Patrolling Xizang's punishing peaks

The station oversees 1,500 square kilometers of treacherous borderland, including the "internet-famous" Gangbu Glacier. In March 2024, the trio faced their first real test: a midnight rescue mission for tourists trapped in glacial swampland.

Under the guidance of their mentor, Gao Hui, they learned that the glacier hides deadly traps. In winter, the ground is solid; in spring, it becomes a frozen quagmire where one wrong step could be fatal.

"I was terrified," Wu said of the mission. "Our headlights were the only sliver of light in the endless darkness. When we found them, they were shivering uncontrollably. One girl just threw her arms around me and cried. I realized then — this isn't just a job. It's a race against death."

The mission brought back the haunting memory of 2018, when a tourist went missing in — 40 C weather. Despite a four-day search led by the then-director Sonam Daje, the individual was found frozen to death in a riverbed. It was a tragedy that ensures the officers never take a rescue call lightly.