I am a Big Player
Chapter 646 - 637, No Man’s Land_1

Chapter 646: 637, No Man’s Land_1

Ren He stood in a small diner by the roadside of the desert highway, where the sky outside was filled with swirling yellow sand, and the sunlight shone upon the earth, making the whole world seem like a yellow silent movie.

Ren He pulled down the scarf covering his mouth and spit out a mouthful of faint yellow sand: "Boss, do you still have fish-fragrant shredded pork?" he asked cheerfully, pointing at the faded and mottled menu on the wall.

Seeing the characters for fish-fragrant shredded pork and Kung Pao chicken in this demonized No Man’s Land was somewhat comforting.

The entire journey was a full 3600 kilometers, not something that could be reached in a day; Ren He felt it was better to go a bit slower rather than travel day and night.

The boss, who had been dozing off behind the counter, looked up at Ren He, finding it rare to get a customer on this road: "Yes!"

Ren He glanced at the price tag behind the fish-fragrant shredded pork and was startled: "98? That expensive?"

He remembered that in a film about No Man’s Land, Xu Zheng had to spend 100 yuan just to buy a lighter. He knew that in a place without any shops in sight, the prices could be very high, but 98 yuan for a dish of fish-fragrant shredded pork was a bit excessive, wasn’t it?

The boss, listless, went into the kitchen; Ren He heard the sound of chopping meat, along with the boss’s voice: "String beans cost fifteen a bunch, garlic sprouts nineteen, even cabbage and radishes are three fifty. A kilogram of green onions is fifteen, and garlic over fifteen a kilogram, big brother. The prices here are naturally high, so don’t think I’m ripping you off; even if you go to the small town, it won’t be much cheaper than here."

Fine, Ren He knew that this was a prepared response, but there was no way he would buy the explanation that the prices were the same in the towns. In such a desolate place, wasn’t it about taking advantage of each customer you could?

"One dish of fish-fragrant shredded pork, one Kung Pao chicken, one hot and numbing blood curd," Ren He cheerfully made his order without quibbling with the boss, "and a bottle of beer!"

After passing Jiayuguan, on the journey from Wulumuqi to the border town of Horgos in Ili, there were not many good places to have a meal by the road.

Fish-fragrant shredded pork for 98, Kung Pao chicken for 88, hot and numbing blood curd for 198 – indeed, the prices were truly high, but Ren He was not short of money. Having the opportunity for a decent meal, he could not pass it up. Next to the menu was a sign: "Satellite phone available."

At this place, ordinary mobile phones definitely had no signal.

"Generous," the boss praised, "Wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

When the food arrived, Ren He took a look; it was all right, home-cooking level, but not bad.

"Young man, I see you’re continuing southwest. Buy some dry food. The further west you go, the less you should show your wealth," the boss kindly reminded him.

Ren He laughed. Who said no one was kind-hearted west of Yangguan Pass? He wasn’t worried that the boss would add something unclean to the food to harm him; his Master Level Investigative Skills included simple techniques for tasting for foul play, and the dishes were fine.

The boss probably wasn’t used to such a lavish customer, knowing he was being fleeced but still ordering three dishes in one go. But what the boss said was also true; currently, without firearms, Ren He wasn’t absolutely safe.

And even if he had the firearms, could he shoot anyone who crossed him? Ren He couldn’t do such a thing, so it was better to heed the boss’s advice, to avoid trouble when possible and keep a lower profile going forward.

His SUV was rather conspicuous, but after several days of being battered by wind and sand, it now looked nondescript and covered in dust.

Ren He changed the subject: "Aren’t greenhouses very common here in Xinjiang? Why are the prices still so high?"

"Who knows," the boss seemed interested in chatting with Ren He: "And the wages are low, too. Working in the factory, I only earned 1800 yuan a month. It was hardly enough to live on."

"From what you said, boss, is the northwest not very safe?" Ren He asked.

"If you stay in the towns or cities, there usually won’t be any problem. It’s mainly because I see you heading towards more remote places, so I thought I’d remind you. It’s much safer now than before, but the desperados can never be completely eradicated," the boss explained, shaking his head.

This corresponded with Ren He’s understanding. It did seem quite safe in the cities, and not as dangerous as people imagined. Of course, violent incidents were still frequently heard of.

Actually, Xinjiang’s main tourist routes tend to avoid most dangerous areas, and no group would actively lead tourists into desolate regions; these places were at least under key government protection.

However, what the wilderness was really like, Ren He had not actually experienced. His most pressing matter now was to hurry to Horgos to receive his equipment, as Steve had already called him; the person delivering the equipment had been waiting outside the border for three days.

After receiving the equipment, he would have to return to Karamay, but there was another thing he had to consider: if the wild yaks of Karamay weren’t enough to complete his mission, he might have to make a trip to Kekexili, within the Ili treatment zone in the southwest part of Qinghai.

Ren He asked casually as if it was an afterthought: "Boss, are the poaching situations in Karamay still rampant?"

The boss’s face changed after hearing it: "Young man, you shouldn’t inquire about these things carelessly. It doesn’t concern you. A student like you, who couldn’t harm a chicken, really shouldn’t get involved with them."

It seemed the poaching rings were indeed notorious in the region. After all, they were armed and so it was natural for them to be violent.

But Ren He was no ordinary person, and he had come here specifically to deal with these people. His goal was to protect the wild yaks, and while he would avoid harming others if possible, if someone picked a fight with him, the same global rogue responsible for the downfall of an entire CIA combat team surely had no reason to fear these bandits.

Ren He laid 400 yuan on the table: "Keep the change, thanks boss!"

He was about to leave and get into his car when the boss weakly said, "Cough cough, you’re still 20 short."

Ren He paused: "Fish-fragrant shredded pork 98, Kung Pao chicken 88, hot and numbing blood curd 198, that’s only 384!"

"The beer... the beer is 36 a bottle..." the boss explained.

Ren He’s face darkened at that moment; 36 yuan for a bottle of Tsingtao beer? But he obediently added another 20 yuan, figuring it was best not to make a fuss.

Now, Ren He had a rough understanding of this No Man’s Land.

Even the diner’s boss thought Ren He was a student, an easy target. Ren He felt a mixture of amusement and frustration, but this was also to his advantage. Who would have thought he was armed to the teeth to fight poaching rings?

A little more low key, he needed to find the poachers’ trail first.