Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Prologue

The first night the off-road convoy crossed the uninhabited area of Hoh Xil, their tents were pitched near a mountain patrol camp at the foot of the snowy mountains.

The campsite was flat and open, dry and sheltered from the wind, and close to a water source.

Every May, from the start of the Tibetan antelope migration, the camp is manned by patrol members and volunteers, both to protect the antelopes and to assist off-road convoys or cycling travelers crossing Hoh Xil.

After setting up the tent, while it was still not completely dark, Qu Yixian unfolded the map folded in her jacket pocket, and as usual, traced the route with a black marker, noting the date.

Then she took photos to save.

This was her graduation trip with Jiang Yuan.

Four days ago, they departed from Nancheng City, flew directly to Xining, and after landing, went to a rental car agency to pick up the Cruiser they had rented.

The next day, they drove from Xining, passing through Ta’er Monastery and Qinghai Lake, and finally met the Xinghui off-road team at Heimahe Township.

On June 7, led by the Xinghui convoy captain Peng Shen, Qu Yixian followed the convoy all the way, traveling along the loop to Golmud.

After a day of rest, on the morning of June 9, the convoy departed Golmud, crossing the Kunlun Mountains into the uninhabited area of Hoh Xil.

This ten-day journey had now reached its halfway point.

She put away the map, tucking the capped pen and the map album into a compartment of her backpack.

Just as she finished, the tent flap was lifted from outside. Jiang Yuan, having finished taking photos, rubbed her hands and slipped into the tent, mischievously pressing her icy hands to the back of Qu Yixian’s neck.

Qu Yixian didn’t pull away either; she furrowed her brows and gave her a sharp look.

A vintage-style lantern hung in the tent, reminiscent of a 1960s oil lamp.

Under its light, Jiang Yuan’s smiling features looked especially charming.

“I got the Golden Summit, though the light wasn’t great…” She released her hands and, like presenting a treasure, handed over the camera hanging around her neck, eagerly waiting for praise.

The “Golden Summit” Jiang Yuan mentioned was the snow-capped peak lit by the first golden rays of the sun at dawn.

The “Golden Summit” at dusk—let’s just call it that—was merely the layered glow of the sunset adorning the mountain peaks, vanishing in an instant.

Qu Yixian flipped through a few photos, patted the tail-wagging girl: “I’ll set the alarm. Tomorrow before sunrise, I’ll wake you up and show you what a real snow-capped Golden Summit looks like.”

——

In June, after night falls in Hoh Xil, the temperature drops sharply.

The high-altitude air is thin, dry, and cold. After a day of tense nerves, even breathing seemed to drain all of Qu Yixian’s energy.

Her consciousness floated, trying to pull her into the abyss of nightmares.

She closed her eyes to rest for a moment; the sleeping mat was cold. Qu Yixian put on a down jacket, and as she lay back down, she faintly heard voices outside the tent. Over the buzzing in her head from altitude sickness, she only vaguely caught Peng Shen reminding everyone to rest early and not to move around alone at night.

Exhausted as she was… moving around alone…

She turned over on the sleeping mat, her eyes drooping, and fell into a deep sleep.

——

In the middle of the night, the wind rang the camel bells outside the tent with a muffled clang. Through the thick echo, Qu Yixian heard Jiang Yuan’s voice as if coming from a valley, winding and lingering through layers of mist.

“Yixian, I’m going to the car for a bottle of water.”

The single sound reverberated, endlessly echoing in Qu Yixian’s ears.

Deep in sleep, her face felt as if ice had been pressed against it; the chill, already spreading, seemed to have found an organization and surged all the way up her neck.

She opened her eyes slightly, not fully awake, and in that half-dream state saw Jiang Yuan kneeling by her side, smiling, saying it was morning and time to go see the Golden Summit.

The drowsiness caused by altitude sickness was a force no matter how strong-willed one was; like being injected with anesthesia—conscious but unable to resist sleep.

The sleeping mat, laid on the ground all night, had almost frozen to the earth.

Qu Yixian “saw” herself countless times struggling to wake up from the sleeping bag, slowly wrapping a scarf around her neck for warmth. Jiang Yuan, impatient, pouted at her slow movements, then turned and unzipped the tent herself, stepping outside.

A shiver ran through Qu Yixian; it seemed she really heard the tent being opened, and the night wind that rushed in nearly froze her breath.

Half-awake, half-asleep, she finally realized that everything she had just seen was a simulation.

Her brain could not rouse her sluggish, exhausted body, so it set up a program, showing her scenes of waking from fatigue and completing all her tasks, to numb her into continuing to sleep.

She curled her fingers, and in the dream, it seemed as if she could see the wilderness of Hoh Xil through the open tent.

It was not as dark as inside the tent; the sky held the Milky Way, the moonlight faint. In the distance, the snowy mountains’ outlines were still faintly visible, like ink washes on paper.

The cold that could freeze her breath into ice shards surged in again, making her shiver. At that moment, Qu Yixian felt a sudden panic she could not control.

“Not safe, Jiang Yuan.”

“Not safe…”

“I’ve got a flashlight,” Jiang Yuan’s voice floated by her ear like a phantom, carrying that eerie chill unique to the dead of night: “The car’s just parked at the campsite. I’ll get a bottle of water and come back.”

