Chapter 325: Panic in Sand City (Part 2)

Xiaofang was so excited that she jumped up and down, dragging Rongjie, who was still naked, to come and see the sand city.

“Oh come on, that’s just a mirage, no such thing as a sand city. We just came from there.”

Rongjie took only a glance before heading back to continue washing herself.

This was indeed winter.

Although Rongjie had an excellent physical condition, she couldn’t possibly stay naked in the cold all the time.

Xiaofang, still excited, said, “Rongjie, don’t you know that mirages are actually images formed by sunlight refraction? That means there’s definitely a sand city not far from here. Look at the overall appearance of this sand city, there’s not a soul in sight. This must be the sand city we’re looking for!”

“There’s plenty of desert out there. If we don’t find it within three days, I’m out.”

Rongjie quickly washed herself, picked up the basin of water, raised it over her head, and poured it down in one go.

Rongjie was a tough woman, and her speed of bathing was nothing short of divine.

Xiaofang glanced back at Rongjie, secretly regretting the waste of so much water. Helplessly, she turned her gaze back to the mirage. As she was watching, Xiaofang noticed some figures emerging from underground within the mirage. She immediately asked, “Rongjie, can people hide and sleep under the sand?”

“Dead people can hide under the sand.”

Rongjie wiped the water off her body in a few quick motions and took out a set of clean clothes to put on.

Xiaofang then saw many figures appear within the mirage, transforming the previously empty sand city into a bustling place. But a few seconds later, a large amount of black smoke emerged from underground, enveloping the entire sand city in darkness. By the time Rongjie had finished dressing, the black smoke had already dissipated, and the sky had returned to its clear state.

Xiaofang watched the entire process in stunned silence.

“It disappeared that quickly?” Rongjie came over and patted Xiaofang’s shoulder. “Stop staring. Go brush your teeth and wash your face. I’ve left water in your cup.”

Xiaofang didn’t go to get the cup but started rolling her eyes nervously.

Rongjie asked in surprise, “What’s wrong? Is it because of the mirage just now?”

“Rongjie, suddenly I really want to go home. I don’t want to look for any treasure anymore. Even if the salary is low, we can manage by saving. Let’s go back together, okay?” Xiaofang said fearfully.

Frowning and blinking, Rongjie asked, “Xiaofang, what exactly did you see just now?”

“I first saw some people emerging from the sand, then I saw a lot of black smoke, and then everything disappeared!” Xiaofang nervously looked around. “Rongjie, is the sand city a ghost city? I don’t want to go there anymore. I’m scared. I want to go home!”

“Damn! There’s such a mirage too?!”

Rongjie knew Xiaofang was timid, but she never lied.

※※※

“Ah! You guys are really annoying me!”

Inside the minivan, a young man woke up.

Inside the vehicle were four young men in their early twenties. They were apprentices at an auto repair shop in a big city after graduating from a vocational school. Because they had read some online tomb-raiding novels, they had been dreaming of getting rich by grave robbing. A few days ago, they found a “treasure-hunting tomb-raiding” post online. The post provided a route map to a sand city treasure, and many people didn’t believe it, but these four young men did.

So the four secretly drove away two minivans from the factory, joined by the naive Xiaofang and the bold Rongjie, and entered the desert to seek treasure, beginning their treasure-seeking journey.

Among the four young men, two were from Anhai City, one tall and thin, and the other slightly shorter, named Zha Zhengfa and Gu Wu respectively. The other two were from Qinghai, of similar height, ordinary looking, but one had dyed his hair yellow and the other red. The yellow-haired one was named Bei Fu, and the red-haired one was named Yin Kai.

The one who was awakened by the noise was Yin Kai.

As Yin Kai shouted, everyone else woke up too.

“Damn! Who used the water?!”

Yin Kai immediately noticed Rongjie’s wet hair and hurriedly looked to the back of the van, discovering that a barrel of water was gone. He immediately raised his voice and deliberately shouted.

Upon hearing that the water was gone, Bei Fu and the others also started shouting.

Rongjie stepped onto the minivan, rolled up her sleeves casually, sneered, and said, “What? Do you guys want to rebel? I’ve already told you all long ago, once we leave the desert, I can take a bath. I only used one barrel of water, and you still dare to complain. Are you even men?”

As Rongjie showed her might, everyone immediately quieted down.

“Good men don’t fight with women. Bei Fu, let’s go find some water.”

Yin Kai waved his hand and dragged Bei Fu to the car. The two drove off to look for water along the valley.

Rongjie waved dismissively at the minivan, “Cheapskates, destined to remain single.”

Gu Wu smiled slyly and handed Rongjie a piece of bread and a bottle of purified water. “Rongjie, don’t mind them. It’s just a barrel of water. When we find a big river later, let’s go swimming together.”

Gu Wu looked lecherously at Rongjie’s neckline.

Gu Wu was the most shameless among the four men, whether towards Rongjie or Xiaofang, he acted like a lustful dog.

“Get lost! Who would swim with you?!”

Rongjie kicked Gu Wu away, but this guy actually thought he had scored, and with a sly smile, went to bother Xiaofang.

Rongjie approached Zha Zhengfa, looking up at the tall and thin Zha Zhengfa. “Hey, why are you looking at my neckline like Gu Wu? You all know there’s nothing to see here.”

“Rongjie, you misunderstood. I was just seeing that you’re only wearing two layers, it’s too thin. I was worried you might catch a chill.” Zha Zhengfa was a sincere person, genuinely concerned about Rongjie catching cold, so he quickly fetched a military-style heavy coat from the car. “Sis, put this on quickly to keep warm. Don’t catch a cold.”

“Thanks, but I’m from a martial arts school. Do you think I’m afraid of the cold?” Actually, Rongjie didn’t mind wearing the heavy coat, but it had a strange smell. Wearing it would be like a living torment. “Alright, let’s go too. Let’s drive around and see if we can find some hares or something. I’m so hungry for meat I could bite someone.”

Hearing this, Zha Zhengfa gulped, nodded quickly, and hurried to the driver’s seat in a flash.

The minivan started, and Gu Wu and Xiaofang ran back.

“Hey, there’s still a small desert area to the southeast. Old Zha, do you think the sand city we’re looking for might be in that southeast area?”

Rongjie picked up the map to look.

Zha Zhengfa scratched his head. “I’m not really sure either. The treasure map in that post included this entire area. It also said that if you see the mirage of the sand city, then the sand city isn’t far away. Oh, and the post also said that there are always eagles circling above that sand city. Keep an eye out outside. If you see an eagle, call me.”

“Haha! Old Zha, Xiaofang saw the mirage of the sand city just now when I was taking a bath.”

Rongjie excitedly patted Zha Zhengfa’s thigh.

Zha Zhengfa winced in pain, quickly covered his leg with the heavy coat, and secretly cursed in his heart. This woman must be a shemale. If she had patted a bit higher, he might have ended up being castrated.

“Quick, look! There’s an eagle!!”

Suddenly, Gu Wu pointed at the sky and shouted loudly.