Chapter 196
y head costs over 40,000 yuan. I gave most of the money I had divided from Shun De to Li Jing, and there is some left but it's not enough for 40,000 yuan, I still lack 20,000 yuan.The second thing is...It seems we were unlucky. We walked for several hours, all the way until sunset, but couldn't find any shade. We had no choice but to camp in place.
I held it in all the way, only now daring to take out water and have a sip. The little sprout finished his bottle that afternoon, and I don't know how he'll get through the next two days.
Then Dòu Yázi might have also realized the seriousness of the situation, so he went to Lao Zhang with a thick face and asked for it.
I wasn't going to give it to him originally, but seeing that Old Zhang had a wound on his head and looked sick, I made an exception and gave him the second bottle of water. At the same time, I reminded Douzi that if this bottle was truly finished after drinking it, he should save some.
Douzi knew the seriousness of the matter this time, so he held back.
A sleepless night.
The next day, Shengsheng walked for a whole day. Besides Lao Zhang's pack which still had half a bottle of water, everyone else's water was finished.
Once a person gets thirsty, they don't feel like eating. The roasted food was so dry that it was hard to swallow, let alone eat more of it. So we ate very little this day and a half.
On the third day, they continued their journey.
That day, the wind picked up, and yellow sand swirled through the air. Our camel caravan, led by Lao Zhang, marched in a straight line so that everyone could see their companions ahead and avoid getting lost.
And so on.
Suddenly, Lao Zhang, who was leading the way in front, stopped.
"What's wrong, Uncle Zhang," I asked loudly, covering my veil against the strong wind.
He turned his head left and right, staring for a long time, then suddenly stomped his foot and said with a grim face: "The wind is too strong, I got the terrain wrong. We took a wrong turn! This isn't the road to Crescent Oasis, we've arrived at Ant Gully!"
"Ants' Path!" Dòu Zházi glared with his eyes. "What kind of place is this Doesn't this name sound a bit bad"
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After hearing Lao Zhang's explanation, everyone looked at each other with grim faces.
The reason it's called "ant gully" is that there are often marching ants around here. Marching ants are desert black ants, these ants have legs longer than their bodies, and they have a special protein in their stomachs. Because of this protein, marching ants can remain active even when the temperature reaches over 50 degrees Celsius.
Similarly, because the sand is very hot when exposed to the sun, army ants move quickly, like a rapid march. This is because running fast reduces the amount of time each foot spends in contact with the ground. This is all the result of evolution.
Uncle Zhang's face was grim as he told us, "We're out of water. I originally estimated we could reach the Crescent Oasis tomorrow, but now that we're here, all we can do is cross the Ant Valley."
The little bean sprout shivered and said, "I heard that ants in the desert can eat people. They're as big as chicks! Won't we be eaten by giant ants"
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“Alright, Ya-Zi, shut your beak and listen carefully to what Zhang Shu has to say.”
I speechless scolded him.
"Not that exaggerated," Lao Zhang shook his head, "Ants marching are only a little bigger than ordinary white ants, but they hurt when they bite a wound, just like being stung by a needle. This thing is poisonous."
"Darn it! There are still poisonous ants! This is just worse!" Douzi shouted.
"Yes, it is indeed somewhat dangerous, but if we don't run into them, there's no problem.
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"Old Zhang pointed to the distant sandy land and said: "Army ants are heat-resistant, but there is a time limit. Moreover, they are most afraid of sandstorms and strong winds. As soon as the wind and sand come together, it will quickly cover their burrows. In this way, the army ants returning to their doorstep can only use a lot of effort to dig open the entrance again. Often, this is fatal; they will be sun-dried because they stay outside for too long."
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" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!
“Now there’s a sandstorm blowing, and all the ants are busy clearing their nest entrances. This means they can't gather together, so to put it simply, using their nature, we just need to cross the ant trail before the wind stops, and then we’ll be safe.”
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Douzi, the little sprout, shouted excitedly: "What are we waiting for Let's go!"
"If we don't leave, won't the ants come to eat us when the wind stops"hy are we having a meeting here Don't you want me to sleep""""Everyone gathered around the bonfire in a circle. Old Zhang, the guide, frowned and muttered to himself, “We might have run into a shaolú...