Chapter 793: Sleeping in the Desert

The group trekked for another three hours.

Lao Qiao really could not hold on any longer; he collapsed onto the sandy ground, gasping for air: "I really can't walk anymore... I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my throat, my whole body is almost dehydrated..."

He Yuzhu handed over a canteen: "Drink."

Lao Qiao took the canteen, tilted his head back, and gulped down several large mouthfuls.

Gao Dayong glared at him fiercely: "Lao Qiao, you really don't know how to save! Can't you drink this water more sparingly?"

Lao Qiao wiped the corner of his mouth: "I really can't take it anymore. If I don't drink some water, I'll really end up abandoned in this desert."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "It's fine, drink if you need to. I'll be able to find a water source later."

Liu Xiaoqiang looked suspicious: "In this godforsaken place with no signs of life, you can still find water?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways: "Where do you get so much nonsense? Whether I can or not is not for you to question."

Liu Xiaoqiang felt a bit awkward, and quickly gave a thumbs up: "Fine, Dazhu, you're impressive, consider it my loose tongue."

He Yuzhu said sternly: "I don't have much water left on me either; I must go out and find a water source immediately. You all stay together, and absolutely do not wander around, otherwise, I won't be able to find you later."

Lao Qiao sighed weakly: "With the state my body is in now, how can I still walk? It's getting dark soon, where are we going to stay for the night?"

He Yuzhu said: "I will try my best to find a Cave. There are many wild beasts in the desert, and there might even be wolf packs roaming about."

Lao Qiao was startled upon hearing this: "My god! If we really run into wolves, wouldn't we all be eaten?"

He Yuzhu did not respond to him; he took a Pistol out of his pocket and scanned the crowd: "Which one of you knows how to use a gun?"

The four of them looked at each other, all with blank expressions.

Only Liu Xiaoqiang had served as a militiaman, and he spoke up: "I received shooting training in the militia, but I've never touched this model of gun."

He Yuzhu handed him the imitation Italy M1951 Pistol and explained patiently: "There are eight bullets loaded in the gun. Look, this is how you detach the magazine, the safety is here, and the trigger is located here."

Liu Xiaoqiang tried operating it twice; having a foundation in training, he quickly grasped the essentials of how to use it.

He Yuzhu patted him on the shoulder: "Remember, whether it's a person or a beast, if they dare to charge directly, shoot immediately. In this kind of desperate situation, a gun is the only truth."

Liu Xiaoqiang nodded heavily and remarked sincerely: "He Dazhu, you really have skills. I couldn't tell when we were working together on weekdays, but out here in the wilderness, I can finally see your capability."

Afterward, He Yuzhu walked a few kilometers forward alone.

He intended to find an excellent place to stay before dark. It needed to be able to withstand attacks from wild beasts and also guard against enemies sneaking up; it had to be terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack.

He was not worried about himself, but the four people accompanying him were all burdens; since they had lived together for a month, he could not abandon them.

Unexpectedly, he really did find a good spot.

Beneath a tall sand dune hid a small, dried-up water pool, with some drought-resistant vegetation growing sporadically around it. It was clear that this place once had sufficient water, but for some reason, it had gradually dried up later.

The soil of the sand dune was compact, and much of the sand had solidified, making it just right for digging out a cave to hide in.

He Yuzhu immediately used his system ability to excavate ten meters down from the bottom of the pool, and he actually dug up flowing water. He leaned down and tasted a mouthful; the water quality was acceptable, without a heavy saline-alkali taste. However, he did not drink it directly, but instead took a large amount of fresh water from his Storage Space and injected it into the pool to dilute the existing water. When he tasted it again, the water was clear and sweet.

Following that, he dug a rock cave in the side wall of the sand dune that could accommodate several people to rest.

With everything settled, he immediately turned back to call the others.

Once the group heard that a rock cave and a water source had been found, their spirits were instantly lifted, and they scrambled to hurry forward.

Liu Xiaoqiang ran the fastest, while Lao Qiao lagged behind, panting and shouting repeatedly: "Wait for me, walk slower!"

Liu Xiaoqiang looked back irritably: "Lao Qiao, how can a grown man be so delicate? Wouldn't it be over if you just walked faster? We aren't walking that fast."

When the group saw that pool of clear, abundant water, they were overjoyed.

Liu Xiaoqiang was the first to lean down to the water's edge and drink his fill.

When the group abandoned their vehicle to flee, they had discarded most of their luggage, leaving each person with only a small backpack and their own canteen. At this moment, they all put down their backpacks and were busy filling their canteens with fresh water.

