Chapter 23: The Shipwreck in the Sand Sea
In tens of seconds when the flare burns. We were all stunned. Everybody looked at the huge thing. My mind went blank. Until the flare goes out. We just reacted. Immediately, all the flashlights shone in that direction.
Fragments of light don't shine a full picture of that thing. In the light of a flashlight. All we know is that there's something there. However, it also looks vague. If there is no impression from the flare. We won't notice anything unusual when the flashlight sweeps it. And we look from the bottom up. It's really hard to tell.
"What is this?" Tashi muttered to himself.
No one can say what it is. I can only be sure that it is the remains of an old wooden object. Just don't know what the wreckage is. It looks like a giant coffin. However, if you look closely, you find that the shape is wrong. It seems to be the wreckage of the building. However. I've never seen a building with such a strange shape.
"Climb up there and take a look!" I don't know who said it. We just reacted. A few of them wanted to climb up the slope. I hurriedly stopped them. said: "Don't mess around. Calm down. So high. And it's mounds. It's not something you can just climb up. It would be bad if something happened. โ
A-Ning also nodded, "Yes." The three have not yet been found. We've all looked for it below. No clues were found. Then it is quite possible that they are on it. There's no movement at all. There must be a problem. Maybe there's some danger in there. We have to be careful. I'll go up and have a look first. If it's easier to climb. Come up again. โ
As she spoke, she plugged her flashlight into her belt and asked us to light her. Prepare yourself to climb up.
That's when Tashi stopped her. "Don't move. I got it. There is no reason for a woman to do this kind of thing. I've climbed a lot of this mound before. Definitely more experienced than you. He didn't wait for A-Ning to respond. and bit the dagger. Jump on the mound. Then use a dagger to make a pickaxe. Start climbing up.
He's fast. Agile as a monkey. We shone a flashlight on him. Hardly any effort was wasted. We watched him climb underneath the huge object. He found a way to stand firm. He made a gesture to us. It means it's not too hard to climb. Then he shone a flashlight at the thing.
Below we can only see his movements. I can't see what he's doing. I was in a hurry. The team doctor asked, "What's that?" โ
"I don't know." Tashi's voice came from above. I saw him scratching his head on it. A Tibetan phrase was spoken. Then he said, "God." This...... It looks like a ship. โ
"Boat?" We looked at each other. Tashi shouted again: "It's really a boat!" Climb up and see for yourselves. โ
As soon as he finished speaking, Aning climbed up. I'm clumsy. Follow Anin. And the team doctor is too fat. After a few climbs, it slid down. We let him stay down there. Don't mess around. Wait a minute, and it's over. Then he moved closer to Tashi.
This dirt slope is indeed not difficult to climb. A bit of a slope. Although the soil is very soft. But it's very uneven. There are many parties that can be settled. We learned from Tashi to use a dagger as a pickaxe. Three times five divided by two, and leaned over.
I climbed to Tashi's side, hand and foot. It's cold up there. I stepped on a few protruding dirt bags. After sliding a little, he stood firm. Just look at the thing. But I'm far away. Tashi's vision was again obscured. I can't tell if the ship is a real ship.
I moved. Squeeze yourself out of a position. That's when you see it clearly. Under Tashi's flashlight. An ancient wreck is embedded in the mound. Only half exposed. The other half is deeply inserted into the mound. Look at the shape. It is indeed an ancient shipwreck.
Aning lit a cold firework. And he threw it at the sunken ship. At this time, the surroundings lit up. I found the shipwreck to be very disintegrated. It's almost one with the mud. The wooden hull was completely shattered. It has been carbonized. There was also a huge crack on one side of the wooden boat. It seems to be empty inside. I could see the mud inside. But the deepest side was pitch black, and it was impossible to see clearly.
I turned my head to look around. I thought this was a big discovery. This was supposed to be an ancient river channel before. The ancient ship sank in an ancient river channel. Wrapped in mud. I didn't expect the vicissitudes of life. In ancient times, the river channel turned into the Gobi. And this envelops the mound of the shipwreck. It's so much higher.
Anin climbed to the edge of the ancient ship. Shine a flashlight on that crack. And he showed a lot of mud and what was wrapped in mud. In the mud. You can also see a lot of things that resemble clay pots.
