Editor: Kat
Proofreader: Junyans
If Wei Xuechen had not gone missing, the Wei family would have been able to gain a firm foothold in the business industry after another 10 years. Fei Lezhi was sensible, so he swallowed this sentence. Why would someone stab another’s wounds when they wanted to cozy up to them? He had a careless and loud personality, and his family had basically allowed him to grow without many rules, but his family had been involved in the business industry since he was a child. Therefore, knowing how to judge people’s expressions was an innate talent for him.
Wei Xun also noticed the conflicted look in Fei Lezhi’s eyes. The Fei family had quite a good reputation within the business industry. If Fei Lezhi was really from the Fei family, it was likely that he knew the Wei family. Additionally, the Wei family’s company had been developed by his brother. The news of his brother’s disappearance had caused quite a huge commotion at that time. At that time, people thought that the “Little President Wei” who was said to be in poor health would come forward and take over the family business.
However, Wei Xun’s interests did not lie in the business industry, and he didn’t care about the mess. Especially after realizing that his brother had begun to withdraw himself from the industry long ago, and had even saved a large amount of money for him in the Swiss bank, Wei Xun felt that his brother had seemed to know in advance that he would disappear. Therefore, he had handled everything in advance.
Wei Xun didn’t care if Fei Lezhi’s father really praised him. The important thing was that there was such a connection between them, and the relationship between the two of them would obviously be much closer with this connection. Wei Xun had a more sincere expression when facing Fei Lezhi now.
With the exception of Wei Xun, there were three newcomers on this tour, but people who were indirectly related to him accounted for two-thirds of the newcomers.
Was it a coincidence, or did the Travel Services purposefully select them?
The Travel Services seemed to prefer people who were connected with each other, such as Yu Hean and Yu Hehui. Yu Hean and An Xuefeng seemed to know each other in reality, and Hou Feihu and Zhao Hongtu were also friends in reality.
And Wei Xun’s online friend in reality, “Maoshan Taoist,” was probably also someone selected by the Travel Services. Additionally, all the people selected by the Travel Services were skilled in certain aspects.
Disregarding whether the newcomers possessed any titles, Fei Lezhi was very tall and powerful. He had beautiful muscles from training in the gym. Just judging from his physical prowess alone, Wei Xun could tell that he was very powerful. Yin Baitao was smart, and the blind young man, Xu Yang, was the first to ask Wei Xun whether he was an experienced tourist, which showed his keen perception.
The Travel Services did not randomly select people. There were so many dying people and people with strong desires in the world. As Fei Lezhi said, his so-called desire to “find the true worth of his life” was certainly not as strong as Yin Baitao’s desire to heal her parents.
Having a desire or being close to death was more like a prerequisite. The Travel Services would definitely have other detailed considerations other than this selection criteria. Unlike the elderly, children, or useless trash selected in many unlimited flow novels, the people selected by the Travel Services could be said to be people of excellent “quality.”
They all shared ties with each other, which also increased the possibility of cooperation during the tour. It could be said that Wei Xun wanted to lead the tour group by controlling IV-1. Originally, he had planned to pull the newcomers to his side. After all, the newcomers would be in the same predicament as him. When newcomers arrived in a strange place, they would stick together as long as they were on talking terms. However, a tour group that was formed this way would have weak ties among the tourists. They would likely fall apart with the slightest contradiction.
But with Fei Lezhi and Yin Baitao, it could be said that Wei Xun basically didn’t need to make efforts to cozy up to the newcomers. The newcomers were about to spontaneously form a small group which was dominated by him! Yin Baitao knew that Wei Xun was smart enough, and Fei Lezhi knew that the older CEO Wei was very powerful and a natural leader. Therefore, his brother Wei Xun definitely wouldn’t be bad.
This inadvertently helped Wei Xun build the persona of a “kind man.”. And this also led to an opportunity for cooperation among them.
At the very least, cooperation would allow the tourists to increase their survival rate. Their survival rate would be higher than tourists who competed with one another, or tourists who suspected each other.
What was the motive of the Travel Services?
Did the Travel Services really hope that tourists could safely survive, become stronger, and explore the unsolved mysteries of the world?
“Alright, let’s get down to business.”
It had taken five minutes for Wei Xun and his company to reminisce about the past. Wei Xun saw from the window that there were two SUVs parked nearby, and people carrying professional travel bags gradually gathered near the vehicles. He estimated the arrival time of the other tourists, coughed to attract everyone’s attention, and said in a straightforward way, “This tour is in northern Tibet. I think everyone must have been prompted by the Travel Services about this and received the novice task.
“My task was to fasten my seat belt, and I got ten points after I finished the task.”
Wei Xun pointed to his seat belt.
“My task is to introduce myself to my teammates,” Fei Lezhi scratched his head and said, “Hey, I also got ten points. I didn’t notice.”
“Mine is to get acquainted with five teammates,” Yin Baitao said.
