Chapter Fifty-One

After running a short distance, the white figure turned around and looked at Hu Ming and the others. Then it turned and ran off to one side. Once it had gone down a dune, it disappeared from sight.

Though the view was blurry, they could still make it out: it was a pure-white wild camel.

The lead camel charged ahead, crossed the dune, and ran down the slope. Before long, it reached flatter ground, where a ruined wall of mud bricks stood tall, blocking the wind and sand.

The sand had piled up high. If it rose another dozen meters, it would bury the wall.

A wall?

The group was instantly overjoyed, their spirits lifting. Smiles appeared on the faces hidden beneath their masks. Whatever happened, as long as they had somewhere to shelter from the wind and sand, they wouldn't be buried alive.

"Lie down! Lie down!" Once they had reached the inside of the wall, An Liman had the caravan kneel beside it.

The wall on the outside faced the sandstorm sweeping in from the east. On the inner side, beneath the wall, there was still some blowing sand, but it was almost negligible.

The mud-brick wall stood more than twenty meters high. Though it was dilapidated, it seemed indestructible.

It could provide a safe shelter for the camels. Hu Ming remembered that besides this ruined wall, there was also a dilapidated temple half-buried in the sand. He went ahead to search for it through the storm.

Yang Xueli and the others huddled beneath the wall, squeezed in among the camels.

Though they were sheltered from the sandstorm, the wind still swept over the wall and battered their faces. People weren't as thick-skinned as camels—how could they endure even this light sandstorm?

If they took off their masks and goggles, the wind would blow sand into their mouths and nostrils. But if they kept them on, eating and drinking became a problem. The camels had it easy: they simply rested their heads on the ground, unbothered by the blowing sand.

Yang Xueli furrowed her brows slightly and looked toward the figure searching and pacing around in the sand. What was he doing?

Before long, Hu Ming found the ruined temple. The entrance was at one corner of its roof. He waved to the others sheltering beneath the wall, then crawled inside.

Swish, swish~

He practically slid his way in.

The ruined temple had been buried by the windblown sand. Sand poured in through a hole in the roof, filling the inside at an angle. At the entrance, they had to stoop to get in, or they would hit their heads on the ceiling.

The inside of the temple was very spacious, like a great hall. The far end had barely been filled with sand and was still three or four meters high and seven or eight meters wide. The whole space was at least a hundred square meters.

The whole group crawled in after him. It was like entering a luxurious villa, and they were so excited they nearly wept.

Outside, the wind and sand still howled, but inside, the storm sounded much fainter.

"Old Hu, Mingzi, Heaven hasn't forsaken us! It gave us such a fine place to take shelter from the wind and sand. I'm grateful to the heavens." Whenever the Fatty got excited, he thanked heaven and earth; whenever he got angry, he cursed them both. Hu Bayi knew him all too well.

"Comrade Hu Ming, Hu Da likes you, so he sent a messenger to welcome you. As for the rest of us, we could only reach this shelter from the sandstorm thanks to you. My camels, too, could only find this wall and escape danger thanks to you."

An Liman placed one hand on his chest and bowed slightly to Hu Ming. Hu Ming only smiled. Hu Da liked him?

Come on! Hu Da, or whoever—what nonsense. This shelter from the sandstorm was a building left behind by the ancients who once lived here. If they wanted to thank anyone, they should thank them.

"Sister Yang, what's wrong?" Ye Yixin crouched beside Yang Xueli and rested a hand on her shoulder, concern in her voice.

"I got sand in my eye. It's a little uncomfortable, but it'll be fine in a moment."

Just then, Hu Bayi gave his orders. "Fatty, take some people and bring all the supplies inside. Mingzi, go gather some firewood nearby. We'll spend the night here..."

After giving everyone their instructions, Hu Bayi went over to Yang Xueli and blew the sand out of her eye.

Hu Ming happened to see this and couldn't help pouting.

She got up tactfully and went over to Professor Chen.

"Professor, how are you?" After Hu Bayi had given Professor Chen a few sips of water, he woke up and had been resting on the mat. Hearing Ye Yixin ask after him, he smiled weakly. "I'm fine, Xiao Ye. Don't worry."

"Professor, the desert really is dangerous. We..." Ye Yixin sighed, then swallowed the rest of what she had been about to say.

Rustle, rustle. Hu Ming crawled in, carrying a bundle of dried saxaul branches.

Before long, Fatty, Sa Dipeng, and Chu Jian arrived with the supplies, carrying some and slinging the rest over their backs.

With solid fuel and saxaul branches, a bonfire soon blazed to life.

Outside, the sky was now swallowed by a true sandstorm. It was pitch-black, and the wind and sand raged as if the end of the world had come.

Rustle, rustle!

A thick layer of sand had piled up on the roof, but in places where it had cracked, sand was leaking through. If it kept pouring in like this, it wouldn't take long to fill the temple.

The group chose a spot away from the holes.

As they sat around the bonfire, two huge words were written on everyone's faces.

Despair.

Hu Ming, of course, was the exception.