Chapter 122: Survival Achieved

These words struck Laura's ears like lightning, piercing the darkness in her heart and causing her to snap open her eyes.

She stared blankly at the canopy above, suddenly feeling a profound sense of clarity.

Days of gloom had clung to her heart—the pain of her childhood friend being stabbed, the sorrow of being hurt by her sister, the confusion of unattainable desires—but now, in an offhand remark from Qin Yun, they all vanished.

What vanished was not hatred, but self-doubt.

"Thank you, Qin."

A peaceful night.

The next day, November 14th morning, Laura woke to find Qin Yun gone.

She rubbed her eyes, pulled back the canopy, and stepped out. The firepit still burned, steam rising from the stone. A figure was jogging slowly in the distance—no one but Qin Yun.

Qin Yun had risen before seven, rekindled the dying fire, heated water on a stone, and begun jogging slowly around the perimeter.

As they neared Cold Lake Town, his mood lightened. According to his estimate, barring mishaps, they would exit this desert today.

"Qin!"

Qin Yun stretched his body and ran over.

"Good morning, Laura. How did you sleep last night?"

Laura nodded. She felt better today—the feverish symptoms from her wound infection had faded, and her physical exhaustion was nearly gone.

"Pretty good. Just feel itchy all over."

"Hahaha." Qin Yun laughed. "No bath, no wash for days—anyone would itch. I'm the same. I've gone longer than you. Let me count… I haven't bathed in nearly six days. I stink."

Laura's face twisted in horror—if they couldn't get out soon, would she be stuck like Qin Yun, unable to wash? "Qin, when do you think we'll reach that town you mentioned?"

"Cold Lake Town," Qin Yun said. "If things go smoothly, we'll get there today. If we're lucky, we'll have a hot bath tonight."

"That's amazing—what great news! Let's hurry. I won't slow you down today."

"Good."

They quickly finished breakfast, extinguished the fire, packed everything, and set off with the bharal.

After leaving the shelter for about fifteen minutes, Qin Yun released both drones and activated his livestream.

Instantly, thousands of fans flooded in.

"Wow, such beautiful yardangs."

"So vast and empty—there's a kind of monotonous beauty."

"Utter desolation is strangely awe-inspiring."

"I envy Qin Master for seeing such beauty every day, hehe."

"Feels like an alien surface from a sci-fi movie—deep gullies, clear textures, just right."

"Like seeing the Earth's own lens."

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Qin Yun," Qin Yun's voice came through the feed. "An amateur wilderness survivor. I entered the Qaidam Desert's Wurenqu on November 9th. Today is November 14th."

"In these six days, I've caught snakes, encountered foxes, eaten lizards, fought wolves, stolen bird eggs, seen mirages—and even met a lost foreign traveler."

"Today is my sixth day in the Qaidam Desert. By my estimate, I have a high chance of surviving successfully. So, hehe—you know what that means."

Hearing this, viewers suddenly realized—unconsciously, six days had passed.

"Yeah, time flies. I didn't even notice while watching Qin Master."

"For the past few days, I've kept the livestream open every morning—even during company meetings, I sneakily scroll behind my screen. Now that Qin Master says he'll survive, I feel a little sad."

"Maybe Qin Master should turn back?"

"What the hell, are you people human? Saying stuff like 'turn back'? I'd rather just live there."

"…."

Luckily, Qin Yun didn't see these comments—if he had, he'd have been furious.

His confidence that he'd survive today didn't come from time—it came from Laura.

Based on where she was found, she must have come from the direction of Cold Lake Town—and that direction had a highway. This highway crossed the Qaidam Basin and was drivable.

Tourists could enter the desert with guides.

If Laura had entered with a guide on camels, she couldn't have gone far. If her companions abandoned her after her accident, they wouldn't have left her too far away.

That's why he believed he'd likely succeed today.

In fact, if he changed direction, he might even spot the highway sooner.

The trio—two people and one bharal—trudged forward as temperatures rose. The air grew warm, nothing like the bitter cold of last night.

They walked for six hours. The yardangs faded, the Gobi returned, and sparse, ground-hugging drought-resistant plants appeared in scattered patches across the horizon.

Qin Yun's heart jolted—he stared at a distant black mountain, standing amid shifting sands and saline flats like a drop of ink on the earth, stark and striking.

"Hei Du Shan!"

He'd studied the Cold Lake Town area—just over ten kilometers out stood a mountain made of black basalt, eroded by wind into a "lunar surface." Its name was Hei Du Shan.

"Qin, the highway—I see the highway!"

At that moment, Laura shouted loudly, her voice trembling with excitement.

Qin Yun looked—there, in the distance, a highway stretched clearly before them. Beyond it, wind turbines and power lines appeared in his sight.

The livestream viewers saw it too. From the drone's altitude, they saw even more—including the outline of Cold Lake Town.

"I suddenly feel like traveling there."

"Driving along that highway, circling the Qaidam Desert—sounds amazing."

