Ge Xiaocheng's equipment and skills are indeed amazing, and when I left the hotel the next morning, Gu Xin and I had become completely different people, and I also gave myself and Gu Xin very earthy names.

My name is Zhao Guang, and Gu Xin's name is Zhao Hui, and they are brothers.

After the secret meeting between Wen Jing and Hong Kaiyuan, news came out that Gu Xin and I were both killed in a sea transaction. Later, according to Wen Jing, although Mrs. Feng and Xiong Ying and the others couldn't accept it, they finally decided that they couldn't let the 'Martial Emperor' fall into the hands of others, and prepared to enter the desert first.

Hong Kaiyuan and Wen Jing needed to deal with the aftermath because of my 'death', so they delayed for a few days before setting off to pick up Mrs. Feng and others.

Although my 'aftermath' was not grandiose, the news was leaked to all parties, and after discovering that Mrs. Feng and the others had already begun to act, they diverted all their attention to it.

So, a few days later, a group of five of us appeared on the edge of the desert.

Unlike a few decades ago, the Tarim Basin has long been opened to roads, and we have reached the edge of Lop Nur along Provincial Highway 235.

According to the plan, Mrs. Feng and the others entered the desert from the east of Lop Nur, and if I guessed correctly, the rest of the group should have followed them.

The reason why I chose to enter Lop Nur from the west was, of course, because Tang Qizheng showed me the report that had not been issued. A few decades ago, the nearest town to Lop Nur was supposed to be Ruoqiang, and although the report didn't give any place names, I speculate that the agent must have entered the desert from here.

Since it is into the desert, of course, guides and camels are indispensable.

So, we hired a local guide and a six-peaked camel called Ablizi, which means servant of Allah, an old man in his sixties.

Before leaving, according to the advice of the old guide, we all changed into robes and long scarves and wrapped ourselves tightly. In the name of researchers, we are researchers from the ecological research institute of a university, and we entered Lop Nur mainly to investigate the local ecological environment, so we did not have any specific goals.

In my impression, there are three places in the world where the environment is the most cruel and the most difficult for humans to wade: one is the deep sea, the second is the snowy peaks, and the third is the desert.

On the first day of entering Lop Nur, in addition to the drought and heat, the desert left me with only one word - stuffy! Many times, the scorching sun on my head is far less than the steaming heat flow on the ground, it is a force that can almost suffocate people, especially in a place where there is no wind, it feels like entering hell!

After the day, the air finally cooled down, and we set up camp behind a sandy slope, and the old man Ablizi had his camels surround the camp.

At night, because of the great difference between day and night in the desert, we lit a bonfire, boiled some hot water, and ate something hot.

After eating and drinking, in order to inquire about some previous things, I began to ask Ablizi about some old things in a different way.

"Old man, before coming here, I heard a lot of legends in Ruoqiang, all of which are quite magical, and I don't know if they are true or false. I smiled and asked the old guide, who was sitting across the campfire.

"Of course it's true, because that's the power of Allah!" Ablizi said reverently.

"Not really. Hong Kaiyuan was very disapproving: "I think everyone made it up to be scary, not to persuade people not to be easily suspected!"

"Uncle, is the story of that zombie also true?" Ji Wushuang's eyes widened and he looked at Ablizi curiously.

"I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but my father did!" said the old guide's expression was solemn. "If it weren't for the government's notice, I don't know what would have happened!"

"I heard that a lot of people died, right?" Wen Jing struck while the iron was hot.

"Yes, I heard that a company of the army has been folded in it!" said Ablizi, sighing.

"It's really all zombies, and how did those zombies get here?" Ji Wushuang asked two questions in one breath.

"They were all human beings before, and they became like that because they angered Allah and were punished!" said the old guide, assuming a more pious posture.

Hearing this, my spirits improved a lot, and I quickly asked, "Who are they?"

"It's the remnants of Ma Hongkui's defeated army!" replied the old guide.

"Ma Hongkui is not in the Qingning area, how can he appear here?" Hong Kaiyuan hurriedly asked.

"In that year, the army was in chaos, and after the second horse was defeated by Peng Dashuai, in addition to the defector, some evil people beware of the autumn queen to settle accounts, and they all scattered and fled, and some of them retreated into the desert!"

"There's nothing in the desert, don't you retreat here to find death!" Hong Kaiyuan grinned.

Ablizi glanced at Hong Kaiyuan and said lightly: "Who told you that entering the desert is looking for death?!"

"Isn't it?" Ji Wushuang was even more puzzled.

"Do you know where this area used to be?" It is estimated that Ji Wushuang is the same age as the old guide's granddaughter, and when he asks her, the old man is always very patient and has an extremely kind attitude. "This used to be a big lake, and it was the territory of Loulan Kingdom!"

"Oh, it turns out that there is even a country here!" Ji Wushuang's face was curious.

"Not only that, but Loulan was once the most prosperous ancient country on the Silk Road! But then the lake dried up and slowly became what it is today, and of course people scattered to make a living!"

"It's a shame. Ji Wushuang said with regret.

"How did a good lake dry up?" Wen Jing asked again.

"It's not some wicked people who have angered Allah, these are Allah's punishments!" Ablizi said in a serious manner. "So, even if they try to divert the river, they won't be able to save this place!"

I didn't want them to go astray, so I immediately changed the subject back: "Old man, are we far away from the place where the zombie appeared?"

"That's a long way off. We'll have to go through all of Lop Nur to get there!"

"Luckily it's far away, and I always find it weird and scary. Ji Wushuang stuck out his tongue.

In order not to bore the old man, I wasted no time in handing a cigarette to Ablizi: "Old man, can you tell me about any places near here where there are creatures? It is not easy for us to come out, if we can't find any living creatures, it will be a waste of state funds!"

The old man took the cigarette, and I lit it for him immediately.

After taking a deep breath of the cigarette, Ablizi thought for a moment, and after pondering for a long time, he said: "I remember, there used to be an ancient town near here, and I heard my father say that it was abandoned more than a thousand years ago, but no one knows the exact location anymore!"

After a pause, the old man continued, "If you want to talk about creatures, there should be one in that place. After speaking, he changed the conversation again, and changed his serious look. "However, I advise you that it is better not to go to that place, the older generation is a cursed place!"

"So scary?!" Hong Kaiyuan laughed again.

"It's really not to scare you!" Abulizi snorted, glanced at Hong Kaiyuan, and said coldly: "No matter whether it is a human or animal, as long as you enter that place, you will only be left with a pile of white bones in the end!!"

(End of chapter)