Chapter 130: Cyber Girl, Why Fear Death?

Endless yellow sands stretch into the distance, and the vast Gobi desert rolls on without end. Plateaus, lakes, snow-capped mountains, and desert plains—the scenery is silent, lonely, immense, and desolate, possessing a majestic and awe-inspiring atmosphere.

National Highway 315 begins in Xining and ends in Kashgar, spanning a total distance of 3,063 kilometers. Traffic on this route is sparse; some junctions lack signage, and long stretches of the highway wind through uninhabited no-man's-lands. Without traveling Highway 315, one cannot comprehend the vastness, desolation, and hardships of the Lop Nur and Taklamakan Desert regions.

Highway 315 traverses the Qaidam Basin, cuts through the Qiangtang no-man's-land, crosses the Lop Nur and Taklamakan deserts, and finally reaches Kashgar, the westernmost city in China.

It is a journey in search of a path forgotten by God.
It is a journey of inner redemption.

Here, the drone An Muxi gifted to Lin Shenlu would finally prove its worth.

...

"Sister Qingchen, I'm ready to set off. Tomorrow," Lin Shenlu said over the phone.

"No problem. I'll meet you at the highway exit tomorrow. My cousin also has a driver's license; please keep an eye on her on the road. It's her first time traveling far from home, and the family is worried. I'm counting on you," Lin Qingchen replied from the other end of the line.

"Don't worry, Sister Qingchen. I have it covered," Lin Shenlu nodded.

"Right, she'll be driving her own car behind you. The plate starts with three sixes—it's a silver Cyber Tank."

After hanging up, Lin Shenlu took a light drag of his cigarette before driving his RV to pick up An Muxi. As previously discussed, An Muxi still needed to bring several daily necessities, so there was plenty of room to stow them all in the RV. The outdoor sun was warm, and as he drove, Lin Shenlu found himself thinking about the girl Lin Qingchen had mentioned.

A girl driving a silver Cyber Tank... a girl who refused to ride in his RV and insisted on driving thousands of kilometers by herself... she certainly seemed wild.

Arriving at An Muxi's apartment building, Lin Shenlu went upstairs to help her move her belongings. An Muxi had packed well; two large suitcases were all ready to go. To his surprise, An Muxi even brought along the speaker he had gifted her. In her words, she simply couldn't put it down. Since they were traveling by RV, it was convenient to carry, and listening to music on a speaker with floating lyrics while heading into the vast, uninhabited wilderness would surely be a special experience.

...

The next day, Lin Shenlu drove with An Muxi. During the day, An Muxi was accustomed to sitting in the passenger seat. Of course, she had once said that what she truly hoped for was to have a passenger seat of her own.

Su Bao'er, as previously agreed, had stayed behind at An Muxi's parents' house. Lin Shenlu actually felt that if possible, Su Bao'er would have been best suited to stay with Hai Lanjing, as the inn was the most appropriate place for her. Unfortunately... there are no "what ifs."

...

Upon reaching the highway exit, Lin Shenlu saw the highly conspicuous Cyber Tank from a distance.

"Is that the car belonging to the friend you mentioned?" An Muxi asked curiously.

Lin Shenlu nodded.

"As far as I know... the Cyberpunk edition of the Great Wall Tank 300 hasn't even been delivered yet... and it was limited to three thousand units, sold out within an hour of pre-orders... and deliveries are still being delayed..." An Muxi was quite intrigued by the eye-catching vehicle.

"My friend is quite wealthy; I've seen three or four different colored Mercedes G-Wagons in her possession... This is her younger cousin... I guess she might be among the few who received an early delivery, or... maybe it's just a regular Tank 300 she had customized. We don't know her well, so let's not ask," Lin Shenlu said, somewhat familiar with Lin Qingchen's family background.

After pulling up near the Cyber Tank, Lin Shenlu parked the car. As he and An Muxi stepped out, the door of the Tank opened as well.

The girl looked Lin Shenlu up and down and said, "So you're the 'Little Deer' my sister mentioned?"

"My sister is the only one who gets to call me that," Lin Shenlu replied while sizing up the girl, whose tone was less than friendly.

She wore her hair in a bun, stood about 168 centimeters tall, and had skin so flawless it looked like it was overflowing with collagen. She radiated a youthful energy; she didn't look very old. Most notably, she was dressed in a JK uniform paired with white silk stockings. The collar of her short-sleeved white shirt featured a light blue bowtie, and the shirt was tucked into a water-blue plaid skirt that swayed just above her knees. The edges of her white stockings ended slightly above her thighs.

The