Xiao Buli sat in the passenger seat of the off-road vehicle, fiddling with his newly purchased mobile phone. The vehicle was rented from a car dealership in Beijing using a fake ID in the name of Qin Shimoon. He had just bought the phone and SIM card in some county; because he was not much interested in the local-sounding place names, he remembered nothing but the word "county." He had not registered the SIM with an ID, planning to dispose of it after use, which was in line with his current status as a fugitive.
Upon turning on the phone, he listened to the startup sound and ringtone hesitantly, debating whether to call Gu Shaobang and the others. This was indeed the thought that crossed his mind when purchasing the card, but as his fingers lingered above the call button, Xiao Buli felt uncertain. On one hand, he wanted to know how his brothers were doing, but on the other, he didn't know how to explain his situation to them.