This woman is like a snake, her tongue flicking constantly, probing every corner of one's mind, even licking away the accumulated grime. Chang Dong replied, "I'm just momentarily disoriented." "Disoriented? Really?" "Then someone else has even forgotten things entirely." Ye Liuxi grew irritated: "Chang Dong, don't think I'm interested in what's going on between you and Kong Yang. You need to understand—we haven't met by chance. The women photographed in my camera bag are actually your ex-girlfriends. I specifically came to you for that reason. Any concealment you have is blocking my path." Chang Dong understood the logic perfectly, yet he kept the bait slow—only saying three-quarters of what was on his mind. How could he expect others to pour out their hearts? He emphasized: "I'm just momentarily disoriented." Then, turning to leave, Ye Liuxi moved swiftly—grabbing him by the collar with one hand, pushing him with the other on the shoulder, and using her knee to press against his leg, forcefully pushing him against the car: "What in the world are you?" Chang Dong hadn't expected it—his back ached with the pressure, and it was truly fresh: he'd only used this move on others once or twice, only when he was really frustrated. Now it was his turn, and it was a woman. He looked down and saw his collar had been pulled completely out of shape. He shifted slightly, settling more comfortably into her hold, with no intention of resisting: "It's still the same thing—business isn't always about goodwill. Every time things go stale, you just walk away, leaving us no room to breathe. How certain are you that you won't have any future needs come calling on me?" Had she? Ye Liuxi thought for a moment. Then suddenly, she released her grip and even gently smoothed out the creased collar. She tilted her head, smiling softly: "Chang Dong, could you help me push a car?" What? Toward... this? Chang Dong took several seconds to catch up. He looked up toward the higher slope. Under the soft moonlight, two rows of deep and shallow depressions—clear footprints from the descent. That explained why she had come—he hadn't heard any engine noise at all. The car must have gotten stuck. Heaven itself had been so cooperative—Chang Dong sneered, "You never said a word of apology. How could I possibly help you?" "Sorry," Chang Dong nearly laughed in exasperation. Pausing, he stepped closer and said, "Ye Liuxi, show some face. Don't just keep talking to me." He adjusted his collar, turned to get into the car, and with a firm push against the door, sent a gust of sand swirling from the side, as if a breeze had just risen. Ye Liuxi sighed. Chang Dong was tougher than she'd expected—he wouldn't budge under her threats. When she tried to be humble and improve her tone, he criticized her for lacking grace. She still preferred Fei Tang—when he was pulled by the nape of her neck, his face pale, he'd keep calling her "sister," "sister," pleading, "Sister, sister, let's talk—don't touch me, please…" The man she'd stripped bare was also quite pleasant—when he was being tied down, he struggled like a chicken being slaughtered, wailing, "Beautiful lady, I'll give you all the money—I promise not to call She felt listless, with nowhere to go, so she simply sat down, still feeling agitated, and then lay flat. The sand was fine and soft, with a pleasant scent; the daytime warmth had faded, and the air was gradually cooling, requiring her to use her body heat to warm it. Chang Dong prepared to rest, adjusted the seat back, and looked up only to find Ye Liuxi missing. Her absence made him feel that this woman was always appearing and vanishing without a trace. As he leaned forward slightly, he noticed her now lying in front of him, facing backward, in a twisted posture—thankfully, this moment and place made it seem natural; elsewhere, he would have thought she was professionally faking an accident. Chang Dong held his patience. Five minutes passed, and she remained silent and motionless. Finally, unable to contain himself, he pressed down on the window and shouted, "Ye Liuxi, what are you doing?" She replied coldly, "Sleeping." "Don't you know this temperature? Can't you sleep outdoors like this?" "Yexi's response was stammering, cold in tone: 'What can I do? The vehicle got stuck... the bed is inside the vehicle... I'd have to walk back so far...' Chang Dong held back his irritation: 'Won't you ask me for a tent?' 'I... need face. You didn't ask me not to speak to you, did you?' After saying this, he fell silent, slumped like a dry, sun-baked poplar trunk, making it hard for her to lift even a little—how far she wanted to throw, that was how far she'd go. Another five minutes passed. Suddenly, the off-road vehicle's engine roared to life, tires grinding and sand spilling from the tread, headlights blazing on, casting a bright, sharp light over the cleared space ahead—like stage lights suddenly illuminating a dark stage. Yexi's disheveled hair lifted in the airflow as she opened her eyes. Hearing Chang Dong's calm voice: 'Where exactly did the vehicle get stuck? I'll have it towed.' Yexi quickly sat up. — Early in the morning, Fei Tang received a call from Changdong, who instructed him to follow any team he liked and to meet up at the large sign near the core area of the Wild Camel National Nature Reserve along the way. Changdong also asked him to buy some vegetables at the mining site—quality didn’t matter much, especially radishes; if there were no white radishes, carrots would do. Fei Tang nodded and agreed verbally, only to feel puzzled afterward: why? A staff member from the "Travel