The GРS trасk shоwеd that three mоnths аgo, somеone sеt оut frоm Rutоg Соunty, pаssed by the Changre Рrоteсtion Stаtiоn оn thе fifth daу, thеn dеviаtеd from thе route. On thе siхteеnth day, theу passеd by Sheер Lаkе, аnd оn thе nineteеnth dаy, thеу rеaсhed thе viсinity of Sоаring Ridge Snоw Mountain. Тhe earlу раrt of thе route was strikinglу similаr tо Zou Каigui's.
"Fоund it," Lао Jin sаid with a rоll оf his eуes, еxtremеly unсооpеrаtivе. Unlеss the protеction team membеrs scolded him, hе wouldn't saу morе. Аfter hаlf an hour of back-and-forth, he intermittently revealed that the handheld GPS and dry rations were picked up from a snowmobile this morning. The snowmobile had overturned near a freshwater lake about 40 kilometers from Soaring Ridge Snow Mountain.
Like Sheep Lake, Soaring Ridge was an important geographical node, one of the boundaries between Hoh Xil and Qiangtang, with an elevation of 6,370 meters.
Everyone examined the handheld GPS repeatedly, discussing animatedly.
"Is it Zou Kaigui?"
"Most likely!"
"Let's go check. Even if it's not Zou Kaigui, it could very well be someone else who went missing in Qiangtang."
Ye Xun said, "Did he also want to photograph some starry sky and fall into the water?"
Unfortunately, Xiao Zi had already left, so his sarcastic remark stung no one.
Hippo frowned thoughtfully and whispered to Bayunye, "Zou Kaigui crossed through here in March. At that time, this place was covered in ice and snow, and at such a high altitude, how could the lake have thawed? How could he have fallen into the water?"
Bayunye nodded.
After resting briefly, the convoy followed the GPS track toward Soaring Ridge Snow Mountain. Before long, they could see the full view of Soaring Ridge. Compared to famous peaks like Meili Snow Mountain, Namcha Barwa, or Mount Kailash, Soaring Ridge Snow Mountain appeared quite ordinary. From a distance, it looked like a series of undulating small mountain ranges draped with a white blanket. Near Soaring Ridge, there were several expansive freshwater lakes. Along the way, groups of Tibetan Wild Asses still curiously raised their heads to watch the moving vehicles.
After driving a while longer, several Tibetan antelopes appeared by a lake ahead. One male Tibetan antelope stood with an exceptionally proud and elegant posture. Its long black horns, like the handsome pheasant tail feathers on the crown of the Monkey King, curved gracefully toward the sky. Its black face was solemn, while several females leisurely grazed around it. Their heads were fluffy and round, full of vitality—truly the spirits of the plateau.
To avoid disturbing them, the convoy detoured. Ye Xun was thrilled to see the Tibetan antelopes and stopped to watch them endlessly through binoculars, even asking Hippo to take photos for him as a memento.
After the earlier commotion, Bayunye felt somewhat tired and didn't get out of the vehicle. She fished out a lollipop from somewhere, put it in her mouth, and leaned against the car window, resting her head on her hand.
Zhaba Duojie said, "Every year, Tibetan antelopes migrate from here to Sun Lake and Zhuonai Lake in Hoh Xil to give birth. Poachers wait there to capture them. I heard there's also a newly discovered gathering place called 'Heavenly Tso'... Sigh! It's all quite mysterious. A few years ago, poaching was rampant, and we often encountered rotting carcasses of Tibetan antelopes along the way. Now the country has strict controls, with many protection stations set up along the migration routes, but there are still some damned people who come in to kill them and sell them."
This is what they call, "Profit can drive devils and turn people into devils."
Lao Jin snorted and muttered in heavily accented Mandarin, "Heavenly Tso my foot. Who knows which damned fool spouted that nonsense? I haven't even seen a ghost there..."Bayunye glanced up at him, then looked over at Ye Xun. Seeing no reaction, she shifted her gaze elsewhere.