“I’ve got a flashlight.”

“The car’s just parked at the campsite.”

“I’ll get a bottle of water and come back.”

…

“I’ve got a flashlight…”

“The car’s just parked at the campsite…”

“I’ll get a bottle of water and come back…”

No…

No!

Qu Yixian’s chest jolted; she woke with a start and sat up sharply. Without any buffer, dizziness hit her instantly, and her vision went black.

Half-sitting, she reached the lantern at the top of the tent and twisted the switch twice.

The light didn’t turn on.

She curled up again, shivering, and twisted it once more; this time it lit up.

Qu Yixian turned her head to look beside her.

Jiang Yuan was gone.

The sleeping bag was twisted into a lump, and on top was a backpack with the zipper open, the flap wide.

Her heart thudded violently. The thin air made it impossible to breathe through her nose alone; she opened her mouth and gasped for a few deep breaths. Her gaze froze on the tent flap that hadn’t been properly closed, and her pupils constricted.

“That idiot…”

She grabbed her scarf and wrapped it around herself, intending to run outside to check.

On the brightly lit tent wall, a black shadow suddenly flickered, like a ghost, silently drifting past.

Qu Yixian froze, holding her scarf, cold sweat beading at her nose.

At the same time, in the early morning campsite, engine roars erupted.

The modified off-road vehicle’s wheels gripped the ground like a wild beast snarling urgently. The sudden rev of the engine, stirring up dust, could be heard from meters away, full of urgency and panic.

Then the car horns blared; headlights spun sharply, flashing past the tent. The quiet early morning was suddenly torn open.

Something happened!

Everyone was woken. The lights in the tents flickered on, like stars lighting up the night.

Qu Yixian didn’t even have time to lift her sleeping bag. Stumbling out of the tent, she saw, just ten meters away at the patrol camp, a white Cruiser resolutely charging at the night-duty patrol members without hesitation.

Missing its target, the vehicle clumsily turned, following the tire tracks it had come along. The off-road car’s headlights, like a hunting wild beast, vanished into the darkness of Hoh Xil without looking back.

After a brief silence, chaos erupted, human voices merging into an indistinguishable roar.

“Did it hit someone?”

“What’s going on…”

“Go check who got hit! Is anyone hurt?”

“In the middle of the night… possessed by a ghost?”

Someone hissed, startled: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Qu Yixian didn’t even care to put on her shoes and ran after them barefoot.

The ground beneath her feet was icy and hard, like stepping on ice spikes. From the tent to the patrol camp, those dozen meters drained her energy; she panted as if she had run eight hundred meters in one breath. When she stopped, her breathing was still labored, her words broken and stammering: “Jiang Yuan…”

Peng Shen caught up, zipping his jacket while steadying Qu Yixian, and asked, “What happened?”

The only searchlight in the camp lit up, its beam directly on her face, stinging her eyes painfully, almost bringing tears.

The panic, helplessness, and confusion surged all at once.

Qu Yixian couldn’t hear clearly what the patrol team and Peng Shen were saying, only catching a few words: “don’t know,” “like going crazy,” “drove off.” She furrowed her brows, pressed her lips together a few times, wanting to ask, “Jiang Yuan?”

However, from that moment, everything was beyond her control.

She was trapped, able only to wait at the camp for news.

The night-duty patrol members and Peng Shen drove off to chase after her.

After reporting to the authorities via satellite phone, Qu Yixian sat desolately outside the tent, not daring to close her eyes, staring at the direction where the Cruiser had last disappeared.

The tail lights seemed imprinted in her eyes, resurfacing from the depths of the wilderness from time to time.

She went through all the rescue numbers she had memorized, recalling every number that might still help, dialing again and again, explaining the situation, requesting assistance.

After an unknown amount of time, the Milky Way hanging atop the snowy mountains faded. Light appeared on the horizon, a streak of morning glow twisted into a thin line, cutting through the boundary of night and dawn.

The alarm inside the tent rang; golden sunlight spread over the mountain tops, forming a golden summit.

Qu Yixian’s lips were pale, her fingers stiff from the cold, almost unable to move. She slowly pressed the numbers one by one with her fingertips, dialing the last call.

After a long wait, the receiver was lifted.

A crisp click, and a man’s low voice, as cold and clear as the distant snow-capped peaks, tinged with strands of sleepless laziness from the night, unexpectedly carried a comforting calm: “Hello, Sonam Daje Protection Station.”

…

After hanging up, Qu Yixian exhaled.

Dew left from the fading night condensed into frost on her eyelashes. She closed her eyes; her heart sank inexplicably, falling, falling into an endless abyss.

——

Jiang Yuan was missing.

That night, she drove an off-road vehicle, lost in this forbidden zone in the gray pre-dawn haze.

The complex terrain of Hoh Xil made it impossible for the patrol members and Peng Shen following her to catch up. The crimson headlights seemed like a final, sorrowful gaze, oppressive and suffocating.

The rescue lasted a full month; she searched the entire Hoh Xil but did not even see a trace of her.

This was supposed to be her graduation trip with Jiang Yuan.

The route on the map ended at a camp at the foot of the mountains, and that camera—frozen on the snowy peak under the setting sun.

Just like them.

One exiled herself in the wilderness of the northwest; the other was lost forever in the distance.

Volume One: Desert Rescue