Chapter 147: Zhong Li

The journey from Mangya City to Ruoqiang in Xinjiang takes five hours total, and there are no large gas stations along the way; Qin Yun procured supplies in advance and set off along the G315 Mars Highway.

Viewing yardangs in the Qaidam Desert feels different from viewing them on the Mars Highway.

Almost no vehicles appeared on the Mars Highway; the desolate Gobi stretched barren on both sides. He stopped deliberately to take selfies whenever he saw something beautiful, and only arrived at the Ruoqiang Loulan Museum by evening.

Thus he traveled, stopping and going, from the Luo Bu village to the Kongque River; from Luo Bu Lake grilled fish to nangkeng meat; from the Tianshan Mountains to Korla. He played and ate all the way, until an unexpected phone call came in.

"Hello, Zhong Li (Xia Xiaoxing's cousin)."

"Qin Ye, Xiaoxing is out of contact," Zhong Li's first words made Qin Yun freeze in his steps.

He put away his smile, stepped aside, and avoided the crowd.

"What happened?"

Zhong Li said: "The day before yesterday evening, Xiaoxing's convoy arrived at Dahongliutan. I contacted her then, and she said that from Dahongliutan onward, they'd enter a no-signal zone until they reached Duoma Township, where signal would return."

【Note: Before 2019, the entire stretch from Dahongliutan to Duoma Township was a no-signal, uninhabited area. This is for novel purposes only—do not take it as factual.】

"Logically, if they departed early yesterday morning, they should've arrived by evening. But I've been trying to reach them since last night—both Xiaoxing and Xiaochuan's phones keep showing 'out of service area.'"

Zhong Li sounded increasingly anxious.

Qin Yun quickly reassured her: "Maybe they decided to spend the night in the uninhabited zone, which is why they haven't emerged yet. Let's wait a bit longer."

"I'm just afraid Xiaoxing and Xiaochuan have encountered danger," Zhong Li was clearly not comforted. "The entire route from Dahongliutan to Duoma Township never drops below 4,500 meters in elevation, and online reports say the road is terrible. The weather could easily bring snow."

"Qin Ye…" Zhong Li suddenly raised her voice, though she sounded embarrassed, "I saw your WeChat Moments—you're in Xinjiang right now. Could you…"

"You want me to follow their route and search for Xia Xiaoxing?" Qin Yun voiced what she hadn't dared to say.

Zhong Li had no other options—if her cousin and cousin's sister both vanished, what would Auntie and Uncle do?

"I'm sorry, Qin Ye. I know this request is unreasonable, but I can't think of any other way."

Qin Yun shoved the last bite of nangkeng meat into his mouth and began thinking.

Zhong Li was right—under normal circumstances, a competent convoy would never choose to spend the night on that stretch.

The only possible reason they hadn't departed on schedule was that something had gone wrong.

Perhaps everyone suffered from altitude sickness and couldn't move; perhaps their vehicles broke down and couldn't start; perhaps they ran out of supplies and were stranded; or worse, they'd been robbed.

Anything could happen in that place.

Seeing silence on the other end of the line, Zhong Li's heart sank.

She added: "Qin Ye, I can pay—just…"

"We're friends. Don't mention money," Qin Yun cut in. He had already made his decision. "I'm currently in Korla. I'll set off shortly."

Hearing this, Zhong Li was overjoyed: "Thank you, Qin Ye, thank you! Please be careful yourself."

Qin Yun smiled faintly: "Don't worry. This route poses no difficulty for me."

"That's true," Zhong Li thought of Qin Yun's identity and smiled. To others, this was a challenge; to Qin Yun, the route into Tibet was like child's play.

After ending the call with Zhong Li, he abandoned his original itinerary and quickly returned to the hotel.

Then he drove out to purchase all necessary supplies.

First, various medicines—though he wouldn't use them, they might prove useful if Xia Xiaoxing's group truly encountered trouble.

Then water, high-calorie food, and a first-aid kit.

As for tire chains, tire repair tools, and other vehicle equipment, he had already stocked them in his car before starting his self-drive trip.

Once all items were purchased, he immediately sped toward Ye Cheng.

……

Time rewound one day!

With a final *click* from the fuel nozzle, the last vehicle was fully refueled.

Zhou Sihai wiped his forehead and gazed at the distant hazy horizon. From Dahongliutan to Duoma Township, there would be no more gas stations. This was the final supply point on the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway G219; beyond this stretch of Gobi lay hundreds of kilometers of uninhabited wilderness.

"Aguang, check everything thoroughly. Don't miss anything."

He Guang replied: "Understood!"

Zhou Sihai turned his gaze to Liu Nanzhou, his brow furrowed: "You really had to bring this up now?"

Liu Nanzhou glared, sneered, and crossed her arms: "Did I choose this moment? And does divorce require a specific time or place?"

Zhou Sihai's temple veins bulged; his fists clenched tightly.

"What? Want to hit me again?" Liu Nanzhou lowered her hand, took his fist, and pressed it against her face. "Go ahead. Haven't you hit me enough already?"

"Don't push too far," Zhou Sihai glared. "I apologized. The matter's over. Why are you clinging to it? Your daughter's grown—how will you live without me?"

"Only without you can my life return to normal," Liu Nanzhou replied coldly.

Watching the two in the distance, Xia Xiaoxing said to Xia Xiaochuan: "The team leader and his wife are so loving—look, Sister Liu is letting the team leader touch her face."

"Enough. Get in the car. We're leaving. Are you showing off now that you're feeling a little better?"

