I thought that the fourth master would make any deployments, but I didn't expect him to just squint, so he put a huge backpack on his back from the car, turned around and said, "Keep up." ”

All the people in the Cao family were very experienced, and almost at the same time, they put on their equipment from the car and followed. I, the scholar, and Lao Xu also panicked and grabbed a backpack with our names written on it and followed the large army. The scholar whispered: "Damn it, I just shook it in the car for two days, and finally my feet got on the ground, and I didn't let people take a breath." ”

Actually, I am the best in this team. Long Siye, Linglong and her subordinates are all Lian Jiazi; Lao Xu is an archaeologist, and he usually runs around, and he can cross mountains and mountains; And although the scholar is a fat man, he is also a flexible fat man, and his legs and feet are very neat in the journalist industry. That is, I, who is usually lazy to eat, is born with no exercise cells, and when I go to work, I also sit in the cubicle, and my physical strength is not at the same level as those big animals. It didn't take long for me to be exhausted and out of breath.

Ah Shun saw that we were gradually breaking away from the team, turned around and ran, and shouted at me: "You masters, this is not for sightseeing, you can't keep up, get out of here as soon as possible, just come over to the fucking pot, I really don't know what Long Siye thinks!" ”

My angry eyes were on fire, but I was exhausted, and I kept panting. The scholar who helped me quit: "Ya, when is your turn to be here whining?" You can do it, you can run two laps? Ye is just walking slowly, it's about your birds? ”

Ah Shun made a sudden move, and immediately grabbed the scholar's collar, and with another effort, the scholar's one hundred and eighty or ninety pound body was almost pulled up by him. The scholar is not good at stubble, and he has to exert force when he holds Ah Shun's wrist with both hands.

At this moment, Linglong's crisp voice came: "Stop! We're here to work, not to fight. Ah Shun, let him go. ”

After listening to Linglong's fate, Ah Shun let go of the scholar. As soon as the scholar's feet hit the ground, he began to fire again: "Doglegs, don't look at who the master is, your master has to call out to his brother when he sees the Sprinkle family." ”

As if she hadn't heard the scholar's words, Linglong said to me: "Brother Xia, you are also a master, and you should work hard to keep up with everyone." If you really can't do it, bring the bag, and the girl will carry it on your back. ”

I looked at the huge backpack behind Linglong, swallowed hard, and my face immediately turned red: "It's okay, I can do it, I can keep up with you." ”

The fourth master also walked up to me and whispered, "Hold on, it's almost there." This backpack is full of their own equipment and life-saving things, so in order to prevent accidents, you can only carry them yourself. ”

I didn't say anything, pulled the straps of my backpack that had squeezed my shoulders, and got back on my way. Anyway, we're also a man, so we can't let Linglong's little girl look flat.

We went all the way to the west, although it was noon, but the desert temperature in early spring was obviously very low, and through the jacket on our body, we could still feel the cold wind. On the road, the wind swept the sand, the sky was full of yellow dust, and I saw a small sand dune in the distance, and the floating sand blown by the wind rippled like wheat waves. Lao Xu said that this is why people are easy to get lost in the desert, the sand dunes are constantly moving under the action of the wind, people walking in the desert, it is difficult to distinguish the direction by the terrain, coupled with the imbalance in the development of people's legs muscles, it is easy to deviate from the direction, or even go around a large circle.

The fourth master walked at the front of the line, he kept looking at the compass and a map in his hand, and looked around with his eyes from time to time. In this way, I walked for about six or seven hours, and when it was getting dark, the fourth master asked everyone to set up camp and cook in the pot.

The people of the Cao family showed their professionalism again, and it only took a few minutes for a camping tent to be erected on the ground, and I took a closer look, the exquisite tent, the tent of the three of us was in the middle, and the tents of other people were arched around the periphery, and there were fires in the east and west directions of the outermost area.

Lao Xu said: "The Cao family is really not simple. They were very particular about the way they set up camp. ”

I asked what the way was. Lao Xu lit a cigarette and explained to me: "Usually people with experience in the field will build a camp like this. When camping in the open field in the wilderness, the tents of important people and people with weak self-defense skills are placed in the middle, and the tents of strong, capable and experienced people are set up on the periphery. The reason for setting up the fire in the east-west direction is that the moon usually rises in the east and sets in the west, and the light is dim when it rises and sets, so it is necessary to make a fire to supplement the lighting. In this way, there are usually double posts or double posts. ”

Sure enough, after eating the heated camping package, Linglong divided her people into several groups, four people each, and set up guards at the two fires in the east and west, and two people kept watch. I can't help but admire Lao Xu's experience of surviving in the wild.

After several days of tiring travel and the long journey during the day today, my tired bones are about to fall apart. After eating, I went into the tent with the scholar and Lao Xu, and at first we could still tease each other a few words, and after a while the three of them fell asleep.

