Chapter 38: Returning Home

After that episode, the rest of the journey proceeded quite smoothly.

By eight o’clock that night, Zhong Yuan finally reached the edge of the reservoir. Zhong Da and the other four were hiding under a stone cliff on the opposite hillside. It was a sheltered spot, and Zhong Da had started a fire. The fire was small, but the bit of light and warmth provided a sense of security.

The three young people sat together, watching the newly arrived Zhong Yuan with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. One of the boys whispered to Xiao Hua, who was sitting nearby, "Brother, is that uncle your boss?"

Xiao Hua glanced at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense! What boss?"

The boy looked sheepish and dared not say anything more.

Nearby, Zhong Yuan glanced at the three youths before asking Zhong Da, "Have you made contact with people back home?"

Zhong Da nodded. "We made contact as soon as we arrived. People from the embassy will be here by tomorrow evening at the latest."

Zhong Yuan frowned slightly at this, but said nothing.

The three young people were quite sensible. Although they hadn't eaten much in two days, they didn't complain of hunger once. The girl was the youngest; she looked frail, but her eyes were remarkably resolute.

The night passed without incident.

At dawn, as soon as the sky brightened, Zhong Yuan had Xiao Hua wake the three of them up. After packing, he led them toward the top of the mountain.

Zhong Da was confused. He glanced at the three lagging behind and asked in a low voice, "Brother, where are we going?"

"Nowhere in particular, just moving to a safer spot," Zhong Yuan replied, without offering a detailed explanation.

In truth, his concerns might not necessarily be accurate. They were colored by too much personal emotion to be certain. However, even if his worries weren't spot on, it was always better to be cautious.

Zhong Yuan didn't take them very far. Once they reached the summit, he found a relatively flat area and stopped. From the top, they had a clear view of the entire area surrounding the reservoir below.

Around noon, two off-road vehicles entered the mountains and stopped less than two kilometers from the reservoir. Four people stepped out, scanned their surroundings, and continued toward the reservoir.

After watching for a while, Zhong Yuan called Xiao Hua over. "People have arrived below. Go down and check the situation. Verify their identities. If everything is fine, wave your hand three times."

Xiao Hua understood. Although Zhong Yuan and Zhong Da now had legitimate identities, it was best not to show their faces to these people unless necessary. He nodded and headed down the mountain.

When one of the boys saw him leave, he asked, "Is that the people from the embassy?"

Zhong Yuan glanced at him and replied, "Not sure yet!"

The boy, intimidated by Zhong Yuan, lowered his eyes, avoided his gaze, and gave a soft acknowledgment.

Ten minutes later, Xiao Hua met with the four men. After verifying their identities, he turned and waved his hand three times at the summit, just as Zhong Yuan had instructed.

Seeing this, Zhong Yuan smiled at the three young people. "Let’s go. The embassy staff is here."

At those words, smiles finally broke across their tired, young faces for the first time. They stood up impatiently, thanked him hurriedly, and prepared to leave.

Zhong Yuan stopped them. "Don't be so anxious. Walk slowly; the slope is steep, don't fall. Also, remember: until you are back in the country, do not have any contact with anyone other than the embassy staff, especially people from South Thailand!"

The three nodded repeatedly. Zhong Yuan gestured for them to go with a tilt of his chin.

They thanked him once more before heading down the slope. Once they were at a distance, Zhong Yuan signaled to Zhong Da, and the two followed at a distance.

The journey went smoothly. When the embassy staff saw the three emerging from the mountains, one of them glanced toward the hillside, seemingly certain that someone was there. Seeing this look, the last of Zhong Yuan's worries vanished.

That man was an expert. The fact that the embassy could send someone like that showed how much they valued this matter. Since they took it seriously, the trio's journey home should be safe, barring any extreme bad luck.

At that moment, Zhong Yuan saw the expert stop Xiao Hua and exchange a few words. Shortly after, they left with the group.

Only after their vehicles disappeared from sight did Zhong Yuan and Zhong Da descend the mountain.

"Brother Yuan, the embassy man asked me to give this to you," Xiao Hua said as he approached, handing over a business card. Zhong Yuan took it and glanced at it; the information was limited—just a name and a phone number: Chen Mingjiang.

After committing the name and number to memory, Zhong Yuan used his lighter to burn the card.

As it burned, Xiao Hua added, "He said he has some questions he’d like to ask you."

Zhong Yuan raised an eyebrow. He hadn't wanted to have any contact with these people, but a phone call wouldn't hurt. Besides, if he could earn a favor from this Chen Mingjiang, it might serve as a backup plan in the future—or at the very least, a safety net for Xiao Hua.

However, despite these thoughts, he didn't call immediately.

Night fell. The three of them had left the mountains. There was a large national forest park nearby, a popular tourist spot in the southern region of South Thailand.

There were many hotels and resorts in the area. At this time of year, there were plenty of tourists, including many Chinese. Disguised as tourists, the three of them didn't stand out in the nearby villages.

Following Zhong Yuan's instructions, Xiao Hua found a small hotel with moderate business and rented a room. After days of trekking through the mountains, they needed a proper place to rest for the night.

The Buddha Hand Gang likely wouldn't expect them to appear here, and small hotels like this didn't require identity registration, so the risk of exposure was minimal.

After Xiao Hua checked in, Zhong Da slipped in through the front door with other guests, while Zhong Yuan used the back entrance. Xiao Hua then went out again to buy supplies—food, water, and first-aid items.

The next morning, the sky was bright.

After washing up, Zhong Yuan stood by the window. The weather was poor; it was overcast and likely to rain. It seemed the long-delayed rainy season was finally arriving.

"Brother, breakfast," Zhong Da said, approaching from behind and handing him a sandwich.

Zhong Yuan took it, took a few bites, then pulled out his phone, entered Chen Mingjiang’s number, and dialed.

The other party answered quickly.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end was fluent in the local South Thai dialect.

Zhong Yuan paused, then asked in Chinese, "Chen Mingjiang?"

There was a brief silence on the line before the voice replied, "That's me. Who is this?"

"You left a card for my friend yesterday, saying you had some questions to consult me about, right?" Zhong Yuan stated clearly.

Chen Mingjiang laughed. "I thought you wouldn't call me."