“Jack, why are you back with that gloomy face again? Did someone owe you money again?”
Lu Hao had just returned to the hotel and was chatting with Ilsa in his room when he saw Jack come back with a frown. He immediately teased him.
“Why so serious? Come on, smile.”
“……”
Jack gave Lu Hao a disgusted look. This kid would feel uncomfortable if he didn’t tease him every day.
“Did you run into some bad luck? Tell me so I can feel happy.”
“……”
Jack twitched his lips. Unable to withstand Lu Hao’s questioning, he said helplessly, “I encountered a group of people who were trying to steal the key to the Buqi Laoqi base while I was looking for a locksmith.”
The Buqi Laoqi base is the military base where the gold is buried.
“It seems someone is already eyeing this batch of gold. Jack, be careful.”
“Yes, I’ve investigated everything. I plan to leave tomorrow.”
Jack looked serious. He couldn’t stay in Madrid any longer. If the news that he had the key to the Buqi Laoqi base got out, those bloodthirsty hyenas would swarm in and try to grab the key from him.
He couldn’t fight off so many people alone.
“Jack, I really want to find out the truth about my grandfather’s disappearance in the desert. Let me go with you to retrieve the gold and clear my grandfather’s name.”
Seeing that Jack was ready to leave, Ilsa immediately applied to join the treasure hunt team.
“Ms. Ilsa, welcome to join us.”
Jack readily agreed. He had already taken the base key to a locksmith and knew that opening the base required not only the key but also a password.
And only the last person to lock the door would know the password.
In other words, only Hans, the deputy, knew the ultimate secret. And Ilsa, as the granddaughter of Hans, had grown up listening to stories from her grandfather and might have some help in cracking the password.
“Jack, you won’t refuse to take me this time, will you?”
Lu Hao leaned against the sofa, crossed his legs, and looked at Jack with a smirk. Last time, Jack refused him to join the treasure hunt team, citing that he was a newcomer. Now he agreed to let Ilsa, an exploration newbie, go with them to the desert to search for treasures.
It would be too much if Jack used the excuse of being a newcomer to reject him again.
Jack coughed, saying helplessly, “Lu Hao, this has nothing to do with you. Don’t get involved.”
“Actually, even if you don’t take me, I’m still going. I’ve found out where the gold is hidden. I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Lu Hao smiled and named a place, directly making Jack dumbfounded. “Where did you hear that?” The place Lu Hao mentioned was the outpost before entering the desert where the Buqi Laoqi base is located.
“Jack, maybe the news about this batch of gold isn’t as secret as you think. In fact, I just asked around and learned a lot about the gold treasure.”
Lu Hao shrugged, saying, “As far as I know, many adventurers and bounty hunters have been looking for this batch of gold for many years. However, no one has found the exact location of the buried gold yet.”
“Lu Hao is right. People often bother me and my mother about the gold.”
Ilsa nodded in agreement.
Just yesterday, someone followed her. She was only able to get rid of them with Lu Hao’s help.
Speaking of which, she gave Lu Hao a slight smile.
“……”
Jack was ashamed. He thought the news about this batch of gold was very confidential, but it turned out to be common knowledge.
“So Jack, are you sure you won’t take me?”
Lu Hao looked at Jack confidently.
“Since you’re determined to go, let’s go together!!”
Jack was full of helplessness. The other party had already found out the location. What else could he do? The other party could just go on their own. He could refuse to take Lu Hao, but Lu Hao could go alone.
It would be better for them to set off together, so they could look out for each other.
Besides, the treasure hunt team had two “dead weights” already. With Lu Hao there, he could help take care of them in crucial moments, so he wouldn’t be busy trying to do everything by himself.
“Jack, you won’t regret taking me.”
Lu Hao smiled in satisfaction and said, “But I don’t plan to go with you.”
“Huh? What do you mean…”
Jack was puzzled. Lu Hao explained, “Now that you’ve been targeted, if I go with you, I’ll just become one of their targets. What I mean is we can split into two teams, you in the open and me in the shadows, supporting each other.”
He wouldn’t follow Jack around and get into trouble. He planned to go ahead of time to find out the location of the Buqi Laoqi base and then seize the opportunity to grab the gold.
“That’s fine.”
For safety reasons, Jack agreed to Lu Hao’s plan.
“I’ll take a plane and scout ahead for you. I’ll meet you at the desert inn before the Sahara Desert.”
Seeing that he had convinced Jack, Lu Hao set the meeting place with Jack.
He would go by plane, which was fast and efficient. While Jack planned to drive all the way there, which would be time-consuming and laborious.
Lu Hao didn’t want to suffer with Jack.
“Okay, let’s talk when we meet.”
After thinking for a while, Jack nodded and agreed to Lu Hao’s plan.
Having Lu Hao, a relatively unfamiliar stranger, help scout ahead would make them less blind and vulnerable to attacks when they arrived.
“Great, then we can find the gold together!!”
Seeing the two reach an agreement, Ilsa smiled happily.
She was most familiar with Lu Hao. Having a familiar person around would prevent her from being alienated in the treasure hunt team.
After reaching an agreement, they took the opportunity for Lu Hao to go out and buy a lot of equipment needed for entering the desert:
A half-man-high outdoor backpack, flint, a hunting knife, a compass, a water bottle, a windbreaker, an outdoor shirt, outdoor trousers, desert boots, a watch, an Arab headscarf, a tent, etc.
He also took the opportunity to stock up on ammunition for his Colt M1908 pistol with the guidance of Jack, the old hunter. He got a full hundred bullets, enough to save his life.
“I can’t understand why you like to use pistols!?”
Jack, who had always relied on his fists, couldn’t understand bounty hunters like Lu Hao who liked to carry pistols.
He didn’t like to kill people, so he didn’t advocate using firearms during adventure and treasure hunting.
Lu Hao patted the bullet-filled pockets in his pants and laughed lightly, “It’s one thing not to use a gun when you have one, and another to not have one when you need it. This time we’re being targeted by so many people. It’s very possible that we’ll be at a disadvantage without a gun in our hands.”
“Jack, you should change your old ideas.”
Jack rolled his eyes. He always believed that he could solve all problems with his own two fists.
Seeing that Jack persisted, Lu Hao didn’t say anything more. After all, the other’s furniture city fighting technique was really awesome, and he could find a chance to counterattack in any environment.
All he could say about that was: System, I want to learn this!!