Beyond a relatively gentle stretch of ground, there were remnants of wooden stakes hugging several people, some of which were even petrified, and it looked like it was the most lush part of the Canyon of the Dead, but 2,000 years later, it still hasn't come back to life. The next journey became more and more difficult to walk, those huge stones in the ancient orogeny stripped the stones from the top of the mountain, and threw them into the canyon, the expedition team could not go in a straight line at all, many half-human high obstacles can be easily climbed, but the horses are difficult to pass, so they have to lead the horses back and forth to find a way to pass.

When the sun disappeared again, the expedition was trapped in a boulder, which is usually easy to go up and down, but in this canyon it is more realistic, if you go down from the mountain, the rocks are like irregular steps, just jump down the road.

Pandey was a little worried about the condition of the horse, and the old horse, named Dick, had been a little overwhelmed when he climbed the rocks several times, and in order to protect it, Pandey carried part of the weight on his back, and led and pushed the horse with Sherpa all the way.

"That's all for today." Pandey proposed.

"We're already behind schedule." Xia Ruobing frowned, she underestimated the ruggedness of this journey, according to her plan, she should have reached the first platform of 3,500 meters at this time.

Wang Xingguo looked at the altitude gauge on his watch, the current altitude is more than 3,200 meters, and it is not far from the planned camping site.

"Little angel! You can't become fat by eating in one bite. Pan Dee persuaded Xia Ruobing.

"Ruobing, let's set up camp, we still have enough supplies." Wang Xingguo also persuaded.

In such a situation, Xia Ruobing has no room for opposition, and forcibly advancing in the dark is very likely to cause an accident, and Xia Ruobing is helpless.

Unloading supplies from horses, setting up camp in the midst of a pile of rubble, the pot on the gas stove was boiling hot, a smell of coffee spread, and Tchaikov squatted by the gas stove: "Ha...... That's life! ”

Of course, Dick fired by himself, although it was said that it was sincere cooperation, but it was not yet time to cooperate, so the two groups would not eat together for the time being, Chen Badai poured a bag of milk tea powder into the churning pot, stirred it up, divided it into three parts, and handed it to Mr. Min and Dick.

Xia Ruobing has no appetite at all, I don't know why, since she met the high priest, she felt that she was in a state of anxiety, yes, now she can be 100% sure that she is standing at the gate of the secret of Loulan's treasure, this is the palace that many archaeologists and explorers dream of, dusty 2000 years of history, the last wish of her parents, but Xia Ruobing doesn't know what to do, what if this is just a mirror? A kind of hesitation about gains and losses made Xia Ruobing very anxious.

"Nope! I have to go all the way! Can't stop! Xia Ruobing looked at the snow on the mountains hidden in the dark night in the distance, and secretly encouraged herself, "Xia Ruobing, if Mom and Dad are still here, they will definitely go all the way." ”

"Ruobing...... Ruobing ......" Wang Xingguo brought Xia Ruobing half a cup of coffee and called her twice, but Xia Ruobing didn't hear it.

Wang Xingguo gently patted Xia Ruobing's shoulder, and Xia Ruobing came back from his thoughts and took the coffee in Wang Xingguo's hand.

"What are you thinking?" Wang Xingguo asked.

"No ......"

"If it's too risky this time, we can come back next time." Wang Xingguo said softly.

"No!" Xia Ruobing simply refused, she didn't allow anyone to say anything discouraged now, and she couldn't wait until next summer.

Wang Xingguo sighed, patted Xia Ruobing's shoulder, and comforted her, turned around to see Chen Badai, Mr. Min and Dick sitting around the gas stove, and thought about walking towards them.

"Would you like to drink some milk tea?" Mr. Min handed Wang Xingguo half a cup of milk tea, and Wang Xingguo took it.

"What are your plans for the rest of the trip?" Mr. Min asked again, for Wang Xingguo, Mr. Min is still very sure of his ability, and feels that there is no harm in consulting more.

Wang Xingguo didn't answer, he asked: "Do you know that Chen Badai is taking headache medicine?" ”

"What's the big deal?" Dick shrugged, isn't it normal to take medicine for a headache?

"We are climbing all the way up, after the altitude exceeds 4000, the oxygen content is only 60% of the plain, we will face hypoxia, low temperature, strong wind, we must be highly focused, headache medicine will affect judgment ......"

Chen Badai had been silent, and Dick turned his head to look at Chen Badai with an exaggerated expression: "Will it be so serious?" ”

Chen Badai sneered and glanced at Dick.

Dick laughed, "Looks like my Forbidden Land Hunter doesn't think it's a big deal. ”

"There is no room for mistakes on the high mountain, if ......" Wang Xingguo tried to convince Dick.

