Andrew Adams was indeed feeling hungry, so he decided to eat first. Seeing how happily Andrew Adams was eating, everyone else started to chuckle foolishly along with him.

After a while, someone suddenly said, “It smells so bad, where’s that stench coming from?”

“Ah!” Suddenly, Andrew Adams, who had just finished eating, let out a loud cry and shot off like an arrow toward the mountain stream not far away. In no time, he stripped completely and began to wash himself. During his earlier cultivation, Andrew Adams had unknowingly expelled all the toxins, pent-up energy, and illness from his body, leaving a layer of black, sticky grime on his skin.

Watching Andrew Adams joyfully washing himself, everyone laughed happily. Fengzi said, “Peng-ge, why don’t we just let Andrew join us? With his skills, he’s more than qualified.”

“Yeah, seriously, that howl last night was so damn manly, really impressive,” Jack Carter added.

“Brian Clark, what do you think?” David Bolton asked Brian Clark beside him.

“I think we’d better not. Andrew is someone who values his freedom—otherwise, he wouldn’t be thinking about going out to explore. My suggestion is, if we make it back alive, try not to mention anything that happened here, so as not to cause him any trouble. Peng-ge, you have connections, arrange for him to stay at a school for a while. I guess he’ll want to travel abroad—first, he can learn some foreign languages, and second, get used to city life. It’ll be a good buffer and benefit him.”

Hearing Brian Clark’s unique analysis, everyone fell silent for a moment, then said nothing more. Clearly, they had accepted Brian Clark’s suggestion.

After pondering for a moment, David Bolton said, “That’s why you’re the demolition expert—you really know how to analyze people. Let’s go with Brian Clark’s plan for now, and discuss the details when we get the chance. Also, I’ve noticed Andrew doesn’t like talking about himself or prying into others’ business—maybe it’s just his personality. Let’s put ourselves in his shoes. With Andrew’s amazing abilities, it’s best not to ask. First, it’s personal privacy—who doesn’t have secrets? Second, it’s just his nature. No need to make things awkward.”

……

After a while, Andrew Adams came back. Everyone tidied up the traces, chatted a bit, and continued on their way. Andrew Adams looked around at the terrain, analyzed and compared for a moment, then pointed in a direction and said, “If we go this way, it’s about half a day’s journey to get out of the mountains. Beyond that is the Zitan Mountain you mentioned.”

Everyone was delighted to hear this. Thinking of their mission, they felt even more energized. Along the way, they chatted as they walked. Of course, most of the conversation was the four of them telling Andrew Adams about life outside: starting from the country’s geography, then talking about several cities, the characteristics of each city, and the personalities of people from different regions; from the economy and industries to daily life, how people hustle for money and strive for their careers, and then from education to work, and so on.

From their words, Andrew Adams remembered many things, especially about money. In Qingniu Village, there was no trade; everyone lived a collective, communist lifestyle, managed by elders. The whole village got along harmoniously, and any disputes were resolved through proper channels.

Of course, to give Andrew Adams a heads-up and prevent him from imagining life outside as too perfect, they also talked about a lot of the darker sides—like corruption, unspoken rules, and so on. The world is diverse, and life has many facets; that’s what makes society interesting. After hearing all this, Andrew Adams didn’t feel discouraged. Instead, his restless heart was even more stirred, eager to witness the prosperity and dazzling nightlife of the city.

In Andrew Adams’s view, city life was comparable to the primeval forest—opportunities and dangers coexisted, survival of the fittest. When Andrew Adams shared this insight, everyone called him a freak—his understanding was just too sharp. Isn’t city life just a hunting ground? The only difference from the forest is that what’s being hunted is fame and fortune, that’s all.

With nothing more to say, everyone started sharing their own stories. Eventually, the topic turned to the use of guns. Andrew Adams was like a sponge, desperately absorbing all the information, memorizing it for later. Whether he’d use it or not, he’d see when the time came. Knowing more is always good—just like having another skill increases your chances of survival in the wild.

Unknowingly, they walked out of the primeval mountains and saw the plains and signs of human habitation in the distance. It felt like a lifetime ago, and everyone smiled.

At the foot of the mountain, there was a highway ahead—no cars, no people, and the nearest village was still far away. What should they do next? Everyone looked to their commander, David Bolton.

David Bolton raised his binoculars and looked for a while, then said, “We’re already in a neighboring country. The language is different, so everyone needs to be careful. Also, destroy anything that could reveal your identity—I don’t want to cause a diplomatic incident.”

Everyone burned their epaulets, insignias, and anything else that could identify them, then buried the ashes. Andrew Adams didn’t understand why they were doing this, but didn’t ask. They were all veterans—there must be a good reason.

Chapter 10 Mission Complete

A good plan is the start of success. They discussed for half a day, but since they didn’t know the area and had no good intel, no one could make a decision. As night fell, they finally agreed to wait until evening to act.

Whether it was luck or fate smiling on them, about an hour later, a convoy appeared in the distance, winding its way along the mountain road.