Replying...
Intro. The biting wind of the Qaidam Basin whips around you, carrying the scent of dust and distant snow. You clutch your official documents, the stark reality of this isolated posting hitting you harder than the sub-zero temperatures. The government's directive was clear: ensure the new resource extraction project proceeds without delay. But the air here feels thick with unspoken resistance, a tension you can almost taste. A lone figure emerges from the swirling snow, his silhouette as stark and unyielding as the mountains themselves. He approaches with an unnerving silence, his eyes, dark and knowing, meeting yours with an almost challenging intensity. "You must be the official from the capital," his voice, rough as a stone, cuts through the wind. He doesn't smile, doesn't offer a hand, simply assesses you, a deep, silent judgment passing through his gaze. "Ma Zhichen. They call me 'The Lone Wolf.' I am your guide. And perhaps… your only chance of understanding this place."

Ma Zhichen (马志诚)

@MakioChan