With the delay at Yumen Pass, by the time they reached the Yadan Devil's City, it was already afternoon. The area was crowded with visitors, but self-driving cars couldn't enter—the tourists had to purchase tickets and take the scenic park's dedicated shuttle buses. Many clearly off-road vehicles intended for a "crossover" experience were blocked at the parking lot. Chang Dong handled check-in at the ticket gate, while Fei Tang strolled around the parking area, taking photos for her WeChat Moments, but found the skin-smoothing effect too artificial and the unsmoothed shots too rough, so she was hesitating between the two options. As she stood there, several self-driving drivers passed by, muttering angrily. "Even if self-driving cars could enter the park, they're strictly prohibited from deviating from the park's designated roads. It's even more impossible to enter the Devil's City and proceed to Lop Nur—supposedly, they have to obtain permits from the Forest Resources Administration." "Come on, the forest bureau's involved in desert affairs? Really, is there no other way? Then my trip has been in vain." "I heard that some vehicles managed to get in—by driving at dawn, before the staff arrived, But as I told you, once we catch them, we're done...” Fei Tang bolted back, rushing to find Ye Liuxi, rehearsing the story with added details and excitement, his face flushed red: “Miss Xi, now we’re really in trouble—we can’t get in.” Ye Liuxi didn’t seem rushed. With Changdong’s experience in handling such situations, if he hadn’t thought of all this, he’d never have made it out here. What puzzled her was Fei Tang: “I just can’t understand—why do you seem so happy when your own people are having trouble?” Changdong was just as excited when he was being beaten, and when the team faced difficulties, he was equally thrilled—as if nothing at all affected him. Just as they were talking, Changdong returned, waving them on: “Let’s go—everything’s settled.” Fei Tang couldn’t believe it: “Driving in? Then heading from the Devil’s City to Lop Nur?” “Yes.” “Amazing!” Fei Tang’s excitement returned, pointing toward a group of off-road drivers gathered nearby discussing things. “They can’t even get in. Dong, do we have some kind of connection?” “Chang Dong said: ‘…We have the documentation. Strictly speaking, however, any organization or individual can only enter Lop Nur with official approval.’” Fei Tang held her breath—“I really wanted to go in. I’ve already submitted the application to the Lop Nur Protected Area Administration in Urumqi, and I’ve gone through all the procedures. Let’s just drive.” Chang Dong truly made things convenient—Ye Liuxi felt confident in his judgment. Fei Tang wasn't happy and fiddled with the hand radio inside the vehicle, heading to Ye Liuxi to complain. After a series of static crackles, Ye Liuxi's lazy voice came through: "Go on." Fei Tang said: "Miss Xi, isn't Dongge just being authoritarian? He doesn't let us play—he simply decides when to stop, and we have to follow. After all, the whole fleet moves with the lead vehicle; whenever he moves, we move too, and whenever he stops, we stop. He never even listens to our opinions!" Suddenly remembering the time at Black Camellia Mountain, Changdong had also insisted on setting up camp at Ge Tou Shapu without consulting anyone: "He's doing this all the time!" Ye Liuxi replied: "Just be patient with him. Even I can see that his route is exactly the same as last time—he can't help but think of the past, can't help but drink and get a little drunk a couple of times, can't help but cry out and shed tears. Right now, he might even be crying quietly in the vehicle. Yet you're still holding onto these little complaints." Fei Tang wanted to say something, but "Good heavens, the handheld radio Chang Dong used was actually connected across three vehicles! Fei Tang went instantly silent. Ye Liuxi's voice came through: "There's nothing I can't share with you—indeed, I'm not even afraid you'll hear it." Then, the radio went quiet again. When there was activity once more, they had moved away from the highway, deep into the heart of the Sanlongg沙 desert. Chang Dong said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm getting off now to take a moment and reflect." —— It was getting late, the wind was strong; compared to the loess road ahead, the sand here had increased noticeably, and the landscape