I’ve always been an impulsive person; otherwise, I wouldn't have stubbornly insisted on coming all the way to Tibet. Since the decision was made, I stopped overthinking things. Once those few men finally managed to strap on their packs, I followed them, keeping pace with Old Li up ahead.

Just before setting off, Old Li clipped the leash onto that typically lethargic Tibetan Mastiff and gave Xiao Zhou a few hurried instructions. Watching the two of them, I felt an even stronger surge of irritation, thinking to myself that I must find a way to transfer out once we got back.

With a plan brewing, I quickly caught up to the lieutenant colonel. I had already heard that he was a section chief in the sub-division, specifically overseeing communications. If I could get on his good side, there might be a chance to escape this godforsaken place.

I act on impulse—that’s my style. It wasn't until I walked closer, my pack weighing me down, that I noticed Section Chief Wang’s face was etched with anxiety and… a flicker of terror.

In situations like this, you could easily lose the official cap on your head. Back in university, I had studied a bit of physiognomy. This man’s features immediately told me he was the typical sort who thrived on political maneuvering. Losing his position would be far worse for him than losing his life.

After a few pleasantries, Section Chief Wang completely ignored my attempts at conversation, only focused on tracing the footprints on the ground ahead. We walked like that for an hour, and the others were already complaining bitterly. Though Section Chief Wang remained frantic, he had no choice but to stop. Fortunately, I hadn't been out of school long, so my foundational skills hadn't completely faded, and Old Li possessed astonishing stamina; he showed no signs of fatigue after walking all morning.

During the rest break, those few men naturally congregated around Section Chief Wang. I didn't need to guess what they were discussing. It was likely about ditching those two supply packs. Old Li walked over to me, carefully avoiding the others' line of sight, and murmured, "They aren't telling us everything."

I had also felt that something was amiss. Under normal circumstances, if they needed our assistance, they should have notified our superiors first. Yet, they had walked here on their own. From the highway military outpost to our location was at least twenty kilometers. I estimated they arrived around nine in the morning. In winter, they could barely cover ten kilometers at best. The remaining ten kilometers, judging by their pace, should have taken them nearly three hours, considering this road is essentially winding mountain terrain. For men of their build, just making it up here was difficult enough; three hours was my most generous estimate.

In reality, they should have set out even earlier, but these people simply hadn't disclosed certain matters to us.

Old Li noticed an expression on my face suggesting I had something to say. As he drew closer, he spoke softly, "Pay attention to those footprints."

Hearing that, something clicked into place, resolving the nagging feeling of wrongness I’d had all along: the spacing between those footprints was unnervingly uniform, too neat. Moreover, that specific spacing suggested someone running.

How could a deserter possess such incredible stamina, running dozens of kilometers on a snowy night like this, right after arriving in Tibet?

This was far from normal!

Seeing the prints on the ground, I hadn't focused intensely on them at the time. Although it seemed strange, I didn't delve deeper into the implications.

However, throughout the journey, the strangest thing wasn't the footprints, but Lion—this dog is usually reluctant to move an inch, yet today he was unusually excited, practically dragging Old Li along at a run the entire way.

Regardless, Section Chief Wang and his group eventually reached a conclusion. He walked over and asked me, "Little Luo, if we’re just chasing a deserter, do we really need to haul these supply packs along?"

When Section Chief Wang initiated conversation, I felt a small surge of pleasure. But then I glanced at Old Li’s expression and immediately understood the hidden matter Old Li had alluded to.

Although I had intended to cozy up to Section Chief Wang, my temperament really isn't suited for it. The moment I realized he was concealing something from me, I felt a wave of displeasure, and I couldn't help blurting out, "Are you hiding something from us?"

I deliberately emphasized the words "you all" and "we," intending to make it clear that Old Li and I were not part of their group.

Section Chief Wang’s expression shifted, looking like he was about to lash out. Unfortunately for him, while I might appear lazy normally, I possess a stubborn streak: I respond to gentle handling but dig in my heels against force. If he had spoken politely, I would have listened obediently. But if he tried to lean on rank and authority beyond my tolerance limit, I certainly wouldn't humor him.

His face cycled through several expressions in an instant. Although a flicker of unease remained within me, I outwardly became calmer. If I didn't have a little composure, my teachers would have disciplined me thoroughly back in school.

After a brief standoff, he finally softened. He looked at both Old Li and me and said, "It's not a major thing, really. This person... he escaped last night. Ran away."

Escaped at night. Ran?

