How could it be wrong?
He couldn't believe his answer was wrong.
Why would it be wrong?
They're clearly different!
Old John's body slumped backward uncontrollably.
Even Ella's rumbling voice sounded as if through a veil, and the sky itself was inaudible.
Until he crashed to the ground with a "bang," he saw Ella's eyes widen in horror, and she pounced on him without thinking.
"Ella," old John said, his gaze fixed and his voice barely a whisper, "I'm dying, you must find her!"
He murmured his last words, his gaze seemingly becoming unfocused.
Old John's voice was too soft; Ella could only see his lips moving, but she couldn't hear what he was saying at all.
Moreover, Ella had no interest in listening to what he was saying; she was focused on checking on old John's condition.
Ella pressed her ear against old John's chest, listening quietly to the powerful beating of his heart.
"Thump, thump-thump—"
It did not weaken in the slightest.
Ella was relieved; it was clear that old John was alright.
She straightened up, her gaze moving upwards until it finally settled on old John's lips.
Old John's lips were pale, and layers of dead skin were visibly peeling off, clearly indicating severe dehydration.
Ella immediately understood why Old John had looked like that earlier; it must have been because he was extremely dehydrated.
After figuring it out, Ella got up and walked to the bag she had just casually thrown away, and found the only remaining water bag.
Ella turned her back to old John, blocking his view, and gently shook the water sac.
The sensation was very obvious; there was hardly any water left in the water bladder.
Without hesitation, Ella stood up and returned to Old John's side.
Old John's eyes remained fixed blankly, clearly still lost in his own thoughts.
Ella gently helped old John up and slowly fed him water.
"Drink water, drinking water will make you feel better."
Old John was oblivious to this, but when the water wet his lips, he couldn't help but open his mouth.
Old John swallowed, and the water slid smoothly down his throat, nourishing his body like sweet rain.
Soon, the last remaining water was drunk up by old John.
With the moisture of water, old John's lips were no longer chapped and gradually returned to their original color, and his previously glazed gaze softened.
It was obvious that Old John's spirits were about to calm down, so Ella quickly hid the water pouch and then casually patted Old John's cheek.
"John, wake up!"
This time, it was as if the veil of mystery before his eyes had been lifted, and Old John was jolted awake.
His gaze began to focus: "What... what happened to me?"
Even so, he still spoke somewhat haltingly.
Ella smiled and gently comforted him, her hand occasionally stroking old John's hair.
"It's nothing, you're just too excited to see the land is different!"
"Yes, land!"
Upon hearing the word "land," old John's expression became excited again.
He turned his head and looked straight at Ella, his eyes full of expectation.
"I didn't find anything wrong, did I? They're different, aren't they?"
This time, he asked cautiously, not even daring to probe loudly.
With a smile, Ella nodded in response to his eager anticipation.
"Yes, you're right, it's different!"
Upon hearing the answer he wanted to hear, old John immediately turned around, put his hands on Ella's shoulders, and looked at her intently.
“Ella,” Old John’s smile stretched almost to his ears, “we’re finally about to find her!”
His joy was palpable, and Ella was unconsciously infected by it, a big smile spreading across her face.
She nodded firmly in affirmation.
"Yes, we finally found it!"
The two of them were face to face, and suddenly burst out laughing.
At that moment, joy surrounded them and lingered for a long time.
Because of Old John's fall, the two decided to rest for a while and have lunch together.
Ella nodded, took a piece of bread from her bag, broke it in half, and gave one half to each of them.
Although they knew they were getting close, they were unsure how far away they were, and their rations were running low, so they had to conserve them.
The bread was so dry and hard that it was outrageous; you had to swallow it many times before you could finally get it down your throat.
The two ate with difficulty, and Ella was constantly worried that old John would suggest eating with water.
Fortunately, old John seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally reducing his water intake in case he ran out of water, so he didn't mention the matter at all.
Ella breathed a sigh of relief when Old John didn't mention water again after the two of them had finished eating the bread.
She dared not tell old John that he had already drunk all the water.
But this truth will eventually be revealed, and her current silence is merely a delaying tactic.
After finishing their flatbread, the two rested for a while before packing their bags and setting off again.
The discovery of the land boosted their spirits considerably, and they quickened their pace.
After walking and stopping for several more days, Old John and Ella clearly felt that the ground beneath their feet had changed.
Stepping on it is no longer a hard, unyielding experience that used to cause pain in the soles of your feet after just a few steps; at least now the pain is much less.
Ella and old John could clearly sense that they were getting closer and closer to their goal.
They both felt more and more that hope was just around the corner.
However, at that very moment, the rations were all gone.
Ella took out the leather bag that was originally used to store dry food.
The flat leather bag said it all: there was no more food.
But Ella still took out the leather bag and shook it with the opening facing down.
A few crumbs of pastry fell and landed in old John's palm.
Those tiny bits and pieces are practically negligible.
Old John looked at them and sighed. It seemed that they would be running out of food starting today.
He licked his chapped lips; his throat felt like it was on fire after not having a drop of water for days.
Old John opened his mouth, but found he couldn't speak. He swallowed hard to moisten his throat before he could finally make a sound.
"Ella, how much water is left?"
The voice was hoarse and weak, clearly indicating that it had reached its breaking point.
Ella seemed not to hear him, still shaking the cloth bag in her hand. It took her a while to realize what Old John had said.
"there is none left."
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