Раssing bу the pаrking lоt, Вауunye askеd Оld Wang for thе car kеуs, аnd thе vеhiсle beеped twice as it unloсkеd. Brоther Lоng frоwnеd, "Yоu've bееn drinking, hоw саn yоu drive?" She pullеd а bottlе of chewing gum frоm the cаr, "Everуоnе rееks оf аlcohоl. Whеn visiting pаtiеnts аt the hоspitаl, wе need tо сovеr it up a bit, othеrwise they'll think wе'rе thеre tо cause trоublе."
"Мastеr Ва is rоugh оn thе outsidе but thоughtful on thе inside..." Вrother Lоng prаisеd.
Вaуunуе рinched her оwn waist and thighs—not an ounсe of eхcess fаt. "Wherе аm I rough?"
Нippo laughed at her lack of culture, "He's describing your personality."
Bayunye stroked her chin, "So you mean—even a rough person can have a gentle side?"
Diao Zhuo sighed helplessly, "How is it that any nice words turn to rubbish in your mouth?"
Bayunye stood on tiptoe, reaching out to wrap an arm around his shoulder, "If you fall into my hands, you'll turn to dust sooner or later too."
Diao Zhuo asked with interest, "Are you the Taishang Laojun's alchemy furnace or the Golden Horn King's gourd?"
"I'm the Golden Horn King's gourd—whoever I call by name gets sucked inside." Bayunye leaped forward, making a gesture of capturing demons with an empty fist, "Brother Long! Diao Zhuo! Hippo!"
The three men exchanged glances and answered her in unison—
"Your grandpa is right here."
"Get lost!!" Bayunye roared angrily.
The group casually bought some fruit and walked to the People's Hospital. The attending physician for the three college students said that although Su Zhiming had lost one ear, his overall condition was relatively good. Xiao Ai, having received timely fluid replacement, was also recovering. Zhang Tianen's condition was more critical—it could be said that if they had found him any later, he would have been a goner.
The nurse said that after regaining consciousness, none of the three wanted anything to do with each other. Their parents were even worse, acting like sworn enemies. It was better if they didn't meet, but when they did, they often ended up fighting. Xiao Ai's parents called Zheming a kidnapper and scum, Zheming's parents accused Zhang Tianen of burning bridges and betraying trust, and Zhang Tianen's parents, unable to defend themselves, retorted by calling the other two deadweights who nearly got their son killed. If it weren't for the police sternly warning them, they would have kept fighting.
Their attempt to become heroes by trekking across the desert together had failed, leaving them with life-and-death grudges instead.
When they arrived at the inpatient department, several police officers happened to be finishing their interviews. Seeing Old Wang and Diao Zhuo, they asked them to come to the police station to discuss the matter of the unidentified strong acidic liquid. The two had no choice but to leave first. Bayunye and the other three stayed at the hospital, chatting casually with the students.
Xiao Ai's spirits had improved greatly, though she looked utterly haggard, barely recognizable from her original appearance. Prolonged dehydration and direct UV exposure had nearly ruined her pretty face. At just over twenty years old, she looked a good decade older at first glance.
Her parents were most worried that she would be devastated upon seeing her own face, but Xiao Ai remained surprisingly calm, saying she'd just buy some good face masks when she got back and apply them. Perhaps this was her growth after experiencing a life-and-death trek—compared to survival, what did looks or love even matter?
Seeing Bayunye and the others visit her, she seemed both delighted and grateful, "Master Ba, I really want to thank you. We caused you so much trouble, got you questioned by the police several times, and even made the news. I never expected you'd go into the desert to look for us... You're truly a great person!""Girl, don't be so quick to assume everyone else is a good person." Even after receiving praise, Bayunye couldn't resist being cheeky. "You owe me a favor now. If you or any friends ever plan to travel to Tibet, make sure to support my business."
"Of course, of course..." Xiao Ai quickly agreed.
Bayunye didn't take it seriously, checking her phone before heading to another ward to visit the two boys.
"Master Ba, um... about that..."
"Hmm?" Bayunye turned back, noticing her hesitation.
"Have the other members of the Rescue Team... gone back?" Xiao Ai asked, somewhat embarrassed. The ruggedly handsome profile she had glimpsed before passing out in the desert had lingered in her mind these past few days, refusing to fade. "I... haven't properly thanked him yet."
Bayunye, ever sharp, caught on immediately. "Oh, you're asking about Diao Zhuo, right?"
"Uh..." Xiao Ai was momentarily taken aback.
