Еntеring the cоrе аrеа, wolves aррearеd more аnd mоrе frеquеntlу. Sometimеs alone, sometimes in раcks; thе pасks wоuld run fаr awау uроn sеeing thе convoу, whilе a fеw solitary wоlves would сuriously fоllоw thе vеhiсlеs fоr a while. Sitting in thе рassеngеr sеat, Вaуunуe had а bеtter viеw of the surroundings, еnsuring she didn’t lose hеr wау while аlso deducing Zоu Каigui’s routе bаsеd оn thе tеrrain.
Ваyunуe рosed а questiоn tо him, “Lеt me tеst уоu: in thе Uninhabited Arеa, a single vehiclе track might not еxtend аll the wау. What dо you do if you’re walking and suddenly can’t find the track anymore?”
For someone like Diao Zhuo, a seasoned outdoorsman who often installed monitoring probes in the wild, this wasn’t a problem at all.
“Look for the iron tower.”
As he spoke, a sharp object loomed in the distance atop the mountain ahead—exactly the iron tower Diao Zhuo mentioned. In the early 1970s, China’s three major military regions conducted preliminary surveys of Qiangtang, leaving behind many triangulation points and benchmarks. An iron tower appeared every 50–80 kilometers, serving as a major reference point in the northern Tibetan Uninhabited Area. Following the iron towers, barring other mishaps, one could find the way out.
“I heard Captain Diao usually works in geological exploration?” Bayunye asked casually, crossing her legs.
He responded with an affirmative grunt.
“Do you often not return home for ten days or half a month, sometimes even for over half a year, and then take a break for several months?”
Diao Zhuo glanced at her; her profession also kept her away from home.
“My older sister has been to many remote places too—no electricity, no water, no signal. Deserts, snowy mountains, primeval forests. Sometimes when she came back, she’d tell us stories, like about bears, wolves, and bees. It was really interesting, though I’ve forgotten a lot of it.”
Rarely did she refrain from joking or talking nonsense when alone with him, so Diao Zhuo felt they could have a normal conversation. “Are both you and your sister off-road guides?”
“She’s in the same line of work as you—geological surveying or exploration, something like that.”
“Which team?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. When I was twelve or thirteen, she died in a car accident.”
Diao Zhuo hadn’t expected this turn of events and fell silent for a long time. Her name was Bayunye; could her older sister be…
“Your older sister is…”
“Xi Ye.”
Hearing that name after so long, Diao Zhuo’s body tensed abruptly. After a long pause, he said, “I heard from Xiao Zi that you…” He weighed his words carefully. “You have no other relatives.”
Xiao Zi had secretly mentioned that Bayunye had no parents.
Bayunye leaned back. “I never said she was my biological sister.”
“Then the two of you are…”
“Anyway, I considered her my real sister.”
Diao Zhuo’s brow furrowed slightly. His grandfather, Professor Rao Qinghui, had been the leader of the geological survey team. During the accident, his father, Diao Jun, died on the spot, while the severely injured Rao Qinghui was left paralyzed, unable to speak a complete sentence—a stark contrast to his former stature as an academic giant.
Back then, the accident investigation team had visited several times, but Rao Qinghui couldn’t provide any useful testimony, so the matter was eventually dropped. Diao Zhuo had made a point of remembering the names of a few members of the investigation team. One officer, Ran Jinxian, had even left his contact information, saying to reach out if Rao Qinghui’s condition improved. Diao Zhuo had heard the name Ba Xiye from Ran Jinxian and seemed to recall that she had grown up in an orphanage. If that were the case, Bayunye likely had too. Such childhood experiences were likely scars for them, better left unmentioned, so he didn’t press further, his thoughts in turmoil.After lingering on his sickbed for just two or three short years, Rao Qinghui passed away. In his final moments, he seemed to regain some consciousness and shakily wrote what appeared to be the letters Y, N, N, M as his last words, while also uttering a syllable similar to "8," which left everyone puzzled.
He never revealed these letters to anyone. Even to Ran Jinxian, he remained tight-lipped until their meaning could be clarified.
