Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Half an hour ago, the cruiser returned to the hotel parking lot.

Qu Yixian went to the canteen to get chicken breast, while Yuan Ye returned to his car to get a change of clothes.

Fu Xun didn’t have the key to the four-person dorm, so he stood in the passage at the back gate of the parking lot waiting for him. About three minutes later, his phone rang. Yuan Ye’s tone was irritated; he asked him to come to the parking lot because the wheels of the Mustang had been punctured by someone—both rear wheels were ruined.

When he arrived, Yuan Ye was just taking a jack out of the trunk. Seeing him, he muttered in complaint: “Xun-ge, I don’t know which damn idiot did this, but both my rear wheels are punctured.”

Yuan Ye took a “triangular horse-piercing nail” off the tire and held it in front of him: “Look at this. I don’t know which repair shop did this. How shameless!”

The sky was dark, and in the parking lot, aside from the gatehouse, there was only one cylindrical waterproof light hanging on the outer wall.

Fu Xun took the nail and, under the dim light, examined it carefully.

Yuan Ye cursed as he climbed onto the car frame and unloaded the spare tire from the roof.

“Damn it, if I find out who’s behind this, believe me, I’ll make you pay immediately.”

“You better be careful, don’t leave any traces for me to catch. If I catch even a trace, I’ll make you kneel and call me grandpa.”

“…Don’t even think about staying one more day in the Northwest, you wouldn’t even last an hour.”

He rolled up his sleeves, lifted the tire, and got down. When it hit the ground, he let go directly; the heavy MT special tire hit the ground with a solid, dull thud.

Fu Xun’s brows furrowed slightly at the same moment.

“Yuan Ye,” he called.

Yuan Ye responded. Seeing him stare intently at the triangular nail with a furrowed brow, a glimmer of hope appeared: “Xun-ge, take a look and see if you can figure out which damn repair shop owner threw this?”

Fu Xun glanced at him.

His gaze was naturally oppressive. When he didn’t deliberately hide the intensity in his eyes, they were deep and black like an abyss. Being stared at like this for a few seconds was more than chilling—it was terrifying.

Yuan Ye realized he had spoken carelessly and slapped his own mouth: “I just talked too much. Don’t take it the wrong way.”

“The triangular horse-piercing nail existed as early as the Three Kingdoms period, specifically used to disable cavalry,” Fu Xun said, holding the iron nail’s core, taking a flashlight from Yuan Ye’s open toolbox, holding it in his mouth to illuminate it.

His knuckles seemed naturally attuned to sensing the structure and texture of artifacts. The historical texture of the nail felt like a thorn wrapping around his fingertips. A judgment formed in his mind, and his brows changed slightly.

Yuan Ye leaned over to see what he was looking at.

Earlier, in the dim light, he had only identified the iron nail as a triangular horse-piercing nail meant to puncture tires, and had been too busy venting his frustration. Now, under natural light from the flashlight, the nail looked different.

Compared to modern nails used for puncturing tires, the nail in Fu Xun’s hand appeared smoother, slightly rounded at the edges. Under the light, it had a bluish tint, like it was coated with asphalt, exuding an antiquated feeling.

He frowned slightly: “They even make retro-style versions of these? Modern people chase everything antique and retro-craft, can’t they appreciate a bit?”

Those shiny stainless steel nails, weren’t they more attractive than this?

Yuan Ye couldn’t tell and had to ask humbly: “Xun-ge, what exactly do you see?”

Fu Xun pointed to another triangular nail on the tire that hadn’t been removed: “These come in pairs. I haven’t taken this one out yet.”

“You’re saying my car has been parked here all day and hasn’t been moved, and some shameless bastard still punctured my tires. Xun-ge, you off-road too, you know how sturdy MT tires are. One hole like this—do I patch it or replace it?”

Fu Xun held the flashlight, scanning the four corners of the parking lot.

