Diao Shu clicked his tongue and said, “Rat, you take a look at this.”
“Sure thing, Master Diao,” a short, skinny man with two prominent front teeth answered from the crowd, then walked over toward Diao Shu.
The man called Rat examined the large hole carefully, said nothing, and then leapt straight into it.
Liu Dashao couldn’t help but be amazed. “Damn, what incredible kung fu! I never expected that Diao Shu’s group would actually have hidden masters among them.”
After a while, Rat’s voice echoed from inside the hole: “Master Diao, no danger here, just a bit damp. No wonder the flares wouldn’t ignite.”
Hearing this, everyone felt relieved. Lin Miaoke jumped with joy while Old Kalama, excitedly, dropped to his knees thanking the god Hu.
Diao Shu ordered Rat to lower several ropes from above and instructed everyone to climb up one by one.
They divided into two groups. The first group consisted entirely of Diao Shu’s men, who quickly ascended the ropes.
Next came the others. Liu Dashao grabbed a rope, jumped up, and began climbing. The environment here suited a technique of pushing off with the feet and pulling up with the arms, which was more energy-efficient.
Initially, everything went smoothly, just as Liu Dashao had imagined. However, as he climbed higher, the dampness increased significantly, and eventually, his feet slipped when he stepped.
Liu Dashao began to doubt Rat’s judgment. “This isn’t just a bit damp—it’s like climbing a swamp on the wall!” He thought about how terrifying Rat must be to have managed to climb up barehanded in such a difficult place.
Beside him, Fan Debiao grumbled, “Damn it, this really is a place for humans to suffer!”
Now, the original climbing method was no longer feasible. They had to wrap the rope between their legs and push upward. Hearing Fan Debiao complain, Liu Dashao told him, “If you have the energy to talk, use it in your legs instead.”
What followed was a tough climbing process. After much effort, they finally emerged from the cursed hole. The water in the pool had long dried up, leaving only a large pit.
Breathless, Liu Dashao lay in the pit with his eyes closed, trying to catch his breath and recover.
Just as he caught his breath, a voice suddenly came from the hole: “I can’t do it anymore, I’m done!”
Hearing this, Liu Dashao remembered that Wang Zhicai and Lin Miaoke were still below. If Wang Zhicai was gasping for breath like that, he’d be finished if they delayed any longer.
Without thinking about resting any further, Liu Dashao shouted at the hole’s entrance, “Boss Wang, Lin Miaoke, hold on tight! Everyone, pull them up!” After saying this, he called Fan Debiao and Jackson over, each holding several ropes. With a single pull, they brought both the ropes and people up together.
As soon as Wang Zhicai and Lin Miaoke were pulled out, they collapsed beside the hole, panting for breath. Lin Miaoke was better off, her breathing gradually steadying, her chest rising and falling. Drenched from head to toe, she attracted the stares of all the men. Liu Dashao, realizing this wouldn’t do, helped her sit upright. Wang Zhicai wasn’t faring so well. After all the trials they’d faced, it was already a miracle that the old man hadn’t collapsed completely.
Considering Wang Zhicai’s condition, Liu Dashao suggested to Diao Shu and Wang Feifei that they rest for the night before continuing their journey. Looking at the situation, Liu Dashao knew there was no way they could continue without rest.
Their equipment was all gathered at the top of the pit, much better than what Diao Shu’s group had. Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao each supported one of Wang Zhicai and Lin Miaoke and slowly walked toward the place where the group had previously rested.
Halfway there, they heard Old Kalama shouting at the top of his voice like a slaughtered pig. Liu Dashao found this strange—what was Kalama up to now? He quickened his pace and, upon arriving, was stunned. The scene before him could only be described as brutal.
Kalama’s camel caravan had become a pile of camel bones, with blood covering the ground. Liu Dashao noticed black spots moving among the remains. Looking closely, he realized they were black ants.
The words “desert man-eating ants” immediately flashed through Liu Dashao’s mind.
“Desert man-eating ants” was an instinctive phrase that came to Liu Dashao’s mind when he saw the scene. In reality, he had no idea what had actually caused the camels’ deaths.
Seeing the bloody remains of the camels, with ants crawling over them, anyone would think of “desert man-eating ants.”
Liu Dashao had read about dangerous animals in the desert before. Though they rarely appeared, when they did, they were extremely dangerous.
