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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 208: The People in the Expedition Team
After chatting aimlessly with Xianxian, I felt the frustration in my heart gradually dissipate. Seeing this, Xianxian smiled even more proudly and said, "That's more like it! You looked like someone owed you hundreds of dollars before; it really made me uncomfortable!"
I rolled my eyes at him, too lazy to argue. It was indeed cold that day, and after sitting in the car and now on a Camel, my back ached, not to mention the wound on my chest seemed to be throbbing. I couldn't help but worry more; going to find Lime with such an injury—was I really going to help or just be a burden?
For the first time, I felt hesitant.
Xianxian seemed to see through my thoughts and casually said from the front, "Don't worry. The place he's gone to isn't something we can find in just a day or two. Your injury isn't too serious, so stop looking so grim. It feels ominous, as if you're expecting to go and never come back."
"Alright." I sighed helplessly. After all, thinking too much now wouldn't help. Since I was already injured, I might as well keep a positive mindset and let my wound heal faster! Resolving myself, I forced myself not to think about various negative outcomes or consider any clues outside of this mission; there was only one thing we needed to do now.
Although Qinglong provided us with the destination of the expedition team from years ago, he didn't tell us the specific location because they didn't think there would be any significant secrets hidden here. Therefore, they didn't spend much time or effort searching for clues back then. After so many years and with various developments in the area, investigations had gradually been set aside. So aside from those involved over twenty years ago, it would be quite difficult for us to find the destination.
The place we were heading to was Moon Lake. As I mentioned before, the shape of Moon Lake closely resembles a complete China Map, and beneath its surface lies over ten meters of pure Black Sand Mud. Could there be any clues here?
Honestly, I wasn't sure at all. Many people had visited Moon Lake over the years, and those in the know were aware of Black Sand Mud and other matters concerning Moon Lake. If there were anything unusual, it wouldn't have waited until our arrival to be discovered.
Now it was confirmed without a doubt that Lime had been here; Wang Yi and Pei Zi had asked around and even dug up Lime's photo. Local people identified that indeed a young man matching Lime's description had been here a few days ago. As for why someone remembered Lime's appearance—it was due to his demeanor and personality; I thought anyone observant would find it hard to forget him.
Unfortunately, Lime only rented one Camel and didn't hire a guide; he went alone into the depths of the desert!
The Tengger Desert is China's third-largest desert! Its scale is unimaginable; finding someone or even an ancient tomb would be like searching for a needle in a haystack!
"Where do you think they went back then?" I asked in confusion. I had checked the information about this place; there shouldn't be any ancient tombs here! Even Qinglong didn't regard this place highly; why did my dad and Lime come here? What were they looking for back then? What did they discover?
I felt completely lost! It was like being a newborn baby—naive and ignorant of everything!
"Anyway, we're right here!" Xianxian seemed much more optimistic than me; he appeared carefree. But I knew he was also a person of feelings; perhaps he was anxious inside as well? It seemed my mindset still needed more training…
As night fell, the temperature dropped further.
The moon had slipped behind the dark clouds at some point, leaving everything shrouded in darkness with very low visibility. A chilling wind blew sharply, and even though everyone was dressed warmly, they still shivered, with some retreating into their vehicles.
I sat inside the tent, facing a brightly burning stove. Although the tent blocked most of the cold wind, I didn't want to stay inside. After putting on my shoes, I donned my thick down jacket and stepped outside.
Breathing in the crisp air and gazing at the dim night sky lifted my spirits considerably.
Feeling a bit sore and unable to sleep while lying down, I decided to take a stroll around, thinking that even if I didn't encounter Lime, finding some clues would be good. Although the chances of that happening were very slim, almost impossible.
Sure enough, after wandering for about an hour, I found nothing.
I wasn't too disappointed; considering we had to continue our journey tomorrow, I decided to head back and get some rest.
As I was nearing my tent, I suddenly caught sight of someone standing not far away. The figure was very vague, almost blending into the darkness. It seemed to be facing away from me and remained completely still. I squinted for a moment; since it wasn't very close, I couldn't see clearly.
