The two groups meeting was somewhat awkward.

The other side had already set up camp, probably preparing to spend the night there. If Shen Mo retreated now, it would seem a bit cowardly.

Shen Mo looked at the sky, parked the car across the road, thought for a moment, and called Teacher Cheng to go scout ahead.

Tan Xiao also actively wanted to go. Bai Youwei shot back at him irritably, “Go ahead, all of you go, leave a cripple and a kid to move luggage, set up tents, boil water, and cook, why don’t you?”

Tan Xiao laughed awkwardly. “I forgot…”

Cheng Weicai discussed with Shen Mo, “Little Shen, should we maybe change locations? Being this close, what if something happens at night? That group is carrying weapons…”

Shen Mo glanced at the other side and said flatly, “There are only these few roads out of the city. If they really intend to ambush us, no matter how we hide, they’ll catch up with us. Better to stay close and be mutually vigilant—that’s actually safer. Besides, we’ll take turns keeping watch at night. Where we stay doesn’t make much difference.”

Teacher Cheng thought about it, found it reasonable, and stopped trying to persuade him.

Shen Mo and Teacher Cheng went ahead to scout. Tan Xiao stayed behind and looked around—nearby were a bank, restaurant, fruit supermarket, laundromat, beauty salon, and so on. The fruit supermarket gave off the fermented sour smell of rotten fruit, very unpleasant.

“Weiwei, where do you want to stay tonight?” Tan Xiao asked.

“Isn’t there a Holiday Inn over there?” Bai Youwei pointed toward a building diagonally across.

“Okay, I’ll drive the car over.”

Tan Xiao efficiently switched to the driver’s seat and drove the car to the hotel entrance. After parking and unloading luggage, he noticed the hotel’s automatic revolving door was locked, so he picked up his aluminum baseball bat and bang-bang-banged on the glass!

Bai Youwei turned to look at Pan Xiaoxin in the back seat and said casually, “After coming out of the maze, your physical abilities should have improved, right? Go help out and test your strength while you’re at it.”

Pan Xiaoxin uncertainly clenched his fist, then looked up at Bai Youwei. After pausing for two seconds, he took a hammer from his backpack and also got out of the car.

Tan Xiao had just smashed one pane of the revolving door’s glass, exhausted and covered in sweat.

“Damn, this glass is really solid! My hands are numb from the vibration!”

Pan Xiaoxin picked up a small rusty nail from the ground and handed it to Tan Xiao. “When smashing glass, you should hit the corners… You can cushion it with sharp objects to increase the pressure.”

“Hit the corners?” Tan Xiao held the little nail, looking somewhat confused. “…What you’re saying seems to make sense. Let me try.”

He wedged the nail in the gap between the corner metal frame and the glass, then swung the baseball bat and struck hard!

Bang!

The shattered glass spread out like a spider web, like an unfurling flower.

Tan Xiao swung another bat!

Crash!—

The glass completely shattered!

It saved him so much more effort than before!

“Woah…” Tan Xiao’s eyes widened in amazement. Finally, he looked down at Pan Xiaoxin and gave him a thumbs up in admiration!

The child showed a shy smile, also very happy in his heart. He picked up his small hammer and continued tapping the edges and corners, clearing away the remaining glass to avoid getting cut when passing through.

One big and one small banged away busily.

On the other side, the people were annoyed by this noise.

“Are they sick or something?” Lu Ang looked at the distant Holiday Inn, scratching his thick beard. “In such a big area, can’t they just pitch a tent? It’s just sleeping. Where do all these fussy demands come from? Besides, inside the hotel it’s stuffy and hot, no ventilation, no electricity, and you still have to climb stairs…”

“Just being pretentious,” Su Man snorted disdainfully.

Suddenly they heard laughter.

They looked over to see Tan Xiao and Pan Xiaoxin carrying out a high-grade latex mattress from the hotel and laying it on the ground.

Tan Xiao took off his shoes and jumped on the mattress. “This is so soft! Hahaha, it’s really so soft~”

Lu Ang: “…”

Su Man: “…”

Mentally challenged children have so much fun.