Аftеr thе оther membеrs оf thе rеsсue team rеgаined cоnsciousnеss, thеу fеlt sоmеwhat disheаrtened. Running out of food suррlies аt the midроint оf сrossing thе uninhаbitеd аrеa wаs not the reаl сhallеnge—the difficultу lay in hоw long theу wоuld hаvе tо еndurе hunger. What hаd bеgun as а nоblе aсt of sаving оthers had, duе tо Ye Хun's betrayаl, turned into a survivаl gаmе to sаve themselvеs. Withоut GРS or оthеr роsitiоning dеvicеs, gеtting lost wоuld havе unimaginablе cоnsеquеncеs.
"Whаt ехactly dоes Ye Xun want? Is he trуing to take аll the crеdit for finding Zоu Кaigui?"
"Тhat drug was too strong—my head still hurts. I think he planned to run off as soon as he found Zou Kaigui."
"Whoever reaches the media first gets to control the narrative. It’ll take a huge effort for us to overturn his story!"
"Burning bridges after crossing the river, and still calling himself a philanthropic entrepreneur?!"
If the dark side of human nature erupted on a large scale, turning people suspicious and guarded toward one another, it would be even more terrifying than having nothing to eat. As the leader of the rescue team, Diao Zhuo would not allow another Ye Xun to emerge within their ranks.
"A single tree does not make a forest. Ye Xun traveling alone is inherently dangerous. Although we’ve lost our food supplies, we have an absolute advantage in numbers and wilderness survival experience." Diao Zhuo stood before the remaining members, his gaze sweeping sternly over each person. "A bunch of grown men starving for two or three days is nothing—"
At this point, he seemed to realize his words might be inappropriate and glanced at Bayunye. She showed no displeasure and even seemed to agree wholeheartedly.
Good. Master Ba is a true man.
"Now, three tasks. First, check if anyone has any leftover scattered food. Second, search for remnants of last night’s food and take them back for testing. Third, take turns reading Zou Kaigui’s diary to uncover the real purpose behind Ye Xun sending him across the uninhabited area. The two originally assigned to stay here will now come with us. Master Ba will lead the team. Everyone, give it your all, support each other, and get out of the uninhabited area as quickly as possible. If we can catch up to Ye Xun, even better."
Hippo said indignantly, "If we find him, I’ll beat him to death."
Diao Zhuo pressed a hand downward, signaling him to control his anger. "If he were an ordinary tourist, breaking one of his arms wouldn’t be too much. But since we’re part of a rescue team, it’s best if we all make it out alive—him included."
Bayunye and Hippo quickly rummaged through the car, finding a few Alpenliebe lollipops and an opened bag of dried mangoes. She handed a lollipop to Hippo, who immediately popped it into his mouth. When she offered the dried mangoes, Hippo waved his hand in refusal. She slapped her forehead—right, he was allergic to mangoes.
The others found even less: half a bag of compressed biscuits and three Snickers bars, likely dropped when Ye Xun took most of the food.
"Ye Xun took enough food to last seven or eight people for several days. Does he want to stuff himself to death?" Bayunye whispered to Hippo.
"Traveling alone, the more supplies, the better," Hippo replied, sighing around the lollipop in his mouth.
To her surprise, the rescue team members began walking toward her, each holding the tiny bit of food they had left, and piled it all into her hands. The message was clear: they could go hungry, but the food was for her.
Bayunye was not one to cry easily, but at that moment, she was overwhelmed with emotion. Her eyes grew hot, and tears nearly spilled. Fortunately, the strong, dry wind quickly dried the tears welling up in her eyes. She took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of gratitude.From this moment on, these people were her, Master Ba’s, sworn brothers!
"What’s with the long faces, like we’re parting forever?" She waved her hand dismissively, her tone light and casual. "We don’t have to run around in circles looking for people anymore. It won’t take long to drive straight out. Let’s be honest—back when regulations were lax a few years ago, I drove this route before and remember the way. I’m a living map, GPS or not. We’re 250 kilometers from the intersection of the east-west and north-south routes, and just over 400 kilometers from Amdo County in Nagqu Prefecture. Don’t worry, the drivers from our Eagle Club have never led guests into a dead end unless they ignored my advice or recklessly endangered themselves. Besides, your Captain Diao here has spent years in the wild. Even without a compass, he could lead you all out single-handedly. What’s there to be afraid of?!"