The geological survey team was carrying out a secret reconnaissance mission. Where they went and what they were investigating were known only to a very few. Professor Lu Yang, who had been close to Rao Qinghui back then, had been in frail health over the years, and it was said he had even been admitted to the ICU this year. As for who else might know about this matter now, no one could say for sure. The other survivor of the accident, Song Fan, had sustained lighter injuries than Rao Qinghui. When Ran Jinxian and his team investigated the cause of the accident, Song Fan claimed that Diao Jun had been having an extramarital affair with a woman named Xi Ye. For some unknown reason, they had argued, gotten into a physical fight, and distracted the driver, leading to the rollover accident. Over the years, Song Fan never changed his story. The industry kept it under wraps, and with the people involved now deceased and no evidence to prove otherwise, the matter gradually faded away with time.
This incident dealt a heavy blow to several elders in Diao Zhuo’s family. No one in the household ever brought it up again. Later, his mother remarried, and the car accident and scandal seemed to have reached a dead end.
Diao Zhuo didn’t know the exact relationship between Ba Xiye and Bayunye, nor could he bring himself to mention the affair between her elder sister and his father. So, he subtly shifted the topic: "With your experience in wilderness survival and crossing Uninhabited Areas, have you ever considered joining a Rescue Team?"
She was taken aback. "Beidou Rescue?"
"Other Rescue Teams would work too."
"You all do it for free." Bayunye smiled. "I’m not as broad-minded as you. The thought of some people deliberately risking their lives, only for society to expend massive manpower, resources, and funds to rescue them, makes me indignant."
Diao Zhuo didn’t elaborate further, simply saying, "Think about it."
"If I join Beidou Rescue, will I get to see you every day?"
"There you go again." Diao Zhuo sensed her tone was about to shift.
Bayunye pressed on, "Will I or not?"
"No."
"If I join Beidou Rescue, will you get to see me every day?"
"..." Diao Zhuo paused briefly. "No."
"Is it ‘can’t’ or ‘don’t want to’?" A sharp question.
"I’m very busy with work." A dull excuse.
"No noble motivation, no lasting drive—why should I join?" Bayunye made it clear she wasn’t interested. "Why did you join Beidou Rescue?"
"Out of boredom." He brushed it off.
"You just said you’re busy with work."
"I am busy when I’m working."
"Then if I join the Rescue Team, will you have time to see me often when you’re not working?"
"Do you hope to see me often?"
Bayunye raised an eyebrow and nodded emphatically.
"So, you’re not planning to earn money to pay off your car loan anymore?"
In the face of money, everyone’s a slave! Bayunye laughed again. "I heard from others that you’re involved with some chief or deputy captain of Beidou Rescue."
He glanced sideways at her and retorted, "I’m involved with a man?"
"Or perhaps... you have some kind of connection?"Diao Zhuo knew they were likely referring to the consultant at Beidou Rescue headquarters—He Zhengren, a former colleague of Rao Qinghui who had visited frequently during Rao’s illness. Diao Zhuo paused briefly before answering vaguely, “I wouldn’t call it a close friendship. We met a few times while studying in Beijing.”
The underachiever looked surprised. “You went to Peking University?!”
“A university in Beijing,” Diao Zhuo enunciated each word.
“No wonder you’re from Xi’an but sometimes slip into a Beijing accent,” Bayunye said with interest. “Say a few more lines in Shaanxi dialect for me.”
“Ni si gua pi.” (You’re an idiot.)
Bayunye pretended to be earnestly seeking knowledge. “What does that mean?”
Diao Zhuo turned to look at her. Her features were sharply defined, strikingly beautiful, with arched eyebrows that added a touch of chivalrous charm. When their IDs were checked at the Shigatse checkpoint, he had seen hers—she was from Yunnan.
“It means you’re beautiful.”
Bayunye sneered. “You think I’ve never had guests from Shaanxi before?—Yao wo shuo, ni cai si gua pi!” (If you ask me, you’re the idiot!)