He Yuzhu looked at them: "You're all hungry, right?"

The group nodded in unison.

"I'll go look around nearby to see if I can hunt some game to satisfy our hunger," He Yuzhu said.

Liu Xiaoqiang quickly stopped him: "Dazhu, better not take the risk. Once you fire a gun, if there are enemies nearby searching for us, wouldn't the sound of the gunshot just expose our whereabouts?"

He Yuzhu smiled faintly: "It's fine. If I run into small wild beasts, I can solve it with a Flying Knife; there's no need to use a gun."

He did not go far, nor did he bother to search deliberately; he simply took two wild rabbits out of his space, killed them, and carried them back.

The group only waited for twenty-some minutes before they saw him returning with two cleaned wild rabbits, and they were all extremely excited.

Liu Xiaoqiang could not help but praise: "He Dazhu, you really are a capable person! With your wilderness survival skills, let alone walking for two or three days in the desert, even staying for half a month, you could survive safely."

He Yuzhu smiled indifferently: "These little skills are not worth mentioning."

Afterward, he started a fire to roast the wild rabbits. He carried a full set of seasonings with him, and the aroma of the roasted meat was overflowing, making everyone drool. He Yuzhu did not eat much, only gnawing on one rabbit leg, while the remaining rabbit meat was finished off by the other four.

With his mouth full of roasted meat, Liu Xiaoqiang asked vaguely: "He Dazhu, were you a cook before? This is really delicious."

He Yuzhu smiled and did not reply, feeling only that this person was truly too long-winded.

After they were full, He Yuzhu said: "Tonight we will take turns keeping watch, let's split into shifts."

Liu Xiaoqiang immediately took the initiative to arrange: "Then Wang Tiezhu and I will take the first half of the night, and you and Gao Dayong will take the second half..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the exhausted Lao Qiao on the side and curled his lips: "As for Lao Qiao, let's just forget it. Looking at his physical condition, he won't be able to recover even after a whole night."

Lao Qiao's chubby cheeks twitched slightly; he felt very unconvinced, but his body was indeed failing him. If he forced himself to keep watch at night and did not rest well, he would only drag down the team's progress tomorrow.

He quickly cupped his hands to apologize to everyone: "I'm really sorry everyone, my body is truly failing me this time."

He Yuzhu waved his hand to console him: "Lao Qiao, you were severely dehydrated just now, just rest well tonight; we still have to travel tomorrow."

Lao Qiao felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this and quickly thanked him: "Many thanks for your understanding, He Dazhu."

"No need for courtesy," He Yuzhu replied faintly.

In fact, He Yuzhu did not sleep deeply during the first half of the night; he only closed his eyes for a short nap while keeping the system Scanning active the entire time. He knew very well that the footprints the group left along the way could not be completely cleared, and their whereabouts had long been exposed.

An elite division of the Republican Guard was stationed in this area, and among them were many special operations soldiers, also equipped with military dogs. As long as the other side followed the tracks to investigate, they would find this place sooner or later; it just depended on whether the other side was willing to invest the effort to search.

At one o'clock in the morning, Liu Xiaoqiang woke He Yuzhu up on time.

"Dazhu, it's your turn to keep watch."

Liu Xiaoqiang habitually called out He Yuzhu's nickname again. He was in his thirties and had always felt a bit awkward inside: He Yuzhu was over fifty, yet his physique was even sturdier than his own, so he inevitably felt a bit of jealousy.

When it was time for the night watch, He Yuzhu handed the Beretta M1951 Pistol to Gao Dayong and patiently taught him the basic usage of holding and firing the gun.

But Gao Dayong did not have a high aptitude; after teaching him repeatedly for a long time, he still could not remember the steps for disassembling the gun, changing the magazine, or loading the bullets.

In the end, he simply waved his hand: "Dazhu, don't waste your Kung Fu teaching me the whole process; I won't be able to learn it anyway. I'll just remember how to disengage the safety and pull the trigger. If the bullets run out, I'll just accept my fate."

He Yuzhu thought this made sense, so he stopped teaching him more. He walked forward alone for more than two hundred meters to guard the main path—he knew clearly that the enemy would never take the long way around from the outside of the sand dunes.

Under the night sky, He Yuzhu lay quietly in ambush on the sand dune like a ghost.

Looking up at the galaxy filling the sky, the night sky was clear and deep blue, and the stars seemed to be within reach.

Time passed slowly, and suddenly, a system notification sound rang in his mind:

"Host, two hundred meters away, seventeen people are closing in on you."

He Yuzhu immediately took out his sniper rifle, neatly attached the Silencer, and waited in full battle array.