A-Ning said: "This seems to be a cargo ship bound for trade in the Western Regions. These are their goods. It was a shocking discovery. There are still many people who believe that there is no water transportation in the Western Regions. โ
In ancient times, it was one of the more treacherous of the seventeen Silk Roads. And the countries of the Western Regions are distributed on this barren land. It is the middle zone between the Arab civilization and the Chinese civilization. In the past, it was very busy on the countless rivers here. It is not known how much cloth and silk reached the West through these rivers. It is said that the royal families of Spanish-speaking countries can also eat watermelons from the Central Plains. At that time, the river course here was very varied. There were also many caravans that ran aground and sank due to the diversion of the ancient river. In the depths of the desert here, there are at least a thousand desert shipwrecks buried. However, because the desert changes too often. It's almost impossible to find. I didn't expect there to be one here.
The team doctor couldn't see anything down there. I was very anxious and shouted, "What do you see? Those three people are not on it? โ
Tashi called out to him a few times to answer him. I couldn't hear what the team doctor said again.
That's when I suddenly thought of the Caucasians. Maybe they also saw the wreck. Then I climbed up to check it out. I've looked for them all. No one was found. They should be on it. But I've just seen it on the cliffs around me. Nobody. Where did these three go?
The rock walls here are except for this shipwreck. There is no other way to Tibet. Could it be that those three people are in this shipwreck?
At this time, the moon is obscured by dark clouds. All of a sudden, it became even darker. Several of us found a position to stand still. I asked Aning to turn on the walkie-talkie. Then look for the location of the signal.
A-Ning took out the walkie-talkie. As soon as it opens. And the voice rang out. Very clear. She waved. The signals are all pretty much the same. Then Tashi pointed to the boat. Let her try it on the ancient ship. A-Ning stretched out. As soon as he approached the crack in the ancient ship. We could literally hear a very clear voice coming out of the intercom.
We looked at each other. It's all incredible. Looks like. The signal really came from this ancient shipwreck.
Tashi looked at the crack. Said: "What the hell. Did those three idiots crawl inside? โ
The crack was wide. It is indeed possible to climb into people. It's just that I don't know if the space in this can accommodate the three of them. We shine a flashlight. It was found that the ship was very deep inside. The innermost part is very dark. I shouted several times. But no one responded.
"What should I do?"
"Maybe they went in. But it came out again. Then dropped the walkie-talkie inside. Aning said. It's also possible that they had an accident inside. โ
"And how did that sound come about?" I asked.
"No one can answer you. But just go in and take a look. "A-Ning gave me a look. As he spoke, he put down his backpack. It seems to mean that she and I should go in and have a look.
Tashi is the guide. It is necessary to preserve strength. Here I and A-Ning's body shape is relatively normal. I can't say no. She took off her coat. Biting the dagger, he crawled into the crack first.
One in. The mud on the hull kept falling. Fortunately, the hull is relatively strong. She paused for a few seconds after entering. Steady down. Tashi handed her the flashlight. Then I took off my coat and climbed in.
This is just the right gap for me to climb into. But it's bigger than I thought. I clumsily went in. It was found to be a completely dirt world inside. The top of the head was covered with dry mud. People can't sit up. You can only crawl forward. Originally, there should have been a lot of space in this cabin. Now, however, it's mostly stuffed with dirt. Actually, we're in a mud hole.
A-Ning turned on the walkie-talkie. At this time, the voice was clearly like a sneer. The voice was loud here. Look at the inside of the cabin in the pitch black. My heart went to my throat. What is it that makes that sound?
A-Ning used a side-crawling position inside. It's the kind of action that a soldier hauls a gun and crawls forward. She moved forward with one hand. The other flashlight began to shine around. I gasped and followed her example. He also began to use a flashlight to shine on the mud around him. It's really all mud. Except for a few pieces of wood embedded in the mud that can be seen sporadically. I felt like I was in the scene of the Dao War.
It must have been the dirt pouring in from the breach after the shipwreck. The ship at that time should not have been completely sunk. So the mud did not fill the entire cabin. Underneath the mud must have been the cargo of the time. I don't know what's in it.
