From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I was speechless for a moment, my chest felt tight and heavy, and I let out a heavy sigh:

"Su Qing, can't you be reasonable? That's a no-man's land, a place where you risk your life. Why did you go there to join in the fun?"

"Can't I go out and relax?"

Her tone was light and casual, as if she were not going to a forbidden zone, but just an ordinary journey.

I was so angry I laughed. I retorted coldly, "Play? Who goes to the deserted area to risk their life? You know how dangerous it is there. You just risked your life to stop me, and now you insist on going in yourself?"

Su Qing looked up at me directly and said, "Yes, I know it's dangerous there. Since you know it's dangerous and still insist on going, why can't I go?"

"I'm not like you!" My voice trembled with anxiety. "Why would you choose to live a perfectly good life and risk your life in some no-man's-land? What are you after?"

No matter how I tried to persuade her, Su Qing wouldn't budge an inch.

"I don't care, if you go, I have to go. There's absolutely no room for discussion on this."

I took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the irritability and helplessness in my heart.

Seeing her serious and unyielding expression, my mind raced.

A direct confrontation is definitely useless; once this girl gets stubborn, not even ten oxen could pull her back.

Perhaps we should agree to her request for now.

She was pampered since childhood and never suffered any hardship.

Once we actually set off, we endured two days of wind, sand, and bitter cold.

I won't need to persuade her; she'll most likely give up on the idea without me having to.

Having figured this out, I felt a little relieved and could only nod in resignation.

"Okay, I promise you, I'll take you with me, alright?"

"That's more like it!"

Su Qing immediately raised her chin and gave a haughty snort.

She suddenly pointed at me again, warning me in a serious tone, "Let me tell you, don't try to play any tricks on me! If you dare to leave me stranded on the road, you're dead meat."

I shook my head in utter helplessness, sighed, and asked, "I really want to ask you, why do you insist on going with me? Even if you say you're going to have fun, is that place even fit for humans? It's playing with fire!"

She tilted her head slightly, her face full of disdain: "I've always loved challenges since I was a child. The more dangerous a place is for others, the more interested I am. Is that a problem?"

I was amused by her antics and immediately retorted, "Then why did you desperately try to stop me from going? Why did you absolutely refuse?"

Su Qing straightened her expression and replied confidently, "I stopped you because you have no outdoor experience! You're also taking Luo Peng and Qi Qi with you. If something happens and two lives are lost, can you take responsibility?"

Upon hearing this, I was instantly speechless and fell completely silent.

Because Su Qing is right.

Once you step into the no-man's-land, anything can happen.

If anything were to happen to Qiqi or Luo Peng, with my current abilities and financial resources, I simply couldn't afford the consequences.

I remained silent for a long time, then nodded emphatically: "You're right. So before we set off, I will definitely explain all the risks of the no-man's-land to them, and ultimately let them decide for themselves whether or not to come along."

I paused, my head throbbing with worry, and stared at her again, emphasizing my words:

"But you're different. You have a special status, and you've never suffered any hardship since you were a child. If something happens to you in there, your parents will definitely not let me off the hook. They'll skin me alive."

Su Qing waved her hand dismissively, "Don't worry, it's not that bad. They don't care about me at all."

I shook my head, disagreeing with her: "You're wrong. If they really didn't care about you, they wouldn't have come all this way to force you to go home. They just have a problem with how they express themselves... Ultimately, they're worried something might happen to you if you live with me."

Su Qing, however, remained unconvinced and sneered, "You don't understand. In the end, they only care about the Su family's reputation. They're afraid of gossip and losing face. They've never really cared about whether I'm doing well or not."

I didn't argue with her about it anymore.

The warmth and coldness of human nature, the estrangement within families, cannot be explained in just a few words.

That night, I was completely sleepless.

I lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, so I turned on my phone and frantically searched for information on crossing various uninhabited areas.

The more I looked, the more frightened I became, and a chill ran down my spine.

Even professional expedition teams have lost contact in uninhabited areas. How can I, an outdoor novice, really succeed in crossing it?

With this question in mind, I asked AI.

AI's answer: I'll give you the most straightforward and direct answer: If you have zero outdoor experience, absolutely do not attempt to cross uninhabited areas. The chances of survival are extremely low, and it's also illegal!

Then came a long, detailed risk analysis and interpretation of regulations, which gave me goosebumps.

The fear was real, but so was the resentment.

I desperately want to seize this opportunity to turn things around. It's the only shortcut I can use to quickly accumulate start-up capital and get out of this predicament, and I absolutely cannot give it up easily.

I knew perfectly well that if the three of us—me, Luo Peng, and Qi Qi—were to go in rashly, it would be suicide.

However, the client in this collaboration is the Beast Club, who have pledged to provide vehicles, professional equipment and supplies, as well as some funding.

The only things missing are a seasoned guide who truly understands uninhabited areas and can lead a team to safety, as well as the necessary official permits.

With resources, guarantees, and channels, as long as you find a reliable guide, this adventure has a good chance of success.

With this in mind, I spent the whole night searching for information about people who practice crossing uninhabited areas on various platforms.

The information online is varied and diverse. Some people make off-road adventure videos full-time, some claim to cross no-man's-land once a year, and many internet celebrities boast that they can easily take novices on a cross-land trip.

After browsing for several hours, I found that most of them were just attention-grabbing gimmicks.

They either have fake resumes or they only travel along popular tourist routes on the outskirts of scenic areas.

There isn't a single truly reliable professional who can delve into the core of the uninhabited area.

Just when I was about to give up, I accidentally came across a video comment.

"This is all misleading to laymen! The country now strictly prohibits unauthorized crossings of no-man's-lands; entering without a permit is illegal! The places you've photographed aren't actually no-man's-lands; they're just outer sections of roads!"

This comment didn't get many likes, but every word was sharp, exposing the chaos in the industry.

My intuition tells me that this person who dares to speak the truth is definitely not simple.

I immediately clicked into the other person's profile, which was unusually quiet, with only one video.

The video is only a dozen seconds long, showing only the lonely back of a man walking alone into the endless desert with its vast expanse of yellow sand...

The video's main visuals are of high quality, capturing the desolation, vastness, and deadly barrenness of the no-man's-land.

This video has no fancy editing, and even less content, so it received very few likes and even fewer comments.

But the immersive realism it evokes is unmatched by any other viral video.

I'm almost certain that this person has ventured deep into truly uninhabited areas.

Without the slightest hesitation, I immediately sent a private message to test the waters: "Brother, if I may ask, have you ever been to the Qiangtang no-man's-land?"