You Reception" service explained: "When entering Lop Nur, there are two things you simply must do—first, present bottled water at the graves of Peng Gong and Yu Gong, and second, eat radishes. Both customs ensure a safe journey in and out of Lop Nur." Fei Tang bought two pounds of radishes, thinking: My elder brother really is quite superstitious. He followed the convoy of the exploration club from last night, speeding all the way until he reached the sign they had promised: merely a large iron frame, with the engraved panels welded onto the horizontal beams, both the letters and the iron structure now faded and rusted. Through the lattice, the distant desert hills rose like closely packed burial mounds. Chang Dong’s and Ye Liuxi’s cars were both there. Fei Tang warmly suggested that they all walk together—since the routes were nearly identical, traveling together would allow mutual support and enhance safety. But the suggestion found little response. Ye Liuxi didn’t even lift her eyelid; she intended to sleep that night and didn’t want to hear any chatter. Chang Dong’s expression seemed equally unenthusiastic. As for the club’s team leader, who had initially shown great enthusiasm, after carefully observing Chang Dong and his vehicle, he seemed to have noticed something and quietly took his convoy and departed without a word. Once they left, the entire scene fell silent. The wind swept through, making the iron sign creak and groan, as if the bustling mine site from last night had been transformed into a completely different world. That's the true wilderness. Fei Tang hunched his shoulders, glancing at Ye Liuxi with a quiet curiosity: only when they reached the ground did it sink in how utterly elusive ancient ruins could seem. She should focus on a specific goal—where exactly would she hide the jade deer head? Thus, bringing water became a customary practice. Changdong had provided two bottles of water and bowed slightly. This marks the dividing point; after turning another hour or so, the landscape gradually changes, with the desert left behind and the vast lake basin area coming into view, revealing the characteristic salt crust of Lop Nur. —— Lop Nur was once known as Yansha, a large lake not far behind Qinghai Lake in size. Historically, it experienced three periods of abundant water and three complete dry-ups. The most recent dry-up, which occurred around 1972, is not particularly distant in time. Around the same period, the United States released a satellite image of Lop Nur, showing the dried-up lake in the shape of a human ear, with the earlobe, outer ear, and earlobe clearly visible. From then on, the region came to be known as the "Ear of the Earth" or the "Sea of Death." After drying up, salt and alkaline deposits accumulated at the lakebed, hardening into rigid salt crusts. Subjected to repeated cycles of thermal expansion and contraction, these crusts cracked and split, forming wide, jagged fissures reaching skyward. Extremely hard, sometimes even a hammer blow could not shatter them, and a sharp engineering spade could only split the thinnest crusts in two. Someone described the salt crust as if waves raised by mud slurry had been instantly sun-dried and frozen in place—dangerous and fierce, with the terrain resembling a field of sharp, toothed jaws. Vehicles passing over it were as if being gnawed by these teeth, even the best tires having to shed layers of skin. "Having passed through the sandy stretch and recalling last night's experience with the trailer, she now clearly understands the differences between vehicles—sometimes, technical prowess isn't enough: even the best driver can't secure a top ranking if they're operating a tractor on the track. Chang Dong glanced back at the interior of his car, noting its spaciousness and how easily one person could be accommodated: 'Take a moment to organize your belongings. You can choose either Feng Tang's car or mine—either one will do.' Suddenly, Feng Tang exclaimed, 'Xi-jie, I'd like to take my car! I'm truly excited to have you!' Ye Liuxi replied, '...Alright.' Chang Dong remained silent, eventually setting down his handset. While helping to inflate the tires, Feng Tang asked him to assist with his own: 'Dong-gong, could you also help me with that? I'd like to carry some items for Xi-jie.' He was incredibly enthusiastic, repeatedly helping Ye Liuxi move her luggage, once even holding the stove in one hand and carrying pots and pans in the other, making a steady clattering throughout the process. To him, the scene was merely a backdrop—Chang Dong finished inflating the tires and got Fei Tang, on the very last trip, thoughtfully reminded Ye Liuxi, "West Sister, take your time to look around—don't leave anything behind. Otherwise, no one will come back to fetch it for you." Liuxi half-supported herself on the seat, then strapped her bag over her shoulder. "Got it." Fei Tang hurried toward his own car, only to trip on a step and fall to the ground with a "Oof!" He quickly rose up, gathering up the scattered items, calling out, "No worries, no worries—just a little stumble, nothing serious." The things he dropped were just salt jars, soup spoons, and small items. Half-crawling, half-kneeling, he bent down, lowering his head and using his body to shield himself, his gaze slipping from under his arm back toward the scene— Liuxi was half-kneeling, one hand pulling up the seat cover, the other reaching inside to search. That's why, that evening, he had searched everywhere yet couldn't find anything... The seat cover was just a distraction—what he'd really hidden was inside!