The dirt in the tunnel was damp and cold. Gu Kai hunched low, following Old Mu. The kerosene lamp threw jittery shadows along the narrow passage. Aji clutched the hem of Gu Kai's shirt, breathing hard, his other hand still gripping that half-eaten avocado—he'd stuffed it into his pocket when they left the hotel, insisting, "What if we get hungry?"
"We're almost at the exit," Old Mu suddenly stopped, tilting his head to listen. "It's hidden behind a haystack on the edge of the grassland. Usually no one goes there, but tonight we have to be careful. Ira's men might've set up sentries nearby." He pulled a small mirror from his pocket, angling it toward the gap at the exit. In the reflection, pale moonlight stretched across the steppe—and a flashlight beam swept by in the distance.
"Sentries. Two of 'em, ten meters west of the haystack, by the rocks," Old Mu whispered, lowering his voice even more. "They swap shifts every fifteen minutes. During the handover, there's a three-minute gap. That's our chance to dash out and run deeper into the grassland."
Gu Kai tugged at the canvas around his waist. The sharp brim of the neon-green sunhat pressed against his side. He instinctively wound the cloth tighter—ever since entering the tunnel, he'd been terrified the damn thing would slip out. Now, this close to the sentries, he didn't dare risk it.
"Will they check herders?" Gu Kai asked, eyes fixed on the crack of light, watching the flashlight beams sweep back and forth.
"Normally no, but tonight's different. They're hunting foreigners, so they might give us a closer look." Old Mu hesitated, then pulled out a sheepskin pouch. "This has cheese—herders always carry some. You and Aji take a piece. If they stop you, say you're looking for your Aba on the steppe, bringing him cheese."
Aji snatched a chunk, shoved it in his canvas pocket, then slipped the leftover half of his avocado inside too. "Kai-ge, I'll carry this. You just focus on the road."
Gu Kai nodded, though unease gnawed at him. His Chinese accent was impossible to hide. If the sentries pressed him with questions, he might slip up.
They waited about ten minutes before soldiers' voices drifted over:
"Shift change. You check that side, I'll stay here."
"Yeah, don't slack. If a yellow-skin slips past, Ira won't spare us."
Their boots faded. Old Mu hissed, "Now! Go!"
Gu Kai followed him and Aji, crawling out of the tunnel and ducking low behind the haystack. Moonlight washed over waist-high grass, the wind stirring it into a constant swish-swish, masking their footsteps.
Just as they were circling the rocks near the sentries, Aji slipped. His cheese dropped with a dull thunk.
"Who's there?!" a soldier barked. Flashlight beams shot their way. Gu Kai's heart slammed against his ribs. Old Mu yanked Aji into cover behind the haystack, but Gu Kai froze. The sentries were already closing in. If they all hid, the soldiers would search the haystack—and all three of them would be caught.
"I'll draw him off. You two head east—there's a herder camp." Gu Kai whispered quickly. Before Old Mu could object, he bent down, scooped up the cheese, and coughed loudly. Then, in the dialect Aji had taught him, he shouted: "Tama… Aba… I'm looking for my Aba…"
The flashlight pinned him instantly. A soldier in camo charged forward with his rifle raised. "Stop! Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?"
Gu Kai slowed his steps, hunching his back, wrapping the canvas tighter, holding up the cheese. "I… I'm a herder. Looking for my Aba… bringing cheese…"
The soldier squinted, sweeping his gaze over the soot smeared on Gu Kai's face and the rough canvas robe. "Where's your Aba? Why are you out here at this hour?"
Panic clawed at Gu Kai's chest, but he forced a stammer. "In… in the tent east… Aba's hungry… I bring cheese…" His hand drifted to the canvas at his waist, terrified the sunhat would slip out.
Then, from the distance, a dog barked. The soldier turned instinctively toward the sound. Gu Kai seized the moment, pulling out the avocado and holding it up. "Boss… this sweet. You eat…"
The soldier blinked, startled. Clearly he hadn't expected a "herder" to offer him food. He took the avocado, turned it over in his hands, then looked Gu Kai up and down. With a grunt, he shoved it in his pocket. "Get lost. Don't hang around here."
"Thank you, boss!" Gu Kai bobbed his head and bolted east. After a few strides, he spotted Old Mu and Aji waiting behind the haystack. The three of them didn't dare pause, sprinting deep into the grassland until the voices faded behind them.
"You were insane just now!" Old Mu clapped Gu Kai's shoulder, his voice still shaky with fear. "If he'd pushed just a little harder, you would've blown it!"
Gu Kai wiped the sweat off his brow, patting the canvas at his waist. The sunhat was still tucked safely inside. "Didn't have a choice. If we'd all hidden, we'd be finished."
Aji bounded up, grinning, and shoved the cheese at him. "Kai-ge, you were amazing! That soldier totally bought it!"
Gu Kai took a bite. The cheese was dry and tough, slowly softening in his mouth, salty with a faint tang. He looked up at the grassland stretching out ahead. Under the moonlight, scattered tent lights twinkled like stars thrown across the dark earth.
"Up ahead's the herder tents," Old Mu pointed. "We'll head to Old Ba's place. He's an old friend of mine, honest man. Won't sell us out."
Gu Kai nodded, though his mind was still replaying what he'd overheard at the sentry post. Ira's men feared foreigners reporting back—proof they had a weakness. And Old Mu's earlier words about the granary running low… that weakness might be exactly there.
He touched the Thirty-Six Stratagems in his backpack, then pressed his hand to the canvas at his waist. Suddenly, survival didn't feel like the only goal anymore. Maybe—just maybe—he could find a way out of Locheng altogether.
For now, though, he had to follow Old Mu and Aji, find shelter among the herders' tents. Dawn was still hours away, and Ira's soldiers could be prowling the grassland at any moment.
The wind stirred the grass again, the swish-swish carrying faint echoes of hoofbeats from far off. Gu Kai tightened his grip on the cheese and quickened his pace behind Old Mu, eyes scanning the shadows. He knew—so long as he was still in Locheng, danger was never truly gone.
And his fight for survival… had only just begun.