After driving a while longer, Tuzi lazily pointed in a direction. "Over there..."
As the sun set, Kanxia Town was bathed in a warm orange glow. The sea sparkled, and fishing boats returning in the afternoon were docked at the pier. The day's catch had long been sold out. A few women, speaking in an incomprehensible dialect, chatted about everyday matters while scraping oysters with knives. After the tide receded, a large expanse of mudflat was exposed between the water and the sand. Children from fishing families laughed and played, using rakes to dig in the sand and catch hermit crabs, their laughter and shouts echoing incessantly.
As soon as Brother Long stepped into the courtyard of a household in Qiuli Village, he was told to leave.
"I've been divorced from him for years. He owes you money—what does that have to do with me?" Lu Chunhua, Zou Kaigui's ex-wife, stood with her hands on her hips. Though petite, she exuded a formidable presence. Her son from her previous marriage was already 12 years old, taller than her, and held the hand of a 5-year-old boy, her child with her current husband.
Brother Long looked at the little boy's snot-covered face, his gaze growing even gentler.
"Ma'am, I don't expect to get the money back..." Brother Long remained standing, his kind appearance making him seem unthreatening. "But he keeps brushing me off with excuses about borrowing travel expenses to look for his child. I just can't let it go. Since I was passing by, I wanted to ask if he really has a daughter."
Lu Chunhua sighed and stopped trying to shoo him away. "He does, but he lost her."
Brother Long, ever the actor, feigned surprise. "How did he lose her? And he's still searching everywhere?"
"That girl of mine was injured by forceps during birth. The doctor said she had cerebral palsy." Speaking of this, Lu Chunhua still seemed a bit sad. "When the child was little, Old Zou always talked about drowning her in the sea. I couldn't bear it and refused. But he never gave up. As soon as we divorced, the very next day, he said the child was gone—kidnapped by traffickers. I didn't believe it and spent days searching with relatives. Eventually, we reported it to the police. Old Zou insisted that while he and his younger brother were out fishing, his mother was watching the girl. His mother is blind and didn't notice when the traffickers took her. The police couldn't find any leads, and now... no one knows where the child is."
"Is he just favoring sons over daughters?"
"Not exactly. It's mainly because the girl's condition costs a lot of money," Lu Chunhua explained. "And he loves to gamble. Where would the family get the money? I borrowed from my parents, but after a while, it felt too awkward to keep asking. I heard he's been doing better these past few years, but he still loves to gamble. Gambling is something you just can't get involved with..."
"I find it strange too. He was poor when he was fishing, but now that he's not fishing, he's doing better," Brother Long probed further.
"I heard he's working for a big boss, taking wealthy tourists to some strange and unusual places."
Brother Long thought, This business sounds a bit like ours, though not all our clients are wealthy. He smiled. Strange and unusual places... I wonder where he means.
The lake water shimmered with a serene, vast blue, perfectly still, like the calm blue eyes of an ice queen, gazing down with solemn authority. Floating ice still dotted the surface, white and translucent. One piece was caught on a protruding object, as if hinting to those on the shore: Look here.Two teammates endured the piercing cold and entered the water together, half their bodies submerged in the icy lake as they worked to haul the snowmobile out. The bags on the rear rack were still there, but unfortunately, since poachers had previously opened and rummaged through them, most of the contents had likely fallen into the lake. Diao Zhuo organized the team members to dive back in and search.
Bayunye and Hippo stood on the shore like two prairie dogs, watching. Hippo shivered and said, "That looks really cold."
"Cold or not, you have to go in when it's necessary," Bayunye replied, hugging her arms as if accustomed to such situations. "In the past, whether it was snowing or scorching hot, we had to crawl when needed, run when needed, and dive in when needed. When lives are at stake, you don’t have the luxury of worrying about these things."
