As Duomaiti told the story up to this point, his cheeks twitched uncontrollably. Remembering something terrifying, he shuddered several times.
Zhou Ke and Zhou Hai exchanged a glance but said nothing, continuing to listen. For now, all they needed to do was listen. It was best not to interrupt, since they had not experienced it themselves.
Duomaiti picked up the cup of milk tea from the table, filled it for himself, and drank it in one gulp.
The teapot had been sitting beside the stove, so the milk tea was still scalding hot. After gulping it down, Duomaiti could not help sucking in several sharp breaths from the burn.
That scald brought him back to reality.
He looked at the two men before him and resumed his account.
At the time, the dozen or so people prepared to unload the supplies they had brought from the camels. They found something edible and planned to make do with a meal. They also focused on taking stock of the salvaged supplies to see exactly what remained, so they could distribute everything properly.
In the desert, supplies were naturally the most important thing. Once supplies ran out, nothing but cruel death awaited them.
Night fell, but by the light of the crescent moon, they could still see the things close at hand. So everyone quickly gathered the supplies in one place, sorted them, and made plans. They intended to investigate the Ancient City for one or two days. No matter what they discovered, they would leave immediately and return to the supply town.
Duomaiti had already made a rough estimate. Although they had strayed from their route, they could return to it in two days. Then, after another three or four days of travel, they would reach the supply town.
That meant they