Whoosh —
Whoosh —
"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning! It's time to get up! Or do you want to stay here and sleep with that skeleton forever? "
Zhang Zian was sleeping soundly with his blanket wrapped tightly around him when he was woken up by the sound of the loudspeaker.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
He sat up in a daze and looked around the inside of the tent blankly, not fully awake for a moment.
After a few seconds, he slowly regained his memory.
He hadn't slept well last night. The sand was soft when he stepped on it, but it was hard when he lay on it. It was uneven, especially since he was used to sleeping on the soft bed in the hotel. Even with the inflatable moisture-proof mat, his old waist was still sore and tired. It was easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!
The most uncomfortable thing was that he had sweated all over during the day and couldn't take a shower. In the second half of the night, the temperature had plummeted, as if it was autumn. He could only wrap the blanket tightly around him. His body was sticky and stuck to the blanket. At this time, he was very envious of animals that didn't sweat.
He opened the zipper of the tent. It was still dark outside, and only the break of dawn could be seen in the east. The cool morning wind filled the tent.
The camp began to move like a newborn beast. The zippers of the tents were pulled open, and people with sleepy eyes came out of the tents one after another. Everyone's face was half tired and half confused. Only Nabari was full of energy.
Peter Lee was already neatly dressed. He walked around the camp with a megaphone, urging everyone to get up and freshen up. If there was any tent that did not respond, he would shout at the tent with the megaphone.
People who had already gotten up went to the designated convenient place to solve their physiological needs, then brushed their teeth, wiped their faces with wet towels, made breakfast, and began to dismantle the tent. They deflated the moisture-proof mat, folded everything, and tied it to the aluminum luggage rack on the roof.
It took a lot of time to set up and dismantle the tent every day, but sleeping in the tent was at least better than sleeping in the car, because the car was loaded with fuel, supplies, and equipment. There was no place for you to lie down and sleep.
People's movements varied from fast to slow. For example, some people squatted down for three minutes to finish the battle. Some people squatted down for more than ten minutes due to constipation. In the end, their legs became numb and they couldn't stand up.
Peter Lee looked at his watch and kept rushing them. Whoever dilly-dallied would be scolded by him. Even He He was no exception. She was about to cry from his scolding. She was like a conscientious shepherd dog herding a flock of sheep.
In an expedition team that lacked experience and quality, there would always be someone who would play the bad guy. Usually, it would be someone in a high position who would offend others.
Zhang Zian did not dare to imagine that if the expedition team formed a team to enter the desert alone, they would probably have to spend an hour getting up every morning. They would then have to rest before they could go far.
It didn't take long before the campsite was empty except for some household garbage and messy footprints.
Everyone entered their own off-road vehicles and followed Peter's instructions to check the condition of the vehicles.
The sun finally peeked out from the eastern horizon, releasing thousands of orange swords. The shadows formed by the sand dunes moved slowly as the sun rose.
The sunrise in the desert was spectacular. A majestic red sun seemed to ignite a wildfire, and the whole earth was burning. The surface of the sand was rippled by the wind. Under the slanting sun, it was like golden waves.
Everyone raised their phones and recorded this rare scene.
However, they didn't have much time to enjoy it. At the same time as the sunrise, Peter Lee gave the order to set off. They had to hurry as much as possible before the heat rose.
In fact, when the sun shone on everyone's skin, even if it was just the morning sun, everyone's body could keenly feel the temperature of the sun.
The sun in the desert had never been associated with the word "gentle."
The 13 off-road vehicles roared and set off one after another. Under Nabari's lead, they sometimes headed west, sometimes south.
Unlike yesterday, today's team was no longer in a long snake formation. Instead, three or four vehicles were moving side by side, forming a square formation.
The sun in the east gradually rose behind them, and the sunlight seemed to be chasing them.
Thinking of the fear of being dominated by the hot sun yesterday, everyone felt the pressure and urgency. They prayed that time would pass slowly, so they could travel more quickly.
The temperature rose rapidly.
Not long after, whether they wanted it or not, the heat came again.
According to the plan discussed yesterday, this time, every time they encountered a higher sand dune, the team would stop, and all the drivers would get out of the car and climb the sand dune on foot. Then, they would split into two teams and walk along the sand ridge on both sides, looking for a place with a gentle slope to cross the sand dune.
Yesterday, everyone had only been hot and not tired. But today, they had to climb the sand dune, and the weather was hot. Everyone was exhausted.
Zhang Zian had already experienced it yesterday. Climbing the sand dune was much more difficult than he had imagined. Every three steps, he would slip and fall. The main problem was that the sand would get into his shoes. Both shoes filled with sand were as heavy as lead.
Before the team set off, they had considered that they might need to walk on the sand. They had prepared two or three sets of snow gear for everyone, which came in handy at this time.
The snow gear was for walking in the snow, but it was also suitable for walking in the desert. Its shape was similar to leg bindings. It was fastened to the calf with Velcro, the lower end covered the upper of the shoe, and the upper end extended all the way to the knee. This way, unless the sand was below the knee, it could largely solve the problem of sand filling the shoes.
Although the problem of sand filling the shoes had been solved, crossing the sand dune under the scorching sun was still very physically draining.
When they encountered the first sand dune, everyone barely managed to climb it. Along the sand ridge, they found a place with a gentle slope, and then left one person behind. The others walked down the sand dune, returned to the car, and drove to that location to cross the sand dune. This process was safe, but it was time-consuming and physically exhausting.
When they encountered the second sand dune, everyone complained, saying that they would die of exhaustion before they reached the destination. It would be better to just drive up and try their luck like yesterday.
Although it was mainly the members of the expedition team who were complaining, and Peter Lee's team members did not agree, their faces showed a lack of confidence. They frowned and wiped their sweat without saying a word.
It was definitely not possible to try their luck. They did not have much room for mistakes. Every car and the materials in it were very precious. If any car broke down and was paralyzed in the desert, it could lead to the failure of the operation.
Wei Kang tried his best to persuade everyone to try their best. Peter Lee kept a straight face and was ready to take a tough attitude to dismiss all objections.
Zhang Zian supported Peter Lee's approach rationally, but emotionally, he also felt that this was not the way to go. After all, they were not an army. Not everything could be solved by orders.
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