Chapter 279: The White Pagoda Detour

Seeing Lu Xin diligently taking notes, Old Zhou and Little Zhou exchanged a quiet look, not daring to interrupt or peek.

They had faith in Lu Xin, not just because they’d witnessed his ‘ghost-curing’ process, but mainly due to his distinct aura. Look at him, ever since agreeing to this, his eyes haven’t left the front of the car, scribbling in that mysterious little notebook. He looked so enigmatic, so professional… completely different from ordinary folks like them…

Of course, there was another important reason.

Last night, the Boss actually let him go, and didn’t pick anyone else all night. That alone was unexpected. Now they wondered if tonight the Boss would remain quiet like yesterday.

If it really continued like this, wouldn’t that mean she was cured?

“Gurgle gurgle…”

The aroma from the pot grew stronger; the stew was almost ready.

Lu Xin put down his notes and carefully returned the gold-wire-wrapped steel pen to his bag.

Little Zhou watched nearby, envious. “Brother Lu, you really have style. Even your pen looks so good…”

…

“Old Zhou, Old Wang, Old Sun, Old Li… everyone with over five years of driving experience, gather at the Boss’s vehicle…”

Before the three could even serve their food, they suddenly heard someone shouting while blowing a whistle.

Old Zhou, who had just picked up his bowl, turned deathly pale. “This time… what kind of torment is she planning now?”

“What are you thinking?”

The whistler glared at him. “This time, you’re being called over to discuss things!”

“Discuss things?”

Old Zhou paused, momentarily stunned, before realizing. “Okay then, let’s go!”

Lu Xin thought about following, but the person calling people over immediately looked at him. “Brother, no one minds you traveling with our convoy, but it’s not convenient for you to join our discussion.”

Lu Xin considered it, thought he had a point, and nodded. “Alright.”

“Brother Lu, shall I serve you a bowl first?”

Little Zhou offered eagerly, showing no intention of starting to eat himself.

Lu Xin shook his head. “Let’s wait for your uncle to come back.”

Although the uncle and nephew had promised to cover his meals, waiting for everyone before eating was simply polite.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Old Zhou and the other veteran drivers who’d been called over sauntered back. Old Zhou’s brow was clearly furrowed, a troubled look on his face. Instead of eating, he sat down and immediately pulled out the map.

“What’s wrong, Uncle?”

Little Zhou asked with concern, glancing at Old Zhou’s belt.

“What are you looking at? It’s nothing.”

“Am I the kind of man who’d betray your aunt?”

Old Zhou shot his nephew a glare. “The Boss called us over to talk about the route. Take a look…”

He explained, pulling the map closer. “The scouts went further ahead and reported that the main bridge on Hongdao Ridge collapsed recently, swallowed by a mudslide. A large section is gone. We can’t take this route anymore, we have to detour.”

“Detour?”

Little Zhou grew instantly nervous.

Although drivers like them who frequented the Wasteland often took detours, they also feared them.

Detours often meant unexpected trouble.

“Right.”

Old Zhou frowned and sighed. “We found out early, before reaching that section, so changing routes isn’t a huge problem. But this detour, if we take the western road, means a massive loop to get to Central City. Our schedule was originally relaxed, five days for delivery, we could have taken it easy. But with this detour, it’s uncertain.”

“I doubt we can even make it within five days now.”

…

Little Zhou became anxious. “Then what do we do?”

For the convoy, delivering on time was a major issue.

Sometimes, if the schedule was delayed, the whole trip was basically wasted.

If they ran into strict clients, they might refuse the cargo outright, leading to significant losses.

“The Boss is considering it too.”

Old Zhou pointed to an area blackened with pencil on the map. “If worst comes to worst, we’ll have to cut through White Pagoda Town, then get directly behind Hongdao Ridge. Once there, there are more main roads, we should be able to make it on time one way or another.”

“White Pagoda Town?”

Little Zhou paled hearing this. “Isn’t that a ruined city? Legends say it’s haunted, right?”

“Tsk…”

Old Zhou clicked his tongue. “Which ruined city *doesn’t* have ghost stories?”

He’d wanted to scold his nephew, but remembering how they’d encountered a ghost just yesterday, he felt a bit uncertain himself. He lowered his voice, “We discussed this, but the Boss has decided. She and the scouts will check out the town tomorrow morning. The main group waits here. If the town’s okay, they’ll signal us to proceed.”

“Scouting?”

Little Zhou perked up at the news. “Who’s going? I want to sign up too.”

Old Zhou glared at him. “Aren’t you afraid of the Boss anymore?”

