The Twenty-Second Escapade

  Because he was focused on the guide work, Xu De didn't take driving matters seriously. So when Xu Chang proposed the requirement of driving a heavy truck, Xu De naturally gave up the driver's seat and concentrated on thinking about the problem of avoiding the wind later.

  Anyway, this car can't move because the drive shaft is broken, so Xu Chang can only sit there and pretend to be driving, waiting for the tow truck to arrive.

  Considering the need for shelter, the road engineering team decided not to go further down the mountain. Going further down would leave no place to hide and there was no need to transfer. If they were to head back up the mountain, five kilometers ahead and three kilometers off the road, there was indeed a place that could barely be used as a makeshift shelter called "Sha Zi Ao".

  Why is it called the Fool's Ditch? Because only fools would stay there. On the plateau, where there are no roads, it means there are no people, and where there are no people, anything can happen and nobody knows what will happen.

  Apart from Xu De, a professional guide, no one on the plateau knew that there was a place called Dizzy Valley nearby. Even Xu De himself wasn't quite sure what Dizzy Valley looked like now. He only vaguely remembered that there should be two isolated hills there, and the so-called Dizzy Valley referred to a transparent mountain valley between the two hills.

  As for the place name "Sha Zi Ao", it was also because Xu De had seen a monument erected in the local area.

  It is said that long before liberation, there were also residents living in Sha Zi Gou. When Xu De was exploring the highlands earlier, he also found some old earth walls left over from the past.

  Since there was such a good shelter nearby, the road construction team did not hesitate for too long. Because Xu De used the mileposts on the road to remember the geographical location on the plateau, under the circumstances that they would not get lost, the road construction team also abandoned the plan to let the heavy trucks turn around and prepared to go up the mountain to hide from the blizzard in Sha Zi Ao.

  For the military and civilians on the Gobi Plateau, going up the mountain or down the mountain is just a concept. Going to distant mountains or high altitudes is called going up the mountain, while the opposite is called going down the mountain.

  As the construction of the motherland develops, there are not many plateau people who still insist on living in the mountains. Either they are like Songba's family, or they make a living by being guides for snow-capped mountain climbers.

  For safety considerations, the road engineering team stopped advancing near the specified pillar mark designated by Xu De and sent out the only three-wheeled motorcycle in the team to search for the specific location of Sha Zi Ya.

  The road engineering team not only has a jeep, but also has a three-wheeled motorcycle for work needs. It is mainly used to explore the road ahead. Coincidentally, today's situation is exactly when it comes into play.

  As he sipped the strong liquor brought from Xu De, Xu Chang didn't worry at all. Not to mention that the road construction team had rich experience in resisting blizzards, with a highland guide like Xu De by his side, even if they couldn't find Sha Zi Ao, there was nothing to worry about.

  "Reporting to Commander, we've found Dumb Valley, but it seems like there are signs of human habitation inside."

  Xu Chang's wait didn't last long. Compared to those heavy vehicles in the road construction team, the three-wheeled motorcycle was much faster.

  "Someone lives? How is this possible?"

  Not only did Xu Chang's face change color as he listened to the scout's report, but Xu De also looked up in surprise from inside the car.

  "Yes, we saw the figure from afar when we were driving over, but when we got closer, it was gone. There are indeed many earth mounds inside the Dumb Valley, and we also found some recent signs of use inside. But because the situation was unclear and we didn't have any weapons on us, we turned back after passing through the Dumb Valley."

  "Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

  "There are also many mysterious caves of varying depths on the mountain slopes beside the Chezhan Gully, so we didn't dare to get off the car easily."

  Cave? Upon hearing the scout's report, Xu De also remembered. The two hills beside Sha Zi Gou were both rocky mountains, and the caves on the mountain weren't very deep. He had explored them one by one in the past, and there were some remnants of life inside, but he didn't know what they were used for.

  Although the scouts said they didn't dare to get off the bus, anyone could see the excitement on their faces. Maybe when they weren't reporting to their superiors, they didn't dare to act rashly, but as long as they had weapons in hand, they couldn't wait to show off their scout's prowess.

  "Xu De, what kind of person do you think he is?"

  "If it's a runaway villager, it's okay, but if it's an escaped convict, that's a bit of trouble."

  Although running away from marriage is now rare, due to some remote village customs, it can still be encountered on the plateau where villagers hide in places with no human traces because of running away from marriage. These mountain people are mostly not young and will not easily come into contact with outsiders.

  As for the fugitives mentioned by Xu De, they can also be heard from time to time on the plateau. In order to avoid the sanctions of the Zhengfu system, various criminals who have nowhere to go will choose to hide in the highlands, and what they value is the desolate environment here, even if the army searches, it's not necessarily clear where to find them.

  "Platoon leader, bring all the guns in the squad and follow the scout to check out the situation at Sha Zi Gou. The whole team will protect the vehicles and immediately advance to Sha Zi Gou!"

  "Oh!"

  As Xu Chang's order was passed down, the road engineering team's warriors immediately cheered. Being able to encounter a battle at this time would only make them more excited, what reason would they have to be afraid?

  Although the road construction team had over a hundred people, due to different work nature, the entire team only had about ten guns. They were usually hidden in the vehicles and would only be taken out for use when encountering dangerous situations.

  If there was nothing in the valley of fools, the road engineering team might still have a choice whether to enter the valley of fools. But now that it has been proven that there are people in the valley of fools, no matter what kind of dangerous elements are hidden inside, as an army responsible for protecting people's lives and property, it is necessary to take a look.

  Dangerous element? There's no need to doubt it at all.

  Whether they were hillmen fleeing marriage or convicts, they would have a certain degree of wariness or hostility towards any outsider, which could be seen from their actions in evading the scouts just now.