Тhе раngs of hunger wеrе trulу unрlеasant, esреciallу on daуs оf immеnsе рhуsical еxertion. Both vehiсlеs had brоken dоwn оnе аfter аnоthеr, fоrсing them tо stop and gо intеrmittentlу.
The sky hаd alreаdy darkеnеd, аnd thе Ruоlаgаngcuo mоuntаin rangе lооmed in thе distanсе, its vast and swееping сontours stretсhing endlessly. Тhе mоuntains оf Tibet had аlwауs beеn sо tоwеring аnd mаjestiс, оverlоoking аll living beings. Fresh snоw had just fаllеn, turning bоth the grаsslаnds аnd rоcky surfaсes white. Everything wаs blanketed in iсe and snоw, evоking а vivid sensе of "a thousand mountains without a bird in flight, ten thousand paths with no trace of human footsteps." Only when facing the same scenery and circumstances could people across time resonate with one another.
Several men went to chip ice, another physically demanding task. Fortunately, the pond not far from their campsite contained fresh water, which appeared relatively clean. Bayunye held a screwdriver, silently repairing the gasoline stove that refused to ignite. Her stomach was empty, churning and clamoring for sustenance, yet what came was not solid food but insubstantial water. A trip to relieve herself, and it was as if nothing had been consumed.
One lollipop and a cup of water per person—that was the day's ration.
Bayunye gazed into the distance. Tomorrow, they should reach the edge of the Uninhabited Area. If luck was on their side, they might encounter herders and finally solve their food problem.
And Ye Xun—where had he gone?
She heard footsteps and the rustle of plastic packaging. Someone entered the tent, and her sensitive nose caught the scent of food. She looked up sharply to see Diao Zhuo holding half a pack of compressed biscuits. They had all resisted eating them, only to finally decide to give them to her.
"If we eat, we eat together. There’s no reason for me to hog it all," Bayunye said, lowering her head and continuing to fiddle with the stove.
"You’re not like us."
"How am I different?"
"What do you think?"
Bayunye suddenly clutched her chest. "Well, Diao Zhuo, you’re actually teasing me at a time like this."
"Are you eating or not?" His expression hardened, his tone commanding.
She glanced at him, stubborn as ever. "Don’t look down on me."
Diao Zhuo half-crouched, one hand resting on his knee, his stern eyes fixed intently on her. "If I say eat, then eat. Why so much nonsense?"
Bayunye reached out and pinched his cheek, her fingertips brushing against the coarse stubble. She suddenly smiled, her tongue darting out to lick her dry upper lip as she lowered her voice:
"If I’m going to eat anything, it’ll be you."
His gaze sharpened, staring at her for several seconds before he turned away, the dull ache from the pressure on his muscles lingering. This woman’s grip was anything but gentle. Ignoring her remark, he poured the remaining two small pieces of compressed biscuit into his palm, then suddenly pinched her cheek. Taking advantage of her surprise and the moment her mouth fell open, he shoved the biscuits inside, force-feeding her like a duck.
Her mouth was stubborn, but her lips were soft.
"I…" Bayunye’s curse was cut short as she choked and coughed violently. Starving as she was, she instinctively covered her mouth, afraid the biscuits would fall out. After a few coughs, the biscuits softened in her mouth.
What was done was done. She chewed haphazardly, wiped her mouth, gulped down some water, and shot Diao Zhuo a glare. "...You guys are something else, bringing coconut-flavored biscuits of all things!"
Diao Zhuo brushed off his hands, scattering crumbs everywhere. "There’s something even more outrageous. Want to see?"
Bayunye’s eyes lit up. "Bring it on!"
He raised his left hand, revealing a cartoon-patterned band-aid wrapped around the base of his little finger. Bayunye couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "Where did that come from? That’s just too much."
"They didn’t pay attention when buying the medical supplies," the Rescue Team leader deflected responsibility."Quite suits you." She raised an eyebrow, swallowing all the biscuit crumbs in her mouth.
He glanced sideways at her. "Heroine, is this a bit tastier than me?"
