novelhk Chapter 12 Risk Avoidance
Chapter 12 Risk Avoidance
Hu Bayi frowned as he looked at the pale white hand bone in his hand, then turned and said solemnly.
"Brother Cheng, have you seen similar marks before?"
Everyone else also looked at Cheng Feng.
Nodding, Cheng Feng said, "I don't know if you've heard of it, but there's a type of ant in the desert that the locals call army ants."
"You mean, this person encountered desert army ants?"
The tiny marks on these bones do indeed resemble the appearance of ant bites, but…
Yang Xueli hesitated for a moment
"But what? Tell me!"
Wang Pangzi, being impatient, immediately pressed for an answer.
Yang Xueli: "The marks are correct, but the size is wrong. Normal army ant bite marks are much smaller than this."
Yang Xueli then explained that she had seen articles about army ants in foreign nature magazines.
Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, I have seen farms destroyed by desert army ants.
"I never imagined there were such dangerous things in the desert. I hope we don't encounter them this time."
Looking at the clean bones, Sadi Peng said with a chill.
Seeing that morale was wavering, Hu Bayi quickly tried to salvage the situation:
"Don't worry too much. Since they are called army ants, they are bound to travel around and it is almost impossible for them to stay in one place."
"Old Hu is right. They are called army ants partly because of their outstanding discipline."
On the other hand, they are constantly searching for food, just like an army on a constant march.
Yang Xueli's approval reassured everyone, otherwise Professor Chen and the others would probably have had a hard time sleeping that night.
Taking this into consideration, Cheng Feng didn't say much.
After some discussion, Ye Yixin suggested digging a pit to bury the remains.
Everyone understands that it's hard for her not to care if it's out in the open.
So everyone hurriedly started digging a hole a little distance away from Ye Yixin.
But after digging a few times, I found this thing.
"Professors, come quick! It's a stone statue."
Professor Chen and Hao Aiguo quickly stepped forward, their eyes shining as they examined the stone statue.
Cheng Feng didn't get involved. The stone statue was hollow, and the inside had been used as a temporary nest by desert army ants.
However, with the sandstorm raging outside and the sky completely obscuring the sun, the ants won't be out looking for trouble at this time.
So we just let them be. Anyway, given their personalities, they wouldn't go so far as to smash the stone statues.
Back at the campfire, Cheng Feng took the wine flask from his waist, unscrewed it, and took a big gulp.
The unique flavor of camel milk wine spread in his mouth, giving Cheng Feng a moment of comfort in this drafty shelter.
"Xiao Cheng, Professor Chen is talking about the history of that stone statue. Why aren't you, the intern, learning from it?"
Yang Xueli sat opposite the fire and gestured for Cheng Feng to look at the stone statue.
Cheng Feng shook his head: "I'm just someone who coasts along. I got into the archaeological team through connections. I'll never become an archaeologist like Professor Chen."
Even if I don't become an archaeologist, it's always good to learn more!
Cheng Feng smiled but didn't reply. He sensed something was off; why was Yang Xueli acting so sisterly?
It's like lecturing a clueless younger brother.
Although Cheng Feng felt that he was fine, others thought he was somewhat naive.
It's no wonder Cheng Feng is like this; in his previous life, he served in the military for many years and never returned to civilian life after injuring his leg.
Instead, he served as a civilian employee in the military. After being demobilized and returning home, he woke up one morning to find himself in this world.
It can be said that they are completely out of touch with society, and no matter how old a man is, he will have a childish moment.
Seeing that Cheng Feng remained silent, Yang Xueli did not say anything further.
Cheng Feng thought for a moment, then took the other wine jug and tossed it to Yang Xueli, saying:
"Try it, it's the local camel milk wine I bought before I left."
Yang Xueli took the wine pot and didn't stand on ceremony with Cheng Feng.
After thanking him and taking a sip, he visibly relaxed.
Then the two started chatting idly, and before they knew it, the light inside the cave had grown even dimmer.
The temperature had dropped considerably, and everyone was welcoming their first night in the desert.
Professor Chen's impromptu class finally ended, and everyone returned to the fire to warm themselves.
Cheng Feng felt someone was staring at him. He turned his head and saw Hao Aiguo's chubby face, which immediately worsened his mood.
"If this old guy had a favorability rating, it would probably be close to zero by now."
Ignoring Hao Aiguo's disgusted look, Cheng Feng stood up and said:
"I'm going to rest now. Remember to call me, Lao Hu."
Hu Bayi agreed and then said...
"Everyone should get some rest early, we still have a long journey ahead tomorrow."
Everyone readily agreed, and soon they all went to rest.
Early morning,
Hu Bayi checked the time, then got up and walked towards Cheng Feng.
Before he could take more than a few steps, he saw Cheng Feng turn over and get up.
Hu Bayi looked surprised and whispered:
"Brother Cheng, you're not asleep!"
"I've rested well, go to sleep now. I'll keep an eye on things for the rest of the night."
He responded and walked over to the fire, where he sat down. The light from the solid fuel provided him with some warmth.
Hu Bayi didn't say much and immediately went to rest; he had reached his limit.
Time passed slowly, and several hours went by without us even realizing it.
Cheng Feng got up and walked to the entrance, looked outside, and then raised his hand to check his watch.
It was already 3:50 a.m., and Cheng Feng could clearly feel that the sandstorm outside had subsided.
Based on the current weakening trend, the sandstorm will be over in a little over an hour.
Looking at Hu Bayi, who had only slept for less than four hours, Cheng Feng could only silently apologize.
Then he clapped his hands and shouted.
"Get up, wake up!"
Almost as soon as the words were spoken, everyone instinctively jumped up.
"what happened?"
"Is it dawn yet?"
"what happened?"
After a brief moment of confusion, the shelter was filled with a cacophony of questions from everyone.
After looking around and finding no danger, Yang Xueli breathed a sigh of relief. Then, glancing down at the time, she...
He frowned.
"Xiao Feng, why did you wake us up before four o'clock?"
Everyone looked at Cheng Feng with confusion, and those who were grumpy in the morning were about to start cursing.
Amidst the questioning and angry gazes of the crowd, Cheng Feng calmly said:
"Get up and pack your things. The sandstorm is now under control."
If we delay any longer, we might not be able to leave.
Hu Bayi: "What do you mean by that, Brother Cheng?"
"I saw an ant while you were sleeping."
Unfortunately, it's the desert army ant we discussed last night.
There can't possibly be only one of these, so if you want to stay and feed the ants, then go back to sleep.
After saying that, Cheng Feng turned around and began packing his things.