If he remembered correctly, there was no surveillance installed in the parking lot. The only outdoor camera was mounted under the eaves of the gatehouse, facing the parking lot entrance to record incoming and outgoing vehicles.

“This hotel doesn’t have cameras,” Yuan Ye had already checked: “In Dachaidan in winter, the outdoor temperature freezes the equipment. Otherwise, they would have installed them. Even the one they did put up is basically decoration. So this loss I’m taking—it’s like swallowing bitter herbs silently, suffering with no one to complain to.”

He was worried that repair shops were already closed. He only had one spare tire. If he couldn’t fix both tires properly, it would delay tomorrow’s trip.

Fu Xun handed him the triangular nail: “This nail is fifteen hundred years old. It’s enough to puncture tens of thousands of MT tires.”

Yuan Ye instinctively caught the nail, but felt it prick his hand and was about to drop it. Hearing this, his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Fu Xun: “Xun-ge, what did you just say?”

“Contact Qu Yixian and have her come straight to the parking lot,” Fu Xun said, lowering his gaze. He focused on the other tire, squatted slightly, and gently rubbed the rusted triangular nail with his fingertip.

These two triangular nails came from the same tomb. They felt like iron, untouched by any preservation, freshly excavated artifacts.

The only tomb in the Northwest that matches the fifteen-hundred-year timeline is the Dulan ancient tomb group.

Could these two iron caltrops be stolen artifacts excavated from Dulan? If so, why are they here, treated like ordinary triangular horse-piercing nails, wasted so recklessly?

Fu Xun’s brows furrowed tightly; he had no clue for the moment.

Yuan Ye took out his phone from the car, ready to contact Little Qu.

He first noticed the team’s WeChat group constantly refreshing with new messages. Curious, he opened it and was surprised: “Never thought I’d see this! Little Qu actually sent a red packet in the group. Xun-ge, you wouldn’t know, the last time she sent a red packet was…” two years ago.

Before he could finish, Yuan Ye’s expression suddenly changed.

At the top of Yuan Ye’s phone screen was a horizontal notification bar buzzing continuously with three consecutive WeChat alerts—

Little Qu: Four-person dorm, there’s a stranger inside.

Little Qu: Seems like they’re coming for me. Where are you? Come quickly.

Little Qu: Call the police.

Three messages in a row, each more urgent than the last.

Yuan Ye felt his scalp tingle, tiny bumps spreading along the blood vessels under his skin to the back of his ears. He shivered violently and hurriedly called out: “Xun-ge!”

“Quick, look, it seems Little Qu has gotten into trouble.”

——

Qu Yixian hadn’t hung up. She focused, her gaze fixed on the mirrored bathroom door.

After adjusting to the room’s lighting, she could almost deduce the exact hiding spot of the stranger based on her familiarity with the four-person dorm.

The hotel’s four-person dorm for team leaders was the worst in terms of room conditions. Located on the first floor, no windows, no ventilation, and even the position was the feng shui spot most guests avoided.

Yet, this environment, laid out before her, was perfect for a trap.

Fu Xun was willing to help—blocking the door would be enough to “close the door and strike the dog.”

She gripped the ashtray in her hand, tightening and loosening her grip repeatedly.

In the brief, urgent reaction time, she mentally ran through multiple scenarios and repeatedly devised countermeasures. After a few seconds of deliberation in the storm of thoughts, she abandoned the position she considered nearly foolproof, released the ashtray, and stepped out.

At the end of the corridor, a figure came rushing toward her. Against the light, it looked as if they were coming hurriedly from the end of time itself, covered in wind and snow.

Qu Yixian’s taut nerves suddenly relaxed, her erratic heartbeat gradually returned to normal. Hands in pockets, acting casual, she approached.

——

The moment Fu Xun saw her, he finally exhaled.

Seeing those three WeChat messages from her on Yuan Ye’s phone, he had almost immediately imagined the situation she faced.

