Chapter 454
It was a night that Luke still slept poorly, the vigil continued, Luke for the first half of the night and Walker for the second.
Early morning.
Luke was awakened by the sound of a conversation and got up to see Walker and Maurice Dwan sitting outside the RV, drinking coffee and talking.
Luke washed his face and stepped out of the RV, “Hi, good morning.”
Walker said, “We were discussing which geocaching site to go to first.”
Luke pulled up a chair and sat down as well, “What do you guys have in mind?”
Walker said, “We’re located on the south bank of the canyon, I think we should go all the way from east to west, it’s more stable and less likely to get lost, what do you think?”
Luke nodded, “Good idea.
I’m now more interested in what we’re having for breakfast?”
Walker smiled, “I’ve already arranged it all, heat up a box of spaghetti for each person and open a box of canned meat, a little meat will carry the hunger better.
We can also carry some large levain and milk for an extra lunch.”
Luke gave a thumbs up, “Very reasonable.”
Walker stood up, “I’ll go make dinner while you two talk.”
Luke sat down at the table and asked Morris D’Avan, who was next to him, “Morris, how is your injury? Can you come with us to find the treasure location?”
“This small injury is nothing to a man who grew up in the outdoors, and there’s not much of a place I can’t go with my biased three-wheeled motorcycle.”
Luke asked, “Where are you from?”
“From Wisconsin, where we have forests all over the place.
I built a luxury cabin near the forest and it’s very cozy.
I am a wilderness survival expert, and my main job is to teach my students wilderness survival skills.” Morris laughed and joked, “Don’t tell anyone about my injury, if my students find out, I’ll lose my job.”
“Then you’ll have to bribe me.” Luke laughed and poured himself a cup of coffee as well, “I love watching wilderness survival shows, I started out watching Beyoncé, I felt like he was super cool and could do anything.
But after I watched more, I got some of my own opinions about wilderness survival, and I just felt that Bey’s programs were a bit fake and not really wilderness survival.
I’ve also watched Survival 1 + 1, Starving Virtue, Husband and Wife in the Wilderness, 21 Days of Primitive Survival, 45 Days of Primitive Survival, which by the way, I think they must have applauded for love.
But my favorite is Wilderness Alone, I think that show is the most realistic and more suitable for ordinary people.
What do you, a wilderness survival expert, think?”
Maurice Dhawan laughed, “Actually, I rarely watch these kinds of survival programs. It’s because I think that in terms of survival experience, none of them can compare to my rich experience.
They are fond of taking some ‘points’ of survival skills to show off and attract viewers’ attention.
But that’s not real wilderness survival, they’re sending the wrong message to the viewers, which is dangerous, and I don’t advocate that kind of behavior.
Also, each place has its own characteristics and requires different survival skills, so you can’t generalize.
In the case of Red Rock Canyon, it’s very different from where I’m from.
Some of my survival techniques aren’t suitable for here either, and I need to learn the skills to survive in the canyon as well; survival is a discipline that never ends.”
The two chatted about wilderness survival for a while as Walker walked out with instant hot spaghetti and Luke opened a box of canned beef and cut it into three pieces, one for each of them.
Today’s main task was treasure hunting, so breakfast was simple.
In less than ten minutes, the three of them finished their breakfast, and after simply cleaning up, they embarked on the treasure hunting journey.
Luke drove the partial three-wheeled motorcycle, Maurice Dawan held a map to look at the surrounding terrain, and Walker drove the caravan in the back.
The trio traveled forward for about an hour and found a spot with similar terrain to the treasure map.
After getting out of the car, the three of them used binoculars to carefully compare and watch.
Walker spoke first, “I think the terrain at the bottom of this canyon is very similar to the terrain depicted on the treasure map, and I seem to see from the binoculars that there is a balancing stone at the bottom of the canyon on the east side, which matches the markings on the map as well.
I think we should take a look down the canyon.”
Luke and Maurice Dwan were fine with that, and the three of them then began looking for a way into the bottom of the canyon.
The biased three-wheeled motorcycle took the lead, followed by the RV.
After the RV had traveled some distance, the road narrowed and became so rough that the RV could not continue down the road.
Walker parked the RV in a safe area.
The three men continued to travel toward the bottom of the canyon on the off-road three-wheeled motorcycle.
After traveling downward for nearly forty minutes, the three finally reached the bottom of the canyon.
The bottom of the canyon was not a small area, and the three decided to split up, with Walker and Maurice Dwan working in a group, looking along the west side of the canyon.
Luke went alone and explored towards the east side of the canyon.
Luke used his cell phone to take a picture of the full treasure map, and then the three of them split up.
As Luke walked, he observed the terrain around him.