"The Beidou Rescue member who carried you to the vehicle and gave you an IV."
Xiao Ai nodded, her eyes filled with anticipation. "I didn't know his name. I just wanted to thank him in person."
Hippo chuckled inwardly and patted Bayunye on the shoulder.
"Him..." Bayunye smiled, unhurried and with an air of innocence. "He has a second child at home crying for diaper changes. He rushed back as soon as the search and rescue mission was over."
Brother Long and Hippo exchanged glances, then looked at Xiao Ai, whose expression was a mix of shock and disappointment, thinking—how could you ever think Master Ba was a good person?
As they left the ward, Hippo said sourly, "Master Ba, your nose seems to have grown longer."
Bayunye swaggered ahead. "I might as well change my name to Elephant. Then we can be an elephant and a hippo, retiring to the zoo together when we're sixty."
"She was just asking. Did you have to cruelly crush her little hopes in the cradle like that? I never realized you could be so petty."
"So, I should have handed over my man's contact information with both hands?"
Hippo looked like he was about to faint. "Since when did Diao Zhuo become 'your man'?"
"He lost himself to me fair and square. No point in wasting a good thing." Bayunye smirked mischievously. It turned out she had noticed Diao Zhuo's little trick during the climbing competition. In that match, the outcome was the same, regardless of who won or lost.
On the way, Diao Zhuo heard from the police that the sand he had sent for testing contained a high concentration of hydrochloric acid. Su Zhiming's injuries were also caused by concentrated hydrochloric acid. Additionally, the police detected traces of desert plant and beetle tissue in the sand. Preliminary analysis suggested that the concentrated hydrochloric acid was likely digestive fluid expelled by some unknown omnivorous creature.
"The Death Worm!" Old Wang exclaimed excitedly. "It must be the Death Worm!"
The police laughed, clearly familiar with the legend.
Old Wang showed his injured hand to the forensic examiner and took photos. According to the police, his and Su Zhiming's injuries were among the factors used to determine whether the male mummy had died accidentally. Since the incident involving the three students' perilous desert trek had garnered significant attention, the identity and cause of death of the deceased man had also become a topic of public interest. After identifying the deceased, the police had released relevant information to the public via Weibo and official social media accounts.A police officer pointed at the content of the Weibo post they had published and said, "We didn't specify the cause of death, just told netizens it was accidental dehydration, ruling out homicide. In reality, the man's eyes were corroded, which is why he lost his sense of direction. We found a GPS and satellite phone in his backpack. If he hadn't gone blind, he wouldn't have collapsed there."
Old Wang looked quite pleased. "Just as I thought!"
Diao Zhuo asked, "What was the deceased's name? Was he a tourist who had previously been reported missing?"
"Song Fan—I wonder if your Rescue Team ever received a rescue request for him before?"
...Song Fan? Diao Zhuo grew alert but pretended to ask casually, "We never received any search and rescue information about him before. Was this Song Fan hiking across the desert like those college students?"
"Not a student, in his early forties. During the autopsy, the forensic examiner saw steel pins in his leg bones and his spleen had been removed, suggesting he might have suffered some injury in the past. After confirming it was an accident, we notified his family. However, we heard he and his wife divorced long ago, his parents passed away from illness, and his girlfriend and sister are coming to identify the body. We checked, and his family had reported him missing. Strangely enough, none of them knew he had come to the desert for hiking."
Early forties, spleen removed, steel pins in his leg... Diao Zhuo's gaze sharpened. He thought to himself, it's almost certainly Song Fan, the survivor of the geological survey team's car accident. After the accident, Diao Zhuo's family had rushed overnight to a hospital thousands of miles away, where they heard the other injured person, Song Fan, was undergoing spleen removal and leg surgery.
"What was his occupation?" Diao Zhuo asked.
One police officer replied, "His girlfriend and sister said he was a photographer."
Another officer stroked his chin. "I don't think he was just a simple photographer. We found over a dozen missed calls on his phone. When we called back, no one answered. We checked the system, and the caller turned out to be..."
The officer stopped abruptly, as such details couldn't be disclosed during an investigation.
Old Wang was startled. "The mafia?!"
The officer waved his hand. "No, not that. But sorry, I can't say more. Anyway, we've already handed over that lead. Oh, and we also found a photo among Song Fan's belongings. I wonder if he came to Badanjilin to find the scenery in the photo."
"If he was looking for scenery, he should have come to me. Us old desert drivers know the desert like the back of our hands," Old Wang said regretfully.
