Chapter 10: Kumukuduk

I was surprised and asked, "That generous? This person must be really important. How much is the reward if we find them?" But as soon as I asked, I regretted it a little—was it too direct to bring up money with Uncle Li, considering he was leading this case? Unexpectedly, Uncle Li answered without hesitation, "If we find the remains, the reward is 1 million. All travel expenses are covered. Since this is business, every case from now on, we split the reward fifty-fifty. How about that?" I was so happy I scratched my head and grinned. But then my eyes flicked to Ding Yi, who was driving. "What about Ding Yi?" Uncle Li glanced at Ding Yi and said, "You don't need to worry about him. He's never cared much about money. But don't worry, I've already set up an account for him, and every commission gets deposited there. If one day he decides to leave, at least he'll have something to rely on." I could see that Uncle Li genuinely cared about Ding Yi. They had met by chance, yet he took him in. Even though Ding Yi had helped him a lot over the years, Uncle Li clearly had never stopped searching for his past. That alone made me feel like this old man wasn't a bad person after all. The car drove for an entire day and night, with Ding Yi behind the wheel the whole time. At first, I was worried that he might be too exhausted and suggested we stop somewhere to rest. But Uncle Li waved his hand dismissively, "No need. You'll understand Ding Yi's abilities soon enough." Since he was so confident, I didn't push the matter. I already knew Ding Yi had impressive combat skills from our first meeting, but I hadn't expected him to have other talents too. Even though Ding Yi wasn't tired, Uncle Li had dozed off not long after we started driving. I was getting more and more curious about Ding Yi, so I struck up a conversation with him to try and get to know him better. "Aren't you tired?" Ding Yi kept his eyes on the road and replied, "I can hold off on sleep and make up for it later." "No way! You can really do that?" I was shocked. "Yeah. Back when I was with you, I didn't sleep at all. I only caught up on sleep after we got back to the inn." Now that he mentioned it, I recalled that morning—he had indeed slept for a long time. "What's the longest you've ever stayed awake?" "I don't know. I've never tested it… but probably a long time." I sighed in defeat. Talking to Ding Yi had to be the most boring conversation in the world. When I finally got home, I was exhausted. Sure, I'd gotten some sleep in the car, but it was nothing compared to a soft bed. I crashed onto my mattress and didn't wake up until noon the next day. Even then, I still felt groggy—probably from oversleeping. I washed my face to clear my head and then took out the manila envelope Uncle Li had given me. It was time to see what this case was all about. Inside were several copies of old documents—the originals were probably decades old. It was a missing person case from over thirty years ago, involving a biologist. At the time, a massive effort had been made to find him, but all had been in vain. There wasn't much useful information in the documents—not even the biologist's name or a photograph. That puzzled me. But since the client was so generous, I didn't care too much. After all, I didn't need a name to find a body. The report did, however, describe the missing man's clothing in detail. He was in his fifties at the time of disappearance, wearing a blue-gray work uniform, a green sun hat, and a pair of 42-size suede work shoes. He carried an aluminum water bottle, a camera, and a yellow satchel filled with field notes and small tools. He had disappeared alone, leaving no clue about his intended destination… After reading through the files, I was left with more questions than answers. If the case was this old, why was someone still willing to pay so much to find him? The report also mentioned that search efforts had been ongoing for decades. Even if we failed, another team would likely continue after us. Clearly, this biologist wasn't just some ordinary scientist… I called Uncle Li to ask if he could obtain any of the missing man's personal belongings—preferably something he cherished. Unfortunately, the answer was disappointing. Uncle Li explained that the people funding the search weren't the missing person's relatives, so they had no access to any of his possessions. Our only option was to travel to the place where he disappeared and retrace his steps. If our earlier assumptions were correct and his body had been buried under sand, then my skills would finally prove useful. Still, I was annoyed by how vague the documents were. "Uncle Li, the files don't even say where he went missing. Where are we supposed to look?" Uncle Li let out a helpless sigh. "The location is unknown for now. We'll only be informed once the entire team is assembled." I was stunned. "What? Even you don't know?" "I don't. But I know it's somewhere in China." A million thoughts ran through my mind. This case was getting weirder by the second… A few days later, I boarded a plane to Urumqi. I hadn't expected our destination to be Xinjiang. But the biggest surprise was our travel companions—besides Uncle Li, Ding Yi, and myself, there were three men and one woman. In our seven-person team, Uncle Li seemed to be in charge, and the others followed his instructions. Yet, strangely, he never introduced us to each other. I secretly asked Ding Yi if he knew who they were. He gave me a completely honest look and said, "No idea." That made things even more awkward. For the entire journey, no one spoke. I had no idea how such a disjointed team was supposed to complete our client's mission. After landing, we split into two Jeep Grand Cherokees. I rode with Uncle Li and Ding Yi, while the other four took the second vehicle. Instead of heading into Urumqi's city center, we drove north. I had no idea how long we traveled, but the sun had risen and set by the time we stopped. Finally, the car came to a halt, and Uncle Li woke me up. "Jinbao, get up. We're camping here for the night."