I looked at Old Li skeptically. His brow was deeply furrowed, as if something had just occurred to him. After a long pause, he turned back to stare at Section Chief Wang and asked, "Sir, he didn't run off quietly, did he?"

Hearing Old Li phrase it that way, I was momentarily confused. Was the timing that important?

But Section Chief Wang suddenly recoiled as if startled. Old Li held his gaze for a moment, then broke into a sudden smile. "I was just speaking carelessly, Sir. Please don't take offense."

I rarely ever saw Old Li smile. The sight of his laugh made me realize that there might indeed be something secret behind this, though I couldn't grasp the exact situation yet.

This little exchange managed to distract Section Chief Wang from his original objective, and his followers had no choice but to continue lugging the supply packs forward.

Just standing still for a moment made me feel significantly colder. Continuing to advance gave me a distinct feeling of discomfort; I felt my energy draining away exceptionally fast. Of course, part of this was due to us climbing uphill constantly—the higher we went, the lower the air pressure, and the less oxygen available. But it truly was tough on those followers; they rotated carrying the packs several times, yet they were still bent double with exhaustion.

Section Chief Wang's expression had been dark since Old Li asked that question, so gloomy, in fact, that I lost all desire to approach him.

After all, I wouldn't willingly offer warmth to someone offering a cold shoulder. Moreover, my own mind was filled with questions; I wouldn't be satisfied until I understood the situation. Thus, I focused my concern more on Old Li. He walked ahead of me, maintaining a distance of about a hundred or two meters behind the others. Given that Linzhi is dense with primeval coniferous forests, a hundred or two meters, while not completely obscuring them like a tropical rainforest, was certainly enough to prevent them from overhearing our conversation.

I knew Old Li was walking fast for a reason, to tell me something. As expected, just as we moved out of earshot of the others, he passed me an item.

It wasn't anything other than a tube of Wuji Ointment, which we usually used in the summer to treat common insect bites.

Taking the Wuji Ointment, I quietly asked, confused, "What's this for? In the middle of winter, why use this stuff?"

Old Li’s expression was grim. He glanced behind them to ensure the others couldn't hear us before stating, "Rub this inside your ears. And as for those men behind us: do not fully trust anything they say, nor wholly disbelieve it."

As he spoke, Old Li’s seriousness made me feel that things were steadily spiraling toward a worse outcome.

After handing me the bottle, Old Li slowed his pace. I knew he was giving me a chance to apply the medicine. Despite my mounting suspicion, I gritted my teeth and rubbed the ointment into my ears. The sensation that followed is something I’d rather not recall—it was intensely stimulating, to say the least.

Once done, I also slowed down to rejoin Old Li and the others. Old Dog Lion was the most spirited among us, energetic throughout the trek, making me momentarily wonder if it was just a final burst of energy before death.

After walking for half the morning, we were getting closer to the true primeval forest. Our communications outpost, by comparison, was merely grazing the very edge of the woods. Once we reached this point, any semblance of a path vanished; only small tracks made by unseen animals pushing through the undergrowth allowed us to squeeze through.

The surrounding trees were terrifyingly tall. From a distance, they looked like the common pines we usually saw, but up close, we realized these deep-forest pines were the grandfathers—perhaps even the ancestors—of the exterior ones that stood only ten or twenty meters high.

Approaching noon, we encountered a massive tree blocking our path. In fact, if Lion hadn't been constantly pulling us forward, we probably would have lost sight of that deserter long ago. But this tree was truly enormous, easily measuring nearly two meters in diameter, having stood in this forest for countless years. When it finally fell, it cleared a wide patch of open ground where we could soak up the sun.

In Tibet, if you have sunshine, you don't feel the cold too acutely. Section Chief Wang and his men clearly looked spent, and it was a good time for a break.

Lion found a dry spot behind a tree and settled down. A Tibetan Mastiff like him can go several days without food and be fine. I was genuinely feeling the fatigue, having eaten little that morning, and now I was hungry. Luckily, Old Li’s provisions included plenty of compressed and self-heating rations. During this rare rest, I tore open a bag of biscuits and started munching.

To my surprise, Section Chief Wang and his men didn't open their own supply packs to eat; they just sat there, panting heavily. They should have been hungrier than us, having set out so much earlier.

Looking over at Old Li, he sat aside, lost in thought, though his expression suggested he wasn't contemplating anything pleasant.

At that moment, a sudden shiver ran down my spine. An unexpected wave of dread made my body tremble involuntarily.