Survival on the Icefield

Tashi Danba rushed forward to help steer the wheel, but it seemed ineffective. Zhang Li simply said, "I'm afraid we're going to flip." No sooner had he spoken than one side of the Xiong Long lifted, and the vehicle slid on its left wheels for about ten meters. Then, the left side of the vehicle slammed onto the ground, turning the car into a sideways slide for another four or five meters. The vehicle then flipped completely, landing on its back, sliding another ten meters before hitting a giant rock, spinning several times before coming to a halt.

Tang Min suddenly woke up, groggily mumbling, "What's going on? Are they chasing us again?"

Inside the overturned vehicle, Zhang Li tried to open the door, saying, "It's my mistake. The ice residue left by the tires turned into water on the bearings. After a long time without turning, the water froze into ice, causing the bearings to slip. Huh? What's this?"

Zhang Li felt something dripping. He wiped it with his hand and sniffed it, horrified. "It's gasoline! The tank is leaking!"

At that moment, the sparks from the wires on the dashboard made Tashi Danba break into a cold sweat. He shouted, "Get out!" He grabbed Tang Min, wrapped in a coat, and kicked open the right-side door, pushing her out first. Then, he himself crawled out of the vehicle, and Zhang Li rolled out from the left-side door.

Flames rolled in the night, casting a red glow on the three of them. The icy wind, carrying snow, blasted at their faces, penetrating every pore of their bodies. At 4 a.m., in the minus ten-degree cold of the icefield, accompanied by a gale, the three heroes were trapped in the depths of Kekexili, an area spanning 80,000 square kilometers of uninhabited land.

Zhang Li let out a bitter laugh. The fuel tank must have been ruptured when the rocket hit, but it hadn't leaked much yet, or only a little. If Tashi Danba hadn't helped steer, the front wheels wouldn't have tilted when passing over the half-meter-high stone. Without the impact from the rear hitting that stone, the circuit board wouldn't have sparked. A series of unbelievable coincidences had led to a high-performance off-road vehicle being written off in this way. Zhang Li stood in the silent wilderness, and aside from his bitter laugh, he couldn't think of anything more meaningful.

Tashi Danba stood frozen in front of the vehicle, watching food, water, tents, and fire sources slowly disappear with the flames. He felt powerless. The modified vehicle, which couldn't even be destroyed by a rocket, was ruined because it didn't avoid a half-meter-high stone. If they had to rely on their feet in this few-degree-below-zero wilderness, how far could they get? When would they find a rescue station? That would probably have to wait for a miracle.

Tang Min, still with her face covered, began to sob, unable to believe it was real. She collapsed in Tashi Danba's arms, crying, "It's all… it's all my fault. I… I shouldn't have let you come here… Wah…"

Tashi Danba tried to comfort her, saying, "Don't be sad, this isn't a big deal. We've been driving for six or seven hours, so the rescue station shouldn't be far. Maybe by tomorrow morning, we'll see the signal flag." But in his heart, he asked himself, "The rescue station? How far could it be? Oh, only God knows."

Zhang Li, walking from the other side of the vehicle, joked, "Have you heard the saying in Kekexili? Cars can't walk as fast as human legs. Now we can walk on our legs, and that's much faster than the car. Let's rest for a while, gather our strength, and keep going."

Tashi Danba smiled faintly and said, "That's fine, at least we can warm ourselves by the fire."

But the heavens didn't give them special treatment. Even the flames quickly extinguished, and in this cold, dominating wilderness, it seemed even fire couldn't conquer the cold. As the fire was still not fully out, Tashi Danba tightened the coat around Tang Min and patted her before rushing back toward the vehicle. Zhang Li shouted anxiously from the side, "Watch out for a second explosion!"

Tashi Danba didn't hesitate, knowing that with such brief burning, there must still be something left behind — food, tents, or gasoline. Whatever it was, even a little would do. He had to find something!

Tashi Danba came back, his face blackened. He had found several packets of instant noodles, burned to charcoal, in the car frame. The tent had been reduced to a piece of plastic, but surprisingly, Tashi Danba had retrieved a sealed spare fuel can.