Little Zhou replied, “I’m scared of her at night, but not during the day…”

He added thoughtfully, “Scouting needs a motorcycle, but I don’t have one…”

Suddenly, he looked towards Lu Xin. “Brother Lu, could I borrow your motorcycle? Please?”

Lu Xin, who had just scooped a bowl of food from the pot, flushed.

He silently picked up his chopsticks, not answering the question.

How could one casually lend out a motorcycle…

Fortunately, Old Zhou had already slapped his nephew towards the food pot, scolding, “Do you want to scout or just joyride the motorcycle? Get that idea out of your head! Boss Gao is handling serious business. You’re inexperienced, you’d just be trouble…”

“Fine then…”

Little Zhou mumbled, serving his uncle one less spoonful of food.

As evening fell, people lounged around the vehicles, some warming themselves by fires, others chatting.

Nearby, someone sang opera in a strained voice: “Waiting for my beloved’s return…”

“I’ll come warm your bed…”

…

Lu Xin reviewed the notes he’d taken throughout the day, wondering if he should call Han Bing again. However, his observations today hadn’t yielded much. Compared to his own experience last night, and what Sister had peeked at later, the Boss, Gao Ting, had acted completely normal all day. Flawless, even.

But it was precisely this normalcy, contrasting sharply with her strange behavior last night, that made it feel even weirder.

Let’s see if her illness acts up again tonight…

Lu Xin thought, perhaps when she’s really in that state, her behavior might differ from usual…

Suddenly, Lu Xin realized a serious problem:

“Sister is on night watch… what if she sees something she shouldn’t…?”

He immediately grew anxious. Sister was still just a child!

Just as he was about to call Sister back, he heard a whistle blow in the distance.

Lu Xin’s heart jumped, and the other old drivers were equally startled, quickly turning their heads to look.

Unexpectedly, the person who emerged after the whistle was Old Chen, one of the scouts.

He cursed loudly, “Stop letting your damn imaginations run wild! Get some sleep! The Boss is scouting tomorrow.”

Although his words were harsh, the old drivers understood. Was he implying the Boss wasn’t picking anyone tonight?

How could that be? Did she suddenly have a change of heart?

Many instinctively thought of Lu Xin from yesterday and glanced towards Old Zhou and his nephew’s tent.

Even Old Zhou and Little Zhou looked bewildered. Little Zhou instinctively asked, “Brother Lu, did you already cure the Boss?”

Lu Xin himself was a bit confused. Was she already better?

But I haven’t even done anything yet…

He didn’t want Old Zhou and Little Zhou to see his confusion, so he just nodded silently, then added:

“We still need to continue observing!”

Old Zhou and Little Zhou immediately looked at him with expressions of awe and admiration.

Lu Xin felt a small swell of pride, wondering: If she really got better, does that count as my accomplishment?

Is that half-truckload of scavenged goods practically secured now?

…

Of course, due to the ingrained fear stemming from the Boss’s habit, nobody slept particularly well that night.

Many old drivers admitted they’d rather the Boss picked someone early like before than spend the night on edge like this. You had to admit, sometimes, falling asleep to the Boss’s wicked laugh and a youngster’s frantic cries…

Was a unique kind of enjoyment!

The entire morning passed idly. For once, Old Zhou and Little Zhou ate breakfast and even washed their faces.

The two dark-complexioned uncle and nephew looked considerably cleaner.

It wasn’t until around noon that they saw motorcycles returning from afar, one rider waving a green flag.

Several old drivers who had been waiting at the intersection immediately went up to meet them.

Soon, a whistle sounded, and the messenger rode his motorcycle along the line, shouting loudly:

“Prepare to depart!”

“The Boss and the scouts have checked the town thoroughly! No problems! We can pass through!”

…

The old drivers, already impatient from waiting, immediately got into their vehicles, which started rolling out one by one.

Lu Xin sat in the passenger seat, watching the large trucks ahead rumble onto the highway, swaying on the somewhat pitted road. The truck Old Zhou drove was near the back of the convoy, number nineteen.

The first part of the route was the same as planned, but at an intersection about ten miles out, a motorcycle waited.

The rider continuously waved the green flag in his hand, pointing towards another, smaller side road.

Quite thorough, ensuring no absent-minded fool went the wrong way.

The side road was narrower than the main road, but still wide enough for the large trucks.

In fact, perhaps because fewer vehicles used it, the condition of this side road was even better than the main road.

Driving onto this side road, they could see it winding its way into a city about four or five miles ahead.

That city must be the White Pagoda Town Old Zhou and the others mentioned.