A group of people walked out of the sand city one by one. The sky was still filled with yellow sand, obscuring their vision.
"Where are you guys headed this time?"
"We've pretty much searched the surroundings. There shouldn't be many animals around for now. We're planning to go about ten kilometers away to a Gobi Desert. We'll try our luck there."
"On foot?"
Hawoole nodded. "If we move quickly, we can be back before nightfall."
"But aren't there camels in the sand city? Why aren't we riding them?"
"We can't. The beasts in the desert are very ferocious. If we bring camels, they'll not only be startled by those beasts but might even get bitten to death. It's not worth the trouble."
Listening to Hawoole's explanation, Xu An didn't fully understand but didn't show too much objection.
The few people in front walked laboriously through the sandstorm. Xu An also lowered her head and followed closely, her feet sinking past the ankles with every step.
Looking up, yellow sand stretched everywhere. In her previous life, Xu An had never seen such a scene. Even in those drought years, the yellow sand then was not as awe-inspiring as what she saw now.
She looked at Hawoole leading the way and truly admired these "living maps" who could still discern directions in extreme climates.
Xu An didn't know how much time had passed until Ana, in front, let out a groan, as if she couldn't take it anymore. The group finally stopped to rest.
"Let's rest here for a bit. We'll set off again in half an hour."
Everyone agreed.
Xu An quietly followed behind the group. As they sat down, she didn't rush to open her backpack. Instead, she first observed her surroundings.
After Hawoole's half "bun," Xu An was hesitant about the mineral water in her backpack. She didn't know if she should take it out.
There were too many people here, and not everyone was as simple-minded and honest as Hawoole.
What if she took out the mineral water and was targeted by someone with ill intentions? She didn't want to attract a "companion" who constantly wanted her life in this extreme desert environment.
Just then, Hawoole walked over and handed Xu An a transparent plastic film.
"I don't know if you brought your own water. Take this. We all rely on this to collect water. If you have your own water, you can keep it as a backup when yours runs out."
As expected, after Hawoole finished speaking, the four of them took out plastic films and headed towards the side, where dense clusters of cacti were growing.
Xu An followed closely. She didn't actually believe that these people had no water with them, but since everyone was pretending, she naturally wouldn't make herself seem too "exceptional."
Hawoole took the lead. First, he dug deep pits around the cacti, then covered the small pits with plastic films, and sprinkled a circle of sand around the edges to secure the film.
"Alright, now we just wait."
The few people sat around the cacti. Ana also unbuckled the small package on her back. She took out a piece of dried meat from her backpack, its color a burnt brown, and the type of meat indistinguishable. She held it in her hand, hesitated for a long time, and finally stood up, handing the half piece of jerky to Hawoole.
"Here!"
"Ah... Ana, you eat it yourself. I brought dry rations."
"Eat it or don't!"
Ana was rejected and, displeased, threw the jerky into Hawoole's arms before returning to her seat.
"Ana... Ana... I didn't mean it like that..."
Afterwards, Hawoole followed closely, repeatedly lowering his head. Judging by his demeanor, he was likely apologizing to Ana.
Xu An watched with great interest from the side. After much thought, she decided she couldn't go without eating and finally decided to take out her compressed biscuits.
The moment she pulled the biscuit out of her backpack, everyone present, except for Ana and Hawoole, who were engrossed in their argument, immediately turned their gaze towards her backpack.
Xu An pretended not to see, unwrapped the biscuit, and ate it contentedly. At least, for Hawoole's sake, these people were willing to maintain a superficial peace, and she couldn't be bothered to fuss.
She felt that she must have been very hungry. The compressed biscuits, which were usually hard to swallow, tasted quite good in her mouth now.
In a short while, quite a few dewdrops had condensed on the plastic film. Hawoole found a small transparent bottle and carefully collected all the condensed dew into the bottle.
Then, Hawoole divided the collected water among everyone, giving each person a small bottle. Xu An estimated that this small bottle of water contained no more than fifty milliliters.
It was said to be a stone cave, but in reality, it was just two large rocks leaning against each other, leaving a space underneath that could shield them from the wind and sand. It was truly not spacious.
Xu An and Ana, the two girls, felt crowded even sleeping together.
Seeing Xu An enter, Ana snorted from her nose and then turned her back, "I hate you!" she said softly.
"Oh... well, I don't like you that much either."
Xu An wasn't angry. When she first met Ana, she thought this girl was vengeful. Seeing her fierce gaze, it seemed as if she wanted to devour her. With subsequent interactions, Xu An realized that Ana had been so fierce towards her that day because Hawoole had always kept her behind him.
Knowing the reason, Xu An was amused and exasperated. However, after the misunderstanding was cleared up, she felt that Ana, despite her sharp tongue, was fundamentally like Hawoole, with everything written on her face.