The vehicle behind is stuck—clearly, the one ahead will intercept us. In Chang Dong’s mind, several plans have already been formed. Ye Liuxi, on the other hand, isn’t panicking at all; in fact, she’s so composed that it’s almost irritating. "Why don’t we just leave Fei Tang behind, sacrificing a pawn to save the general? After all, the supplies on this vehicle should be sufficient for just us two." Fei Tang is furious. "Xī Jiā, how can you say such things? We’ve always been working together!" Ye Liuxi gives a cold smile. "Now you’re talking about 'us,' but when I’ve been criticized, have you ever been so united?" Fei Tang wants to deny it outright, but unexpectedly, Chang Dong interjects, "How do you know he’s been saying bad things about you? Did you hear it?" He slows down, his gaze deepening, constantly observing the surroundings—yet he’s clearly not missing an opportunity to stir up a fuss. Ye Liuxi replies, "If he can speak behind my back, he can certainly speak behind yours. I don’t need to hear it." Chang Dong adds, "Exactly so." Fei Tang was nearly suffocated, mentally cursing Chang Dong's pig-headed captaincy, and then Chai Dong's cold-heartedness—how could it be that the most treacherous woman in the room, the one who had the most to gain, would cast him aside?—how dark the human heart could be, and how pure he still was. Yet he dared not speak up; he clung to Chang Dong, his heart growing cold as he stared at the ghostly vehicle steadily trailing behind in the rearview mirror. Then he resolved: damn it, if Chang Dong truly intended to discard him, he’d drive straight into that car and die with him—let the world see that no one feared death. The lead vehicle finally appeared—two of them—and the emergence was sudden, clearly indicating a strong sense of confidence in the terrain. They had even dared to drive blind through the poor visibility of that dusty night storm. The headlights were bright and sharp, cutting straight across Chang Dong’s windshield, blinding him. He instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, half-closing them, and caught sight of a figure extending from the other car, apparently tossing something to the ground. Not good. Ye Liuxi also shielded his “FATANG hurried to agree: “Yes, go for it, Dong! The three vehicles only occupy three degrees of direction.” Chang Dong replied, “No, there are puncture nails.” This thing, back in ancient times, was called iron thistle—two double-ended sharp iron spikes interlaced and bent together, with sharp points on all four sides, originally designed to knock down war horses. It’s still in use today, though it has evolved far beyond its original form. Some automatically pop out when pressure is applied, like landmines; others are arranged in a series, with a central hole and tied with ropes, making it easy to collect—right when he saw that figure throwing them out like a net, Chang Dong already had a clear sense of what was coming. The three vehicles came steadily and only occupied three degrees, but somewhere within the encircling area, nails had been scattered, and now, with such a sudden charge, the tires would surely be ruined. Now thinking back, the salt crust gradually nibbling at the vehicle skins had been gentle and patient, almost tender—by contrast, the people must have been much more forceful. Chang Dong stopped the vehicle, and the only sound coming through The other vehicle also stopped. Amid the growing wind, four cars stood silently facing each other in the open wilderness. Chang Dong said, "Then I'll get out and chat—see if I can make a friend." Ye Liuxi replied, "If you're here to deliver a strong message, wouldn't it be more effective if I were to go instead?" She lifted her knife handle, smiling gently and innocently. Indeed, in the quiet of the night desert, the image of a mysterious woman stepping down from the vehicle with a knife would naturally draw a certain level of caution. Chang Dong said, "Just stay calm—everyone has a gun. And could you please lower yourself a bit? I don't want people to know there's a beautiful woman aboard with me." Probably because her words flowed smoothly, Ye Liuxi complied, lowering her body slightly so her line of sight paralleled the very bottom edge of the windshield. "Then go ahead," she said. "Call me if things get tough." As for the confidence she carried, Chang Dong didn't bother to address it. He reached into the glove box for a pack of cigarettes and opened the car door. After getting off the car, he held out both hands palms up, signaling no ill intent, then loudly announced, "I've been walking half the way, carrying a cigarette. If you don't mind, could you lend me a light so we can become friends?" The car blocking the way was a Lu Feng X9; a man in the back seat was using a toothpick to clean his teeth in front of