Xia Xiaoxing suffered from altitude sickness, so Xia Xiaochuan had to drive. But as altitude climbed past four thousand meters, he began feeling it too. Fortunately, his physical condition was strong; after continuous oxygen intake, the discomfort quickly subsided.

Still, from Dahongliutan down to Qitai Daban, the elevation would jump directly from 4,200 to 5,000 meters—he expected it to be an extremely painful stretch.

Xia Xiaoxing settled into the front passenger seat, slumping lazily. At this point, she had no intention of driving again.

The effects of altitude sickness left her still lethargic, despite slight recovery. In contrast, Su Wan had recovered much faster—even able to drive herself now.

Zhou Sihai and Liu Nanzhou returned to the vehicles. He frowned, his mood sour. Liu Nanzhou wasn't any better; watching He Guang still inspecting each vehicle one by one, she snapped impatiently: "Aguang, are you done yet? Hurry up! If we don't leave now, we won't reach Duoma Township before dark."

He Guang smiled but continued his meticulous checks, vehicle after vehicle.

"Sister-in-law, being careful never hurts."

"Hmph!" Liu Nanzhou walked straight back into her car.

He Guang glanced at Zhou Sihai, who shook his head, helplessly.

Soon—

"All set. Everything's good, Lao Zhou. We can depart anytime."

Zhou Sihai got in the car, turned on the radio: "Fuel is full, water and dry rations are stocked. Everyone, set your radios to the unified channel. Do not fall out of formation. Follow orders. Are you all ready?"

"Ready!"

He Guang, Song Shanhe's pickup, Tang Tang's Land Cruiser, Su Wan's Fang Chengbao, Xia Xiaoxing, Xia Xiao Chuan's G-Wagon, and Xiang Nian's Land Rover Defender all ignited at nearly the same moment.

Amid the roar of engines and under Zhou Sihai's command, the vehicles slowly rolled out of the gas station, leaving Dahongliutan behind, heading toward Qitai Daban.

This stretch was 60 kilometers long, almost entirely a continuous uphill climb, with a bumpy, uneven surface—speed could not be raised at all.

Thirty kilometers per hour was already the limit; faster, and people would be shaken until they vomited bile.

As the vehicles advanced, the vegetation around grew sparser, shifting from red willow thickets to low-lying Gobi flora, until only earthy yellow stretched before them, even direction becoming hazy.

From time to time, idle chatter came through the radio.

Mostly the voices of mechanic He Guang and cook Xiang Nian—one reminded them to slow down and avoid potholes, the other promised tasty meals at rest stops, occasionally cracking jokes, keeping things far from dull.

After about an hour, the road was left with nothing but empty sky and earth, wind whipping up pebbles that occasionally struck the cars with a pili-pala sound.

"Still over ten kilometers to the Qitai Daban pass," Song Shanhe said, watching his tablet—no signal, but that didn't stop him from estimating the route.

Zhou Sihai replied: "Good. Everyone, report your status. Immediately."

As he spoke, he glanced at his wife beside him; her face was grim, weary. He reached out to pat her shoulder: "Are you alright? Want some oxygen?"

Liu Nanzhou slapped his hand away: "Don't touch me. I'm fine."

Zhou Sihai's expression froze; anger flared in his chest again.

"I'm fine, and so is Shanhe. Just slight altitude sickness—not affecting us," He Guang replied.

"I'm fine too," Xiang Nian responded immediately.

"I'm feeling unwell," Tang Tang's voice clearly showed discomfort, "but I'm on oxygen now—I can still hold on."

"Same here. My head feels like it's about to explode," Su Wan thought coming here was sheer madness.

Xia Xiao Chuan glanced at Xia Xiaoxing, who wore a pained expression—even with oxygen, recovery wouldn't come quickly.

"I've got mild altitude sickness, but Xia Xiaoxing is completely done for."

After hearing everyone's reports, Zhou Sihai pressed the radio: "Good. Hold on. We'll rest when we reach the Qitai Daban pass."

But just then, a sharp, unmistakable tearing sound suddenly rang out.

"Puh—!"

Immediately behind Tang Tang, Su Wan gasped in horror: Tang Tang's car tilted, veered off the asphalt, and crashed with a clang against a roadside rock.

"All vehicles stop! Pull over to the roadside! Turn on hazard lights! He Guang, Shanhe, get out with me. Everyone else, stay inside."

Zhou Sihai slammed on the brakes, flung open his door, and leapt out. In three strides, he reached Tang Tang's Land Cruiser, peered through the window—and saw Tang Tang unconscious, head slumped against the steering wheel, motionless, oxygen tank fallen to the side.

His face darkened. He dashed back between He Guang and Song Shanhe, retrieved the spare key from inside his own vehicle.

He kept a spare key for every vehicle—just in case.

Returning to the car, he unlocked the door. The three of them lifted Tang Tang out. As soon as they laid her on the asphalt, she stirred awake, touching her forehead.

"Ow—so painful!"

Zhou Sihai quickly reattached the oxygen mask to her face. "Tang Tang, are you alright?"

Tang Tang sat up, rubbing her head. "I'm fine. Just my head hurts badly. Is the car okay?"

"He Guang!"

He Guang, checking the damage, called back: "Right front tire's blown. Can patch it. Front bumper's slightly bent, but no impact."

"Good. Move the car off the road first, then patch the tire," Zhou Sihai ordered swiftly. "Since this happened, we'll rest here. No more photo stops at Qitai Daban. We'll wait until Tian Shuihai."

Hearing Zhou Sihai's order, the others sighed. Resting here offered nothing worth photographing—just desolation. At least the Qitai Daban pass had that big blue metal sign standing there.