Yе Хun sаid, "I dоn't knоw how I fell aslееp, or mаybe I раssеd оut."
Еvеryonе looked incredulous.
Yе Хun's faсe suddеnlу turnеd hоrrified, аs if trарреd in a nightmаre. "Later, I fоund mуself... nо, my car аnd I had fallеn into watеr. I dоn't knоw whеrе thе wаter cаmе from, but it quiсklу fillеd the еntire саr! I heard gurgling sоunds—wе werе sinking, and everуthing around was рitсh blаck! I wаs terrified, cоuldn't gеt оut, and wаs frаntiс. Аs thе сar fillеd with wаter, I hеld my brеath until I cоuldn't takе it аnуmorе... I сhоkеd! Just when I felt I was аbout to die, the window shаttered, the wаter drainеd out, аnd I... sеemеd to come back to life."
So that's what happened.
Bayunye listened, feeling both shocked and deeply satisfied. She shot him a disdainful glance and thought to herself: Serves him right, damn it!
"Maybe... you were sleeping in the car and had a nightmare," someone suggested.
"It wasn't a dream!" Ye Xun insisted firmly. "It was real!!"
A chill ran through everyone's hearts.
Ye Xun's account wasn't just a dream. Judging by the drenched state of the car and his symptoms of near-drowning when he first got out, it did seem as if he had fallen into water. Yet, the car's location made it impossible for such a thing to happen. For a moment, everyone was utterly baffled.
Bayunye glanced outside at the herders kneeling and chanting prayers, then said solemnly:
"Heavenly Lake."
Diao Zhuo's eyes widened slightly.
Bayunye stepped out of the tent, and Diao Zhuo followed. Her expression was unusually grave as she said, "It's said that a few explorers once photographed a massive herd of Tibetan antelopes by a huge lake in Qiangtang. Because of its high altitude and unknown name, people started calling it 'Heavenly Lake.' Whether 'Heavenly Lake' is the third-largest gathering place for Tibetan antelopes after Zhuonai Lake and Sun Lake is something many have wondered about. Strangely, when research teams went looking for it based on photos and directions provided by some, they couldn't find 'Heavenly Lake.' Occasionally, others claimed to have seen it, but the locations they gave were completely different from previous accounts. Over time, 'Heavenly Lake' became a mysterious place. The herders in northern Tibet say it has legs, migrating like the Tibetan antelopes, and is the final guardian spirit of the plateau."
Unbelievable. How could such a transient, elusive body of water exist in the world? Then again, with countless unsolved mysteries in the world, why couldn't there be such a mysterious Heavenly Lake?
Perhaps, like a mirage, it appears only for a fleeting moment under specific conditions and at specific times. It can distinguish between good and evil—gentle yet fierce, and profoundly solemn.
Diao Zhuo pondered the meaning behind Bayunye's words and speculated, "Ye Xun encountered Heavenly Lake, but he didn't see it with his own eyes—he 'personally' fell into it. This was likely a hallucination with a strong physical sensation, a form of hysteria, caused by the stress of traveling alone in the Uninhabited Area. The water on his car and the body bag was simply the result of last night's snow melting."
"It seems the heavens didn't intend to kill him, just to give him a warning," Bayunye said. "Qiangtang doesn't welcome humans."
"If I hadn't seen his near-drowning state with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."
"Good and evil have their retribution," Bayunye said, a faint smile curling her lips. "I've never seen Heavenly Lake either, but even if it one day appears before you, it will likely show its gentler side."Diao Zhuo pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I'll take your auspicious words."
The others still believed there was another reason for Ye Xun's drowning incident and refused to believe his explanation. This infuriated Ye Xun, but there was nothing he could do. He cautiously glanced at the Rescue Team members and began feigning weakness—now claiming he might have a fever, now complaining of a stomachache—seemingly unwilling to give them time to bring up his misdeed of drugging others and leaving alone.
The Rescue Team members had no patience for his nonsense and turned to leave the tent. Outside, two herders had already skillfully piled up two mani stone mounds with rocks of various sizes for blessings.
The group walked out to the open area and began discussing among themselves.
"Regardless, we've recovered both Ye Xun and the body suspected to be Zou Kaigui."
"Ye Xun won't get away with this. Not only did he plan and fund Zou Kaigui's illegal crossing, but does he even know the truth about Zou Xiaowen?"
"If he knew and still collaborated with Zou Kaigui on this 'thousand-mile search for his daughter,' he was exploiting people's kindness and compassion for fraud."
"Xiao Zi probably won't quietly return home either. She might report it as soon as she lands."
"Exactly! Twenty million in insurance compensation!"
"Their affairs are too complicated. My brain can't handle it."
All rescue vehicles gradually drove out of the Uninhabited Area and headed directly into Amdo County town.
Two days later, the body examination report confirmed it was indeed Zou Kaigui. Everything seemed settled, yet it also felt like it had just begun. The autopsy showed that Zou Kaigui died of heart failure under low-temperature conditions. Simply put, he froze to death. Additionally, there were signs of a violent blow to the back of his head. His death location was far from his campsite. The police concluded that he had been knocked unconscious, transported nearby, and abandoned. After regaining consciousness, he tried to return to the campsite, but due to excessive prior physical exertion, his body couldn't withstand the nighttime cold, and he eventually collapsed and died.
