"Who is Morgan?" Triangle Eye pondered several times in his mind but couldn't recall anyone, and his subordinates were even more clueless. However, he responded, "I'm the leader of this pack of fox-wolves, my name is Ximi."
"Oh," many exclamations erupted from the crowd. Many who had followed their leader for a long time had never known the real name of the man known as the fox-wolf. They just found out today, and the name didn't seem to be Han Chinese, nor did they know from which minority it might come.
Although Morgan was disappointed by Ximi's reaction of not knowing who he was, he laughed upon hearing the name Ximi and said, "Look at that, my luck is really not bad, it seems you are destined to be my recruiter Ximi."
Hearing Morgan's response, Ximi thought, "He really does know everything. But how does he know?" Ximi had never heard of Morgan before, but the actions and presence of this towering foreigner since entering the cave had left him quite shocked. In the past, in the military, apart from their instructors, no one had made him feel such a chill.
Morgan paused, then added, "You've never heard of my name, that's okay. I've prepared extensively for this venture, and I don't mind letting you see my sincerity and the preparations I've made. Come on in, the wind outside is strong, but the host inside is warm and welcoming."
As Morgan called out, five people entered in single file; the first four were dressed uniformly in snow field combat gear. Covered with elasticated hoods over their faces, sunglasses, and masks concealing the rest of their faces, their attire was striking; even more so were the weapons they carried. Each one had a shoulder-fired recoilless rocket launcher on their back, one held two light machine guns, another wielded a drum-fed heavy machine gun, one slung a submachine gun with a grenade launcher, and another even carried a corner-shot gun equipped with a camera and video capabilities, as seen in the Iraq War. Just these equipments had already shocked the cave's poachers, not to mention their leader Ximi, who had never seen such modern unconventional military weaponry. They were just thankful that they hadn't attacked earlier, as a massacre would have been the only outcome for them.
Morgan explained with a feigned smile, "Don't be nervous, the environment here is harsh, and there are many wild animals. These things are for hunting."
Ximi knew in his heart, using rocket launchers for hunting meant something else, but Morgan's endless capabilities were beyond his imagination. How had this man managed to obtain these weapons, and how had he transported them into China? Just this alone was baffling enough for Ximi, and there was hardly anything else Morgan couldn't accomplish. Now that he had shown some of his assets, the consequences of rejecting his proposal were clear. Meanwhile, Ximi noticed the last person to enter; unlike the others, he was shorter than Morgan by half a head. His bald head was sharply pointed, and with sparse gray hair on the upper parts of his ears, his face was pockmarked like orange peel, and the rest of his skin was a grayish-blue color. The entire figure was as thin as kindling, his long fingers like chicken claws, his veins twisted like worms under the skin that clung to his bones. His large round eyes, as green as an owl's and bulging outward, gave him a far more ferocious and horrifying appearance than Ximi. Ximi thought he was intimidating enough, but here was someone whose appearance was many times more gruesome, resembling a cold, lifeless zombie that had just crawled out of a grave.
Morgan, ignoring the armed individuals, greeted the cadaverous figure warmly and spoke something in a flattering tone. After a long discussion, the zombie-like figure cracked a smile resembling a rotten tomato, and Ximi could tell that Morgan and he were speaking French. This ghostly figure was named Soris.
Just as Morgan and Soris were about to address Ximi, another person stumbled into the cave supporting someone else: "Boss, Niu Erwa is back." After announcing this, the newcomer realized something was off in the cave, noticing several fully armed strangers. Ximi waved them aside impatiently, thinking, "There's only one path up the mountain; what's Lei Bo doing, letting so many people in without notice?"
Niu Erwa was clearly one of the poachers that Tashi Danba and his group had encountered and escaped from in the ice cave. His cheeks were gaunt, evidently having endured tough days, and without caring for the others, he sobbed, "My brother is dead! He was killed by a few guys who looked like scientific researchers!" He then briefly described their attempt to kill the researchers in the ice cave and concluded fiercely, "Some of those researchers must have been in the ice cave before; otherwise, they couldn't have escaped! I must avenge my brother."