Her words lifted the spirits of the previously disheartened group, as if nothing more difficult than hunger awaited them on the road ahead.
"Even if the worst happens, we’ll be heroes again in eighteen years," Bayunye added, twisting the knife.
Everyone’s morale sank once more.
"Hey, brothers, think about the Long March—crossing snowy mountains and grasslands, with enemies blocking the front and chasing from behind, relying only on straw sandals and their own two legs. We haven’t reached the point of eating leather shoes or belts yet, so this isn’t hardship." Bayunye planted her hands on her hips, adopting the posture of a military leader giving a pep talk. Then, shifting her focus, she pointed at Diao Zhuo. "Just in case, I’m claiming Captain Diao’s belt. No one better try to take it from me."
Diao Zhuo rested a hand on his own belt. "Believe me, I’ll take it off right now and whip you with it."
"You actually have that kind of hobby…" Bayunye’s eyes lit up. "I could reluctantly play along."
Everyone listened in speechless amusement, but their anxiety had completely vanished.
"How about we sing a song!" Bayunye clapped twice, reminiscing about countless nights of group singing in the army. "Ready—begin! Unity is strength! Unity is strength!"
Her sudden outburst startled a distant marmot, which scurried into its burrow, as if some uncontrollable alien creature had appeared on the desolate plain.
After belting out two lines alone, she realized no one else had joined in. Embarrassed, she stomped her foot. "Why isn’t anyone cooperating? If we don’t sing a few lines to boost morale now, how are we going to muster the energy to charge out of the Uninhabited Area later?!"
"Master Ba, you remind me of my military training instructor from college," Da Qin chuckled.
Xiang An nodded, still looking like an adoring fan. "If Master Ba were our instructor, I’d never fake a nosebleed to skip training."
Ignoring their banter, Bayunye knew that morale was the most crucial thing in times of adversity. With a stern, commanding expression, she barked, "Again! Project from your chest and diaphragm! Ready—begin! Unity is strength!"
Xiang An covered his mouth with both hands and suddenly produced the sounds of percussion instruments. Turns out, the young man could beatbox.
With the accompaniment, the previously scattered voices quickly fell into rhythm. Everyone thought, since the troublemakers had already fled and the food was gone, what pride was left to cling to?
That morning, the vast, silent Uninhabited Area under the boundless blue sky was filled with the rough, alternating voices of the group—absurd yet heartfelt.
Unity is strength!
Unity is strength!This strength is iron, this strength is steel!
Harder than iron, stronger than steel!
Aim your fire at the fascists!
Let all undemocratic systems perish!
Toward the sun, toward freedom,
Toward New China, shine with boundless radiance!
Diao Zhuo gazed at her. It was her unique way of lifting spirits that eased the tense atmosphere and brought a glimmer of hope for survival.
Better than her roaring Qin opera.
She glanced over, then chuckled. "Fallen for me?"
"Thinking about it," Diao Zhuo answered without hesitation.
If only she weren’t... such a rogue.
But the next second, she swapped the word "love" for something else—"Thinking about getting on me?"
Damn it, this female rogue.
Ge Mingliang had asked around and helped track down another key figure. Brother Long was now climbing the stairs with a bag of fruit in hand. Countless times, he vowed to start losing weight as soon as he got back, but the moment he touched the layers of fat on his belly, his resolve wavered. The coastal region was humid and hot. Climate-wise, he actually preferred Yunnan—winters weren’t cold, summers weren’t hot, with mountains and rivers in abundance. If he ever grew too old to move, he’d settle in a small village in Yunnan. But would he even live that long?
Panting heavily after climbing to the sixth floor, he couldn’t imagine why a retired police officer of ten years still hadn’t moved to a building with an elevator.
"You must be Renlong, the one Xiao Hou mentioned..."
"Just call me Ah Long."
He Xiang personally opened the door for him. At seventy, he was lean and wiry. After a brief chat, Brother Long learned that He Xiang had battled cancer at forty. Fortunately, it was detected early, and after removing the tumor, he had survived to this day—just thin, never able to gain weight.
Brother Long felt even less inclined to lose weight now. Being able to eat and stay plump was a blessing in itself.
