From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

hum...

The sound grew clearer and clearer as it approached from afar, piercing through the biting wind!

My pupils suddenly contracted, and the hairs on my body stood on end instantly!

This is the heart of a no-man's land, with no one for thousands of miles around, and it's impossible for any ordinary vehicles to pass through here!

Am I having a mental breakdown and hallucinating?

I immediately turned and grabbed Luo Peng beside me, asking urgently in a low voice, "Did you hear a car?"

Luo Peng snapped out of his daze, frowned, listened intently for two seconds, and then nodded emphatically: "I heard it! It's a car engine!"

It wasn't a hallucination! Someone really came!

But I wasn't excited, because the presence of vehicles in this area was very likely due to the thieves who stole our grain last night!

I immediately lowered my voice and warned, "It's very likely the person who stole the grain last night!"

Luo Peng's previously despairing expression instantly changed, his anger blazing, and he abruptly straightened his body.

Su Wan also instantly turned around alertly and calmly said, "There's a car approaching this way at high speed."

My mind raced, and I immediately said to them, "Quick! Back in the car!"

Luo Peng was taken aback, thinking I was about to retreat and run away, and quickly reached out to stop me, saying urgently:

"Brother Lin! We've been searching so hard for so long, all to catch this thief! How can he run away!"

"Who told you I was going to run? Now drive all three vehicles to the ditch behind the research station and hide them completely. Don't make a sound! If he discovers there are vehicles here, we'll miss our chance to catch him!"

Luo Peng reacted instantly, his eyes narrowed, and he turned and ran wildly toward the vehicle.

Taking advantage of the gap before the other vehicle got close, the three of us divided the work and moved the three vehicles to the ditch behind the tin house as quickly as possible and hid them.

Before leaving, I made a point of cleaning up the fresh tire tracks and erasing all traces of anyone having stayed there.

After doing all this, we immediately went back inside and hid in the innermost storage hut of the research station, using a heavy, old iron frame to firmly block the door.

A few minutes later, all the noise completely disappeared.

The entire wasteland fell into an eerie silence once more, with only the ever-approaching roar of engines pounding against my eardrums, causing my heart to race wildly.

Not knowing the number of the other side, if it's a gang crime, not only will the three of us be unable to avenge ourselves, but we will also lose our remaining supplies and vehicles, plunging us into an abyss of no return.

The current situation is also a high-stakes gamble.

Either retreat and swallow your anger.

Alternatively, gamble that the other party is acting alone and take the opportunity to reclaim the supplies.

But I'm not gambling blindly.

I already confirmed this from a distance using binoculars when I parked the car.

Only one vehicle came along; it was the same pickup truck that we had encountered by chance by the river on our first day in the no-man's-land!

Not long after, a dilapidated pickup truck slowly drove into view, appearing at the end of the vast white wasteland.

The vehicle was covered in thick frozen mud, and its worn-out paint and damaged body were exactly the same as the pickup truck that had been pretending to get stuck.

The vehicle drove over the snow, heading straight towards the research station.

Luo Peng peeked through the crack in the door and recognized the vehicle. He instantly became agitated: "Brother Lin! It's this car! This is the car that tricked us into getting stuck!"

"I saw it. Don't get agitated. Calm down! Observe the situation first," I immediately reminded him.

As the pickup truck slowly pulled up and approached, the cargo bed came into full view.

The pickup truck bed is neatly filled with all kinds of outdoor camping supplies and wilderness equipment.

The neatly arranged pile of packages at the very top instantly ignited my fury!

That was none other than all the reserve food that had been stolen from Luo Peng's car last night!

Compressed dry food, canned meat, vacuum-packed cooked food—each item is clearly identifiable!

The so-called herdsmen getting stuck in their vehicles and asking for help, the so-called sheep being herded alone in the Gobi Desert, and the so-called chance encounters with misfortune are all carefully designed traps!

He was not just a passerby, but a desert bandit who had been lurking in the no-man's-land for years, specifically tailing convoys and waiting for an opportunity to steal and plunder!

He had his eye on us from the very beginning, following us and lying in wait until we were tired and relaxed late at night, then taking advantage of the darkness of the snowy night to steal from us.

The old pickup truck braked and stopped at the entrance of the abandoned research station.

The pickup truck door clicked open, and the middle-aged man stepped out.

He had dark skin and wore a worn-out leather coat, looking like an honest and simple herdsman.

If you met him for the first time, anyone would think he was an honest and simple passerby.

But at this moment, in the eyes of the three of us, this seemingly honest face only exuded a sinister aura that made us feel physically nauseous.

The moment Luo Peng saw that face clearly, his whole body trembled violently, and his breathing became heavy, like a bellows.

The self-blame, regret, frustration, and anger that had been suppressed for two whole days suddenly erupted at this moment!

These past two days he's been working like crazy and punishing himself with a strict diet. All his forbearance and guilt are thanks to the person in front of him!

"Damn it!!"

Luo Peng suppressed a low growl, disregarding the treacherous terrain of the wasteland and the unknown origins of his opponent, and twisted his body, ready to rush out and fight to the death.

"I'll kill you! Give me back my food!!"

His eyes were bloodshot and the veins on his forehead were bulging.

He completely lost control of his rage and became frenzied, his mind consumed by the desire to reclaim the supplies.

I reacted incredibly fast, grabbing his arm tightly and forcefully pinning him against the wall as he lost control!

"Don't move!!"

I lowered my voice and snapped, my tone urgent, "Calm down!"

"From the outside, there may only be one driver, but robbers who dare to commit crimes in the heart of uninhabited areas for extended periods never act alone!"

"There might be accomplices hiding nearby! We don't know their numbers or whether they're armed!"

"Charging out now isn't revenge, it's just throwing your life away!"

The no-man's-land is a complete lawless zone, where there are no laws to bind people and no justice to speak of.

Those who can roam this heartland year-round stealing and robbing are all vicious and desperate criminals with absolutely no moral compass.

Luo Peng's chest heaved violently, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he stared intently at the man's back outside the door, his teeth grinding together.

"That's all the food we have! It's our only hope for survival!"

"Brother Lin! Are we just going to stand by and watch him take over and wait to die?!"

"I know it better than you do!"

I continued, staring intently at the figure outside the crack in the door, and said in a deep voice:

"Stay calm and observe! Figure out everyone's situation, and only take action when it's safe! Impulsiveness won't solve anything!"

Luo Peng gradually calmed down, but he was still glaring angrily at the person outside.

The middle-aged robber outside the door was completely unaware that someone was hiding in the shadows, and continued to act as if he were completely at ease.

He slowly circled the pickup truck, patted the cargo bed full of supplies, and grinned with a smug, greedy smile.

He muttered to himself, mockingly:

"Another bunch of idiots! Three outsiders dared to venture into the no-man's-land for exploration. After all that trouble, they ended up working for me and delivering supplies for nothing."

Upon hearing this, a chill instantly ran through me.

As expected, he's a habitual offender who has been committing crimes for years!

He was already very skilled at this kind of trickery—following caravans and stealing their grain at night—and had tricked countless adventuring caravans before.