to blame

Ming Xia looked through the car window for a long time, but still couldn't see where the faint light outside the car window came from.

It is like the lights of a car coming from a distance in a sandstorm, and it seems to be approaching non-stop.But when you observe intently, you will feel that the feeling of being close is just your own illusion.

In fact, the brightness inside and outside the car window has not changed, and the people in the car can neither see the comrades sitting in the opposite seat nor the scenery outside the car window.The only thing that was certain was that dry air came in through the tiny gaps in the compartment, and unconsciously, there was a choking feeling of suspended fine dust in the compartment.

Ming Xia felt that the dryness in the nasal cavity became more obvious.

Qingqiu's change in the environment was even more obvious. He poured half a bottle of water on the towel, and then covered his mouth and nose with the towel.

"Is it hard?" Ming Xia felt uncomfortable too.But when he thought that Qingqiu might have never been in such a dry environment, he felt distressed.

"It's okay." Qingqiu rubbed his shoulders, "Yaozu's adaptability is very strong, it will be fine after a while. Do you want a wet towel?"

"No more." Ming Xia was reluctant to waste water, especially when he realized that they might have entered a very dry environment, and the drinking water provided became even more precious.

"I should be more adaptable to this environment than you." Ming Xia said, "I traveled to the Northwest when I was in school. From Xi'an and Lanzhou to Zhangye and Dunhuang, all the way to Turpan and Tianchi..."

Qingqiu began to make irresponsible guesses, "Yaozhou is still far away from the northwest. This place should be just an illusion built by thoughts, right? Or simulate the landforms and climates of the north and south in this shrinking world, and have fun for yourself?"

Ming Xia reluctantly recalled the scenery he saw in Diao Wang's memory, "Maybe the sealed monster lived in such a place before, or... simply in his memory?"

The more Ming Xia thought about it, the more she felt that she had guessed the truth.His conjecture can fully explain why some teams are trapped for half a month, and some teams can come out in two or three days, because it all depends on how long the people trapped in it have experienced with the master of consciousness.

As Li Youran said, there may be a world that does not exist here,

Ming Xia touched the Dragon Tongue Bow on his back, and felt much more at ease.Even if he was once again trapped in someone's residual consciousness, with so many comrades-in-arms for company, he was nothing to be afraid of.

When Ming Xia thought this way, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a terrible conjecture popped up: the people around him...couldn't they be just his own fantasy?

He was frightened into a cold sweat by this sudden thought, and quickly pulled Qingqiu and said, "Say something to me, say something... I don't know if you know the truth."

Qingqiu, "...Huh?!"

Ming Xia urged him, "Say it quickly!"

Qingqiu was puzzled, holding a towel and thinking for a long time, "When you were still at Fox Peak, you used the wine that grandpa Seven gave you to stew chicken. I drank half a bowl while you were not paying attention, then went to catch the chicken, and fell asleep ...does it count?"

Ming Xia recalled that day when the little fox showed its original shape and lay down next to the chicken coop, sound asleep, and couldn't wake up no matter how much it barked... So that was the reason.

"Forget it..." Ming Xia thought to himself, if Qing Qiu didn't talk about this matter, he really wouldn't know.After all, the wine jar in Grandpa Seven's house was quite big, and there was a bowl and a half of wine in it, so he couldn't tell at all.

Qingqiu asked him, "Why do you ask this?"

Ming Xia shook his arms around his shoulders with lingering fear, "I'm scared. I'm afraid you are all my hallucinations."

Qingqiu was also frightened by what he said, "Then you also say something that you know but I don't."

Ming Xia said: "Give me your salary card, and let me buy you the wealth management product with the highest return but no capital guarantee. I secretly changed it when I went to the bank and bought you a capital-guaranteed one. Although the return is slightly lower, But it’s reliable, and it won’t let you pay for it.”

"Well, that's okay." Qingqiu thought for a while, "The wealth management products... just buy whatever, I'm not angry." And compared with the salesman, of course he trusts Ming Xia more.

"Are we both cleared of suspicion?" Qingqiu asked him, "What about them? Shall we let them say one too?"

As soon as the words fell, Nanjiang called their attention through the communicator, "The Bronze Pass is ahead."

