WOOY Chapter 21

Chang Dong knew this man, also from the industry, named Meng Jingu. His original nickname was “Metal” because manganese, iron, and cobalt are metals[mfn]author, what kind of explanation is this lol. I mean, the gu in the name means ancient, but I don’t think it’s referring to a metal[/mfn]. However, due to his self-proclaimed romantic nature and entangled love affairs, the nickname “Non-ferrous Metal”[mfn]this includes precious metals. I think the name game here is the fact, that steel contains magnesium,iron and so on. Steel is hard…And maybe most non-ferrous metals are soft lol[/mfn]became more popular. He wasn’t offended by it; instead, he took pride in it, famously saying, “A man who isn’t lustful isn’t a man.”

Chang Dong and Meng Jingu met during a desert off-road race, where they both attempted the “Sand Ridge Crossing”, a high-skill maneuver. Simply put, it involved accelerating up the sand ridge, easing off near the top without braking, and then gunning the throttle as the car’s nose dipped downhill. This required excellent mindset, technique, and control. Braking too hard would cause the car to get stuck in the sand, too much speed would send the car flying off the ridge, and misjudging the angle when the nose dipped could bury the car in the sand like a carrot.

During that race, Meng Jingu crashed his car and broke an arm, while Chang Dong smoothly completed the challenge and set a new speed record. This humiliated Meng Jingu, prompting him to train harder, hoping to beat Chang Dong in a future race.

When Meng Jingu finally mastered the “Sand Ridge Crossing” and approached Chang Dong again, Chang Dong dismissed him with a single sentence: “I’ve settled down. Not racing anymore.”

Meng Jingu inquired and learned that Kong Yang had watched the race video with teary eyes and told Chang Dong, “No one can guarantee luck every time. This time it was an arm; next time, it could be your head or spine…”

So, Chang Dong quit racing.

Meng Jingu found women troublesome, mocking Chang Dong behind his back, “He was a badass, but having a woman turned him into a coward.”

That was the extent of their interaction—not close enough for Meng Jingu to sit on Chang Dong’s car hood.

Frowning, Chang Dong hadn’t even spoken when Meng Jingu jumped off the car and rushed over. “Chang Dong, it’s really you! I saw in the adventure group chat that you’re back on the route. I couldn’t believe it… Two years, man. It wasn’t your fault. I’ve stayed at Goosehead Sand Dune multiple times myself. It’s a natural disaster—whoever meets it is done for. Hey, I even made a post to defend you back then…”

“What’s up?”

Meng Jingu did have something important to discuss.

“I wanted to ask you, since you started from Yumen, that means you took the horizontal route—next, are you heading up?”

Such things couldn’t be kept secret. Lop Nor was vast, but there were only a few safe routes. People traveling around the same time on similar routes would often encounter each other.

“Yes.”

Meng Jingu sighed in relief. “Me too. Can we team up? More cars mean we can look out for each other. Last night, a warning came out in the big group chat—bad weather ahead, sandstorms can hit at any time, and they’re supposed to be particularly severe…”

He lowered his voice. “Friends camping at Longcheng said they saw wolf tracks next to their camp this morning, and not just one set… So everyone is trying to team up. Didn’t you notice all the cars in town?”

Not everything Meng Jingu said was true.

The news in the group chat was actually much more severe: according to locals, the weather hadn’t been this bad in years. Signal was poor, possibly due to Lop Nor’s magnetic fields, and multiple GPS systems were malfunctioning. A five-car convoy got separated in a sandstorm, and two of the trailing cars went missing—they hadn’t made contact yet…

The group was filled with sighs, reminiscing about Zhao Ziyun, known as the “King of the Desert”, also called the living map of Lop Nor. Modern exploration relied heavily on electronic equipment, and when those failed, everyone was essentially blind…

In such an atmosphere, one could only think about Chang Dong: his sensitivity to direction was the best in recent years… In such weather, only he dared to go and could make it through.

Finally, the group chat issued a notice: Safety first. Cancel trips that haven’t started. For teams already in Lop Nor, either return via the southern route or find a windbreak. Try to persuade clients to understand. Money is important, but life is more precious. No one wants to end up on the missing list in Lop Nor, right?

Meng Jingu was in a tough spot. He was leading a small magazine photography team with six people, including a demanding director, an artistically inclined photographer, an assistant, a makeup artist who also handled wardrobe, and two photogenic models. Their goal was to shoot a “Loulan Princess“[mfn]There is a show named Justice Bao: The First Year , where there is a princess Luolan. Archeologists have also found the remains of a mummy who’s named The Beauty of Luolan. They tried to reconstruct her face  [/mfn] themed photo series.

 

Apparently, they had a wealthy backer, sparing no expense. They offered Meng Jingu an extremely generous fee, specifying in the contract: We don’t want to go to places where tourists can take cliché photos. We want to go where no one else has been, to shoot jaw-dropping pictures.

Meng Jingu readily agreed.

When signing the contract, there were concerns: “Isn’t the weather there supposed to be bad?”

Meng Jingu knew well that this time of year had the best and most stable weather in Lop Nor. To elevate his status and avoid losing the contract, he exaggerated the challenges: “If it happens, others won’t manage, but you’re in good hands with me. Trust me, photos in a sandstorm will be amazing, even special effects can’t match them.”

That made sense, so they signed on the spot.