She looked around the vehicle and hesitated, before saying, “There isn’t anyone else in the vehicle… Will we be the only newcomers on this tour?”
“There are vehicles outside, and other tourists are outside.”
Xu Yang whispered, “There are not only tourists, but there’s also a tour guide on this tour.
“My novice task is to listen to the tour guide explain the scenic spots.”
After a pause, he wrinkled his nose. “The tour guide is very important on this tour.”
While talking, Xu Yang faced Wei Xun. Although Xu Yang was blind, Wei Xun noticed that Xu Yang was talking to him.
Xu Yang was keenly aware that Wei Xun was the leader among Yin Baitao, Fei Lezhi, and Wei Xun. Moreover, all four of them were tourists. This way, one would subconsciously think that people selected by the Travel Services were all tourists and because of this, they would be vaguely aware of the importance of tour guides.
A very sensitive and smart child.
“The tour guide should be an NPC sent by the Travel Services to guide us.” Fei Lezhi had yet to realize the truth about tour guides. “We were chosen to be tourists. Is it because this is a Difficult-level tour, so there is a tour guide to guide the newcomers?”
The tour guide would guide tourists in the tour and protect tourists—This was what people who were just selected by the Travel Services would automatically assume. This was because they were still used to reality’s worldview. They couldn’t imagine how cruel tours in the Travel Services were.
“The codename of our tour guide is IV-1. If the codenames are numbered after I, II, III and IV, there are at least three tiers of tour guides higher than the ranking of this tour guide,” Wei Xun analyzed in an organized manner, “That is to say, there are tour guides in even more challenging tours, so they do not exist to guide new people. It is likely that there are tour guides on every tour. We will know whether the tour guide is an NPC in a moment, but given the relationship between the tour guides and the Travel Services, the power a tour guide has on a tour is definitely larger than that of a tourist.”
“Senior Wei is right,” Yin Baitao nodded and said, “We were selected by the International Thriller Travel Services. This is not a normal tour.”
Indeed, just looking at the scenic spots named Ruins of Xiangxiong Kingdom + Xiaolin Temple + Siling Lake + Changtang Nature Reserve, one would feel that the names were really common. Therefore, it was really easy for tourists to relax their vigilance. Humans would also subconsciously try to perceive the situation in a more positive light, with the wishful thinking that the tours here were no different from tours in reality.
Wei Xun smiled and said, “You can’t use common sense to analyze the actions of the Travel Services, and you can’t relax your vigilance. If you think deeper into this, you will realize that the tour guides don’t necessarily stand on our side.
“I have done a little research on Tibet. In the brief itinerary, the Travel Services prompted, ‘Are the true ruins of the Silver Palace in Garuda Valley, the capital of Xiangxiong Kingdom, or on the banks of the snowy mountain’s holy lake?’ Xiangxiong Kingdom is located on the Qianzong Mountain. The prompt also refers to ruins possibly being beside the snowy mountain’s holy lake. This holy lake refers to Tangra Yumco. To the south of Tangra Yumco are the seven snowy peaks of Dago Snow Mountain.
“In the ancient Xiangxiong language, Tangra Yumco means lake and snow mountain respectively. It is the most important holy lake and sacred mountain of the Bon religion. Bon believers and Buddhists would circle around the mountains and lake in different directions. The Bon believers would circle around the lake and mountains in a counterclockwise direction. Outside the window of our vehicle, what we see are not relics of the Gobi desert, but folk houses. If we are near Tangra Yumco and the ruins of Xiangxiong Kingdom, it is likely that Bon religion is the main religion here in Wenbunan village.”
“So that’s how it is!” Fei Lezhi exclaimed, “Brother Wei, you know a lot!”
“The task said, ‘Follow the last descendent of the eagle flutists, and enter the forbidden areas of northern Tibet to explore the unknown secrets,’” Wei Xun said, “Since the secrets are unknown, they must be dangerous. Be careful everywhere you go.”
“Uh huh.”
Fei Lezhi and Yin Baitao answered, and Xu Yang nodded. Seeing this, Wei Xun stopped talking and listened to their discussion and exchange of information.
How did one become the leader of a small group and force people to jump on their bandwagon?
Prestige? Connections? IQ? EQ?
No. It required an urgent problem that all of them had to resolve, or a thorny foreign enemy.
Wei Xun was looking forward to how IV-1, the slaughterer tour guide known as “Little III-9,” would become a thorny problem.
“Hey, get off!”
Someone suddenly knocked violently on the window from outside, and a hoarse and impatient male voice sounded out, startling Fei Lezhi and the others.
“Come on, it’s time to get off.”
Wei Xun took the lead in getting up. He kept a watch on the time. It took exactly twenty-five minutes from the time he opened his eyes to someone knocking at the window outside. It was the same time as it had taken for everyone to finish arriving in the Intoxicating Xiangxi tour.
