The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 373 - 302: Escaping the Scorching Heat
Doctor Duβs proposition sparked a new round of debate between Wang Le and Huang Zaijiang, filled with professional jargon that I couldnβt understand at all. ππΏπ²ππ°πππ§πππ²π₯.πππ
Might as well just tell me itβs quantum entanglement, the universal law of the universe.
Iβve never been fond of their lengthy discourses; I just want to know the resultβcan we sleep in this cave or not?
In the end, Doctor Du made the decision, saying that not only couldnβt we sleep here, but staying too long posed a petrification risk. We must leave and find another camping spot.
We returned to the surface, where the heat was overwhelming. Even standing in the shade, there wasnβt a trace of coolness.
Mike mentioned thereβs another cave about a kilometer away, but itβs small and can only accommodate three people to sleep, which is why they hadnβt used it as a campsite before.
Qinghan said we didnβt need to sleep; just a place to sit and rest would be fine, so Mike led us towards the small cave.
Despite taking all precautions against the heat, Doctor Du and the others found it a bit unbearable; the kilometer walk left them drenched in sweat.
In the small cave, Qinghan suggested they take a cooling pill and handed one each to Mike and me as well.
Mine was just for show; it wasnβt a real cooling pill, but a mint candy Qinghan bought.
They took the cooling pills, and their body temperatures dropped rapidly. However, before they could sit and rest, Wang Le discovered stone people in the cave.
The hiding spot Mike knew about was also known to those who entered this area before; the route map was uniformly established, and every team was familiar with the terrain along the way.
So, itβs not surprising that someone had already taken refuge in this small cave.
Although the stone men werenβt very threatening, the reason for their transformation shouldnβt be underestimated.
"Doctor Du, the most abundant thing in this desert is definitely sand. Do you think sand could also... imitate some advanced life form?" I asked.
The inability to camp in the two caves isnβt the biggest problem; plants and rocks in the desert are neither too scarce nor abundant, and itβs entirely possible to avoid them.
But the only unavoidable thing in the desert is sand. If the transformation Doctor Du mentioned can affect even the sand, then every step we take would carry the risk of assimilation. Wouldnβt that make it impossible to move?
"Thatβs indeed possible. Sand is highly mobile, making it hard to leave traces," Doctor Du thought for a moment and said.
In other words, even if someone had been transformed, theyβd be concealed under the yellow sand, making it hard for us to detect.
While I was talking with Doctor Du, Wang Le suddenly jumped up again, turning to swing a shovel.
The shovel struck a hard object, producing a crisp βclangβ.
Our gaze followed to behind him, where a stone man stood. Despite being struck by the shovel, the stone man merely swayed and didnβt take a step back.
The stone man, although not tall, was particularly strong. Its arm was as thick as Wang Leβs leg. With that physique, Wang Le might not have been able to fend him off even before he turned to stone, let alone now.
I reckoned that with Wang Le striking this blow, his own hand probably got hurt more than the stone man did.
"It tapped my shoulder," Wang Le said as he stepped back a few paces after swinging the shovel, shaking his hand with a pained look.
Mike tried to communicate with it, but unfortunately, the stone man couldnβt understand, waving its thick arm to strike at the nearest Huang Zaijiang.
Its arm could almost reach the ground, pounding the ground a few times. Qinghan stepped in, slicing it into pieces, turning it into a pile of βrubbleβ, which finally settled down.
Obviously, we couldnβt stay here, as the other stone men were getting restless.
We exited the small cave and returned to the surface. Since traveling wasnβt an option, we had to rest in the shadows outside the cave.
The heat was equally lethal, and Doctor Du gave us drugs to avoid collapsing from heatstroke.
Her medication differed from Qinghanβs cooling pill. From Wang Le and the othersβ expressions, it was clear Doctor Duβs drug wasnβt as effective as the cooling pill.
After taking the medication, it was still hot. Wang Le kept wiping his sweat, while Huang Zaijiang tried hard to restrain himself but couldnβt help drinking water.
Qinghan checked the time; it was noon, and there were still several hours until sunset. If things continued like this, we probably wouldnβt have enough water to make it to our destination.
"Are there any other camping spots?" Qinghan asked.
Mike hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes, but... itβs very dangerous."
"Is it Scorpion Cave?" Qinghan guessed.