But man proposes, and God disposes. The sudden weather change in Lop Nor caught everyone off guard. In all his years in the industry, Meng Jingu had never encountered such bad weather. He tried to reason with the team.

“You said you could handle anything, didn’t you?”

“But the sandstorm is pretty intense…”

“Didn’t you say photos in a sandstorm are amazing?”

The harshest move was tossing the contract copy in front of him, reminding him of the breach clause: “Not going in is fine, just double the compensation. We agreed, didn’t we?”

Resolutely, Meng Jingu agreed to continue the journey. It was just wind, after all. Winds came and went, and eventually, they’d tire themselves out.

For some peace of mind, he decided to buy two extra pounds of carrots for good luck. By sheer luck, he spotted Chang Dong’s car on the street.

After listening, Chang Dong pondered for a moment and asked, “So, are you going to pay respects to Lord Yu? Visiting Loulan? Xiaohe? What about the Sun Tomb?”

Sensing an opportunity, Meng Jingu nodded eagerly, “Yes, yes, we won’t miss a single spot.”

Chang Dong nodded, “That’s great.”

Meng Jingu’s face lit up with joy—

“But unfortunately, I’m not going. I’m heading up to Bailongdui, which isn’t on your route. However, my friend here wants to go,” Chang Dong said, pushing Fei Tang forward. “You can team up and look out for each other.”

——

When they returned to the hotel, Ye Liuxi had just finished showering and was sorting her luggage with wet hair. Seeing only Chang Dong return, she was a bit puzzled. “Where’s Fei Tang?”

Chang Dong searched for his toiletries and casually explained what happened.

Ye Liuxi couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic. “You just left Fei Tang like that?”

That little scrawny guy had come all the way west, contributing time and money, eyeing her beast-head agate but barely getting to touch it—overall, a thankless endeavor, making one sigh.

Chang Dong replied, “Left him? Meng Jingu wanted more cars for company, so I recommended Fei Tang; Fei Tang wanted to sightsee, so I recommended him to Meng Jingu. They both get what they want. Isn’t that good?”

He entered the bathroom, where the lingering warmth and fragrance of the recent bath mixed with the scent of body wash. Chang Dong suddenly felt awkward and considered stepping back out, which would seem dishonest…

After a moment of hesitation, he closed the door.

——

Chang Dong pointed out a clear route to Fei Tang, mentioning that there was a road from the town directly to Hami—the Ha-Luo Highway.

This road, partially made from local materials and compacted salt, was reasonably passable but sensitive to water. Some sections were so fragile that even a puddle could create a pit.

In the industry, “Longcheng Yardang” was a broad term. Strictly speaking, with Ha-Luo Highway as the boundary, Longcheng was on the left, and Bailongdui on the right. Longcheng, near Loulan, the Tomb of Yu Gong, and Tuyin, saw more visitors, and tracks could create paths.

Bailongdui, however, was more remote, dangerous, and desolate. Ancient texts described it as a haunted place. Many passing the Ha-Luo Highway easily photographed Bailongdui, but few ventured into its core.

Based on Kong Yang’s photo, Chang Dong believed Bailongdui was the real destination.

On the road, he cautioned Ye Liuxi, “The wind there is strong. Calling it a ‘yardang group’ is an understatement. It’s a yardang city, notorious for difficult camping. I haven’t stayed there myself, but it’s said to be scarier than Longcheng. Be prepared.”

Ye Liuxi said, “We should have brought Meng what’s-his-name and Fei Tang. More people means more courage.”

Chang Dong glanced at her. “What we’re doing isn’t something good. It’s clear in our minds. Do you really want to drag unrelated people into this?”

Ye Liuxi replied, “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I don’t mind.”

——

At dusk, the car slowly drove into the depths of Bailongdui. Chang Dong placed flag markers along the way to ensure they could find their way back—the wind hadn’t picked up yet, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

The earth mounds here were covered in salt-alkaline soil, some in crystalline salt, and others in white clay. These tall mounds stretched and twisted, each at least a hundred meters long, resembling the massive body of a coiled dragon.

As usual, Chang Dong parked the car in front of a large, wind-blocking earth mound, about ten meters high, like a solid, heavy wall.

Ye Liuxi, with her binoculars, climbed to a high point to enjoy the view. Under the darkening twilight, the entire Bailongdui emitted a cold, pale light. The sky was empty, not even a bird in sight.

The shapes of the mounds were bizarre, but none embedded with a figure.

Maybe they hadn’t ventured deep enough?

Chang Dong tried to set up camp, but the salt-alkaline ground was too hard for the tent stakes. After two failed attempts, he called up to Ye Liuxi, “Come down. We’ll have to sleep in the car tonight… Let’s make dinner first.”

Ye Liuxi responded and started descending the mound, but after a few steps, she noticed something and turned back abruptly.

A trail of blood droplets extended to her feet.

She crouched down and lifted her pant leg, finding that her wound was bleeding again.

Ye Liuxi frowned. She had been careful on the climb, barely using her injured foot, yet it still bled.

She glanced at Chang Dong below, who was gathering stones to make a simple fire pit.

Forget it. If she told him, he’d just scold her for climbing with an injury… She’d handle it herself later.

She carefully climbed down the mound.

As darkness enveloped the area, the bloodstains on the mound suddenly sizzled and bubbled.