Chapter 214 - 111: First Day of Traversing: Mushrooms!
Everyone stood up in turn to introduce themselves and speak.
Those who consider long-distance travel a hobby are different from ordinary travelers.
This group is often both wealthy and leisurely.
Young people like Li Younan and Ma Jing are not many; it’s mainly middle-aged individuals. Even if they’re not successful in their careers, they belong to a group with certain resources in society.
Therefore, when people stood up to speak, most were eloquent, with a brief introduction and expressing expectations for this journey, saying things like, "I hope our trip goes smoothly."
When it was Li Younan’s turn, he stood up without much ado and simply smiled, saying, "My name is Li Younan, and I’m glad to join the convoy."
As for Ma Jing, she was even simpler. She stood up and only said two words: "Ma Jing."
The person who left the deepest impression on Li Younan among the fellow travelers was an uncle sitting opposite him who quite resembled Dao Lang.
It wasn’t because he was particularly distinctive, but because his girlfriend next to him was only a girl in her early twenties.
Judging by age, the uncle was more than capable of being the young girl’s father.
His surname is Chen, so let’s call him Old Chen.
After Li Younan and Ma Jing finished introducing themselves, Old Chen laughed heartily and said, "I didn’t expect there to be such young people in our convoy."
The mechanic responsible for vehicle repairs said somewhat seriously, "Although the route we chose isn’t extremely challenging, there are some places with cross-axis and pot holes. Everyone must be especially careful when passing these areas, especially you two young people. If necessary, it’s okay to have someone else in the convoy drive for you. Do not get overly ambitious."
At this moment, a middle-aged man with glasses nodded and said, "Also, car performance matters a lot, what cars are you driving?"
The middle-aged man with glasses seemed the most scholarly among everyone present, and by appearance alone, it’s hard to imagine him involved in off-road activities.
His surname is Xu, named Xu Chengcai, and he’s the only owner of a hybrid vehicle Fangcheng Bao Bao 5 in the convoy.
During the introduction earlier, Xu Chengcai said his profession is an industrial engineering specialist, similar to Li Younan, also in a technical field.
Li Younan smiled and said, "I’m driving a Land Cruiser V8, and she’s driving a Ford Raptor."
He then pointed to Ma Jing.
Xu Chengcai nodded and said, "Ford Raptor is okay, but the Land Cruiser has too long a wheelbase, making some sections of the road difficult to navigate. Stay close to me; if necessary, I can help you with your car."
Li Younan knew that the Fangcheng Bao as an electric vehicle relies on a motor for power, so it can produce massive torque at minimal speed. Besides being heavy, it has no significant drawbacks and its passing ability is far superior to the Land Cruiser, with strong rescue capabilities.
Li Younan nodded and thanked him.
However, in the subsequent chats, Li Younan sensed the other travelers’ concerns about him and Ma Jing or rather...distrust.
After all, they were young.
After lunch, everyone began preparing for departure.
The leader handed out a flag to each person, which looked really cool being placed at the back.
The mechanic inspected everyone’s vehicle condition one by one, focusing on tires and power systems.
Before departure, the leader distributed a walkie-talkie to each car.
This was an outdoor walkie-talkie with a display screen to show frequencies.
The leader gathered everyone and said, "The walkie-talkie we’re giving you will be our main communication tool for the trip ahead."
"Note that many places won’t have a signal, so we can only maintain communication through the walkie-talkies."
"The effective communication range of this walkie-talkie is 3 kilometers, so do not step outside this range."
"After departure, my vehicle will be at the forefront, while the support vehicle will be at the back. I’ll report positions to the last car periodically to ensure no one leaves the convoy or our communication range."
Li Younan received the walkie-talkie and fiddled with it.
His car had an onboard radio, which was reliably superior to the walkie-talkie.
The walkie-talkie had less than 5 watts of power, whereas his car radio had 50 watts, and Li Younan possessed a C-class operating license. Theoretically, he could communicate via radio waves with anyone worldwide under specific conditions...
Even if used as a regular walkie-talkie during this journey, his communication range could reach twenty or thirty kilometers, far exceeding the walkie-talkie’s capabilities.
The leader continued, "The frequency is set for you all, so please don’t adjust it. If there are no further questions, let’s hit the road!"
Everyone got into their cars.
Li Younan got into his little Land Cruiser, patted the steering wheel, and said with a cheerful smile, "Old buddy, let’s go!"
At this moment, holding the steering wheel, he was naturally quite excited.
This was his first time participating in this niche hobby of cross-country expeditions, and although he had done some homework and had a rough understanding of the upcoming journey, truthfully, seeing it online and personally visiting those places brings absolutely different feelings.
Li Younan recorded the pre-departure preparations into a video, planning to send it to Brother Long once he arrived.
