Chapter 4, Ambushed
A hundred meters away from the sand dune, Cui Ming turned back and saw that there were no living people in sight, only writhing giant worms everywhere. Suddenly, the ground shook, and the sand dune in front of him exploded, sending sand flying dozens of meters high. An enormous worm, towering as high as three stories, emerged, opening its massive mouth and spraying a stream of green liquid directly at the completely stunned Xiao Jiang
Afterwards, Xiao Jiang asked Cui Ming: "Aren't you afraid of her retaliation for playing with her? We are all under her roof."
Suddenly, dozens of insects appeared within a hundred meters around them, each writhing its plump body as they surged towards the three individuals. Cui Ming looked at the insects and repeatedly waved his hands, saying: "Run, run, run"
Tomorrow, we will begin the search from that sand dune heading directly north, drilling every twenty meters and inserting a small flag into each drill hole. That evening, during dinner, the senior experts convened a meeting with the prisoner team: "Do not drill on the sand dunes; choose the lowest points instead. The three groups will advance forward spaced fifty meters apart, and any discovery of non-desert items must be reported to me."
The shaded area created by the giant sand dune: "Take a break."
Cui Ming's group is the slowest. At the beginning, the three groups were working side by side, advancing at intervals of fifty meters. Now, the first group is already close to today's campsite, while Cui Ming's group is still two kilometers away from tonight's campsite. The fifteen criminals are divided into five groups: three groups for reconnaissance and two groups for preparing the campsite, cooking food, and setting up tents. This also serves as a means of coercion, indicating that if you do not complete today's work, you will not have anything to eat.
The second group was one kilometer away from the camp, and their efficiency was quite good. The four of them slid down onto the sandy ground and were just about to start digging when Cui Ming sniffed the air and asked, "Do you smell something strange?"
Three people walked over to www.hetushu.com, touched the sand, which was not too hot, and sat down. Xiao Jiang said to the security guard twenty meters away, "Hey buddy, could you spare a cigarette?"
The security guard is also under the sunshade, equipped with his own sunshade and chair, completely ignoring Xiao Jiang. He checks his watch; even prisoners are required to register their few minutes of rest. This does not imply that the Classical Company is overly meticulous, but rather that it is important for the prisoners to understand that the Classical Company keeps a record of their actions
What is it?" Xiao Jiang asked in panic
"Where is the second group?" Xiao Jiang asked
Cui Ming asked: "How far should we advance?"
"Someone is unhappy, let's continue." The first group of security personnel has arrived at the camp to change shifts, while the security here is still enduring the heat alongside them. The Big Mac said a word, stood up first, and pulled Xiao Jiang and the others up, while the security personnel also collected the umbrellas and chairs
The second playing card arrived with a sound, flying into the gaping mouth of the giant worm, piercing through it ferociously. The worm, struggling to survive, let out a wail as its body exploded, splattering green blood and chunks of flesh all over Xiao Jiang.
His nickname is Lipstick, and we are betting on his ownership for the night. The female assistant was stunned for a few seconds, realizing she had been played, and covered her face as she walked away
Cui Ming replied: "If we truly encounter danger, it will not be her who can save us"
Four people climbed up a sandy slope and stood at the top. Cui Ming exclaimed, "This place is so flat and even." Within a radius of ten kilometers, there are no sand dunes, only smooth sandy ground, and the campsite two kilometers away is clearly visible, with the tents already set up.
Well, the female assistant generously admitted that her underwear was pink, even pulling out a piece to show everyone, winning the cheers of the prisoners. Then the female assistant asked m.hetushu.com for lipstick, and Cui Ming pushed a prisoner out, saying: "Take it."
A voice suddenly came through the intercom: "There is a bug."
"Don't just stand there, run!" Cui Ming threw another playing card, slicing through the rear half of a large insect's body fifteen meters away. The spinning card cut through its hard exoskeleton, swirling inside and cleaving it in two. The nearby large insects seemed to sense the danger as well and dared not approach any closer.
"You beasts, leave me a way out." The behemoth replied into the shoulder-mounted intercom and continued working
The three individuals discarded their instruments and turned to flee, running towards the sand dune from which they had come. Xiao Jiang ran the fastest, when a large insect emerged about five meters away from him and leaped towards him. Cui Ming flicked his fingers, and a playing card flew from his hand, slicing through the insect's body with a flash of red light. The insect collapsed onto the sand, gasping with its mouth wide open.
However, if there is no risk, what is the point of hiring prisoners? Cui Ming glanced at Beiyue not far away, who was slowly eating by the campfire. Ding Ze was sitting next to her, talking; Beiyue rarely spoke, only nodding or shaking her head to express her attitude. Cui Ming whispered to Xiao Jiang, "Trust me this once, when you encounter danger, do not worry about anything. Run, run back, and remember, try to run towards the positions of Beiyue and Ding Ze."
The giant thumb pointed backward, and Cui Ming turned around to see the security guard using the restroom. Cui Ming smiled and continued digging. At that moment, the sound of the first group's song floated over the intercom, the lyrics roughly conveyed that "I am a snail, I crawl and crawl, climbing up a beautiful peak." After the song ended, the first group of prisoners said, "Could you speed up a bit? The soup is ready."
Damn it. Our death signifies that you must search for that object in the area where we and the books perished. If it were as simple a task as the old expert claims, the Classical Exploration Company could easily accomplish it independently. Moreover, various signs indicate that the Classical Exploration Company failed in the first expedition, leading to the conclusion that the role of the prisoner team is to act as a detector, seeking the location of the deceased from the first expedition. Otherwise, how could the dead man accurately pinpoint an area or a direction in the vast and boundless Dawn Desert?
