Although the youngest in this group was guide Zhe Luo, except for Old Knife and his soldiers, everyone else couldn't keep up with his pace. Even Chao Zi and Zhuo Xiong, who were old veterans of the Tibetan region, admired the kid's endurance.

  They walked along a low-lying strip that seemed to be the remains of an ancient riverbed, which was also once a fertile grassland. With the change in climate, it has long since become a no man's land. Occasionally, they could still see some stone buildings that had long since collapsed, and Zhero said those were temples from before.

  Kunlun, a legendary figure who lives in the Tibetan region but is steeped in Han Chinese mythology, rarely has any Tibetans visiting him, and most of the places he has been to are also mostly left with relics from the Han people.

  With this group of professional soldiers leading the way, the marching speed is much faster than in previous operations. The sky has also started to snow, and here, weather forecasts are useless, as new weather can be encountered around every corner.

  Mixed with the biting cold wind, many people's eyelashes were white, and the storm was beyond Zhero's expectation. If a shepherd encountered such weather, he would drive the sheep to find shelter, otherwise the livestock would be easily frightened and lost.

  "Everyone line up in a row, the people behind grab onto the backpack straps of those in front, don't let go! The leader follow me, the wind and snow are too strong, we need to find a place to take shelter!"

  In this terrible weather, every word that is spoken is a great test for people. Shouting requires the consumption of a lot of oxygen, and people have to take big breaths to supplement it. Every mouthful of fresh air brings snowflakes directly into the trachea, blown in by the strong winds. That feeling is truly refreshing.

  Everyone lowered their heads and followed the feeling of the person in front, because their eyes could no longer open. Zhero also led the crowd forward with his familiarity with this region and innate sense of direction.

  When they thought the strong wind had disappeared, they found themselves in a valley with steep cliffs on both sides. The height was so great that even the agile monkeys of Bashan might not be able to climb up. Looking up from here, the sky was only a thin white line. This made Chaozi think of a common place name used all over the country: "This is a 'one-line sky'!"

  Lao Dao had already started a fire in the local area, and the military canned food was opened and placed on top to heat up. In the snowy terrain, it was necessary to replenish energy in time, otherwise, it was very likely that people would die due to sudden lack of oxygen or low blood sugar.

  Zhe Luo took off his boots, and snow got in. He needed to dry them a bit. Steam rose from the pant legs as the guide said, "This isn't called First Line Sky, it's called Wild Cow Gorge."

  "Wild Buffalo Gorge? Are there wild buffalo here?" Chaozi asked curiously.

  The guide, Zhe Luo, started talking more after getting familiar with them: "I don't know, no one has ever ventured deep into the Wild Ox Gorge and returned alive. It's said that inside are all wild ox bones, which is why it's called Wild Ox Gorge."

  "Since no one has ever come out alive, why did you bring us here?" Chaozi thought the guide was a bit dull and started chatting with him, because Lao Dao's face was always tense, as if he owed someone a lot of money.

  "It was I who let him in." Old Knife said, taking a sip of hot soup. "This is a natural moat; when Genghis Khan marched westward, he too took shelter from the wind and snow here. The Mongol Khan, well-versed in military tactics, thought this place was perfect for an ambush, so he sent a vanguard of fifty men to scout ahead, but not one returned. Later, the Khan had no choice but to lead his tens of thousands of troops to take a detour by another route. You'd better be careful."

  "Why must we continue on this path?"

  The old blade didn't look at him, but instead turned to Cha Wenbin and said: "This area is blank on the map because no one has ever been able to bring out a survey map alive, aerial photography has never taken images of this place, all photos are blank, and helicopters cannot operate in this changeable weather environment. Footwork is the only way, but where we need to go is exactly where it can't be found on the map, and Wild Bull Gorge is the only road leading to that area. Otherwise, we would have to cross three snow-capped mountains over 6,500 meters high, I think Mr. Cha should understand what that means." After finishing speaking, he continued drinking his hot soup from the thermos, without lifting his head again.

  It's impossible to cross three snow-capped mountains in a row, not to mention physical strength, but simply because supplies can't keep up. He finally understood why those people had to make such a big circle to get here. To persuade someone to enter this place is no different from sentencing them to death. Cha Wenbin couldn't help but take another look at Lao Dao, and at least in his eyes, there was not a hint of fear.