Shortly after walking towards the front, he found the imprint of a car tire, which was very narrow, narrower than the tire of a partial three-wheeled motorcycle, it should be a small motorcycle.
Luke slightly frowned, this car tire mark is very new, like it was just left not long ago, his heart vaguely raised his vigilance.
Luke stopped for a moment, did not hear any unusual movement, he continued to walk forward, observing the surrounding terrain at the same time, also observing the motorcycle tire marks.
After about ten minutes or so: “Wooo……”
Luke heard a motorcycle rattle.
This sound was a little different from the partial three-wheeled motorcycle, it should be the motorcycle he was looking for, Luke couldn’t help but raise his vigilance.
After a while, Luke really saw a small motorcycle traveling over.
Driving the motorcycle is a black woman, wearing a baseball cap, surrounded by a sarong, can not see the appearance of this kind of motorcycle is very suitable for exploration and treasure hunting.
Luke also wanted to go up and chat, but the black woman did not stop, just twisted her head to look at Luke, and rode away on the motorcycle.
Looking at the far away motorcycle, Luke’s mood was a little complicated.
The other party had already explored ahead, was there still a need for himself to go?
However, the motorcycle was not loaded with much. Luke guessed that the woman on the motorcycle should not have searched for the treasure.
Of course, the other party might not be looking for the treasure and was just here for a simple pleasure trip.
Luke finally decided to go ahead and turn around, the black girl didn’t find it, it doesn’t mean that he couldn’t find it himself, after all, he is the one who has the Strange Encounter Card.
Luke continued to walk along the east side of the canyon, after walking for a short distance, he found a balancing stone, roughly two meters high and more than a meter wide at its widest point, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, with a connection that looked like a soccer ball-sized circular arc surface.
Luke carefully compared with the map, he found this balance stone and the map balance stone shape is a little different, the surrounding terrain is also a little different.
He was more or less lost in his heart, but since he was already here, he decided to explore the surrounding area.
The exploration lasted for most of an hour, and he still didn’t find the suspected treasure location.
Luke could only return along the same path and join Walker and Morris Dwan.
An hour later, the two sides met at the fork in the road.
Luke asked, “Have you found anything?”
Walker shook his head, “No, we searched west on our off-road three-wheeled motorcycles and circled out a long way, and there are no locations in this area that are exactly similar to those on the terrain.
I think this area can be ruled out, we should look elsewhere.”
Luke asked, “Did you guys see anyone else earlier?”
Maurice Davan said, “No, but we found marks of motorcycle tires, and judging by the shape they should have been left by a small motorcycle.”
Luke nodded, “That’s right, I saw a black woman on a small motorcycle, but she didn’t stop and just walked away.”
Walker said, “Guys, looks like we need to pick up the pace, we shouldn’t be the only ones looking for the treasure.”
The three of them returned along the same route and drove the RV back to South Shore Heights again.
The reason why they returned to South Bank Heights instead of staying at the bottom of the valley was because it was easier to stand tall and see far, and it was easier to observe the overall terrain and landscape from above.
Because of the possible existence of other treasure hunters, Luke’s trio was under increased pressure, and they didn’t rest after returning to South Shore Heights, and continued to drive forward, observing and searching for treasure hunting locations from a high place.
The trio walked and stopped, all the time watching along the way.
About another hour or so, Luke stopped the three-wheeled motorcycle, probed at the canyon below, took out the map for comparison, the canyon on the east side of a balanced rock, the west side of a few spruce trees planted, the overall topography is very similar to the treasure map.
Walker stopped the RV as well, and the three of them studied the treasure map together.
Maurice Dwan and Walker also felt that this area was similar to the place depicted on the treasure map.
The three set this area as the next target of their search.
At this point, it was already getting dark and it was impossible to continue exploring the canyon, so they could only wait until tomorrow morning to set out again.
The three of them simply ate dinner and went to bed early, agreeing to go to the bottom of the canyon together in the morning to search for treasures.
The next day, the three of them woke up very early.
They started eating breakfast at six o’clock.
At seven o’clock, they packed up their equipment and prepared to move.
It was still Walker driving the RV and Luke riding the partial three-wheeled motorcycle.
However, Luke noticed something unusual just as he mounted the motorcycle, the motorcycle’s gas gauge was bottoming out.
Yesterday evening, he had just added all the spare gas, so the gas tank should be full.
He suddenly thought of something: “Could it be that asshole who stole the gasoline again?”
“FUCK! What asshole moved my big baby.” Morris Dhawan cursed under his breath and hurriedly got off to check if there were any other abnormalities in the partial three-wheeled motorcycle.
Walker also heard the commotion, “Guys, what happened?”
Luke said, “The gasoline was stolen from the partial tricycle, check the RV surveillance video.”
