"I still think we should use the excuse of getting lost as backpackers," Cherry Miller suggested. "Anyway, we're outsiders here, no one's going to trust us easily."
"Cherry, think about it. If we're just backpackers, how do we explain sticking around and settling in? We have to live here and blend in to get close to the locals," Ryan King said, not giving up. "That excuse works for modern people, but folks here wouldn't even know what a backpacker is." (Note: Ryan King is 景少怀, alias Leo King when undercover. See glossary.)
That one comment made Cherry Miller and Yina Yin pause.
Right, of course.
They'd been thinking like modern people the whole time, forgetting that the locals might not even know what a backpacker is.
"Well, that's... kinda awkward."
"Nice one, Ryan!" Yina Yin patted Ryan King on the shoulder. "Anything else to add?" (Note: Yina Yin is 尹一诺. See glossary.)
"Also, based on the data and info my dad gave me, there are about a few thousand people living here, split into four or five villages. Some people don't live in the villages—they stay alone in the valleys or on the mountainside. I guess those loners are either outcasts or just prefer living alone," Ryan King said. "Since we haven't seen anyone yet, it's hard to tell. But us three living alone won't attract much attention. We've got too much stuff to live in the village anyway."
Cherry and Yina nodded.
They really did have a lot of gear, plus a few bodyguards hiding in the shadows. Living too close to others wasn't an option.
"The official estimate is around two thousand people, but I think it's more than that. This place is basically a closed ecosystem. The people here are self-sufficient, so they refuse to leave the mountains. It's not just because they've lived here for generations—it's because this closed-off world gives them everything they need. If that's the case, there must be a lot more people living here than we think."
"That's why the GF-112 Project has been so slow to get off the ground. There are just too many people! If we really have to compensate them all, the costs would be huge. But if they move out willingly and we give them some extra support, everyone's happy," Ryan King said, showing his business side even at a young age.
Cherry Miller couldn't help but smile.
She'd already figured out what Ryan King meant.
The early stages of the project were handled by Ethan Yin and Miles Gu, so Cherry and Yina hadn't really gotten involved and didn't know all the details. (Note: Ethan Yin is 尹御焓; Miles Gu is 顾渺. See glossary.)
Plus, for the past half year, Cherry was busy with special training and Yina was swamped with chores—neither had time for background checks.
So Ryan King's idea made sense.
Sherry Yuan glanced at Yina Yin. (Note: Sherry Yuan is 元十三. See glossary.)
Since Ryan King's idea was better, they were happy to go along with it.
"Alright, let's do it your way!" Cherry Miller said cheerfully. "I'll be the runaway bride, Yina's my partner, and Ryan, you're my little brother tagging along. Should we pick new names for ourselves? I'll be Kara King, Yina can be..." (Note: Kara King is Cherry Miller's alias; Ryan King is 景少怀, alias Leo King. See glossary.)
"I'll be Gu Nuo," Yina Yin said. (Note: Gu Nuo is Yina Yin's alias for the undercover mission. See glossary.)
Ryan King clapped his hands. "Then I'll be Leo King!" (Note: Leo King is Ryan King's alias for the undercover mission. See glossary.)
And just like that, their cover names were set. (Note: Kara King, Gu Nuo, and Leo King are aliases used by Cherry Miller, Yina Yin, and Ryan King for this covert operation.)
"Names are settled, next up: disguises." Ryan King pulled out a bundle wrapped in a bedsheet. "I got us some late Qing dynasty clothes—just regular folks' outfits. Let's change and look the part." (Note: 'Disguises' is more context-appropriate than 'cosplay'. Added dynasty clarification.)
With that, Ryan King opened the bundle, grabbed his clothes, and headed off to change.
"Wow, Ryan really came prepared!" Cherry Miller joked. "My little brother's all grown up!"
Yina Yin smiled. "Seriously, he can handle things on his own now."
The two women exchanged smiles and went to change as well.
When the three of them met up again, they couldn't help but burst out laughing at each other's outfits.
Cherry Miller wore a floral cotton jacket, black cotton pants, and shoes. Even under all that bulky clothing, her figure still showed a bit of flair.
Looks like Mr. Hans' special training really paid off.
Her usual boss-lady vibe was gone, replaced by a clean, restrained look—she was like a whole new person.
Yina Yin wore a long robe, tall and slender, looking every bit the bookish scholar.
Ryan King was in short, practical clothes, looking just like a hunter.
Their cosplay nearly blinded the bodyguards hiding in the shadows.
Then the three of them smeared dirt on their faces, making themselves look scruffy, and slung shabby backpacks over their shoulders. Now their disguises were complete.