The flame, though small, was still warm, especially on this rarely inhabited night. Tashi Danba and Zhang Li discussed, deciding they would wait until dawn before heading out. Traveling at night was too dangerous. They found a sheltered ravine and huddled around the campfire, trying to stay as close as possible.

"Don't sleep! Min Min! Don't fall asleep," Tashi Danba repeated anxiously.

Tang Min appeared very tired, muttering, "I'm so tired."

Tashi Danba's large hand pressed against her forehead, then urgently said to Zhang Li, "Her head is burning up!"

Zhang Li looked at Tashi Danba with a worried expression, but he didn't know what to do either. In this deserted wilderness, without water, food, or medicine, what could two grown men and a young girl do? Both men were at a loss.

Tashi Danba couldn't take it anymore and said, "I have to take her. The rescue station might really be nearby."

Zhang Li slowly shook his head and whispered, "At least another 100 kilometers. Walking like this will only make it worse for her."

Tashi Danba shouted, "But we can't just leave her!"

Zhang Li said nothing. At that point, there seemed to be nothing to do but wait. Tashi Danba gradually calmed down. He stared at the campfire, wrapped the coat around himself, and enveloped Tang Min in it, merging with her. Tashi Danba held her tightly, and he had truly run out of ideas. Tang Min whispered his name softly, "Tashi, Tashi, don't leave me. You promised you wouldn't leave me."

Even Zhang Li couldn't bear to watch. But Tashi Danba remained calm and serene, continuing to speak gently, "I won't leave. I'm right here. Get some sleep, and tomorrow, we'll head out. Min Min, tomorrow we'll find your brother's notebook, and I'll take you to find it. Is that okay?"

They spent the night in a haze of whispered mutterings. Zhang Li occasionally got up to add more wood to the fire, then quickly huddled beside Tashi Danba. It was just too cold.

As dawn broke, Tashi Danba checked Tang Min's forehead again and quietly said, "We have to find something to eat. She's too weak."

Tashi Danba rushed forward to help steer the wheel, but it seemed ineffective. Zhang Li simply said, "I'm afraid we're going to flip." Before he could finish speaking, one side of the Xiong Long lifted, and it began to slide on the two left wheels for about ten meters. Then, the vehicle slammed onto the ground on Zhang Li's side, turning sideways for another four or five meters. The car flipped over completely, rolling on its back for another ten meters, then crashing into another giant rock, spinning several times before finally stopping.

Tang Min suddenly woke up, groggily muttering, "What's happening? Are they chasing us again?"

Inside the overturned vehicle, Zhang Li tried to open the door while saying, "It's my mistake. The ice residue left by the tires turned into water on the bearings, and after a long time without turning, it froze into ice, causing the bearings to slip. Wait… What is this?"

Zhang Li's hand seemed to feel something dripping. He wiped it with his hand, then sniffed it. He panicked, "It's gasoline! It's leaking!"

At that moment, the sparks from the wires on the dashboard made Tashi Danba break into a cold sweat. He shouted, "Get out!" He grabbed Tang Min, wrapped in a coat, and kicked open the right-side door, pushing her out first. Then he crawled out himself, while Zhang Li rolled out from the left-side door.

Flames roared in the night, casting a red glow on their faces. The seven-level wind, carrying ice and snow, hit them head-on, penetrating every pore. At 4 a.m., with the temperature a mere minus ten degrees on the icefield and the howling wind, the three heroes were trapped in the depths of Kekexili, in an 80,000-square-kilometer uninhabited area.

Zhang Li let out a bitter laugh. The fuel tank must have ruptured when the rocket hit, but it hadn't leaked much, or maybe only a little. If Tashi Danba hadn't helped steer, the front wheels wouldn't have tilted when passing over the half-meter-high rock. Without the impact from the rear hitting that rock, the circuit board wouldn't have sparked. A series of unbelievable coincidences had written off this high-performance off-road vehicle. Zhang Li stood in the silent wilderness, and besides his bitter laugh, he couldn't think of anything more meaningful.