a small mirror. Upon hearing the voice, he lifted his eyelid and said, "Oh, you know what you're talking about." He reached over, grabbed a lighter from the side, and tossed it to the person getting off, saying, "Go on, take a look—be polite, will you?" —— Chang Dong estimated the distance to the other vehicle and stopped halfway. A few minutes later, someone from the other side came over slowly and unsteadily. He was dark and thin, with deep wrinkles on his face, looking like a construction worker, carrying a heavy rifle slung diagonally over his shoulder. When he approached, he glanced at Chang Dong and asked, "What do you want?" The man wore a radio on his neck, with a green light blinking steadily, the device open and likely transmitting to someone who actually "The people who handle the aftermath aren't easy to deal with. Could you loosen the bag a bit and leave the opening open? I'll still manage my work without disrupting your profits." Some families of people who perish or go missing in the Lop Nur area remain tenacious—they hire dedicated personnel to search for their loved ones, a practice commonly known as "handling the aftermath." It's no small task: first, because the deceased are always given the highest priority, and second, because these vehicles don't always generate sufficient income. Unless the situation is particularly dire, most people tend to let such matters go. A few moments later, someone on the radio speaks up: "Let's burn the vehicle—just two bottles of water will do." Here, "two bottles of water" doesn't literally mean water. It's a local expression, meaning they're asking for a small favor or benefit. In other places, one might say "just two pounds of meat," but in Lop Nur, water is especially precious, so using "two bottles of water" as a metaphor reflects a regional nuance. The person then produces a lighter, lights up for Changdong, extinguishes the flame, takes it back, and holds it in his mouth, hesitating to ask Ye Liu sat half-sunk in the seat, watching Chang Dong engage with the other person, and then noticing the small flame of the cigarette trembling in the wind—felt quite spirited indeed. It struck her how some people managed to navigate through tough situations while others ended up with nothing but their underwear left. Clearly, dealing with people was no simple matter. Yet, it didn’t seem very optimistic—how had that person even come over? Fei Tang grew anxious: “West… West-sister, what does this mean? Did Dong brother sell us out?” Those who always thought of selling others often worried about being sold themselves. Ye Liu couldn’t quite grasp the situation, though she did understand the principle of “attacking first, then being attacked”—after all, regardless of the outcome, grace mattered. She couldn’t just sit in her seat, shrinking back, when the person had already arrived. She pressed down the window, grasped the interior roll bar for support, and smoothly slid her body like a snake, extending most of herself through the window, settling steadily on the window ledge. One hand rested on the roof support, her body slightly leaning back and inclined, her long hair blown by the wind, obscuring her vision. The light seemed to pause at her, the world half-blurred, her aura strangely ethereal. The man was caught off guard, lifting his head to gaze at her. Yexiu reached out, smoothing back her disheveled hair, and asked, "So, what's it come to—have we settled this, or not?" The man studied her for a moment, then suddenly turned and dashed off toward Lu Fengche. Chang Dong watched him fumbling at the window, gesturing wildly, then taking up a ledger and flipping through it with quick, decisive movements. Soon after, the steward himself came down. — The man was in his forties, of medium height, with a round head, long narrow eyes, and a prominent, slightly crooked beer belly, like a Buddha who had grown a bit lopsided. He introduced himself as "Hui Ba," and the others called him "Ba-ya." He greeted Chang Dong as though a long-time acquaintance, his smile warm and genuine, so animated that one could almost see fish swimming in the creases of his eyes: "Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!" Chang Dong hadn't even had time to respond when Hui Ba Chang Dong went over and heard Hai Ba apologizing continuously: "I'm truly sorry. I didn't realize it was Xi Sister—my eyes must have been off. I should have taken the hit, I should have taken the hit." As he spoke, he actually gave himself a couple of gentle taps on the face. Ye Liuxi remained seated by the window, her brows furrowed. "Have we met before?" "No, that's how we know each other now. Is Xi Sister on her way somewhere? The wind tonight has been quite strong. Would you like to come over to my place for a while?" Ye Liuxi looked at Chang Dong. Chang