From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

On my first night in Lhasa, I tossed and turned, having an incredibly vivid nightmare.

In my dream, I had already entered that desolate, uninhabited area alone.

It was as if a completely unfamiliar, isolated new world had opened up before my eyes.

For some reason, it seems I have completely lost my hearing. The surroundings are quiet, and I can't hear a single sound.

I sat alone in the scorching sun, gazing at the vast expanse of white snow in the distance.

The sunlight on the plateau is too intense, making one's eyes sting.

In the distance, on the barren plain, lay the mangled carcass of a yak, its flesh and blood long since devoured by a pack of wolves.

In this cruel, desolate land, the rules of survival are simple and brutal.

It's either live or die.

In the vast wilderness, I could neither see my teammates nor the off-road vehicle we depended on for survival.

Strangely enough, I did not fall into utter despair.

What engulfs the entire body is a profound, boundless, and extreme loneliness that penetrates to the very marrow of the body.

All was silent, leaving only a desolate and lifeless scene before my eyes.

As far as the eye can see, the desolate wilderness stretches to the horizon...

Thankfully, it was all just a dream.

If reality were to become like my dream, with my abilities, I probably wouldn't last more than three days before being trapped in this wasteland forever.

……

The next morning, I was suddenly awakened from my sleep, with a burning pain in my throat.

The first thing I did when I woke up was to instinctively reach out and pinch my neck, coughing several times in a row.

After arriving at the plateau, my biggest fear was getting sick.

Here, even a seemingly insignificant common cold can escalate rapidly and ruin our long-planned trip to the uninhabited area.

I got up and poured myself a glass of boiling water, which relieved the dryness and discomfort in my throat.

It's likely that the dry air at the Lhasa plateau and the lack of water at night caused the discomfort.

After quickly washing up, I took out my phone and sent Su Qing a WeChat message, telling her that I was waiting for her at the restaurant downstairs in the guesthouse.

Downstairs in the restaurant, Wang Ge and his group had already woken up and were sitting around the table having breakfast.

I ladled out a bowl of thin porridge, picked up some pickled vegetables, and took a braised egg. I then carried my plate to sit down opposite Brother Wang and A Qiu.

"Good morning, Brother Ye."

A-Qiu looked up and greeted me with a smile.

I smiled and nodded at the two of them: "You two got up pretty early too."

A-Qiu put down her chopsticks and asked casually, "Did you take Su Qing out for a walk last night? How is she recovering?"

"Yes, she seemed much better last night. I'll take her to the hospital for a full check-up later," I nodded in reply.

The smile faded from A Qiu's face, and her expression turned serious: "We must investigate this thoroughly; we cannot afford to be careless about this matter."

I agreed and turned to look at the taciturn Wang Ge.

"Brother Wang, I'd appreciate it if you could take stock of all the supplies we've collected for crossing the no-man's-land today. If there's anything missing, please make a list and send it to me."

Wang Ge simply nodded his head heavily, without saying a word.

Not long after, Luo Peng also came downstairs, still sleepy-eyed.

He walked to the dining table, picked up a steamed bun, and started taking big bites of it while looking at me.

"Brother Lin, is Su Qing feeling any better?"

I looked up at him and replied, "I felt much better last night. I'll go get checked out again later to see the specifics."

Luo Peng grinned and said optimistically, "I think it's definitely nothing serious. It's probably just an upset stomach from eating something bad a few days ago, plus some discomfort from the high altitude. He should be fine after a couple of days of rest."

I also hoped that the result would be as he wished, but until the test report came out, no one dared to make a guarantee.

After I finished my breakfast, Su Qing slowly came out of her room upstairs.

She changed into a loose and comfortable casual outfit, and carefully combed her hair.

Judging from her complexion alone, she is indeed in much better condition.

However, upon closer inspection, one can see that her steps are light and unsteady, and her face still carries a lingering sense of weakness.

I quickly walked over and asked with concern, "How did you sleep last night? Is your stomach still upset?"

"It's alright, much more comfortable than a few days ago." Su Qing smiled faintly at me.

I didn't press her for more details about her health, and gently told her, "Have some breakfast first, and then I'll take you to the hospital for a check-up."

Ah Qiu, who was standing nearby, immediately stopped us: "It's best not to eat anything first. It's better to go for the checkup on an empty stomach. If you need to have blood drawn or a gastroscopy or colonoscopy later, you can do it directly without eating breakfast and avoid having to make another trip."

Ah Qiu's reminder suddenly woke me up.

Su Qing had been experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, with obvious gastrointestinal symptoms, so she will most likely need to undergo a gastroscopy and colonoscopy.

I turned to Su Qing and said, "Then let's skip eating for now and go straight to the hospital. Are you hungry?"

She gently shook her head and obediently followed behind me out of the guesthouse courtyard.

The morning sun in Lhasa is clear and gentle, and the air is clean and clear.

The entire ancient city was quiet and peaceful, exuding a healing atmosphere.

But in the parking lot outside the courtyard, a familiar figure came into my view.

Su Wan was standing alone next to her gray G-Class, dressed in dark outdoor clothing, exuding a cold and aloof aura.

Seeing the two of us walk out the gate, she stepped forward and said, "I'll drive you there."

Before I could reply, Su Qing spoke first, saying with a hint of distance, "No need, we can just take a taxi."

I knew in my heart that Su Qing didn't want to be picked up and dropped off by her sister.

But I could also see clearly that although Su Wan didn't say it, she was always worried about Su Qing.

Su Wan didn't insist any further, and just stood quietly in place, watching Su Qing and I leave the guesthouse step by step.

I walked to the roadside and flagged down a passing taxi.

He first opened the back door and let Su Qing sit inside, then bent down and got into the car himself.

After telling the driver that our destination was Lhasa People's Hospital, I turned my head and whispered to him, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You look so good today, so the test results are probably fine."

"Um."

Su Qing simply responded with a faint "yes," and then fell into a long silence.

She gently rested her head against the car window, staring blankly at the scenery passing by on the streets of Lhasa.

I could sense a hint of unease in her heart.

She pretended to be relaxed, but she was more afraid than anyone else.

They were afraid of getting bad results from the tests, afraid of dragging down the whole team, and afraid that the long-awaited journey through the no-man's-land would turn into nothing.

Twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped at the entrance of Lhasa People's Hospital.

As the largest tertiary general hospital in Tibet, its medical equipment and the professionalism of its doctors are on a completely different level from those in the small county towns along the way.

After getting off the bus, I accompanied Su Qing into the hospital building.

Register, wait in line for a consultation, and get a doctor to order tests.

Throughout the entire process, Su Qing cooperated fully without uttering a single complaint.

After listening to Su Qing's detailed description of her symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, the doctor immediately arranged a complete set of examinations.

Complete blood count, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, abdominal ultrasound, and organ function screening—nothing was omitted.