Тhе twо оff-rоаd vehiclеs рlungеd dоwn thе slope аnd сharged strаight toward thе tоwеring sаnd dunе. Нarnessing thе momentum from gravity and thе hоrseрowеr frоm thеir еngines, thеу rарidlу climbеd upward like rосkets tаking off, leaving twо deeр ruts beneаth thеir whееls.
Нiррo watсhеd, stunned, mоmеntаrily fоrgetting his аsрirations оf bеcоming a Douyin influеncer and еvеn fаiling to рull out his phonе in timе. Тhis kind of mаnеuvеr wаs inhеrеntly dаngеrous, аnd who wоn or lost wаsn’t impоrtаnt—hе was swеаting bullеts оver the safеty of the two drivers. In just оver ten seсonds, his forеheаd wаs drenсhed in cold sweat.
Brother Long, however, remained calm. Seeing Bayunye’s vehicle reach the summit first, followed closely by Diao Zhuo half a car length behind, he glanced at the tire tracks each had left on the sand dune and smiled knowingly. He threw an arm around Hippo’s neck and said, “Diao Zhuo lost fair and square. Let’s wait for them to treat us to drinks.”
“Master Ba’s just forcing her way through,” Hippo muttered, not fully understanding, as he was half-dragged along by Brother Long. He even seemed a bit indignant on Diao Zhuo’s behalf. “Now Diao Zhuo’s become her prize, but I’ve seen how she loses interest in just three minutes. I hope she doesn’t forget all about him once they’re back.”
Brother Long understood Bayunye’s temperament better than Hippo did. Besides calling him blind, he didn’t bother explaining further. As the founder of the Eagle Club, he had started with off-roading and had a keen eye. Bayunye had charged straight up, while Diao Zhuo had made an almost imperceptible turn about a third of the way up the sand slope. It was precisely this slight deviation that allowed her to take the lead.
Truth be told, it was a risky move—one wrong move could have meant disaster. Brother Long stroked his chin, thinking to himself that while Diao Zhuo appeared serious and reserved, deep down, he had a wild, untamed spirit no less fierce than Master Ba’s. No wonder the two of them had hit it off.
Bayunye stopped at the top of the sand dune, rolled down her window, and brushed the fine sand blowing into the car off her shoulders. She tilted her head and called out to Diao Zhuo, “Hey! Come down and let me give you a kiss!”
Her tone was roguish and brimming with bravado.
But there was no movement from the other vehicle. The window remained up, and no one got out.
Bayunye snorted and muttered to herself, “Is Diao Zhuo too embarrassed to get out because he lost to me? Hah, men and their pride…” With that, she got out of her car, walked over, and rapped her knuckles on the window. Still no response. She pulled open the driver’s door, took a breath, and said, “I mean, you’re really too… huh?”
The front seat was empty. Somehow, Diao Zhuo had moved to the back seat, sitting there with his arms crossed, staring back at her.
“Why are you sitting in the back?”
Diao Zhuo gestured toward the door with his chin. Bayunye curled her lips into a smirk, slammed the front door shut, and slowly pulled open the back door. She leaned against it, grinning mischievously. A few seconds later, she was yanked inside, tumbling into the back seat as the door closed behind her.
The three college students were rushed to the Alxa Right Banner People’s Hospital for further treatment. Their parents were also on their way from Gurinai. Meanwhile, the male mummified body discovered by another Rescue Team in the desert had been transported earlier to the public security bureau for autopsy and identification.
Brother Long, Hippo, and Old Wang arrived first at the Zhongxin Ethnic Market. After parking, they chatted as they headed to a nearby lamb restaurant.
According to other Rescue Team members, the male mummy showed no external injuries. When found, the skin was shriveled, the eye sockets were two gaping holes, and because half the body was buried in the ground, the sockets were filled with sand. Both eyes were missing, making the sight utterly horrifying.The rescue team members were unsure of the exact cause of death and dared not rummage through the deceased's belongings, so they brought everything back and handed it over to the police.
Old Wang's hand had been re-bandaged and was no longer as painful, but recovery would still take some time. Upon hearing the news, his first reaction was—"Were his eyes shot by something underground that sprays acid?"
"Possibly. Otherwise, why would only his eyes be hollowed out? Look at Su Zhiming's ear—burned down to just a small piece. If your hand hadn't been rinsed with water in time, it would probably have been a gaping hole too," Brother Long nodded. "They said there's a perennial Hai Zi less than half a kilometer from where the man died, and it contains fresh water. I suspect he injured his eyes, couldn't find his way, and eventually died of thirst."
"I've already handed over the sand samples Diao Zhuo collected to the police. Once they analyze it, we'll know exactly what kind of acid is so potent," Hippo said. "Speaking of Diao Zhuo... why aren't Master Ba and him here yet?"
Brother Long stroked his chin. "Most likely..."
Hippo gave a suggestive, sly grin.
When they arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant, the group found that Bayunye was already there, propping her chin and idly scrolling through Taobao. Diao Zhuo stood by the window, talking to someone on the phone, and he happened to hang up just as they entered.
As soon as Hippo sat down, he blurted out without thinking, "Hey, you two finished so quickly?"
"Damn you!" Bayunye pointed at him. "What did we even do to finish? How deeply do you misunderstand me? Do you think I'm that impatient?"
Diao Zhuo pressed her hand down. "His comment isn't a misunderstanding of you—it's a misunderstanding of me."
Bayunye blinked. "True."
"What do you mean, 'true'?" Diao Zhuo scolded.
"One sentence, and I've offended so many people..." Hippo clutched his head in mock despair.