  The Niubao Valley completely blocked the cold wind blowing from the northwest, except for occasional scattered snowflakes, making people feel little chill. Cha Wenbin even found that there were one or two small flowers whose names he couldn't remember, blooming on the steep rock wall.

  After everyone had enough rest, Old Knife asked, "Mr. Cha, can we continue on our way?"

  Before Wen Bin could speak, Chao Zi picked up his luggage and put his arm around Zhe Luo's shoulder, saying: "Guide brother, let's go."

  In the face of such a serious ambush, Lao Dao seemed very calm and collected. He called over his brothers to spread out at both ends of the team, while he himself stuck close to Cha Wenbin's side. This was the difference between professional soldiers like him and those ruffian soldiers led by Chaozi. Chaozi had once privately told Cha Wenbin that he suspected this group were mercenaries, and in their eyes, even if you were a government-hired mercenary, you were just a high-end security guard.

  Less than two kilometers ahead, the road began to appear sporadically with animal carcasses, from large yaks to small rabbits, some of which had not yet fully rotted, while others were already a pile of white bones.

  The deeper they went, the more corpses there were, and the types became more complex. They even saw some animal remains that had been declared extinct. People could only move forward in these piles of white bones, and various murals began to appear on the rocks on both sides.

  Red! This familiar color, Cha Wenbin has seen more than once the murals made with this pigment, which are irregularly distributed on the cliffs on both sides. Most of them depict animal shapes, including goats, horses, and more often cows. These murals appear simple but exude a strong sense of era characteristics. Old Wang said they were at least 2,000 to 3,000 years old, that is, no later than the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

  The presence of murals proved that there had been human activity here, and Cha Wenbin's heart relaxed a little. As long as it was a man-made predicament, there was a way to escape, the only powerless resistance being against nature itself.

  Just walking along, a loud "boom" sound came from the front, followed by a burst of "rustling" sounds. Old Knife immediately shouted: "Prepare for battle!"

  A burst of gunfire sounded, and everyone's nerves tensed up at once. However, Zhe Luo, who was walking in the front, smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, this is just an animal sacrificing itself to the mountain god."

  But Lao Dao didn't relax, after a hand gesture, two subordinates quickly advanced with alternating cover actions, while the others were left in place by him. After a while, the person in front made a safe gesture and waved his hand to signal everyone to come over.

  As I approached, I saw that the Tibetan antelope in front of me had fresh blood still dripping from its nostrils "patter, patter" onto the ground. A hard yak rib bone had pierced its belly, and its originally intact skeleton was now smashed to pieces.

  What a nimble creature the Tibetan antelope is, how could it have fallen from such a place? Thinking of the numerous animal carcasses here, were they all like this one, jumping down by themselves?

  Cha Wenbin walked up to Guide Zhe Luo and asked: "Just now you said it was for the mountain god's funeral, what does that mean?"

  Zhe Luo pointed at the antelope and said: "I once drove a flock of sheep here to avoid snow, and I personally saw an antelope jump down from that cave entrance. Later, Grandfather told me that it was the mountain god here who provided food and water for these animals, so they would repay in this way, by sacrificing themselves. We herders also kill whole cows and sheep and throw them outside, praying for this sacred mountain to grant us food."

  Zheruo has lived in the Tibetan area for a long time, and naturally follows some of the ancient customs of the Tibetan region. It is common for people to use livestock and fine wine to worship rivers, lakes, and famous mountains. In the past, even emperors would personally climb Mount Tai to worship heaven. This is a manifestation of human reverence for nature, as well as a way for humans to express gratitude after obtaining resources from nature. It is precisely because of this harmonious relationship between humans and nature that the land of China has been able to thrive for 5,000 years.

  But have you ever heard of animals also sacrificing themselves for burial? And in such large numbers!

  Their path forward became even more cautious, having to be on the lookout for falling bombs at all times. In fact, in the next hour, they witnessed three more similar animal suicide events, each involving a different species. Just as no one can explain the existence of the Bermuda Triangle, no one can explain the existence of Wild Cow Gorge either.

  read3;