Chapter 679: As Resolute as He Is, Looking at Photos at Night (Part 3)
Jiang Fuyue looked out the window and said calmly, "Nothing, just asking."
Han Ke didn't think much about it and drove into the villa.
…
F Continent, northwest of Ganbieta Desert.
The scorching sun was shining brightly in the sky, scorching the earth, and a wave of heat rose from the golden sand.
The thick military boots stepped on the hot gravel, emitting a smell of glue.
The team of twenty people was moving forward with difficulty.
"Thank you, Professor," a camouflaged figure quickly approached the man and reported in a hoarse voice, "We found no water source to the west."
Then, a second man returned, also in camouflage uniform: "Nothing to the north."
Then the third person: "No to the south."
They came from the east and didn't see any water source.
In other words, there is no water in the four directions of east, south, west and north.
The team suddenly became agitated.
Half of them are researchers and the other half are medical workers.
The three men in camouflage uniforms were peacekeeping soldiers temporarily assigned by the base to escort them to the Suwetan military base.
It would have taken only two hours to drive from the airport to Suwetan, but they were unlucky and encountered local armed forces on the way, who stole their car, water, and dry food.
In order to avoid encountering other armed forces and causing casualties, Xie Dingyuan immediately decided to lead the team through the northwest of the Ganbieta Desert.
At this point, the team had been marching for twelve hours, had run out of food and water, and was exhausted.
In the silence, no one spoke. It was not because they didn't know what to say, but because they wanted to conserve as much energy as possible. No one knew how much longer they could hold on.
The three soldiers lowered their heads, sweat hanging on their faces, mixing with the yellow sand, leaving black marks.
Xie Dingyuan: "Everyone, rest here for twenty minutes."
After saying that, he took off the water bottle from his body and handed it to one of the soldiers.
"You three can divide it up."
"Professor?!" The soldier's eyes widened in fear. Instead of reaching out to take it, he took a step back and said firmly, "This is absolutely not allowed!"
The virus has spread to the entire northern part of F Continent, and thousands of civilians die from the infection every day. This medical research team is the hope of the entire F Continent.
Therefore, this last sip of water is more valuable to anyone than to them!
Xie Dingyuan said, "Take it. Drink it and continue looking for water."
The three were still hesitating.
Xie Dingyuan's eyes sternly replied, "Twenty minutes is the limit of what we can endure. Every second you waste will reduce the possibility of finding water."
The three of them then shared and drank the last sip of water.
Seeing this, the others subconsciously licked their cracked lips, but no one jumped out to object.
Soon, Xie Dingyuan and three others set out to find water.
"Professor Xie is going too?!" a soldier exclaimed, "Is this...appropriate?"
Another soldier glanced in the direction Xie Dingyuan left. "This isn't Professor Xie's first time in Continent F. Five years ago, when I was still a new recruit, he was already leading a team through the Redzabi Desert on foot, and everyone survived. There won't be any problems."
"But……"
"Don't worry, let's go now!" After saying that, the soldier walked in another direction.
The soldier was stunned for two seconds, then he set off in his own direction, searching along the way.
In fact, what he wanted to say just now was that Professor Xie had not had a drop of water for more than ten hours and his situation might be worse than theirs.
Nineteen minutes later, the two soldiers came back one after the other, looking depressed.
The water bottles hanging from their bodies were still empty.
Some people in the team have fainted one after another.
After first aid on the scene, the situation was temporarily stabilized, but the medical staff who performed the first aid collapsed due to exhaustion.
"No, if this continues, everyone will die."
"Where's Professor Xie? It's been twenty minutes!"
The two soldiers looked anxious.
Three minutes later, Xie Dingyuan still didn't come back.
"You stay where you are, I'll go find—"
Before he could finish his words, he saw a figure gradually approaching in the scorching sun and yellow sand.
Even though the scorching sun made him sweat profusely and the wind and sand stained his originally handsome eyebrows and eyes, it still could not break the man's upright back.
It was as if perseverance was infused into him, supporting his proud and unyielding frame.
"It's Professor Xie!" The two soldiers came forward in surprise.
But Xie Dingyuan took out three water bottles from his body and said, "Give them to everyone."
Found water!
A soldier immediately pulled out the cork and prepared to let Xie Dingyuan drink first.
The latter waved his hand and repeated: "Give it to everyone."
