The car was dead silent, as if even breathing had been suspended. That thing was still crawling, inching up the side window and now reaching the windshield, leaving behind viscous trails where its hands and feet had dragged. From this angle, it took on the shape of a human figure—but unusually thin, as though a skeleton wrapped in skin. Ye Liuxi’s voice was barely a whisper: “If we don’t move, will it leave on its own?” Chang Dong replied softly: “Let’s try.” Fei Tang heard the trembling of his own teeth, worried someone might notice, so he quickly clenched his jaw. Ding Liu, nearby, rustled quietly as she fished something out of her bag, and in a measured tone asked, “What are you looking for?” “Something my uncle gave me—a gun.” Oh, there was a gun! Fei Tang felt reassured. Chang Dong turned back and said, “Keep it still. You don’t know how many of these things are out there. If the car gets damaged, more will be drawn to it—then we’ll have a real problem.” Wow! More would come? Fei Tang’s palms were already sweating. At that moment, the thing suddenly lifted its head, then, like a pendulum, swung it hard toward the windscreen and slammed into it. Chang Dong roared, "Drive!" The headlights flashed on instantly. Ye Liuxi stomped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward. The thing let out a loud cry, first hitting the windscreen, then rolling off onto the hood. Before Fat Tang could even utter a clear "Damn it," a withered hand shot out from the front of the car. The thing flipped back over, its entire body now stuck to the hood, swaying left and right, yet unable to free itself, and continuously climbing upward. As it neared, it suddenly lifted its head. Facing them directly, its fangs gleamed sharp and blood-streaked, with a steady stream of blood dripping from between them. Ye Liux西 cursed, "For heaven's sake." Growing increasingly agitated, she found herself unable to focus on both the creature and the road. Suddenly, a dark shape appeared ahead. She sharply turned the steering wheel, and Chang Dong leaned over to steady the wheel, saying, "I'll take the wheel." Ye Liu Xi loosened her grip, and the two of them quickly switched seats as the vehicle sped and swayed. Just as Chang Dong settled in, she had already drawn her knife, pressed down the window with one hand, and grasped the collision bar, her entire upper body extending outward. The thing seemed to sense her movement, suddenly turning its head with remarkable speed and rushing sideways. Chang Dong sharply turned the steering wheel and roared, "Grab her!" High Shen, Ding Liu, and Fei Tang all understood at once. In a flash, the three rushed forward together—High Shen caught hold of Ye Liu Xi’s legs, Fei Tang, still reacting, wrapped his arms around High Shen’s waist, while Ding Liu missed her and tumbled back to the rear seat. The vehicle lurched violently, and the thing lost its grip, wobbling as Ye Liu Xi herself felt dizzy. Suddenly, she saw a withered hand right before her—without hesitation, she slashed it down with a single stroke, and was instantly pulled back into the car. Ding Liu quickly turned around to see the thing crash and roll to the ground, the vehicle still moving at speed, soon out of sight behind. … The car sped forward, quiet inside, people piled upon people, one embracing another—most comically awkward. Ding Liu couldn’t help it and burst out laughing. As her laughter rippled through the group, several people settled back into their places. Outside the window, near the rearview mirror, a severed hand remained stuck, trembling slightly with the car’s movements. Ye Liuxi used the blade of his knife to tap it down and then pressed the window shut. Outside, the world grew still. The car lights revealed an endless stretch of desert. After Chang Dong drove another stretch, he stopped. Everyone leaned or slumped, unwilling to speak. Eventually, Ding Liu asked, “Want some candy?” She opened a bag of rainbow candies, handing each person two pieces. Ye Liuxi had been complaining about the lack of flavor in his mouth—when the candy arrived, he took a bite, and the sweet, tangy scent immediately flooded his senses. Chang Dong remarked, “You’re too impetuous.” Ye Liuxi rolled her eyes, “It’s just instinct—what else could I do? I nearly snapped my waist in half!” Ding Liu asked, “What was that, exactly?” Then, with growing unease, she glanced Fei Tang leaned against the window, his gaze vacant, murmuring, "I don't know." Gao Shen suddenly recalled something: "Have we still not reached the Bai Long Dui?" —— Clearly not; otherwise, with their sudden, headlong rush, they would have surely collided with the ubiquitous Yadan terraces long ago. Chang Dong said, "We might have already entered the pass." Just upon arrival, they'd been met with a strong shock—still unsure about the origin of that thing. Fei Tang asked, "Then... Dong-gong, where is that door?" Chang Dong carefully observed the outside scene and confirmed everything was normal. He opened the door and stepped out. Without knowing where the door was, the landscape stretched out as a vast, sandy desert, with distant undulating gobi mountains, their peaks brushing against a slender crescent moon, and faint, scattered clouds gathering at the edges. After the thrilling journey, an unexpected tenderness welled up within him. Chang Dong said, "We haven't found the door yet. Let's proceed step by step. Let's rest here for now. I'll check the vehicle." "Later, we'll find our way. As long as there's water, there will be a oasis; and as long as there's an oasis, there will be people." If there were indeed any survivors in the interior, they could only live near the oases. No one objected. The land here was flat on all sides, so any movement would be clearly visible. Gao Shen climbed onto the roof of the vehicle and took an active role in keeping watch. Chang Dong inspected the vehicle—its greatest fear was being jolted and driven around like