Prologue

The flight attendant at the gate, with a sweet and charming smile, bid farewell with the words, "We welcome you to fly with XX Airlines again next time"

And he seemed oblivious; at this moment, there was probably nothing that could capture his attention... He walked quickly, his tall figure soon disappearing into the night.

The Nisa Devil City in the vast northwest is filled with a variety of machine noises.

Perhaps this is the moment just before life comes to an end

In Europe, far away across thousands of mountains and rivers, it is deep night due to the time difference. Chen Yufan sat in the courtyard for a long time, but could not help but call Jiang Luwen: "Have you seen the news?" There was no response on the other end, so she asked again: "Really... no news at all?"

The Creator is always so miraculous; even in such harsh environments, there are resilient animals that survive and are ready to show their fangs to intruders

No, it is not straw. It is just a snake

The news was broadcast on television at dusk, a time when thousands of homes were illuminated.

The person, confused, raised their head and said, "Huh? Who drove that car away?"

The fuselage trembled slightly and landed smoothly. He stood up, his thin lips pressed together, resembling a faintly sharp edge of a knife.

In the Language Information Research Institute of Tianyin City, Linxiu Province, there are still people who have not finished work. The young staff member, Xiao Liang, answered call after call, staring blankly at the news feature on the webpage. After a while, she reached out to turn off the computer, silently thinking: "Weiyan, you will come back. ... So many obstacles have passed, and there is still so much work to be done here, you ... . ... It will be fine. So many obstacles have passed, and there is still so much work to be done here, you ... . ... It will be fine.

Many things uncontrollably emerge from the mind, his persistence, her evasion, their shared fate... Now she no longer has to choose, and that is also good

Facing such a young and handsome man, the flight attendant's face flushed slightly, and she did not show any impatience, gently saying, "There are forty minutes left until the plane lands." He nodded in thanks... Forty minutes... In another forty minutes, he could be closer to her, at least able to do something, no longer waiting hopelessly from a thousand miles away.

Someone recalled that it was a young man who had hurriedly come from the southern province of Linxiu. He jumped out of the off-road vehicle and went into the tent where the rescue command was located to check the map, his expression dark and foreboding as if a storm was about to break.

According to reports, the language research team from the Academy of Social Sciences began traversing Nisa two days ago and is expected to reach the other end of the Devil's City in four days. The objective of this scientific expedition is to study the language of a Northwest ethnic group that has long lived in seclusion on the edge of the desert. However, on the second day of their deep exploration into Nisa, during a break for rest and regrouping, the only female team member, Du Weiyan, went to photograph a Yadan landform and unfortunately became separated from the group. Her companions confirmed that she was not carrying any food or fresh water. This also means that in the extreme survival conditions of the desert, her survival period would not exceed three days.

The members of the rescue team began to register the vehicles dispatched for this round of search and rescue. Not far away, an off-road vehicle raised a cloud of dust as it drove towards the northeast direction

Before the overwhelming dizziness engulfed her, she suddenly thought of Mo Yan... After a long, long time, will we still be able to meet again...? When we meet again... perhaps you will still recognize me at a glance...

The rescue personnel had all seen a photograph of Du Weiyan. It was a family portrait of all the team members taken before entering the Nisa Devil City. She stood in the front row, smiling at the camera, revealing deep dimples on her cheeks, a remarkably young and beautiful girl. Because of this, everyone present felt an even greater sense of regret.

Mo Yan ... ... I am truly sorry ... ... " Du Weiyan shifted his gaze from the snake to the sun that seemed to never set, murmuring in his heart, "I am sorry, you have waited for so long, yet I will still disappoint you ... ... "

She felt that her lips had cracked, and a drop of blood had burst forth, instantly evaporated by the intense heat of the desert, leaving only a very thin, blood scab with a faint metallic smell on her lips

This round of search and rescue is particularly crucial in terms of time— the most precious survival period is about to pass, and if she is still not found, her chances of survival will be significantly diminished

Chen Yufan unexpectedly said nothing, only uttering a soft "mm". Even at this moment, she still held no fondness for Du Weiyan. She was merely curious whether that seemingly omnipotent man could indeed bring Du Weiyan back.

The Devil's City is filled with oddly shaped giant stones, brownish-yellow, illuminated by the dusk sunlight, taking on a hue reminiscent of blood-red rust. Du Weiyan knew that at such moments, she could not lie beneath those shady giant stones. These seemingly harmless sedimentary layers stood quietly, but once they collapsed, it could happen in an instant.

Here, number fourteen. A middle-aged man raised his hand, and said, We will depart shortly

In the southern part of Tianyin City, in an ordinary residence of Mingwu, a little boy had just finished his homework. In front of the only color television in the house, his grandfather sat upright, watching intently. ... A familiar photograph appeared on the television ... Zhang Xiaoxiao was momentarily stunned, pulling his grandfather's hand and saying: "Grandpa, isn't that ... Teacher Du?" When mentioning this name, Zhang Xiaoxiao seemed to recall something, his small face wrinkling into a frown, "Is she ... in trouble?" The old man remained silent, pulling his grandson's hand with a complex expression, slowly saying: "It's nothing. Teacher Du is a good person ... she won't be in trouble."

It has been exactly two days since Du Weiyan went missing

On the flight from Linxiu to Northwest Nisa, a young man reached out to open the airplane's sunshade. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the collar was slightly loose. The moment the light streamed in, he gently furrowed his brows and closed his eyes again, his expression calm as water. This was the flight attendant's fourth time passing by him, and for the fourth time, he called out to her, quietly inquiring about the time.

A group of people looked at each other in confusion. Until someone said, "Hey, where are the relatives of Du Weiyan who just arrived?"

Jiang Luwen's voice seemed somewhat weary: "He has already passed, whether he can be brought back, who knows now..."

It raised its head high, two or three meters away from itself, the slender snake head flickering as if it were a precise instrument. Du Weiyan recalled those first aid principles; she needed to remain calm and avoid moving her body as much as possible. However, that snake seemed to be slowly approaching, leaving a faint trail of white saliva behind its S-shaped body

According to relevant sources, the young researcher Du Weiyan from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who went missing two days ago while traversing the Nisa Devil City, remains unaccounted for. The authorities have deployed aircraft for a comprehensive low-altitude search, while dozens of off-road vehicles have been dispatched on the ground, covering an area of approximately 4,000 square kilometers. The key search area is within about 30 kilometers of the incident site, where a segmented carpet search has been conducted. However, as of now, there has been no trace of the missing individual.

He... won't drive himself to look for it, will he?" Someone stammered, "Where is the person who brought him? Where is the person?"

The search for the missing persons has been ongoing for a full day. The scenes captured on television show search personnel with metal detectors, sifting through the soil, only to discover an abandoned can that has been there for a long time. During an interview with reporters, an expert expressed deep concern, stating: "The soil around the giant rocks in the Devil's City is very loose, and after prolonged exposure to wind and sun, it could collapse at any moment. We are worried that the missing individuals may be hiding in the shade beneath the giant rocks to rest due to exhaustion. If they are buried under a collapsed rock, the soil could be as deep as 2 to 3 meters. If that is the case, our hopes for a successful rescue operation would be very slim..."

Who is leading the team in the northeast direction

At this moment, there is still the last straw that will break the camel's back

Perhaps I will really leave my life here, she thought weakly, her lips moved slightly, and another wave of tearing pain shot through her lips. She slowly sat down, the gravel beneath her was terrifyingly hot, and through a layer of fabric, it felt as if her own skin was being roasted. She had no doubt that someone could really be sun-dried into jerky in such a place.