"Don't say more—I'm already tempted."

"What are those ugly black structures? They look abandoned."

Qin Yun glanced at the drone screen and smiled. "Those are abandoned oil derricks. Cold Lake Town rose from early oil exploration—it was purely a mining town."

"Guys, you've all seen Cold Lake Town's outline. That means we're no more than ten kilometers away in a straight line. In under two hours, I'll be on the highway."

"To the authorities—I hope you're watching from Cold Lake Town. The task you gave me went smoothly. This bharal is perfectly fine. And if any police officers are listening—Laura has no identification. She'll need help returning to Germany."

"Also, I collected some wolf pelts these past days. I'll drop a lucky bag soon—interested viewers can try their luck."

With that, Qin Yun posted a lucky bag and continued forward with Laura and the bharal.

He didn't take the Gobi path into Cold Lake Town—he turned toward the highway.

Viewers saw the lucky bag and erupted in excitement.

Those wolf pelts had been coveted—anyone who won one could use it for decoration or clothing.

"Qin, a car—I see a car!"

Following Laura's gesture, Qin Yun saw not just one car, but several.

He smiled. "Maybe they've come to pick us up."

In excitement, distance and time seemed to shrink. Within an hour, they were only a hundred meters from the highway. On its shoulder stood three cars, with seven or eight figures waving at them.

As they drew closer, Qin Yun recognized their faces.

One man and one woman, dressed in police uniforms—likely officers from Mangya City. After an attempted murder involving a foreigner, they'd take this seriously.

The others looked like wildlife protection officers. One vehicle seemed designed for transporting animals.

"Qin Master! Qin Master!"

A young man shouted.

Qin Yun waved. "Didn't expect anyone to come greet us. Too kind."

The young man laughed. "We came to greet you—but not you. We're here for this pregnant bharal."

Hearing this, livestream viewers burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, see how smug you are now."

"Greet you? You've got no right to say that."

"Exactly. We're lucky you weren't arrested—how many Qaidam animals have you messed with?"

Qin Yun rubbed his nose, then climbed onto the highway with Laura, dragging the bharal up behind them.

The wildlife officers immediately took the bharal, gave it a quick check, and loaded it into the vehicle.

Then—

"Qin Master, we've got to go. Congratulations on your survival success."

With that, the wildlife officers drove off.

Qin Yun raised his hand, about to ask for a ride.

"Mr. Qin Yun, hello. I'm Officer Leng Feng from the Mangya City Criminal Investigation Brigade. This is my partner, Long Xiaoyun."

Qin Yun pointed at the drone. "Officers, let me end the stream first."

He guided the drone down in front of him and grinned.

"Damn it, don't smile like that—do you really think you can just end it?"

"Fucking bastard, he's definitely going offline."

"Ugh, I'm sad. These six days were so fun—I don't know what to watch now."

"Qin Master, I really want to keep watching. Why not turn back?"

Qin Yun's face darkened. He suppressed his inner grumbling and smiled faintly. "Friends, my survival challenge in the Qaidam Desert's Wurenqu has succeeded. It's time to say goodbye. To you, these six days may have been short—but for me, they were long. Once I finish uploading the Yumai Peak footage, I'll upload the Qaidam Desert videos soon. Please keep supporting me."

"Enough said. It's truly time to say goodbye. Honestly, these livestreams were good for me—I fought wolves twice, endured thirst, survived snake attacks and sandstorms, and even picked up a person in the Gobi. Looking back, they'll be cherished memories."

"But for you watching on your phones—please, never attempt wilderness survival alone. It could cost your life."

"No more words. Fans who won the wolf pelts—don't worry, I'll ship them out right away. Goodbyes are just for the next meeting. I'm Qin Yun. See you at the next livestream."

With that, he unhesitatingly clicked offline and swiftly retracted the drone.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Qin Yun nodded to Leng Feng and Long Xiaoyun.

Leng Feng waved his hand, indicating it was no problem.

"Mr. Qin, Miss Laura's case still requires processing at the police station. Why don't you come with us? We don't share a common language, and we'll need you to translate."

"Of course," Qin Yun replied without hesitation.

"Thank you so much," Leng Feng gripped Qin Yun's hand firmly, but just as he was about to speak further, his phone rang.

After answering, he listened for a few moments, then his expression subtly changed as his gaze swept over Laura.

"Understood. I'll bring the person over right away."

After hanging up, Leng Feng looked at Laura: "Miss Laura, your father has sent someone to Mangya City—they're currently at our police headquarters..."

Laura stared at him in confusion, then turned to Qin Yun.

Qin Yun immediately explained.

Laura burst into excited German.

The car sped along the "Mars No. 1" highway; Qin Yun sat in the back seat, his gaze distant, his attention fixed on the panel that had just appeared before him.

【Check-in task completed. Random reward granted: Diving Skill +1】

【Diving Skill LV1: You're now a mature sea dog—it's time to live on your own.】