Just then, suddenly a gray shadow flashed and hit the yellow-scaled snake, knocking it onto the sand.
"Run!" Dudian roared.
Mekin came to his senses and quickly started running.
Dudian looked at the yellow-scaled snake that was wriggling towards them again, turned around and ran without looking back. At the same time, he tightened his grip on the thick-lined coat that he had twisted into a rope. He had been able to knock down the yellow-scaled snake earlier all thanks to the help of the coat.
Swish!
Dudian quickly overtook Mekin and ran to the front. His long-distance running result in the endurance training was the best in the dormitory.
After running hundreds of meters, Dudian looked back and saw that behind Mekin, who was at the back, the yellow-scaled snake had disappeared. It should have known that this hunt had failed and thus decisively given up. After all, animals that survived in such a harsh environment often preferred a hunting method that guaranteed a sure hit. Chasing prey and consuming physical strength was undoubtedly the stupidest hunting method.
Dudian heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Stop running. It's not chasing anymore."
Mekin, Shamu, and Zach were taken aback. Only then did they notice that the yellow-scaled snake behind them wasn't chasing anymore. They immediately relaxed. The next moment, a deep sense of exhaustion welled up in their hearts. Their bodies were sore and weak, their throats were dry, and they were thirsty and hot.
"I was so scared," Zach said with a lingering fear, patting his chest.
"Let's take a rest. I'm exhausted," Shamu gasped.
Mekin was still a bit startled. Hearing their words, he suddenly looked up at Dudian. He gritted his teeth slightly and said to Dudian, "Dian, you saved my life this time. In the future, if there's anything..."
"Talk less," Dudian patted his shoulder. "Save your physical strength. Everyone, don't stop. That snake might still be chasing us under the sand. We haven't gotten out of its hunting range yet. Moreover, it's getting late. We must find a water source as soon as possible, or it will be very difficult to get through the night." After that, he continued to lead the way.
Mekin looked at his back, gritted his teeth slightly, and followed.
Zach and Shamu exchanged a glance. Remembering their cowardice when they hesitated earlier, they lowered their heads in shame, said nothing, and silently followed Dudian.
The few of them continued to walk westward along the sandy path. All the way there were only sand and dry soil clumps. This made Mekin, Shamu, and Zach wonder if they had chosen the wrong direction. If they had chosen a different direction, would they have been able to find a water source?
However, under Dudian's insistence, they finally didn't change the direction.
By dusk, the few of them were almost exhausted. They were sweating profusely, their faces were sunburned red, and their walking speed had decreased to one-tenth of what it was when they first came to the desert. They were almost moving at a snail's pace.
"I found it!" Suddenly, Dudian's voice came from ahead.
Mekin, Shamu, and Zach had numb expressions, like walking corpses. But when they heard this, they seemed to come back to life immediately, and hope flashed in their dry eyes.
"Where is it?" Mekin asked eagerly.
Dudian raised his hand and pointed. There was a small sand dune ahead. Not far from the sand dune, there were some dry green grass and cacti, which were very common plants in the desert.
"Plants, there are actually plants!!" Mekin, Shamu, and Zach were immediately excited.
A smile also appeared on Dudian's face, and he said, "Let's start digging. There must be a water source under the plants!" After that, he took the lead and went forward, came to a cluster of green grass, and started digging. He also instructed, "Be careful. There might be other things lurking here."
When Mekin and the other two heard this, their excitement immediately cooled down, and they nervously looked around.
Before long, Dudian dug out wet sand under this cluster of green grass. After continuing to dig half a meter, he finally saw the water source. However, the water source was extremely scarce and mixed with sand.
"How are we going to get the water?" Mekin and the other two were a bit at a loss.
Dudian didn't say anything. He shook out the coat that he had used to whip the yellow-scaled snake, jumped down, scooped up a handful of water mixed with sand, and put it into the coat. Then he twisted the coat and put his mouth under it. Soon, the water filtered through the wool of the coat flowed down as he kept tightening the coat.
After being thirsty for the whole afternoon, this simply filtered water was extremely delicious.
After drinking a few sips, Dudian didn't continue. Instead, he licked his lips with the water and then climbed up, saying, "Don't drink too much at once. Just maintain the basic consumption of your body."
Mekin and the other two showed admiration in their eyes. They imitated Dudian's method, scooped up the sand mixed with water into their own coats, and filtered and drank the water.
"This grass root should be edible," Dudian pulled out this cluster of green grass. Looking at the grass root covered with wet soil, he rubbed the wet soil clean, broke it apart, and when he saw that there was no colored juice flowing out, he immediately bit one with his mouth and chewed it gently. A faint sweetness filled his mouth, and there was also a bit of astringency. After chewing it carefully, he swallowed it.
When Mekin and the other two saw Dudian chewing with relish, they also broke off the grass roots and ate them.
"It's so bitter!"
"It tastes so bad!"
Zach and Shamu smiled bitterly but still chewed and swallowed it.
Dudian looked at the sky and said, "We'll spend the night here tonight. You go and pick up some dry firewood and start a fire in the evening. Also, the four of us will take turns on duty every night. Who will be on duty first tonight? Those who are on duty can go to sleep for a while now to replenish their energy."
Mekin said, "I'll do it tonight. If you go to sleep, we won't know what to do."
Dudian nodded and said, "Then you go and rest. Zach, go and find some dry firewood. Shamu, come with me to build a shelter and find some stones." With his arrangement, the few of them started to get busy.
...
...
On the outer edge of the desert, there was a lonely tavern.
Eroded by the wind and sand, the tavern was in a dilapidated state. The windows and doors had been repeatedly repaired with wooden planks. At this moment, a man and a woman were sitting in the tavern, drinking iced wheat beer.
"Tell me, out of the 360 people, how many do you think can survive tonight?" Chris gently stirred the ice cubes in the wooden mug with a dagger and said with a smile.
Tob smiled indifferently and said, "Definitely more than you think."
"Is that so?" Chris raised an eyebrow and said teasingly, "How about making a bet?"
"How do you want to bet?" Tob was interested.
"Let's bet on how many people will still be here after ten days," Chris squinted her eyes and said. "I bet there will be 200."
Tob smiled and said, "Then I bet there will be 300."
"Oh?" Chris looked at him sideways. "You seem quite confident in your students. But this time, you're definitely going to lose."
Tob finished the beer in his mug and said indifferently, "How can you be so sure?"
"Giggle..." Chris covered her lips with the back of her hand and laughed softly. She said, "Don't you know that this desert was the territory of the Lane family ten years ago? Back then, it was one of the six most prosperous places in the commercial district. But it was destroyed by an evil alchemist. Not only was the Lane family wiped out, but this territory also completely turned into a desert under the evil power of the alchemist and became a forbidden area."
Tob said indifferently, "I knew that ten years ago because I was there at that time."
Chris giggled and said, "But you don't know that although that evil alchemist was killed by the Holy See of Light, other alchemists now believe that the evil power left by that alchemist still exists in this desert. They have secretly gathered here. Little do they know that their little actions have long been noticed by the Holy See of Light."
Tob's face suddenly changed. "What do you mean?!"
"This time, the Holy See of Light is going to wipe out the alchemists here. However, their actions are covert. If they were to send the Knights of Light here rashly, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. So, as usual, they still use this place as the assessment site for the Scavengers. Using these people as bait to lure them in. I believe those alchemists won't miss such a good opportunity for nothing!" Chris said with a smile.