From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

After listening to my words, Luo Peng took a deep breath of the cold night air and nodded emphatically.

When he looked up again, the gloom and self-blame in his eyes had completely faded, replaced by an indomitable spirit.

"Brother Lin, I understand."

"I'm not going to feel guilty anymore. From now on, I'll work hard, conserve my energy, and protect the convoy."

"Whether or not we find the supplies in the end, I will stay with you until the very last moment."

"That's right." I smiled, patted his shoulder, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Get some rest; you've had a long day."

Back in my tent, lying down, I still felt a lingering unease and couldn't quite put my mind at ease.

What I fear most is that we gamble everything, only to find the research station empty, without a single supply.

If it really comes to that, we'll have to give up on this no-man's-land crossing altogether.

But I've also prepared for the worst; if it really comes to that, I'll accept it.

All I can say is that fate didn't give us a chance to break the deadlock.

I still slept fitfully that night; the extreme cold and the pressure in my heart made it impossible for me to fall into a deep sleep.

Luo Peng's condition was similar to mine, with obvious signs of fatigue and bloodshot eyes.

Even though he was exhausted, he still mustered his energy early the next morning to efficiently tidy up the campsite and check the vehicles.

After last night's heart-to-heart talk and guidance, Luo Peng's mindset has stabilized a lot, but he still works harder than anyone else.

He is taking concrete actions to make up for his mistakes and protect the entire team.

On the desolate plain, the snow covered the earth, and all that could be seen was an endless expanse of pale white.

The biting wind howled past, each gust carrying the desolation and deathly silence unique to the wasteland.

The closer you get to the research station marked on the map, the more desolate and rugged the surrounding terrain becomes.

The ground was covered with a complex network of frozen soil gullies, and the road surface was uneven and full of potholes, making every step forward a violent bumpy ride.

The tires crunched over the thick snow, making a cold, hard sound that was both crisp and lonely.

Apart from the roar of the three car engines, there was no other sign of life in the entire area; the deathly silence was unsettling.

After a difficult trek of more than five hours, enduring countless bumps and road condition checks, we finally arrived at the abandoned research station.

Looking into the distance, in the very center of the vast wilderness, a solitary tin-roofed bungalow stands.

The walls of the tin shack were rusted, the roof was dilapidated, and the surrounding area was filled with piles of sand and dirt.

The dilapidated tin house stood alone in this desolate wasteland, surrounded by barren land, looking like a haunted house in the wilderness.

I slowly pressed the brake, and once again pulled out Wang Ge's old hand-drawn map, repeatedly checking the coordinates and landmarks.

Luo Peng's expectant voice soon came through the walkie-talkie: "Brother Lin, have we arrived? Is this the abandoned research station?"

After verifying the information, I put away the map and replied into the walkie-talkie, "We've arrived. The coordinates should indicate this is the correct location."

As soon as I finished speaking, I put down the walkie-talkie, opened the car door, and jumped out.

In an instant, a biting cold wind swept over us.

The huge temperature difference between the inside and outside of the car made me suddenly feel cold all over, and I subconsciously shivered, with every hair on my body standing on end.

Su Wan and Luo Peng also got off the car one after another. The three of them walked quickly toward the dilapidated tin-roofed research station without saying a word.

The rusty iron gate was already rotten, and the door frame was mottled with rust. I reached out and gently pushed it, and the iron gate immediately made a piercing "creak" sound and opened.

The room was covered in a thick layer of dust, and the floor was littered with old cardboard boxes, tattered canvas, and broken metal frames...

The surroundings were empty and desolate, a scene of utter chaos.

The moment I saw this scene, my heart sank, and an extremely bad premonition instantly spread throughout my body.

The three of us immediately split up and searched each room.

They thoroughly searched every possible hiding place: corners, crevices, old cabinets, back storage rooms, and even the small underground mezzanine.

The result was utterly despairing; everything was empty, completely gone.

Forget about the emergency supplies recorded in Wang Ge's notes, there isn't even a bottle of expired mineral water or a single usable part to be found here.

The so-called abandoned supplies turned out to be nothing from beginning to end.

An overwhelming sense of despair instantly filled my entire body. I froze on the spot, my temples throbbing wildly, unable to accept this cruel reality.

For this sliver of hope, we braved the wind and snow, endured altitude sickness, and endured two whole days of bumpy travel on terrible roads, consuming a large amount of food and vehicle fuel in the process.

Despite having mentally prepared myself to lose the bet, the moment I actually witnessed the outcome was still quite something.

I'm still devastated and can't accept it.

Luo Peng stood blankly beside me, his eyes fixed on the empty walls, completely frozen in place.

Of all the people, he was the one who felt the most guilty and longed to find supplies the most.

He's been working tirelessly these past two days, staying up all night, hoping to gamble on this chance to turn things around.

The higher your hopes, the greater your disappointment will be.

His face gradually lost its color, his lips trembled slightly, and he mumbled hollowly to himself:

"It's all gone...nothing left...absolutely no chance..."

We originally had enough rations to last for seventeen days, but because of the detours we took these past two days, we can now only barely last for fifteen days at most.

Even more fatally, we have completely deviated from the original main storyline!

To turn back along the return route, it would take another two days of travel and supplies.

In a mere instant, all the gaps in survival widened dramatically.

This long-planned traverse through uninhabited areas has now essentially been declared a complete failure.

Su Wan stood at the dilapidated doorway, and for the first time, a hint of undisguised solemnity and helplessness surfaced on her usually cold face.

Even she, who is usually so calm, was completely silent at this moment.

A huge rock was pressing on my heart, so heavy it made it hard to breathe.

Having endured the long, bitterly cold night and avoided treacherous road conditions, we have carefully made our way to where we are today.

In the end, they did not perish from natural disasters and snowstorms, but rather from the treacherous schemes and machinations of human nature.

None of the three spoke, and none of them knew what to do next.

I took out a cigarette from my pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag, trying to suppress the anxiety in my heart with the smoke.

But even as the smoke entered his throat, he couldn't suppress his chaotic thoughts, and self-doubt grew wildly in his heart.

I started to constantly reflect on whether my decision was wrong from the moment I stepped into the no-man's land.

I had no ability to lead the team across the perilous situation; I was just showing off and taking everyone on a risk.

I should have listened to Brother Wang's advice and given up on this unrealistic idea.

The situation has now collapsed, and we have no choice but to turn back.

Although returning to Shuanghu County would allow them to resupply, the weather window in the uninhabited area is extremely harsh.

Once the current window of opportunity is missed, the next time it will be safe to enter the no-man's-land will be a long time coming, and no one can say for sure how long it will take.

I can afford to wait, but Su Wan and Luo Peng can't.

In other words, this return journey marks the complete end of our trek through the no-man's-land.

Just when the three of us were on the verge of a mental breakdown...

From the depths of the desolate wilderness in the distance, the roar of a car engine suddenly came through!