On the third day of the field survey the team—Professor Bat, geologists Erdene and Bayar, veteran Russian geologist Panov, collector Tomor, and driver Ider—pushes the Zis‑150 truck deep into the wide, dry govi. They travel at speed across a landscape of scattered herds, occasional water‑spouting wells, and jagged rock outcrops that glitter in the sun. The narrative describes the sudden appearance of water from the soil, the behavior of wild goats and other animals, and the striking multicolored cliffs that glow red‑orange in late afternoon light.

As night falls they find a relatively flat, stony spot, spread a blanket, and set up a makeshift camp. Some members roll out a bivouac, others prepare tea with the limited fuel and water they carry. Bat, who has abstained from food without a pre‑meal drink for years, extracts a bottle of strong spirit, pours about one hundred grams, and declares that he cannot eat without it. He offers the drink to the others, who accept reluctantly. The group shares a modest meal, then lies down to rest.

During the night a series of loud, unfamiliar noises—rumblings, popping sounds, and what sounds like distant artillery—startle the men. Erdene, who has been unable to sleep, wakes and describes the sounds as “war‑like” and wonders if a battle is unfolding in the steppe. The men discuss possibilities: stray gunfire, an airborne bomb, or a natural phenomenon. Panov suggests it might be a radio transmission or an unusual atmospheric event.

After a tense silence the noises change into a clear operatic melody identified as a piece from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. The men recognize the music, debate why it would be heard in such a remote place, and speculate about a hidden radio transmitter or a nearby settlement broadcasting the opera. The discussion drifts to cultural references, including an exaggerated mention of Alexey Stahanov as a model Soviet worker. Bat laughs, admits he has lost his glasses, and jokes about “the wild steppe’s deadly trap.”

The mysterious sounds cease, and the men finally settle back into sleep. In the early morning they awaken, pack up, and decide to continue the survey despite the unresolved mystery, noting that the steppe’s hidden treasures—both geological and perhaps cultural—remain to be discovered.