I climbed seven or eight meters inside. We could hear that strange sound directly. There is no filtering for walkie-talkies. The voice sounded a little different. It comes from the innermost part of the cabin. Very light. Anin paused. Turn off the intercom. He crawled in the direction of the voice.
I distanced myself from her a little. Give her room to step back. Didn't wait to climb a few steps. A-Ning exclaimed. Stopped. I also hurried over. Probe over her side. There was a hole the size of a round table in the dirt-covered "deck" at the end of the cabin. It seems to have collapsed. There's room down there. Shine a flashlight down. It's a mess down there. It's all clods of earth that have fallen from above. One is buried in it. Only the upper body is exposed.
I shine a flashlight. It was found that it was one of the missing people. His face was covered in mud. The face is blue. I don't know if it's dead or alive. The sneering voice. It came out of the mound below. "It's really inside!" I screamed. The heart said that these people are too playful. I screamed and squeezed forward. I want to go down and dig him out.
I didn't expect to scream suddenly. The sneering voice disappeared in an instant. The entire cabin suddenly fell silent.
The silence startled me. Hands and feet involuntarily stopped.
Then I thought. We were talking about this voice as their distress signal. Now I'm shouting. And the sound stopped. Apparently someone heard my scream. So the signal stopped. There are two possibilities for this. One is that he thinks help is already on his side. There is no need to make this sound anymore to attract us; The other is. He heard us coming. Faith is loosened. Loss of consciousness.
Whatever it is. We all have to get him out right away. Especially the latter. I know that many people who ask for help lose their will to survive at the moment before they are saved.
A-Ning and I think the same thing. She asked me to illuminate her. Crawled over. Then he carefully rolled over and slid into the hole. I followed. A-Ning told me not to come down. Answer on top.
Tashi heard me outside. Yell at us. Ask about the situation inside. I told him to wait. I'll see it clearly.
in this position. See it more clearly. Underneath the mouth of the cave. It should be the second level of cargo of the ancient ship. Or it's called the bottom warehouse. It is generally used to place something that is easy to break. Because the shaking of the bottom will not be intense. There is not much space in the bottom warehouse. It's all dirt inside, too. But the extent of the erosion is far less than what I am staying in. I can almost imagine the inside of a ship. You can see a lot of clay pots mixed in the dirt. It should be the goods. I don't know what's inside.
After A-Ning went down. Immediately remove the clods of dirt from the man's body. Then put your hand around his neck. Feel the pulse.
I hurriedly asked, "How's it going?" โ
A-Ning trembled visibly. Turning back to me and shaking his head. Signaling is no longer an option.
I sighed. Anin began to dig up clods. The man was quickly dug up. Then drag it to the side vigorously. That's when I found the inside of the excavated clods. Another person appeared. I saw hair and a hand. Anin continued to dig. However, this man is more solidly buried. She dug for a while and didn't get up.
I can't stand it. He also jumped off the collapse to help. I touched the man's hand. And my heart sank. I know it's no fun. The man's hands were cold. It's dead.
It took us a lot of effort to dig him out. Also dragged aside. Underneath this person. I saw the pale faces of the Caucasians. He curled up. Glaring. Hands stretched forward. Holding a walkie-talkie. Maintain a stiff gesture. It seems to be trying to climb out of it.
It seems that he was the one who gave the signal. I saw the walkie-talkie. Thought.
I pulled him out. Aning touched his neck again. The face changes. "Alive!" Immediately untied the clothes of the Caucasians. Then give him CPR. At the same time, he yelled at me, "Tell Tashi." Have the team doctor prepare for the rescue. Someone was buried and suffocated. "With that, he went to give artificial respiration to the Caucasians.
I hurriedly got up and yelled outside. After Tashi heard it. Immediately shouted to the team doctor under the mound. I turned my head. Just saw the Caucasian twitch a little. The man shrank up. At the same time began to vomit. But apparently breathing was restored.
"You go up and take over!" A-Ning said to me in an unquestionable tone. The tone is flat. But full of majesty.
I was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, I was electrified by her demeanor. Did as she said it was like a conditional anti-shรจ. Then Aning quickly took off his clothes. Tied to the Caucasians. Made a simple trailer. Throw me the sleeve of your clothes. Then tell me to exert myself.
