The next day.

Luke woke up early; he had a lot to do today.

After getting up, he checked his adventure and treasure-hunting gear and then took his father to catch the airport shuttle bus.

Li Zhaofeng was returning to New York today. He had work there and couldn't stay in Los Angeles indefinitely.

Luke parked the car next to the bus stop sign; the airport shuttle hadn't arrived yet, and the father and son stood by the roadside chatting.

Li Zhaofeng asked, "Have you ever been to Colorado before?"

"No, I checked; it's about 1,700 kilometers from Los Angeles, and driving there would take roughly ten hours."

"Is your partner reliable?"

"Yes, he's a judge, and treasure hunting is more of a hobby for him."

Li Zhaofeng nodded. Although he had no treasure-hunting experience, he had seen many films and TV shows related to treasure hunting. The initial difficulties on a treasure hunt aren't usually the biggest danger; the real danger might come from your treasure-hunting partner.

The profession of judge naturally instills a sense of trust.

"I will contact the Zhang brothers, try to probe their bottom price, but we can't press too hard; they need to have room for profit.

No one is foolish; if we press the price too low, they may cut corners somewhere, which would become a headache later."

"You're right. I have the same concern. When I return from this treasure hunt, I plan to invite the Zhang brothers and that knowledgeable friend to discuss things together. As long as construction quality can be guaranteed, I won't push the price too low but will offer reasonable discounts."

While talking, a shuttle bus approached from a distance, and Li Zhaofeng advised, "Be careful on this treasure hunt; the house construction can wait. There's no need to overexert yourself.

Besides, you have stocks worth 1.3 million US Dollars; if necessary, you can still sell the stocks."

"I understand. Be safe." Luke placed his father's suitcase in the vehicle's luggage compartment. "Next time you come to Los Angeles, you'll have your own bedroom."

Luke's new house is planned to have five rooms; Li Zhaofeng doesn't own property in Los Angeles, so he naturally needs a room.

"Good."

Li Zhaofeng displayed a gratified expression, patted his son's shoulder, and boarded the shuttle.

After seeing his father off, Luke drove to the Walker family.

They met up, Luke moved his luggage into the RV, and then they drove to a nearby supermarket to shop.

This time they planned to drive to Red Rock Canyon in Colorado. The area around the canyon was deserted, requiring them to prepare enough water and food.

They bought the most water. In the wild, being hungry for a couple of days isn't an issue, but lacking water is troubling.

Next was beer, liquid bread. This is indispensable; drink beer and chat joyfully, and it can also be used for sustenance in critical moments.

There was also a variety of food, some refrigerated, and some easily stored.

They also brought a substantial amount of red wine and whiskey.

After refueling, they officially embarked on their treasure-hunting journey.

Walker seemed very excited, still loving his newly purchased RV; he drove while Luke sat in the passenger seat.

Luke held a beer, laid out a brown map, strictly speaking a treasure map.

"Luke, be careful not to spill the beer on the treasure map," Walker reminded.

Luke placed the beer in the cup holder, carefully examined the treasure map, "How can you be sure this is Red Rock Canyon in Colorado? I'm worried we might be looking in the wrong place."

"Definitely not. I've studied this treasure map for a long time. In the upper right corner of the treasure map, there's a tree. Do you know what kind of tree it is?"

Luke stared at the tree attentively; he remembered it from when he first got the treasure map but hadn't researched its species, "Does it look like a spruce?"

Luke's voice was slightly uncertain.

"That's right, it's spruce.

Do you know which state has spruce as its state tree?"

"Colorado?"

"That's right. The terrain on the treasure map is a canyon. At the canyon's bottom is a river, which should be the Colorado River, and the cliff faces on both sides are red, matching the characteristics of the Colorado Grand Canyon."

Luke said, "I know the Colorado Grand Canyon; it's a vast area, and without narrowing down the search area, it's like searching for a needle in a haystack."

Walker replied, "You're correct. Initially, I thought the same, but then I discovered a detail suggesting that the specific treasure location should be at Red Rock Canyon.

This Red Rock Canyon is located in the western section of the Colorado Grand Canyon, and it's a nature reserve with a much smaller area."

Luke again scrutinized the map, searching for the detail Walker mentioned. There was an unusual rock, wider at the top with only a small part connecting to the ground, forming a tricky balance, "Are you talking about this?"

"Exactly, Balanced Rock.

In the long course of time, the narrow base supporting Balanced Rock continuously eroded, causing sections of the harder red sandstone to separate from the softer surrounding rock formation, creating this kind of shape.

Red Rock Canyon is famous for having rocks shaped like this." After explaining, Walker asked, "Do you still think we might be looking in the wrong place now?"

Luke gave a thumbs up, "Well done."

In this aspect, Luke admittedly had shortcomings. He was still young, hadn't traveled extensively, and couldn't match Walker's decades of accumulated experience and knowledge.

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