Chapter 126
Two small pots of camel thorn leaves were shared by five people. The leaves were small to begin with, and they hadn't eaten for a long time. After they finished eating, they found that there was actually nothing in them. On the other hand, the camel thorn leaves were a bit sour, which immediately ruined their appetites, making them feel even worse.
"Have a couple of sips of salt water!" Chu Huaiqin said. Salt can replenish some of the body's energy, but don't drink too much. They still have to travel in the afternoon, so Chu Huaiqin only suggested two sips, and they had to drink it so lightly that they couldn't really taste it.
"Hey, my stomach doesn't feel so uncomfortable anymore." Lin Zhinan said in surprise.
"Ah, really," the little monk's eyes lit up. After whetting his appetite, his hungry stomach suddenly felt filled with food. Although it was a false sensation, at least it made them feel less uncomfortable. "Brother, can I have a few more sips?"
"No," Xia En replied. "Desert people are already short of water. They have too much salt in their bodies, so they need water to excrete it. It's a waste of water."
Little Monk: ...
"Let's rest for another hour and then we'll set off!" Chu Huaiqin looked at the time. It was already 1:30 in the afternoon. Although he had rested, Xia En and the others had not yet rested.
"No need... okay!" Xia En originally said no, but when he saw the little monk trying hard not to yawn and Su Huaichen yawning so hard that tears came out, he thought about it and nodded.
We rested for more than an hour before setting off again. It was already past three in the afternoon.
The scorching sun didn't weaken at all, but the temperature displayed on the watch did drop by two degrees. However, now was the time when the ground surface released the heat after absorbing the high temperature. In addition, the few people had not eaten anything except chewing some leaves and drinking some water today. Their physical strength had dropped seriously, and their walking speed was even slower than in the morning.
Chu Huaiqin was the last one to walk, Xia Entang still pulling him along, the backpack now resting on Xia Entang's shoulders. He walked with his head down, step by step, weak and breathless.
"Xia Entropy, can you predict how long it will take to get back to the mission route set by the director team?" Chu Huaiqin was soaked all over, and felt like he was wrapped in a furnace. He wanted to tear off his clothes and feel the cool breeze, but he had to endure it because of the scorching sun.
"Based on our current distance, it might be tomorrow afternoon." Xia En was quite worried. When they took the wrong road, it was cloudy, which was when Chu Huaiqin was in the best physical condition. Now that the sun was out, Chu Huaiqin's physical condition had dropped to at least one-third, or even lower. It would not be easy to get back to the previous road.
"Do you think it's feasible to travel at night?" Chu Huaiqin asked. He was annoyed by the hot weather.
"Not feasible." Xia Entang immediately refused. The possibility of taking the wrong path in the Gobi Desert at night was very high.
Chu Huaiqin also felt that the possibility of execution was slim, but he had an idea for another time.
The group walked in silence, and the Chinese audience in the live broadcast room looked anxious.
"Oh my god, everyone, think again, is it possible to walk at night? Seeing them like this, I feel so bad."
"Yes, yes, class representative, please tell me, when the wind blew just now, my sister's veil fell off. Her face is so pale. Is she hungry or tired?"
"Does it make any difference? Ahhh, my dear brother is staggering so much that he seems like he's going to collapse at any moment. Even the normally lively and energetic little monk is speechless. This shows how bad their situation is right now. What should we do? What should we do?"
"Is that enough for the director team? This is a variety show."
"Xia Entropy just said we can't return to the original route until tomorrow noon, but returning to the original route doesn't mean we'll have food right away, right?"
This sentence in the live broadcast room expressed everyone's biggest concerns. The other teams also realized this and were about to make trouble with the director team, but unexpectedly Anthony said: Please respect your work.
Everyone: ...
Yes, survival in the wild is actually their job now.
Under the scorching sun, the five of them walked until sunset before stopping. When Xia En called for a break, the first thing they did was to get out of their tents, crawl inside, and lie down, unwilling to move. Hunger made their hands and feet weak and sore, and their stomachs felt vaguely uncomfortable.
Lin Zhinan was the first to show any signs of trouble. Her intestines writhed and throbbed with hunger, but she lay in the tent, gritting her teeth and saying nothing. Cold sweat streamed down her forehead, soaking her veil. Since she had been curled up in the tent from the beginning, no one noticed her condition. After recovering for a while, Lin Zhinan drank some salt water and fell asleep.
Chu Huaiqin also lay in the tent for a while before he recovered. The first thing he did was to go see the little monk and Su Huaichen. After resting, the two were in good condition. When he arrived at Lin Zhinan's tent, he saw that she lay down without taking off her veil. He frowned and reached out to touch her head. Her forehead was covered with sweat. Chu Huaiqin was so scared that he quickly pulled down her veil. Seeing Lin Zhinan's pale face, Chu Huaiqin felt uncomfortable for a moment.
After Chu Huaiqin stepped out, the first thing he did was to look for Xia En, who was looking around with binoculars.
