Chang Dong didn’t have time to chat—she just came straight back to Ye Liuxi. She indeed maintained that open, “I can accept” attitude: “Is it just the sandstorms bothering us?” Chang Dong took down a slender, empty beer bottle from the car and placed it upright right in front of Ye Liuxi. Then, he casually pushed it over: “When the wind blows and knocks over the bottle—it’s perfectly normal.” He did it again: he placed it upright, then it tipped over, with the bottle mouth now facing down, standing steadily on its side, trembling slightly: “When the wind blows and makes the bottle stand like this, do you think it’s like seeing a ghost?” Ye Liuxi nodded. Indeed, when Chang Dong hadn’t said that last sentence, she had already thought: “It really feels like seeing a ghost.” “It’s all wind—just different from our usual perception. To us, wind is like a big broom sweeping across—once the wind passes, the trees should all bend in one direction.” "But in the past few days at Baidongdui, the wind has been unusually erratic—sometimes gusty, sometimes swirling, sometimes sudden and turbulent. The sand grains lack the ability to move on their own; they can only be carried by the wind and quickly gather into forms resembling tendrils, much like..." Chang Dong recalled the legend from the Yu Men Pass: — There once was a great city, Yu Men Pass, completely blown into sand. — The entire sand city was lifted into the sky and, within the sandstorms, reassembled into a city. — Some say that during the night sandstorms, you can faintly see the square earth city—those are the spirits of Yu Men Pass... Chang Dong came back to himself, about to speak, when suddenly he heard the sound of approaching vehicles from afar. He instinctively glanced at the camp. All the vehicles were there—indeed, a few moments later, the sound of the vehicles grew clearer, and dust rose from the path, confirming that vehicles had arrived. Meng Jin smiled: "Wow, the Bai Long Dui has been quite lively these past couple of days!" As soon as she finished speaking, a large Chevrolet Cherokee barreled into the camp. The driver, a man in his forties, leaned out halfway, waving enthusiastically and shouting with a loud voice, "Oh my goodness, I've finally found our friendly forces!" Huo Ya and the others, startled by the commotion, stepped out to see the newcomers, only to feel a wave of concern—how could they have just arrived when Huai Ba and his team's bodies still hadn't been cleared? Fei Tang, who was aware of the situation, felt a bit puzzled, unsure of the origin of this Jeep. He glanced at Chang Dong, who gave a slight nod, indicating they should wait and see. Only Meng Jin remained focused and cheerful, approaching with a broad smile: "Welcome, welcome! Where did "That person just wouldn't stop talking: 'We're driving ourselves, with three large SUVs, following the GPS—we didn't even hire a guide. We were so nervous about entering the Bai Long Dui area at first, but then we saw the tire tracks, and thought, well, let's just follow them. So we drove in to explore. Thank you so much, brother—your flags are already up, and you're just so thoughtful!' Tire tracks? Flags? Chang Dong's heart suddenly leapt. He looked up to see Huo Ya quietly slipping toward the back of the tent, gesturing with his hands to several of his staff to hurry up. —— Not long after, the other two Cherokee SUVs arrived, too. Huo Ya's tent was nearly empty, and Chang Dong himself wasn't particularly warm or welcoming—Meng Jingu's camp had clearly become the hub of coordination. The new female hiking enthusiast had already started discussing skincare tips for dry environments with Qiao Meina and the others. Chang Dong checked the GPS and satellite phone—signal acquisition had returned to normal. He stayed behind with Ye Liuxi and Fei Tang, and took a drive himself." Not having walked very far, I spotted the last flagpole I'd planted along the path when I arrived, still firmly lodged in a depression of the earth mound, the pole slightly bent but securely anchored at both ends. I then searched the surrounding area again—where I'd seen the crooked ruts from the previous day and the two strange tire imprints pressed into the mound—and they were gone. Back at the camp, the group led by Huo Ya had returned and were now beginning to pack up, acting with roughness and urgency, their movements sweeping up dust that even reached the Meng