Undoubtedly, Ye Liuxi was the first to rise the next morning. Changdong had intended to help her, but she moved so swiftly—like a wild horse stumbling yet unbridled. To preserve a sense of mystery, one should avoid close, daily interaction; hence, the enigmatic characters in the stories always arrive gracefully and depart suddenly, with their daily routines never shown on camera. The morning routine on the shared dormitory floor resembled flipping pancakes—each one flipped, then the next, as Changdong rolled up the mat and stepped out to see Ye Liuxi, now steadying herself on the Yadan terraces, limping back toward the room. With the primary conflict resolved, the foot injury had once again taken precedence. Changdong glanced at Fei Tang, who was vigorously brushing her teeth at the side: "Didn't you say you should make a good impression before your sister, Xī Jie? Didn't you offer to help her?" Fei Tang wiped her mouth and promptly went off to do so. This outpost also has a warm, everyday feel. They boil a large pot of porridge for breakfast and even bring out a short-legged griddle, supported by three sturdy legs. They use a full set of tools—spatulas, ladles, oil cloths—nothing unusual about that. What's unusual is the presence of fresh eggs—because the roads are so bumpy, even the best protection ends up cracking the shells, so usually only boiled eggs make it through. Guests' and the head's portions are served directly to them, while others have to wait in line. Chang Dong sits down beside Huai Ba and says, "I'd like to ask you something." Huai Ba quickly sets down his bowl. "Go on, what is it?" Though Chang Dong isn't listed in the register, Huai Ba picks up on it immediately—this man doesn't follow orders from Ye Liuxi. "You've been camped here for some time now?" "For a while, yes. This place is a bit remote, hard to find. But here's the thing," he lowers his voice, "for safety's sake, we're planning to pull off one or two more jobs before we even think about taking a winter break. "The concept of 'winter break' has two meanings. First, after a period of time, the weather turns colder and becomes unsuitable for human activity. Second, it involves carrying out regular business operations—such as constructing roads, mining, or establishing transportation routes. This also serves as a strategic retreat; if something unexpected happens during this period, the people can immediately return home and reunite the following year once the wind of change has passed. 'Since we've been here for some time, has there been anything unusual—anything out of the ordinary—happening in the middle of the night?' Gray Ba understood and, stirring his porridge, gently urged, 'Hmph! Don't believe all they're saying. People with little education often rely on superstitions—telling stories about meaty anecdotes or ghost tales, day after day. Who has actually seen a ghost?' Chang Dong replied, 'Not exactly. Could you help me find out if anyone in the past few days has gotten up in the middle of the night and seen something strange?' Gray Ba was slightly puzzled, yet still helped him ask, tapping his spoon against the bowl and shouting toward the group squatting nearby, 'Listen up everyone! When you go to the bathroom at night, have any Seriously now, if anyone's making up nonsense, I'll pull out their teeth! The image of "pulling out their teeth" was quite intimidating—those people had all been talkative before, but now they were barely speaking at all. "Actually, no. The Yadan terraces—nighttime there feels like the house is haunted. Really spooky." "There's also this sound. Good grief! I've been stuffing cotton into my ears every night just to sleep." "Last night when I went to the bathroom, something jumped on my calf. Wow! There's actually a jumping mouse here... Hey, can it eat? Even if it's small, it's still meat." ... And indeed, nothing of the sort had happened. Chang Dong fell silent, no longer speaking. Instead, Fei Tang stepped forward, showing a bit of cleverness. "East Brother, what's the point of asking this? Did you see something last night?" Chang Dong didn't answer directly. "If we hurry, we can reach town by noon today." "Luobupo Town is known as a miraculous town in the desert. It was only established in 2002, with a total area of over 50,000 square kilometers—larger than Hainan Island. Yet for a long time, it had no permanent residents. The town government initially consisted of just three corrugated iron buildings, which were also empty—until recently, when development of potassium salt mines finally led to the construction of a town government office, a police station, and a road maintenance station. Beyond these, small convenience stores and restaurants are scattered in crooked mud-brick houses and simple temporary sheds. Fei Tang felt a cold chill running through his body; he couldn't even swallow his pancakes. A quick calculation revealed: the rent for the small supermarket during its shutdown, the travel expenses from Xi'an to that flag, and the cost of renting a four-wheel drive vehicle—all these were sunk costs. But what about the returns? Would it all come down to just a trip to Lop Nur, followed by a quiet return home? Suddenly Chang Dong spoke, "What are you doing? The wound is wrapped up—every day you should open it and check it. Isn't that just like you, when you plant flowers, you dig up the plants every day to inspect them?" Ye Liuxi didn't respond. He was always there—eating, sleeping, using the restroom—everywhere. Since the wound was already soaked with blood, she simply decided to go all the way and tore off the dressing completely. "When will I ever get better?" Chang Dong reached out, lifting her ankle to examine. It was much the same as when she had first been injured yesterday—only now the bleeding was more subtle, steady, rather than profuse; the difference was that she clearly hadn't taken it seriously, and the wound was covered with dust and