Chapter 102: Chaidamu

Two hours later, the car appeared in Chengdu's Kuanzhai Alley.

In the end, Han Wei chose to follow Qin Yun for a big meal first; though she hadn't expended much energy on this climb—only a bit of wind and frost—the high-altitude experience still called for food to heal her.

They didn't sit down to eat slowly but planned to walk along the street, eating local snacks as they went.

They ate giant cannons, sugar-oil dumplings, and hot pot skewers, their mouths almost never stopping.

By around noon, they sat down at "Kuan Zuo Restaurant," and Han Wei felt she was already full.

Looking at the pot of rich beef-oil broth, she cursed her small appetite, forced to watch Qin Ye devour beef, shrimp balls, and abalone, his face filled with satisfaction.

"Tastes amazing—want some?"

Han Wei laughed bitterly, gritted her teeth, ate two bites, then gave up.

Seeing her like this, Qin Yun burst out laughing: "Then it's all mine—don't think I'm eating alone."

"Crack!"

Han Wei froze his smile, uploaded it to her Moments, typed while reading aloud: "The perk of being the top fan big sister: Qin Ye took me out for hot pot."

Qin Yun rolled his eyes, utterly speechless: "What can I say? This is the power of money."

After they finished eating and drinking, Qin Yun drove Han Wei to Shuangliu Airport.

At parting, Han Wei hugged Qin Yun tightly and whispered in his ear: "Qin Ye, thank you. If you ever need help with anything, just call me."

Qin Yun patted her back: "Alright, I won't be polite."

Letting go, Han Wei smiled: "I'll have someone contact you on Douyin as soon as I get back—wait for my call."

"Mm, thanks."

Shouldering her backpack, Han Wei turned and walked away, utterly carefree, vanishing from Qin Yun's sight in no time.

Back in the car, Qin Yun checked the map and planned to head toward the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, entering Qinghai from there. He intended to visit Qinghaihu, the Cha Ka Salt Lake, the Qilian Mountain grasslands, and Gangshika Snow Peak to experience the joy of skiing.

Of course, if a system check-in task appeared along the way, that would just be an added bonus.

It was still early; if things went smoothly, he should enter Qinghai before nightfall today.

He pulled the car out of the parking lot, soon joined the airport expressway, then called his mother, Hu Fen.

"Son."

"Mom, it's me." Qin Yun smiled faintly. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"Yes. Are you still in Sichuan?"

Since seeing Qin Yun's live stream on Dongya Cliff, Hu Fen had given up watching his streams, choosing instead to passively receive updates.

There was no choice: as a mother, she couldn't bear watching her son do dangerous things, but it was his career, so she couldn't stop him—only pretend not to see.

Even so, the messages pushed to her phone yesterday and today had been overwhelming.

The news of her son summiting Yaomei Peak without protection brought her no pride or joy—only relief that Qin Yun was safe again.

Relief that Qin Yun was safe once more.

Last night, relatives and friends called her nonstop, asking if the Qin Yun online was their Qin Yun; after she confirmed it, they were all ecstatic.

Without being told, they quickly found Qin Yun's Douyin account and followed him.

"Just dropped off a friend at the airport. Planning to visit Qinghai's grasslands."

Qin Yun always informed his mother before heading anywhere—it had become routine.

The only ones who knew his real-time itinerary were Su Huan and his mother, Hu Fen.

"Qinghai's great," Hu Fen said, her heart lightening. "The grasslands are vast—go see them, broaden your mind. Take lots of photos for Mom."

"Got it, Mom."

As they chatted, Hu Fen suddenly said: "By the way, everyone in the family now knows about your live streaming and self-media work."

"I know." Qin Yun thought of the countless messages on his phone yesterday—many from relatives.

Hu Di and Shen Jia were obvious, but even several aunts had messaged him, especially Uncle Hu Jun, who asked in shock if he'd been possessed by aliens.

To Uncle Hu Jun, Qin Yun simply said he'd recently gotten a golden finger, activated a system, and that's why he was so awesome.

Hu Jun replied: If you weren't my sister's son, I'd give you the middle finger.

"You're doing so well with streaming now—has Song Ya contacted you?"

Qin Yun frowned: "Mom, has Song Ya contacted you?"

Hu Fen said: "She sent me a message last night, but I didn't reply."

"Block her!" Qin Yun said firmly. "Mom, block her completely—every contact method."

He didn't mind Song Ya contacting him, but he absolutely minded her contacting his mother behind his back.

You belittled me endlessly back then; now, I don't want to speak to you at all.

Since we're done, whether good or bad—what's it to you?

"Alright, I'll do as you say." Hu Fen always followed Qin Yun's wishes—he said it, she did it.

After hanging up, Qin Yun accelerated full throttle toward the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture.

He pushed the Land Rover to its highway speed limit, fully unleashing its power.

The Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, abbreviated as Aba Prefecture, is home to Mount Siguniang, as well as the famous Huanglong Scenic Area, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, and the Giant Panda Habitat—it's one of Sichuan's most renowned tourist regions.

