Thе rоаd аhеad was bumpу, thе riverbed still drу beforе thе flооd sеаson. Thе vehicle shook violеntlу in evеry dirесtiоn, jоlting their insidеs аs if tоssеd intо a wаshing machine.
Нiрpо pointed оutside, "Why аre thosе tirе trасks hеаding sоuth?"
To thе sоuth, the tеrrаin slоpеd upwаrd аs far as thе еyе could seе, with a strange lаndsсаpе. Puddles of swаmр fоrmed bу mеltеd snоw dоttеd the аrеa, рoсkmarked аnd unevеn, аnd аt the еnd, а соntinuous mountain rаnge seemed impаssable.
Bаyunyе glanсеd ovеr but didn’t respond for now.
"Slow down, I’m about to get carsick!" Hippo groaned.
After driving a little farther, Bayunye suddenly hit the brakes.
Hippo asked with concern, "What’s wrong?"
Bayunye looked out the window. Ye Xun’s Prado had driven off in another direction. "That Diao Zhuo is shrewd. He deliberately sent Ye Xun away, probably to investigate something without interference."
Hippo couldn’t help but speak the truth, "Master Ba, you’re actually the one interfering with him."
"Say that again?"
Hippo played dumb.
"Let’s head back," Bayunye said, turning the steering wheel with one hand, smooth and practiced.
"Go back? Aren’t we searching anymore?"
"That’s what he meant."
"So he was just using you to fool Ye Xun," Hippo realized. "Only by sending you out would Ye Xun think Zou Kaigui was really attacked by a wild animal nearby."
Bayunye nodded. "Suppose you were camping by the lake and encountered a pack of wolves or a bear just waking from hibernation. You’d panic and run for your life. How far do you think you could run before being pounced on or trampled?"
Hippo held up two fingers. "At most 200 meters."
Bayunye snapped his fingers. "If they can’t take down a human within 200 meters, what’s the point of them being predators? Zou Kaigui weighed over a hundred pounds—they couldn’t drag him away, so why not finish him on the spot? If no remains were found within 200 meters, it proves Zou Kaigui wasn’t attacked by wild animals or buried alive in a sandstorm."
Hippo looked around. "If he survived, why didn’t he go back for his gear and car, or use the satellite phone to call for help? That means something else happened."
As they spoke, Bayunye had almost reached Zou Kaigui’s last campsite. "The route was planned, all his belongings were left by the lake, and no body was found nearby. It’s possible human factors were involved. The Uninhabited Area isn’t completely devoid of people—look at all the tire tracks we’ve been following. Could Zou Kaigui have encountered someone? Someone driving?"
"Could be."
Diao Zhuo led everyone to examine the ground, and they all crouched down.
"The marks of heavy objects being dragged are very clear. Also, the angle of the high-heel shoe prints suggests a woman was helping drag something heavy. Where the footprints are dense and show dragging marks, Tibetan antelope fur is mixed in, but not elsewhere. Considering the broken and fractured bones of the Tibetan antelope, my judgment is—" Diao Zhuo paused. "Several off-road vehicles illegally crossing this area encountered Tibetan antelope and chased them for fun, accidentally killing three. Based on the tire tracks left behind, at least three vehicles were involved. Zou Kaigui might have been a witness, maybe even recorded the whole thing with his phone or camera. For some reason, he helped two of the illegal crossers dispose of the Tibetan antelope carcasses."
Da Qin looked horrified. "Could Zou Kaigui have been…" He made a throat-slitting gesture.Diao Zhuo nodded. "Zou Kaigui has been missing for nearly three months, with extensive coverage across online and print media. These people concealing the truth shows their guilt—first, they fear exposure for hitting and killing a first-class protected animal, and second... perhaps they've done something even more despicable than killing a Tibetan antelope. However, all of this is just my speculation."
With that, he took out a handheld GPS and marked the location. After sending a message requesting police investigation, he said, "Da Qin, you and the people in Qi Zi's vehicle should stay here temporarily. Wait for the police to collect evidence, then return with them. The rest of us will stay and continue searching."
