Having traveled abroad twice, I've come to understand more and more why China is known as an infrastructure powerhouse.
Mongolia, a small country sandwiched between China and Russia, felt to me much like a third- or fourth-tier city in China, even though Ulaanbaatar is its capital.
Our group of three arrived in Ulaanbaatar through normal channels. After the tour guide took us to the designated hotel, we were handed over to the travel agency staff.
The person in charge of receiving us was a young woman named Lin Qian, who looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, and she was very capable.
After Lin Qian entered my room, she introduced herself and then got to the point: "Mr. Duan, headquarters has already communicated with me about your trip. I know your time is precious, so let's get straight to the point?"
I nodded: "Okay."
Lin Qian said, "Your visas are valid for thirty days, starting today. During this period, I will fabricate your itinerary in this area, so you don't need to worry about that. What you need to pay attention to is returning within thirty days. Otherwise, once your visas expire, you won't be able to use this place as a transit point to return to China. Am I clear enough?"
At this moment, Song Laosan interjected, "Miss Lin, your company previously promised to take us to the vicinity of the border. When can we set off?"
Lin Qian answered fluently: "Tomorrow morning, we will take you to the Tert Grassland in the northwest as a tour group. We expect to arrive before evening. It borders the Tuva Republic and Tunkinsky District of Russia and has a large area of uninhabited land. Our people will ensure that you arrive at the border safely. As for what happens next, you will have to handle it yourselves."
After seeing Lin Qian off, I turned to Song Laosan and asked, "If we're leaving tomorrow, can your connections get us back?"
Song Laosan nodded: "The essence of this world is the same. As long as you have money, there is no problem that cannot be solved. You can always use your connections over there, but the success rate is not 100%. If we want to cross the border illegally, we will have to bear some risks. However, once we enter the country, the risks will be much smaller."
I took a deep breath: "This is a risky thing to do. Let's contact them and take action tomorrow night."
...
Although Mongolia is rich in mineral resources, its industry is not developed. The mainstays of the country's economy, besides mining exports, are animal husbandry.
The nomadic lifestyle means that this country doesn't have many large cities. However, sitting on a tour bus, you can see many landscapes that you can't see in China. The natural scenery, devoid of any industrial atmosphere, brings a sense of primitive beauty.
To avoid attracting the attention of my fellow travelers, I didn't interact with other tourists at all and slept in the back row the whole time.
As dusk fell, the vehicle stopped at the campsite, a scenic area located by the lake, filled with large yurts, and horses ran freely in the enclosed area.
Lin Qian took the opportunity to lead us away from the group and into a minivan. Song Laosan also mentioned a place name: "We're going to Dongluntuo. Do you know this place?"
Lin Qian exchanged a few words with the driver in Mongolian and nodded: "This place is forty kilometers away from us, and it will only take half an hour to get there."
Since none of us spoke Mongolian, Lin Qian came with us. Several Mongolian men carrying guns also accompanied us. Lin Qian said that there were many wolf packs in this no-man's-land, and these men were our bodyguards.
I didn't think much about it. The cooperation between the Su family and the Qing family had just been reached, and Su Jialiang had even provided me with information about Duan Jinyan. Although I didn't understand his purpose, if he wanted to get rid of me, he definitely wouldn't need to go through such a roundabout way.
My assumptions proved correct; the half-hour journey went smoothly.
The Dongluntuo that Song Laosan mentioned is a large sand dune on the grassland, and also the starting point of a river.
An underground river emerges from a spring, carving a stream across the boundless plain, rushing to both sides, the murmuring of the spring water reflecting the moonlight.
After confirming that this was the place we were looking for, Song Laosan nodded to Lin Qian and said, "Miss Lin, we have arrived at our destination. You can leave now."
"leave?"
Lin Qian looked at us with a hint of surprise: "I think I've made myself clear enough. This is a no-man's-land, and there are a lot of wolves around. If you don't have a vehicle as shelter, you'll be in great danger."
Old Song smiled calmly: "The people I contacted are involved in shady business. With you all here, they won't show up. It's better for everyone to be cautious."
"Fine, then I'll do as you say."
Lin Qian spoke a few words in Mongolian to the people around her, and left behind a hunting rifle and a satellite phone: "My phone number is saved in the phone. If you need any assistance, you can contact me anytime."
"Awooo—"
Just as Lin Qian and her group drove away, a chilling wolf howl suddenly rang out.
The monkey, disturbed by the wolf's howl, asked, "Third Master, didn't you say your men would meet us? When will they arrive?"
"The place we agreed to meet isn't here, but three kilometers north of the spring!"
Song Laosan skillfully loaded his hunting rifle: "The reason I didn't let Lin Qian come along is for safety reasons. I don't want the people from Mongolia and Russia to meet. Let's go to the river and get some mud to put on ourselves, otherwise our smell might really attract a pack of wolves."
Although it was early spring, the wind was howling across the grassland, and the temperature was probably below minus ten degrees Celsius. As soon as I put my hand into the water, I felt the biting cold.
After everyone covered each other in mud, I felt like I was frozen stiff, and every step I took was extremely difficult.
Fortunately, three kilometers wasn't a long distance. We walked along the river for a while, and just when everyone was about to give up, several figures appeared indistinctly in the moonlight in the distance. When Song Laosan saw this, he quickly shone his flashlight to signal them.
Seeing the other party's response of three long and one short note, Song Laosan spun his flashlight in front of him and said, "That's right, it's them!"
Upon receiving the signal, six people quickly approached, four of whom had Mongolian features and two of whom were Caucasian.
A Mongolian man sized us up and pointed behind him: "Nimen, where are you going?"
The monkey hissed and rubbed its hands together: "Enough talk, let's start a fire, we're freezing to death!"
"Light the fire? No way!" The Mongolian man waved his hands repeatedly, exchanged a few words with a white man, and replied, "It's too close, lighting the fire means we'll have to book the whole building! We only have half an hour, if we don't go we'll be shot... Let's go, now!"
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