Ximi was furious; these brainless fools had not only thrown away their lives but also jeopardized his entire operation in Kekexili. However, he had no time to deal with Niu Erwa's grievances as more pressing issues were at hand. Unexpectedly, after hearing Niu Erwa's tale, Morgan suddenly seemed eager to leave. He patted Niu Erwa on the shoulder, reassuringly saying, "There will be a chance, you'll definitely get your chance to avenge him, haha." Then, he handed out a business card, adding, "I have to meet an old friend; this has my contact info. Think it over and then get in touch with me." Finally, he threw two bundles of money that looked like bricks on the ground, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Here's 200,000 yuan, consider it a… consultation fee for this visit. Think it over. Goodbye…"
As he backed away a few steps, discussing something with Soris, they walked out of the cave together, followed by the four armed individuals. The people inside the cave greedily stared at the two brick-like stacks of money, their eyes collectively focusing on Ximi. Yet Ximi was contemplating the business card printed with the number of the embassy of three countries, deeply perplexed.
Morgan hurried out of the cave, speaking in French, "I thought he had died in Kekexili, but it turns out he was staying with the scientific team." Soris asked, "What is he doing here?"
Morgan replied, "How should I know? Maybe he's checking on some leads. I just don't know how much he has found out yet, but judging by his confident demeanor, he must have uncovered quite a bit. By the way, I didn't expect Kekexili to have such strange ice cave formations. Niu Erwa mentioned that those rodents were driven away by something like a gas. What do you think?"
Soris sneered darkly, "Hmm, before dying, test rats secrete various substances in their glands to create a danger signal. Current research includes uric acid in their urine, hormones, rat adrenaline, gamma factors, and other volatile substances. These substances can make rodents within a 500-meter radius sense danger and flee. I think they used such compressed gases. If it were up to me, I could make those rodents overcome their fear of the gas, and none of those people would escape."
By the cliffside, a tremendous roar erupted, and a helicopter rose from below the cliff. Once aboard, Morgan ordered, "Hurry, let's get out of here before the blizzard forms. This place has truly dreadful weather."
Morgan readjusted his sunglasses, looking every bit the authoritative officer, and lit a cigarette, with a minion eagerly lighting it for him. Morgan took a deep drag, looked up, and muttered to himself, "I hope he's still with the scientific team. If he's back in Lhasa, it'll be harder to find him."
Suddenly, one of the armed men asked, "Boss, we already have enough people, why do we still need these amateurs?"
Morgan smirked mischievously and switched to English, "You have to clean up nicely, always good to have scapegoats. Even if things go south, it won't lead back to us, get it?"
"But will they agree?" asked the armed man as Morgan was about to flick his cigarette ash.
Morgan tapped off the ash, explaining, "They'll agree. There's a Chinese saying: for a fifty percent profit, men are ready to commit any crime; for a hundred percent, they're prepared to break all laws; if the profit margin goes up to three hundred percent, they'd commit any crime imaginable, even risking their lives. For birds, it's the bait that leads to their death; for men… it's greed."
The armed man then asked, "So, what's the offer you're giving them?"
Morgan said proudly, "No capital, all profit." He then asked Soris in French, "Am I right, Mr. Soris?"
Soris chuckled dryly, sounding like a hanged woman wailing in the night. A furry marmot poked its head out of his clothes, looking around curiously.
Tashi Danba and his group couldn't wait at the Geermu Nature Reserve and immediately called Lhasa, then caught another vehicle to Geermu city. Just as they arrived in Geermu city, it started snowing, the heavy snow reminding Tashi Danba of the Osprey vehicle they had left in Kekexili. After discussing with Zhang Li, they decided to take the train back to Lhasa. Normally, it's tough to get sleeper tickets from Geermu, but Tashi Danba made a few calls, and by the afternoon, they were lying in the comfortable berths of a southbound train. If not for the train being delayed by twelve hours due to unavoidable circumstances, they would have had to wait till the next morning for a southbound train.
