Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 57

Yang Xueli watched the two cousins ​​eating pears.

Then she said, "By the way, there are some things I've always wanted to tell you, but I haven't had the chance. Now, would you like to hear them?"

Yang Xueli had many things on her mind, or what she considered huge secrets, but in Hu Ming's eyes, they were nothing.

It's just a stupid curse, isn't it? Everyone knows that.
"Say what you want to say!" Hu Ming shrugged.

Hu Bayi also looked at Yang Xueli and nodded.

Since it's time to rest and we have nothing to do, let's chat and strengthen our relationship.

“I told you before that my father organized an archaeological team to explore the Western Regions. There’s a reason why my father is so fascinated by the culture of the Western Regions…” At this point, Yang Xueli paused, still feeling that she should keep some of her secrets to herself.

After all, he and Hu Bayi haven't reached the point where they can talk about anything yet.

“My father bought a batch of artifacts from the Western Regions at an auction house in the UK. After being identified as dating back to the late Han Dynasty, the artifacts included bamboo slips with ancient inscriptions that recorded the ancient city of Jingjue.”

"The records state that there were thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions, and Jingjue Kingdom was just one of them. Later, due to the outbreak of war, the kingdoms of the Western Regions united to attack Jingjue Kingdom's capital, Jingjue Ancient City. But at that moment, a hurricane carrying sandstorms submerged Jingjue Ancient City. From then on, there was no more Jingjue Ancient City, nor was there any more Jingjue Kingdom."

"Until the outbreak of World War II, an eagle explorer named Walter led a team of skilled explorers into the desert to search for the ancient city of Jingjue. However, when they returned, only Walter remained. He was insane, but it was very strange that such an insane person could walk out of the depths of the desert."

"Walt's notebook contained records of their route into the desert, as well as photos. In the photos, there was an ancient city in the desert. Walt was the only one who found the Jingjue Ancient City and the only one who came back alive from it. Unfortunately, he went mad."

Yang Xueli frowned and looked at Hu Bayi and his brother. She noticed that Hu Bayi only frowned slightly, while Hu Ming had no expression at all. Yang Xueli knew that he was not attracted by her words, and she felt helpless.

It seems you don't believe me.

"The Black Desert is a very strange place. Three of the world's top explorers once ventured deep into it, but not long after, their bodies were found. They died of dehydration, but strangely, their water bottles were still more than half full. They shouldn't have died of dehydration."

"So, Hu Ming and Hu Bayi, I believe the Jingjue Ancient City exists. But putting aside the Jingjue Ancient City, even the Black Desert is full of eeriness. I hope you can help me deal with some strange things, okay?"

Hu Bayi and Hu Ming remained silent. Then Hu Ming said, "We've taken your money, so we'll naturally protect you. You can rest assured about that."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xueli shook her head helplessly.

At 5 p.m., everyone set off on time.

As usual, the fat man walked behind, and Hu Ming walked in front.

"Walking across this vast desert, if it weren't for the long trail of footprints behind me, I wouldn't even realize I'm walking. I truly admire those explorers, venturing alone into all sorts of dangerous places to explore the unknown." Yang Xueli rode her camel alongside Hu Bayi, a faint smile always on her pretty face, seemingly in a good mood. But just as Fatty had said, only she knew what she was really thinking.

……

The next day, everyone was short of water again.

Suddenly, the entire camel caravan stopped. Anliman jumped down and looked around, his cloudy eyes filled with confusion. After a long while, he gently patted a camel's head. "Little Red, this place looks familiar. Do you remember?"

Xiao Hong is the name of the camel, and it is quite intelligent. It hummed a few times and actually nodded. An Liman was overjoyed and rushed to Hu Ming's side, saying in a trembling voice, "Comrade Hu Ming, I remember now. I've been here before. Back then, my brothers and I entered the desert and encountered a sandstorm. We were blown away. When I woke up, we still had food, but no water."

“At that time I thought I had died of thirst, but Hu Da sent his messenger to fetch me, and I followed the messenger and walked and walked until I found a water source.”

Everyone gathered around, their expressions excited and joyful.

They had just experienced the feeling of being without water yesterday—it was terrifying. Now, hearing Anliman's words, it was clear that there was a well there, and they could drink it freely, or even use it for bathing.

"But that was twenty years ago. Now, I wonder if that well has dried up?"

Anliman's next words made them uneasy.

"Old man, are you sure there's water there?"

The fat man worried that if he walked over there, there would be no water, and he would die of thirst. He didn't want to die in the desert. But he had no other choice but to ask Anliman if he was sure, which was really just to comfort himself.

"I already said, that happened twenty years ago. How would I know now?"

Anliman dared not gamble. What if the water ran out? Wouldn't he be responsible for everyone's deaths? But what could he do if the camels had to be slaughtered? If he didn't go there and continued searching for the ancient Peacock River, it would take at least two days to reach it.

There's no water left. We can't even make it through today, how can we possibly last two more days?
It's still about killing camels!
"Grandpa, you can see our situation now. If there's no water, we'll be in big trouble."

Anliman looked at Hu Bayi and frowned. "Team Leader Hu, the water sources in the desert are subject to change. Sand dunes can shift, and water sources can disappear, unless it's a fixed water source that never dries up. That's a well, you know. Twenty years ago, it had plenty of water, but now..."

"Whether it's still there or not, we'll find out by going to look for it," Hu Ming said, and An Liman could only nod. He then rode a camel to lead the way. As the saying goes, "a mountain can be too fast for a horse to run," and they walked from eight in the morning to two in the afternoon, still braving the scorching sun.

I dared not stop; I could only move forward.

The fat man was wearing a cloak and a raincoat, which were sun-protective and suitable for use in the desert.

(End of this chapter)