From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I took a deep breath of the biting wind and looked around at the boundless white snowfield.

After a long pause, I replied in a deep voice:

"Brother Wang, the moment we stepped into the no-man's land, it was already a huge gamble."

"Once you've sat down at the gambling table, there's no reason to quit halfway; you can only gamble until the very end."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a heavy sigh from Brother Wang.

He knew I was stubborn and that we were in a dangerous situation, so any further persuasion would be useless. In the end, he didn't say anything more.

The satellite phone was almost out of battery, and we couldn't afford to delay.

Using the latest satellite map data synchronized in real time by Wang Ge, I quickly marked every key coordinate point along the way.

Without a single word of small talk, Brother Wang quickly reported the locations.

I immediately waved to Su Wan and asked her to help me record the coordinates and verify the locations. The two of us divided the work.

In just five minutes, all the key points and emergency avoidance points along the new route were recorded and marked.

Have a safe journey and be careful.

Before Brother Wang could finish his final words of advice, the receiver suddenly crackled, and the satellite phone went black and shut down.

I put the phone back in the car's storage box, picked up the map with its dense markings, and repeatedly rehearsed the route, considering the risks of the road conditions.

After double-checking, we finally decided on our campsite for tonight.

Twenty kilometers ahead lies a natural canyon sheltered from the wind.

Without much hesitation, I immediately raised my hand to signal that the convoy, having rested, should set off again.

I dared not relax along the way, and every now and then I would hold a pair of binoculars and scan the front, back, left and right repeatedly, always on alert for whether there were any robbers' vehicles following me.

Fortunately, the road was in good condition, with no hidden potholes or sinkholes, and no trace of human activity was found.

In less than two hours, we successfully arrived at our target canyon.

After parking the car, I got out immediately, quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain, and set up camp.

After we finished setting up the camp and checking the vehicles, the sky gradually darkened.

The evening sunlight on the plateau is exceptionally soft, gently scattering across the snowfield and reflecting a warm, white glow.

The biting cold of the daytime has faded, replaced by a rare warmth.

The three of us sat in the hood of the car, quietly gazing at this peaceful and vast uninhabited area.

There was no fighting, no deadly crisis, no despair or helplessness.

Only the gentle evening breeze whispers in my ears, and all I see before me is the pristine white snow; the boundless天地 (heaven and earth) is serene and peaceful.

This is a peace and tranquility we have never experienced since we entered the no-man's land.

As my mind relaxed, I suddenly remembered the promise I made with Su Qing the night before I left.

With this thought in mind, the previously bitter and unknown road ahead suddenly became much gentler, and most of the anxiety and pressure in my heart dissipated.

The road ahead is still long, arduous, and full of unknowns, but we are no longer the same as before.

Having survived the desperate situation of having supplies stolen and the life-or-death struggle of close combat, our team has long since matured from its initial naivety upon entering the wilderness.

Even if the road ahead is difficult, what is there to fear?

The campsite we chose was in a sheltered spot in the canyon, with towering earthen cliffs on both sides that blocked the cold winds blowing through the wilderness.

The snow cover on the ground is thin, and the permafrost is relatively flat, so there's no need to worry about getting stuck or being blown by the night wind.

A life-or-death ordeal also thoroughly tempered Luo Peng.

He was calm and reliable at this moment, no longer showing the impetuousness of the past.

He took on all the most tiring and tedious tasks at the camp, setting up cold-proof tents, tamping down the surrounding snow, and reinforcing the camp's perimeter fence with practiced and efficient movements.

After finishing all the work, he also checked the doors and windows of the three vehicles one by one, repeatedly confirming that nothing had been overlooked.

Finally, they patrolled the perimeter of the entire camp twice to check for potential safety hazards.

Su Wan remained calm and meticulous. She took out a thermometer and anemometer to record the nighttime plateau climate data and then checked the supplies one by one.

I wasn't idle either; I took binoculars and patrolled the entire perimeter of the canyon, repeatedly confirming that there were no vehicle tracks or signs of human activity.

The peace and stability we enjoy after surviving this disaster is hard-won, and we dare not slack off in the slightest.

The campfire rose slowly, its flickering light tearing through the twilight of the plateau, dispelling the chill of the night, and gradually fading the lingering bloodlust and hostility on our bodies.

Recalling the fierce battle that took place in the tin shack during the day, I still feel lingering fear.

Those brutal, hand-to-hand combat scenes were something I'd only ever seen in movies and TV shows before.

Now that it's actually happening to me, every scene is extremely dangerous.

But when I went through all that, I wasn't really scared. I only had one thought in my mind: to fight to survive.

Before it got completely dark, I decided to explore a new route ahead and familiarize myself with the road conditions to avoid any unexpected dangers on my journey tomorrow.

I turned to Su Wan and Luo Peng and said, "I'll scout ahead. I won't go too far. You two guard the camp and don't wander off. Call me immediately if anything happens."

Luo Peng immediately nodded in agreement.

Su Wan, who was standing to the side, stood up, brushed the fine snow off her clothes, and said, "I'll go with you."

She didn't say anything more and naturally followed beside me.

I know she was worried about me exploring alone and wanted someone to look after me.

Dusk enveloped the wasteland, the world turned pure white, and all was silent.

We walked in silence, the snow crunching softly under our feet.

Although they didn't speak a word the whole way, it wasn't awkward at all.

Having shared life and death, and fought side by side in bloodshed, we have long since shed our initial unfamiliarity and estrangement.

After walking about 500 meters forward, just as you are about to exit the canyon, you will reach the exit.

The scene before me made me stop abruptly, and my entire body tensed up instantly.

Something is wrong!

This treacherous, uninhabited road, which no one has ever set foot on before, actually shows signs of human presence!

These are not footprints, but traces of human habitation!

I immediately pointed to a natural cave beneath the boulder ahead and whispered, "Su Wan, look there!"

Su Wan quickly looked in the direction I pointed, a hint of surprise flashing across her cool gaze. She immediately turned and met my gaze.

Having survived the deadly ambush by the robbers at the research station, my heart was instantly in my throat.

The first thing that flashed through my mind was those two desperate robbers!

Could they be their accomplices?

Logically speaking, our current route shouldn't be used by any regular expedition teams, so how could traces of human settlement appear out of thin air?

I immediately lowered my voice and said to Su Wan warily, "Don't move. I'll go investigate first. They're most likely accomplices of those robbers, or desperate criminals roaming the wasteland."

Su Wan immediately looked around and said to me, "Be careful, pay attention to your surroundings."

I nodded slightly, reached out and took out the dagger I always carried at my waist, and slowly approached the cave.

As I got closer, I became even more certain that someone had definitely lived and lived here.

The cave space is small, barely enough for two or three people to huddle together and settle down.

The cave was filled with gravel and yellow sand, and a ring of evenly sized stones had been piled up around it.

A clear charred mark from a campfire remains in the very center of the stone...