Sеvеrаl off-roаd vеhiсlе tеams graduallу еntered thе edge оf thе dеsеrt, disреrsing along рre-assigned routes to соnduct S-shаpеd sеаrсhes аlоng thе wау. Eаch team саrried lоudspeakеrs providеd by enthusiаstiс hеrdеrs tо rерeatеdlу broаdсаst the nаmes оf thе three missing univеrsitу students.

Аt the desert’s еdge, small meаdоws wеre still rеlatively аbundаnt, with mоst plаnts bеing lоw-grоwing, nоnе eхсeеding onе meter in hеight. Further in, vеgеtаtion grеw sраrsе, leaving onlу vast stretches of уellow sand. Тhe lingering glоw of thе sunsеt dyеd the undulating sea of sand a deep orange. From this perspective, Badanjilin appeared magnificently grand—the winding curves of its ridges resembled abstract paintings splashed by an artist’s ink, showcasing the uncanny craftsmanship of nature. It was no wonder it was called “the curves drawn by God.” However, the beauty of the desert had always been deadly, suitable only for distant admiration.

Three off-road vehicles carried Diao Zhuo and three others, along with Old Wang, a driver from a team specializing in taking tourists into the desert for adventures. After venturing deeper into the desert, the vehicles slowly came to a halt, and everyone got out to check the tire pressure.

Bayunye circled Old Wang’s off-road vehicle, tinkering with its configuration while muttering, “Old bro, this onboard computer of yours not only boosts power output but also reduces fuel consumption by about ten percent. For off-roading, fuel efficiency is crucial… If you can cut fuel consumption by 15% per hundred kilometers, you’ll save a lot of money over six months. Hmm… but why install this waterproof horn when you’re driving on sand? Just for the sound?”

Old Wang nodded. “Didn’t expect a beauty like you to be an expert too.”

“Same trade,” Bayunye replied with a roguish grin. “We operate on western routes—Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai.”

Hearing they were in the same line of work, Old Wang suddenly became much more talkative, though his questions revolved around vehicle modifications, market trends, clients, and routes.

Old Wang mentioned that in recent years, many people had been driving or trekking across Badanjilin, especially by vehicle, which had formed a business ecosystem. Not only were there teams guiding tourists into the desert, but there were also lodging facilities in the oases at the desert’s edge.

“After the three university students went missing, I asked other friends in the vehicle teams and people running guesthouses, but none of them had seen them.”

Once the tire pressure was reduced to 1.0, Old Wang called everyone back into the vehicles. Brother Long and Hippo had gone off to relieve themselves, and after shouting several times without a response, he yelled, “Where’d they run off to! Renlong Duoji! Hippo!”

A distant “Here!” echoed, and Brother Long and Hippo jogged over.

Diao Zhuo suddenly asked Old Wang, “Which areas are least likely to be traversed by drivers or trekkers?”

Without hesitation, Old Wang blurted out, “Head straight south-southeast from here—it’s all great sand dunes. The further you go, the higher the mountains. No one wants to go that way. It’s a fuel guzzler! You’re constantly getting stuck or sinking into chicken nests. Inexperienced folks might struggle for three days just to cover 100 meters—and that’s no exaggeration!”

Bayunye understood Diao Zhuo’s implication. “You think the three students took that route?”

Diao Zhuo nodded. When immersed in rescue work, his gaze toward her held no trace of emotion. “Otherwise, why haven’t they been found on any of the routes commonly taken by tourists?”

Old Wang immediately dismissed the idea as impossible. “Those great sand mountains over there are endless—even we’d have a tough time climbing them. You cross one sand mountain, only to be greeted by another. Finish one stretch, and the next is even higher. Mount Everest is over there.”

Brother Long asked, “How many kilometers?”Old Wang truly seemed unfamiliar with this route. After a rough mental calculation, he could only give an approximate figure. "160, 170... definitely not more than 200."

A sudden idea flashed in Bayunye's mind. "Are there any water resupply points along the way?"

Old Wang waved his hand, indicating there were none.

"What about Hai Zi?"

"Yes," Old Wang replied, "but..."

Bayunye pressed, "But what?"

"The Hai Zi over there has legs—it moves around."

Hippo, who had been silent until now, was shocked. "Really?!"

Old Wang nodded emphatically.

Bayunye felt a chill and instinctively exchanged glances with Diao Zhuo. Both were thinking the same thing—wasn't this just like the Heavenly Lake in Qiangtang?