It was a typical sightseeing train, with ongoing announcements about highland knowledge and attractions through the broadcast. From the broadcast, they learned that the first batch of trains operating on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway consisted of 18 trains, each with 16 carriages, including eight hard sleepers, four hard seats, two soft sleepers, one dining car, and one power car. It was Tashi Danba's first time taking the Qinghai-Tibet Railway since its completion. This time they finally had the chance to relax and enjoy the scenery along the way. As the train left Geermu and howled through the uninhabited Kunlun mountain area, the mountains, covered in white snow and of various shapes, stood like steel giants in the snowstorm. Soon they entered the continuous Kunlun Range, and the train began to ascend gently. The broadcaster explained softly, "On the north bank of the Kunlun River, next to the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, there springs an unfrozen clear spring from the ground all year round, known as the Kunlun Sacred Spring. Legend has it that it's the spring used by the Queen Mother of the West to brew her elixir…"
The trio was immersed in the landscape and the ongoing commentary. Tang Min regretted crossing Kekexili by road if she had known this route.
Tashi Danba and Tang Min shared a room, with Zhang Li next door. Before resting time, the three gathered in the same room. On the way to Geermu, Tashi Danba and his group detailed their experiences in Kekexili to Tang Min, skipping only the part about the rodents, as he really didn't want Tang Min to lose sleep over worries. Tang Min was infinitely envious of their adventure and was very disappointed that she couldn't participate. Now, in the carriage, they discussed the possible whereabouts of the notebook, confident that Tang Min's guess was very accurate—Tang Tao's notebook had unintentionally fallen into the hands of the mountain search team, and the death and disappearance of five members were directly related to the notebook.
Zhang Li analyzed, "It's very clear, the contents of that notebook are compelling enough to cause people to turn on each other."
"But there are only my brother's travel notes inside," Tang Min objected.
Tashi Danba asked, "Have you really looked through that notebook thoroughly?"
Tang Min shook her head, "No, I just listened to the stories my brother read from it. It wasn't as interesting when I read it myself."
Zhang Li and Tashi Danba exchanged glances, stood up, and said, "That's right, your brother's notebook is full of adventure records, detailing many places others haven't reached. Maybe there are ancient tombs or underground palaces, who knows, maybe filled with vast treasures!"
Tang Min replied, "My brother never told such stories. Besides, treasures like that aren't so easily found."
Tashi Danba chuckled, "Let's not argue, we haven't seen the notebook ourselves; we're just assuming this for now, it seems reasonable."
"But I don't understand," Tang Min asked, "why did the last three search team members go into that ice cave?"
Tashi Danba explained, "I think it's because your brother's notes detailed the interior of a specific ice cave. They did this to escape using the perilous ice cave as cover and to make the other team members give up following them. Then… they took the opportunity to leave and seek what they really wanted."
Zhang Li nodded in agreement but expressed regret, saying, "After all those dangers, we ended up with nothing. It was all for nothing."
Tashi Danba disagreed. "No, we gained a lot, a great deal," he replied, his expression vacant. The experiences had left a profound impact on him. He had felt utterly isolated and helpless on the vast icy plain, to the point of tears. In front of tens of thousands of hamsters, he had trembled, his legs rooted to the ground. While fleeing, his limbs had turned to jelly, and crossing the icy bridge had felt nearly impossible. These were feelings he had never experienced before. Previously, Tashi Danba had not known what fear was. He believed that in this highly developed technological age, there was nothing left to fear. He thought that with economic means, people could enjoy a comfortable life. But now, he realized that in places far removed from civilization, a different kind of strength was required.
Tang Min's voice pulled Tashi Danba out of his thoughts. She pouted and said playfully, "Alright, it's all my fault for wasting your time. Can we stop discussing this for now? I'm starving. Let's eat."
Tashi Danba tapped her nose playfully and said, "Nobody's blaming you."
The three of them went to the dining car for a meal. They had not been eating for long when a female tourist suddenly cried out, "Who stole my wallet? Who stole my wallet?"
The dining car quickly became a scene of commotion. Zhang Li leaned toward Tashi Danba and whispered, "The person at the third table on the right, wearing the blue down jacket, is the thief."
Tashi Danba glanced in the direction and replied, "The one in jeans? Are you sure? He's five tables away from the woman."