Cui Ming proposed a bet: if the female assistant wins, the lipstick belongs to her; if the female assistant loses, the lipstick still belongs to her, but she must reveal the color of her underwear. How to bet? It's simple. Cui Ming takes out three playing cards, namely J, Q, and K. The female assistant can draw one card and compare it with Cui Ming's. The female assistant has a total of three chances, and as long as she wins once, she is considered the winner.
The old expert replied: "True north, thirty kilometers. If no discovery is made, we will return to the original position and advance in the true north direction from a different location. After that, camels will no longer be used; we will proceed on foot. We will start at seven in the morning, set up camp at eleven to avoid the scorching sun. We will begin again at six in the afternoon and rest by ten in the evening"
Cui Ming pulled with his left hand in front of his chest, and countless shimmering golden cards flashed before him. With a quick motion of his right hand, he pinched one card between his fingers, and it flew towards Xiao Jiang. Just as the moment seemed to stretch, the card reached first, releasing a venomous substance. Xiao Jiang's body emitted a white protective wave, and the venom struck the protective wave. Xiao Jiang was knocked back as if hit hard, landing beside Cui Ming, unharmed.
The security guard immediately fired his weapon, and the bullets struck the large insect's body, causing no substantial harm, but effectively preventing the insect from getting closer. At that moment, another large insect emerged from beneath the guard's feet, leaping up and opening its enormous mouth, which was as large as its head, and swallowed the guard's head along with the book in one bite. The circular mouth was filled with sharp teeth. In two seconds, the insect left the guard's body, and the guard's head was nowhere to be seen. Looking again, there was a spherical object in the insect's belly, clearly the guard's head. At this moment, another large insect emerged from beneath the guard's feet, leaping up and opening its enormous mouth, which was as large as its head, and swallowed the guard's head along with the book in one bite. The circular mouth was filled with sharp teeth. In two seconds, the insect left the guard's body, and the guard's head was nowhere to be seen. Looking again, there was a spherical object in the insect's belly, clearly the guard's head.
The most arduous work has begun, carrying a fifty-kilogram metal detector drill. Under the scorching sun, three individuals are involved: one operates the machine while the other two support its body, drilling a hole every twenty meters. They also have to carry tents, food, and water. The most bothersome is that old expert, who every ten minutes uses the walkie-talkie to inquire if any discoveries have been made. By the time evening arrives and work continues, due to the distance, the walkie-talkie becomes ineffective, allowing everyone to enjoy some peace.
It is not an easy task to find out that the female assistant's underwear is pink. There are armed security guards here, and peeking is not an option. So what should one do? The female assistant discovered that she had lost her lipstick, and a few prisoners were playing poker. As she passed by, she inadvertently overheard them betting on the ownership of the lipstick for the night. The female assistant sneered inwardly, pretending to be interested in the gambling game, and joined in.
... ...
Among the prisoners, Cui Ming was the smallest in stature and was responsible for operating the drill. Xiao Jiang and Ju Wuzha helped to stabilize the machine. After finishing, Cui Ming checked the instrument and said, "Retracted." The operation was quite convenient; pressing the button retracted the drill bit. The drilling machine only needed to be charged twice a day to suffice for a full day's work.
Xiao Jiang looked at Cui Ming, then at Bei Yue and Ding Ze, and he did not speak, merely nodding. After ten days of interaction, Xiao Jiang had formed his own opinion about Cui Ming. Cui Ming is a very humorous person, adaptable to circumstances, able to sleep with or without a pillow. His attitude towards food and sleeping arrangements is indifferent. At the same time, Cui Ming possesses excellent judgment; if he seriously states something, it is generally correct. ... For instance, as Cui Ming mentioned, the female assistant Nene beside the old expert is pink ... At the same time, Cui Ming possesses excellent judgment; if he seriously states something, it is generally correct. ... For instance, as Cui Ming mentioned, the female assistant Nene beside the old expert is pink ...
"No, receive it," Cui Ming said, "receive the drill bit." Suddenly, he felt that the commotion from this drill bit collection was somewhat greater, and there was a noticeable tremor underfoot
Cui Ming displayed three cards and then randomly swapped their positions. The female assistant chose the J for the first time and lost. The second time she also chose the J and lost again. The third time she once more selected the J, and predictably, she lost again.
Then the sound of gunfire from the camp was heard, as three security guards were shooting at the sandy ground. An object jumped up and landed on one of the security guard's heads, causing the guard to fall to the ground
As the two groups slowly advanced, when Cui Ming's group was over one kilometer away from the camp, several prisoners from the camp brought a few bottles of water to comfort everyone. Juyouba said: "At least these people have a conscience"
The prisoner team and the classical exploration team continued their journey, and by the evening of that day, they finally arrived at the destination mentioned by the old expert. Standing on the sand dune and gazing into the distance, there lay an endless sea of sand, with towering dunes forming small hills, as well as valleys surrounded by these hills; the desert was not flat.
The three individuals' bodyguards also stood up, armed and on alert. Suddenly, the sand nearby cracked open, and a large insect emerged from the ground. It resembled a beetle magnified several dozen times, green in color, with a large head and a pair of eyes. Its entire body was covered in scales, it had no legs, and its bulky body writhed quickly on the sand.
At a distance of thirty meters, it was too clear to see. Xiao Jiang couldn't hold back and spat it out. Ju Wuzha pointed in panic and said, "So many bugs"
I want lipstick. The female assistant was quite annoyed
Three security guards follow three groups as they advance. Escape is impossible, but negligence is a possibility. The guards change shifts every day, supervising the prisoners' work. After a hard day's work, they can return to the camp to rest for a day