When you're in the Wolf Pack, your ability to obey orders becomes stronger.

Chapter 203 The Wisdom of the Old Deputy Squad Leader!

As the nanny clicked the mouse, the projected image switched to a 3D map, on which a winding line slowly extended from Hotan in Xinjiang, meandering through the Kunlun Mountains.

"Okay, even if we can't catch them, we don't have to risk our lives with them, right?"

Xu Ge pointed to the line on the 3D map, "Even if they manage to cross over successfully, won't they eventually come out from Leh City? Since we want to know their stronghold, why don't we just wait for them in Leh City beforehand?"

"That's right!" Li Dongshui realized as well.

The nanny zoomed in on the map: "Look, there are 4 to 6 exits on the Leh City side. Thor and the others have already gone there, but nobody knows which way they will come out, not even themselves."

Li Dongshui was taken aback: "Why?"

"Can you stop bragging about how smart you are from now on?" Xu Ge said irritably. "Didn't I just say that this is a route that no one has ever taken before!"

"Oh, oh!" Li Dongshui said somewhat awkwardly.

The nanny nodded: "That's why we need to encounter this group in the mountains by chance, gain their trust as we go, and demonstrate our ability to traverse this route. That way, they will take the initiative to invite us to join them and reach Leh together."

"Demonstrate the ability to traverse this route?"

Xu Ge looked at the nanny, then at Xu Can, and asked, "So, you two are both experts in this area?"

Xu Can smiled and nodded.

The wet nurse slowly shook her head: "He is a master among masters!"

"Cut~"

Xu Ge and Li Dongshui both pursed their lips.

“Don’t underestimate the nanny. As far as I know, he spends almost all of his vacation time hiking!” Xu Can said. “As for me, many outdoor forums are still using the route guide I wrote a few years ago.”

The nanny said proudly, "Let me put it this way: all those famous routes, like the Wusun Ancient Road, the Wolf Tower C+V, the East Slope of Mount Everest, the Aotai Route, Shishapangma..."

Although Xu Ge and Li Dongshui didn't know what the other was talking about, it seemed really impressive, so they stopped questioning it.

Next, the nanny sent the two of them detailed information about the Tash Ancient Road and also emphasized some things to pay attention to.

The identities of the four have already been designed: Xu Can is Xu Ge's cousin, Li Dongshui is Xu Ge's classmate, and the nanny is a fellow hiker from the same outdoor forum as Xu Can.

"Sigh, it's my cousin again..."

Xu Ge looked down at the information and quickly gained a more intuitive understanding of the Tash Ancient Trail, which is indeed one of the most difficult hiking routes in the world.

The route is less than 300 kilometers long, but no one has been able to successfully traverse it to this day.

Even when the national team went to challenge them in the past two years, they still returned empty-handed.

One reason is that the route involves crossing many mountains, including three with an altitude of over 5000 meters, with the highest, Tashda Pass, reaching a frightening altitude of around 5900 meters!
On the other hand, there is the Renqi River, which runs for 15 kilometers between the snow-capped mountains. The river is extremely turbulent, and the valley is flanked by steep cliffs.

Although it is called a river valley, it would be more accurate to call it a canyon.

To successfully traverse the Tash Ancient Road, one must cross the Renqi River dozens of times, each time posing a tremendous challenge to physical strength and courage.

You must know that the climate deep in the snow-capped mountains is unpredictable; one second everything may be normal, and the next second a flash flood may be pouring down.

Xu Ge looked at it and felt something was wrong. He looked up and asked, "It says here that if you're not careful, you'll be swept away by the raging river. How can you say there's no danger to your life?"

The nanny calmly replied, "That's because they didn't use the correct way to cross the river. As long as you secure the rope to the other side first, and then fasten the pulley and safety ring, you can definitely cross safely!"

Xu Ge was still pondering the nanny's words when Li Dongshui's voice rang out: "Um... I wanted to ask, you just said that if the rope is secured to the other side, doesn't that mean someone has to cross the river first?"

"Yup!"

Who will be the first to cross the river?

"me!"

Li Dongshui: "Then I have no problem."

Xu Can stood up: "If there are no problems, let's set off. The healer and I will go get the equipment. You two go to the helipad and wait."

Xu Ge exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, we're going to take a helicopter there!"

"It saves time!"

. . .

. . .

4:30 PM, Yecheng Snowfield Avenue Pedestrian Street.

This is peak tourist season, and the pedestrian street is packed with people.

The nanny, Xu Can, and Li Dongshui walked in front, while Xu Ge and Lin Wan, who was dressed casually, walked behind, talking quietly as they walked.

"I just asked Sister Qing, and they'll reimburse the expenses this time. I'll pick out some nice clothes for you later. Look at what you're wearing, it's all so mismatched!" Lin Wan was both annoyed and amused by Xu Ge's clothes.

Xu Ge was taken aback: "Who is Sister Qing?"

"It's a wet nurse!"

Why do you call him Sister Qing?

“His real name contains the character ‘Qing’.”

