Under Jiang Man's arrangement, we took the freight elevator into the underground parking garage and sure enough, we saw twenty identical SUVs, with newspapers pasted inside the windows to block the view from the outside.
We put the ten brocade boxes into the car together. Jiang Man waved her hand and said, "Alright, everyone get in the car. The six of us can squeeze in. It's so late. There won't be any traffic police checking cars in this small county town."
"etc!"
The monkey suddenly spoke up: "We ride in the same car to get rid of being followed, but riding in a car with one person is completely different from riding in a car with six people. First of all, the shock absorption is different. Once we're on the road, won't we be spotted at a glance?"
"We had anticipated this."
The head of the bodyguards opened the door of the car next to him and pointed to the pile of cement on the seats, saying, "The weight of these counterweights has been strictly calculated and is about the same as the load-bearing capacity of your car. I guarantee no one will be able to tell."
I gave him a thumbs up: "Smart!"
Once everyone was ready, we all got into the car and squeezed into the SUV.
Then, twenty identical vehicles, except for their license plates, drove straight toward the exit.
Shortly after the vehicle hit the road, Jiang Man's walkie-talkie rang.
"This is car number three, and there are two other cars following me alternately!"
"I'm in car number six, and I'm experiencing the same thing!"
"An anomaly detected in vehicle number thirteen!"
"..."
Upon hearing the report, Jiang Man picked up the walkie-talkie and replied, "Everyone, don't panic. The cars that are following us should speed up and shake them off. Nearby vehicles should drive over to provide cover and attract attention. All vehicles should follow the planned route. This operation of ours will definitely catch them off guard. They won't be able to keep an eye on so many people for a short time."
Amidst the confusion of dozens of vehicles, the few cars that were watching us were completely outmaneuvered, and even I was confused myself. By the time I came to my senses, our vehicle had already left the county town.
At 2:40 a.m., the vehicle arrived smoothly at the orchard Jiang Man had mentioned. I thought we would have to wait until the hour, but as soon as the car stopped, two men rushed out of the guardhouse: "Hey, this is a private orchard. What are you doing up here in the middle of the night?"
I held up the jade token in my hand and replied, "Gentlemen, we are looking for someone. Could you please tell us how to get to Fengmen Village?"
The man shone his flashlight on the jade pendant in my hand, took it away, and gave me an identical one.
After we confirmed that our jade pendants were genuine, another man came forward carrying a plastic bag, pointed to the bottled water inside, and said, "One bottle each, drink it."
I looked at the man cautiously: "Is this water clean?"
"I added something inside that will help you get a good night's sleep."
The man who took the jade token said bluntly, "No strangers are allowed to enter Fengmen Village. If you want to go in, you have to follow our rules. If you are not at ease, you can go down the mountain now."
After confirming that the man's jade pendant was genuine, I reached out and took out a bottle of water.
At this moment, the man who brought us the water also spoke up: "Let me remind you all, before you drink the water, you must hand over all electronic devices on your person. If we find any tracking devices or similar items during the body search, you may not wake up."
I heard they were going to search us, and I frowned, saying, "There are women in our group."
The man looked at me expressionlessly: "You look down on the people of Fengmen Village! Body searches are done by men. We would never risk our lives to break the rules for lust. You should know our reputation over the past ten years since you came to participate in this treasure competition."
Hearing what the man said, I thought for a moment, then unscrewed the cap and was the first to drink the mineral water.
The water had no strange smell; it was exactly the same as the water we usually drink. After we finished drinking the water, the man nodded and said, "Gentlemen, please sit down and wait. This medicine is very potent; you might fall and get hurt if you stand and wait."
Sure enough, after only a dozen seconds, I felt dizzy and my mind became sluggish after I sat down.
I don't know when I fell asleep. When I woke up, I found myself lying in a thatched hut with an incandescent light on. There was no bed in the room, just some dry grass on the floor.
Although we were drugged, I don't know what kind of drug the people in Fengmen Village used. When I woke up, I not only didn't feel dizzy or have a headache, but I also felt refreshed.
I was the second of the six to wake up. Manjing, who was smoking, saw me open my eyes and helped me up: "Big brother, you're awake!"
"Um!"
Seeing that everyone else was still asleep, I recalled what had happened last night: "Where are we?"
“I don’t know either. I tried to open the door after I woke up, but the door was blocked from the outside. There were no gaps in the wall, and I didn’t even know if it was day or night outside.”
Manjing pointed to the door: "But this door is made of wood. Should I kick it open?"
"We're not being kidnapped, why are you kicking the door?"
I glanced at the others who were still fast asleep: "Let's wait a little longer. Since they've locked us up here, they must have their reasons."
About half an hour later, everyone woke up one after another. Before we could even exchange a few words, the door was pushed open.
I peeked through the crack in the door and saw that it was already bright outside, and there was a grove of trees.
The man who entered was the same one who had exchanged jade pendants with me yesterday. He took out a stack of black cloth from his pocket and handed it to me: "Put on your hoods, then line up in a row and put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you. Remember not to take off your hoods during the process, or you will bear the consequences."
I took a look at the hood; it was made entirely of blackout fabric with elastic bands at the seams, making it impossible to see even where my feet were.
After distributing the hoods to everyone, I asked the man, "Have we entered Fengmen Village now?"
Do you think Fengmen Village is a tourist attraction that anyone can just walk into?
The man chuckled mockingly: "The treasure-hunting competition will begin in thirty minutes. I'm going to take you there now so you can get familiar with the environment sooner. If you want to waste more time here, I don't care."
Hearing the man say that, I stopped asking questions, put on the hood, and went first.
As the man led me out of the room, I immediately smelled the fragrance of flowers in the air and heard the chirping of birds.
After about five minutes, the surrounding environment suddenly became empty, and the perceived temperature dropped rapidly. The sounds of the babbling brook and falling water droplets were amplified infinitely.
I could feel the dampness of the temperature, and I already had a general idea in my mind.
If all goes as expected, the location for our treasure-hunting competition should be inside a mountain cave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com