The faint sound of horse hooves could be heard coming from the distance.
Kino followed Adolf, bent down, climbed up the low hill, and looked at the place where the smoke and dust were rising in the arbor.
There was a group of about ten people riding horses over there, running towards this side.
Adolf judged from the other party's dress that he was not an agent of the Intelligence Bureau or the sheriff of a nearby town.
There were three people walking in front. The man at the front was about fifty or sixty years old. He was not wearing a hat or scarf, and was wearing an expensive gray suit with a red tie underneath.
His hair was a little gray, but his whole person was very energetic. He neither looked old nor greasy. His eyes were like a hawk, as if he had passed through the yellow sand and ashes and looked directly into the eyes of Adolf who was hiding.
Although Adolf knew that the other party probably didn't notice him crawling in the grass, he still felt an inexplicable pressure.
To the left of the middle-aged man was a bald man wearing glasses. The guy kept telling the middle-aged man something all the way without stopping.
These two people don't look like guys who hang out in the wilderness all year round, but more like the upper-class capitalists who live in Dandelion.
The man on the right side of the middle-aged man wore a clean cowboy hat and was dressed similarly to the others following him. They were all wearing leather jackets or long trench coats, and they all wore gloves and covered their faces with cloth towels to protect themselves from sand and dust.
Through the clothes and postures of these people, Adolf believed that the core of this group of people should be the middle-aged man at the head. He looked very rich at first glance, and the rest were hired by him.
This group of people rode their horses and stopped in front of the hill. It seemed that they were not coming for Adolf, because except for the moment just now, the group of people never looked this way.
The bald man with glasses got off the horse with difficulty, then pulled out many strange instruments from the bag on the horse's butt, and started tinkering with them on the flat ground in front of others.
He picked up a stone, smashed it open, pointed at the broken powder and said a lot to the middle-aged man. Adolf and Kino heard what "ingredients" and "depth" were heard one after another.
” and other complex words.
Kino touched Adolf's arm at this time and said softly: "They are determining the location of the mineral deposit."
Adolf didn't respond. The middle-aged man in the open space in front of him pulled out a cigar, and the cowboy hat next to him took the initiative and quickly gave him a lighter.
This cowboy hat lighter is worth a lot of money. It has lines on it that Adolf can't see clearly, and it's obviously fine workmanship.
"Can you give me a preliminary estimate of its size?" the middle-aged man asked the bald man with glasses who clearly looked like a scholar.
The latter clasped his forehead and explained eloquently.
After the cowboy hat lit a cigar for the boss, he went to the horse and pulled off a long flag and inserted it directly into the soft soil next to it.
Adolf stared at the family crest and slogan on the flag, and murmured: "Minx Energy, the Herbert family..."
Minx Energy has been very popular in Missouri recently.
Because of Cornwall Energy's losses and the crisis caused by its boss, a large number of its assets were auctioned off, and businesses related to coal mine energy were basically acquired by Minx Energy.
What is somewhat different from Cornwall is that Minx Energy has a deep-rooted family background, and its intricate influence in the country is unmatched by Cornwall Energy, which is dominated by one person.
If Lucchese Herbert of the Herbert family commits the same crime as Thomas, then the Herbert family will definitely give up on him and let him bear the consequences and stand trial, but Minx Energy itself will not suffer much
Impact.
On the other hand, Thomas, if one person fell, almost the entire Cornwall Company would be doomed.
It is a very normal action to buy land and then search for coal deposits. Adolf is not prepared to take action against them, as long as he is not discovered...
As soon as this thought came to his mind, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, the cowboy hat with the flag on it looked towards this side as if it was fate.
This guy's eyes were very sharp, and he actually discovered the two people hiding in the grass.
As he pulled out his pistol, more than a dozen of his hired gunmen also raised their guns and took aim.
Adolf's expression changed, and just when he was about to do something, the gray-haired middle-aged man who led him raised his right hand and motioned for his men to lower their guns.
"Have I disturbed you? Then I have to apologize properly."
Adolf paused and did not appear rashly.
The man held a cigar and continued: "I am Gunter Herbert, the general manager of Minx Energy in Missouri. This land was bought by us. If you are wilderness refugees, I
It’s best to stay away from here, because soon we will dig caves, build mines and power plants here, and believe me, it will no longer be habitable.”
Adolf still didn't speak, and the atmosphere became a bit stalemate and strange.
Kino couldn't stand it any longer. He took the lead in raising his hands and stood up, exposing himself to people's sight.
Anyway, his vitality is much stronger than that of ordinary humans, and he will not die even if he is hit by a few bullets, so he dares to stand up and break the deadlock.
"Sorry gentlemen, we didn't mean to spy on you."
His dirty appearance made the people of Gaunt really think that he was a wanderer in the wilderness.
Gaunt nodded friendly and asked calmly: "Is the 'home' behind this hill the two of you?"
Kino did not answer, and Gaunt looked below him again: "Where is another companion? Don't worry, we are not robbers, and besides, you poor people have nothing to rob."
Adolf's face was tense, he also raised his hands and stood up as well.
A man of Gunter's status didn't seem to pay much attention to the posters posted in the countryside. Looking at his expression, he didn't seem to recognize Adolf's face.
"We will camp here tonight and dig out some rocks to bring back to professionals to analyze the soil. To this end... I would like to inform you two to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
Gunter has quite a gentlemanly demeanor, but his appearance and eyes always have an air of calmness and self-importance.
It sounded like they were really reminding the two of them, but Adolf maintained a deep distrust of these people.
Finally, the two parties reached an agreement not to disturb each other across this small hill.
Coming out of the woods, Kino shouted to leave quickly to avoid being discovered by the other party's true identity.
Adolf did not move.
Kino was surprised by his reaction, but Adolf said: "I suspect that the man just now has noticed who we are, but he didn't show it."
Chino was stunned immediately.
"What? Then why didn't you solve it just now..."
Adolf frowned and replied with a serious face: "My secret transmission is not as effective on humans as animals. They were always on guard against me just now. In this case, it will be difficult for me to use my ability as an instigator."
From the time he was exposed until he stood up, Adolf tried to use the invisibility technique on Gunter Herbert, but failed.
The opponent's mental body was very strong. At least when his focus was on Adolf, Adolf failed to break through the opponent's psychological defense.
The human mind is much stronger than that of animals. Adolf had previously provoked the Walding riot, and he had also hidden in the dark to arouse the resentment among the townspeople.
The sun was about to set. Adolf stared at the afterglow on the horizon and calmly analyzed: "We also happen to be short of supplies. We will take advantage of the sunset to find an opportunity to deal with them all."