Cronología de la muerte

Capítulo 29

(It seems we can't underestimate China Mobile, or even China Unicom!)

The turning point in their lives has arrived.

I floated above Berhali, and although I had always wanted to stop him, fate had already decided it.

Actually, it wasn't just Berhali; all my friends made foolish mistakes—

The Curse of Stone Bell Mountain (5)

The Bai wardens found Wendy and Wyatt nearly naked in a cave; Rupert was rescued from the rubble, but a fragile plant had been destroyed and the foot of a stone statue was broken; to escape the rain, Mr. Marseille kicked open a door sealed with an official seal, and he, his wife, and Heidi squeezed inside. The wardens discovered they had entered a forbidden temple and shouted for them to come out. The Marseilles picked up sticks and waved them wildly, mistaking the wardens for robbers. Heidi screamed in terror, thinking she was about to be kidnapped and sold to a brothel.

The old man at the toll booth was actually the village head of the Bai ethnic group. He yelled at Miss Rong, demanding huge fines for these heinous crimes. When he realized she couldn't understand a word, he switched to Mandarin and roared until Miss Rong started crying. Everyone saw how humiliated she was.

Finally, the old man said that every "American thug" had to pay a "service fee—one hundred yuan, one hundred yuan!"

Miss Rong relayed to Benny that he was finally free! One hundred yuan was cheaper than parking in San Francisco.

Soon, a stack of money was handed to the old man, but he was still angry, so Miss Rong could only keep her mouth shut and dare not look up.

Miss Rong finally boarded the bus, her glasses fogged up. She sat in the front, visibly trembling. She didn't take attendance or explain the next steps.

On the way back to the hotel, my friends were almost silent, the only sound the scratching of their nails. They stopped at a roadside rest stop to rest, and when they went to the restroom, a swarm of mosquitoes descended, as if an army had come to drive them away. Heidi quickly pulled out hydrocortisone, but there was no time to use DEET.

Benny was exhausted. It was like a storm was brewing. What would everyone think? Wasn't it all because he chose Miss Rong that this happened? He tried his best to work hard without complaint, but no one saw that! There was no gratitude, only complaints and anger.

Mr. Marseille broke the silence first, saying that without any signs, who would know if it was a temple or a prison?

Vera looked at him and said, "No matter where it is, you shouldn't just barge in."

Aside from Benny, Vera disliked all other men because they were the ones who broke the rules, as if it were a male privilege.

Beryl was filled with regret; he felt like a complete fool, and Jumaline must be blaming him for it too. He was the one who angered the TV station, and yet he yelled at Jumaline instead. Beryl sat in the back of the car, locking himself in. Jumaline was indeed very angry with Beryl; she hated being yelled at.

Wendy wasn't afraid of these things. Leaning against Wyatt, she chuckled at the thought of being discovered in broad daylight. Yes, it was quite exciting, just in a strange way. She playfully told Wyatt, and he nodded, his eyes tightly closed. Wyatt had been on environmental trips, and whenever he saw people trampling on plants or taking lizards home as souvenirs, he would always disgustedly avoid them. He didn't want to become one of those people, and his heart was filled with regret and guilt.

Esme sat with her mother, softly humming "Jingle Bells." She hoped the television station would still use the footage of her singing.

When the bus arrived at the hotel, Ms. Rong whispered a few words to the driver. After the driver got off, she stood at the front of the aisle with her head down and hesitantly told everyone that she would not be leading the group tomorrow.

Because the Bai village chief said he would report it to the tourism bureau. Her boss had already called her, telling her to go back immediately. She might be fired, but please don't feel sorry for her; it's her fault. She should have gathered everyone together to explain the rules. She was very sorry that she wasn't capable of leading this "dissenting tour group." Since everyone's opinions were so divided, she should have made a firm decision to prevent any "violations of regulations." Her large glasses were covered in tears, and her whole body was stiff, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

Although Miss Rong was incompetent, my friends still felt inexplicably sad at the thought of her possibly losing her job. They exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

Ms. Rong took a deep breath, her voice trembling, picked up her plastic bag, and got off the bus.

Suddenly, everyone started talking about it.

"Things are really messed up!" Mo Fei said.