lerbook Chapter 253 Arrival!
Chapter 253 Arrival!
"Are there any military experts who can analyze what this is???"
"Holy crap, it even jumped! It leaped right up a 40-meter cliff!!!"
"Are those a man and a woman sitting up there? The one with the long, flowing hair is so beautiful!"
"What country's cutting-edge technology is this??? It's a hundred years ahead of the rest of the world!!!"
Wang Hao watched the video with excitement in his eyes.
"Brother Yan, do you think this thing is real or fake?"
Zhang Yan glanced at the screen.
The woman on the white tiger's back—her long hair billowing in the wind—was wearing a white windproof coat.
It's Nie Qingcheng.
He turned his gaze back.
"Fake."
Are you sure?
"It's done with CG."
"But many people in the comments say it's a real film—"
"CG technology is very advanced now." Zhang Yan opened the book. "Don't believe everything."
Wang Hao thought about it and felt that it made sense.
"Yeah, there's no way a robot that big could run up a mountain."
He turned off the video and continued browsing other things.
Zhang Yan wrote a number on the page.
37.
That was the last parameter in the Tyrannosaurus Rex's transmission system that needed fine-tuning.
All calibrations are complete.
He closed the book.
Lean back in your seat and close your eyes.
The train travels through the mountains.
The clanging of the rails was rhythmic.
It's like a simple but reassuring melody.
My phone vibrated again.
"News at noon."
It was posted by Nie Qingcheng.
Three words, followed by a period.
Zhang Yan glanced at the time.
12:01.
punctual to the second.
He replied.
"On the train. All I see outside the window are mountains. Green."
They replied very quickly.
"Take a picture."
Zhang Yan raised his phone and took a picture of the scenery outside the window.
The mountains stretch endlessly, their green waves surging, and in the distance, a silver river glitters in the valley.
I sent it.
Nie Qingcheng replied with a single word.
"beautiful."
Then he sent another message.
"She's even more beautiful. Let's take a picture."
Zhang Yan hesitated for a second.
Turn on the front-facing camera.
The camera focused on his own face.
Light streamed in through the window, outlining half of the silhouette.
The collar of his white T-shirt was slightly open, and his hair was a little messy from the fan.
He pressed the shutter.
I sent it.
There was a full thirty seconds of silence on the other end.
Zhang Yan thought she had gone into the meeting.
Then the news came.
It's not text.
It's a voice message.
two seconds.
He clicked on it.
Nie Qingcheng's voice was very low.
"Zhang Yan, you did this on purpose."
Five words.
The last syllable of his voice carried a hint of gritted teeth.
Zhang Yan put his phone into his pocket.
His expression remained unchanged.
But if you look closely—
A very faint smile played at the corners of his eyes.
……
3:17 PM.
The train has arrived at the station.
Zhang Yan followed Wang Hao as they squeezed through the crowd.
The square in front of the station was dusty and gray, and the leaves of several banyan trees drooped from the sun.
A passenger minibus was parked on the side of the square.
A large patch of paint has peeled off.
Black smoke was billowing from the exhaust pipe.
"That's the one." Wang Hao dragged his suitcase and rushed over. "Brother Yan, hurry up, there are only two buses a day!"
Zhang Yan followed behind.
Got in the car.
It was even hotter inside the carriage than on the train.
The floral fabric on the seat covers has been washed so much that you can no longer tell its original color.
There were more than a dozen people on the bus, mostly elderly, with large and small bags beside them.
Someone was holding a chicken coop in their arms.
The chickens were clucking in their cages.
Wang Hao found a seat towards the back.
The two of them squeezed together to sit down.
The bus started moving slowly and shakily.
Once outside the city, the roads begin to narrow.
The asphalt road was replaced by a cement road.
Then the cement road was replaced with a dirt road.
The mountains on both sides are getting closer and closer.
The trees are getting denser.
Nearly two hours later.
The bus stopped in front of a stone archway by the roadside.
Two characters are carved on the stone: Willow Creek.
"We're here." Wang Hao jumped off the car with his suitcase. "Let's go this way."
Zhang Yan got off the car.
I stood by the roadside and looked around.
Liuxi Town.
Although it's called a town, it's more like a large village.
A main street lined with brick houses and several shops on both sides.
A convenience store, a barbershop, and a small restaurant with a sign that reads "Brothers Restaurant".
A row of red lanterns and ribbons hung on the streetlights at the entrance—it looked like wedding decorations.
There weren't many people on the street.
Several old men squatted against the wall, smoking.
Upon seeing Wang Hao, one of them stood up.
"Is that Haozi?"
"Uncle! It's me!" Wang Hao greeted him with a smile.
"You've gained weight! Goodness!" The old man looked him up and down. "Your dad said you're eating well at Jinghai University!"
Wang Hao chuckled.
The old man's gaze shifted to Zhang Yan.
He squinted.
"This is--"
"This is my roommate, Zhang Yan," Wang Hao introduced. "I brought him along too."
"Alright, alright." The old man nodded with a smile. "Once you're here, you're one of us. Come on, let's go to your second uncle's house."
The group walked out of the town.
After leaving the town, we turned into the mountains along a path along the ridges between the fields.
It took about twenty minutes to walk.
A small village appeared halfway up the mountain.
Wangjia'ao.
About twenty houses are scattered on the hillside.
Most of the buildings are old-style brick and tile houses, with a few newly built small villas in between.
At the entrance of the village, a yellow ox was tethered under a huge old camphor tree, leisurely swishing its tail.
Several children were running around under the tree, chasing a stray dog.
Wang Hao's second uncle's house is in the middle of the village.
A three-story villa.
The exterior walls are painted white, and a large red "double happiness" character is pasted on the main entrance.
A shed was erected on the cement embankment in front of the gate, with a dozen or so round tables placed underneath.
Several women were washing and chopping vegetables under the shed.
The steamer was emitting white smoke.
"Second Uncle!" Wang Hao shouted at the top of his lungs.
A robust man in his forties or fifties walked out of the house.
He had a square face, dark skin, and his hands were covered in cement dust.
"Haozi! You're here!"
Wang Jianguo strode over and patted Wang Hao on the shoulder.
He's quite strong.
Wang Hao's 200-pound weight swayed slightly.
"Are you tired from the journey? Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten. Second Uncle, this is my college roommate, Zhang Yan."
Wang Jianguo's gaze turned to Zhang Yan.
I looked him up and down.
First impression: fair-skinned.
Second impression: Too fair-skinned.
In a place where even the fairest person in the entire village has three shades of white, Zhang Yan's skin was so white it almost seemed unreal.
In addition, she has delicate features and an indescribable air about her.
They look like they stepped out of a TV show.
"Good young man!" Wang Jianguo extended his rough, calloused hand. "Make yourself at home, don't be shy!"
Zhang Yan shook hands with him.
"Thank you, Uncle."
"Don't mention it! Haozi's friends are our friends!" Wang Jianguo turned and shouted into the house, "Auntie! We have guests! Kill a chicken!"
A woman's cheerful voice came from inside the house.
"It's already killed! It's stewing on the stove!"
Wang Jianguo laughed heartily.
"Come on, come on, let's go inside."
"Have some tea first. Da Zhuang has gone to town to pick up his mother-in-law. He'll be back in a bit."
……