novel bin Chapter 736 - 78: The Camels Ran Away!
Chapter 736 - 78: The Camels Ran Away!
As the sky completely darkened.Chen Wen, holding a torch, led everyone into the oasis.
"This map isn’t very accurate!"
Chen Wen looked at the oasis and couldn’t help but complain, "The distance on the map is several kilometers farther than the actual distance!"
Dennis felt quite embarrassed.
This map had come from him, and although the discrepancy was not originally significant, it almost disrupted their plan.
"I’ll have to go settle this with that swindler later!"
Dennis said, surveying this oasis, "According to the aboriginals, there’s no real danger in this oasis, just keep an eye out."
Everyone nodded wearily and followed Chen Wen into the oasis.
They found an open space, and Chen Wen had the others set up camp and start a fire.
Meanwhile, he took the torch and circled the campsite, partly to eliminate any potential dangers and partly to familiarize himself with the terrain for emergency situations.
After making a round, Chen Wen had a rough understanding of the oasis.
Returning to camp, he immediately said, "This oasis isn’t small, mainly stony desert terrain. There’s a burrow on the northwest side that looks like it was dug by an Australian Wild Dog pack, though it could also be a weathered cave. No snakes spotted, but plenty of poisonous insects, so be careful when you’re outside."
"There’s a pond on the northeast side; it seems to have plenty of water. We can collect some before leaving."
Upon hearing this, Dennis said, "The camels seem to be thirsty for quite some time, shall we let them go drink some water?"
Upon hearing this, Fred nodded, "The camel I rode needs to replenish water."
After such a long journey, everyone felt a deep bond with their camels.
Previously, when passing other oases, they had boldly loosened the reins, letting the camels drink and forage freely.
This time was no different.
They untied the camels’ reins, relieved them of their heavy burdens, and then Chen Wen led the camels near the pond.
The camels were truly parched. As soon as they saw the water source, they eagerly rushed to the pond and started drinking.
Chen Wen used a long spear to tap the vegetation around the pond, ensured there was no danger, then left the camels there and returned to the camp.
...
In the campsite.
Dennis cooked some corn kernels, and everyone ate a meal with camel jerky.
After eating, sleepiness washed over them.
No one said much, and, continuing their previous night watch system, they began to take turns watching and resting.
But right after everyone fell into a deep sleep.
In the distance.
A severe sandstorm, stronger than the previous one, formed silently.
Driven by the front, the overwhelming sand seemed to be propelled by motors, swiftly advancing towards Chen Wen and his team’s direction.
In the oasis.
Just as dawn was about to break.
The camels, with senses keener than Chen Wen and his group, detected the change in the air.
Their instinctual genes prompted them to look for suitable shelters.
Silently, the camels moved to the other side of the oasis, slowly forming a circle as before, beginning to shield themselves from the sandstorm.
...
In the early morning.
Hard gravel smacked against Chen Wen’s face, abruptly waking him up.
Chen Wen opened his eyes and glanced at the sky.
It was still quite dark.
What just hit my face?
Chen Wen wondered, perplexed.
He looked around.
In the stomach pouch, the Taipan Snake slept soundly, and beneath the piled-up supplies beside it, the Little Falcon and the Brown-winged Hawk curled up, resting.
The campfire flickered weakly, on the verge of going out.
Everything seemed normal.
But as Chen Wen stood up, Dennis’s voice came from his side, "Chen Wen, something’s happened!"
Hearing the voice, Chen Wen turned in the direction, only to see a slightly anxious look on Dennis’s face.
"What happened?"
Dennis pointed toward the northwest, "The sandstorm! It’s coming too fast!"
With his memories flooding back, Chen Wen realized Dennis was referring to that large mass of black sand they saw yesterday.
He took a deep breath and asked, "Where is it now?"
"It’s almost upon us; I estimate we’ll clash with the sandstorm right at daybreak!"
Upon hearing this news, Chen Wen’s expression wasn’t pleasant, "Indeed, it’s fast. But luckily, we anticipated the sandstorm yesterday and reached this oasis. With the help of the oasis and the camels, getting through the sandstorm shouldn’t be hard."
As Chen Wen said, with the camels and an oasis to rely on, they should be able to weather the sandstorm with relative ease.
But at this moment, Dennis delivered another bad news: "That’s precisely the problem, Chen Wen, our camels are lost!"
"What?"
Hearing this, Chen Wen looked at Dennis in confusion, "Lost?"
Dennis nodded with a grim expression.
"It might be because they sensed the sandstorm in advance, or for some other reason. In any case, when I realized the sandstorm was approaching, I went into the oasis to find the camels, but found nothing."
Chen Wen scratched his head, "Call everyone up. Now it’s not whether we can ride out the sandstorm; without the camels, our main problem is how we’ll continue out of the desert!"
Getting the others up.
Everyone felt the increasing wind force and the swirling sand; they all understood what was about to happen next.
"The sandstorm is coming!"
Chen Wen announced the first piece of bad news.
Everyone’s faces changed slightly.
They were mentally prepared for this.
"Our camels are gone."
Chen Wen announced the second piece of bad news.
Everyone’s faces instantly fell.
Hua Yun was somewhat incredulous, "The camels are lost? Stolen? Or did they leave on their own?"
"Likely they left on their own."
Dennis said, "Camels are highly perceptive. Once they sensed the oncoming sandstorm, they’d most likely look for a suitable hiding place."
Fred cradled his head, feeling unable to accept it.
The team was so close to seeing the light of victory.
How did it all turn from heaven to hell overnight?
Chen Wen took a deep breath to adjust to the current situation.
He loudly said, "Everyone, don’t panic yet; we’re not completely helpless for survival."
"Let’s set aside the camels for now; don’t worry about them."
Given the current situation, Chen Wen quickly formulated a plan, "I’ll figure out the camel situation after the sandstorm, it can definitely be resolved. Right now, our biggest problem to solve is the sandstorm!"
After pondering over the previous day’s inspection of the oasis, Chen Wen said, "Remember what I mentioned? There’s a dugout that resembles those made by Australian Wild Dogs on the northwest side; we can seek refuge in that burrow!"
Hearing Chen Wen’s words, the once panicked group gradually steadied themselves.
They stopped worrying about what came next.
Since Chen Wen said it could be solved, then it surely can be!
Hua Yun said, "The burrow may provide shelter, but we need to inspect it thoroughly. In these stony desert burrows, there might be poisonous insects or snakes, so whoever goes down first should be cautious!"
Chen Wen nodded, "I’ll go down first and see how large the burrow is and whether it can accommodate all of us."
Dennis added from the side, "The five of us should fit easily. If it really is an Australian Wild Dog pack’s burrow, it won’t be small."
Fred added, "We need to bring in some essential supplies too, and find a suitable spot to store what we can’t fit in."
Adam nodded, "Fred and I will handle the supplies!"
Watching everyone regain their confidence, Chen Wen nodded with satisfaction, "Alright, everyone, let’s get moving!"