Chapter 102

Two hours later, the car appeared at 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 during the climb—only a bit of wind and frost—the high-altitude experience still demanded 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 Boboji , their mouths never stopping.

By around noon, they sat at “Kuanzuo 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 Yun swallow beef, shrimp balls, and abalone, his face filled with satisfaction.

“Tastes great—want some?”

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

Seeing her expression, Qin Yun burst out laughing: “Then it’s all mine—don’t say I’m eating alone.”

*Click!*

Han Wei froze his smile, uploaded it to her Moments, typed while reading aloud: “The perk of being the top fan: Qin Ye will accompany me to hot pot.”

Qin Yun rolled his eyes, utterly speechless: “What can you do? 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, find 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 moments.

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 Qinghai Lake, the Chaika 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 a bonus.

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

He drove 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?”

“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 take dangerous risks—but it was his career, and she couldn’t stop him, so she pretended not to see.

Even so, the messages flooding her phone yesterday and today were overwhelming.

The news of her son’s unprotected summit of Yaomei Peak brought her no pride or joy—only relief that Qin Yun had survived 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 confirmation, 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. Heading to Qinghai’s grasslands.”

Qin Yun always informed his mother before traveling somewhere—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 if he’d been possessed by aliens.

To Uncle Hu Jun, Qin Yun simply said he’d recently acquired a divine finger, activated a system, and that’s why he was so powerful.

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, did Song Ya contact 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 won’t even acknowledge you.

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

“Alright, I’ll listen to you,” Hu Fen said, always obeying Qin Yun.

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, unleashing its full power.

The Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, abbreviated as Aba Prefecture, is home to Mount Siguniang, as well as the famous Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou scenic areas and the Giant Panda Habitat—making it one of Sichuan’s most renowned tourist destinations.

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

At that time, Qin Yun was still a child.

But after entering Aba Prefecture, Qin Yun’s car didn’t exit the highway; instead, he headed toward Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai.

Today is November 2nd. According to Liu Wei from Douyin’s content department, the final interview for the “Survival in the Wild” program will be held mid-month, so unless something unexpected happens, he’ll need to leave Qinghai and head to Beijing after his trip.

But it’s just an interview—he didn’t take it too seriously. With his current popularity, if money were his only goal, joining “Survival in the Wild” wouldn’t matter much—it’s only two million U.S. dollars anyway.

But since he’s pursuing self-media, expanding his fame overseas seems like a good option.

Recently, he’s been researching YouTube’s rules. If he can gain recognition through “Survival in the Wild,” he plans to launch a channel on YouTube simultaneously.

Then, updating videos on both Douyin domestically and YouTube internationally would be a solid strategy.

Earning RMB isn’t impressive—earning USD is.

As dusk approached, the car successfully left Sichuan and entered Qinghai Province.

Just as a tourism SMS popped up on his phone, he took an exit ramp, left the highway, and planned to stay overnight in Banma County, exploring it tomorrow.

…

Guoluo, Qinghai—Banma County.

This is the borderland between Qinghai and Sichuan, where spruce and fir trees blot out the sky, and streams tinkled over rocks.

He brushed his fingers through the water—a chill seeped into his fingertips.

Qin Yun looked up: surrounding him were endless dense forests, distant white snow-capped peaks. The mountain wind carried the scent of plants and birdsong—nature’s pure essence filled the world.

He took a deep breath, his body relaxing, occasionally snapping photos to capture this beautiful natural scene.

Standing by 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 didn’t disturb them, changed direction, and continued forward.

According to local villagers he’d spoken to, wild Tibetan musk deer lived here—and in considerable numbers.

In recent years, since Banma County was incorporated into the Three Rivers Source Nature Reserve, poaching has decreased sharply, allowing musk deer populations to recover and the entire ecosystem to revive.

Yet even so, musk deer as a whole remain at risk of extinction.

One reason is past overhunting; another is habitat destruction; and a third is that the musk of the Tibetan musk deer is far more valuable than that of farmed forest musk deer.

This has kept the market price of Tibetan musk deer musk persistently high—on the black market, wild Tibetan musk deer musk sells for 2,000 yuan per gram.

(Note: Tibetan musk deer, original musk deer, forest musk deer, black musk deer, and Himalayan musk deer are all subspecies of the forest musk deer. Every musk deer species is a nationally protected species—poaching will land you in prison for life.)

Each male musk deer yields only 20 grams of musk per year.

Crossing thickets and mountains, Qin Yun walked slowly, his camera never still.

*Oo-yoo~ Oo-yoo~*

Suddenly, distant calls—deer-like but not quite, horse-like but not quite—echoed nearby.

Qin Yun searched, fixed his gaze on a low thicket. Inside, several creatures huddled—slimmer than deer, with glossy brown fur, alert ears, strikingly elegant.

“Tibetan musk deer!”

His gaze swept sideways: among the mostly brown-furred musk deer was one with pure white fur—unmistakably eye-catching.

Tibetan musk deer are Class I protected animals; Qin Yun dared only observe from afar, never disturbing them.

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

As he studied the photo, Qin Yun suddenly frowned, lifting his head toward another direction. The wind carried a scent out of place here—oil, metal, and human.

“People?”

He’d confirmed: this area was a primary habitat for wild Tibetan 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 made sense.

He didn’t hesitate, changed direction again, and hurried toward the source of the scent.

After about twenty minutes, he silently pressed against a large tree, his gaze sharp, scanning the forest ahead.

Soon, four nearly fully armed figures emerged from the dense woods, each wearing masks, eyes as predatory as wolves, holding compound bows and poisoned arrows, plus two hovering drones whose lenses whirred softly, displaying thermal imaging in red and yellow silhouettes.

“Boss, there’s someone ahead.”

The moment Qin Yun saw them, a system panel dropped before his eyes, and a voice echoed in his mind.

【Publishing check-in task: Host must conduct five days of wilderness survival in the Qaidam Basin Desert. Survival success equals task completion (no equipment allowed except drone, one dagger, one backpack, one water bottle).】