"If we can't find food tonight, I've decided to split up into two groups tomorrow. You take Lin Zhinan and the little monk and go first, and I'll go with Su Huaichen later." Xia En, who was about to look for vegetation through a telescope, turned around immediately when he heard Chu Huaiqin's words, looking at him in disbelief.
"Why?"
"I walk too slowly. You take Lin Zhinan and the others and go ahead. They will reach the quest line earlier than me, and you will have a chance to find food earlier."
"No," Xia Entang said. There was no way he would leave Chu Huaiqin behind in such a cruel desert. "I don't agree. I can't leave you alone."
"It's not just me, there's also Su Huaichen," Chu Huaiqin said, looking at Xia En's slightly angry face. "We weren't able to eat enough before, and today we only had some leaves. If we can't find food anymore, everyone will be in trouble."
Indeed, they estimated that it would take another day to return to their original route. Furthermore, even if they did, the food point might not be there. According to the director's previous food points, they were usually half a day's journey apart. This meant they would likely not find food until noon the day after tomorrow, which would mean they would not have enough food for more than two and a half days.
Xia En looked at Chu Huaiqin's pale lips, clenched his hands at his sides, clenched his teeth tightly, and tried hard to swallow the word "withdraw" from his mouth. After a moment, he said, "I don't agree."
Xia Entang turned his head away and said, "I'm going to find some food."
After he finished speaking, Xia En immediately picked up the knife and hurried away on the hard earth and rocks, as if he was escaping.
"I want to cry. Xia En is afraid that his brother will force him to leave first!"
"If Chu really insisted that he take his men and leave first, Xia shouldn't be able to refuse!"
The Chinese audience in the live broadcast room almost cried when they saw the exhausted and hungry people.
"Senior, please take care of the camp and keep an eye on Zhinan's situation. The little monk and I will go find some food." Chu Huaiqin sighed as he watched Xia Entang walk away.
"I'll go too! More people means more hope." Although Su Huaichen was very tired, he quickly got up from the ground.
"No, we can't leave Zhinan alone," Chu Huaiqin shook his head and refused, "Besides, the things in our camp are also important."
"Okay, okay, be careful and don't go too far." Su Huaichen said worriedly.
Chu Huaiqin nodded, and walked in the opposite direction with the little monk, facing away from Xia En.
The Sahara Desert is a well-known place that is not suitable for human survival. Before, they could find cacti and the like in the route marked by the program team. I think it took the program team a long time to survey and make the route map. Now that they have deviated from the route, the possibility of finding food is very low.
At this time, the first teams to return to the original route were the Double Eagle Team and the Maozi Team. However, as Chu Huaiqin and the others worried, they were still half a day's journey from the food point. The people of the Maozi Team were angry, and hunger made them scold the program crew without mercy.
The two teams were both skilled and courageous, and they actually discussed continuing on their journey.
"The desert night isn't very dark. If we keep our bearings tight, we should be fine."
"One more wrong move and they might have to withdraw from the competition."
“I think the potential for them to go far is very high.”
"Team Mao, come on! Let's go! We will definitely be the first team to find food."
"Yes, support our team."
The audience on the Russian team was almost all supportive, while the Chinese audience couldn't help but sigh that they were indeed a fighting nation. As an amateur team, they actually dared to cross the desert at night. It was terrifying.
Chu Huaiqin and the little monk had been away from the camp for half an hour. They had been traveling along the Gobi plains, with no vegetation except hard soil and sand. Just when they were about to give up, they saw a stretch of hills appear.
"Brother, brother, do you think there is anything to eat over there on the hill?" The little monk swallowed, covered his stomach, and wiped the corners of his mouth with his hands.
"Let's go and take a look." Chu Huaiqin also had expectations. They had been hungry for a whole day and couldn't give up any hope.
As soon as Chu Huaiqin finished speaking, the little monk immediately ran up as fast as a monkey. His speed was not slow, but his movements were not very flexible. He swayed from side to side like a little monkey. It was because he was too hungry and his legs had no strength.
"Ah, brother, it's the Populus euphratica forest," the little monk said as he ran up to the Bingling and looked at the hills below. He was so happy that he almost cried, "Brother, there is meat."
Chu Huaiqin: ...
The meat in the poplar forest had been there before because it was a food point. Now, in this place away from the food point, the possibility of it appearing there was very small. However, seeing the little monk so excited, Chu Huaiqin didn't want to discourage him. He climbed up breathlessly and looked at the sky again. It was almost dark.
A poplar forest of several dozen square meters appeared before our eyes.
"Let's go and take a look first, hurry up." As soon as it gets dark, they have to leave the poplar forest. There are no big animals, but poisonous snakes are something that cannot be guarded against.
"Okay, I'll go."
The little monk was blown away by the wind. When Chu Huaiqin came down from the hill, the little monk had already circled several times in the sparse poplar forest.
"Brother, brother, no, no," the little monk's eyes turned red, his lips pouted, and he was about to cry, "There is no meat, nothing to eat."
"Look again." Even though Chu Huaiqin knew there was little hope, he still felt a little dejected when he heard the monk's words. The monk listened to Chu Huaiqin's words and held back his tears. Crying in the desert was a waste of water. However, as the two walked through the poplar forest again and still found no living creatures, the monk was really desperate.