I was sleeping soundly when I was suddenly woken up and dazed to hear the chaos outside the tent, the footsteps were chaotic, but there was no sound. I made up my mind and was busy promoting scholars and Lao Xu. The three of them hurriedly put on their coats and walked out.

The fires in the east and west are burning, reflecting the figures. I looked closely, and many people in the Cao family were holding guns and aiming at something in the distance. I hurriedly looked for the fourth master, and after looking around, I didn't find his shadow. However, Linglong was squatting next to a tent in the southeast, and I pulled the scholar and Lao Xu and went straight to her, wanting to ask what the situation was.

As soon as I rushed two steps, several figures next to me flashed, and before the three of us could react, we had already been kicked to the ground, and I was about to scold, when a pair of big hands covered my mouth, and I suddenly felt suffocated. In my panic, I drew a dagger from my leg pocket and was about to stab at the man who was pressing on me.

The man was also taken aback, and with his other hand, he pinched it backhand, and the dagger hung in the air.

"Master Xia, don't move! It's me! The man said in a low voice. As soon as the voice came out, I realized that it was Ali: "If there is a situation, don't make a sound." ”

I nodded, motioning to Ali that I was aware, and he let me go. Next to him, Ah Shun and another Cao guy also let go of the scholar and Lao Xu. The three of us got up from the ground and, like Brother Shun, bent down and moved to Linglong.

Linglong did not shy away from the question of men and women, and suddenly put her face over and whispered in my ear: "Brother Xia, there was a gunshot just now." It is not clear what the situation is, but a brother on duty in the east has disappeared, and the fourth master has already gone to investigate the situation. ”

Seeing that everyone was on guard, I didn't dare to be careless, and held my breath and stared into the distance by the hazy moonlight—although I couldn't see anything.

Not long after, we could vaguely see a man bending over towards us in the distance. When he got closer, I realized that it was the fourth master, and he was carrying a person on his back.

All but one person in each of the other three directions were gathered with us. The fourth master put the man on the ground. We all gasped, and Linglong covered her mouth with her hands.

This person was wearing a black jacket, and at a glance he knew that he was a guy from the Cao family, needless to say, it was naturally the missing sentry, but the situation was too miserable. The clothes on his whole body were almost cut into strips by something, and his whole body was covered in blood, and it could be vaguely seen that the whole body of this person was swollen, as if he had been soaked in water.

"Found on the edge of a small sand dune a kilometre to the northeast, there's still a breath left." The fourth master still talked and said.

"Da Zhuang! Big Strong! Wake up, I'm your brother Shun. Ah Shun shook the man's head gently.

After a while, this guy named Da Zhuang slowly opened his eyes, looked around, and said something in an extremely weak voice to Ah Shun. Ah Shun pressed his ear to it, and held Da Zhuang's hand tightly with his hand.

For a few minutes, I saw my big legs twitch and then suddenly stopped.

"Miss, he's gone." Ah Shun said slowly: "Da Zhuang and Ah Ming's group were on duty at the fire in the east for the night, and later Da Zhuang went to the convenience and encountered a kind of bug. ”

"Bugs?" Linglong frowned.

"Yes, bugs. Da Zhuang just told me that the worm is very similar to a scorpion, but it is very big and has a lot of strength, and it only takes a few strokes to be strong..."

"Could it be... Sand scorpions? The fourth master said.

"What is a sand scorpion?" The scholar asked.

"In the vicinity of Lop Nur, there are many existences that ordinary people cannot understand. The sand scorpion is one of them, although it looks like a scorpion, but it is very large, the small one is like a rabbit, the big one almost catches up with the wild boar, and the strength is also very large, especially the stinger on the tail, which is extremely poisonous. Legend has it that this thing only appears in the hot summer months, and usually comes out at night. It's only early spring, so I guess I shouldn't have this thing. The fourth master explained.

"Either way, everyone be careful. Ah Shun, Ah Li, you two take your brothers on patrol, hold on for a few more hours before dawn, move to a safe place and rest. After Linglong finished speaking, she glanced at Da Zhuang's body again, and then said, "Deal with it, go back and appease his family according to the rules." ”

"Yes! Miss. Ah Shun and Ah Li immediately went their separate ways.

Several of us couldn't sleep anymore, so we sat together in the big tent with me, the scholar, and Lao Xu. Several people were silent, each thinking about something.

I didn't have the fear just now, I just felt that this guy named Da Zhuang died too miserably, I don't know how to do the "rules" that Linglong said, but even if you give more money, Da Zhuang can't live, and that fresh life will never come back. He didn't know who was in his family, and how to deal with the news of Da Zhuang's death.

I was still thinking about it, and Linglong broke the silent atmosphere: "Fourth Master, how far do you say this place is from the destination?" ”

"It's not far away, we will leave at dawn, and if it goes well, we can reach the neighborhood in the middle of the night." The fourth master replied.