From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I slowly pressed the brake, stopped the car, and picked up the map to repeatedly check the location and route.

After confirming everything was in order, I picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Attention everyone, we have now reached the fork in the road. The normal route is to go straight to the entrance of the Three Rivers Source, but we will not go that way. Instead, we will take the alternative route above to enter the no-man's-land."

Luo Peng immediately replied, "Got it! Don't worry, Brother Lin. I'm feeling great; these past two hours have been very relaxing!"

I replied, "Keep a good mindset and don't be too nervous."

At this moment, Su Wan's cool voice slowly came through the walkie-talkie, tinged with a hint of emotion:

"This stone house ahead should be the last human-made structure we see along the way. Beyond here lies the true Hoh Xil no-man's-land, where there are no more traces of human activity."

I looked up and my gaze fell on the old stone house.

It stands alone on the vast and desolate land, its walls mottled and dilapidated, having been abandoned for many years.

Only a rusty iron pot in front of the door proves that someone once set foot in this desolate place.

In an instant, a strong sense of desolation and loneliness welled up in my heart.

I know we have truly entered the no-man's land.

For a long time to come, we will be completely isolated from the world, wandering through this vast, desolate land.

This is probably the ultimate form of loneliness.

I took out my phone, aimed it at the lonely stone house, and pressed the shutter.

This serves as proof that we have officially entered the Hoh Xil no-man's-land, embarking on this life-or-death ordeal.

Click.

A crisp click of a camera shutter echoed across the wilderness.

On this desolate, boundless Gobi Desert.

The faint sound was unusually abrupt and clear, only to be swallowed up by the wind in the wilderness in an instant.

I put my phone away and looked up towards due north.

A bumpy, rugged dirt road stretches freely along the undulations of the earth, reaching the horizon.

The road surface was bare, with not a single fresh tire track in sight.

Only a few old marks, almost completely worn away by years of wind and sand, vaguely point in the direction of Purogangri Glacier.

After a brief silence of a few seconds on the walkie-talkie, Luo Peng's slightly excited voice rang out:

"Brother Lin, are we officially entering the no-man's land now?"

I responded and then said, "Everyone check all the equipment in the vehicle, the fuel level, the water tank, the emergency stop switch. Once we're sure everything is in order, we'll set off."

"Once inside the area, the convoy must maintain its formation, keep a safe distance, and refrain from overtaking or accelerating without authorization."

"receive!"

"clear."

I put down the walkie-talkie and looked back at the abandoned stone house outside the window.

The earthen wall is mottled and cracked, with withered yellow weeds growing in the gaps between the stones, and the iron pot by the door is rusty, with half of the pot sunk into the mud.

No one knows who stopped here to rest many years ago.

With what feelings did they continue their journey into the depths of the wilderness, and where did they ultimately end up?

In the vast wilderness, people are but fleeting passersby.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the overwhelming sense of desolation that washed over me.

Now is not the time for sentimentality. For the next twenty days or so, we must proceed with extreme caution.

After Su Wan and Luo Peng finished checking their respective vehicles, a signal came through the walkie-talkie that they were ready.

I gripped the walkie-talkie firmly and said in a deep voice, "Attention all vehicles, prepare to depart. Road conditions ahead are unknown, proceed with caution."

As soon as I finished speaking, I shifted into gear and slowly released the brake.

The deep, resonant roar of the off-road vehicle's engine broke the eternal silence of this desolate wasteland.

The wheels rolled over the rough gravel, kicking up a cloud of fine dust that gently rose into the air.

Behind them, Su Wan's gray G-Class followed closely, with Luo Peng's vehicle trailing just behind.

The three vehicles formed a straight line and steadily drove away from the fork in the road, slowly advancing into the deepest part of the no-man's-land.

The stone hut, a symbol of human civilization, receded further and further from view.

From a clear outline, it slowly turned into a small black dot, and finally disappeared completely at the end of the vast horizon.

From this moment on, the traces of human civilization were left far behind us.

The scenery outside the window is also undergoing a subtle but dramatic change.

At first, you could see patches of withered yellow meadows on both sides of the road, but the further you went, the sparser the vegetation became, until it disappeared completely.

As far as the eye could see, all that remained was an endless expanse of Gobi Desert and rubble.

The gray-yellow land stretched for thousands of miles, monotonous and barren, devoid of any sign of life.

The sky was vast and a pure, deep blue, while the ground was a grayish-yellow.

In the vast wilderness, it seemed as if only the three of us steel vehicles remained, slowly moving forward in the deathly silence.

Fortunately, the climate along the route we chose is relatively stable.

Although the wind has picked up, the sandstorm is not too bad, and there is only a slight headwind, so it will not have a significant impact on driving.

I checked the route against the car map and found a shallow river not far ahead, which was also the first high-risk spot on the entire crossing route.

The riverbed in the uninhabited area may appear flat, but underneath it is full of silt and soft mud.

If a vehicle gets stuck, it is extremely difficult to get out by manpower alone without any outside help, and a slight mistake could lead to a dangerous situation.

After the vehicle traveled at a constant speed for about forty minutes, a long, winding riverbed finally came into view.

The river channel is not wide, but the bottom of the riverbed is all soft mud that has been soaked in the river water for a long time. The surface looks flat, but there are deep pits hidden underneath.

I slowly applied the brakes and stopped the car in a safe position in front of the river.

I picked up the walkie-talkie and said in a serious tone:

"We've reached a shallow section of the river ahead. Everyone, please don't rush across. I'll get out of the car and walk around to check the soil on the riverbed. Once we've confirmed it's safe, we'll proceed slowly one by one."

Pushing open the car door, a biting cold wind instantly hits you, making your cheeks tingle.

I pulled my collar tighter, put on my hat, and slowly walked towards the riverbed, stepping on the pebbles scattered on the ground.

The soil underfoot was soft and slippery, so I took each step with extra caution.

Just then, Luo Peng's voice came from behind: "Brother Lin, I'll go with you! More people means more security."

I nodded slightly, without refusing.

The two of them, one in front of the other, carefully tested the hard soil at the edge, meticulously checking the depth of the silt in the entire riverbed.

The entire wasteland was eerily quiet; apart from the howling wind, not a sound could be heard.

After surveying the soil, Luo Peng and I returned to our respective vehicles, and I immediately relayed the situation via walkie-talkie:

"The exploration is complete. The middle section of the riverbed is relatively solid, but the silt on both sides is too deep. We can only slowly pass through the narrow passage in the middle."

"Remember not to accelerate suddenly, drive at a steady speed, and stop immediately if the wheels start to slip."

The three vehicles followed the route instructions precisely and smoothly crossed the river in turn.

But I knew in my heart that this was only the beginning of the test in the no-man's-land.

The real danger is yet to come.

The convoy continued speeding forward, but before long, my gaze suddenly sharpened.

There was a car parked on the Gobi Desert in the distance!

How could anyone possibly drive into this area, which is already deep in the wilderness?

I immediately slowed down and grabbed the car's binoculars to look into the distance.

Once focused, the image is crystal clear.

Yes, it is indeed a car.