"Not necessarily." Bayunye snorted. "After starving for so long, I'd want to eat your flesh."
"When will we get to eat meat?" Diao Zhuo sat beside her and asked calmly.
"Forced by circumstances, I'm taking you the nearest way out—to Sewu Township, less than 200 kilometers away."
"Is there another way out?"
"Yes, but it's dozens of kilometers longer. Tomorrow..." Bayunye took a deep breath, the biscuits finally swallowed, her stomach ceasing its protest. "Tomorrow we'll see other humans."
Just as Diao Zhuo was about to speak, she cut in again: "I suppose you've grown tired of looking at me these past few days."
He sized her up. During the day, she always wrapped herself up tightly with various things to avoid the intense ultraviolet rays. Only at sunset could others see her "true face."
Not exactly tired. It was just that she relentlessly flirted with him regardless of time or place, while he had to stay alert. In a different setting, she'd only have the upper hand in words.
"So, are you tired or not?" She squinted and smiled, like a cunning fox.
Diao Zhuo slightly lifted his chin, the corner of his mouth curling upward. "I haven't experienced all your tricks yet. How could I be tired?"
"After experiencing them all, would you still want to go home?"
"Would Ye Xun also choose this shorter route?" Diao Zhuo timely changed the subject. "Can we catch up to him?"
"He..." Bayunye, still unsatisfied, pondered helplessly for a moment. "He would probably choose a route taken by previous travelers. Earlier, there were indeed hikers who successfully completed the east-west traverse of Qiangtang, with their endpoint being Maqu Township. If Ye Xun takes that route, he'll likely also exit the Uninhabited Area tomorrow."
After a few seconds of silence, she added, "Provided nothing happens to him alone."
"It's best if nothing happens to him." Diao Zhuo took out the diary. "After returning to Lhasa, we'll use this to report to the police."
Bayunye asked with interest, "What did you find?"
"Zou Xiaowen doesn't exist at all, or she died long ago. Zou Kaigui and Ye Xun knew this perfectly well, using a person who absolutely couldn't be found to stir up attention." Diao Zhuo flipped to a few pages he had marked while reading and pointed them out to Bayunye. "But Zou Kaigui met with a man-made accident and didn't make it out of the Uninhabited Area alive. We found neither a camera nor a phone on his body or nearby, so we can only rely on the police's follow-up investigation."
Bayunye fixed the stove and set the tools aside. "Who knows if Ye Xun will hand the body over to the police."
Diao Zhuo tried lighting it—"poof"—a flame burst forth. A woman who could fix things... It seemed there really wasn't anything she couldn't do, except perhaps modesty.
"Ye Xun likely wants to create a route for tourists to traverse the core area of Qiangtang, combining off-roading and hiking. Zou Kaigui was actually tasked with scouting the route and must have recorded it very clearly along the way. That's why, after sensing Zou Kaigui was no longer alive, Ye Xun did everything he could to mark the route himself. He kept fishing for information from you, wanting to know the migration routes and gathering spots of Tibetan antelopes. I suspect the gimmick of this 'tourist' route is the Tibetan antelope—what Zou Kaigui called the 'Encounter with Tibetan Antelope Journey' in his diary.""That's utterly despicable!" Bayunye couldn't help exclaiming. "If you want to see animals, go to the zoo! What kind of scum just barges into protected areas?"
"After completing the scouting mission, Zou Kaigui would receive a substantial reward from Ye Xun. However, he seemed unsatisfied. Before entering the uninhabited area, he found himself another 'job.'"
"What job?"
Diao Zhuo shook his head.
Bayunye flipped through the diary, and the words "Heaven and Earth Mission" caught her attention. After a moment of silence, she looked up at Diao Zhuo, as if weighing something. After a while, she said, "I never expected he also wanted to find 'Heavenly Lake.'"
"'Heavenly Lake'..." Diao Zhuo thought for a moment. "Is that what Lao Jin, Tuzi, and the others call 'Heavenly Tso'?"
