Chapter Forty-Six: Feeling Completely Outwitted
The group bought six tickets as they entered, the director covering the expenses so no one felt the pinch. With tickets in hand, the six crew members hurried to the sightseeing tram stop.
The driver of the second tram was sitting under a pavilion, a cigarette between his fingers.
“Sir, is the sightseeing tram running?”
He took a slow drag. “What’s the rush? The last trip just went up. Wait another half hour.”
The crew exchanged helpless glances.
Well, there was nothing to be done; it wasn’t their fault they couldn’t get up the mountain. They turned back toward the ticket hall, which at least had air conditioning and was cool inside.
Each of the staff kept a close eye on the clock. To make things more entertaining for the audience, these six had their own dedicated livestream room. Many viewers watched both streams at once, switching between devices.
Today’s show was especially amusing with Lin Ze and Su Zitan—those two were experts at stirring things up!
One of the staff members watched the other stream, where Lin Ze’s group of four had even rented an electronic tour guide for their sightseeing. As the half hour ticked by, it seemed the group had nearly finished touring the upper area.
“Hurry, hurry! If we go now, we might just catch them on their way down. The mountain road is so long—without the tram, there’s no way they could get down!”
The six dashed out, heading for the tram stop.
One of them showed the livestream to the driver. “Sir, we’re with the show. We’re playing a game—if we catch up to them before they get on the tram, we win. They’re visiting the last scenic spot right now… How’s your driving? Can you get us up there before they come down?”
The driver took a sip from his thermos, unhurried.
“No problem.”
“Just remember one thing, kids,” he said as everyone buckled up. “Seatbelts. Fasten them tight.”
[Don’t even say it. The moment I heard that driver’s accent, I knew—he’s got to be faster than Lin’s driver!]
[I feel sorry for the crew—just for three seconds.]
[Driver: You ask about my skills? The wind will give you the answer.]
The driver fastened his belt, gripped the wheel, checked that all the robots in the back were buckled up, and then—
Vroom!
A wave of acceleration smashed into them, and for a moment, the crew felt an illusion—like they were aboard a plane, about to take off.
If only they’d watched Lin Ze’s ascent on the earlier stream! They’d never have asked the driver to hurry.
“Ugh!”
No sooner had they gotten off than one staff member rushed to a tree pit and started vomiting.
He’d barely finished when the driver came over, patted his back to help him get it all out.
“Thank you, driver…”
The staffer took a tissue from the driver and wiped his mouth.
“No problem. But you puked here. That’s a five-hundred fine.”
“….”
One of the less-ill staff checked the stream, which now showed a panoramic view from high above.
“Sir, is there any other way down from here?”
“Nope.” The driver counted his five hundred with satisfaction.
“Perfect—they haven’t come down yet. If we go up now, we’ll catch them.”
They gulped in the fresh mountain air, feeling somewhat revived.
“Let’s go!”
The six eyed the endless wooden walkway, took a deep breath, and set off.
Unfortunately, the crew couldn’t see the chat streaming past. They hadn’t gone far before, at the public restroom by the tram drop-off, three people—two adults and a child—emerged.
Lin Ze and Su Zitan wiped the sweat from their brows. That was a close call—they’d almost been caught.
“Wait up, driver! We have a friend still up there!”
The six, legs aching from the climb, checked the livestream and saw the camera panning toward the main gate.
Three took the left, three the right, all waiting by the entrance.
There’s no way we’re not catching you now.
The livestreamer signaled a countdown.
“Three, two, one!”
“Guo Guo! Come back with your uncle—Xiao Qian?”
“Where is everyone? Where’s Guo Guo?”
Xiao Qian, clutching his camera, gave them a cold smirk. Then he turned and ran down the mountain.
[Hahaha!]
[Xiao Qian, the perfect decoy!]
[That’s what you get for not learning your lesson. Lin Ze is too clever—he used forgetting Xiao Qian earlier as part of his strategy!]
“We’ve been duped!”
The six wanted to give chase, but their legs were still jelly from the climb. They had no strength left.
“Gaia!!!”
…
Once Xiao Qian regrouped with the others, the tram headed straight down the mountain again.
They decided to skip the Water Guanyin for now—the six staffers would be down in ten or twenty minutes, and there was no time to pull the same trick twice.
“Are you having fun, Guo Guo?” Lin Ze asked, cheerful.
“Yes!” Guo Guo replied, delighted.
It was such fun! Hiding in a trash can the past two days had been boring, even with a phone. Today was truly exciting.
The tram sped down to the foot of the mountain, and after disembarking, Lin Ze and Su Zitan went into the ticket center and asked the staff to call them a rideshare.
The four stood by the roadside, occasionally glancing up at the mountain.
After about ten minutes, another tram roared down—the six staffers stumbled out, legs aching, and hurried over.
Just then, the rideshare arrived.
“Farewell!”
The four climbed in and were gone.
The staff stood by the roadside, gasping for breath, on the verge of tears.
They asked the ticket center, but the staff there turned out to be fans of Lin Ze and Su Zitan too, and refused to tell them anything.
“I have an idea!” said the staffer who’d been sickest earlier.
“We just wait here. They’re not watching the stream, so they’ll keep changing locations. If we figure out their final destination, we can go straight there and catch them!”
“That… actually makes sense!”
The six turned back into the ticket hall for the air conditioning.
Meanwhile, Lin Ze's group returned to the shopping plaza. It was nearly noon—time for lunch.
To avoid being caught, they went to KFC.
This way, even if the staff caught up, they could grab their burgers and run.
The six staffers watched in silence.
Why weren’t they running anymore…?
Why had they… gone for fried chicken?