Why would the Chinese Army have a large installation in such a wild, remote section of their big, sprawling country? The answer came to Biff immediately. That big, fenced-in construction job was not more than ten miles away. That had to be the reason. Just what was being built, though, still puzzled the boy.
“We’ll bed down here for the night,” Biff said, “and go into the town early in the morning.”
“Real early, Biff,” Chuba said. “Soon as sun start rising, farmers go into town to market place. Bring things from farm to sell. We go in with them. People think we farmers, too.”
“How about me?” Muscles asked. “I don’t look like a Chinese farmer.”
Biff laughed. “Anything but.”
“You have to stay here. Guard our camp. We go into town, find out things.”
“Okay by me. But say—be sure and leave me my pal.”
“Your pal?” Biff asked.
“Yeah. My pal of protection—the spirit box.”
They all laughed, turned in and slept.