novelraw Chapter 276: A Bit Pricey
Chapter 276: A Bit Pricey
Su Zhan hailed a taxi and used the ID card under the name Chen Qing.
He found a cheap small inn on the city outskirts that didn’t require much registration and checked in.
After settling down, he began the crucial preparations for this trip.
First, acquire a reliable vehicle that could handle rough terrain.
Using local online listings and a bit of in-person scouting, he soon located a secondhand dealership that looked fairly substantial.
The lot in front of the dealership was filled with jeeps, pickups, and off-road vehicles of various models.
Many of them still bore unwashed mud, showing signs of hard use.
A dark-skinned salesman saw Su Zhan enter and immediately greeted him enthusiastically:
“Boss, looking at cars? What do you need? Our vehicles, whether for crossing gravel deserts or trekking through sand, are rock-solid!”
Su Zhan scanned the lot and said tersely, “I want the strongest off-road performance, durable, few problems.”The salesman hurriedly led him to several of the toughest-looking off-road rigs:
“Boss, take a look at this one, a Warrior conversion, V8 diesel, high chassis, with differential lock, it’s hardcore through and through! Only downside is it drinks a lot of fuel…”
Su Zhan inspected the vehicles carefully.
Engine, chassis, tires…
Although he wasn’t a professional mechanic, his keen senses let him roughly judge whether the core components were sound or had hidden faults.
Then he picked a used domestic off-roader with a solid frame and a clean-sounding engine.
Its price was reasonable, its performance adequate for most rough conditions, and it wasn’t conspicuous—perfect for his low-profile approach.
“This one.”
Su Zhan decided.
He handled the paperwork and paid 80,000 in cash.
The temporary plates and keys were handed over smoothly.
The salesman’s face was all smiles: “Boss, quick decision! Wish you a smooth journey!”
Su Zhan nodded, climbed into the driver’s seat, and started the car.
The engine emitted a low, throaty rumble.
He glanced at the map, compass, ample food, water, and fuel laid on the passenger seat.
His eyes then rested on the endless wasteland to the west of the city.
Ready. Time to go.
The engine roared.
The secondhand off-roader left the last built-up area of Xichuan City and turned onto the national road heading northwest.
The view opened up.
The straight asphalt ribbon stretched forward like a black strip, vanishing where earth met sky.
On either side lay boundless gobi.
The gray-brown sandy ground hosted sparse drought-resistant plants like camel thorn, looking listless under the scorching sun.
Farther out, dunes rolled on and on.
The sun hung at zenith, mercilessly baking the land.
Wind swept the plains, lifting fine grit that tapped the window with a soft rasp.
Occasionally a few gray-black wild camels moved slowly in the distance, or a hawk circled high above—among the few signs of life in this place.
Su Zhan drove with the windows shut, the air conditioning blowing cool air.
He calmly watched the seemingly endless road ahead, feeling a strange sense of peace.
This vast, uninhabited environment strangely put him at ease.
He checked the odometer and fuel gauge, then compared them with the map spread on the passenger seat.
He still had a long way to reach the core of the uninhabited area he’d chosen.
That place was ringed by mountains, its terrain complex, almost untouched by human activity—ideal for hiding out and cultivating.
The off-roader became a tiny dot as it drove deeper into the wasteland.
On the straight national road under the blazing sun—
“Bang!”
A dull sound.
Su Zhan felt a distinct jolt to the vehicle.
“Flat tire.”
He frowned and slowly pulled over to the roadside.
Stepping out, he checked and found the right front tire completely deflated.
There was an irregular tear in the sidewall.
As if scratched by a stone.
He looked up.
A few hundred meters ahead, next to the national road, stood a dilapidated sign that crookedly read “Old Ma Repair Shop.”
A few low sheds stood there, with scrap tires and parts scattered outside.
It looked especially out of place on the desolate gobi.
“Coincidence?”
Su Zhan sneered inwardly;
he already suspected what had happened.
He kept his face calm and slowly drove the car to the repair shop entrance.
No sooner had the vehicle stopped than three men in oil-stained coveralls crawled out of the sheds.
The ringleader was bald, thick-faced, broad-shouldered.
The other two were a tall skinny man like a pole and a short stocky fellow carrying a large wrench.
They looked Su Zhan and his car up and down with ill intent.
“Hey there, boss, car broke down?”
The bald man raised his voice, revealing a mouth of nicotine-stained teeth and a fake grin.
“Flat tire, need it changed.”
Su Zhan said in a flat tone.
“Sure, sure! Old Three, take a look for the boss!”
The bald man signaled the short stocky guy.
Old Three crouched, examined the tire, poked the tear with his finger, then stood and made an expression at the bald man:
“Big brother, the tire’s ruined, needs a new one. This road’s rough, probably ran over a sharp rock.”
The bald man nodded and smiled at Su Zhan: “Unlucky, boss! Out here with no village forward or back, only we can help you. Look at this car—change for a decent tire, including labor, eight thousand.”
Eight thousand?
In a place like this, changing an ordinary off-road tire should cost at most eight hundred, tops.
This was outright robbery.
Su Zhan’s face showed no expression. He glanced at some inconspicuous metal fragments on the ground and at the oil under their fingernails, and his mind confirmed what he suspected.
Ninety-nine percent certain this tire had been punctured by their scattered nails or specially made triangular iron spikes.
“Eight thousand? A bit pricey.”
Su Zhan said.
“Pricey?”
The bald man’s fake smile vanished. The tall skinny man and stocky Old Three closed in, subtly forming a ring around him.
“Boss, come on, think about it. We’re saving your life here. It’s blistering out, can you leave without a car? At night there are wolves around. Eight thousand for a life—worth it!”
Old Three waved his wrench menacingly.
For an ordinary person, being surrounded by three obviously hostile strongmen in the wilderness would likely be coerced into paying to avoid worse trouble.
Su Zhan simply watched them. His plain, level gaze made the bald man feel oddly chilled.
“I don’t have that much cash on me.”
Su Zhan said.
He had the money, but he wasn’t willing to be the gullible mark.
“We take card too, got a POS machine.”
The tall man immediately chimed in, pulling a greasy mobile POS from his filthy coveralls.
They were surprisingly well-prepared.
Su Zhan suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, but it made the three men feel as if the ambient temperature had dropped several degrees.
“The tire can be changed, the money can be paid.”
Su Zhan said slowly, “But first I want to ask, how did this tire get punctured?”