"I never thought that after all these years, someone would still come asking about Zou Xiaowen’s case." He Xiang leaned back in his armchair. Though he was of average ability, after over thirty years on the force handling countless cases, he could still recall the general details with a bit of effort.
"This little girl may have had cerebral palsy, but that didn’t mean she was foolish. She walked unsteadily, but she could cry and make noise. It would’ve been impossible for someone to quietly take her from the yard without a sound. Even if we stretch the imagination, human traffickers wouldn’t bother with a child like her for the price—that’s what struck us as odd back then." He fanned himself, looking almost ethereal. Having worked as a grassroots police officer his entire career, he retired as a mere clerk, taking life as it came, which shaped his current detached demeanor.
"Most likely, no more compelling evidence could be found," Brother Long said with a sigh of relief.
He Xiang smiled without replying. Without evidence, no matter how imaginative your theories, they wouldn’t pass the prosecutor’s office, let alone the People’s Court.
"No surveillance footage, no witnesses, and it’s true that children had been snatched in the village before... There’s something I’m not sure I should say—for Zou Xiaowen, it was an immense tragedy, but for Zou Kaigui, it was a matter of perfect timing and conditions."
"I understand," Brother Long said, his eyes growing solemn.
"I investigated Zou Tonggui. It’s said they went out fishing together that day. They returned early because of rough seas."
"Hmm?" Brother Long, who had planned to exchange pleasantries and leave, sat back down.
"Zou Kaigui sends him money every year. It was twenty thousand earlier, but after a quarrel, it increased to thirty thousand." He Xiang tapped his lips. "They keep their mouths shut, impossible to pry open. I was about to retire back then, and the case eventually faded away—mainly because... there was no evidence."Brother Long thought that perhaps the only people in the world who knew the inside story were the Zou brothers. Now it all depended on whether Bayunye could find Zou Kaigui this time. Last night, she hadn’t sent him a message to confirm her safety. He didn’t know whether that was a blessing, a curse, or perhaps a turning point.
Earlier, Bayunye had collected a large amount of fresh water from a small pond. Though not very clean, it could still be drunk after heating and settling. Because she had lost her means of communication, she hadn’t been able to inform Brother Long of her safety last night. But he knew her capabilities and probably wouldn’t overthink it.
She would never lead her clients into a dead end—for the sake of her future business and for Brother Long, who had mentored her all along.
As the vehicle moved forward, Soaring Ridge Snow Mountain grew increasingly distant until it finally disappeared from sight. The sandy ground was dotted with small clumps of grass and scattered rocks, causing the vehicle to jolt continuously. On both sides of the dirt road formed by tire tracks, the earth had long been cracked by the sun’s heat, with white crystalline salt trapped in the fissures. As the wheels rolled over them, they emitted crisp, cracking sounds. Some small rivers formed by melting snow and ice were not only turbid but also occasionally carried three or five fragmented, decaying remains of animals.
With Da Qin driving, Diao Zhuo took the opportunity to carefully read Zou Kaigui’s diary. A few lines stood out as particularly thought-provoking—
No support or supplies throughout the entire journey. For the sake of a scam, is it really worth doing something this dangerous?
I can’t possibly find Xiao Wen. How will I handle things afterward?
Only seven days in, and I’ve already encountered Tibetan antelopes, though only a few. If I can make it out, completing the “Heaven and Earth” mission will earn me two payments.
Encountered a pack of wolves, but they didn’t dare approach me. Even wolves fear evil men!
The Encounter with Tibetan Antelope Journey—Ye Xun’s calculations are truly clever. How difficult it is to bypass those checkpoints and protection stations, not to mention the patrols. How should the route be planned?
Last night, I actually dreamed of Xiao Wen. Dad has let you down in this life, but there’s no other way!
My appetite is out of control, and I’ve only covered one-third of the journey. I can’t complete Ye Xun’s mission, and the Heavenly Lake mission can go to hell! Forget the money. Starting tomorrow, I’m turning back.
Diao Zhuo closed the diary, his brow furrowed. Zou Kaigui believed that if he successfully completed the crossing, he would receive two payments. Ye Xun would certainly provide one, but who was the other benefactor? What was the connection between his crossing and the Tibetan antelopes? Between him and Ye Xun, who was the one scheming against the Tibetan antelopes?
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