Zhaba Duojie remarked, "If attacked by an animal, the person would definitely be nearby. Once your people return, just ask if they found anything. If not, it means it wasn't due to an animal."
A look of clarity dawned in Diao Zhuo's eyes. "If Zou Kaigui's disappearance is man-made, the search will be much more difficult."
Da Qin scratched the back of his head. "By the way, since you had doubts from the start, why did you agree to let those vehicles search nearby?"
Diao Zhuo gazed into the distance, where the dispatched search vehicles were now mere black dots on the horizon. "Ye Xun couldn't possibly have never been to high-altitude areas, yet from the beginning, he acted as if he'd never been to the plateau and was afraid of altitude sickness. Combined with some content in Zou Kaigui's diary, I suspect he's hiding something too."
Da Qin was startled. "I also felt he was evasive, as if he always had secrets, but I never thought even his altitude sickness was an act."
"At first, I thought he was just overly nervous, exhibiting symptoms of pseudo-altitude sickness. But think about it: since entering Qiangtang, we've been sleeping at altitudes of 4,900 or even 5,200 meters every day. Has he shown any signs of discomfort? That doesn't match someone who's never experienced high altitudes. In contrast, although Xiao Zi didn't have altitude sickness initially, as the altitude increased, she couldn't handle it physically or mentally, eventually leading to a drastic change in temperament and a psychological breakdown. That's the normal reaction of an ordinary person. I didn't want to be distracted by Ye Xun."
Da Qin chuckled. "So, you also sent Master Ba away?"
Diao Zhuo neither confirmed nor denied, remaining silent for a moment.
Da Qin's smile deepened.
Diao Zhuo didn't respond, merely shaking his head to himself. Hearing the sound of an engine, he turned to see Bayunye's vehicle coming to a steady stop, its wheels kicking up clouds of yellowish dust.
Seeing that the Rescue Team's search efforts were making progress and that Lao Jin and Tuzi had nothing more useful to say, Zhaba Duojie led the protection team to depart first.
After listening to Diao Zhuo's analysis, Bayunye couldn't help but clap sincerely a few times. "With so many eyes among us, none see as clearly as your two."
"It's just speculation," Diao Zhuo replied, feeling somewhat troubled. "There are no witnesses or surveillance footage. Since they were engaged in illegal crossing, they'd naturally want to avoid attention. Finding the vehicle based on a few footprints will likely be difficult."
Bayunye shook his head. "Most of the tire tracks on the ground head east, but just now, as we drove forward, we saw a few tracks veering south. They were shallow, with no overlapping marks. Heading south, the terrain rises higher, dotted with small saltwater lakes, and a mountain range lies across the path. For anyone, whether on foot or in a vehicle, to head south from here is practically suicidal."
Diao Zhuo frowned. "What are you suggesting?"
"I'll try searching south."
"With just one vehicle?""You can come up too." Bayunye pushed Hippo aside, looking like someone who'd abandon friends for a pretty face. "I'd be delighted."
"The south is too difficult to travel. Especially now that the snow has melted, the dirt roads are very soft." Hippo tried to dissuade her. "Vehicles can't get through; you'd get stuck after just a few steps. You can't possibly walk there, can you? Besides, it's almost dark."
"Can't catch a wolf without risking your wife!" Bayunye was full of energy.
Everyone looked bewildered. After a long pause, Da Qin blinked. "Shouldn't it be... can't catch a hooligan without risking your wife?"
"Uh..." She herself was confused.
Diao Zhuo sneered at her misuse of idioms. "What she means is—nothing ventured, nothing gained."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Bayunye patted the roof of her car as if petting a puppy. Her Wrangler had been modified and wouldn't get stuck easily. "I believe in it."
Da Qin sighed helplessly. "Did this car pay you for advertising or something..."
"It gave me a car loan... but I believe in it, and—" Bayunye pointed her thumb at the tip of her nose, "I also believe in myself."
"I'll go with you." Diao Zhuo opened the passenger door. "Da Qin, Hippo, you follow in that pickup truck. Qi Zi stays behind to guard the Tibetan antelope. We'll only go 20 kilometers south. If there's no progress, we turn back immediately and try again tomorrow."
