From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

"Bang!"

A dull, loud bang rang out.

The middle-aged robber froze instantly, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, completely powerless to struggle.

But just when we thought the battle was completely over, an unexpected incident occurred!

The young robber, riddled with bullet holes and slumped to the side, actually struggled to his feet and slowly got up!

The steel balls in the homemade shotgun had limited power and insufficient penetrating power. Although they blasted countless wounds on his body, they failed to penetrate his internal organs and were not fatal.

He was covered in blood, but his eyes were still fierce and menacing. He endured the excruciating pain, raised his hand to his waist, and pulled out a folding dagger!

A flash of cold light, the blade sharp and menacing.

Despite his severe injuries, he struggled to lunge forward and fight back.

My eyes narrowed, and I immediately bent down to pick up the blue bricks on the ground, about to step forward.

Luo Peng raised his hand and stopped me.

Covered in blood and splattered with murderous intent, he resembled a demon crawling out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, and strode straight toward the young robber.

At the same time, the young robber gritted his teeth and swung his knife fiercely at Luo Peng!

In a split second, Luo Peng dodged the blade while simultaneously gathering his strength and delivering a powerful kick to his opponent's chest!

"roll!"

The young robber was already severely injured and blood loss, and his body was exhausted. He simply couldn't withstand the force of this attack.

He was kicked so hard that he flew through the air and crashed heavily into the cold iron wall, spitting out a mouthful of scarlet blood.

At this point, the two vicious and ruthless bandits of the wilderness were subdued by us and had no ability to resist anymore.

The noisy and violent tin shack finally fell completely silent.

Inside the room, only the heavy, rapid breathing of the three of us and the faint, painful groans of the two robbers on the ground remained.

The ground was covered in crimson blood, with overturned iron tables and chairs, and scattered ropes and stones—everywhere bore the gruesome marks of a recent life-or-death struggle.

I stood up straight, my chest still heaving violently, my muscles still tense, unable to relax for a long time.

This is the real no-man's-land, where there is no room for luck, and no room for forgiveness.

If we had shown even the slightest bit of leniency just now, the three of us would be lying here dead right now.

In just one night, a sandstorm will sweep through and bury all the bloodstains. No one will ever know that the three of us fought to the death here.

Luo Peng stood frozen in place, his body trembling slightly.

Blood mixed with sweat slowly slid down his face, his bloodshot eyes still fixed on the two robbers on the ground, his ferocity undiminished.

He wasn't bloodthirsty or ruthless; it was the tremor of surviving a catastrophe.

After a long while, he slowly turned his head and looked at the pickup truck outside the door, which was full of supplies and food.

His voice was hoarse and choked with sobs, as he murmured softly with utter exhaustion:

"We got it back...our food...we finally got it back..."

A short sentence, carrying the trembling of someone who has survived a catastrophe, and the relief of someone who has risked everything to atone for their sins.

In that brutal, life-or-death struggle just now, he risked his own life to save us.

Su Wan walked quickly to our side, her cool face still showing a hint of lingering fear, but her eyes remained calm and clear.

She quickly glanced at the two helpless robbers on the ground, her tone urgent and serious:

"Don't linger, it's too dangerous here, we must leave immediately."

I nodded emphatically, immediately pulled the unsteady Luo Peng along, and turned to walk quickly out of the tin shack.

Standing on the wasteland, looking at the pickup truck full of supplies that had been lost and recovered, I let out a long sigh of relief.

My nerves, which had been tense for two days and one night, finally began to relax.

At that moment, I truly understood those four words.

Aftermath.

In the battles of the no-man's-land, there are never any rules, and there is no room for luck.

Win, and you'll survive.

To lose is to be buried in the wilderness.

It's simple, brutal, and cruel to the extreme.

I glanced back at the tin shack behind me. Inside, the two robbers were completely incapacitated, lying on the ground, barely alive.

Whether they live or die is none of my business; that's their fate.

Live it!

Whether it was hatred or anger, it's all in the past.

All I want now is to live and live out the rest of my life peacefully.

We dared not linger in this dangerous place. The three of us moved quickly and efficiently, carrying all our supplies from the pickup truck back to Luo Peng's SUV.

After confirming that nothing was missing, we immediately drove away from the abandoned research station that had nearly cost us our lives.

The car sped along, and I kept glancing in the rearview mirror, staring at the vast snowfield behind me, constantly on guard against anyone following us.

The three of us remained silent the entire time, with only the low rumble of the engine echoing monotonously and oppressively in our ears.

They sped along the way, not daring to stop for even a moment.

It wasn't until I opened the map and checked the coordinates, confirming that we were already more than 40 kilometers away from the research station, that the tension in my heart eased slightly.

I picked up the walkie-talkie and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, stop for a moment and rest where you are."

I found a safe area with higher ground and a better view to park the car.

Luo Peng and Su Wan followed closely behind and parked their car.

Instead of getting off the car, I stood on the door sill and used binoculars to carefully scan the surrounding wilderness from all angles.

The world was vast and empty. Only after confirming that it was absolutely safe did I put down the binoculars and get out of the car.

Luo Peng and Su Wan followed closely behind and came down the door.

We are in a terrible mess right now.

The bloodstains on Luo Peng's face had long since dried and scabbed over, his nose was red, swollen, and bruised, and his mouth was cut and bleeding. His face was covered with scars from the fight.

My coat was covered in dust and bloodstains, and I was filthy, exhausted, and utterly disheveled.

Luo Peng seemed completely deflated, lying silently on the cold snowfield with a blank stare.

My heart tightened, and I quickly stepped forward, asking anxiously, "How are you? Are you alright? Tell me quickly if anything is bothering you."

Luo Peng stared blankly at the sky above him, his eyes vacant and filled with a sense of dazed relief at surviving a catastrophe.

He shook his head gently and murmured to himself, "We survived...we really survived."

Just a few words, but they brought tears to my eyes.

I let out a heavy sigh, sat down next to him, took out a cigarette from my pocket, lit it, and handed it to him.

He lit one himself, took a deep drag, and slowly said in agreement, "Yes, we all survived."

Two short days felt like an eternity.

From being driven to despair by the theft of supplies to risking all hope to reach an empty research station.

Then came the ambush by robbers, the close-quarters combat, and the life-or-death struggle...

One desperate situation after another, one life-or-death struggle after another, almost broke our mental and physical spirit.

Su Wan stood to the side and also let out a soft breath.

Those usually clear and serious eyes finally showed a hint of relaxed fatigue.

She casually tidied her messy hair, her gaze calmly fixed on the vast, pale snowfield.

She didn't say anything, but silently turned around and walked back to her car.