Diao Zhuo gave her a thumbs-up; her imitation was nearly perfect. Over the past few days, he had noticed she knew a little of various regional dialects—seemingly a talent for languages.
Along the road lay the dried bones of animals, scattered in all sizes—some whole skeletons, others just a few thick bones, some so ancient they looked as if they would crumble to dust at a touch. The realm of death and the beauty of paradise coexisted perfectly, without the slightest incongruity.
“It’s snowing,” Diao Zhuo observed, spotting a stretch of white in the distance. Soon, fine snowflakes began to drift down, swept by gale-force winds that lashed the convoy like icy arrows. The sky turned a murky white, and an unusual sound seemed to echo from afar.
“This isn’t good…” Bayunye murmured.
Diao Zhuo frowned, also sensing the approach of extreme weather.
Sure enough, before they had traveled much farther, they saw the distant mountains shrouded in a curtain of yellowish-brown sand. A blizzard, mixed with a sandstorm, was sweeping toward them, catching everyone off guard.
“We can’t go any further. We need to find shelter from the wind,” Bayunye said, grabbing the walkie-talkie to warn the vehicles behind. “Be careful! A sandstorm is coming!”
The blizzard and sandstorm advanced rapidly. In no time, everything in sight was enveloped in a murky, yellowish-brown haze. Sand and dust blotted out the sunlight, like Death’s outstretched hands lunging fiercely at all living things.
With no immediate shelter in sight, the convoy had to stop where they were. Everyone stayed inside their vehicles, silent as cicadas in winter. The howling wind arrived with a vengeance, countless grains of sand pelting the windshields with a crackling sound. Still unsatisfied, the gale seemed intent on overturning every vehicle with its overwhelming force. Sand and dust engulfed the world, plunging the interiors into darkness. The apocalyptic scene, combined with the vehicles tilting perilously from side to side under the wind’s assault, made everyone doubt whether they would survive.
The power of nature was especially ferocious in Qiangtang, lashing out at arrogant humanity like a whip. No matter how towering your skyscrapers, no matter how advanced your big data and cloud computing—here, you were just another layer in the biological pyramid. You could become prey for wild beasts at any moment, or find yourself utterly helpless against blizzards and sandstorms. Worse still, unknown and even more terrifying forces might be waiting for you somewhere. Nature was here to teach you the meaning of primal fear. It could never be conquered; it was a deity that humanity ought to revere and hold in the highest regard."I fucking respect Zou Kaigui as a true man." After sitting in silence for ten minutes, Bayunye suddenly spoke up. "When you're trekking and run into weather like this, you have no idea where you'll be blown to, or even whether your head and ass end up east or south."
Diao Zhuo gazed blankly at the swirling yellow sand outside. "He might not have encountered this."
"Have you heard the other stories about disappearances in Qiangtang?"
"Tell me."
"There was a foreign expedition team that organized a trek across Qiangtang and went missing. Years later, a few of them were found dead in a place super far from their planned route. A few more years later, the remaining members appeared in the same spot where the first ones were found, but all members of the expedition had actually died around the same time. It's as if someone, after they all died, transported them in two batches to the same location."
Since the sandstorm outside showed no sign of stopping and the vehicle couldn't move anyway, Bayunye simply opened up.
"Then there was a convoy, three or four off-road vehicles, that drove in and never came out. When they were found, the cars were still there, in working condition, with water and food still left, but all the people were gone. A few years ago, I also heard about a few guys trekking, pushing their carts. Later, their carts were found by other crossers—food still there, but the people and some communication equipment were missing. It's impossible to abandon the carts and food and cross alone on foot. Who knows what they went through."
"Did their bodies ever turn up later?"
"Never found." Bayunye said, "Some online analyses suggest those trekkers might have encountered wolves or bears about to hibernate, dragged off and eaten. But how could those who drove in just vanish into thin air? No one can explain it. Even if they encountered extreme cold, sandstorms, or wild beasts, hiding in the car would still be better than going outside no matter what."