fine sand. Starting from her wound, he measured an inch or so, then moved his hand to her forearm. "Let's amputate right here," he said. "You want to die, don't you?" Ye Liuxi retorted. Chang Dong chuckled, "The saying goes, 'A single salt crust is not as good as a cut.' For a wound like yours, recovery takes anywhere from three to four months, or You're treating this so lightly—it sounds like you're planning to amputate me. That makes sense, since someone who's always being photographed needs a few physical traits to stand out. When you're limping one way with a knife in one hand and a cane in the other, people won't even need to flip through photo albums to recognize you. Ye Lu bit her lip, then relaxed, smiling as if nothing were amiss. "Then just help me wrap it up, okay?" "Wrap it up and then make me play with it all over again?" Ye Lu swore on her word. "This time, I promise, I'll never do that again." Only then did Chang Dong unfold the canvas chair and the first-aid kit, sit down, and help her re-treat the wound. The sun gradually rose higher, still not hot enough to be unbearable. The wound itched slightly, but not at all painful. She could certainly tie her own bandages, but without Changdong's professionalism and precision—he'd gently roll the cotton tip of the swab, slowly sweeping away the loose dust with patience that wasn't common among ordinary people. It made sense, really. A purely hand-carved shadow puppet required over three thousand cuts. He could sit quietly and carve for more than two years, and that kind of steady focus truly wore on one's patience. Ye Liuxi suddenly remembered something: "Shall we leave right away then?" "Yes, we'll arrive in the town by noon. You can take a shower—there's a hotel in the town hall building that has running water." "Are we really just going to leave like that?" Changdong didn't look up. "What else could we do?" "And about last night's incident—shall we just pretend it never happened?" Changdong wiped the wound again with disinfectant solution. "The strange things that happen in LuoBoPo are numerous. Should I go chasing every single one? Didn't Gray Eight and the others say that if you pull the blanket too tight, just a good night's sleep is enough?" "He came to meet Kong Yang and the others, heading for Long City, with no intention of stopping—no matter how strange the scenery along the way." "Shadow puppetry... isn't that connected to you?" "Isn't anyone who carves shadow puppets already connected to me?" Chang Dong used two extra strips of tape to secure it more firmly, preventing it from loosening again. "If you'd like me to take it seriously, just come back once. Then I'll actually pay attention to it." — Probably aware of the camp's modest facilities, Gray Eight didn't linger, and before the vehicle departed, Ye Liuxi wrote down his phone number for him: "I'm quite particular about appearances. Next time you meet someone from the office, ask them how they perceive me—I'd love to hear what they say." Gray Eight promised wholeheartedly, assuring him it would be taken care of. The route to Luobu Town is relatively smooth; after driving about 20 kilometers, you reach Hongli Jing, the source of water. The water is slightly brackish but can be treated to meet daily living needs. From here, a water pipeline extends to the lake area—keeping an eye on this pipeline ensures you won’t get lost. Even more convenient, although the land remains salt-pan terrain, a specially cleared road paved by a bulldozer leads directly to the town, so by midday, your vehicle is already inside. As the only intermediate stop in the lake region where you can refuel, dine out, and purchase supplies, the town, though small, is bustling. Many off-road vehicles traveling along the east-west and north-south cross-roads are parked along the streets, and even the most modest restaurants are filled with diners—meeting fellow industry professionals here is actually more likely than in Dunhuang. Chang Dong drove to the town government office; the hotel was on the upper floor. He checked into a room but didn't plan to stay—mainly to take a shower. Without exaggeration, the sand from the desert and the戈壁seeped into everything. He had wrapped all his electronic devices in plastic bags, and even after a day, when he lifted them, fine grains of sand were still visible inside—uncertain how the sand had managed to get in. As for people, the sand clung to their bodies, hair, and even their ears. Occasionally, when they ate, the taste of sand lingered in their mouths. "Women first," said Ye Liuxi, and she took the shower first. While she was bathing, Chang Dong took Fei Tang to the gas station to refill the car's fuel. On the way back, he stopped at a general merchandise store. The building was a prefabricated structure with a cellar, ideal for storing vegetables, and even had meat available, so it attracted many customers. Chang Dong bought a piece of pork and selected two pieces of mountain yam. If everything went smoothly, they would settle in Long City tonight—the true remote, lifeless place. To have a proper meal with When paying, he asked Fei Tang, "How about it? Have you made up your mind?" Fei Tang replied smoothly, "East Brother, even if it's just a visit, you've made me go through the whole area before letting me leave. I heard there are more places westward—Liu Lan, Xiao He, the Sun Tomb—so I'll just keep riding with your car for a bit." His eyes flickered slightly, and his expression was a little awkward. Chang Dong noticed this and said nothing, simply took the bag and walked out. As he stepped out, he saw someone sitting on the hood of his car. The person was in his thirties, tall and well-built, with a braid at the back of his head and a neatly trimmed European-style beard on his upper lip and jaw—lively and carefree, holding a radish in his hands and crunching it with gusto. Upon seeing Chang Dong step out, he brightened up immediately.