On the summit of Qiongmuti Ta Ge Mountain in the middle of the Kunlun Mountains, white clouds swirled, blending with the snow-covered peak. A voice filled with excitement and energy echoed through the mist and snow, reaching far and wide. If any mountain enthusiast were to hear it, they might express an understanding of the thrill of such a challenge.
"I'm here," it carried a profound meaning beyond a mere visit, serving as both an endpoint and a new beginning for every mountain climber. Overlooking the vast expanse of snow-covered mountains, the person who declared this with great determination was a young man with a crew cut. He had a sturdy but not overly muscular build, sharp sword-like eyebrows, and a compelling presence. Despite his slightly squinted eyes, they still revealed a vibrant spirit, eager to embrace the future. However, perhaps due to the sharpness of his eyebrows, one of them was split on the right side, leaving a scar from three claw-like marks. His lips were relatively thin, softening the overall masculine look, and his skin had a faint wheatish tone, adding a touch of masculinity. Overall, he could be described as handsome, but the scar on his right eyebrow slightly marred his appearance.
This man's name was Luolie, an unconventional gourmet who resembled more of an adventurer with an inclination for exploring the unknown. Standing at the highest point of Qiongmuti Ta Ge Mountain, Luo Lie spread his arms like a majestic eagle, facing the strong winds and subzero temperatures. He squinted his eyes, savoring the moment, as if embracing the harsh environment that resisted human survival.
Considering the high altitude, Luolie's clothing was dangerously thin. He wore only a thin black sportswear, and his backpack was equally minimal, lacking professional mountaineering gear. To any mountain enthusiast, this scene was extraordinarily strange. The Kunlun Mountains had several peaks above 6,000 meters in altitude, and the Qiongmuti Ta Ge Mountain, where Luo Lie stood, was one of them. It was an ice mountain with an altitude of 6,920 meters. At such heights, the air was thin, and the temperature was conservatively estimated to be around -38 degrees Celsius. What did this mean? Spitting on the ground would turn the saliva into ice. Yet Luo Lie wore only a light sports outfit and appeared unaffected by the extreme cold, even without the aid of an oxygen tank.
"Phew," Luo Lie exhaled a breath, which immediately turned into frost. He put his hand on his forehead and gazed into the distance at another distant group of peaks, seemingly his ultimate destination, while this peak served as a temporary vantage point. "Uncle Atamu's 'Unfrozen Lake' is said to be at the highest peak. It's only a legend, but in this vast world, anything can be possible!" Luo Lie bent slightly, picked up the backpack at his feet, slung it over his shoulder, and, like a shadow, slid down the steep slope covered in snow.
This scene was truly astonishing. Fortunately, no one witnessed it, or they would have been amazed. A year ago, Luo Lie had scoffed at various legends woven with words. He was an explorer, and he believed only what he saw with his own eyes. However, a year later, he firmly believed that not all the legends passed down through generations were baseless. For example, the "Unfrozen Lake" known only to the elder generation of the Uighurs.
The turning point came a year ago, at the time when he had almost died but also gained a new lease on life. The Kunlun Mountains contained numerous high peaks, and Luo Lie had arrived there just a year ago. He had set out with a "live life on the edge" spirit, and his first attempt at mountain climbing had ended in disaster. It was inevitable because he was ill-prepared and lacked a supporting team. Despite his decent physical condition, failure was evident.
However, Luo Lie was a lucky man. When his strength gave out, and his consciousness blurred, he fell from the mountainside into a ravine. Miraculously, he landed on a protruding cliff, thanks to a small green tree that cushioned the impact, preventing him from immediate death. Nonetheless, he had four broken ribs, and his arms and legs were also fractured. While he wasn't immediately killed by the fall, he was in a place where no one would hear his cries for help, and he had sustained serious injuries. It seemed like a waiting game for death.
What people would call "luck" came into play here. Like a protagonist in a novel, Luo Lie had a stroke of luck in the face of danger. Shielded by the small tree that absorbed some of the impact of the fall, he was able to climb back up, despite his injuries. Although he hadn't shared this story with anyone, it was the fundamental reason for the changes in his body. After consuming the strange fruit he found in the tree - no matter whether it was poisonous or not - he survived. He had done so out of a determination not to die of hunger.
He had never told anyone the secret of his transformation. It was what drove him to pursue his dreams, which had now become his goal. He wanted to enter the "Human Forbidden Zone," explore uncharted territories, encounter unseen things, and collect unknown ingredients. A week later, he reached a peak with an altitude of 7,500 meters. In the midst of the surrounding mountains, a lake, roughly estimated to be over 20,000 square meters in size, lay before him.
"It should be here, the Unfrozen Lake." Luo Lie gazed at the serene lake that reflected the white clouds in the sky. It was a place that, according to legend, was an oasis in the high mountains, surrounded by wildlife and abundant vegetation. But at an altitude of over 7,000 meters, there was an eerie absence of life around the lake.
