Secondly, Luke is, after all, an outsider, so his understanding of the various states of Arica is limited, not to ntion their terrain and landscape.
The car headed eastward, passing through Nevada and Utah to reach Colorado.
After Walker's initial excitent wore off, the two started taking turns driving. Around one in the afternoon, they had lunch in Nevada.
At eight in the evening, they parked the car in a roadside rest area, had dinner, and returned to the RV to rest.
They drove all day, not exactly tired, but sowhat fatigued.
Luke poured two glasses of whiskey, handed one to Walker, and then had a video call with his family.
Walker, on the other hand, shut the doors and windows tightly, turned on the car's surveillance, and then took out two guns from the cabinet — a silver revolver and a sniper rifle.
After finishing his chat with his family, Luke watched Walker fiddling with the sniper rifle, "Are you serious?"
Walker picked up the sniper rifle and aid it at the window direction, seemingly serious, "Is there a problem? What makes you think a judge wouldn't use a gun?"
Luke shrugged, "You're right; that's my ignorance."
Walker smiled, handing Luke the sniper rifle, "This gun is old, but it still shoots accurately."
Luke picked up the sniper rifle and looked out the window through the scope. He hadn't used a sniper rifle before, so it was a good chance to practice during this treasure hunt.
Walker finished his drink in one gulp, "Let's get so rest early; we can still have a good sleep tonight."
"Goodnight." Luke yawned and climbed onto the bed in the driver's cabin.
That night, apart from occasionally hearing passing cars, there were no other disturbances.
They went to bed early and woke up early.
After having breakfast, they set off towards Red Rock Canyon.
Entering Colorado, the terrain on both sides of the road was noticeably different, and they got out of the car to observe when resting.
The Colorado Grand Canyon also had trees, though fewer. There were quite a few animals to be seen, and in the distance, a faintly visible winding river, likely the Colorado River.
The canyon's cliffs featured that red sandstone which resembled the Danxia landform, giving off that fiery volcanic feel.
They admired the canyon for a mont, then continued on their way.
Around two in the afternoon, as shown on the map, they finally arrived near Red Rock Canyon, parking at the last marked rest area on the map to resupply.
They had driven near the canyon, where vehicles were sparse, with hardly a car in sight even after an hour. The rest area's scale was small, consisting of just a gas station, convenience store, and restaurant.
After parking, they entered the restaurant one after the other.
The restaurant wasn't large, with just a few tables.
Luke ordered a xican burrito, fries, while Walker ordered a chicken burger and apple pie.
While waiting for their als, Luke observed the restaurant's environnt.
By the window sat two white n, their clothes stained with oil, looking travel-weary, occasionally glancing outside, where a large truck was parked.
Luke guessed these two might be passing truck drivers.
Actually, Luke and Walker had another purpose in coming to the restaurant — to gather so information about Red Rock Canyon. Chapters first released on novel~fire~net
This was the rest area closest to Red Rock Canyon, and the only way there. If there were other treasure hunters, they would likely co here too.
Perhaps due to fewer custors, the food was served quickly.
A pony-tailed white lady brought out the tray, "Here's your xican burrito and fries, and your chicken burger. The apple pie will take a bit longer."
Luke, a bit hungry, took a large bite. The burrito tasted good, although slightly salty, so he ordered a bottle of cola.
Walker imdiately complained, "The chicken in the burger is too dry. I bet the restaurant's chef is the owner."
The white lady wiping down the tables straightened up, "Believe , he's the best chef for miles around."
The truck driver beside chuckled, "Unless you can find another chef within that radius, haha."
Just then, the restaurant door opened.
A xican wearing a cowboy hat entered and tipped his hat in greeting, "Hi, good afternoon."
"Hi, what would you like to eat?" the white lady asked.
"The usual."
"A xican burrito and a beer?"
"That's right."
Luke scrutinized the xican man, judging by his tone, he wasn't new here, but from the white lady's attitude, they didn't seem very familiar either.
Luke couldn't guess what he did and didn't greet him rashly.
On their way, Luke and Walker were constantly examining the treasure map.
Although they'd confird the treasure was in Red Rock Canyon, the area was still vast, and the map didn't specify an exact location for the treasure.
They studied for a long ti without finding anything crucial.
Reflecting on the previous treasure hunt, Luke had a guess. This might not be a complete treasure map, or perhaps the person who hid the treasure deliberately divided it into two parts; only with another map could they locate the treasure.
Don't doubt the treasure hider's whimsical interests; Luke and Walker had learned about this old man who hid the treasure, not for his descendants to dig it up, but for his own amusent.
He wasn't short of money; millions of US Dollars was insignificant to his family.
He enjoyed treasure hunting and adventure. But due to age, he couldn't continue this hobby, so he transitioned from a treasure hunter to a treasure hider, intending to attract many treasure hunters to find his hidden treasure.
According to Walker, he divided the treasure into several locations, each with more than one map, distributing them in his autobiography to attract more people to the hunt.
If the treasure were too easy to find, it would lose its appeal. He likely split the map into two parts, with only both maps enabling treasure location identification.
In other words, there might be other treasure hunters around Red Rock Canyon, like the single mother Alena Prout they encountered in the last hunt.
If it weren't for Alena Prout's map, they couldn't have pinpointed the treasure's exact location.
Speaking of Alena Prout, strictly speaking, the map involved her too, but they had no contact information for her.
Leave it to fate.
No need to force so things.
During this treasure hunt, Luke might encounter other treasure hunters. He must not only identify who can cooperate but also beware of those who might seize the map.
Few people can remain calm in the face of treasure.
The people in the restaurant varied greatly. Luke and Walker didn't stir up any trouble; after eating, they rested a while and left.
As they got into the car, the xican man with the cowboy hat also exited the restaurant, approaching their vehicle to say, "Hey, your house is beautiful."
"Thanks, although small, it's cozy," Walker casually replied.
The xican cowboy asked, "Where are you headed?"
"Red Rock Canyon," Walker didn't hide it or couldn't.
"Traveling?"
"Yes, I've heard the scenery there is excellent. Any problem?"
The xican cowboy said, "Well... it's not very safe there lately. I'd suggest you pick another travel spot."
Walker scrutinized him, "Who are you, why are you reminding us?"
"I'm the caretaker of Red Rock Canyon; you can call Carlos."
"So, we can't go to Red Rock Canyon now?"
"No, it's your freedom to go or not, just a friendly reminder. So tourists have gone missing recently."
Luke pressed him, "How many went missing? Was it accidental or foul play?"
"Sorry, can't disclose much," Carlos showed a 'you know what I an' look.
"I'm getting too old to wait for the next ti, but thanks for the reminder. If we et again after coming back, I'll buy you a drink," Walker laughed.
Carlos took out a business card, handing it to Luke in the passenger seat, "Contact if you run into trouble."
"I will." Luke accepted the card, which included not only a phone number but also a radio channel.
"Happy and safe travels!"
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