I gritted my teeth and pulled up hard. She lifts her foot underneath. Brought up the Caucasians. And then. I went all the way back. Forcefully drag him out of the cracks in the wreck.
Tashi outside was already preparing. As soon as the Caucasians were dragged out. Tashi carried the tall Caucasian on his back. Buckle with a belt. Then climb down. I'm tired enough. While helping A-Ning out of it. While panting and following. Protect Tashi. After that, I climbed down little by little.
Wasted the power of nine cows and two tigers. Several times Tashi was seen almost falling. Thankfully, he reacted quickly. You can use a dagger to hold your body in shape every time. I finally climbed under the mound. The team doctor has everything ready. We put the Caucasians on it. The team doctor immediately prepared for the rescue.
But just tore the clothes of the Caucasians. He suddenly twitched. Grabbed the team doctor's clothes. We hurried over and held him down. The team doctor unravels his coat. I was nauseated. I saw the inside of his warm coat. It's all blood. It seems to have a traumatic injury.
The team doctor used scissors to cut open his underwear again. When lifting the bloody cloth. He cried out, "Oh my God. "I almost threw up. Only seen on the belly of the Caucasians. It's all a tiny bloody hole. Not much blood was shed. The entrance to the cave is very small. But densely packed. There were twenty or thirty of them.
"What kind of wound is this?" Tashi asked.
The team doctor shook his head: "I don't know." It seems to be ...... Something pricked. Something of such a caliber as a screwdriver. But why aren't the clothes torn? You didn't notice it at the scene? โ
We all shook our heads. In fact, it was so chaotic at the time. We didn't really notice his belly. But there are no holes in his clothes, we can be sure. It should not be a traumatic injury caused by a collapse.
I can't do that much now. The team doctor asked us to help hold it down. Bandage him first. Then I briefly checked it. He gave him something to say. Finally, he took out a small oxygen packet and gave it to him. Probably the effect of that needle. The Caucasians slowly quieted down.
We're already sweating all over our bodies. The team doctor wiped his sweat and let us figure it out. This man is very weak now. We can't take him out. But the bigger devices are in the car outside. Need to move in. A tent and sleeping bag are also needed to keep him warm. Wait until he stabilizes before you can take him out.
Only Tashi knew what to look at his pile of stones. And he said he would go and get it. By the way, call some people in to help. It took us a long time to walk all the way in. But it's much faster to get out. I said with him. He said no. He's faster alone. I'm here to take care of it more than once.
With that, he ran away. The team doctor unbuttoned Anin's clothes on the Caucasians. Give it back to her. Then take out the thermal cloth in your backpack. Warmth was given to several vital parts of the Caucasians.
I lit the smokeless stove. Increase the flames. Set aside. Keep a couple of people warm. At the same time, take out the shochu. These things are all for keeping the cold away. We were sweating profusely. The nights in the Gobi are quite cold. Getting sick easily.
The fire is up. Illuminates the surroundings. It warms up all at once. The team doctor continued to treat the wounds of the Caucasians. A-Ning and I stepped aside. The fatigue of several hours came out all at once. I sat down on a big rock and drank water. A-Ning put on her clothes. We're both dirty faces. Very embarrassed. I smiled wryly at her. only to see her leaning against the mound with a tired face. Fiddling with the walkie-talkie. Seems quite frustrating.
I remembered her momentum just now. It's not easy to say in my heart. She's a woman who can be so capable of that kind of situation. I guess it's forced out. Think of a woman being tough enough to be like this. It's a bit sad.
But it's strange to say. It doesn't look like she's short of money. She wasn't happy to do this kind of thing. Why did she have to work for Jude Kao? And desperately to this extent. I really can't figure it out. I'll have to ask her if I have a chance in the future.
After a few sips of water, I want to be convenient. So I went around in a circle and went to the bottom of the mound to release water. This is what this group of people look like in the desert. I'm used to it, too.
Peeing and peeing. Suddenly I heard behind the rocks on one side. Suddenly, there was a strange sneer. The voice was exactly the same as what I had just heard on the walkie-talkie. It made me feel cold. I turned my head to look at the stone. The heart said that I had been listening to this voice. Did you have auditory hallucinations?