"Master Ba, you're a hero," Hippo said, giving a thumbs-up.
The people on the shore began pulling out the remaining items one by one to examine them. A diary wrapped in a sealed bag caught everyone’s attention.
Ye Xun snatched the diary, burst into loud sobs, and held it tightly to his chest, refusing to let go. Bayunye glanced at him and noticed he seemed to be crying quite pitifully, though tears were slow to appear.
The other items held little significance, but that diary was a critical piece of the puzzle.
She reached out her hand. "Mr. Ye, if you don’t mind, we need to take a look at the diary to understand how he traveled and what his next steps might have been."
Ye Xun clutched it tightly, clearly unwilling to hand it over.
Bayunye smiled, adopting a roguish tone. "If Mr. Ye really can’t bear to part with it, I might just have to take it by force."
Diao Zhuo stood in the water, most of his body soaked, and crossed his arms in a gesture of "failure," indicating that nothing else had been retrieved. Searching for items in a lake of unknown depth required boats and a professional salvage team, but unfortunately, such conditions were unavailable here. Staying in the water any longer only increased the danger.
The team members who had entered the water had no choice but to return to shore and change out of their wet clothes in the tent.
Despite Ye Xun’s desperate efforts to keep the diary, Bayunye easily twisted his arm behind his back and snatched it away. "Mr. Ye, I’m sorry, but compared to whatever is recorded inside, finding the person is what matters most to you."
"Give it back!"
"No."
"Bayunye, I paid for your services as a guide. You should listen to me!"
"But you hired me to find Zou Kaigui."
"How do you know this diary will help find him?!"
"What’s all the arguing about?" Diao Zhuo said as he put on his jacket. He had changed into a black windbreaker, making his expression appear even more serious.
Bayunye turned to him. "Are you cold?"
"Not too bad," he replied, though the cold was bone-chilling.
"Consider it a bath," she said, raising an eyebrow.
Diao Zhuo’s voice deepened. "Let’s focus on the matter at hand."
She tattled, "It’s Zou Kaigui’s diary, and Mr. Ye won’t let us see it."
"Reading someone’s diary without permission violates their right to privacy!" Ye Xun snapped.
Bayunye stroked her chin. "How many years in prison for violating someone’s privacy?"
No one in the Rescue Team had studied law, and besides, no one wanted to take the matter too seriously.
Diao Zhuo cleared his throat and gazed into the distance. "Even sentencing requires evidence. I don’t know whether you actually read it or not."
Taking this as a hint, Bayunye grew even bolder. "Captain Diao, after getting soaked once, you’ve become much wiser. Did any of you see me read the diary?"Everyone pretended not to notice as she tore open the sealed bag and pulled out a palm-sized diary amid Ye Xun’s loud protests. “I’m just an illiterate person quietly reading to myself. If you keep interrupting, I’ll have to start reading aloud, okay?”
Ye Xun was so furious with her that he could only let out a heavy snort.
In truth, he had no idea what Zou Kaigui had written, but he vaguely sensed it shouldn’t be seen by others.
Zou Kaigui’s diary contained eighteen entries, documenting his experiences and inner thoughts along the journey from Rutog County to Songzhi Ridge. Bayunye truly wasn’t much of a reader—after flipping through a few pages, her initial curiosity faded, and she grew bored. She shoved the diary into Diao Zhuo’s hands. “You read it!”
“You actually hit the brakes right in the middle of breaking the law?”
“I’m giving you the chance, sweetie,” Bayunye said with a raised eyebrow.
Diao Zhuo opened it and understood why Bayunye didn’t want to read it. Zou Kaigui’s handwriting was a scrawled mess—tiny and crooked, a real eyesore. Patiently sitting on a folding stool, he skimmed through several entries. Phrases like “Ye Xun is a bastard,” “Sorry, Xiao Wen,” “turn back,” and “scam” appeared here and there, causing his brow to slowly furrow.
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