As I walked toward that person, I wondered who would be out here admiring the moon at this late hour? Well, tonight's moon certainly enjoyed playing hide-and-seek with us.
Perhaps hearing my footsteps, the figure suddenly moved slightly. I paused because this person's silhouette was unfamiliar; it didn't resemble anyone from our group. After all, having been together for so long, we could recognize each other just by our backs. But this one ahead felt unreal, as if it could merge completely with the night at any moment.
Could it be...
A thought suddenly crossed my mind—could it be another ghost?
Although I had indeed seen quite a few spirits along the way, they were all ordinary ones that were easy to distinguish. So I hadn't paid much attention; seeing these things once or twice was surprising and frightening, but after a while, one became numb to them. Of course, I was referring to the milder spirits—those ordinary people. But if I encountered something more ferocious...
"Excuse me, brother..." I stopped about three meters behind the figure because I knew that some powerful spirits from the Spirit Department could inflict physical harm! Given that I was still injured, I didn't want to add more wounds before finding Lime or reaching my destination; I'm not a masochist, and there was no benefit in that for me.
The surroundings were eerily quiet; the person in front remained silent as they slowly turned around.
This person's posture was unnaturally straight, almost like a robot; even their turning motion seemed very stiff. Frowning at this sight made me wonder if this person wasn't a spirit? Just as I pondered this, I finally saw their true face! Even though we weren't face-to-face and the light around us was dim, I recognized this person! This person was... Shara!
The individual before me exuded no vitality whatsoever; in fact, I could faintly smell a hint of death—a gradually fading scent—but it seemed mixed with an extremely faint fragrance that did not overlap with it. What surprised me even more was that this Shara before me was a woman!
The same gray, lifeless skin and complexion, even the eyeballs were gray. This person seemed to have walked out of a black-and-white photograph, devoid of any color. I couldn't sense any hint of a living person, yet from her gaze, it was clear she was indeed alive.
"You were one of the members of the expedition team back then, right?" I recalled the photo that Cold Snow had shown me, which indeed featured several girls. However, I couldn't identify who this person was.
Saro didn't speak but looked at me with an extremely calm and lifeless gaze. If it weren't for the color of her pupils, I would have almost thought it was Lime staring at me. I felt a bit uneasy under her gaze. I knew they had thoughts; at least they weren't completely unresponsive like a vegetable. So, I asked again, "Where did you all go back then? How did you get in, and what happened?"
Suddenly, Saro cracked a silent smile. If it were an ordinary girl smiling, I would find it charming. However, this person gave me an eerie feeling from head to toe. When she smiled, revealing her gray teeth, it created an oddly unsettling sensation.
"I didn't expect you to have grown up so much," Saro's voice was very calm, sounding light and pleasant. Just from her voice, I could tell she must have been a gentle and beautiful older sister in her "living" days. However, I hadn't looked at the data on the expedition team members yet because I thought it was too early to encounter them. Now, I truly regretted not having done so.
What did she mean by "grown up so much"? Did she see me when I was very young?
That couldn't be possible; only my father returned "alive" from that expedition. So if there was a meeting, it must have been after that incident when she secretly contacted my father?
"Sister, I know you are all good people. Please tell me, I have a friend who I'm sure you know; he was one of the members of your expedition team. We are trying to rescue him! You must know where he went, right?" I figured that since Saro could stand here now, she must be aware of our current situation; otherwise, she wouldn't be so openly standing here. Her behavior seemed like she was waiting for someone.
Wait, waiting for someone? Could it be me?
I looked at her with anticipation, hoping she could provide even the slightest clue.
"I do know..." Saro continued to look at me with a calm and gentle gaze as if an elder were watching their younger kin. This feeling made me feel somewhat uncomfortable for a moment. After all, aside from Shara's identity, this person before me appeared to be in her twenties based on her physique and voice; she couldn't be much older than me and might even be the same age.
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