From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I gently pressed the brake, steadily reducing the speed to about 40 miles per hour, and propelled the car forward at a uniform pace.

The further we drove, the more dilapidated the road became.

Gravel and potholes are everywhere.

The altitude remains consistently around 4,500 meters, and the air is thin.

Even sitting in the car, you can faintly feel the oppressive feeling brought by the high altitude.

I turned on the car's music, and just as a soothing melody started playing, Luo Peng's slightly nervous voice came through the walkie-talkie again.

"Brother Lin, something's wrong! There's a strange noise coming from the rear wheel area of ​​my car. Judging from the sound, it's most likely a problem with the shock absorbers."

My heart skipped a beat.

We traveled all the way from Jiangzhou to Lhasa, traversing mountains and valleys the entire way. None of the three cars ever broke down, so I thought they were in very good condition.

Who would have thought that the car would break down before even officially entering the core of the no-man's land?

This doesn't look like a good omen at all.

But I quickly suppressed the panic in my heart. It is precisely at times like these that I must not lose my composure.

I immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Pull over and stop for inspection."

The three cars slowed down and stopped in sequence, then turned off their engines at the same time.

The next second, the roar of the engine completely disappeared, and the entire wasteland instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The fierce high-altitude winds howled past, whipping up fine sand and dust that slammed against the vehicle, making a screeching sound.

I pushed open the car door and jumped out. The cold wind instantly filled my body, and the biting chill seeped into my bones through the seams of my clothes, making me feel cold all over.

Luo Peng moved extremely quickly, taking out his toolbox from the trunk and squatting down next to the rear wheel to carefully troubleshoot the problem.

Su Wan also got out of the G-Wagon and walked to the side, looking around warily at the empty wilderness.

I quickly walked over to Luo Peng and squatted down beside him: "How is it? Did you find the problem?"

Luo Peng frowned, tapping the shock absorber casing repeatedly, and said, "The problem isn't serious, but it poses a significant risk. The main shock absorber body isn't damaged, but the dust cover is worn through; it got filled with a lot of sand on the way in."

"It's okay at low speeds, but once you accelerate, it will keep making a clanging and rattling sound, which is noisy and damages the car."

I don't know much about cars, so I could only ask practically, "Can we make do with this temporarily? Just enough to get to the supply point."

"It can be used for simple emergency cleaning."

As Luo Peng spoke, he began to pick at the mud and sand in the gaps, saying, "After cleaning it, driving at low speeds is fine. But you can't speed up. If sand continues to get in and wear it down, it's very likely that the shock absorbers will be completely ruined halfway through the journey."

I hesitated for two seconds, then nodded and said, "Let's take emergency measures first and keep driving until we reach Shuanghu County, where we can replace the parts with new ones."

Luo Peng said with some helplessness, "I prepared all the usual easily damaged parts, but I forgot the dust cover. I really didn't expect this little thing to break first."

"That's normal," I reassured them. "Road conditions on the plateau are terrible, and any unexpected problems can happen. Don't worry, we'll fix it slowly."

Even so, when I looked up at the vast, boundless wilderness around me, the pressure in my heart still involuntarily surged up.

The words that Brother Wang repeatedly told me before he left are now echoing in my mind.

This land shows no mercy; any minor malfunction, deep in the wilderness, can become a fatal problem.

We're doing alright now; we haven't entered any uninhabited areas, so we can definitely resupply.

But once you venture deep into the heart of the no-man's-land, where there are hundreds of kilometers of deserted land with no supplies or rescue available, driving with such a dangerous situation is practically a gamble with your life.

Just as I was pondering this, Su Wan walked over slowly.

She spoke calmly and clearly, saying, "We can't force our way through today. There are safety concerns with the vehicle, the temperature in the wilderness drops sharply at night, and the road conditions are even worse. Driving at night is too risky."

I looked up at her and asked, "We haven't entered the uninhabited area yet, so we should avoid camping if possible; the risks of spending the night in the wild are too high. Are there any towns ahead where we can stay?"

Although I was planning the route, I couldn't manage everything by myself, so I left the task of finding accommodation to Su Wan.

She was always thorough and efficient, replying crisply, "There's a small town about 20 kilometers ahead with hotels where you can stay overnight. You can rest there, but it will slightly delay your original itinerary."

She analyzed everything from all angles, and it's indeed very easy to be teammates with a strong woman like her.

I glanced at the car's timer; it was 2:30 PM, plenty of time.

I made a decisive decision: "The itinerary can be slightly adjusted later; safety and physical condition come first. We won't rush today; we'll stop in a small town to rest and recharge."

"I'll contact the hotel now and book the room in advance." Su Wan said decisively, immediately taking out her phone to contact the accommodation provider.

I nodded and turned back to watch Luo Peng repair the car.

He worked quickly and skillfully, and in just twenty minutes, he completely cleared the sand from the shock absorber gaps.

Finally, the damaged dust cover was wrapped tightly with layers of thickened waterproof tape to temporarily solve the problem.

"All done. If we keep driving steadily like this, there shouldn't be any problems." Luo Peng clapped his hands and stood up.

The three men packed up their tools, got into the vehicles one by one, and the convoy started moving again.

As you continue driving, you occasionally encounter a few large trucks passing by on the road.

They were all local, experienced drivers who frequently traveled to the plateau, and they drove extremely fast.

The moment it passed, it kicked up a cloud of yellow dust, obscuring the sky and the sun.

We did not follow the trend of speeding up, but maintained a safe speed of 40 miles per hour and steadily moved forward.

In less than an hour, the sparse outlines of houses finally appeared in the distance.

We've finally arrived at this first highland town after leaving Lhasa.

This small town on the plateau is not large; you can see its entire length at a glance.

To put it simply, it's a rest stop specifically for passing drivers and self-driving tourists.

Although the place is remote and simple, it is small but complete.

The street is lined with hotels, small restaurants, and convenience stores.

Su Wan had contacted the hotel in advance, and we drove the three cars straight to the hotel entrance along the street.

As I got out of the car, the first thing I noticed was the condition of the three cars.

They had only just left Lhasa and hadn't even truly entered the uninhabited area when the three brand-new off-road vehicles were already covered in dust.

It looks disheveled and weathered, but this is only the beginning of getting a feel for off-roading in extreme environments.

We each took a simple change of clothes and toiletries from the car and walked into the hotel lobby.

The hotel's decor was simple, even giving off a sense of old-fashioned roughness.

A woman in her forties was sitting behind the counter, watching TV.

Judging from her clothes, demeanor, and manner of speaking, she is clearly not a local; she must have come from the mainland to open a shop here.

Many of the shops here are opened by people from mainland China.

Don't be fooled by the lack of people; it's often in these godforsaken places that room rates are outrageously high.

I had mentally prepared myself to be ripped off, but when my eyes swept over the price list on the wall...

He was stunned for a moment.