Jin Gu camp. With the addition of the northern-eastern hiking group, Qiao Meina felt her side had grown stronger and more confident, raising her voice: "Hey! Can you please be a little quieter? Isn't that some basic courtesy?" Huo Ya seemed completely unhearing, only hoarsely shouting, "Hurry up! Hurry up!" Chang Dong turned to Ye Liuxi, who shook her head, indicating she didn't know what was going on. Chang Dong got off his vehicle and walked steadily toward Huo Ya, who ignored him entirely, his eyes blazing red, veins standing out prominently on his neck: "Hurry up! Changdong gripped his arm and pulled him hard to the side: "Did you fail to locate Gray Eight's body?" Hua stiffened. "Did you?" Hua looked up at him, licked dry lips, paused, then chuckled dryly: "Yes, we didn't find him. None of the three. The marks left overnight are gone—no blood, no coffin, no earth mound dug up. Nothing at all." "Counting on our shared meals and mutual support, I'm urging you—move now. If you don't, the next one who goes quietly, without a trace, will be us." He pushed Changdong aside, turned sharply, his expression once again fierce: "If you can't collect what's left, just bring your life with you!" Changdong stepped back. He watched as the once-bustling main tent lay in disarray, belongings packed swiftly onto four vehicles. The vehicles had been full when they arrived, but now the number of people had dropped nearly in half. The car slowly pulled away, Huaoya sitting in the front seat. As it neared the campsite, it came to a sudden stop. He slammed down the window and shouted fiercely at the campsite, "This time, I'm doing something good—tell everyone to get moving, don't think we're here for a vacation! Otherwise, you'll never know how you die!" With a wave of his hand, the car sped off, never looking back. The wind and sand kept blowing for two days straight. Now that a clear day has finally come, it's hard to believe we've made it. "Chang Dong said, "Huo Ya just explained it clearly—do you have the courage? Then you stay." As he pressed the accelerator, Meng Jin Gu quickly released his grip, standing motionless by the side, growing smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. Chang Dong exhaled in relief. Ye Liuxi asked, "What's wrong?" "The bodies of the Gray Eights are gone. So are the coffins. Or rather, the place where we were last night has completely vanished." Ye Liuxi understood: "So you want people to leave that place? Will they follow?" "Yes. Meng Jin Gu doesn't like to take responsibility. He's used to working in teams and follows the crowd. When both groups suddenly depart, he'll follow too." —— As for where Huo Ya and his group are heading, after leaving the Bai Long Dui, Chang Dong took the Hailuo Highway, driving over a bumpy stretch before the road gradually smoothed out. Fei Tang couldn’t breathe a single word, staring intently at the vehicle ahead, afraid that even a slight deviation would cause him to lose contact with Changdong—until suddenly he noticed milestone signs for Provincial Highway S235 appearing along the roadside. They’d reached the provincial highway! Fei Tang was so excited he nearly cried. The dark provincial highway stretched out across the desert salt flats, and while the Bai Long Dui Yadan formations remained, they were gradually fading into a softer, more distant backdrop. It was hard to believe that he had stayed there for two days and had managed to make it all the way through without getting lost. His eyes were glistening. He wiped them with a tissue, then blew his nose, feeling as though he had been reborn. By early noon, Changdong stopped the vehicle, and Fei Tang heard his voice through the radio: “Would you like to collect some desert jade? This trip won’t be a wasted one.” Many people refer to the Luobu journey as a blend of “exploration and treasure hunting,” saying that treasure hunting involves discovering ancient city ruins—this is just a playful exaggeration. More accurately, “treasure hunting” means simply gathering jade stones from In recent years, Gobi jade has become increasingly popular, drawing many people who drive specifically into the Gobi desert to collect gemstones—such as optical stones, golden-thread jade, and opal. Online, there are already over sixteen summarized stone-hunting routes, some even accompanied by mnemonics: "From XX village, head south for 17 kilometers, turn left after 