Two cars entered the Gobi in search of the Mercedes' location, the further from the highway they got, the worse the signal became, until it was completely lost, cutting off any contact with the outside world.
At first, the three men would chat, but the deeper they drove, the more silent they grew.
Fortunately, they had two cars, so even if one broke down, there was another as backup.
Otherwise, given Luke's cautiousness, he really wouldn't dare to enter the Gobi lightly.
After half an hour, the positioning system also failed to work, and they could only guess based on the distance driven and direction that the Mercedes must be nearby.
The two vehicles began to patrol the vicinity, with Luke opening the sunroof to look out, holding a bottle of mineral water in his hand, drinking from it occasionally.
After searching for more than twenty minutes, Luke vaguely spotted a matchbox-sized black dot ahead.
Luke rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things.
Under his direction, both cars headed towards the black spot, driving slowly, and after a few more minutes, it became clear that it was a car.
Luke's expression turned to excitement, finally TM found it.
At this point, the three men became even more vigilant, stopping their cars to check their guns and put on bulletproof vests.
They drove again and stopped about ten meters away from the Mercedes.
The three men observed their surroundings and detected no unusual movements.
David took the lead, with Luke and Marcus covering from both sides, the three of them advancing in a triangle formation.
Approaching the front of the car, they could see through the windshield that there was no one inside the vehicle.
The door to the driver's seat was open, showing there was no place to hide underneath the front seats.
David stood in front of the car, gun in both hands, gaze fixed on the interior of the car.
Luke and Marcus approached the side of the car, Marcus made two hand signals, and Luke nodded slightly.
Marcus yanked open the back door violently, Luke searched with his gun, but still found nothing.
The three men were disappointed, yet couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
David went around to the rear of the car and habitually patted the car's backside, "Bang!"
Noises and muffled cries came from the trunk.
The three men tensed up again.
Luke found the button to open the trunk from inside the car, while David and Marcus stood beside the trunk with guns at the ready.
As the trunk opened, both men raised their guns and signalled,
"LAPD! Put your hands up."
A man was curled up inside the trunk, a towel stuffed in his mouth, his hands cuffed behind his back, and his legs wrapped tightly with duct tape.
The man in the trunk let out a muffled plea for help.
"Wow, isn't this our dear lawyer?" Marcus approached the trunk for a closer look, Dave's face was clearly bruised, his demeanor overly agitated, tears and snot all coming out.
David put away his gun, "Get him out."
Marcus helped Dave up and stepped back two paces, wrinkling his nose, "Fuck, what a strong smell of urine, you pissed your pants."
Marcus glanced at Dave's crotch, which had some yellow stains; they seemed to have dried, indicating some time had passed.
"Oh," Marcus grimaced with a look of disgust on his face.
David yanked the towel out of Dave's mouth, "Are you alright?"
"Water! Water! I need water..." Dave's lips were cracked, and he coughed dryly.
Luke took a bottle of mineral water from the trunk, twisted off the cap, and brought it to his mouth.
"Gulp gulp..." Dave gulped down a few mouthfuls greedily, his complexion gaining a bit of color, "Thank you, thank you for rescuing me. I thought I was going to be trapped here to die.
That bastard Steven, I @#￥%..."
"I don't know, that bastard locked me in the trunk, and from then on, I knew nothing.
I begged him to let me go, but the bastard didn't respond at all, I didn't even know where I was?"
Marcus unlocked the handcuffs and unwrapped the thick bandages around Dave's legs with a look of disgust, and helped him out of the car.
Dave's legs gave way, and he sat down on the ground, "Got anything to eat? Give me something to eat..."
David handed him a loaf of bread, "Why did Steven kidnap you?"
"After leaving the police station, I asked Steven for my lawyer's fees, and he said he would go home to get the money.
When I dropped him off at his house, that bastard turned on me, threatening me directly with a gun.
I said I didn't want the money, but he wouldn't let me go, handcuffed me, and tied my feet with tape.
After that, the son of a bitch got even worse, demanding money from me instead.
I said I didn't have any, so he beat me and burnt my chest with a cigarette butt, extorting forty thousand US dollars from me.
This bastard is not human; I saved him from the police station, and he turned on me.
The son of a bitch, I nearly suffocated to death being locked up by him.
Officers, you must catch him, I am willing to testify in court! Let him rot in jail."
Luke pressed further, "Think again, did Steven leave any other clues, like his escape plan? Or was he planning to go to someone for help?"
"After I was thrown into the trunk, my mind went blank; I can't remember anything," said Dave, his face showing pain,
"Have you tried that feeling? Being in an enclosed space, with no light at all, I really thought I was going to die in there.
I never imagined dying such a suffocating death; I'm not afraid of Steve, but the feeling of waiting to die made me fall apart.
I don't want to recall it, not at all."
Dave's emotions had not recovered from the fear; it was pointless to take his statement now.
David called Marcus aside, "I'll stay here with Luke, you take Dave back to the gas station, then contact the commander for backup.
Marcus shook his head, "No, I'm not letting a guy who wet himself ride in my car, just thinking about the stench of urine disgusts me."
"Then you stay here, Luke and I will take him back."
"I don't want to stay in this damn place alone."
David was getting impatient, "Then what do you suggest?"
"Let this pants-wetter stay with you guys; I'll go back for reinforcements on my own."
David warned, "If you get lost, you are as good as dead, got it?"
Marcus was unconcerned, "Hey, I watch Bear Grylls and Desert Survivors all the time; even if I get lost, I won't be in any danger. I know how to find food and water in the desert."
David pointed at Marcus's chest, "Your danger is me, if reinforcements don't arrive, I will beat you to death."
Marcus shrugged, "You won't get that chance."
David glanced at his watch, "I've started timing; if there is no backup in three hours, be careful."
Marcus muttered under his breath, quickly got back into his car, started the engine, and waved to Luke, "Hey, buddy, wait for my good news."
"Heh, where did he go? Why didn't he take me with him?" Dave was anxious; he didn't want to stay in this cursed place any longer.
"I want to go back to Los Angeles; that is my world, not to stay here eating sand."
Dave stood up, trying to follow, but he was too weak, and simply couldn't run.
"Save your energy, he won't take you," said David.
Dave looked puzzled, "Why? What have I done to him?"
"He's disgusted by your wet pants," David said bluntly.
Luke couldn't help but laugh; he had smelled it, staying a good distance away all the while.
Dave's face turned red with embarrassment, and he was unable to utter a word. Perhaps this was the most humiliating moment of his life.