Once you leave the Bronze Pass, you have officially entered the restricted area.

The humming of the wind seemed to have weakened a lot, and in the dim chaos ahead, a huge black shadow appeared vaguely.

For the next few minutes, it was as if they had driven into some kind of underground tunnel.It was dark all around, except for a faint light in the distance.The sound of the car engine and the sound of the wind seemed to bring a strange echo, drumming back and forth in the small space.

The light gradually became brighter, and the world behind the dust barrier began to become clear.

The endless Gobi Desert stretched from their feet to the end of their sight.Standing here, no matter which direction you look, there seems to be no difference.The structure of the world also seemed to become simpler, except for the majestic city tower behind him, there were only sand, stones, and clusters of low bushes with spikes.

There are no rivers, grasslands, trees, and no animals or birds in sight, except for the sound of the wind, only their breath.

The city tower also gradually revealed its majestic outline in the morning light.

It was a building similar to an ancient city gate, tall and majestic.The main building is a three-story eaves resting on the top of the mountain. There is an arched doorway downstairs, with cantilevers on both sides. There may have been turrets in the early days, but over time, the turrets have collapsed.

There is a dilapidated stone carving above the door opening, engraved with three big characters of "Bronze Pass".

The convoy stopped a hundred meters in front of the tower.Nan Jiang got out of the car first, turned around and looked at the crumbling and dilapidated tower from afar.

The people in the car behind also got out of the car.

Inexplicably, he passed through the dense forest and appeared in such a place. Ming Xia felt that he must not be the only one who suspected that he had fallen into an illusion.

As the sun rose and the light became brighter, they found more traces of human presence: the marks left by the wheels not far away, cigarette butts, and convenience food packaging bags dug and buried.The packaging bags are consistent with the convenience food they carry, and the date marked is still very fresh, so it can be confirmed that they were left by the last group of people who entered here.

Standing here, the forward route can also be seen very clearly: because there is only one road, a road rolled out by wheels on the Gobi Desert, starting from the tower, and stretching straight to the west.

At this moment, no one knows where this direction leads and what awaits them ahead.No matter how these people determined the direction to go in the first place, and whether this direction is correct.Nanjiang and the others had no other choice.Their task this time is to find these people and do everything they can to get them all out of the restricted area.

The people in several teams took a break and were ready to go.

Nan Jiang looked around and saw that Ming Xia was still squatting in front of the messy car prints, wondering what he was thinking.Qingqiu wrapped half of his face with a towel, and followed him step by step.Seeing Nan Jiang looking towards them, he even waved at him, signaling him to come over.

Nan Jiang didn't know, so he hurried over and asked them, "What's wrong?"

Ming Xia pointed to one of the car marks, "This is my teacher's car. He has a very good outdoor car. I have borrowed it a few times, and I won't admit it."

Nan Jiang, "...and then?"

There is no need to specifically say this, Nan Jiang was a little puzzled.Wen Liang took Lu Kai to participate in Mr. Hu's mission, didn't everyone know this before they set off?

Ming Xia followed the car marks and looked towards the tower behind them, "Look, it's in this direction."

"It must be this direction," Nan Jiang didn't know, "this is the only way to enter the restricted area. They must have entered through the gate tower."

Ming Xia shook his head, "The way out from the city tower is the way we came here, so according to what you said, if we turn around and pass through now, will we be able to get out of the restricted area?"

"Theoretically, that's right." Nan Jiang quickly glanced at the people who followed him one after another, and said to him in a low voice, "But in reality, I'm not sure."

"This car mark is very clear. It is not covered by other traces. It must be the last one left." Ming Xia pointed to the tower behind them, "This is the direction his car is going."

The people around also heard this sentence, Xie Rong couldn't help but refute him, "We came in from the direction of the city tower, Teacher Wen can't go this way. Are you mistaken?"

If Wen Liang drove towards the tower, wouldn't he run into them head-on?

"I'm not mistaken." Ming Xia said to Nan Jiang, "I'm very familiar with this car, so it's impossible to make a mistake."

