146: Flying towards Jinshan, in the bitter cold of spring.

"The plan remains unchanged."

Lin Feng's three words were like a calming pill, instantly soothing the nearly frantic Wang Dalong beside him.

Following Lin Feng's gaze to the red banner across the street, he suddenly understood, then felt a pang of lingering fear.

"You mean Jiang Wanqing really came for a meeting? We've just been scaring ourselves?"

"Possibly." Lin Feng withdrew his gaze, the sharpness in his eyes refocusing. "But she definitely remembers us now. If we find anything in Altay, she'll be the first to link it back to Ordos and today. We must find everything before she pieces it together."

Wang Dalong's heart tightened again. He understood Lin Feng's meaning. Jiang Wanqing represented the state apparatus; they were merely racing against time.

"Driver, to the airport, please hurry." Wang Dalong urged immediately.

The taxi accelerated again, merging into the endless stream of traffic.

The journey that followed passed as swiftly as a montage in a film.

Ordos Airport. The two kept their heads down the entire time, swiftly exchanged their boarding passes, passed through security, and waited until the last moment in a corner of the boarding gate before boarding.

The plane soared into the clouds, leaving the lights of Ordos behind. Only then did Wang Dalong let out a long sigh, slumping into his seat.

"Freedom!" he whispered excitedly to Lin Feng beside him. "Next stop, Altay! The Mausoleum of Genghis Khan! Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping!"

Lin Feng remained silent, gazing through the window at the dark land and sparse starlight below. His mind raced, overlaying the star chart from the bronze scroll with modern maps again and again.

After several hours of flight, the plane landed at Altay Airport.

The moment the cabin door opened, a blast of dry, biting cold air rushed in.

"Holy shit!" Wang Dalong, just reaching the doorway, shivered violently from the chill and pulled his head back. "What kind of weather is this? Isn't it supposed to be spring?"

Dressed in the thin windbreakers they'd bought in Ordos, the two felt almost naked against this early spring cold snap. In Altay at this time, patches of unmelted snow still dotted the ground, with nighttime temperatures clearly below freezing.

Stepping out of the airport, the icy wind stung their faces. Wang Dalong, freezing to the point of a runny nose and chattering teeth, said, "Brother Feng, did we... maybe act a bit rashly?"

"First, head to the city and find a place to stay." Lin Feng tugged at his collar, appearing much calmer than Wang Dalong, though his reddened nose betrayed him.

After settling into a hotel and warming up with a steaming hot pot of lamb soup, the two spread out a map.

"Starting tomorrow, we procure supplies." Lin Feng pointed at the vast, desolate area of the Altay Mountains on the map, his tone leaving no room for argument. "What we're facing this time isn't ancient tomb traps, but real wilderness. Our gear cannot afford any carelessness."

The next day, the two fully entered "procurement mode."

Wang Dalong had expected Lin Feng to be frugal, but this time, his spending attitude had only one word: extravagant.

"Two of these top-tier goose-down jackets with 8000 fill power."

"Two of these sleeping bags rated for minus thirty degrees Celsius."

"Mountain boots, GPS locators, high-power flashlights, satellite phones... all the best."

Wang Dalong followed behind, watching Lin Feng swipe his card without batting an eye, his heart aching with every purchase.

"Brother Feng, we're going on an archaeological expedition, not climbing Mount Everest! Do we really need to go this overboard?"

"Aren't we well-funded?" Lin Feng found it strange. "If not now, when?"

After procuring personal gear, Lin Feng made another decision that left Wang Dalong stunned.

"Rent one of these." He pointed to a photo on his phone of a Heavy-Duty Off-Road RV.

It was a deeply modified four-wheel-drive truck RV, with a high chassis, massive tires, and a body like a mobile armored fortress, complete with a kitchen, bedroom, and independent power and water storage systems.

"Brother Feng, you really know how to live!" Wang Dalong's mouth formed an "O." "This thing must be super comfortable to stay in! But there's just two of us—is it really necessary?"

"It is necessary." Lin Feng looked at the RV photo, his eyes filled with a determined resolve. "The end of the road is where our trek begins. Until then, we need the most reliable mobile base to ensure our stamina and supplies are at their peak."

Finally, to Wang Dalong's delight, this steel behemoth became their vehicle for the time ahead.

Once they'd loaded all the gear and supplies onto the RV, Wang Dalong sat in the spacious, comfortable cab, gripping the steering wheel. His earlier stinginess vanished instantly, replaced by unparalleled excitement.

"Incredible! Driving this beast on an expedition—now that's what I call professional!"

Lin Feng set the navigation, destination: Kuergan River Upper Forest Park.

The RV emitted a low rumble and slowly drove out of the city, heading toward the distant, rolling snow-capped mountains.

As the vehicle traveled along the flat highway, the scenery outside the window gradually shifted from cityscape to vast desert and grasslands. In the distance, the Altay Mountains stretched like a silver dragon winding between heaven and earth.

As they drew closer to the mountains, an unusual sound faintly reached them through the windows.

The sound grew from far to near, from soft to loud, starting as a whisper and soon becoming a roar.

Wang Dalong tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Brother Feng, do you hear that? What is that sound?"

Lin Feng rolled down the window.

A gust of wind, carrying moisture, hit their faces, accompanied by the deafening roar.

It wasn't the roar of any beast, nor the howl of mountain winds.

It was the roar of water. The convergence of countless glacial meltwaters, rushing down from the high mountains, pounding against the riverbed and crashing into rocks, creating a thunderous clamor.