Mexico City, though bustling, is also notoriously chaotic.
Gang organizations involved in various illegal businesses from across the nation and even the whole world would gather here to claim their share of the spoils.
And Lillian was a big star in the country, very wealthy, which naturally made her a target for some.
The police arrived quickly and, after asking a few questions, allowed Lillian and her two companions to leave.
Lillian took Shen Sinning and Hick to the Maya Hotel and booked the two best suites for them.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shen Sinning invited Lillian, "Miss Lillian, would you like to have a cup of tea in my room? It’s from Xia Country."
"Sure!" Lillian laughed, "I’ve never had tea from Xia Country before!"
"I want some too!" Hick immediately butted in, shamelessly jostling to the front.
The three gathered in Shen Sinning’s room, and Sin Ning began to prepare tea for them.
Lillian asked casually, "Sin Ning, I heard you want to go to the Maya Pyramid?"
"Yes," Shen Sinning nodded slightly, "This is my last stop here, after which I’ll go back to stay with Nicole and continue playing music."
"It’s not exactly a fun place," Lillian warned, "It’s enough to just stroll around outside; definitely don’t let anyone entice you into going inside for an adventure."
Lillian’s warning, rather than dissuading her, only piqued Shen Sinning’s curiosity, "What’s inside?"
"There’s something very eerie about that place; a lot of people disappear there every year," explained Lillian, "Alive but not seen, dead but without a corpse."
"That’s not what I saw online," Shen Sinning said, "I saw a blogger on Facebook sharing his experience exploring the pyramid, and what’s inside really attracts me."
"Take my word for it," Lillian said meaningfully, looking at Shen Sinning, "I’m a local; I know where’s dangerous and where’s safe to have fun better than you do. If you really want to have fun, I can suggest other places that are worthwhile."
"Mhm, mhm, I’ll take Miss Lillian’s advice," Shen Sinning nodded, "Let’s enjoy the tea."
After they finished the tea, Lillian left the Maya Hotel.
Her assistant called to say that someone from the company was looking for her, and she had to go back.
As soon as she got into her assistant’s car, Lillian’s eyes suddenly turned sharp, "Daisy, two things. First, whoever the bastard was that tried to kidnap me today, that gang no longer needs to exist."
"Understood, Miss Lillian," her assistant Daisy replied, "And the second matter?"
"The second thing, send a message to all the tour-guide bloggers associated with the Maya Pyramid, telling them not to accept business from a girl named from Xia Country. That girl is called Shen Sinning, and there’s a man with her named Hick."
"Anyone who takes their business dies!"
The next morning, a well-fed Shen Sinning set out for the Maya Pyramid with Hick at her side.
Although Hick was annoyed with Lillian, he couldn’t help but say, "Miss Sin Ning, Lillian did warn us..."
"It’s fine!" Shen Sinning said nonchalantly, "I have an Evil Exorcism Talisman given to me by my brother-in-law. It wards off all evil, so I’m not afraid. Besides, my self-defense skills aren’t bad either. As long as I don’t run into any bad guys as powerful as my brother-in-law, I’ll be fine."
Hick wanted to say something else, but Shen Sinning gave him a glance, "I’m a girl and I’m not scared, what are you afraid of? If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll just go by myself."
Hick had no choice but to sigh, "Alright, I’ll go with you."
The two took a car to the area near the Maya Pyramid. Just as Shen Sinning had seen online, there were many tourists there, as well as numerous guides and pyramid exploration teams.
Shen Sinning had already made contact with a blogger who explores pyramids, but when she arrived at the agreed-upon place, the other party sent her a message saying they quit and then blocked her.
"This person has no professional ethics at all, it’s too much!" Shen Sinning was quite annoyed, "I refuse to believe I can’t find someone to join me in an adventure inside the pyramid!"
Afterward, Shen Sinning took Hick around looking for pyramid guides, but those guides immediately refused when they saw her.
"I’m really sorry, I have something to attend to. My exploration team just cancelled."
"You’re too young, I don’t want to take you."
Finally, Shen Sinning realized something was off, frowning, "Could it be that someone specially instructed these people?"
Hick was delighted but didn’t dare show it too obviously, and cautiously persuaded, "Sin Ning, since no one will guide us, why don’t we just visit some other places..."
"I’ll take you there!" A team of ten approached them, with the young man at the forefront looking at Shen Sinning with a smile, "Hello, beautiful lady, I am Robert. Our team is planning to explore the pyramid by ourselves. If you two don’t mind, you could join us."
"This..." Shen Sinning hesitated, and Hick quickly said, "Sin Ning, don’t trust strangers so easily when you’re abroad. If you really want to go, the two of us will be enough. You know my capabilities. Having more people might actually be a burden."
"You said it!" Shen Sinning displayed a sly smile of success, "Let’s go buy some gear for exploring the pyramid!"
Lillian finished her work, so she called Shen Sinning, but she couldn’t get through.
"What is this woman doing, where has she run off to?" Lillian was curious when her assistant Daisy called, "Miss Lillian, the guides at the Maya Pyramid saw Miss Shen Sinning and Mr. Hick buy equipment, and the two of them entered the pyramid on their own."
"Why won’t this woman ever listen?" Lillian’s eyes turned incredibly sharp, "Daisy, tell them if they come across Shen Sinning and Hick, don’t harm them!"
Lillian was so frustrated she casually called Nicole, "Nicole, it’s not that I’m not taking care of your friend, but she is just too stubbornly unheeding of advice..."
"What?" Nicole’s complexion changed drastically upon hearing Shen Sinning was out of contact, "No way, I must call her brother-in-law right away! If he hears she’s out of contact, he’d rush over immediately!"
"Her brother-in-law?" Lillian was taken aback, "Who is her brother-in-law?"
"Yang Yu." Nicole said the name Yang Yu, and then hung up the phone.
"Yang Yu? Yang Yu!" Lillian’s eyes widened, "Her brother-in-law is actually Yang Yu?"
The thought that just yesterday she had received news of a team member being killed by Yang Yu, and today she ran into him again, made Lillian wonder if this was what Xia Country people called fate.