This Unfrozen Lake, passed down in Uighur legends, was indeed here. Judging from the terrain, it seemed like a volcanic crater. The lake was concealed by the towering peaks surrounding it, making it difficult to spot without climbing even higher peaks. Luo Lie didn't know the exact location of the Unfrozen Lake. He had found his way here by following a direction, passing one mountain after another, eventually stumbling upon this lifeless lake within this volcanic-like landscape.
"The temperature is low enough that the lake should be frozen, but..." Luo Lie took off his sports outfit and revealed a dark-colored wetsuit underneath, clearly prepared for this endeavor. With his clothing discarded to the side, he squatted down, extended his hand into the water, and felt the bone-chilling cold. He couldn't even touch the smallest ice crystal. He smiled slightly, his eyes filled with excitement.
"It's either an unfrozen lake or a live lake. Let me find out." A surge of excitement coursed through his chest as he took off his clothes, wearing only the wetsuit he had prepared for this journey. He reached for what looked like a mining lamp from his backpack, turned it on, and a focused beam of light shot into the distance.
After securing the lamp to his forehead, he pulled out an underwater camera, hung it around his neck, donned a pair of goggles, and, fully prepared, he fearlessly dived into the lake. As he entered the water, the icy lake embraced him, feeling like layer upon layer of ice enclosing his body. However, it was within the limits of what Luo Lie could endure. The lake water was crystal clear, and the light from his lamp reached far, revealing no aquatic plants, no debris, and no signs of life. Normally, such clarity would make the lakebed visible, especially with direct sunlight. But to Luo Lie's surprise, when he entered the water, he found the lakebed shrouded in darkness, completely devoid of life.
Without any aquatic life, the lake water should have been transparent, allowing sunlight to illuminate the lakebed. Yet Luo Lie realized that the lake bottom was shrouded in darkness, and the water remained devoid of life. Feeling uneasy due to the chilling waters and the absolute silence of the underwater world, Luo Lie pressed on, descending two hundred meters into the depths. At this depth, his lamp finally illuminated the lake bottom.
"Huh?" Bubbles escaped from Luo Lie's nose and mouth. "Is that... an archaeological site?" Seeing the area illuminated by the light, Luo Lie widened his eyes in astonishment. How could there be an archaeological site in a place like this? If it were in the desert or deep within the mountains, it wouldn't be too surprising, but this was the lakebed at an altitude of 7,500 meters. Before he could fully comprehend the extent of the archaeological site, Luo Lie was drawn to unknown inscriptions on a stone pillar. He approached to get a better look at these unfamiliar characters illuminated by his headlamp.
"They look like hieroglyphics," Luo Lie whispered to himself, gently touching the patterns on the stone pillar. He was intrigued by these ancient inscriptions. At that moment, however, Luo Lie's body suddenly trembled, and he sensed an indescribably powerful life force emanating from behind him. His heart raced as he immediately turned around. Before he could make out any details, he found himself in boundless darkness.
His consciousness didn't pause or rest for a moment. The sensations from his body were difficult to describe. It felt as though he had gone from zero gravity in space to standing on solid ground in the blink of an eye. The transition was incredibly strange and left him feeling frightened. One moment, he was enveloped by the heavy pressure of water, and the next, he was covered by a nauseating mix of solid objects.
In the same darkness, but in a different world. He had no idea what had just happened, but he held his breath, trying to push aside whatever it was that surrounded him and climb upward. Regardless of what had just occurred, he was certain that this place was no longer the lakebed but an unknown location. After ascending a considerable distance, he pushed away what appeared to be an old television set and was bathed in the light. After a moment, he adjusted to the brightness and clambered out.
It was only then that he recognized where he was. He was surrounded by piles of garbage, and the object he had just pushed away was indeed an old, broken television set. "Where is this?" Luo Lie surveyed his surroundings, taking in the heaps of garbage and the barren wasteland in the distance, looking bewildered. Suddenly, he felt eyes watching him from below and turned his gaze downward. Three people wearing white protective suits were looking up at him. Their faces were obscured by gas masks, making it impossible for Luo Lie to read their expressions.
"Human, protective suits, garbage?" When Luo Lie realized what he was looking at, his thoughts ran through these terms without any awareness of his own transformation. The sunlight filtered through the haze and shone on the goggles of the three people in protective suits, revealing a black-haired boy standing on the garbage heap without clothes. Even though they couldn't see his facial expression, the observers in protective suits found something unusual about the young boy. They had never seen a child of about ten years old here. Perceiving the strange glances from the people in protective suits, Luo Lie finally looked at his own body. He was shocked to find that he had shrunk, and even his "thing" had become smaller!!!