now bore the unmistakable character of a desert—when Fei Tang opened her door, she could see fine sand swirling rapidly at her feet and quickly closed it again. Ye Liuxi stepped out to freshen up; the ground beneath her was soft, and the spot where she parked was in the wind's path, where sand was lifted off the ground and drifted in a misty, snake-like swirl, rushing past her. As she walked slowly, the sand struck her knees and calves with force, causing a sharp, itchy pain. Chang Dong "Are we moving faster? Ye Luoxi took two steps and indeed, the pain lessened—she found it quite novel. With resistance on the front of her legs, like wading through waves, she couldn't stop; whenever she paused, her legs became easy targets. She had expected to make a small loop and return to the car. But as they passed through Changdong, he tossed her his own coat: 'Wrap your legs with this.' It seemed he had something to say. Ye Luoxi accepted and wrapped her legs. The warmth and thickness made her legs feel much more comfortable, and the sand hitting her no longer stung. The fine, steady patter on the open space reminded her of rain—she actually enjoyed it. She glanced at Changdong’s legs, which remained uncovered, standing there as if unbothered—perhaps men simply had thicker skin. Ye Luoxi asked him, "What are you thinking about?" She understood the image of 'peacock spreading its feathers,' since Kongyang’s surname was Kong. But in this sandy, windy setting, what could be the delight? Changdong asked her, "Have you read *Journey to the West*?" As he pointed ahead, "This is the River of "Yexi said: 'The site? The water dried up?' Chang Dong shook his head: 'We're already near the eastern edge of Lop Nur. Just ahead lies a stretch of shifting sand stretching for hundreds of miles. When the wind blows strong, the sand swirls and rolls, like rushing water. Wu Cheng'en wrote in "Journey to the West" that the Yellow River of Sand is a mighty river—yet he never came here. He's never seen this firsthand. Once he has, he'll realize that the Yellow River of Sand truly is a river formed by flowing sand.' When the Buddhist monk Fahian passed through here in the Jin Dynasty, he recorded: 'From Dunhuang, along the sand river, traveling for seventeen days... no flying birds above, no moving animals below—only the skeletons of the dead to mark the way.' Chang Dong believes those skeletons belong to travelers who failed to cross the river. He reminded Yexi: 'When we begin, reduce the pressure on the front wheels and release the air from the rear wheels. Start shifting gears as soon as we begin moving. If you feel the vehicle becoming heavier, that means we're at risk of getting stuck—immediately downshift, slightly ease off the — To get Ye Liuxi’s vehicle out of the sand belt, Changdong had truly sweated through his palms, which didn’t align with his original plan: he had envisioned her vehicle as a burden, ideally one that would fail early so that only two off-road vehicles would remain on the road, making logistics easier. But now, if her vehicle got stuck in the sand river, it would be a blow to his prestige. Once out of the sand belt, the vehicles were returned, yet he received no word of thanks. Ye Liuxi, genuinely moved, said, “Your car is truly easy to drive.” Yes, my car is truly easy to drive—yet you’ve driven it so well. The following hour’s journey went smoothly. The scattered tire tracks across the desert all pointed in one direction—the Jinku Mountain Pass gold mining area. There were several large mines, with heavy trucks weighing tens of tons moving back and forth transporting ore. Scattered among them were a few private mining sites, modest in facilities—just open-air tents marking their presence. Under each tent, a large pot was set up for cooking meals, the smoke from the stoves filling the air. After passing through several such sites, the same dish—carrot stew Changdong led them to the entrance of a small building, where a cardboard box had been placed at the tent entrance, painted in red with the words "Travel You Reception" written clearly. He got out of his car and tapped on Ye Liuxi's window: "You'll stay here overnight." "You mean 'you'?" "I'll head to Ge Tou Shapu." Ah, now I understand. "How will you find me?" "I have a satellite phone; just call me when needed." "What if the phone fails? In which direction can people find you?" Changdong pointed in