"Brother, can these leaves be eaten?" The little monk pointed at the poplar leaves. "I heard from my master that when people were poor in the past, they could eat leaves, and we ate them at noon."
"Not all leaves are edible." Chu Huaiqin looked at the little monk swallowing his saliva at the poplars, feeling both amused and helpless. He looked around and continued walking among the poplars. The little monk followed behind him pitifully with his head down.
"Don't be discouraged, I found something good." Chu Huaiqin walked up to a poplar tree, bent down, stretched out his hand and pulled up something from under the roots of the poplar tree.
"It's a mushroom," the little monk was surprised, but "Can it be eaten?"
This doubt was also raised in the live broadcast room. I have never heard of mushrooms in the desert.
"Well, this is called Bachu mushroom, a type of mushroom that grows exclusively on poplar trees." Chu Huaiqin was also surprised to find it, but he had been walking around for so long and only saw so few, so the quantity should not be ideal.
"I'll go find it right away." The little monk didn't question it. When he heard that it was edible, he jumped out immediately.
At this time, Sam Guo and others who had found the route had almost returned, but there was still some distance to go. Seeing that it was getting dark, everyone stopped chasing. They had not eaten for a day and the first thing they did was to go find food. They were luckier than Chu Huaiqin and found a cactus patch.
Several teams of people suddenly ignored their image and rushed towards the cactus with such ferocity that it made people in the live broadcast room shiver. They all thought of the same thing: hungry humans are really scary.
At the same time, some people sighed at the misfortune of Chu Huaiqin and his companions. At this moment, A1's camera suddenly cut to Chu Huaiqin's side. When A1's global audience saw the little monk holding a few mushrooms with the corner of his clothes, they all questioned whether this thing could be eaten?
"Of course you can eat it. It's called Bachu mushroom. It's rich in nutrients and no other mushroom can compare to it."
A1's live broadcast room is mostly populated by fans of the show and those who love survival. Unlike team fans, they will not stay in their personal live broadcast rooms because A1 has too few shots. Instead, they will follow the A1 shots. So when someone raised this question, many people could see what Chu Huaiqin was holding in his hand.
The two of them walked in the forest until it got dark, and Chu Huaiqin began to call them back.
"Brother, we only found, one, two, three..." The little monk counted little by little. When he reached the end, he cried, "Brother, there are only sixteen mushrooms."
"It's better than nothing, let's go back!" The small mushrooms were cooked, but no one took a bite. Chu Huaiqin knew how the little monk felt.
"We can look for it again." The little monk looked at the poplar forest, reluctant to leave.
"We can't keep looking. There are swarms of snakes and scorpions in the desert at night, all of them poisonous. We can't take any risks," Chu Huaiqin said. He reached out and picked up the little monk as they walked back, comforting him, "At least we can still get two mushrooms each, right?"
The little monk nodded with tears in his eyes.
When the two of them returned, Xia En had not returned yet. Chu Huaiqin's expression changed slightly. He turned on his watch and called Xia En. It took a while before someone answered the phone.
"I'm back, but I still haven't found any food." Xia Entang looked at his empty hands, feeling upset. "But I saw what looked like a small forest in the distance. I'll go take a look."
Chu Huaiqin's brows knitted together as Xia Entang said this. Xia Entang had been walking for at least forty minutes. If he walked any further, it would be troublesome if something happened. So he said, "I found it. Come back soon!"
"Did you find food? There is..." Xia En was about to ask how much, but the communication was hung up.
After hesitating for a moment, Xia En decided to return quickly.
A day of hunger slowed down Xia En's speed a lot, but he still came back as fast as he could. When he saw Chu Huaiqin and others cooking, Xia En smiled, but when he opened the lid of the pot and saw more than a dozen mushrooms rolling around, Xia En's face almost cracked.
"Give us a head start first, and we'll talk about it tomorrow." Chu Huaiqin smiled at Xia En's bitter face. "It's already dark, aren't you afraid that if you go too far, you won't be able to find us."
Chu Huaiqin tasted the soup in the pot. Well, it had too much water and didn't taste like mushrooms, but at least it had a salty taste.
There were more than a dozen mushrooms, two or three per person, and then we filled up with water.
"How do you feel?" Chu Huaiqin asked Lin Zhinan.
When he and the little monk came back, Lin Zhinan had already woken up, but his complexion still looked not well. Now that he had eaten something hot, he looked much better.
"It's warm, and I feel much better." Lin Zhinan could still feel her intestines moving in her stomach, causing a slight pain, but she didn't say anything. She thought, just hold on a little longer, and then she could return to the task line.
"Go to sleep if you're tired, but before that, let me check." Chu Huaiqin said. It's not that he didn't notice Lin Zhinan was feeling unwell, but he didn't say anything when he saw her sleeping.
"Brother, I..." Lin Zhinan wanted to stop him, but Chu Huaiqin had already called a doctor.
As soon as Chu Huaiqin called for a doctor, the live broadcast room was shocked again. Did something happen to Lin Zhinan again?
The author has something to say: There is still one chapter left, it may be late.
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