"Then why call him 'sister'..."

"Why ask so many questions?" Lin Wan gave Xu Ge a reproachful look and changed the subject, "Is this mission dangerous?"

Xu Ge truthfully said, "The nanny and Xu Can both think it's not dangerous, but I think it's quite dangerous!"

"The Hidden Wolves are quite reliable in their risk assessments, so you don't need to worry too much."

"That's fine."

As they talked, the five of them arrived at a street that specialized in selling outdoor equipment, with all sorts of brands lining the street.

Xu Ge glanced at the list casually; he'd never heard of most of the brands—Archaeopteryx, Climbing Rat, Mammoth… Just hearing their names made them sound like rare, protected species.

The nanny turned around: "Let's go to Decathlon to look at shoes first... Oh my god! Stop them!"

Seeing the wet nurse's anxious expression, Li Dongshui, completely bewildered, reached out and grabbed Xu Ge.

Lin Wan, who was leading Xu Ge and about to enter the Archaeopteryx, felt resistance and turned around to look at the nanny: "Sister Qing, didn't you say that all the expenses this time would be reimbursed?"

"Can I call you 'sister,' my dear Dr. Lin?"

The nanny looked displeased. "We're on a tight budget! The cost of just one of your down jackets is almost enough to buy a complete outfit for all three of us!"

Lin Wan thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll pay for it myself, you don't need to reimburse me."

Xu Ge pulled Lin Wan back down slightly, saying, "This isn't good. If the four of us appear together, it will arouse suspicion if I'm the only one who stands out!"

Lin Wan reluctantly continued walking forward.

The group went into several slightly more affordable stores. The other three had already bought most of their gear, including hiking boots, river tracing shoes, waterproof jackets, and quick-drying pants. Only Xu Ge was still being dragged by Lin Wan to try on waterproof jackets one by one.

The nanny had a bit of a headache, and waved her hand: "Let's go, let's go buy tents, sleeping bags and backpacks first."

Half an hour later, Li Dongshui stood at the entrance of the camel shop carrying large and small bags, looking at the nanny and asking, "Why is my hiking backpack a different brand from Xu Ge's and yours?"

The nanny explained, "They all work the same way."

"What brand is that?"

"Mysterious Farm".

"I want this one too!"

Nanny: ...

Xu Can laughed: "That was bought for him by Dr. Lin, and it wasn't cheap."

Li Dongshui said with a dark face, "I have my own money, so hurry up and return this to me!"

"Damn it, you two are such a handful!" the nanny cursed as she went inside to return the goods.

Around six o'clock, everyone finally managed to get most of the equipment they needed, and after checking into their hotel rooms, they went to have dinner.

Guo Yuanshuai treated everyone to dinner, and repeatedly reminded the nanny and Xu Can to take good care of his two soldiers.

"Don't worry, Sergeant, you know my specialty. I definitely won't let anything happen to them!" the nanny said earnestly. Xu Ge asked curiously, "What's Sister Qing's specialty?"

Lin Wan placed a piece of mutton on his plate and said with a smile in a low voice, "Protect the target."

Xu Ge suddenly realized and looked at the nanny: "So it was you who were with the brigade commander during the exercise!"

The wet nurse smiled confidently: "Absolutely!"

Li Dongshui suddenly asked, "Nanny, if you were to protect a target, and then Thor and Old Face came to behead him, who would win?"

The entire private room fell silent instantly.

Everyone was trying to suppress their laughter, while the nanny looked exasperated: "That's a very good question, don't ask it again!"

After dinner, everyone went to the mall.

The nanny sent everyone a list of items to their phones: "Everyone should buy according to the list, and don't buy the wrong items or too few."

Xu Ge glanced at it; most of the items were food and tools, with a small amount of medicine.

The group first went to the supermarket on the first floor, and each person pushed a shopping cart inside.

About half an hour later, with Lin Wan's help, Xu Ge had bought everything and was about to pay when he ran into Li Dongshui, whose shopping cart was already full.

"Why did you buy so many drinks?" Xu Ge was shocked. "You bought two cases of Want Want Milk alone? Do you think we're going on vacation?"

Also, the list only says to buy 4-6 bottles of electrolyte water, it doesn't mention mineral water, right? Can you even fit that many in your backpack?

Although everyone's backpacks had a capacity of 60L, Xu Ge could tell just by looking that Li Dongshui had bought almost 30L of drinks and water!
Li Dongshui looked at Xu Ge and said, "If you can't fit it all in, could you help me fit some in?"

"Do you think I'm a yak?" Xu Ge said irritably. "Put them all back right now!"

At this moment, Lin Wan glanced at the bottom of Li Dongshui's shopping cart and exclaimed in surprise, "Why did you buy rice and vegetables too?"

Li Dongshui said matter-of-factly, "We're going to be gone for ten days, so we'll definitely have to cook in the mountains."

Xu Ge was so angry he laughed: "According to you, does that mean we also need to buy a pot?"

Li Dongshui looked around: "I'm looking for it, but I haven't found it yet."

