Chapter 147

The journey from Mangya City to Ruoqiang in Xinjiang takes five hours, and there are no major gas stations along the way, so Qin Yun stocked up on supplies in advance and set off along G315, the 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 empty on both sides. He stopped deliberately whenever he saw something beautiful to take a selfie, and only arrived at the Ruoqiang Loulan Museum by evening.

He traveled with frequent stops—from the Luo Bu Village to the Peacock River; from roasted fish at Luo Bu Po to naan-kitchen meat; from Tianshan to Korla. He played, he ate, until an unexpected phone call came in.

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

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

He dropped his smile, stepped aside, and avoided the crowd.

"What happened?"

Zhong Li said: "Yesterday evening, Xiaoxing's convoy reached Dàhóngliǔtān. I contacted her then, and she said from Dàhóngliǔtān onward, they'd enter a no-signal zone until they reached Duoma Township."

【Note: Before 2019, the entire stretch from Dàhóngliǔtān to Duoma Township was a no-signal, uninhabited zone. This is fictional; do not treat as factual.】

"Logically, they should've arrived by evening after departing yesterday morning, but I've been trying to reach Xiaoxing and Xiao Chuan since last night—both phones keep saying 'out of service area.'"

Zhong Li sounded anxious.

Qin Yun quickly reassured her: "Maybe they decided to spend the night in the uninhabited zone, so they haven't made it out yet. Let's wait a bit longer."

"I'm worried Xiaoxing and Xiao Chuan are in danger," Zhong Li wasn't comforted. "The entire stretch from Dàhóngliǔtān to Duoma Township stays above 4, 00 meters in elevation, and online reports say the road is terrible. The weather could easily bring snow."

"Master Qin…" Zhong Li suddenly raised her voice, but sounded embarrassed, "I saw your social media—you're in Xinjiang, right? Could you…"

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

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

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

Qin Yun shoved the last bite of naan-kitchen 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 reason they might be delayed would be if something went wrong.

Maybe everyone suffered altitude sickness and couldn't move; maybe their vehicles broke down; maybe they ran out of supplies and got stranded; or worse, they were robbed.

Anything could happen in that place.

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

She added: "Master Qin, I can pay—just…"

"We're friends. Don't mention money." Qin Yun cut her off; he'd already decided. "I'm in Korla now. I'll set off shortly."

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

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

"That's true." Zhong Li remembered Qin Yun's status and smiled—what was a challenge for others was child's play for him.

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—he didn't need them, but if Xia Xiaoxing's group ran into trouble, they might be useful.

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

As for tire chains and tire-repair tools, he'd already stocked them in his vehicle before starting his self-drive trip.

Once everything was bought, he immediately sped toward Yecheng.

…

Time rewound one day!

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

Zhou Sihai wiped his forehead and stared at the distant, hazy horizon. From Dàhóngliǔtān 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 land.

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

He Guang replied: "Understood!"

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

Liu Nanzhou glared, sneered, and crossed her arms: "Did I choose this moment? Does the timing or place for divorce even matter?"

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 cling to it? Our daughter's grown. What will you do without me?"

"Only without you can my life get back on track," Liu Nanzhou said coldly.

Watching the two from afar, Xia Xiaoxing said to Xia Xiaochuan: "Our captain and his wife are so loving—look, Sister Liu's letting the captain touch her face."

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

Xia Xiaoxing had 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 good; after continuous oxygen use, the symptoms quickly subsided.

Still, from Dàhóngliǔtān down to Qitai Daban, elevation would jump directly from 4, 00 to 5, 00 meters—he expected it to be excruciating.

Xia Xiaoxing slumped into the passenger seat, too lethargic to even consider driving again.

Altitude sickness had left her drained—even though she'd slightly recovered, she still felt weak. In contrast, Su Wan had recovered faster and could even drive herself.

Zhou Sihai and Liu Nanzhou returned to their vehicle. He frowned, his mood sour. Liu Nanzhou wasn't any better; she watched He Guang still checking each vehicle and snapped: "Aguang, are you done yet? Hurry up! If we don't leave now, we won't make it to Duoma Township before dark."

He Guang smiled, still meticulously checking vehicle by vehicle.

"Sister-in-law, better safe than sorry."

"Hmph!" Liu Nanzhou stormed back into her car.

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

Soon—

"All set, Lao Zhou. We can depart anytime."

Zhou Sihai got in, turned on the radio: "Fuel is full, water and rations are stocked. Everyone, switch radios to the unified channel. Stay with the convoy. Follow orders. Ready?"

"Ready!"

He Guang's pickup, Song Shanhe's pickup, Tang Tang's Land Cruiser, Su Wan's Fangcheng Bao, Xia Xiaoxing and Xia Xiaochuan's G-Wagon, Xiang Nian's Land Rover Defender—all ignited simultaneously.

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

This stretch was sixty kilometers long, almost entirely uphill, with a bumpy, uneven surface—speed couldn't exceed limits.

Thirty kilometers per hour was the maximum; faster, and people would be shaken raw.

As the vehicles advanced, vegetation grew sparser—red willow thickets gave way to low Gobi shrubs, then vanished entirely. Only yellow-brown earth remained, and even direction felt blurred.

From the radios, occasional idle chatter drifted through.

Mostly from mechanic He Guang and chef Xiang Nian—one warned of speed reductions and potholes, the other promised tasty meals at rest stops, occasionally cracking jokes; it wasn't boring.

After over an hour, only vast, empty sky and land remained. Wind whipped up gravel, occasionally striking the vehicles with a patter.

"Ten kilometers to the Qitai Daban pass. We'll rest there," Song Shanhe said, studying his tablet—no signal, but he could still estimate the route.

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

He glanced at his wife—her face was dark, exhausted. He reached to pat her shoulder: "You okay? Need oxygen?"

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

Zhou Sihai froze, anger flaring again.

"I'm fine, and so is Shanhe. Just mild altitude sickness—no problem," He Guang replied.

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

"I feel unwell," Tang Tang's voice clearly showed discomfort. "But I'm on oxygen—I can still hold on."

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

Xia Xiaochuan glanced at Xia Xiaoxing, her face twisted in pain—even with oxygen, she wouldn't recover quickly.

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

After hearing all reports, Zhou Sihai pressed the radio: "Good. Hold on. We'll rest at the Qitai Daban pass."

Just then, a sharp, unmistakable tearing sound rang out.

"Puh—!"

Immediately behind Tang Tang, Su Wan saw Tang Tang's vehicle tilt, veer off the asphalt, and crash with a *clang* into a roadside boulder.

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

Zhou Sihai slammed on the brakes, flung open his door, and sprinted out. Three strides brought him to Tang Tang's Land Cruiser. Through the window, he saw Tang Tang unconscious, head slumped against the steering wheel, oxygen tank fallen beside her.

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

He kept spare keys for every vehicle—just in case.

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

"Ow—so painful!"

Zhou Sihai quickly reattached the oxygen mask. "Tang Tang, are you okay?"

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

"Aguang!"

He Guang checked and called back: "Right front tire's punctured—repairable. Front bumper's slightly bent, but no impact."

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

Hearing Zhou Sihai's order, everyone sighed. Resting here offered no photo opportunities—just barren wasteland. At least Qitai Daban's pass had a big blue metal sign standing there.