As Hu Xiaoniu, Liu Dezhu, and the other classmates were gathering, Qing Chen was already heading for Laojun Mountain.
The place was packed. Li Tongyun got off the bus first and stretched her arms in the parking lot.
The small backpack loosely hung on her back as if it was about to fall at any moment, but it never did.
Jiang Xue was also about to get off the bus with her, but just as she was about to step off, Qing Chen suddenly held her back on the bus from behind.
"What's the matter, Qing Chen?" Jiang Xue almost slipped from the grab. She looked back at the teen and saw that his eyes were fixed on someone outside the window.
Jiang Xue hesitated and said, "Is there danger?"
Qing Chen silently looked at the outside. At that time, they saw five people with backpacks stepping off of a black Buick van nearby.
All of them had sunglasses and were dressed in various casual attire, with the exception of identical black boots.
Those were the boots that the criminals wore when they were in Courtyard 4 on Xingshu Road.
It was as if they bought them together in bulk.
On the bus, the elderly lady behind them got impatient and said, "Aren’t you getting off? If not, get out of the way.”
Qing Chen ignored her.
It wasn't until he made sure that the five walked into the park gates that he turned to apologize to the passengers behind them.
If a person could remember everything in their life, they would never believe in coincidences.
Too many things happened in the name of coincidence that was filled with ulterior motives.
The same boots, the same people.
Qing Chen seemed to realize something, but he still wasn't sure.
For sure, the five of them didn't come here for a vacation. If that were the case, there wouldn’t have been any arrest warrants issued.
There was only one way up and down the mountain, and if their traces were found here, it would be hard for them to escape.
Criminals as smart as them would not place themselves in this situation.
They must have come for the time travelers.
Just recently, news from North America reported that a time traveler brought back an anti-cancer drug that proved to be effective.
Normal anti-cancer-targeted drugs would cost around ten thousand a bottle, which could last about a month.
But this bottle that the time traveler brought back was auctioned off for an astronomical 10 million dollars.
The winning bidder was not wealthy individual fighting cancer, but rather a pharmaceutical company that bought it for research purposes.
As a matter of fact, this targeted drug wasn't at all unique, or else. Other time travelers have also brought back the exact same ones.
Otherwise, the bottle likely has sold for a couple billion.
On the day that the company won the bid for the drug, its stocks rose by 32%.
Tremendous commercial value exists between the two worlds. The rich would pay for their safety; the tech giants would pay for the technology; some would pay just to hit the headlines.
This noticeable value of money sparked an enormous chain of interests.
And there will always be some people willing to take great risks and commit some crimes.
It was getting dark at Laojun Mountain. The crowds were still pouring into the gates and soon covered up the criminals.
After Qing Chen got off the bus, Jiang Xue quickly grabbed Li Tongyun's hand and asked, "What's wrong, Qing Chen? What did you see?"
Jiang Xue had a pair of silky gloves on just to cover up her mechanical limbs.
"I saw five people who are most likely criminals at large," said Qing Chen, looking around. “But worry not, they aren't after you, or else, we wouldn't be able to get off the car.”
Jiang Xue asked, "Then what should we do? Retreat?”
"This bus that we just ook was already the last of the day. There's no way we'll be able to get back now," explained Qing Chen, "When you were on the news, they accidentally revealed your home address, but they didn't publish any of your pictures, so we're safe for now."
They weren't rich like Hu Xiaoniu, so they took the bus. Hu Xiaoniu, on the other hand, got a charter bus with no specific time restraints.
Li Tongyun said quietly beside them, "Mom, we should trust Brother Qing Chen."
Qing Chen said, "Let's stay here tonight, and tomorrow, we'll catch the first bus heading back to Luo City."
Arriving at the B& B that Jiang Xue had gotten, Qing Chen didn't go to his room but stayed with Jiang Xue and Li Tongyun.
He first went into the bathroom and messaged Liu Dezhu: Stay in your home for the entire seven-day break. Don't go anywhere.
Qing Chen didn't say specifically to not come to Laojun Mountain to avoid exposing himself. He thought that as long as Liu Dezhu wasn't coming, Hu Xiaoniu would probably cancel this trip.
However, Liu Dezhu didn't reply.
Qing Chen returned to the room and closed the curtains, then stood quietly behind the curtains looking at the surroundings.
A few hours passed, and he still stood there tirelessly.
Seeing that he'd been there for a long time, Jiang Xue asked, "Are you tired, Xiao Chen? You can rest, I will be your lookout."
Qing Chen shook his head and said, "You don't know what they look like, Aunt Jiang Xue. Can you cook us a bowl of instant noodles and bring me some beef jerky from the backpack? I'm quite hungry."
It wasn't that he wanted to eat something, but he noticed that if he didn't mention eating, Jiang Xue and Li Tongyun would probably have been too nervous to eat for the whole night.
They could hear music, singing, and laughing from the B&B next to theirs.
Compared to the joyful atmosphere of next door, their place seemed desolate.
Li Tongyun quietly pulled up a chair next to Qing Chen and used her little hands to massage his neck and shoulders, "Brother Qing Chen, take a break. If you already said that they aren't coming for us, then why are you still so nervous?”
Qing Chen shook his head and had no intention of resting, "I'm fine, don't worry."
Jiang Xue looked at the teenager from the back, and for some reason, she felt safe with him. He said, "Should we…"
"Shhh!" Qing Chen interrupted before Jiang Xue could finish.
At that moment, he could see the familiar figures walking past their window.
They saw the two thugs walking slowly through the street while looking around alertly.
They both had a radio clipped on their shirt, and one of them was speaking into it with a serious expression.
While walking, both of them had their right hand on their waist.
After they walked out of his sight, Qing Chen looked down at the time: 11:55.
The last five minutes.
Qing Chen frowned. The criminals were already in a state of alert.
It was the alertness people would have before a battle.
"Their target might be the hours next to ours," said Qing Chen.
Jiang Xue was stunned, "There are a lot of them in there."
Qing Chen left the window and went back into the bathroom. His message had been sent for a few hours already, and Liu Dezhu still hasn't given a reply.