Bayunye leaned back against the headrest, smiling relaxedly. "I'll listen to you."
Even if we don't make it back, dragging Diao Zhuo down with me wouldn't be so bad, hehe.
Long after they left, as dusk approached, perhaps because the daytime weather had been so clear, the distant snow-capped mountains were tinged with a faint purple by the lingering light, while the sky behind them glowed with a gentle peach hue, reflecting each other. Yet, the softness of the sky and earth couldn't mask the desolation of the land. The lake turned deep blue, and the brown wilderness appeared utterly lifeless.
The other three vehicles returned, having found nothing as expected. Bayunye and the others hadn't come back yet, and Qi Zi, too worried to eat, craned his neck anxiously, watching for their return.
Ye Xun was in a foul mood, holding a box of self-heating rice, his face dark and gloomy. He had thought success was assured, but now he could only sigh repeatedly. The wind grew stronger, and he gazed pensively at Zou Kaigui's remaining belongings. The saddlebags stood darkly on the ground like two large stones.
After May each year, hardly anyone or any vehicle would cross Qiangtang. First, the daytime temperatures rise, melting the ice and snow, making the ground soft and prone to forming marshes, unsuitable for walking or driving. Second, the rising temperatures also awaken some hibernating beasts, bringing unexpected dangers. But no matter what, even those who choose to enter Qiangtang during the most suitable months for crossing often end up missing, their bodies never found. It was already mid-May, so the 20 kilometers the two vehicles traveled south were far more challenging than imagined.
The ground was too soft. The off-road vehicles churned through the mud as if rolling into a creamy cake, sticky and thick. When encountering small tributaries, they dared not cross recklessly—getting stuck in the middle of the river would be disastrous. It was believed that in a while, as daytime temperatures rose further and the ice melted faster, the conditions would become even more difficult, to the point where even off-road vehicles might not be able to cross.The vehicle's braking and acceleration were far more difficult at high altitudes than on the plains, with the engine struggling to keep up. Visibility was poor, and countless marshes appeared like phantoms out of nowhere. Getting stuck became more frequent and more troublesome than in previous days. One vehicle would get stuck, another would tow it, the rear wheels constantly slipping and sliding in the icy, muddy soil as if riding a scooter. No sooner had one vehicle been freed than another would sink, each pulling the other out. As the temperature plummeted in the evening, everyone was busy and sweating profusely.
Bayunye, her hands covered in mud, used bricks carried in the vehicle to prop up the rear wheels, helping the car survive another stuck crisis. After struggling through 10 kilometers, she accidentally stepped into deep mud. Even though she moved quickly, the mud had already risen above her shoe tops. She sighed, lifted her leg, and shook it wildly, trying to get rid of the remaining sludge. Unexpectedly, her other foot slipped, and she fell flat on her buttocks. A squelching sound came from below—without looking, she knew her buttocks and thighs were an absolute mess.
Hippo saw this and rushed over to help her up. She pushed herself off the ground, utterly defeated, her hair blown against her face by the wind, itching unbearably. She instinctively wiped her face—great, half her face was now covered in mud.
"Are you the goddess Nüwa, trying to create humans or something…" Hippo stifled a laugh.
Bayunye exploded in anger, "Fuck! I’d rather die than come here again! What is an Uninhabited Area? It’s a place that doesn’t welcome you humans! Anyone who enters will be killed!"
Diao Zhuo, in the driver’s seat of the vehicle ahead, heard the commotion and leaned out to look before getting out of the car. He saw the once-majestic Bayunye, her lower body caked in gray mud and half her face blackened.
He waved a hand, "Don’t waste your energy. Do you have a towel? Wipe yourself off."
Forget a towel—Bayunye didn’t even have a piece of toilet paper on her at that moment. Her hands were covered in mud, her face was itching, and she didn’t dare scratch it. Annoyed, she retorted, "You’re just standing there talking without feeling any pain."
Diao Zhuo pointed at the ground, "Should I lie down and talk then?"
Bayunye lunged at him, raising her muddy hands to smear them across his face, "Lie down! Lie down, you big-headed ghost!"
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