Of course, this place also holds an indelible memory for Sichuan people—Wenchuan County—a profound trauma shared by the entire nation.

At that time, Qin Yun was still a child.

But after entering Aba Prefecture, Qin Yun's car didn't take the exit—he headed toward the Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai.

Today is November 2nd. According to Liu Wei from Douyin's content department, the final interview for the "Wild Survival" program will be held mid-month, so unless something unexpected happens, after touring Qinghai, he'll leave for Beijing.

But it's just an interview—he didn't take it too seriously. With his current popularity, if money were his only goal, joining "Wild Survival" didn't matter much—it was only two million U. S. dollars anyway.

But since he was walking the self-media path and aiming to expand his fame overseas, it seemed like a decent option.

Recently, he's been learning YouTube's rules; as he envisioned, if he could gain recognition on "Wild Survival," he'd open a channel on YouTube too.

At that time, updating videos simultaneously on domestic Douyin and international YouTube is also a good idea.

Earning RMB isn't impressive; earning USD is what counts.

As dusk approached, the vehicle smoothly left Sichuan and entered Qinghai Province.

Shortly after the tourism text message popped up on his phone, he exited the highway via a ramp, planning to first settle in Banma County and explore it tomorrow.

……

Guoluo, Qinghai, Banma County.

This is a border region between Qinghai and Sichuan, where spruce and fir trees block out the sky, and streams tinkled among the rocks.

He brushed his hand through the water, and a chill seeped into his fingertips.

Qin Yun looked up; around him stretched dense, endless mountains and forests, while distant white snow-capped peaks formed a beautiful sight. The mountain wind carried the fragrance of plants and birdsong, filling the heavens and earth with the scent of nature.

He took a deep breath, his whole body relaxed, occasionally pressing the shutter to capture this exquisite natural scenery.

Standing beside the stream, a few wild animals nearby cautiously drank from the water.

Occasionally, one would lift its head to gaze at this strange creature—perhaps wondering what kind of odd animal he was.

Qin Yun did not disturb them; he changed direction and continued forward.

According to the information he gathered from local villagers—this area harbored wild musk deer, and in considerable numbers.

In recent years, because the entire Banma County has been incorporated into the Three Rivers Source Nature Reserve, poaching has decreased significantly; musk deer reproduction has been protected, and the entire animal ecosystem has revived considerably.

But even so, musk deer as a whole still face the risk of extinction.

On one hand, this is due to past overhunting; on the other, habitat destruction; and additionally, the musk of the wild musk deer subspecies is far more valuable than that of farmed forest musk deer.

This has kept the market price of musk deer musk persistently high; on the black market, the price for wild musk deer natural musk has reached two thousand yuan per gram.

(Supplement: whether musk deer, original musk, forest musk, black musk, or Himalayan musk—all are subspecies of forest musk deer. Every musk species is a key protected species; poaching will land you in prison for life.)

Each male musk produces only twenty grams of musk per year.

Crossing thickets and mountains, Qin Yun walked slowly, his camera lens never pausing as he strolled leisurely.

"Yōu yōu~ yōu yōu~"

At that moment, several calls—neither quite deer nor quite horse—came from nearby.

Qin Yun searched and fixed his gaze on a low thicket. Within it, several creatures huddled, slenderer than deer, with glossy brownish fur, alert ears, and an elegant appearance.

"Musk deer!"

His gaze swept aside, and he saw a pure white musk deer among the mostly brownish ones—strikingly conspicuous.

Musk deer are Class I protected animals; Qin Yun dared only gaze from afar, never daring to disturb them.

He raised his camera, zoomed to its maximum, and took several photos of the white musk deer. Looking down at the images, he saw the musk deer's tusks exposed, slightly curved, like two slender swords.

As he looked down at the photos, Qin Yun suddenly frowned and looked up toward another direction. From that direction, the wind carried a scent he shouldn't have found in the mountains—oil, metal, and human.

"Human?"

He had inquired: this area was the primary habitat of wild musk deer, rarely visited except by forest rangers.

Oil meant an engine—either a car or a motorcycle.

In this mountainous terrain, a car was impossible; only a motorcycle remained.

He did not hesitate further; he changed direction again and hurried toward the source of the scent.

About twenty minutes later, he silently pressed himself against a large tree, his gaze sharp, scanning the direction of Lin Zi.

Soon, four nearly fully armed figures stepped out of the dense forest, each wearing a mask, eyes as predatory as wolves, holding compound bows and poisoned arrows, plus two hovering drones whose lenses hummed softly, screens flickering with thermal imaging in red and yellow silhouettes.

"Boss, there's someone ahead."

The instant he saw these people, a system panel suddenly dropped before Qin Yun, and a voice echoed in his mind.

【Publishing Check-in Task: Host must enter the Qaidam Basin desert for five days of wilderness survival. Survival succeeded equals check-in completed (no equipment allowed except drone, one dagger, one backpack, one water bottle).】