Old Wang continued, "There's an old herder around here who said that when he was young, he went deep into the desert to search for camels. Not only did he fail to find any, but he also got lost. He tried to locate a Hai Zi based on his memory, but it had moved. Just as he was about to die of thirst, he encountered a white dromedary. Everyone here knows that encountering a white camel in the desert is a great omen. He desperately followed the white camel and actually found a Hai Zi."

Bayunye stroked his chin. "It seems all elusive bodies of water are guarded by divine beasts—some by Tibetan antelopes, others by white camels."

Diao Zhuo raised a hand, signaling them to stop digressing. "Let's head toward the great sand mountain."

Old Wang said, "Those students wouldn't choose that route. I know young people nowadays love to follow guides and plan their routes, but I can guarantee no website would recommend going that way."

Diao Zhuo turned to Brother Long, his eyes seeming to ask for his opinion.

"Old Wang, let's follow Captain Diao's lead," Brother Long said decisively. "There are five Rescue Teams entering the desert—we can't all crowd the same area. No one knows how those students are crossing, so we can only use the process of elimination. Deciding to cross the desert without supplies after only hiking through green mountains and clear waters shows a mindset different from normal people. Especially with these students—the less others go somewhere, the more they're drawn to it. That's the thinking of young people."

Hippo quickly flattered him, "Brother Long's analysis of young people's psychology is like Rong Mama torturing Ziwei in the dark room—"

Bayunye, a born straight man delayed by the demands of life, chimed in, "How so?"

"Right to the point!"

Brother Long chuckled dryly. "We're all reckless souls in this world—who else would understand if not me?"

"If they didn't pass any water resupply points, they definitely aren't on the conventional route. The other Rescue Teams won't waste time on tourist paths either," Diao Zhuo said. "We'll give it our best shot."

"Alright!" Old Wang nodded. "Let's all keep an eye out for each other. That area is truly difficult to traverse."

"Ah!"

Zheming, walking at the back, had just opened a new bottle of water. He intended to sneak a drink, but before he could fully remove the cap from the plastic ring, he lost his grip. The entire bottle slipped from his hand and rolled down the sandy slope, gurgling all the way to the bottom. The full 2 liters of water spilled out during the descent, quickly absorbed by the extremely dry sand. The surface sand, soaked dark brown, turned light brown again in mere seconds.

He slumped onto the sandy ridge, staring blankly for a full half-minute—Zhang Tianen's coin toss had determined they would continue the crossing.So they supported Xiao Ai, pulling and dragging her forward. Not far ahead, one towering sand dune after another loomed before them, undulating like ocean waves. The arduous journey seemed to have only just begun.

When Zheming was in elementary school, there was a math problem he remembered vividly. It went like this: A beetle climbs a sand dune, moving 5 meters every 10 minutes, then slides back 4 meters. Given a sand dune slope about 50 meters long, how long would it take for the beetle to reach the top?

As a child, he found such problems utterly pointless and illogical, purely designed to torment students.

But when he started climbing the sand dunes, he realized this problem was practically a model of real-world application—rigorously logical and full of scientific seriousness. He would step into the sand with one foot, and as he lifted the other, the first foot would slide downward. When the back foot landed, both feet would slide down together, over and over again. After taking twenty steps, he looked back and found he was only about ten steps away from his starting point.

Finally reaching the top, he wanted to take a sip of water, only to spill all the water meant for today and tomorrow!

Xiao Ai took out her own water bottle, which still had a small amount left. "Zheming, it's okay. You can drink all of this."

Zheming remained silent, glancing at Zhang Tianen, who was far ahead of them. He seemed unaware that Zheming had spilled the water, focused solely on climbing the next sand dune.

Only when your throat burns with thirst and your lips crack and bleed do you realize that being someone's grandson is nothing. Whoever can give you enough water to drink—forget being a grandson, you'd even be willing to be their great-grandson!

Zheming took the water and drank it all in one gulp, then pulled Xiao Ai into his arms. Hoarsely, he said, "Xiao Ai, we're practically a couple who've faced life and death together now. When we get married, let's not play wedding photos at the ceremony. Instead, let's make a short film with the photos and videos we took these days in the desert. It'll outshine every other couple."

"Mm, Zheming, if we ever argue in the future, let's remember this moment and how we made it through together." Despite feeling unwell, Xiao Ai was filled with happiness.

