At around 2 p.m., Land Rover Off-Road was located in the southeast of Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, on the southeastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert.

East longitude 86°45'-93°45', north latitude 36°-41°23'

The car drives in Ruoqiang County, and there are poplar forests and red willows along the way, and the scenery is particularly special.

Mr. W shifted into the back seat, his face full of sadness, and he fell asleep with his eyes closed.

Zhu Beichen straightened up, and the atmosphere in the car was depressing.

He said, "What happened last night, why did you leave in a panic all of a sudden?" ”

Zhang Chu held the steering wheel and said that he didn't seem to want to say much, but responded lazily: "It's nothing, don't ask so much." ”

The car is good for shock resistance, but the occupants still feel the bumps transmitted by the contact between the tires and the ground.

He said, "You don't plan to stay in Ruoqiang County tonight?" ”

The off-road vehicle is now driving around Ruoqiang County, and Zhang Chu does not seem to have any intention of entering the county seat.

Zhang Chu was silent, a hint of fear flashed across his face, and his hands were tightly crossed on the steering wheel.

Zhu Beichen smiled helplessly, lay on the back seat, closed his eyes and recuperated.

At 3:10 p.m., the car's engine went off and the Land Rover stopped at the gas station.

Mr. W slowly woke up, and Zhang Chu picked up five oil drums and walked towards the gas station.

Zhu Beichen said: "What are you doing here? ”

In 1941, the area of Lop Nur on the Soviet map was 1,900 square kilometers.

Although it has been shrinking in recent years, by 1972 the last dry part of Lop Nur was 450 square kilometres.

The vast Gobi, the land of salt crust, now counts the outer Gobi, with a total of 2,400-3,000 square kilometers.

He couldn't understand why Zhang Chu had to carry five oil drums, which were enough for them to walk on Lop Nur several times.

Mr. W ignored Zhu Beichen's questioning, he opened the car door, and soon carried a few boxes of mineral water and food into the trunk.

Zhu Beichen got out of the car to breathe, staring at the endless Gobi Desert, and felt a burst of sadness.

Lop Nur has the richest potash deposits, with potash reserves in the northern part of the region2. More than 500 million tons, it is expected to replace Golmud as the largest potash production base in China in the future.

And here, Loulan, which was once prosperous and prosperous, silently withdrew from the stage of history;

The southern Silk Road, which was once in full swing, was full of yellow sand and travel;

The vast smoke of Lop Nur has also turned into a dry salt spool.

At this time, Mr. W closed the back cover, turned his face, and said, "Get in the car, let's enter Lop Nur overnight." ”

Zhu Beichen wondered if there was something wrong with his ears, and asked suspiciously: "Are you sure?" ”

The wind will start to pick up after 5 p.m. in Lop Nur, and there are at least 80 days of gale force winds above level 8 every year.

Winds are usually around four to five per day, and occasional sandstorms are more likely to fall after the night.

Strong winds have a high chance of tipping their car over.

Mr. W's mood was very bad, he pushed Zhu Beichen with a solemn face, opened the car door and stuffed him into the back seat.

"We have to go inside tonight, I don't know how many days we'll have to walk to get to the cemetery, but we can't stay overnight in the outer counties."

Zhu Beichen was stunned, it was a "cemetery" again, and he couldn't remember how many times he had heard this word.

He straightened up and sat in the back seat.

There are even more terrifying things waiting for these two people in the county, so they will rush to the land of salt crust as soon as possible at any cost, and the death of the driver Lao Wang has brought them too much shock.

Zhu Beichen carefully analyzed the current situation, the mysterious Lop Nur is like a magnet, attracting him alive, and naturally there is a reason why he has to go there.

Because of Xia Xue, who only had one relationship, and because of Lin Yiyi, both of them died there.

is also because of the package from Ruoqiang County, and his fate is closely related to this.

Zhang Chu turned on the radio and debugged several channels, all of which were "squeaky" radio noises.

He pulled out a few more plates, and after a while the music in the car sounded.

The man was hiding the fear in his heart, the hand holding the steering wheel was trembling slightly, he just hoped that some sound would dispel the panic in his heart.

Zhu Beichen looked out the window in a daze, the scenery was becoming more and more desolate, and the buildings belonging to human civilization were moving back step by step.

He said, "Are you afraid? Thousands of miles away have tied me up, and one of you died on the way. ”

The voice was low, and it was quickly drowned out by the bold music, and Zhang Chu's hand twitched unconsciously.

Mr. W obviously understood Zhu Beichen's words, and his facial muscles throbbed and said, "I don't like you talking too much. ”

Zhu Beichen said: "The desert scenery is very similar to a kind of flower, there is a kind of flower called Jiuyin petals in Miaojiang, which is very beautiful when it is in full bloom, and when it is decadent, it is like this salt crust land, full of the smell of death. ”

Mr. W put his hand in the pocket of his coat, which judging by the shape was a pistol.

There was a shrill beep from the navigation device, and the instrument was out of order again.

Just like when Ma was lost, Zhu Beichen was used to this kind of sound, and he began to wonder if it was the magnetic field interference of the mines in Lop Nur.

There are mining areas in Lop Nur almost every other distance, but they are rarely mined.

Except for the roads near their residences, the workers in the mines are basically unable to figure out the surrounding road conditions.

Zhang Chu was also a little anxious at this time, and his irritability was shown on his face, and he turned off the music with a "pop".

Walking in the desert is almost without any references, and the direction is extremely difficult to discern.

It was already night, and it was dark in the Gobi.

The lights in the off-road vehicle were turned on, and the faces of the three people were as heavy as water.

Mr. W said, "Stop, stay through the night, and wait until dawn before leaving." ”

They would rather spend the night on the Gobi than stay in Ruoqiang County for one night, Zhu Beichen was a little surprised.

He said: "Turn off the headlights and rest, in the wilderness, the bright lights are easy to expose yourself and attract wild animals." ”

Zhang Chu didn't make any moves, and sneered twice: "There are no animals here, living things will become corpses, and it is definitely not animals to attack." ”

His words made Zhu Beichen's heart chill for a while, yes, under this Yadan landform, there are only dead things.

The car slowed down and pulled to the side.

Zhu Beichen opened the car door and jumped out of the car.

Mr. W asked, "What are you going to do?" ”

He replied, "You have brought you to this hellish place, and you are afraid that I will be able to escape." I'll go make it easier. ”

When the Eastern Jin Dynasty monk Fa Xian traveled west to learn scriptures and passed by Lop Nur, he once wrote, "There are many evil ghosts and hot winds in the Sand River, and those who meet them will die, and none of them will ......"

Many people died of thirst not far from the springs, and incredible things happened in this land.

Now, Zhu Beichen has set foot on this mysterious land, the rumored "Ear of the Earth".