3 kilometers to find agate, and turn right after 2 kilometers to find fossils." Since Chang Dong had specifically told him not to "run in vain," he must have taken him to a prime location. Fei Tang was delighted and nodded enthusiastically, repeatedly saying, "Let's go! Let's go!" He hurriedly emptied a handbag, slung it over his shoulder, and rushed down the embankment. —— Chang Dong got out of the car. The sky was especially clear, with large, low-hanging clouds. Distant, dark-brown Gobi mountains stood out vividly, like a striking oil painting, stretching across an otherwise quiet, uninhabited expanse. Chang Dong leaned against the car and pointed to Fei Tang's joyful figure in the distance. "Fei Tang is quite greedy," he remarked. "I thought he'd Ye Liuxi sat down on the ground, stretching her legs and arms. Having been confined in the vehicle for too long, she felt uncomfortable all over. Chang Dong noticed the white bandage on her feet. "How's the wound?" "It's not bad, actually. I changed it again this morning and there's no more bleeding, though the wound still feels damp and hasn't improved much." "That's normal—just let it heal." Ye Liuxi looked up at him. "Now that we're out here—I'm asking you: will you go back?" Chang Dong remained calm. "And what about you? Will you go back?" Ye Liuxi smiled. "Of course I will. Don't forget—I sang that song and opened that long-forgotten coffin. No matter how terrible things turn out at Bai Long Dui, in my eyes, everything is leading me home. As for you, though, you haven't even found a trace of Kong Yang..." Suddenly remembering something, she corrected herself. "Actually, that's not quite right—you've only searched a small area. Perhaps if you keep looking, you'll find something." Chang Dong shook his head. "Not necessarily." "Ye Liuxi was puzzled: 'Why?' Chang Dong sat down beside her, his shadow falling across her, just covering her upper body while his legs extended out, directly exposed to the sun—both of them half shaded, half warm, half dim, half bright. 'For years, Lop Nur has been famous for many ghost stories, but they keep repeating the same patterns: mysterious disappearances, suddenly finding an extra vehicle during night drives, discovering villages in places where no one should be, only to find them gone the next time you return—searching online, these stories are everywhere. People have offered various explanations, with the most common being the theory of parallel worlds. Back then, I didn't believe it.' 'Now you believe it?' Chang Dong carefully considered how to phrase it. 'Don't you think that after we entered the Baidu Dui, with two days of wind and sand, two days of losing contact with the outside world, and a series of unexplained oddities, we've actually entered a different Baidu Dui—let's call it Baidu Dui No. 2.' "He drew a circle on the ground with his hand: 'This is our camp and the surrounding area—nothing has changed here. Both the No. 1 and No. 2 White Dragon Mounds can seamlessly connect to this environment.' That's not exactly seamless—more like a crude, abrupt connection. When he first examined the footprints, he noticed his tire marks suddenly disappeared one kilometer from the camp—perhaps that's where the junction lies. 'That night, when we entered the White Dragon Mound, a sandstorm swept in without anyone noticing. By morning, everyone and the entire camp had already found themselves inside the No. 2 White Dragon Mound.' 'But today, the weather is clear and sunny. For some reason, we've returned to the No. 1 Mound. So everything that happened in the No. 2 environment—the terraced landforms dug up, the coffins holding the shadow figures, the body of Gray Eight, and the blood on the ground—all of it has vanished.'" "If the body of Kong Yang, embedded in the loam mound, truly exists, then it must have been there under the eerie conditions of Environment No. 2. But I can't understand—why does Environment No. 2, specifically the white dragon mound, appear at all?" Ye Liuxi pondered for a moment, "You've overlooked one thing—the strangeness isn't confined to the white dragon mound." "Why?" "You've been too focused on the white dragon mound. The odd occurrences aren't limited to it. Do you remember, on our first night at the Gray Eighth Camp, we encountered ghost flames and shadow figures on the tent walls? At that time, we were still quite far from the white dragon mound."