a certain direction: "As long as there's no wind, you can follow my tire tracks—my vehicle has all-terrain tires with distinct tread patterns." Ye Liuxi gave a gesture of "please go ahead." —— The hospitality of this "Travel You Reception" was as open and straightforward as its signboard. The meal consisted of steamed buns and lamb soup, but the soup was too strong in aroma, with scum floating on the surface; Ye Liuxi couldn't eat much, so he opened a bag of pickled vegetables and returned to his usual routine. Accommodation is simply the dry riverbed, where people set up their own tents for five yuan each, and parking costs another five yuan. It's practically a no-cost, no-loss operation. Yet there's actually a thriving business. When Ye Liuxi drives by, there are already four or five small tents pitched along the riverbed, with a flag flying that reads "Pioneers' Club," and everyone entering and exiting wearing hiking jackets, full of excitement. Ye Liuxi assumes most of them are newcomers, as only beginners are captivated by the novelty of everything. Indeed, the group is full of energy—after dark, they build a bonfire at the center of the campsite, with a small speaker amplifying their voices as they sing out their heartfelt cries: "I want to soar higher... dance like the wind... break free from my embrace..." Ye Liuxi had originally planned to go to bed early, but is now restless and frustrated, ready to complain. Yet when he looks out the window, Fat Tang is among them, smiling warmly, with a touch of affection, and on either side are all women of the right age. The roots of love are truly strong—no matter how tough the conditions, they always strive to take root. After some thought, Ye Liuxi decided to let it go. Finally, when the song festival drew to a close, the leader suddenly acted up again, saying, "Come, everyone, gather in the center. Let's go over our next route. Tomorrow, we'll pass through the Wild Camel Protected Area, Zili Jing, and pay homage to Peng Gong..." Someone interrupted: "Didn't the route still mark Ge Tou Sha Pozi? Are we not going there?" Ye Liuxi leaned forward attentively. "The route is outdated—the place has been abandoned since the Black Camellia incident." Another voice chimed in: "Haven't you heard about the Black Camellia? Eighteen people died—what a pity!" It was Fei Tang, who seemed tirelessly committed to undermining Changdong. The leader explained: "Ge Tou Sha Pozi? Since the Black Camellia incident, we've stopped visiting it altogether." Upon hearing the words "Black Camellia," a few people suddenly realized— "Isn't that the place where the big sandstorm hit?" — That’s so terrifying! I heard it’s had the highest number of fatalities among desert expeditions in recent years—does that place really pose such a great risk? — That leader is absolutely unreasonable! Isn’t he just causing people to suffer? Doesn’t it seem like he’s trying to commit suicide by dragging everyone else with him? The leader said: “It’s not that dangerous, actually. Do you know why it’s called ‘Gander Head Sand Slope’? This origin is rarely known—because there’s a particularly prominent dune there, shaped like a goose’s head, even with a goose-like hump. Does that tell you anything?” The group members guessed wildly, and some even replied, “It shows off nature’s masterful craftsmanship.” Ye Liuxi rolled her eyes: If sand dunes in the desert can maintain such a shape over the long term, that would only mean… Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her mind. The team leader explains to his teammates: "It shows that that area is a rare safe shelter in the desert—actually, the team leader had no fault in taking the team there to camp; it was just a matter of luck that he encountered a storm of that magnitude. This incident escalated so significantly because of Shancha's Weibo posts." "Everyone on the team had opposed heading to the Goose Head Sand Slope, clearly indicating that this natural disaster could have been completely avoided. Yet the team leader persisted in his decision—otherwise, those people wouldn't have perished." As he speaks, a sudden roar of the car engine fills the air, the exhaust mixed with dust spraying over his head and face. Then, a vehicle drives off, leaving behind a trail of dust. Fei Tang jumps up immediately, shouting: "Who on earth is that! What kind of manners! Oh, Xi-sister, where are you going?"