"The photo wasn't very clear, like a scanned version of an old picture or a snapshot from some magazine. It definitely wasn't taken directly of the scenery. But even so, you could tell it was quite beautiful." The officer smiled. "—It was a pink lake."
Old Wang suddenly asked, "Was it a pink, heart-shaped lake?"
"How did you know?" the officer asked curiously."I've been driving all these years, and I've seen that lake less than three times." Old Wang suddenly grew smug, showing off like a big-tailed wolf. "...It's deep in the uninhabited area of Badanjilin. Unlike other Hai Zi that move around, this one doesn't. If it appears, it's always in that exact spot. But don't be fooled by its pretty pink color—the water inside isn't drinkable; it's salty and bitter. I gave it a name myself: Girl's Sea. Heh! Besides me, no one knows where it is. Of course, I don't take guests there for no reason, since it's on the edge of a military restricted zone. If you're talking about beauty, the area around Temple Hai Zi is still the most beautiful..."
Old Wang continued to boast nonstop. Diao Zhuo was puzzled: Zhang Chenguang had gone missing at Pearl Peak months ago, and Song Fan was now discovered to have died in the Badanjilin Desert a year ago. What was the connection here?
His phone vibrated. Diao Zhuo answered it. Bayunye, who had long since left the hospital and was wandering around, asked casually, "What's so fun about the police station that you two have been there so long?"
Diao Zhuo's serious expression softened instantly. "It's quite interesting. Want to come stay for a few days?"
"If we share a cell, I'd be fine with months, let alone a few days."
Diao Zhuo got to the point. "Let's meet up somewhere. I have something to tell you."
She laughed, suddenly remembering the night in Lazhi when she stood at his door waiting for him to open it, and he asked her, "What can't be said over the phone?" So she asked, "What can't be said over the phone?"
"It's not clear over the phone," the straightforward man answered honestly.
"Just say you want to see me."
"I need to talk to you about something."
Bayunye rolled her eyes and hung up. "Diao Zhuo has something to tell me. You guys head back to the hotel first."
"Huh? Is he proposing already?!" Hippo exclaimed in shock.
"Wh-what proposal..." Bayunye was caught off guard and stammered a little.
"Don't believe me? Let's bet a thousand yuan. I'll go with you to see. If he really is proposing... heh..."
Brother Long, who had been standing nearby for a while, smiled and pulled Hippo back as soon as he heard he wanted to tag along. "The youngsters are about to pledge their love. What are you doing there, acting like the Stone of Three Lives?"
"Hey, I—" Hippo couldn't resist Brother Long, who half-dragged him away.
Bayunye walked alone along the wide roadside, flanked by two-story buildings on either side, rich with Mongolian style. She had never been to Alxa Right Banner before, so she looked around as she walked. The midday alcohol haze gradually faded, and the dry air occasionally carried the distinct aroma of mutton.
Spotting Diao Zhuo in the distance, she raised her hand casually to signal her location.
Diao Zhuo walked over in a few strides and handed her a cup of salty hot milk tea, saying it would help sober her up.
"I thought you were going to give me a diamond ring, but it's just this." The tea was scalding, so she held it carefully as if cradling a Buddha statue.
"If I really gave you a diamond ring, would you take it?"
"Why wouldn't I? Who turns down money?" Bayunye said flippantly.
Diao Zhuo pretended to pat his pocket, which was empty. She shot him a glare. "I thought you dug up a handful of gems while mining and gave one to every girlfriend."
He didn't take the bait, only saying, "While searching for Zhang Tianen and the others, another team found another body. It was Song Fan.""Oh." Bayunye responded absentmindedly, perhaps something jogged her memory, as she stared blankly for a long moment. "Song... Fan?"
Diao Zhuo asked her, "Do you know this person?"
"Song Fan—I have heard that name before. As I mentioned last time, my eldest sister died in a car accident. A photographer named Song Fan was apparently in the same car as them. I heard that Song Fan told the police my sister went crazy in the car, chasing and hitting another man, saying he had deceived her feelings or something. Somehow, it affected the driver, and the car flipped off the mountain. I don’t know who that man was, but my sister had such a slow, gentle temperament—how could she possibly fight someone?" Bayunye clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "...You said the body is also named Song Fan? That name isn’t uncommon; it might just be someone with the same name."
Diao Zhuo patiently waited for her to finish her rant before saying, "Not 'also named'—it’s the same Song Fan you know."
Bayunye’s brow furrowed, and she looked at Diao Zhuo with confusion.
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