"Relax...... Why don't you be generous enough to admit that you need our help? Dick laughed, "Could it be that the mountains are scaring you?" Or is it Xia Ruobing's gentle township that makes you lose your fighting spirit...... Wang Xingguo, you are an eagle with flapping wings, and Chen Badai is just a hemp eagle......"

"Wang, what is there to eat in Dick?" On the other side, Tchaikov had already prepared dinner and shouted at Wang Xingguo.

……

"Wang Xingguo has always wanted to hinder us from moving forward." After dinner, Mr. Min suddenly spoke.

"He has a shadow on the mountains." Chen Badai, who had been silent, spoke.

"Huh?!" This surprised Mr. Min, who had always thought that Wang Xingguo was an all-round forbidden land hunter.

"When I was in the army, there was an avalanche, Wang Xingguo escaped death, and once the protection station broke, he fell dozens of meters, and the main lock was stuck in the stone crack so that he did not fall to his death...... While trying to survive in the desert, he was so thirsty that he hallucinated, and he said that the mountains and the desert were the last places he wanted to be. ”

"Ha, this time it happens to be mountains and deserts!" Dick had a sense of schadenfreude, "Chen Badai, I said you would surpass him." ”

"To cross those two platforms, you need at least two people to cooperate, and without him, no one can get by." Chen Badai's words made Dick's pride disappear.

"Min, haven't you ever climbed a mountain too?" Dick was a little unwilling, if Wang Xingguo withdrew, then the hateful Tchaikov would disappear, and the scepter would only fall into his own hands.

"Dick, technical climbing and normal climbing are two different things." Chen Badai reminded.

Mr. Min is very self-aware of himself, and the mountains he has climbed have direct trails and do not require much skill.

“GOD！ Why does fate have to tie me to the damned Tchaikov?! Dick was a little annoyed.

But then, he comforted himself in his heart: I have another way to make this damned Tchaikov disappear......

Xia Ruobing ate a little something, sat alone on the side, took out the white marble box and parchment from her backpack and looked at it repeatedly, no one bothered her.

"Tchaikov, I always felt that something was wrong." Pandey whispered to Tchaikov, "I have never seen the little angel so preoccupied, and Wang also seems to be very worried. ”

"There's nothing to worry about." Tchaikov laughed, "Let's go, we'll get the scepter, and kick Dick down the hill and go home!" ”

"It's not going to be that simple this time." Pandey shook his head.

"There is an old man next to me who can't die from ten crashes, what am I afraid of?" Tchaikov lay down on the ground, although the temperature was a little lower today, but the fog was thinner, and the stars in the sky could be faintly seen.

……

"Get up and hey! The Scepter is calling! When the first rays of sunlight fell on the canyon again, Grandpa Pandey's broken voice woke everyone up again.

As soon as Pandey's words fell, he heard a rumbling sound from the mountains in the distance, like rolling thunder, and the cold Pandey shrank his neck in fright and looked back into the depths of the canyon.

"Avalanche!" Tchaikov said.

Avalanches are not uncommon in the mountains, and although it is autumn, the snow above the snow line does not melt all year round, and when the sun rises, the snow becomes more fluffy, and the slightest tremor or displacement can cause avalanches.

The canyon amplifies the sound of avalanches, which are actually far from here.

Wang Xingguo also heard the avalanche, he stopped what he was doing, stood in the canyon, looked into the depths, and Sherpa walked up to him: "The number of avalanches this season should not be too much." ”

"Permanent snow line, avalanche is a probability event, regardless of the season." Wang Xingguo said.

"What are you worried about?" Sherpa asked.

"Chen Badai is taking headache medicine, and continuing to go up will torture him." Wang Xingguo said.

Sherpa realizes that the problem does not seem to be as simple as everyone thinks, and that the most professional members of the expedition are Wang Xingguo and Chen Badai, and if they make a mistake, it can be catastrophic.

"I have a shadow on the mountains...... I almost died in the mountains several times. Wang Xingguo said in a low voice.

Sherpa was stunned for a moment, he now probably understood why Wang Xingguo had been worried.

"But we can always fix it, right?" Sherpa is more like self-consolation.

"Ruobing, she's not in good shape." Wang Xingguo still has a layer of worry.

"I know my sister better than you, Wang Xingguo, she is very hesitant, it is when she needs your full support, you can't back down at this time."

"Must pass the first platform today!" Xia Ruobing packed up, didn't eat, and suddenly announced.

"But...... Little angel, our breakfast ......" Grandpa Pandey looked at half of the breakfast, and he had to eat enough to set off again.

Xia Ruobing didn't speak, Grandpa Pan Di had to extinguish the gas stove in a bad mood, Xia Ruobing had already gone to the front to explore the way, Wang Xingguo hurriedly followed, everyone had to dispel the idea of eating breakfast, and hurry up to put things on horseback.