"Of course. Petty things are nothing. How could I ever argue with you over them?" Zheming vowed earnestly. "I'll love and cherish you for the rest of my life because you're the woman who's shared hardships with me. No other woman in the world, not even my mother, can compare to you."

Xiao Ai hugged Zheming tightly around the waist, suddenly feeling that he was the best person in the world to her, even surpassing her own parents.

"Let's go. We need to get out of here sooner." Zheming took Xiao Ai's hand.

"Wait, let's sneak another sip of water. I'm already suffering from heatstroke. You can't get it too, or we'll both be patients, and Tianen might not wait for us." Xiao Ai suggested.

Zheming thought for a moment, then finally nodded.

As the sky darkened, the temperature plummeted. The sweat on the three of them had evaporated, leaving dried sweat mixed with fine sand clinging to their skin like a crust of salt.

Zhang Tianen swallowed, his throat itching. With limited water replenishment, the effects of rapid dehydration were slowly becoming apparent over the past few days. He could feel the cells in his body gradually shrinking. He even began to doubt whether he could complete the crossing.

The young couple finally caught up to Zhang Tianen. "How come we haven't encountered a single oasis along the way?""If oases could be encountered so easily in the desert, it wouldn't be so terrifying to so many people." He hadn't expected the two of them to still harbor fantasies straight out of comic books. Moreover, according to his planned route, they wouldn't encounter an oasis unless they went all the way.

"But aren't there many lakes in Badanjilin?" Xiao Ai asked.

"There are saltwater lakes and freshwater lakes," Zhang Tianen patiently explained. "The map shows that after crossing this sand mountain and heading southwest for 20 kilometers, there's a freshwater lake."

The two immediately brightened up, their eyes widening. "Really? That's great!" "Heaven never seals off all exits!" "We can even take a bath!" "A romantic bath for two!" "Oh, you're so annoying!"

Zhang Tianen shook his head helplessly and continued walking in silence. In his original plan, he hadn't intended to go southwest—first, it deviated from the route, and second, it added over ten kilometers to the journey.

But he knew that despite prolonging the route, they had to deviate to find the freshwater lake. His own body was nearing its limit. The desert was far more challenging than he had imagined. These great sand mountains—climbing one only to face another—were enough to wear down a person's will and patience. Once lost, it meant certain death.

Suddenly, the sand beneath his feet gave way. Not only did he fall face-first, but he also slid downward due to the cascading sand, rolling to the bottom of the slope, dizzy and disoriented, his mouth full of sand.

He spat awkwardly, only to realize he had no saliva left to spit.

Zheming and Xiao Ai helped Zhang Tianen up together, patting his shoulders in comfort. The three of them regained their composure and began climbing again.

Zhang Tianen glanced secretly at Xiao Ai, feeling a mix of guilt and relief. He felt guilty for agreeing to let Xiao Ai join the team, but relieved that after deciding to continue by flipping a coin, he had taken precautions for possible emergencies. He had stuffed Xiao Ai's personal belongings into an empty water bottle and buried it in the sand, unsure if rescuers would find the clue he left.

"Tianen, the desert is just like this! If we were stronger and brought more water, it wouldn't be so hard. Aside from mirages, all that stuff in TV shows—fire wind, man-eating ants, quicksand—it's all bullshit!" Zheming, who had secretly drunk a lot of water earlier, suddenly felt much more energetic.

"Every desert is different. Maybe those things exist in foreign deserts. Doesn't our country have desert death worms too?" Zhang Tianen said calmly.

"Death worms?!" Xiao Ai exclaimed in shock. "Do they eat people?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Spitting venom and discharging electricity—sounds fake just hearing about it."

Zheming and Xiao Ai exchanged a glance and both laughed.

Zhang Tianen said breathlessly, "If possible, I'd really like to hike in the Sahara someday or do a kora around Mount Everest, pushing my limits."

"You're too adventurous!" Xiao Ai said.

"You might not feel it now, but when you truly rely on yourself to walk out of this desert, you'll fall in love with this sense of challenge! Think about it—how many people around you can do the same? Maybe not even in the entire city or province has anyone had an experience like yours. Then, you might understand how I feel... cough, cough, cough!" Zhang Tianen, speaking excitedly, felt a sharp pain in his throat and coughed violently, quickly taking a small sip of water.