Luo Gang spoke seriously. "We are outsiders here. Everyone notices strangers in this place."
Zhu Yanyi tilted her head and smiled. "Brother Luo, do other people act the same way when they come here?"
Luo Gang paused, then looked at Zhu Yanyi with understanding. "Miss means if we park the car here, we might alert the enemy?"
Zhu Yanyi smiled slightly. "I heard the end of the desert is the Gusi Lan Ruins. So, do tourists sometimes go there to play?"
Luo Gang and the others’ eyes lit up. Qin Tianxiang said, "Yanyi means we pretend to be a group of backpackers. We say we agreed to visit the Gusi Lan Ruins for fun."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "So, entering the town is just for a rest. We eat, refuel, and buy water and dry food. Then, remember to buy a map with exact addresses. Best to find a local guide who knows the area well."
"Why find a guide?" Zhang Yan looked at Zhu Yanyi, confused. "Won’t that let people know we are here?"
"I want people to know we are here." Zhu Yanyi gave a charming, slightly mischievous smile. "If we are tourists, it’s strange not to hire a local guide. If danger happens in the desert, it’s not our fault. I don’t fear being watched. I prefer to keep enemies in the open."
The other six instantly understood Zhu Yanyi’s plan. She wanted to hire a guide to deliberately let the enemy know about their group and their destination. This would make the enemy relax their surveillance. If they were watched secretly, mistakes were likely. If watched openly, no one would discover their true purpose.
It was a strategy of "repairing the plank road openly while secretly marching to Chencang." Zhu Yanyi was using a different form of this tactic.
Understanding Zhu Yanyi’s plan, Luo Gang and the others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
The car drove smoothly into the gas station. It was small—very small. There were only two fuel pumps. So, at most, only two cars could refuel at once.
They used a seven-seater business van. Only Luo Gang got out to refuel and gather information. The others stayed inside.
Luo Gang asked the attendant, "Hey, can we hire a familiar guide here?"
"Are you tourists yourselves?" Tourists were rare here, especially independent ones. So, crowds never gathered.
Luo Gang pointed to Zhu Yanyi and the others in the car. "We are a spontaneous backpacker group from China. We want to visit the Gusi Lan Ruins. But since it’s all desert here, we are afraid to go alone. We want a guide who knows the way. Don’t worry, we will pay well."
The attendant looked Luo Gang up and down for a while, then pointed to a nearby bar. "Go ask at the bar. You should find the people you want there."
"Thanks, buddy." Luo Gang thanked him, paid for the fuel and a tip, then drove the group to the bar.
The group got out of the car and walked into the bar, chatting and laughing together.
There were not many people in the bar. The atmosphere was not lively but rather dull. There was no music. Everyone just drank their own drinks in silence.