"I'm sure," Zhang Li said. "Look, he didn't tuck the stolen wallet properly, and a corner is sticking out of his pocket. Plus, it's a women's wallet. When the woman called out, everyone in the dining car looked startled, but he stayed calm. That reaction isn't normal. He's clearly an experienced pickpocket with some guts. I'm going to confront him."
Watching Zhang Li walk over, Tang Min whispered to Tashi Danba, "Is this okay?"
"It's fine," Tashi Danba replied. "He's basically a military police officer. His observational skills and analytical abilities are top-notch. He's living up to his reputation as someone from the special forces."
They watched as Zhang Li patted the man's shoulder and exchanged a few words with him. Zhang Li retrieved the wallet, and the woman who had lost it rushed over, furiously scolding the man. The man, however, seemed to be arguing adamantly. Tashi Danba frowned. "Something doesn't seem right. Let's go check it out."
They approached just as Zhang Li raised his voice. "Take the money out of this woman's wallet right now. Don't make me get physical."
The man denied everything, saying, "I didn't take it! I told you, I don't know how this wallet got into my pocket. Someone framed me!"
The woman cursed him angrily, saying, "How dare you deny it? Someone saw you take it! Give me back my money, and my photo, too! Give it back! Give it back!" She began to claw and tug at him.
The crowd of onlookers grew larger, with some passengers shouting suggestions: "Call the train police!" "Lock him up first!" "Search him, and the police will find out!"
Just then, another commotion broke out at the door. A man in a green military coat tackled another man wearing glasses who appeared to be trying to flee. The man in the coat grabbed the glasses-wearing man's wrist, tripped him, and pinned him to the floor with a practiced move.
The dining car passengers, already excited by the first incident, flocked over to see this new development. The man in the coat dragged the glasses-wearing man over and said to the woman, "Ma'am, it was this guy who stole your wallet. The other gentleman had nothing to do with it."
With someone stepping forward to explain, the first man now seemed more confident. "See? I told you it wasn't me."
The woman, however, was still skeptical. "Then why was my wallet in your pocket?"
The man in the coat explained, "Ma'am, he really was framed. The thief stole your wallet, took the cash, and then slipped the empty wallet into his pocket. The pickpocket chose his pocket because it's big and easy to access without being noticed. The down jacket's padding also made it harder for him to feel someone slipping something in or out."
Zhang Li asked, "Then why didn't he react when the woman shouted about her missing wallet?"
The man in the coat smiled and pulled out a wire connected to headphones from the first man's collar. "Because he was listening to his MP3 player."
Zhang Li turned to study the man in the coat. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with a square face and an honest smile. His sharp eyes and straightforward demeanor made him seem trustworthy. Next to him, the glasses-wearing man looked refined and well-dressed, not at all like a typical thief. Zhang Li asked, "How did you figure it out?"
The man in the coat explained, "As soon as I entered the dining car, I noticed something odd. Everyone else was looking for a seat or checking out the food, but this guy was scanning the passengers. When the woman shouted about her wallet, he acted like everyone else, but I saw him glance at the first man's pocket. The wallet's color is close to the jacket's, so it's hard to notice unless you know what to look for. The only person who could spot it right away is the one who put it there. When the commotion started, he tried to make another move but got scared off when people noticed him. That's when he tried to escape, and I stopped him."
The man in the coat pulled out a wad of cash from the glasses-wearing man's pocket with one hand while keeping a firm grip on him with the other. Holding up the money, he said, "Such a big stack of cash without a wallet—aren't you afraid of losing it?" Handing the cash to the woman, he added, "Ma'am, count it. Is it the amount you lost?"
The glasses-wearing man panicked and said, "That's my money! How can you say it's hers?"
The man in the coat calmly pulled out a small ID photo from the stack of money and asked, "Is this photo yours, too?" The photo unmistakably belonged to the woman, leaving the glasses-wearing man speechless as he hung his head in shame.
Just then, the train police arrived. The dining car passengers applauded the man in the coat as the police took the subdued thief away. After taking statements from the woman, Zhang Li, and the man in the coat, Zhang Li learned that the man's name was Yue Yang, a 26-year-old with an impressive presence and a keen eye for details.