From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

Even if Luo Peng were to withdraw on his own, it wouldn't solve the fundamental problem.

If the two of us continue forward, our safety will be greatly compromised.

Anything can happen in the no-man's-land. If the car breaks down or has another malfunction, leaving only me and Su Wan in the car, we'll be helpless if something really happens.

After weighing the pros and cons, I lowered my head again, reached out and patted Luo Peng on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice:

"Don't always take the blame upon yourself. Nobody wants something like this to happen. Since it's already happened, let's all shoulder it together."

Luo Peng kept shaking his head, full of self-reproach, and said, "No, Brother Lin, listen to me. With another mouth to feed, the current food definitely won't last until the end. If I stay, I'll only hold everyone back. I'll go back the way I came. You and Sister Wan continue forward. The supplies in your two trucks are enough for you to make it to the end."

"Have you thought about what we would do if our vehicle broke down on the road and we got stuck?" I asked him, staring at him.

Luo Peng was speechless for a moment, and his head drooped even lower.

Su Wan, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and said softly, "Lin Ye is right, you can't leave alone. If we're going to retreat, we should all retreat together."

Luo Peng suddenly raised his head, his mouth slightly open, looked at me, and then at Su Wan.

It seemed like they wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out.

I looked at him with a determined gaze, shook my head, and said, "I won't back down. If we encounter danger, we'll figure out a way to deal with it together. So what if we don't have enough food? We can just reduce everyone's rations later."

I paused, then forced out a slightly optimistic tone and said, "Besides, there might be some food out there in this wasteland. We might run into some small animals like rabbits, and if we're lucky, they might even give us an extra meal."

Even I felt unsure of myself when I said those words.

The uninhabited area may look vast, but catching wild rabbits and gazelles is no easy task.

The heavy snow covered the entire land, and wild animals were already scarce. Hunting to fill the food gap was entirely a gamble.

Whether you encounter it or not depends entirely on fate; it's not something you can rely on to survive.

After hearing this, Luo Peng forced a bitter smile, his face devoid of any genuine joy.

"Brother Lin, stop trying to comfort me. With the snow blocking the ground, there aren't many prey waiting for us."

He braced himself against the snow and slowly stood up from the snow-covered ground, his trouser legs covered with a thick layer of white snow.

He stood in front of me, his face grave, and said, "Simply relying on reducing rations to get by is not enough for a journey of more than twenty days. Having an extra person to consume will eventually deplete our reserves."

As he spoke, he glanced at the chaotic scene inside the carriage, then turned his gaze to the footprints that were slowly fading in the depths of the wasteland.

"The person who stole the grain is still roaming around this area, and who knows when they'll sneak back. We'll have to tighten our belts and eat sparingly from now on, while also constantly being on guard against threats from the shadows."

After he finished speaking, the camp fell into a deathly silence.

Only the cold wind, swirling with snowflakes, howled past the car body, emitting a low, mournful roar, as if someone were sobbing softly in the shadows.

Su Wan squatted down, her fingertips gently brushing over the remaining footprints in the snow, her brows furrowed tightly.

"The footprints stretched northwest. There are many ravines there, suitable for hiding. The wind and snow are gradually burying the tracks, so we definitely can't catch up now. If we rashly split up the group to chase after them, we'll just be playing into their hands."

Everyone understands the logic: if the other side dares to launch a sneak attack overnight, they must be familiar with this wasteland, and they might even have accomplices.

There are three of us in three cars. If we split up, any one of us could be in danger if we are left alone.

Chasing after them is absolutely not an option.

After a long silence, I took a deep breath of the cold air and spoke in a low voice:

"We now have only two paths before us. The first is to turn back to Shuanghu to replenish our supplies, but that would likely mean missing the window of good weather."

After a pause, I continued, "Secondly, everyone stays behind, cuts down on rations, and grits their teeth to continue crossing forward."

As I spoke, I turned to look at Luo Peng, my tone leaving no room for argument:

"Luo Peng, your option to leave alone is now invalid. This no-man's-land is fraught with danger, even if you drive back alone, the road will still be fraught with peril, and your chances of survival will be the same."

These words shocked Luo Peng. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a rebuttal.

He naively thought that by sacrificing himself and withdrawing, he could benefit us.

But reality is staring me in the face: returning alone is also a perilous dead end.

Su Wan stood up, brushed the snow off her palms, and calmly reviewed the situation regarding the supplies.

"I just roughly counted all the remaining supplies on the two vehicles. If we follow the original standard ration of one person per day, it will only last for fourteen days. Our original plan was to cross the border in twenty-one days, so we are short seven days' worth of food."

Seven days!

In the no-man's-land, a seven-day food shortage can be a matter of life and death.

She paused briefly before continuing her objective statement: "If we choose to continue, everyone's food rations will be halved. We'll only consume enough food to sustain basic survival each day, supplemented with the last of our emergency chocolates and energy bars. If we push ourselves to the limit, we can survive for a maximum of seventeen days."

Luo Peng's shoulders slumped heavily, his voice filled with weakness: "Four days left... still not enough."

Su Wan also shut her mouth and stopped talking. Right now, even she couldn't think of a feasible solution.

The atmosphere at the scene was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

I lowered my head and pondered, my mind racing to find the equipment list I had prepared before setting off.

Suddenly, something I had almost forgotten popped into my head.

"Wait! Things aren't hopeless yet; we're not entirely without options."

As soon as I finished speaking, without thinking twice, I turned around and rushed back to my SUV.

I reached into the storage box and pulled out the old hand-drawn map that Brother Wang had given me before he left.

The map is densely marked with hidden routes and risk points throughout the uninhabited area, as well as many hidden landmarks unknown to outsiders.

I quickly scanned the drawing paper, and it was just as I had thought.

On the eastern side of the map, in the heart of the wilderness, lies an abandoned research station, not far from our current camp.

I immediately took the map and returned to the two of them, laying the map flat on a clean spot on the front of the car.

Luo Peng and Su Wan also came over immediately, looking at me with suspicion.

I pointed to a faded, dotted line on the map and said:

"Look, on this unique hand-drawn map by Brother Wang, there's a marker for an abandoned research station from years ago. It's located right here."

After Su Wan and Luo Peng had clearly seen the exact location, I continued:

"This research station has been abandoned for many years. According to Wang Ge's notes, the research team evacuated in an emergency, and there should be emergency survival supplies left behind at the station. The station is located to the east of our original main route, which is more than 100 kilometers away from the original route."

"Over a hundred kilometers?"

Su Wan frowned instantly and said cautiously, "It has been abandoned for many years and no one has taken care of it. In such a long time, the supplies have most likely been looted clean, and there may not be any left."

Silence fell again at the scene, the cold wind swirling snowflakes past the car, and the atmosphere remained oppressive.