"You son of a bitch..."

"Have you bought everything? If you have, please pay and leave." The nanny and Xu Can came over.

Xu Ge pointed to Li Dongshui's shopping cart: "Look at this!"

The nanny glanced at it, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Xu Ge: ? ? ?
"No, he bought so much water and drinks that his backpack simply can't hold it all!"

"It's okay. Didn't I say I'd rather buy more than less? You can put anything you can't fit in my bag."

Xu Ge thought he had misheard: "Sister Qing, what's the capacity of your bag?"

The nanny thought for a moment: "The main package is 65L, and it will be around 105L after expansion."

Xu Ge and the others were completely shocked, and they were all dumbfounded.

"105L?! Can you carry that?" Xu Ge asked cautiously.

The nanny said nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? I've never carried more weight on a mission."

Xu Can chuckled and said, "Do you know why he's called a nanny? He can carry ammunition supplies for at least six people all by himself!"

"Fuck!"

Xu Ge exclaimed in surprise, then grabbed Li Dongshui and left, "I know where the pot seller is!"

Lin Wan followed along, saying, "I saw they sell sausages over there, and they can vacuum pack them."

"Buy two pounds... no, buy five pounds!"

"Let's buy some more beef to ensure we get enough nutrition."

"Is there enough chili? If not, bring more."

"And there's canned food too!"

"I'm telling you, make sure you bring all the seasonings. Yes, bring a bottle of vinegar, and some light soy sauce..."

While Lin Wan and Li Dongshui were selecting items in the condiment area, Guo Yuanshuai called Xu Ge aside.

"I heard from Wang that your main mission this time is to make contact with the target and obtain information. If I'm not mistaken, your target is that group of people from the early morning of New Year's Eve, right?" Guo Yuanshuai asked in a low voice.

Xu Ge nodded: "Yes."

"What are you going to do?"

"The wet nurse's idea is to meet them by chance in the mountains, then demonstrate our ability to travel through time, so that they will take the initiative to recruit us."

"This method is indeed feasible, but the squad leader wants to remind you of something."

Guo Yuanshuai said seriously, "These people have been walking on the edge of a knife for many years, so their vigilance must be very high. If you take the initiative to contact them, it will only make them suspicious!"

Xu Ge stiffened and quickly asked, "Deputy Squad Leader, how do you suggest we approach them?"

"Human nature is very complex. Such people no longer trust any outsiders. The more harmless you appear, the more dangerous you are to them."

Guo Yuanshuai said slowly, "On the contrary, if you take the initiative to show that you are wary of them and do not want to associate with them, they will lower their guard!"

A thought flashed through Xu Ge's mind. He vaguely felt that what the squad leader said made a lot of sense, but he couldn't figure out why for a moment.

However, Xu Ge was certain of one thing: listening to the squad leader was definitely the right thing to do!
“Okay! I understand, squad leader! I’ll remind them before we leave!” Xu Ge nodded emphatically.

"Be sure to pay attention to safety!"

"Okay! Class monitor, remember to collect the award for me!"

"Haha! Don't worry!"

. . .

. . .

At 8 p.m., the four of them gathered in a triple room at the hotel, where the nanny and Xu Can taught the two novices how to pack their bags.

More than half an hour later, all the items that were scattered all over the floor and bed disappeared, leaving only four bulging backpacks (one large and three small) and eight trekking poles.

They say there are three small bags, but that's only in comparison to the nanny's backpack. The other three bags are all around 60L in capacity.

"Now I'll teach you how to open and close the packages."

The nanny casually picked up her hiking backpack and placed it on the bed, then easily put it on and took it off while explaining.

Xu Ge and Li Dongshui stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

After the two of them had learned the techniques, the four of them sat down together for a tactical meeting before the operation.

"The boss just sent a message that Liu Yang and his group are confirmed to arrive in Hotan tomorrow, so we'll set off tomorrow as well."

The nanny took out two satellite phones and four headsets and distributed them to everyone. "The reason why the Tash Ancient Road cannot be crossed is not only because of its inherent difficulty, but also because there is no signal in the mountains and no rescue personnel."

"But this problem doesn't exist for us. We have military Beidou, which can obtain real-time road condition information ahead."

"This is also our biggest advantage; we need to intentionally or unintentionally showcase it to our target audience and attract them..."

Xu Ge raised his hand: "Sister Qing, I think when we see that group of people tomorrow, we should first act like we're afraid of them."

The other three were taken aback: "Why?"

"In the middle of nowhere, there are eight of them and only four of us. Isn't it normal to be afraid of them?"

Xu Ge repeated Guo Yuanshuai's suggestion to everyone, and then said,
“I think the squad leader makes a lot of sense. We should stick to one principle from beginning to end, which is to always try to shake them off, and ideally let them follow behind us. In the process, they will naturally discover that we have the ability to cross the Tash Ancient Road.”

The three of them were taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was going on.

The nanny slapped her thigh: "It has to be the old shift leader, that's real wisdom!"

(End of this chapter)