Tashi Danba stood frozen in front of the vehicle, watching as food, water, tents, and fire sources slowly disappeared with the flames. He felt powerless. The modified vehicle, which couldn't even be destroyed by a rocket, was now ruined because it couldn't avoid a half-meter-high stone. If they had to rely on their feet in this freezing wilderness, how far could they walk? When would they find a rescue station? That, it seemed, would take a miracle.

Tang Min, still with her face covered, started sobbing, unable to believe it was real. She collapsed into Tashi Danba's arms, crying, "It's all… all my fault. I… I shouldn't have let you come here… Wah…"

Tashi Danba tried to comfort her, "Don't be sad, this isn't a big deal. We've been driving for six or seven hours, so the rescue station shouldn't be far. Maybe by tomorrow morning, we'll see the signal flag." But in his heart, he asked himself, "The rescue station? How far could it be? Oh, only God knows."

Zhang Li, walking from the other side of the vehicle, joked, "Have you heard the saying in Kekexili? Cars can't walk as fast as human legs. Now we can walk on our legs, and that's much faster than the car. Let's rest for a while, gather our strength, and keep going."

Tashi Danba smiled faintly, "That's fine, at least we can warm ourselves by the fire."

But the heavens didn't give them special treatment. Even the flames quickly extinguished, and in this cold, dominating wilderness, it seemed even fire couldn't conquer the cold. As the fire was still not fully out, Tashi Danba tightened the coat around Tang Min and patted her before rushing back toward the vehicle. Zhang Li shouted anxiously from the side, "Watch out for a second explosion!"

Tashi Danba didn't hesitate, knowing that with such brief burning, there must still be something left behind — food, tents, or gasoline. Whatever it was, even a little would do. He had to find something!

Tashi Danba came back, his face blackened. He had found several packets of instant noodles, burned to charcoal, in the car frame. The tent had been reduced to a piece of plastic, but surprisingly, Tashi Danba had retrieved a sealed spare fuel can.

The flame, though small, was still warm, especially on this rarely inhabited night. Tashi Danba and Zhang Li discussed, deciding they would wait until dawn before heading out. Traveling at night was too dangerous. They found a sheltered ravine and huddled around the campfire, trying to stay as close as possible.

"Don't sleep! Min Min! Don't fall asleep," Tashi Danba repeated anxiously.

Tang Min appeared very tired, muttering, "I'm so tired."

Tashi Danba's large hand pressed against her forehead, then urgently said to Zhang Li, "Her head is burning up!"

Zhang Li looked at Tashi Danba with a worried expression, but he didn't know what to do either. In this deserted wilderness, without water, food, or medicine, what could two grown men and a young girl do? Both men were at a loss.

Tashi Danba couldn't take it anymore and said, "I have to take her. The rescue station might really be nearby."

Zhang Li slowly shook his head and whispered, "At least another 100 kilometers. Walking like this will only make it worse for her."

Tashi Danba shouted, "But we can't just leave her!"

Zhang Li said nothing. At that point, there seemed to be nothing to do but wait. Tashi Danba gradually calmed down. He stared at the campfire, wrapped the coat around himself, and enveloped Tang Min in it, merging with her. Tashi Danba held her tightly, and he had truly run out of ideas. Tang Min whispered his name softly, "Tashi, Tashi, don't leave me. You promised you wouldn't leave me."

Even Zhang Li couldn't bear to watch. But Tashi Danba remained calm and serene, continuing to speak gently, "I won't leave. I'm right here. Get some sleep, and tomorrow, we'll head out. Min Min, tomorrow we'll find your brother's notebook, and I'll take you to find it. Is that okay?"

They spent the night in a haze of whispered mutterings. Zhang Li occasionally got up to add more wood to the fire, then quickly huddled beside Tashi Danba. It was just too cold.

As dawn broke, Tashi Danba checked Tang Min's forehead again and quietly said, "We have to find something to eat. She's too weak."