“Old man, I’ve been in the army. I know a way.”
“In areas with saxaul, dig down three or five meters and you’ll find damp sand and saltwater.”
“Dig a pit about a meter deep, cover it with plastic sheeting, and the damp sand beneath will condense into water droplets when it touches the plastic.”
“After evaporation and filtration under the sun, you’ll get a small amount of fresh water, though it’s not much.”
“But it can save lives in crucial situations!”
“I’m sure you know this method too, old man!”
Old Hu looked at the sun and explained.
He learned this method from an old soldier who spent a long time in the desert. He was very experienced.
An Li Man looked at Old Hu with surprise. He didn’t expect him to know so much. He nodded and said,
“Yes, I do know this method.”
“But it’s uncertain if it’ll work further ahead!”
Old Hu frowned and asked.
“What do you mean?”
An Li Man shook his head and explained.
“There will be no saxaul further ahead, nothing at all!”
This is the Black Desert, a life-prohibiting zone. It’s probably barren, with not even a single blade of grass where there’s no saxaul.
“I know where you’re going!”
“But heed my advice and turn back. That place is not for you!”
An Li Man, whether from a change of heart or out of pity for these young people who might perish in the desert, tried to persuade them.
Bai Tian Yu quickly followed and asked.
“Old man, since things are like this, just tell us!”
He looked at Old Hu, then at Bai Tian Yu, this young man, shook his head, and sighed.
“Turn back. You’ve gone further than anyone I’ve seen in these past decades!”
“No way, we have to find the City of the Moon!”
Wang Pangzi didn’t care for An Li Man’s ramblings and directly refused.
They had made a deal with Shirley Yang to find the City of the Moon, and without it, there would be no money.
Especially after hearing about the countless treasures in the City of the Moon, Wang Pangzi couldn’t resist. Now that they were almost there, this old geezer told them to go back?
No way, Fatty Pangzi was not the kind of person who would retreat from danger!
An Li Man looked at the desolate desert and explained.
“I know you want to go to the City of the Moon, and it’s true. Just follow the underground river and you’ll reach Zagros Mountain!”
“But throughout the millennia, how many have actually been there?”
“Give up!”
Seeing An Li Man’s good intentions, Bai Tian Yu stopped Wang Pangzi who was about to argue and shook his head.
“Then old man, how about this, we’ll stop when we reach a place where even saxaul is gone!”
“What do you say?”
Old Hu was also afraid of the danger, but not for himself or these young people. He was afraid for An Li Man.
He was so old, and he was coming with them to such a terrifying Black Desert. Who knows if he could take it?
An Li Man looked at Old Hu with a deep meaning, making Old Hu feel strange.
“Comrade Xiao Hu, I told you, God will like you!”
“Heh～～～”
With a light laugh, Old Hu continued walking forward.
They walked for a long time, the five of them, their mouths dry and parched, their journey tedious and boring.
“Old man, let’s take a break!”
Seeing that Shirley Yang’s lips were chapped, Bai Tian Yu hurriedly shouted.
Due to his cultivation technique, Bai Tian Yu’s metabolism was fast, but his water requirements were not high. Even now, his lips were still rosy.
Looking at Shirley Yang, whose lips were cracked, he had given her most of the water.
Old Hu and Wang Pangzi secretly cursed him for being a womanizer, but Bai Tian Yu ignored them.
It was already noon, they should take a break.
The environment here was too harsh.
Looking around, An Li Man went to the front of a sand dune, dismounted his camel, and shouted.
“Let’s rest here for a while!”
A moment later, the five of them packed up their luggage and rested on the sand.
“Here, for you!”
He handed the water bottle to Shirley Yang, Bai Tian Yu said.
“Why don’t you have a sip?”
Shirley Yang didn’t take the water bottle, instead, she pushed it back.
Shirley Yang had noticed that Bai Tian Yu hadn’t drunk any water all the way, he just gave her water, which made her a little worried.
With a slight smile, Bai Tian Yu took a sip of water, then handed it to Shirley Yang again.
Rolling her eyes, Shirley Yang was a little helpless and said,
“Aren’t you thirsty?”
“Do I look thirsty?”
Seeing that Bai Tian Yu still looked rosy and energetic, Shirley Yang nodded.
Indeed, Bai Tian Yu’s condition was better than everyone else’s. Her worry was indeed unnecessary.
“Hey, look at this guy Tian Yu, is his condition a little too good? Could it be related to the cultivation technique he practices?”
Wang Pangzi looked at Bai Tian Yu flirting with Shirley Yang with some envy, and he envied even more his condition.
Old Hu took a sip of water and said helplessly.
“Envy won’t do anything, Lao Bai hasn’t kept anything from us. We just can’t learn. What do you want?”
Wang Pangzi nodded, also took a sip of water, and said.
“That’s true, why can’t we learn?”
“How would I know!”
A moment later, the five were about to continue walking into the wind and sand, but they saw a tomb that had been dug open not far away.
“Let’s go check it out!”
Dismounting their camels, Bai Tian Yu took the lead.
Old Hu and Wang Pangzi followed behind, taking out their tools.
“Empty!”
After a round in the tomb, Bai Tian Yu walked out disappointed. Wang Pangzi hurried in to take a look.
Old Hu, however, picked up a stone on the ground, smelled it, and said solemnly.
“This was blown up with explosives, and it’s from the Soviet Union!”
Looking at the blown-up entrance of the tomb, Old Hu continued to analyze.
“It’s definitely professional. The explosive force is all outward, without damaging the tomb interior. Precision small-scale directional blasting!”
“Also…”
“Also what?”
Shirley Yang also walked over and asked curiously.
Old Hu smelled the stone again and hesitated.
“This is for military use only. I’m afraid…”
“Did you discover something?”
Bai Tian Yu leaned over to look at the notebook in Shirley Yang’s hand. He saw only a drawing, which seemed similar to this one.
“The group of people led by Hua’er discovered this stone tomb and planned to dig it up when they came back!”
“It seems we’re not wrong!”
“Also, I suspect this was dug up by an archaeological team!”
Looking at the traces around, Shirley Yang said solemnly.
This was not good news!