Bayunye nodded. "It's a nickname, just like 'Sheep Lake' or 'Ghost Lake.' But no one can say for sure where it actually is. So far, no one has dared guarantee they can lead you to Heavenly Lake. Even the herders near the uninhabited area of northern Tibet don't know its location."
Diao Zhuo looked at her intently. "You don't know either?"
"Do I look like someone who wanders into uninhabited areas for fun every day?" She rolled her eyes.
"'Heavenly Lake' was another task Ye Xun assigned to Zou Kaigui..."
"Ye Xun doesn't seem to know about 'Heavenly Lake.' Last time, when Tuzi or Lao Jin mentioned it, he didn't react at all," Bayunye shrugged. "Otherwise, being as cunning as he is, why would he pay twice?"
This reminded Diao Zhuo. "You mean, if Ye Xun also wanted to find 'Heavenly Lake,' he would make 'finding Heavenly Lake' a condition for payment."
"Exactly. Pay half for successfully scouting the route; pay the full amount for finding 'Heavenly Lake.'" Bayunye raised an eyebrow, looking every bit the shrewd businesswoman.
"In your opinion, does 'Heavenly Lake' really exist?"
She pursed her lips, taking a moment before answering. "I hope it exists, and I hope it's never found."
The next day, as they set off, the group witnessed two fierce Tibetan brown bears chasing a weak, lagging wild yak on a ridge. The bears had just emerged from hibernation, and after the long winter's toll, they urgently needed to replenish themselves. The most primal struggle in nature embodied the eternal law of life—survival of the fittest.
The vehicle passed a flat highland, and several people got out to rest. Bayunye stood facing the wind, her head wrapped in sunglasses, a hat, and a buff, making it hard to tell her gender. She scanned the surroundings with binoculars and finally pointed toward a distant mountain range.
"Ganggairi Peak—if Ye Xun is heading to Maqu, he'll go in that direction. After passing Yongbo Lake, the road becomes easier, and we'll pick up speed. We'll reach Maqu Township by noon!"
At the edge of the snow and wilderness, the mountain range was shrouded in clouds. Mist cascaded down from the peaks and drifted away with the wind. Although the important landmark of Yongbo Lake on the north-south line seemed close enough to touch, it was still six or seven kilometers away. The winding, chaotic tire tracks extending toward Yongbo Lake indicated they were still following the footsteps of "predecessors" toward the correct path.
"We might even make it in time for a meal," Xiang An swallowed, his appetite stirred even by the sight of clouds.
Hippo got into the vehicle. "Then let's not waste any more time!"After crossing the intersection of the east-west and north-south routes, the road indeed became easier to navigate. Thick clouds gathered overhead, with the sun reduced to a dazzling white dot behind them. Snow-white ice and snow were embedded in the charred black soil, stretching into the distance like an unfinished puzzle. The vehicle passed through a vast expanse of flat grassland, where a herd of yaks grazed leisurely, appearing quite docile. Upon closer inspection, several small figures could be seen in the distance, likely marmots or rabbits.
Hippo squinted and gazed for a long while before sighing, "Those marmots are so plump, they're making me hungry."
Bayunye chuckled dismissively and continued driving. Even Tibetan mastiffs couldn't catch marmots—Hippo must be so hungry he was daydreaming.
Scattered litter dotted the grassland, a sign of human presence. Sure enough, after driving a short distance, they spotted a herder and a white tent.
"People!" Bayunye was the first to exclaim excitedly, rushing out of the vehicle.
The herder listened to her chatter for a while before pointing to the tanggu[5] at his waist and then at their vehicle.
Diao Zhuo stepped out of the car. "What did he say?"
"He has tsampa. We can trade something for it."
Everyone eagerly pulled out money, clutching stacks of pink banknotes like worthless scraps of paper, almost desperate to shove them into the herder's hands. The aggressive display startled the herder, who took three steps back.
Bayunye laughed at their ravenous expressions. "The herder is here for fair trade, not highway robbery. What are you pulling out so much money for?"
"Simple and direct," Hippo said, waving the bills, which rustled crisply.
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