Bayunye thought of Zhang Chenguang, who mysteriously disappeared on Pearl Peak. He left his backpack behind—where did he go? Not a trace of him alive or dead. Pearl Peak is that kind of beginner-level snow mountain, with plenty of people summiting every year. Why has no one ever found any of Zhang Chenguang's belongings again?
Could he have faked his death and actually escaped somewhere to hide? Or, was he taken by someone?
Outside, the fierce wind still raged. Bored, she slipped on a U-shaped pillow, tilting her head as she busied herself editing the short videos she'd shot over the past couple of days. As she worked, she grew drowsy.
Diao Zhuo, leaning on the steering wheel, turned to say something to her, only to find her eyes closed, quietly dozing off. He shifted his gaze away, but after a moment, turned back to look at her.
Unlike other women pale as snow or with foundation caked on like wall plaster, her skin had a honeyed tone. She usually loved wrapping her face, ears, and neck tightly with a magic scarf, then putting on a pair of black sunglasses—stylish and handsome. Now, having accidentally fallen asleep, she forgot to pull up the magic scarf. Her delicate features were clear and distinct, her long, thick eyelashes fluttering lightly with each breath, as if she might wake at any moment, looking at you with clever, teasing eyes.
His gaze moved to her lips.
Were they as soft as her hands?
Damn, if only she were always as serene and gentle as she is when asleep.
Diao Zhuo leaned against the other side, closing his eyes to rest. The car stereo happened to play a quiet melody.
"You in the southern sunny days with heavy snow falling
Me in the northern cold nights with all seasons like spring"The sandstorm had passed, leaving the sky overcast, but the heavy snow gradually subsided.
Bayunye woke up after a short nap, stretching and twisting comfortably. "Did you sleep well, Captain Diao?"
"Not really." His neck was sore—she had taken his U-shaped pillow.
Bayunye moved her neck around, looking at him. "Now we have the kind of friendship that comes from sleeping together."
Diao Zhuo thought to himself, sure enough, she had nothing proper to say once she was awake.
"Right?" she asked.
"If you say so," he replied, opening the door and stepping out into the deep sand.
The windward sides of the seven vehicles were almost half-buried in sand and dust. Regardless of their original colors, all the cars had turned a dusty yellow. Unlike the sand in the desert, this soil was fine and dry, blown here by the strong winds, and would likely be carried away again by another gale.
Everyone grabbed shovels to clear away the sand. Xiao Zi was whimpering, as if frightened once more. After nearly being attacked by wolves the night before, her emotions and mental state were already at a breaking point, and she would burst into tears at the slightest provocation. Bayunye told Diao Zhuo that if she couldn’t calm down, they should send two cars to escort her back to Rutog County.
"However, who knows what might happen on the way back. There’s strength in numbers, so if you can still hold on, it’s best to stick with us until we get out," Bayunye advised. "Think it over yourself."
"I’m a person of my word, and I’ll say it plainly now," Ye Xun said coldly. "The 50,000 yuan I mentioned earlier is for the entire filming process, and you’ll get it once we’re out. If you turn back now, you’ll only get one-third. Whether you leave or not, you’re out of my company as soon as we return!"
Xiao Zi bit her lip, silent and unable to make up her mind. After days in the high-altitude, oxygen-deprived environment, her lips had turned bluish-purple, and both her physical and mental condition were no longer suitable for continuing.
Bayunye lowered her binoculars and pointed into the distance. "There are traces of water flow ahead. Let’s follow the riverbed and find a place with water to wash the cars."
The dusty convoy moved along the winding riverbed, wheels sinking into the soft sand with a muffled "thud." Before long, a narrow lake came into view. Freshly swept by the sandstorm, the water was slightly murky, and the shore was barren. The satellite map didn’t even have a name for this lake. Hippo said it was called an "unknown tso."
Bayunye stirred the water with her hand—it was icy cold. Tasting it, she confirmed it was indeed a salt-alkali lake, the water bitter and salty.
While everyone was busy washing the cars, Xiao Zi let out another scream.
Ye Xun snapped, "Damn it! What are you yelling about now?!"
"Wild yaks!"
Bayunye was startled and quickly turned around.
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