Zou Kaigui wasn't wearing a jacket when he died, likely taken by the person who knocked him out, indicating a deliberate intent to prevent him from returning to the campsite.
As for Ye Xun, he was temporarily detained by the police for using illegal drugs. The Rescue Team members' guesses were correct: after resigning from the company, Xiao Zi also reported to the local public security authorities, stating that Ye Xun had personal conduct issues and was suspected of insurance fraud. Overnight, Zou Kaigui and Ye Xun became "internet celebrities," with online discussions exploding.
The topics "Zou Kaigui" and "Exposing Fake Philanthropist Ye Xun" instantly dominated the trending charts.
The power of netizens proved boundless. They managed to uncover that around the time of Zou Kaigui's death, a Weibo account with only a few dozen followers posted photos of crossing the Uninhabited Area. Although the blogger quickly deleted all posts, sharp-eyed netizens captured screenshots and shared them. Based on these screenshots, the public security authorities located the owners of several off-road vehicles. They confessed that while illegally crossing Qiangtang, they coincidentally encountered Tibetan antelopes and impulsively attempted to "corner" them, accidentally killing two or three, one of which was pregnant.
News of the off-road vehicle owners being found reached the Rescue Team and Bayunye after they had returned to Lhasa. Having slept every night on the Northern Tibetan Plateau above 5,000 meters, arriving in Lhasa at 3,600 meters gave everyone the illusion that "this place feels as low as sea level."
That evening, to celebrate their success, Brother Long treated everyone to skewers. Coinciding with the weekend, the bustling skewer shop was filled with lively chatter, the unique numbing and spicy aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers wafting all around.Updates about the case kept coming online, and everyone was both enjoying skewers and following the news. Sweating from the spicy food, they also felt anxious about the truth.
As Diao Zhuo had deduced from the footprints, the masterminds were a young couple. The woman had no outdoor experience and had been wearing high heels at the time just to look good in photos. They claimed that Zou Kaigui had helped them push the Tibetan antelope tied with stones into the water, then demanded to ride in their car to leave the uninhabited area, even making the unreasonable request for a "service fee."
When negotiations broke down, Zou Kaigui turned hostile, saying he had recorded a video of them disposing of the Tibetan antelope's body. If they didn't agree to his demands, he would make it public once he got out. With no surveillance or police in the uninhabited area, the man had a sinister idea. He pretended to agree, told his companion to go ahead, then knocked Zou Kaigui unconscious, drove far off the route, and abandoned him.
The couple had assumed Zou Kaigui would be killed by bears or wolves, and his body would never be found. After leaving Qiangtang, they never mentioned the incident. However, unable to contain her excitement, the woman posted photos of her illegal crossing of Qiangtang on Weibo just days after returning, ultimately becoming the legendary "pig teammate" who doomed them all.
"So, what about this Zou Xiaowen..." Hippo couldn't help but ask.
Brother Long poured wine for the Rescue Team members, wearing a meaningful smile. "One thing is certain—the little girl will never appear."
"Every grievance has its source, every debt its debtor," Bayunye remarked with a hint of sarcasm.
As for Ye Xun, he reportedly insisted he had only provided travel expenses for Zou Kaigui out of kindness, stubbornly denying that the "Encounter with Tibetan Antelope Journey" was a key focus of his next route development. At the same time, his conflict with the insurance company over compensation erupted.
Bayunye said, "These past few days, he’s been convinced that the drowning symptoms he experienced in the car were due to a ghost. The police took him to see a doctor, who diagnosed him with hysteria caused by a mental breakdown. The drowning symptoms were partly hallucinations and partly from drinking too much water in an abnormal psychological state. But after returning to Lhasa, he kept saying he wanted to go to the Jokhang Temple to perform full-body prostrations. I think 'Heavenly Lake' wasn’t Ye Xun’s goal—he knew nothing about it."
Diao Zhuo frowned. "So, searching for Heavenly Lake was Zou Kaigui’s personal endeavor?"
Brother Long fell silent, deep in thought.
Diao Zhuo continued, "Why would he look for Heavenly Lake..."
Bayunye also looked puzzled. "Only poachers would want to find Heavenly Lake. Zou Kaigui was, at best, a fraudster. He didn’t hunt Tibetan antelopes, nor did he develop tourist routes. Finding it or not held no meaning for him personally. Unless... he was commissioned by another benefactor."
Xiang An was shocked. "Listening to you, his benefactor was likely poachers!"
Diao Zhuo said, "—It must be a poaching syndicate, organized and equipped with more advanced hunting weapons. A single operation by them would cause far more damage than those 'casual hunters' like Lao Jin. China has strict weapon controls, so such a syndicate might be based overseas."Brother Long stroked his double chin. "We're just speculating. Now that he's dead, there's no way to confirm it. Only the police can find out who the real client was. No one who enters the Uninhabited Area without permission dies for no reason, nor do they survive for no reason. In the end, it's all fate!"
Hippo laughed. "Brother Long, you're too superstitious!"
Slightly tipsy and feeling a bit lightheaded, Brother Long waved his hand dismissively with a smile.
Hippo slapped his thigh. "If you want to make money, you have to do it honestly, like us!"
Bayunye raised her glass and clinked it casually with Diao Zhuo's. "As the saying goes, all the ways to make a fortune are written in the Criminal Law."
Everyone at the table couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
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