"Xiao Zhang! Xiao Zhang! This is the expedition team. Please reply if you receive this message! "
"Xiao Zhang! Xiao Zhang! This is the expedition team. Please reply if you receive this message! "
By the well of the Bedouin tribe, Wei Kang looked south with binoculars and picked up the walkie-talkie from time to time to call Zhang Zian.
"Teacher, forget it. Drink a glass of water first. Don't let your body collapse."
Gao Ke trotted over and handed over a bottle of water. "We have been waiting here for three days. If Zhang Zian could come, he would have been here long ago. I will say something that you may not like to hear. Since he did not arrive at the scheduled rendezvous in time, it means that the situation is not good. Such a rare desert earthquake and black storm have occurred in the Devil's Sea. The chances of him escaping safely are slim. You must be mentally prepared for the worst. "
Wei Kang sighed and let Gao Ke hold the binoculars. He took the water and drank a few mouthfuls.
"Even so, he is alert and adaptable. He may not be lost in the Devil's Sea. Let's wait a little longer," Wei Kang said.
Gao Ke wiped his sweat and looked up at the fiery sun. Since they left the desert, Wei Kang had the expedition team stay here, waiting for Zhang Zian to return safely from the desert.
The members of the expedition team were a little dissatisfied with this decision. They had finally gotten out of the desert. What they needed most now were soft beds, showers, air conditioning, buffets, ice cream, WiFi, social media, and sand sculptures. They could not be like Meng Jiangnu, foolishly waiting for someone who was unlikely to come.
After parting ways with Zhang Zian at the edge of the Devil's Sea, the expedition team arrived at the predetermined location under Nabari's leadership. They had agreed to wait for him for 48 hours.
But they missed the appointment. In fact, they did not even wait for 24 hours, let alone 48 hours.
On the first day, they had set up a canopy and were resting, taking turns to look after the restless He He. But at noon, there was a sudden thunderous tremor in the direction of the Devil's Sea, and then a huge cloud of dust rose from there. They were at a loss. Nabari knelt on the blanket and prayed to the true God.
Then, a black storm appeared. It originated from the direction of the Devil's Sea and quickly spread to them.
When the black storm came, they could not stay put. Otherwise, they might be buried by the sand. So they were forced to leave the predetermined location in advance and temporarily lost their way in the black storm.
When the sandstorm stopped, they found that they had gone astray. At this time, they were faced with a choice. Should they return to the predetermined location and continue waiting for Zhang Zian, or should they return directly to the Siwa Oasis? Wei Kang and Salem were leaning towards the former, while the others firmly chose the latter. Nabari, who had been scared out of his wits by the Devil's Sea, did not express any opinion.
He He's mental state was unstable. Coupled with the principle of the minority obeying the majority, as well as his attitude of being responsible for the overall safety of the expedition team, Wei Kang had no choice but to agree to not wait for Zhang Zian and leave the desert first. Thus, he was filled with guilt along the way. If Zhang Zian arrived at the predetermined location within 48 hours, only to find that He He was gone, how disappointed he would be.
The return journey was not smooth either. Due to the loss of the drone's powerful reconnaissance, they faced greater difficulties and dangers when crossing the sand dunes. On the way, a car rolled over the sand dune and rolled down the sand ridge. Fortunately, only Du Xuetao was slightly injured in the tumble.
Because they were already at the end of their rope, the expedition team took longer to leave the desert than when they entered. When they finally saw the Bedouin camels, everyone was half dead, and their supplies were almost exhausted.
Under such circumstances, Wei Kang insisted that the expedition team stay in the Bedouin tribe to wait for Zhang Zian. In the eyes of others, it was very unreasonable.
Gao Ke pointed to a Bedouin thatched hut. "Teacher, you should at least consider Xiao He's situation. She needs psychological counseling as soon as possible."
He He had been throwing a tantrum along the way. She insisted on returning to the Devil's Sea to feel the pure energy of the universe. She even tried to steal a car. Fortunately, they were watching her closely. There were people watching her day and night, so she did not escape.
Wei Kang shook his head. "I have already contacted her parents. Her parents are on the way here. When the time comes, let them decide how to treat her … I insisted on staying here because of Xiao He's situation. If she returns to the Siwa Oasis, she will make a fuss about calling the police and insisting that we illegally imprisoned her. We are not familiar with this place, and we will not be able to explain ourselves."
They already knew what the Egyptian police were like, so Wei Kang felt that it was better to stay in the Bedouin tribe until her parents arrived. Then, he could hand her over directly to her parents to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Then, do you think that we will not see Zhang Zian, but Peter Lee and the others?" Gao Ke looked into the distance worriedly.
On the way back, the expedition team's satellite phone rang once. The number showed that it was Peter Lee's satellite phone. After Wei Kang picked up, the other party did not say a word. He did not say a word either. He waited in silence for a while, then silently hung up.
This silent call contained a lot of information. For example, Peter Lee and the others had successfully escaped. At least they had not been wiped out in the Devil's Sea, but Zhang Zian was not with them. Otherwise, Zhang Zian would definitely have said something.
Wei Kang had nothing to say to Peter Lee. His previous good impression of these people had changed. He felt that these people were simply lawless. He picked up the phone mainly to understand Zhang Zian's situation. After understanding, there was no need to continue the call.
As for why Peter Lee called and why he did not say a word, it was unclear. Perhaps it was to say goodbye to the expedition team that had gone through thick and thin with them.
Wei Kang sincerely hoped that he would not have anything to do with these dangerous charlatans in the future.
He drank a few more mouthfuls of water, picked up the walkie-talkie, and continued to call.
"Xiao Zhang! Xiao Zhang! This is the expedition team. Please reply if you receive! "
This sentence had been repeated countless times in the past three days. It had already flowed out of Wei Kang's mouth mechanically. As time passed, he knew that the possibility of Zhang Zian returning safely was getting smaller and smaller. He had calculated that the water and food in Zhang Zian's car were not enough to last that long.
Unless …
He did not want to think about that cruel possibility, but if Zhang Zian made that choice in order to survive, he could understand and would not blame him. But if it was not the most desperate situation, he hoped that Zhang Zian would not choose that path.
In any case, when He He's parents arrived, they had to leave. There was no reason to wait any longer.
"Xiao Zhang! Xiao Zhang! This is the expedition team. Please reply if you receive! "
However, the mechanical and hopeless call suddenly had a response.
"Expedition team! Expedition team! This is Zhang Zian! Received! Please speak! "
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