Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System-Chapter 586 - 392: Departing for the Tibetan Area

Two days later, in the Tibetan Area, on National Highway 219, a convoy of eight Land Cruisers was heading towards the Ali region.

Inside the lead vehicle, Ignacio, who had just rushed here from Spain, was studying the map on his tablet.

Qi Yun had been in constant contact with him. Upon learning from De Gaulle that the final destination was in the Kunlun Mountains, he immediately informed Ignacio.

The latter was extremely shocked by this result because the Kunlun Mountains have always been a place filled with mystery.

From the beginning of studying the sunken ship map, Ignacio speculated that all the marked points should be in Asia.

But later, after finding clues from various materials and some key hints, this conjecture was overturned time and again, constantly refreshing his understanding of the matter.

Still thinking too narrowly...

So when Qi Yun told him the final location was in the Kunlun Mountains, he couldn’t wait to come over to join Qi Yun in going there, hoping to personally see what secrets the "Land of Eternal Life" held.

"How did they determine that the final destination is at the southern foot of the Kunlun Mountains?" Ignacio asked, suppressing his discomfort from altitude sickness, turning to Qi Yun.

Qi Yun shook his head: "Their family must have mastered some very ancient records, but they did not share this information with me."

After speaking, he turned and glanced backward.

In these eight vehicles, except for the last two carrying various equipment and supplies, the other six had two groups of people; one was naturally Qi Yun’s group, and the other was De Gaulle and his men.

The two sides had met in Yutian, with equipment, supplies, and various formalities all arranged by Qi Yun. He started preparations after returning from Shanghai two days ago.

Qi Yun withdrew his gaze and pointed at the tablet in Ignacio’s hand, "We’re almost there ahead."

The southern foot of the Kunlun Mountains is in the area bordering the Tibetan Area and Province J, with Yutian in Province J to the north and Ali region to the south.

This area is a typical high-altitude desert and grassland ecosystem, with elevations generally above four or five thousand meters, covered with snow and ice year-round, with very thin air.

Before the self-driving route on Highway 219 rose to prominence, this place was hardly seen by anyone, and the only living creatures visible were Tibetan wild donkeys, Tibetan antelopes, and cold-resistant animals like wolves.

At eight o’clock in the evening, the convoy stopped in front of a few yurts. These were temporary resting places prepared by the people from Yutian in advance for Qi Yun.

This site is at the northernmost edge of Ritu County, and heading south leads to the famous Keriya Pass; northwards lies the area inhabited by the Keriyia People, and to the west is the origin of the sacred jade-producing area—the Yurungkash River.

Historically, the Keriya Ancient Route was the most perilous channel between Province J and the Tibetan Area, becoming a major route for person-to-person exchanges as early as the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, many stories have happened in this area in the past.

The group got out of their cars one after another, with the stove inside the yurt already prepared with food, and two professional guides were already waiting, arranged by the people from the Yutian government for Qi Yun.

This is the convenience his current status brings; many things don’t require him to run around, just a few phone calls, and the follow-up coordination and interfacing will be smoothly arranged by others.

Just like this operation, everything was directly arranged by the people over in Yutian, saving a lot of effort.

Entering the yurt, the cold was driven away significantly. Qi Yun sipped a few mouthfuls of steaming butter tea, finally relieving his exhaustion from the journey.

In this operation, besides Ignacio, he brought along six people: Xiao Wu, Brother Quan, Chen Wei, Niu Da, Da Pao, and An Zai.

On De Gaulle’s side, there were eight or nine people, including two cultured individuals conducting research, and the rest were strong fellows.

Among them, two had been previously encountered by Qi Yun; they didn’t get along with Niu Da, being De Gaulle’s bodyguards.

Before on the car, Qi Yun had quietly asked Brother Quan and Xiao Wu whether they were confident in handling De Gaulle’s people.

Brother Quan replied that these people were not weak, even stronger than Niu Da’s group. Hitting them might take some effort, but it wouldn’t be a problem to take them down.

If guns were to be used, that would be a different matter.

Xiao Wu’s reply was even simpler, just a disdainful snort.

Seeing the two so confident, Qi Yun felt reassured.

The aluminum pot on the stove was bubbling with soft, tender beef mixed with the aroma of radishes, spreading everywhere. Even De Gaulle and his entourage were eating with delight.

After dinner, Qi Yun called De Gaulle over to discuss upcoming matters.

"Now that the guides are here, you should reveal the final destination, right? They need an accurate location to plan the route."

De Gaulle nodded and gestured to one of his subordinates. The latter opened the backpack he carried, taking out a GPS device. When the screen lit up, it was already locked onto a precise point on the map.

He handed the device to Qi Yun, pointing at the screen, "Roughly this area, but the exact entrance still requires field investigation."

Qi Yun received the device, took a quick glance, and handed it to Ignacio, who then passed it to the two guides.

The two guides were famous in the Ali region, especially familiar with the terrain of the Kunlun Mountains. Previous expeditions always sought them to lead the way.

One was slightly older, named Losang, about forty years old, sporting a small mustache.

The other was named Danzeng, in his early thirties, with typical highland-red skin.

Losang pointed at the topographical map on the screen, furrowing his eyebrows, "This area is called Rizuofeng, with a maximum altitude of about five thousand meters; it’s not very far from here."

"However, this whole area is an exposed ice cap, without any wind sheltering places, and the ice cap surface has many crevasses. They look like narrow cracks but are bottomless beneath. It’s a bit dangerous."

Qi Yun nodded after listening, then asked, "How long does it take to get there?"

Danzeng replied, "It takes about two and a half hours to drive from here to the foot of Rizuofeng. But from the foot upward is all ice cap, and the car can’t go up, you have to hike."

"The spot on the map is likely on the mountainside; the icy road is very slippery, and if things go smoothly, it should take about four hours to reach the mountainside location."

After finishing, Losang added, "If we encounter snowstorms on the way, time will be further delayed."

"This season, the mountain winds can blow suddenly, sometimes strong enough to knock you over, then we’ll have to stop and wait for the wind to die down."

Qi Yun calculated the time; just finding the place alone might take longer. Just going back and forth wouldn’t fit into one day, so they’d probably have to spend the night on the mountain.

However, thankfully, they were fully equipped, with mountaineering, camping cold protection, oxygen absorption, and various emergency medications ready.