From discovering a stranger hidden in the four-person dorm, to calling Yuan Ye to come quickly and teach the person a lesson, and finally to telling Yuan Ye to call the police—three stages, each fraught with danger.

He had even prepared for a direct confrontation, yet in such a brief conversation with no detailed information, she chose to trust him and exit the room.

Expected, yet unexpected.

——

Qu Yixian met him in the corridor, about to turn back to see if anyone followed from the dorm. Fu Xun held her shoulder, his fingers pressing gently on the back of her neck, applying slight force: “Don’t look back.”

His voice was extremely low: “Yuan Ye’s Mustang, both rear wheels were punctured with triangular horse-piercing nails. They probably saw the spare tire on the roof and deliberately punctured two wheels to delay him. The person—it’s coming for you.”

Qu Yixian raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised by this development: “Loan sharks?”

“No.” Fu Xun loosely held her as they walked toward the parking lot: “The nails puncturing the Mustang are artifacts, at least fifteen hundred years old. I’ve dealt with those loan sharks; although they’re unscrupulous, they wouldn’t stoop to such despicable tactics just to delay someone.”

Qu Yixian followed his pace, her voice naturally lowered: “Then who else would be targeting me?”

“I don’t know.” Fu Xun couldn’t analyze it with her now. He guided her to the parking lot and asked: “Car keys?”

“In my pocket.”

Fu Xun nodded and asked, “You drive or should I?”

Qu Yixian hesitated for a few seconds, still undecided. Fu Xun had already opened the front passenger door and gestured for her to get in: “Don’t worry, my driving isn’t worse than yours.”

He closed the car door, quickly circled around the front, got in, started the engine.

The Cruiser roared to life and sped out of the parking lot.

Qu Yixian exclaimed in shock, “We’re not going after Yuan Ye and the others?”

“Can’t.” Fu Xun turned on the high beams and sped toward the highway entrance following the road signs. “The hotel probably has a lot of people hiding, I have the advantage, they don’t. The situation is unfavorable. If we dawdle waiting for people to gather, not only might we fail to leave, we could be trapped all at once.”

Qu Yixian hadn’t expected things to escalate this far and was momentarily speechless.

“Before I came for you, I gave him instructions. Their target is you; your leaving will attract all the people tailing you. No one will pay attention to them. Yuan Ye will take Jiang Yun and leave through the hotel’s main entrance, find any hotel to settle temporarily.” Fu Xun shifted gears, pressed the accelerator, and pushed the speed to 120 km/h.

“By the time they realize, Yuan Ye and Jiang Yun will already be gone, leaving only luggage behind in the room. At daylight tomorrow, I’ll find people to help check out, retrieve the luggage, and tow the car. Once the tires are fixed, Yuan Ye will catch up with Jiang Yun. We’ll regroup in Dunhuang.”

This plan was the most secure arrangement he could think of at the moment.

Yuan Ye and Jiang Yun weren’t the primary targets; if these people didn’t want to cause a big scene, they naturally wouldn’t trouble them.

Qu Yixian thought for a moment, nodded, and said hoarsely, “Got it.”

She ran her fingers over the phone’s cold, hard edges and thought for a moment: “If it’s not loan sharks, I can’t think who we’d be at odds with.”

“Not necessarily revenge-seeking.” Fu Xun, seeing the highway entrance approaching and no vehicles catching up, eased off the accelerator. “The triangular horse-piercing nails are genuine. The light tonight is poor, I can only roughly estimate their era.”

“To use such things to puncture Yuan Ye’s tires, they must deal with antiques and artifacts regularly. Either they’re not particularly skilled but lucky, or they’re overconfident thinking they can take it. The former is easier to handle, the latter… I guess they’re professional tomb raiders. Professional raiders rarely work alone, which is why I told you to leave first. I suspect there are more people lying in wait at the hotel. And at least since yesterday, they’ve been tailing us.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than behind them, headlights flared.

A convoy of several off-road vehicles had caught up.