"Are you Chinese?"
Li Younan sized up the Asian man with a crew cut and then glanced at the foreigner next to him.
The Mexican nodded repeatedly: "Yeah, yeah, it’s a matter of our dignity as hikers."
He now looked every bit the part of a western cowboy: leather jacket on top, jeans on the bottom, and a pair of hiking boots styled like cowboy boots.
"Can we follow you?"
But when it came to this Asian man, Li Younan immediately sensed that he was Chinese.
The crew-cut man was instantly delighted, nodding repeatedly: "Right, right, you understand how we’re feeling now, right? And we’re not in any danger at the moment, no need to call the police, no need to call the police."
At this moment, Li Younan intentionally or unintentionally kept his hand on the gun holster at his waist, his expression seemingly amiable, but the crew-cut man knew they had lost the best opportunity and now could only seek other options.
Li Younan nodded slightly, noncommittally, then looked at the little white horse beside him before saying, "This is private pasture. You’re trespassing on someone’s property. Though I’m not too familiar with U.S. laws, I suggest you leave here promptly."
A barely noticeable smile appeared on Li Younan’s face; he thought for a moment, then said, "That kind of makes sense. I’ve done some hiking myself, and getting lost in the wild during an excursion is indeed quite embarrassing."
Descending the several-meter-high cliff platform, Li Younan lightly used one of the protruding points for support to gracefully land on the ground, then picked up his backpack and slowly walked over to the two men, saying, "But I need to go to the Indian Hill site now, so I can’t take you out."
After observing for a few seconds, Li Younan finally asked, "What are you doing?"
"I think since you guys are hikers, you definitely can make it out. It’s quite simple."
Li Younan thought about it, remained silent, turned around, and disappeared from the edge of the platform.
The crew-cut man and the Mexican exchanged a look, momentarily uncertain of what to do.
The crew-cut man and the foreigner were both wearing windbreakers and each had a backpack.
The crew-cut man immediately smiled: "Uh, uh, well, we’re hikers and got lost, wandering around this area. We noticed there was a light source here and followed it. Seeing the light coming from above, we thought we’d climb up to see what’s going on."
After he said this, Li Younan’s eyes flashed again, nodding, "Well then, good luck to you."
Without a doubt, being wary is a normal reaction. After all, if it were him, at around 4 a.m., with two strangers suddenly appearing near his camp and trying to get closer, he’d definitely feel uneasy too.
He immediately put on a smiling face, saying, "If that’s the case, it’s really a pity, but thank you anyway. Could you point us in the right direction so we can try to find our way out?"
In the Mexican’s eyes flashed a hint of harshness, and he gently felt for the gun at his waist.
Li Younan’s eyes flickered briefly, then he glanced over the attire of the two men.
Li Younan chuckled and quickly rappelled down from the platform.
After a while, he reappeared at the edge of the platform, now wearing a cowboy hat, with a revolver holstered at his waist.
The crew-cut man shook his head, signaling him not to act rashly.
Judging by appearances, Li Younan couldn’t really differentiate between Jews, European Whites, and Mexicans.
He nudged the Mexican, who looked somewhat odd, then bowed again to Li Younan, saying, "Thank you so much, Li Younan."
The Mexican wanted to say something, but the crew-cut man now realized that Li Younan had grown wary of them.
Elsewhere, Li Younan returned to his tent.
The crew-cut man’s expression showed a slight unnaturalness and he quickly said, "That’s not necessary. If we’re eventually rescued by the police, it’d be really embarrassing."
"Of course not," Li Younan said with a straight face, "This is a competition."
The crew-cut man showed a helpless expression: "Actually, we’re quite frustrated. Because we’re lost, we’ve been wandering this area. Could you spare some time to lead us out?"
Li Younan threw his packed backpack directly off the platform, then crouched at the edge, saying, "There’s a hunting competition ongoing here, and I’m a participating hunter, so I’m not leaving at the moment. I can’t take you out, but I can help contact the local police."
The man seemed slightly startled, then nodded and still spoke in English: "Uh, yes, I am, I’m Chinese."
The crew-cut man’s face showed a pleased expression, "Oh, really? That’s very kind of you."
Li Younan smiled and said, "Certainly. You go down the gravel slope 500 meters, and you’ll see a red marker post, turn right into the brush and, once through, you’ll see Red Stone Creek. Follow the creek toward the direction of the meadow, and you’ll find more marker posts along the way."
Then the crew-cut man pulled the Mexican along towards the direction Li Younan had indicated, while Li Younan remained still, silently watching the direction in which the two were leaving.

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