Nan Jiang followed the car marks on the ground and looked towards the tower behind him.Under the brighter and brighter sky, it doesn't look as impressive as it is at night, but instead reveals a bit of dilapidated desolation.The other end of the doorway is immersed in darkness, and perhaps the shadows of the dense trees in the forest can only be seen at a close distance.

Several people began to observe the car marks left on the ground. Xie Rong pointed to a car mark and said to Ming Xia: "There are still car marks here, and they are going west."

He felt that Ming Xia's thinking was very strange.Mr. Hu and his party obviously disappeared in the deserted city of Liangtai, so they have no chance to return, okay?

Ming Xia shook his head, "Comparing carefully, the print of the car returning to the city tower is obviously clearer."

Xie Rong sneered, "The wind here is so strong, it's hard to say whether it's clear or not? What if the car prints here are fresher, but blurred by the wind?"

Ming Xia didn't want to argue with him, and of course he didn't intend to pull other people to run errands with him for nothing.He discussed with Nanjiang, "Qingqiu and I will go back according to this car mark. You wait here."

Nan Jiang immediately vetoed, "No way!"

In such a strange place, he would never agree to let Ming Xia leave his sight alone.

"Well," Nanjiang pulled Liu Enzheng and Bi Lao aside to discuss, "I'll take the second team back along Teacher Wen's car print. The light is too dark along the way, maybe we missed some clues."

Liu Enzheng was silent.

Old Bi shook his head, "We don't know each other well, so it's best not to separate. I suggest returning together. The worst result is to go back to the original place, delay 24 hours, and come in again."

Liu Enzheng thought for a while, and agreed to Nanjiang's proposal.He felt that it was dark all the way, and he couldn't see how they got in, which made him very confused.What if there are some important clues hidden along the way?

The three captains all agreed, and the players of each team had no objections.Only Xie Rong's face was not good-looking, and when he stared at Ming Xia, his eyes were hostile.

Ming Xia pulled Qingqiu who was about to lose his temper into the car, and whispered in his ear: "Don't quarrel with him."

Qingqiu glared at Xie Rong, and angrily followed Ming Xia into the car.

Li Youran closed the car door, and asked Ming Xia in a low voice, "Do you suspect that Teacher Wen is back?"

Surrounded by his trusted comrades, Ming Xia no longer concealed his thoughts, "I suspect that going through the tower is the correct direction to go to the balcony."

Nan Jiang leaned over from the driver's seat and gave Ming Xia a thumbs up, "When you mentioned car marks, I thought of it too."

A car of people slowly reacted, and they all felt incredible.But this place shouldn't be taken with common sense.

Nanjiang said to everyone: "Even if this conjecture is proved wrong in the end, we are not without gains. This time, when passing the tower, I will turn on the observation window and lights, and everyone pay attention to the situation outside the car."

The convoy lined up in the direction of the tower according to the previous order.The hole below the city gate was dark, as if it had opened a big mouth, waiting to devour them.

The hidden observation windows on both sides of the anti-riot vehicle body are opened, and the lights on both sides are also turned on.

Ming Xia and Qing Qiu were head to head, looking out through the observation window.

Looking at it under the light, the dilapidated doorway is a bit different. The walls and ground made of stones are covered with signs of erosion over the years, but they are still solid.Not as dilapidated as it looks.

There are some gravel and dust scattered on the ground, but other than that, there is nothing special.

The wind whipped up dust and swirled in the small space, making a whimpering sound.

I don't know why, but it looks like an ordinary city tower from the outside, the thickness from one end to the other does not exceed 1 minute, but once you enter it, it seems to be endless.Ming Xia even had the illusion that they did not pass through the gate tower, but entered another space through this entrance.

The passage seemed to bend for a certain arc, and then the exit suddenly appeared, and bright light rushed in.

In front of them, there is no dense jungle, no mountain road with weeds when they came, and the towering and undulating north and south peaks.There is only the endless Gobi Desert, no rivers, grasslands, trees, animals or birds, except for the sound of the wind, everything is silent.

The city tower is just behind them. The main building is a three-story eaves on the top of the mountain. There is an arched doorway downstairs, with cantilevers on both sides.On the top of the door opening are engraved with three big characters of "Bronze Pass".

They seem to have passed through a mirror, and this side of the mirror completely reproduced the scenery they saw outside the tower.