As the car drove ahead for a while, Panan, who was watching the road intently, suddenly saw several cars parked by the roadside, along with some armed men who were maliciously eyeing each passing vehicle until they disappeared from sight, but none took action.
Panan quickly swerved the car into the roadside ditch, using large rocks as cover.
"Night Wanderer? What the hell are those bastards doing here?"
"Heh, it seems we’ve come to the right place."
Lin Miao realized that finding someone familiar with the area for intelligence gathering was indeed the right choice. He thought he’d have to search for a while longer, but unexpectedly, they encountered the Night Wanderer’s sentry so soon.
"What do you mean, you don’t mean to say that Night Wanderer has targeted your goods?"
"Quite the opposite, Panan, it’s not that Night Wanderer wants to rob me, it’s that I want to rob Night Wanderer. Hide the car properly."
"No need for you to say it."
Panan seamlessly shifted gears into reverse, quickly hiding the car within the roadside grass stacks.
The two got out of the car, and Lin Miao took out the items he brought from the trunk, laying them on the ground and opening them.
A brand new quad-wing optical stealth drone was quietly lying in the box, causing Panan’s eyes to widen.
"Holy crap, where did you get this thing? Mitch managed to procure a second-hand piece from Military Science and bragged so much; he wouldn’t even let me touch it."
This thing is quite pricey on the black market, costing a whopping thirty to forty thousand each, which is twice as expensive as a small bulletproof helmet.
"Of course, I bought it through official channels."
Lin Miao casually replied before inserting the operation chip into the back of his neck and synchronized the visual signal with Panan.
The drone’s four rotor blades started to accelerate, with specially crafted blade materials reducing the sound of air and blade vibrations to the minimum, slowly ascending.
The optical camouflage coating commenced, causing the entire drone to disappear from view; you’d miss it if you didn’t look closely.
Lin Miao and Panan’s field of vision changed along with it, synchronizing with the drone.
As the vision turned into a high-altitude aerial view, the distant ridge’s scene unfolded before their eyes.
It was apparent that numerous covert spots along the mountain road were hidden by Night Wanderer’s people, at least thirty to forty individuals visible at a glance, leaving Panan astounded.
"So many people — is Night Wanderer planning to set up a new base here?"
According to her knowledge, the distant ridge was even more desolate than Stone Ridge Mountain, with barely any vehicles passing by. There was no reason for Night Wanderer to mobilize such a large scale. On the shaded spots of the mountain, several camouflaged tents and vehicles were pitched. If not switched to infrared vision, they might’ve truly evaded detection.
"Wait, let me hear what they’re saying."
This drone has many functions, though Lin Miao hadn’t seen the Military Science drone Panan mentioned, he believed it wouldn’t differ much; though it couldn’t lower onto the tents, it could openly eavesdrop using other methods.
A laser shot from the drone’s head, landing on one of the car windows.
This was an old technology, involving directing a laser invisible to the human eye against glass or other materials, then amplifying, filtering, and enhancing the power of the reflected light from the soundwaves on the glass to restore it as sound signals.
This allowed Lin Miao to overhear the conversations inside the tents; unfortunately, he wasn’t a hacker, otherwise, he might’ve accessed Night Wanderer’s internal network signal.
But after half an hour of listening, it was all rubbish, discussing which store had potent virtual dreams or chatting about sex dolls, until Lin Miao became impatient before someone finally discussed business.
"Is the operation time confirmed?"
"Just confirmed; it seems the oil pipeline will be activated Saturday noon. We’ll have a few hours of window to move. I’m telling you, buddy, it’s absolute money in the bag. Once it’s done, pick any girl you fancy and take her away."
"I feel doubtful, those corporate hounds’ noses are sharper than anything. Just afraid once we start drilling, Peizhuo Petrochemical’s action team will storm over to kill us."
"Rest assured, I heard from the boss, this time the drilling is done by experts."
"Yeah, experts, each year many experts end up dead."
"Whatever, as long as there’s money to be made. My son keeps nagging me about opening a car repair shop in town, my ears have calluses from hearing it."
After those few sentences, the group resumed mundane chatter and crude jokes.
Lin Miao removed the chip, looking towards Panan.
"These Night Wanderers are trying to steal Peizhuo Petrochemical’s oil. Have they finally lost it?"
"Mitch once told me, Peizhuo Petrochemical’s oil pipelines have cathodic protection. If there’s any damage to the anti-corrosive layer or pipeline connection, the current at the cathodic protection station will increase by several amps; station staff aren’t blind, they can see it. Moreover, their vibration detection is so sensitive that they can detect even passing vehicles. Any stir, the nearest Peizhuo Petrochemical action team will directly airlift in to inspect. Night Wanderer’s handful isn’t even enough to fill the gaps in their teeth."
"What if the staff at the station don’t see it? You heard it too, the move’s executed by Peizhuo Petrochemical insiders. I feel there’s potential here."
Panan felt a sense of intrigue upon hearing these words.
If it were purely Night Wanderer acting crazy, Panan wouldn’t wade into this mess, even in folly. But if it were internal strife, a dog-eat-dog situation purposely sabotaging competitors, that would be quite typical.
After pondering for a while, Panan still said:
"I need to discuss this matter with my tribe, and additionally, I suggest you find a reliable hacker, see if you can acquire some more convincing intel, otherwise everyone might end up buried alongside Night Wanderer."
Though Panan had a fiery temperament, she wasn’t foolish; knowing what weighs heavier and lighter.
"Reliable hacker..." Lin Miao too was uncertain about the capability or reliability of that person.
Panan saw his look, contemplated briefly, and said, "Alright, I’ll give you a contact number; it’s Dakota’s, an intermediary in Evil Land. She’s somewhat affiliated with Adcardo. If you can’t find a hacker, call her, let her help you find one — the price is reasonable."
"Alright, it’s decided."