He remembered that there was a particularly fierce kind of man-eating ant in the desert called army ants. These ants were extremely ferocious—few who saw them ever made it out of the desert alive.
However, fortunately, the ants Liu Dashao saw were definitely not army ants, as they were far too small.
Seeing his beloved camels, companions for many years, reduced to skeletons overnight, Kalama almost fainted. After grieving for a while in front of the camel bones, Kalama suddenly charged straight toward the pile.
Liu Dashao had no idea what he was trying to do, but regardless of what he might discover, he couldn’t let him run over there.
Because if the camels had indeed been eaten by those ants, and judging from the current situation, the ants had not completely left, rushing over like that would make Kalama nothing more than a snack for the ants.
Liu Dashao immediately tried to stop Kalama, but Kalama ran extremely fast, like a madman. Before Liu Dashao could even finish speaking, Kalama had already collapsed among the bones.
At that moment, Liu Dashao broke into a cold sweat, thinking that Kalama was done for and that they would all suffer if he attracted the ants.
After a long while, Liu Dashao’s fears were completely dispelled. All he saw was Kalama continuing to grieve, with no ants emerging to devour him.
Gradually, everyone walked over. Wang Feifei comforted Kalama, saying it was okay and promising to help him get a new camel caravan once they got out. No one would have guessed this woman could be so optimistic.
Liu Dashao placed Wang Zhicai into a sleeping bag while Fan Debiao helped Lin Miaoke over. Liu Dashao asked Fan Debiao and Jackson to watch over them while he went to investigate whether the camels had indeed been killed by man-eating ants.
Fan Debiao protested, refusing to believe that Liu Dashao’s intentions were that simple. He insisted on going along. Liu Dashao was puzzled—was this guy suspecting him of going to look for treasures? Well, if he insisted, Liu Dashao would just tease him about his disappointment later.
Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao arrived at the pile of bones. Liu Dashao crouched down to start his investigation while Fan Debiao kicked at the remains on the sand with his feet.
After a while, Liu Dashao suddenly noticed a black spot in his peripheral vision. He turned his head and saw several tiny ants resting on a piece of camel leg bone. These were the very “desert man-eating ants” Liu Dashao had thought about earlier. Looking closer, he realized the ants weren’t feeding on the flesh—they were simply resting on it.
Seeing this, Liu Dashao thought for a moment. The camels hadn’t been killed by these ants. So what kind of creature could have devoured an entire caravan of over a dozen camels overnight, leaving only bones? Moreover, judging from the scene, the camels hadn’t even had a chance to react. Could they have seen the danger and not run? That was absolutely impossible. The only explanation was that whatever attacked them moved with unimaginable speed. Thinking about this, Liu Dashao felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
These events were beyond Liu Dashao’s comprehension—they had already exceeded his knowledge. Whatever the case, there was nothing he could do about it now. It seemed that everyone would have to walk to the Golden Ancient City from here. For now, they needed to rest as much as possible.
“Debiao, any findings? If not, let’s go back and rest,” Liu Dashao stood up and said to Fan Debiao.
Fan Debiao shrugged and replied, “Findings? Not even an egg.”
Liu Dashao wasn’t in the mood for teasing him now, so he waved his hand and told him to go back and rest.
Returning to the resting area, Diao Shu and his group had also climbed out of the pit. A group of people sat together smoking. Jackson, with his excellent social skills, had already become quite familiar with everyone. He was chatting and laughing with the big guy who had wanted explosives earlier and with Rat.
Lin Miaoke and Wang Zhicai had mostly recovered, sitting up and drinking water. Kalama and Wang Feifei were discussing something, looking quite awkward, probably still thinking about the loss of the camel caravan.
Old Wu called Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao over, quickly handing out cigarettes. Liu Dashao lit one, took a few puffs, and looked at Wang Feifei and Old Kalama. He felt that Kalama had suffered a heavy loss by coming in with them, but he hesitated to go over and comfort him.
After a few more puffs, Liu Dashao put out the cigarette and walked toward Wang Feifei and Kalama.
After inquiring, Liu Dashao learned that Kalama no longer wanted to go further—he wanted to return. Wang Feifei felt that with the camels gone, if the guide also left, it would be unrealistic for them to reach the Golden Ancient City. She kept trying to persuade Kalama to stay, but Kalama refused stubbornly.
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