Cherry Miller called the bodyguards over. "This mission is tough. You guys need to stay hidden and avoid being seen. If you can't find food, come back to this base to rest and eat. Remember, you can't be discovered! The three of us can take care of ourselves—unless something really big happens, like a force majeure, you can't show yourselves. Got it?"
Yuan Shisan glanced at Yina Yin.
Yina Yin said, "Whatever Cherry says, goes for me too. We've only got six months. We can't mess this up."
Yuan Shisan finally nodded. "Okay."
Ryan King took out the map, studied it, and pointed in a direction. "Let's go this way."
Back in Jin Dynasty times, a man from Wuling stumbled upon a peach blossom forest, followed the stream to a mountain, and found a hidden valley bathed in light. Abandoning his boat, he entered through a narrow opening. The land was flat, with neat houses, fertile fields, pretty ponds, and bamboo groves. The paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs filled the air. (Note: This passage references the famous 'Peach Blossom Spring' fable by Tao Yuanming from the Jin Dynasty, describing an idyllic, hidden world.)
Now, in modern N City, the three of them entered the mountains. They didn't have the twists and turns of the ancient fisherman, but with a modern map, they easily found the locals living deep in the forest.
When they reached the top of the mountain and looked down, all three took a deep breath.
Below them, the valley was crisscrossed with paths, and all sorts of low houses were scattered around with no rhyme or reason.
The houses were built from whatever was at hand—stone and wood.
The structures were super simple, with zero aesthetic appeal.
Years of wear and tear had left them mottled and shabby. If it weren't for the smoke rising from the chimneys, you'd think this was the perfect set for a horror movie.
"This doesn't look like what you see on TV!" Ryan King complained. "Aren't these primitive buildings supposed to be beautiful or something?"
Cherry Miller replied, "You said it yourself—it's TV. Those are sets built by the crew, of course they're nice! If they looked like this, no one would watch. These houses have survived real storms and years of hardship. This is reality."
"They're this poor and still don't want to leave the mountains. I really don't get it," Ryan King grumbled.
Cherry Miller gave him a look. "If someone offered to help you move to outer space, with all the high-tech stuff and spaceships flying everywhere, would you go?"
Ryan King: "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"
Yina Yin tapped him on the head. "So you can get dissected? Idiot!"
Cherry Miller said, "To them, we're as scary as aliens. So it's normal for them to refuse to move."
"Can we even finish our mission?" Ryan King took a deep breath. "There are so many people—how can we convince them all?"
"If it was easy, they wouldn't need the three of us," Cherry Miller replied. "Let's go—our battle starts now!"
The three of them straightened up and marched down the mountain.
They hadn't even reached the village before someone stopped them.
"Where are you from? You look unfamiliar—not like locals," an old man with a thick accent said, eyeing the three warily.
Even though the three of them wore local clothes and makeup, they were still obviously privileged city folk—their faces just weren't rough enough.
You wouldn't notice if you didn't compare, but put them side by side and they stood out like sore thumbs.
Ryan King quickly stepped forward and delivered his prepared story: "Sir, we're here to visit relatives. Is this Li Family Village? We're looking for Zhang Dafeng—she's our aunt."
"Zhang Dafeng? Never heard of her," the old man said impatiently, waving them off. "You outsiders are in the wrong place!"
He was about to shoo them away.
"Wait, sir, don't rush!" Ryan King quickly pulled two boiled eggs from his bag and handed them over. "We really are looking for someone. We've walked so far and we're thirsty—could we trouble you for some water?"
To Cherry Miller and Yina Yin, eggs were nothing special.
But to the old man, they were a real temptation.
The old man swallowed hard, struggled to look away, and said, "Come with me."
"Alright!" The three exchanged glances and quickly followed him to his house.
The old man's house was a total wreck—even worse than the rest of the village.
The walls were made of straw mixed with clay, but after years of wind and rain, they were falling apart, with straw poking out everywhere.
The roof was just a bunch of grass held down by stones to keep it from blowing away.
The yard was tiny and a mess—clearly hadn't been cleaned in ages.
It was obvious this was a poor household.
No wonder two eggs were enough to win him over.
"Get your own water," the old man said, tossing them a patched ladle and pointing to a big jar in the yard. "Drink up and then leave."
The three looked at the greasy ladle, then at the murky water in the jar—there was no way they could drink it.
They had no choice but to pretend to drink, faking it as best they could.
"Sir, is there any empty house around here? We've come so far, we're exhausted," Ryan King said. "We can pay for it."