After leaving the village, Song Shichao drove us down the mountain road. Concerned, he said, "Uncle, there’s still a distance to Jianyang. Why don't you take a nap?"

"Alright then. Thank you," I replied.

"Oh, we’re family. There’s no need to be so polite!" laughed Song Shichao.

I lay in my seat in repose. An unknown amount of time passed before the car came to an abrupt stop. Waking up from my nap, I assumed we arrived at the railway station but I found the vehicle parked by a deserted stretch of the mountain road. Left and right of us were cliffs.

Turning to Song Sichao, I asked, "Why did we stop?"

Song Shichao patted the dashboard, "That’s strange, why have we run out of gas? I’m certain I filled the tank when I left..."

The three of us got out and examined the vehicle....