From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

The moment I stepped out of the sleeping bag, a biting wind rushed towards me, and I instantly experienced what extreme cold meant.

The biting wind, mixed with fine snowflakes, felt like countless icy knives scraping against the face, making it hard to breathe.

I looked up at the vast wilderness. The heavy snow from last night had not piled up, but had only covered the ground, the car roofs, and the tent roofs with a thin layer.

Looking out over a thousand miles, the world was a blanket of white, and the entire wasteland was deathly silent.

There was no sign of life; it was so desolate and empty that it resembled a living hell.

At this moment, Su Wan had already stepped out of the middle tent, her aloof figure standing in the wind and snow, rubbing her arms.

Even after enduring a night of extreme cold, she remained upright and showed little sign of distress.

I dragged my heavy steps to her side and asked in a low voice, "I feel a little dizzy and uncomfortable all over."

"With the high altitude and low temperature, it's normal to camp outdoors on the first night."

After speaking casually, she glanced around the empty snowfield and said, "Don't delay, hurry up and pack up the tent, let's leave as soon as possible, we can't stay here for long."

I nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

The three immediately split up to pack up their camping belongings and carefully load them onto the vehicle.

The morning chill was still biting, making every movement stiff and heavy, and slowing down my work efficiency considerably.

I just carried the folding floor mat to the trunk, ready to put it away neatly.

Suddenly, Luo Peng let out a heart-wrenching, terrified roar!

"ah!!!"

The scream was abrupt and piercing, exploding across the desolate, empty snowfield and instantly shattering the tranquility of the morning.

My heart skipped a beat, and my nerves tightened instantly. I immediately dropped the floor mat I was holding and ran towards Luo Peng's car without saying a word.

Even the usually calm and composed Su Wan suddenly became serious and quickly followed behind me, rushing forward in sync.

Luo Peng stood frozen by the open car door, his body stiff and motionless.

He raised his head again, pointing tremblingly into the interior of the carriage, his body shaking slightly.

"What's the panic? Why are you so startled? What happened?"

I quickly approached the car door and looked down.

With just one glance, I froze completely, my mind going completely blank.

The back seats and trunk were ransacked, with backpacks, warm clothing, and spare tools scattered all over the place, creating a chaotic mess.

All of Luo Peng's original food reserves—a whole bag of compressed dry rations, canned meat, and vacuum-packed cooked food—disappeared completely, leaving not a single trace.

The spot where supplies were originally piled up was now empty, with only a few scattered packaging bags remaining.

Luo Peng's voice trembled violently, hoarse and filled with despair: "Gone... all my food is gone..."

In an instant, the entire camp fell into complete silence.

The vast wilderness was covered in snow, and there was no one in sight or hear a sound.

In this desolate, isolated wilderness, losing an entire person's food reserves is no different from being sentenced to death!

A chilling despair surged from the soles of my feet and spread throughout my body in an instant, making me feel cold all over and my scalp tingle.

Our entire trek was planned over twenty days in advance, and all supplies and rations were allocated precisely on a daily basis, with careful budgeting and almost no surplus.

Luo Peng's food had vanished into thin air. Without a doubt, someone must have sneaked into the camp last night and stolen it!

This cruel reality slammed down on me, catching me off guard and leaving me stunned in place.

Even the biting cold on my body was completely gone at this moment.

Last night, Luo Peng even drank the noodle soup that Su Wan hadn't finished in order to save food.

But who could have imagined that in just one night, his entire truckload of food supplies would be gone?

The principles of hard work, thrift, and careful adherence were shattered in an instant by a malicious theft.

We only have enough food left for Su Wan and me, so we have to forcibly divide some of it to make up for the shortfall.

Luo Peng hung his head, his shoulders slumped, his voice hoarse and choked with sobs, filled with self-blame.

"It's my fault... I forgot to lock the car doors last night."

"I was so tired after packing the supplies yesterday, my head was foggy and I was sleepy. I just closed the car door without pressing the lock button... It's all my fault, I was so careless!"

He slammed his fist into the car door, then slowly slid down the car and sat on the cold snow, clutching his hair tightly with both hands, completely breaking down.

"How could I make such a stupid mistake! This is a no-man's-land! A place where people can die!"

His suppressed roar echoed across the snowfield, filled with regret and despair.

Yes, it's so hopeless.

Looking at the mess in the carriage, my head felt increasingly dizzy and throbbing, and my heart felt heavy and blocked.

The next second, the middle-aged man who pretended to ask for help by the river yesterday instantly popped into my mind.

It's him!

Yesterday we thought we had shaken off him, but now we realize that he had us completely under his watchful eye from the very beginning.

He wasn't shaken off at all; we had been following him from a distance and sneaked into the camp.

After we had traveled all night and were exhausted, we set up camp. Then, taking advantage of the heavy snow and the fact that we were all sound asleep and relaxed, we waited for the right moment to commit the crime.

A heavy sense of powerlessness pressed down on my shoulders, making it hard to breathe.

Even Su Wan, who never showed her emotions, was completely stunned at this moment, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed tightly, clearly realizing the seriousness of the situation.

To be honest, at this moment, for the first time, I felt a strong and genuine desire to back out.

Even though the wind and snow raged last night, keeping me awake all night, and even though the road ahead was treacherous and unknown, I never wavered in my determination to cross the no-man's-land.

But at this moment, I truly felt a deep-seated powerlessness.

We prepared for so long, carefully planned the route, and risked great danger to step into this forbidden zone of life.

As a result, on just the first day, a fatal theft occurred.

The road ahead holds more than twenty days of unknown dangers: icy rivers, mud pits, blizzards, and bitter cold...

There are also wicked people lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Will we really be able to cross safely?

If any further accidents occur, we will have no way out in this desolate place, and the outcome will be unimaginable.

A crazy idea began to grow in my mind.

Turn around and head back.

This is not cowardice, but a survival instinct ingrained in my bones, desperately reminding me that the road ahead is too dangerous.

But seeing Luo Peng lying on the snow, filled with remorse and completely broken down, I forced myself to suppress the thought.

If we give up on returning now, Luo Peng will most likely be trapped in this self-blame and guilt for the rest of his life, unable to let go.

It was clearly the other party who maliciously followed and deliberately stole from him; the fault did not lie with him, but rather with his momentary fatigue and carelessness.

Who could have predicted that the strangers we shook off would have secretly followed us all the way here?

The only saving grace is that the supplies and rations in my and Su Wan's other two vehicles were all intact, giving us a slim chance to keep going.