He then turned to Maurice Dwan next to him and asked, “Last night, did you hear anything unusual?”
“No, it was quiet all last night. Maybe I was a little excited because I was close to finding the treasure, and I woke up in the second half of the night and couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t hear any movement.”
Could the gasoline have been stolen in the first half of the night?
“Has gasoline ever been stolen in the last few days you’ve been in the canyon?”
“No, this is the first time, and that spare white oil drum of mine is gone.” Morris Dwan seemed to ring a bell, “I heard you say that a black guy had his gas tank stolen earlier, could it be the same guy who did it?”
Luke shook his head, “I don’t know.”
Walker stepped out of the caravan and called out, “Unfortunately, the off-side trike was parked farther away and wasn’t on the caravan’s surveillance. What do we do now?”
Luke said, “We’re not sure what the fuel thief is up to yet, on the bright side, it’s probably a prank.
On the bad side, it could be someone trying to stop us from finding the treasure, and every minute of delay could give them a head start on finding it.”
Walker said, “Without the off-set trike, it could take us twice as long to get to the bottom of the canyon, and the canyon’s larger size would make it inconvenient to search.
Should we contact the canyon warden and ask him to send gasoline.”
Luke said, “We’ve driven a little farther west, further from the rest area, and it will be difficult for the canyon warden to get here anytime soon.”
Maurice Dwan suggested, “Why don’t I stay put and wait for the canyon warden to deliver the gasoline while you two go treasure hunting in the motorhome. I’ll meet up with you guys when the motorhome warden delivers the gasoline.”
Walker asked, “Can you ride the motorcycle with your foot injury?”
“Walking will hurt a little, riding a motorcycle won’t affect it much.”
Walker nodded, “I think that’s a good idea. Luke, what do you think?”
Luke didn’t say anything and observed around the partial three-wheeled motorcycle and said, “We didn’t even hear any movement last night, which means that the gasoline thief didn’t have a means of transportation, and he couldn’t get far with that big barrel of oil.
I suspect he probably hid the gasoline nearby.”
Walker said, “It’s also possible that he took the gasoline to a transport to carry it away.”
“Let’s look for it, and if we can’t find it, we’ll think of something else.” At Luke’s suggestion, Maurice Dwan watched the camp while the two of them, Luke and Walker, tried to look around for any sign of the oil drums.
Luke and the two of them searched in all directions with the partial three-wheeled motorcycle as the center, and after walking for a while, Walker couldn’t help but ask, “What do you think is messing around in the canyon?
First the black guy had his gasoline stolen, then Morris Dwan got caught in an animal trap. Now the gasoline of the parabolic three-wheeled motorcycle has also been stolen. Could it be the same person doing all this?”
Luke said with his eyes on the ground, “I checked around the partial tricycle motorcycle and there are only footprints from the three of us.”
Walker said, “Could it be that the place where the fuel thief stepped doesn’t leave footprints easily.”
Luke shook his head, “The area around the partial three-wheeled motorcycle is muddy, as long as you step on it, it will leave a trace, it’s just a matter of the depth of the footprints.”
Walker understood, “You suspect that Morris Dwan supervised the theft? Why would he do that?”
“Or maybe he thought a third of the treasure was too little and wanted more.” Luke guessed.
Walker frowned and asked rhetorically, “Do you have proof?”
Luke pointed to the ground, “Do you see the footprints on this ground? It’s very similar to his shoe prints.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s his.” Walker sighed, in his heart he actually preferred Luke’s judgment, he was just unwilling to admit it.
Although he hadn’t known Morris Dwan for a long time, Walker was very much on speaking terms with him and felt a bit sorry for him.
Luke waved his hand, signaling Walker to stop.
He, in turn, took a few quick steps, got down on the ground, and pulled out his cell phone to take a picture under a rock crevice before reaching down and fumbling with it, raising a white oil drum from inside.
“Wow wow …… not bad for an L.A. Sleuth.” Walker’s mood was a little mixed, “Can you confirm that this shoe print is Morris Dwan’s?”
Luke did not answer immediately, looking around to find a set of clearer footprints, and directly used an on identification card.
[Shoes, thick-soled horizontal leather boots
Gender, male
Height, 180-185cm
Weight, 80-85 lbs.
Age, 58 to 63 years old.
Walking posture, heavy lifting on left side, injury to right foot]
Luke’s impression of Maurice Davan was not bad, but this footprint identification matched his physical characteristics perfectly enough to make him a suspect.
“Yep, that should be him.”
Walker took a deep breath, “What was his purpose in hiding the gasoline?”
Luke guessed, “He should still have an accomplice, maybe his accomplice is searching for the treasure and he is responsible for slowing us down to buy more time for his accomplice.”
“What a bad guy!”