this—plus, the thing had crawled from beneath the vehicle to the body, so he couldn't feel at ease without a thorough check. Ding Liu leaned against the back of the vehicle, smoking. With the wind blowing, the pale smoke curled upward gently, and Gao Shen noticed it. He quietly reached out with his hand, gathered it, and held it tightly, bringing it close to his face—only the scent was different, nothing else. Ye Liuxi held her flashlight up to examine her knife. Though it was a watermelon knife, originally designed to slice watermelons, it couldn't cut through hard objects—after that one cut, the blade had curled at the edges. She stepped Ye Liuxi picked up a stone the size of a die, awkwardly rubbing the frayed edge of the blade: "I know you want to go back, but right now I can't find the door either. You can rest assured—should there be any real danger, I'll do my best to protect you." She didn't offer a guarantee, only a best-effort promise—life was unpredictable, and one had to leave room for both others and oneself. Fei Tang said: "No, Xi-jie. I'm not stupid. Under those circumstances, if even more of them arrived, you'd barely have time to take care of yourselves—how could you possibly spare energy for me? If it were me, I'd prioritize my own survival first. I understand that." Ye Liuxi was surprised. With a simple finger motion, she sent the small, useless stone flying far away: "Then, what brings you here?" Fei Tang hung his head low, listlessly adding: "I don't want to die, but I don't know what to do. I want to grow stronger, but I'm too late." Ye Liuxi replied: "How could that be? Just three steps." Chang Dong inspected the car and came over to escort the two of them inside, just as he heard this exchange, and paused to listen intently to the three-step method. "Chang Dong said, 'Not much... I'm quite convinced.' —— Once again heading out in the car, Chang Dong had a clear destination in mind, deliberately steering toward areas with more red willows and camel thorns. Travelers in the desert who face water shortages often follow a secret: digging down from the base of red willow roots frequently reveals water, indicating the presence of underground rivers, which in turn originate from surface water channels. The journey proceeded smoothly. Along the way, they passed a small stand of poplars. Chang Dong got out of the car and used his flashlight to examine them. Though the branches were bare, there was a thick accumulation of yellow leaves beneath the trees. Calculating the season, if the timing matched on both sides of the pass, this was indeed the time when poplars shed their leaves. These trees were well-supplied with water and thus alive—this confirmed the overall direction was correct. After driving a bit further, Ye Liuxi suddenly pointed toward the distance: 'Look!' A dark, uneven stretch of land rose and fell, though the exact nature of it remained unclear—it could not possibly be trees. A little farther on, Chang Dong was almost certain it was a village. The outlines of the houses are visible—low, flat-roofed, a characteristic of dwellings in the Gobi region: no need for rainwater drainage, and the roofs can be used to dry goods. As the vehicle approaches, the village is small, with uneven terrain—on flat ground and on slopes, there are scattered, weathered houses built with mud-brick walls mixed with straw and compacted earth. There are only about a dozen such structures; some have their doors wide open, others are already half-collapsed. The vehicle's headlights sweep across the dark, empty village roads, the clusters of rabbit burrows at the base of the walls, and the sand jujube tree at the village entrance, standing six or seven meters tall. Chang Dong parks the vehicle at the entrance, choosing to turn off the engine temporarily to listen for any signs of activity. With the vehicle silent, the surrounding stillness becomes almost eerie—the village seems abandoned, with not a single chicken or dog left. Ding Liu murmurs softly, “A deserted village.” Gao Shen reaches for the door handle, but Chang Dong says, “Hold on—something’s off.” Gao Shen pauses, “How so?” Chang Dong points to the sand jujube tree and In the Gobi Desert, oases are precious—any living thing, whether human or animal, can only be found here. Yet, the stillness here... is too unusual. Ding Liu suddenly thought of something: "That odd thing we just saw—does it count as living? Might it have come all this way too?" Fei Tang looked at the dark, neat houses scattered around: "It's possible... it's already hidden inside one of them." Chang Dong said: "That thing seems to lack intelligence. If it had such intelligence, it wouldn't have leapt onto the moving vehicle." He surveyed the village and pointed to a large, well-kept house on the slope. "We should first find a place to rest, settle in, and then decide what to do next." He drove the car up the slope and stopped a short distance from the entrance. After getting out, he didn't rush straight in. Instead, he asked Gao Shen to gather a few sticks, then cut the back panel of a cotton T-shirt into strips, soaked them in gasoline, and tied them to the ends of the sticks. With a lighter, he carefully lit them. Flames surged upward, making the air scorching and suffocating. Ding Liu was puzzled: "Isn't there a flashlight?" Chang Dong replied, "Some things are afraid of fire, but not of a flashlight." Ding Liu's heart skipped a beat; she quickly took the flashlight. Chang Dong and Ye Liuxi went ahead, Fei Tang and Ding Liu moved in the middle, while Gao Shen brought up the rear. Ye Liuxi didn't hesitate—just a few steps, he reached the rim of the tank, braced himself against the roof, and began climbing. As he watched, the figure was about to leap down. With a swift sweeping leg, he sent the person sprawling. He then used his knee to press firmly against the body, reaching out to press the head down, and instinctively called out, "This is a person!"