Chapter Seventy-Three: Journey Through the Desert

  If we say that the largest desert in Huaxia is which desert, it is the Taklamakan Desert located in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang.

  The Taklamakan Desert has a total area of 337,600 square kilometers, stretching over 1,000 kilometers from east to west and over 400 kilometers from north to south, equivalent to the size of a province.

  Taklamakan had a historically famous Silk Road and there was a famous Niya Ruins.

  On the vast expanse of desert land, where sandstorms raged and yellow sand filled the sky, four gray figures and two camels trudged forward side by side, struggling to move slowly through the desert, as if every step was extremely arduous.

  To find his quiet father, Li Ling took the military order and went to school to ask Tian Shu Jing for a half-year leave. Although Tian Shu Jing was surprised, he still reported it to the school and got approved. After all, Li Ling had a military rank on him, and as a soldier, he would go out to perform some tasks from time to time.

  Looking at the world filled with yellow sand, Li Ling smacked his dry mouth and took out the leather water bag in his hand, pouring two mouthfuls of clear water into his mouth. Suddenly, he felt a coolness in his lungs, infinitely refreshing. This was Li Ling's first time coming to the Taklamakan Desert, and facing this endless expanse of yellow sand that stretched out like the ocean without bounds, he could only feel the wonder of nature's creation.

  "Quiet, how much further do we have to go before we reach the ancient city of Loulan?" Li Ling covered his eyes with his hand, raised his head and gazed at the clear sky, which was indeed cloudless. He held onto a camel that was even taller than him, looking out at the endless desert sky.

  "There's still about ten miles to the ancient city of Loulan, but where we're headed is not at the ancient Loulan site, but rather 300 miles deep into the Taklamakan Desert." After arriving at Taklamakan quietly, her emotions became a bit melancholic, after all, it was here that Quiet had lost her foster father.

  "Two hundred miles deep. At this rate of progress, I doubt if our water will be enough." Li Ling looked at the water bag in his hand which was gradually getting lighter and said anxiously. After all, he had three water bags tied to his body, and the two camels were carrying more than a dozen water bags. On average, each person could only get four or five water bags' worth of water.

  But in the desert at noon, it is extremely hot and dry, and this water is far from enough.

  "Don't worry about water, with Uncle Xiao Yuan around, he's a famous wilderness survival expert and archaeologist. With him here, we don't have to worry about not having anything to drink or eat." Anjing said confidently, looking at a middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket, black boots, and a cowboy hat.

  That middle-aged man was called Xiao Yuan, and he and An Xiangyu were bosom friends. The two had crossed the Taklamakan Desert together and climbed Mount Everest, and they had been on many difficult outdoor adventures together.

  Xiao Yuan was a relatively thin middle-aged man, with a gaunt face that seemed to have been tempered by the vicissitudes of countless years, making him look like an ancient sculpture.

  "Up ahead is the site of ancient Loulan, once we get there, let's take a rest and have something to eat. Nearby, there's a small oasis where we can replenish our drinking water."

  "And also don't give camels water, once a camel is thirsty, it will actively find other sources of water for us, such as underground water."

  Xiao Yuan is indeed an experienced wilderness survivalist.

  "That makes sense." Li Ling patted the head of the camel beside him, and the camel stuck out its tongue to lick Li Ling's face, feeling wet.

  "The military is executing, those people are still following us." The apathetic woman with the A04 code for a different species was also called by Li Ling to follow.

  However, since then, Li Ling gave the cold woman a name called Mandala, meaning a highly toxic and beautiful flower.

  "Mandala! Let them follow, from Yanjing to now, they are happy to be a tailgater. They have followed so far, it's a bit uncomfortable not to let them follow." Li Ling patted the camel's face and said, "Is that right, Camel brother?"

  The camel merely snorted twice from its nose and it was unclear whether it understood or not.

  The apathetic girl would blush slightly every time she heard Li Ling call herself "Mandala Pretty Face", possibly because she didn't know how to express her happiness, and thus showed a kind of indirect happiness. After all, the apathetic girl was not an ordinary person.

  "What kind of people are they?" Xiao Yuan looked back, those people were following from a very far distance, but on the endless sandy land of the desert, two or three black dots could be seen.

  "They're all high-level foreign agents or assassins after Miss An." the apathetic woman guessed.

  Xiao Yuan obviously didn't know about An Jing's importance to the whole world.

  "What are they staring at Miss An for?" Xiao Yuan asked with a surprised and slightly tense tone. Originally, Xiao Yuan thought it was just tourists crossing the desert or something, but he didn't expect such sharp characters.

  "It's a long story." Li Ling knew why, and it took him three days, let alone Xiao Yuan who didn't know the situation at all.

  After walking for an hour, the shadow of Loulan Ancient City was faintly visible. The ancient city of Loulan was like a mysterious capital sleeping in the vast desert, a city that was once a kingdom, and its remains gradually disappeared after being polished by time.

  "Looking at the sky, it's almost evening. Let's spend the night in the ancient city of Loulan and continue on our journey tomorrow. There are still 300 miles left to go, I estimate that we won't be able to reach the ancient tomb within two months!" Xiao Yuan's eyes were heavy as he gazed towards the vast desert area behind them, where sand dunes and sandstorms awaited.

  "Two months!" Li Ling stretched out two fingers, his eyes wide with astonishment.

  The apathetic woman remained silent.

  Li Ling's eyes swept over the water bags and said, "Indeed, relying on ourselves to carry water, it's impossible to make it to the ancient tomb area. Xiao Yuan, our drinking water and food will all depend on you." Li Ling looked at Xiao Yuan with a faint sigh.

  "Don't worry about this, I've been to the ancient tomb several times over the past few years, but I didn't find anything." Xiao Yuan's eyes were dim, as if he was still blaming himself for abandoning his brother An Xiangyu back then, and was feeling depressed.

  "Xiao Yu uncle, you did your best." An Jing comforted Xiao Yu.

  "Quietly, this time you came, is it to look for news of your father?" Xiao Yuan had never asked this question before, and now that he did, he also wanted to know Quiet's thoughts.

  "I suspect that Father is not dead. Even if he were dead, I would still find Father's remains and bring them back for burial." An Jing said with a calm and determined gaze.

  "You're a good daughter." Xiao Yuan took out the water and gulped down two mouthfuls, but was choked and coughed continuously. It seemed he had mistaken the water for wine. When they arrived at the ancient city ruins of Loulan, everyone could see from the exterior that this site, which was only three hundred meters in circumference, was all that remained of its former glory! The other areas of the city were probably buried under the yellow sand.