Just like the Intoxicating Xiangxi tour, the newcomer Wei Xun couldn’t leave his seat before everyone had arrived. This time, they couldn’t leave the SUV before everyone had arrived. Fei Lezhi had tried to knock on the window and pull open the door, but he had failed. In the end, they had to stay in the vehicle and talk.
Sure enough, the off-road vehicle’s door could be opened now. Wei Xun was the last one to get off the SUV. He glanced at the snow leopard in the back of the vehicle. In the past 20 minutes, it didn’t make a sound. It was as if the snow leopard did not exist in this space. Fei Lezhi and the others didn’t notice anything strange. The snow leopard itself was a natural hunter and an expert at lurking. Wei Xun also didn’t mention the presence of the snow leopard to Fei Lezhi and the others.
Even though the young fox had confirmed that it was not a snow leopard spirit, Wei Xun was still very concerned about its identity and why it was in the vehicle.
But until the moment everyone got off the bus, the snow leopard still remained silent.
“Hurry up. Stop dilly-dallying. Do you want to die?!”
Standing outside the vehicle was a strong man with an unkind expression. He had a dark complexion and a stature akin to an iron tower. He had a pair of triangular-shaped eyes, and the look in his eyes was ferocious. When Fei Lezhi and Yin Baitao trembled due to the cold wind, the corners of his mouth turned up contemptuously. However, when Wei Xun got off the vehicle dressed in a windbreaker and an outfit meant for traveling, the look in his eyes grew suspicious.
“How did you get into the newcomer vehicle?!”
“I am a newcomer.”
Wei Xun said with a smile, “I couldn’t open the SUV’s door no matter what I did. It’s all thanks to Big Brother that we could get off the vehicle.”
Do these newcomers think he opened the door?
Naive, stupid.
The strong man disdainfully sneered, but his doubts disappeared. Before the official start of the tour, the newcomers were protected by the Travel Services. If the tourists were separated into multiple vehicles, the newcomers were all in the same vehicle, and the experienced tourists couldn’t board the vehicle. If the newcomers boarded a bus together with experienced tourists, the newcomers couldn’t leave their seats, but they were also immune to any injury or curse. With just a glance, one would be able to tell the newcomers and the experienced tourists apart. No experienced tourist had ever been able to disguise themself as a newcomer.
The strong man with an iron tower-like stature simply thought that this man was lucky. He was selected into the Travel Services while he was wearing the most suitable clothes. Lucky tourists would always be welcomed in tour parties. Moreover, this person spoke in an orderly and unhurried way, which made people feel very comfortable when speaking to him.
The strong man glanced at his face and frowned. Originally, he was too lazy to take care of newcomers, but for some reason he finally lowered his voice and said fiercely, “You are so ugly. Hurry up and cover your face quickly. It looks disgusting to me.”
“Hey, watch how you speak, okay?!”
Fei Lezhi was so unhappy that he wanted to have a debate with the person, but the strong man sneered. After spitting those words out, he didn’t say more and left with big strides. Fei Lezhi was still angry, but Yin Baitao and Xu Yang were deep in thought over his words.
“Cover your face.”
Wei Xun took out another neck warmer and blocked Yin Baitao’s face. Yin Baitao hesitantly took it. She then finally realized what they meant, sincerely thanked Wei Xun, and carefully blocked her face. Then she tussled her hair to make it look untidy. With this, one couldn’t tell that she was a clean and beautiful person.
“Why should we cover our faces? Should we cover our faces?”
Fei Lezhi said, “Brother Wei is so handsome. There should be something wrong with this man’s taste.”
“Stupid.”
Xu Yang’s face was expressionless as he scolded Fei Lezhi for being stupid, and he led the guide dog to Wei Xun’s side. In fact, as soon as they got off the bus, they saw a group of people standing not far away from them. They were either squatting or standing, gathered next to two other SUVs, and in the middle of them was a tall, thin figure in a dark green cloak.
When they approached the group, Xu Yang found that the man was performing a live show with another man. From the thin and tall shadows, one could tell that the man in the dark green cloak had reached his hands into the clothes of the man in his arms. His hands were moving up and down, which made the other man gasp and moan. His hands powerlessly hung downwards, but he was very welcoming of the actions of the man in the dark green cloak.
“You have all arrived? Hiss, nothing pleasant to the eyes.”
The man in the dark green cloak pressed the head of the person in his arms to his crotch. The other party seemed to struggle, and in the next moment, he was brutally kicked away. The man in his arms rolled a few meters away, and the corners of his mouth were bleeding. However, after he struggled to get up, he still flattered and smiled at the man in the dark green cloak, trying to get closer to him. Afterwards, he knelt at his feet. The tourists nearby turned a blind eye to this and didn’t respond at all.
Fei Lezhi, who was originally frowning fiercely, became aware of the situation so he held his anger in and didn’t step out. However, he also found that the tour was quite different from what he had imagined.
“Four newcomers?”