Dong nodded. — The car wound its way through winding paths and finally stopped in front of a large tent at the heart of a Yadan formation. A single bulb was hung inside, powered by a solar generator outside, so the electricity was quite weak. A few people who had stayed behind were gathered around playing cards. Hearing the commotion, they lifted the curtain and came out to greet them. Fei Tang stepped in, feeling as though he were dreaming: he had thought a confrontation was imminent, yet now it was all so cordial—just He hurried to make room. Seeing people coming in with full boxes of bottled water and dry goods, others carrying small suitcases, struggling to open the door lock and finally using pliers to twist the chain open, he assumed they were all rushing to get supplies. Then, looking at the corner of the tent, he noticed piles of shovels, picks, axes, and hammers—so much so that Fei Tang didn’t dare speak, simply following behind Chang Dong and Ye Liuxi. Hai Ba brought over several felt mats, used the light from the bulb to work by, opened a bottle of beer, served one to each person, then unpacked snacks, pouring roasted peanuts, dates, apricot kernels, and sunflower seeds into disposable paper cups, filling the table generously. Though it seemed unusual in such a setting, it felt quite natural here. Hai Ba kept talking: “Sorry, this year we’ve had two consecutive ‘chicken-wire’ mines—small, scattered, with little promise. I’ve just grown restless, eager to explore other routes. In the dark, with everything so unclear…” Ye Liuxi interrupted: “I’ve never met you before—how do you know it’s me?” "Gray Ba chuckled, 'Well, how to put it...' He handed over a photo album. 'Flip it, yes, flip it again—there it is.' Chang Dong understood from the side. On the front was Ye Liuxi. The printed paper inside the photo sleeve resembled photographs: Ye Liuxi seated on a saline flatland, wearing a white round-neck T-shirt, the hem tucked into his jeans, his leather boots reaching up to his calves, eyes fixed on the camera, and a traditional Tibetan wide-brimmed wool hat on his head—a popular sight in the tourist area. He looked like a spirited Western female cowgirl. On the back, in a clumsy handwriting, was a signature: 'Xi Ji.' Flipping through the pages, he saw different people's photos, each with handwritten notes—some reading 'Son of the Party Secretary of Ba County,' others 'The Line Operator's Boss.' What on earth? Ye Liuxi was completely puzzled. Chang Dong had a vague sense of what was going on and waited for Gray Ba's next words. Gray Ba cleared his throat. "Yes, in that case, we just make do, taking advantage of opportunities as they arise, without intending to oppose the state. So we naturally keep an eye on the influential figures who frequently visit Luo Bu. Some people are stubborn and end up embarrassed when they clash with their own expectations; others have made efforts to build relationships, cultivated 'friends'—of course, they deserve special treatment. This record circulates internally, privately, with only a few photos, and the rest are simply scanned and printed to fill out the volume—much like the official list presented by the small official to Jia Yu-cun in *Dream of the Red Chamber*: those who genuinely want to secure their place at the table need to recognize the names and faces, so as not to be unexpectedly inconvenienced or embarrassed at some point. Ye Liuxi asked, 'What about my situation?' Hui Ba couldn't recall, since the origin of this document wasn't clearly established. He heard others had it, so he simply collected a copy, occasionally meeting up to update it—yet he didn't personally know the full story behind every photograph." But wasn't she rather unusual? How many women would dare to step out of the car window calmly and ask, "Have we finally settled it?" with such composure when being robbed? He thought she was deliberately making him uncomfortable, and he felt a little embarrassed. The wind had picked up even more, and the entire tent swayed loudly. The lamp flickered slightly, and Hai Ba turned to scold, "Don't you just tighten the plug?" Before he finished speaking, the lamp went out. A murmur of noise rose throughout the tent. —— In the dark, Chang Dong said, "That's fine, we've all made it onto the roster." Ye Liuxi replied, "Jealousy?" After all, "Shalao" is you, and you're the one who regularly handles the connections—yet it's me who's finally made it onto the roster. Chang Dong smiled, "It takes someone like you to command such respect from these people. You really have to reflect on your own role. Honestly, the way you stepped out of the car window today—so confident, so composed." Indeed, quite fluent. Compared to Hai Ba, she reminded him more of someone who was actually taking the initiative to intercept the road