"But you..."
"I can hold on."
It was not until the fourth round of water fetching that Xie Dingyuan finally got to drink.
Suddenly, his eyes became stern: "Where is the other person?"
The two soldiers were shocked to realize that their companion had not returned.
Xie Dingyuan raised his wrist and said, "Forty minutes have passed. Bring enough water and come with me to find it!"
It was not until dusk that Xie Dingyuan returned with the semi-conscious soldier: "Quick! He was bitten by a snake——"
Two medical staff immediately stepped out of the team and began to provide treatment.
At night, low temperatures arrive.
Everyone took out the warm clothes they had brought with them and spent the night like this.
The injured soldier woke up the next day with his body functions fully restored.
The team continued to move forward.
It was not until sunset that everyone saw smoke rising from the military base in the distance.
They finally walked out of the desert!
Xie Dingyuan stepped forward to negotiate and presented relevant documents. The garrison officers at the Suwetan base warmly welcomed them and quickly settled everyone.
At night, Xie Dingyuan took a shower, changed into clean clothes, sat in the makeshift tent, and looked through the clinical observation report on infected people provided by the base.
The moonlight shone on him, bringing a chill.
As the pages turned, the man's brows gradually tightened.
This virus is more troublesome than he expected.
The clock on his wrist pointed to early morning. Xie Dingyuan turned over the last page, read it, put it aside, got up and left the tent.
Seeing this, two garrison soldiers stepped forward and asked in the local language what they needed.
Xie Dingyuan replied in their language: "I want to see Kaza."
The two garrisons looked at each other and asked him to wait. One of them continued to guard while the other ran to report.
Xie Dingyuan turned around and went back into the tent.
About a quarter of an hour later, footsteps were heard approaching outside the tent.
Then the curtain was lifted, and a burly man walked in with his head bowed.
Seeing Xie Dingyuan, he walked forward with a hearty smile, opened his arms and prepared to give him a big hug: "Long time no see, buddy!"
The next second, Xie Dingyuan stepped back sideways to avoid the embrace that was still bloody.
"Sit down." He raised his chin to indicate.
Kaza's hug failed, but he was not angry. He walked to the opposite of Xie Dingyuan and sat down with his legs spread out. It was obvious that he had long been accustomed to his coldness and mysophobia.
"Sorry for the wait. We just wiped out a local armed group. It's probably the same group you encountered. I did a quick check, and the medical equipment and some research equipment are intact. I'll have them delivered to you tomorrow so you can check them again."
Xie Dingyuan wasn't concerned about this. He asked directly, "How quickly can the lab be built? Judging from the existing clinical data, the virus has likely mutated. The longer we delay, the worse the situation will be."
Kaza: "Since receiving news from the military that China would send a team of experts to support us, the base has begun to build a laboratory that meets the standards. Judging from the current progress, it will probably take another three days."
"Three days..." Xie Dingyuan pondered for a moment, "It's just right. I'm going to the central infection area tomorrow."
"Are you crazy?!" Kaza's eyes widened. "That place is full of infected people. Most of the medical staff have been evacuated. What are you still doing there?!"
Xie Dingyuan's expression remained unchanged: "I need more accurate first-hand data."
This is not something that can be provided by a few thin clinical records.
He must go there in person!
Kaza: "Then I'll arrange a team of soldiers to take you there."
Xie Dingyuan: "Remember to wear masks."
Kaza's mouth twitched. "I'll tell them to come see you tomorrow completely covered up!"
"Just cover your mouth and nose, no need to cover it tightly."
“…”
"If possible, all troops stationed at the base are requested to wear masks, intensive training is suspended, and large gatherings are canceled."
Kaza's expression became serious, realizing something was wrong.
He asked tentatively: "Is this... serious?"
Xie Dingyuan: "Beyond expectations."
"Okay, I'll give the order right away and order all soldiers to strictly follow it!" After saying that, he lifted the curtain and walked away with the swift stride of a tiger.
Xie Dingyuan lay down on the bed, took out his mobile phone, unlocked it, and a small red cross appeared in the upper left corner where the signal was displayed.
Indicates no signal.
He couldn't dial out, and people outside couldn't call in.
He flicked through the album with his fingertips. There were only a few photos in it, but the latest one managed to soften his brows and raise the corners of his mouth...
Three updates, three thousand words.
(End of this chapter)
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