The local organizers of the celebration banquet brought up three types of alcohol at once—kumis, baijiu, and wine—fully displaying the bold and generous spirit of the grassland people.
The Rescue Team members in the room came from all over, and as soon as the drinking started, regional differences became very apparent. A few southerners looked for small cups that could be finished in one sip, but there were none to be found. Instead, each person had a wide-mouthed ceramic bowl, which probably held ten times the amount of their usual cups, leaving them wide-eyed. Three or four from Shandong, over a dozen from Inner Mongolia, and others from northwestern provinces like Gansu and Ningxia, including Diao Zhuo, all accepted readily.
"Ganbei!" With the toast, glasses clinked and drinks flowed.
"Shall we go for one?" Bayunye glanced sideways at Diao Zhuo. She had never seen him drink before and didn't know his capacity, but she had experienced the drinking prowess of northwesterners during her time in the military—it was definitely not to be underestimated. There were a few sayings on the drinking table about people from different regions, one of which went, "Northeastern tigers, northwestern wolves, drinking like it's noodle soup."
As expected, people from Guanzhong drank straightforwardly. With the rescue mission over, Diao Zhuo didn't refuse at all. "You choose."
"You choose," Bayunye deferred.
Diao Zhuo reached over and picked up a bottle. She looked—baijiu—and thought to herself, "Well, well, he's certainly no pushover."
"How much can you handle?" Bayunye poured her own drink, probing.
"I don't drink much," Diao Zhuo said, leaving it unclear whether he meant his capacity was small or he rarely had the opportunity to drink. He looked at her, tilting his chin slightly. "You?"
"I..." Bayunye paused. "Two liang."
Brother Long choked, whether intentionally or not, coughing several times.Diao Zhuo indeed didn’t take it seriously and asked bluntly, “Two liang of beer?”
Bayunye shot him a glare.
Diao Zhuo filled a bowl to the brim. “To Master Ba.”
“How should we drink it?”
“If the bond is deep, down it in one go; if the bond is shallow, just take a sip.”
Bayunye said, “Then I’ll just take a sip.”
“Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Why should I be?” Bayunye made a gesture of licking her lips. “Come here, I’ll give you a lick.”
Diao Zhuo glanced at her sideways, then suddenly raised his little finger and pointed downward. Feeling his blatant contempt, she poured out about two liang’s worth. “Bottoms up!” Then, she downed it in one go.
Diao Zhuo chuckled inwardly. With that kind of bravado, she could only handle two liang? Get out of here.
Hippo shook his head and sighed. “If you can drink five liang but only drink two, such a comrade isn’t forthright.”
Bayunye pointed at her own nose. “I’m the type who ‘can drink five liang but drinks a jin, such a comrade can be trusted.’”
Brother Long cleared his throat, clearly showing favoritism. “Master Ba used to have a great capacity for alcohol and wasn’t afraid to drink hard. But these past few years working as a guide, she definitely can’t drink too much or too often. Her tolerance has probably dropped quite a bit.”
Hippo nodded and said to Diao Zhuo, “If we’re talking about a great capacity for alcohol, it’s still Brother Long.”
“Don’t you dare drag me into this.” Brother Long waved his hand and pointed at Hippo. “Don’t let his skinny appearance fool you. I saw a few Miao girls in southeastern Guizhou pouring rice wine for him, using the ‘High Mountains and Flowing Waters’ method several times in a row. This guy didn’t even get dizzy. Impressive, right?”
Someone couldn’t help but ask, “What’s ‘High Mountains and Flowing Waters’?”
Hippo chuckled and explained, “‘High Mountains and Flowing Waters’ is a Miao way of toasting. Miao women hold wine vessels, singing while they toast. The wine flows from the highest vessel down to the lowest, and finally into the guest’s mouth. During this, the Miao women use chopsticks to feed the guest food but deliberately make it hard for them to eat. The guest can’t stop drinking until they manage to eat the food.”
Brother Long nodded. “Miao rice wine tastes sweet at first but has a strong aftereffect. If you’re not careful, you’ll get drunk easily.”
When men talk about alcohol, there’s always an endless stream of topics. Bayunye had a decent tolerance for alcohol, but she never really liked drinking in the first place and had no interest in competing with the men to the death.
Grilled lamb, camel tripe hotpot, and Suo Yang Cakes were brought out one after another. After days without hot meals, everyone dug in ravenously.
“These are all local specialties. Everyone, give them a try. Thank you all for your hard work during the search and rescue these past few days.” The local comrades warmly urged everyone to eat.
“Suo Yang Cake… the name alone sounds manly.” Bayunye grabbed a cake. “Is it made with that Suo Yang from the desert?”
Old Wang said proudly, “Our Alxa Suo Yang was even featured in a CCTV documentary. Men eat it to boost their yang energy; women eat it to stay youthful.”
Bayunye burst out laughing and quickly handed them out to the men at the table. “You all should eat more.”
“We bachelors don’t need it,” Hippo said.
Bayunye licked the sugar stuck to her fingers, stood up, snatched the Suo Yang Oil Cake from Hippo’s hand, and placed it on Diao Zhuo’s plate. “Then you eat it.”
Diao Zhuo retorted, “Do I need it?”
“If you’re sick, it’ll cure you; if you’re not, it’ll strengthen you.”
He pulled her down to sit.
Old Wang rubbed his hands together, clumsily handling his chopsticks. “We’ve all been drinking, so we can’t drive. How about we take a walk to the hospital later to check on those young people?”Brother Long agreed, "Remind them again, they must never do such things in the future. This time they were lucky, but next time might not be so fortunate."
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