, then climbed out of the valley and disappeared into the dense forest.

By this time, we hadn't rested for a day and a night, and had been doing strenuous physical labor the whole time. Sitting on the ground, I felt like I could barely keep my eyes open. I bit my tongue to perk myself up and said to the others, "You guys rest first, I'll keep watch here."

"Young Master Duan, I'll keep an eye on things."

The monkey pulled up a blade of grass by the roots, brushed off the dirt, and chewed it, using the bitterness to refresh itself: "We don't know how long we'll be struggling in this area. Only when we find the token can we finally settle down. You don't need to participate in this kind of physical work."

"Alright, then you'll have to work hard."

I was so exhausted that I talked to the monkey and drifted off to sleep.

The valley where we were hiding was full of rocks, and I was woken up from my sleep by something poking me.

I opened my eyes; the sun was high in the sky, and it was already noon.

I thought the monkey had accidentally fallen asleep while on guard duty, so I sat up abruptly. Xue Dong had said that if the monkey hadn't come out by sunrise, it must have encountered an accident.

When I sat up, I found that everyone else was already awake, and Xue Dong was sitting there too, while only the monkey was lying on a pile of grass sleeping.

"You're awake! Eat something first!"

Seeing that I sat up, Jiang Man handed me two fist-sized wild fruits: "I saw Wang Qing picking these fruits a few days ago, and I also found them in the woods around us."

I didn't accept the fruit from Jiang Man, but instead asked Xue Dong, "Didn't you go out to scout this morning? When did you come back?"

“I came back a long time ago, but I found that we didn’t have a chance to go up the mountain, so I didn’t wake you up.”

Xue Dong explained to me, “At first, I thought there was only one military camp on the sunny side of the mountain. But when I went up the mountain, I found that there was another training ground for them on the back of the mountain. There were also many guard towers that occupied the only valley that led to the back of the mountain. But there were people on duty there all day long, and the trees had been cut down. The view was very open, so it was difficult for us to get up there. But it wasn’t that we had no chance at all.”

I didn't say anything, I just nodded to signal Xue Dong to continue.

“I heard the soldiers talking, but I couldn’t make out what language they were speaking. However, these soldiers are very lax in their training, and at lunchtime, only the highest sentry post is guarded. If they are guarded at dinnertime as well, we might have a chance to bypass the sentry post.”

Xue Dong continued, "However, I am not yet sure whether their withdrawal of a large number of people at noon was a coincidence or if they are usually this careless. If we want to go up the mountain, we can only wait until dinner time."

Jiang Man handed me some wild berries: "Xue Dong has found a path to avoid that guard tower. There's still some time before dinner, so let's eat something and rest for a while."

Hearing Xue Dong say that made me feel a little more at ease, but I still had some doubts: "Didn't we make any noise all morning while we were sleeping?"

"Are you worried that other teams will also come to this mountain?"

Xue Dong explained, "I risked climbing to a high place before to observe the terrain of this mountain. I found that the troops had cut down almost all the trees within a hundred meters of the foot of the mountain in order to open up the field of vision. It is difficult to get close during the day. We were able to get here because of the night! I analyzed that even if other teams wanted to sneak over, they would have to wait until after dark."

Most importantly, how they will get past the heavy guards under the cover of night is a major problem! My concern isn't for outsiders, but for ourselves. Even if we manage to sneak up the mountain, regardless of whether we get the token, we'll have to stay there tonight. And I know nothing about the situation at the summit, let alone whether there are soldiers guarding it.”

"The mountain is arranged like a dragon's spine, with towering and narrow peaks. The top is not suitable for habitation. The military camp here is not large, at most a company headquarters. It is unlikely that they live on the mountain."

After listening to Xue Dong's story, I quickly ate the sour fruit: "I've had enough sleep. You guys should sleep a little longer. We need to search for the token tonight. Everyone will be busy then!"

...

Jiang Man didn't pick many wild fruits; on average, each person could only get two, which hardly served to fill their stomachs.

By dinnertime, I was so hungry that my limbs felt weak, and even my cheeks felt numb and tingly, which must be due to low blood sugar.

The others weren't in much better shape than me. Fortunately, we were all in pretty good physical condition, and none of us got sick despite all this, otherwise the trouble would have been much bigger.

The back of this mountain is a rocky hillside, with oddly shaped rocks piled up haphazardly on the slopes. In the distance, on a flat piece of land, about two squads of soldiers are practicing bayonet fighting on scarecrows.

Behind the training ground is a valley formed by two steep mountain peaks. There are four wooden guard towers along the valley, where sentries are leisurely leaning against pillars, smoking, and some are even sleeping in chairs.

I don't know much about foreign armies, but seeing this rudimentary environment, the soldiers' loose uniforms, and outdated weapons, I felt that we were probably entering a small country like Laos.

As the setting sun was obscured by the mountains, an officer on the training ground glanced at his watch and blew the whistle hanging around his neck.

Upon hearing the whistle, the previously listless soldiers scattered as if injected with adrenaline, running towards the camp.

Xue Dong peeked out from behind the rock and looked over there, his face lighting up with delight: "Just like at noon, they only leave one person on duty during lunchtime!"