I Received Messages From Future Self!
Chapter 355 - Chapter 355 Chapter 351 Entering the Desert

Chapter 355: Chapter 351: Entering the Desert Chapter 355: Chapter 351: Entering the Desert 03:30 AM!

Considering the high temperatures during the day in the desert, Fang Xiaocao decided to set off in the cool early morning, resting when the daytime temperature rose and continuing their journey into the night. This way, they wouldn’t impact their rest and could reduce their exposure to the harsh desert heat.

Fang Xiaocao’s team consisted of two pickup trucks, six camels, and five people.

Apart from Fang Xiaocao and Taotie, the other three were elites from the Tomb Raider Sect.

One, responsible for navigation and scouting, was a Feng Shui Master named Liu Yishou.

Liu Yishou, over fifty years old, was a former Sect Master of the Tomb Raider Sect and had personally trained his disciples.

Although he was only second-class in combat, with a compass in hand, he could quickly navigate any complex terrain or maze using the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, significantly increasing their chances of survival in the easy-to-get-lost desert.

The second was called Drilling Mouse, who wielded a Luoyang shovel and an engineer shovel in each hand, expert in digging and a First-Class Expert in identifying flora and fauna as well as wilderness survival.

Drilling Mouse knew what was poisonous, what was edible, and how to find oases by relying on animals and plants. He had successfully led trapped Tomb Raider Sect teams through the desert and Gobi, securing their escape multiple times.

The third was called Little Luban, a woman in her twenties, reputed to be a descendant of Luban, extremely skilled at deciphering mechanical traps from both ancient and modern times, including high-tech security systems of today.

Moreover, Little Luban was also a First-Class Expert and the technical advisor of this operation.

With her there, no matter whether it was high-tech security systems or ancient traps used at the Pawnshop for protecting Gold Bricks, she could ensure that Fang Xiaocao and her team would successfully retrieve the Gold Bricks.

Liu Yishou and Drilling Mouse led the way in the first pickup truck, carrying the majority of the supplies, while Taotie drove the second pickup truck, carrying Fang Xiaocao and Little Luban behind them.

Taotie’s truck carried a smaller portion of the supplies to ensure that, in case of any mishaps leading to a separation from Liu Yishou’s team, Taotie’s trio could survive for a while, giving Liu Yishou time to return and search for rescue.

Moreover, the six camels were tied to the rear of Taotie’s truck.

The camels would be their main mode of transport later in the desert journey.

When the spare fuel for the pickup trucks was exhausted, or if the trucks got stuck in the sand and couldn’t escape, Fang Xiaocao and her team would abandon the vehicles and continue on camels.

In the desert, you could manage without cars, but definitely not without camels.

As for going on foot…

It really was no different from committing suicide.

In the blink of an eye, it was nearly morning.

Fang Xiaocao and her team had been trekking in the desert for six to seven hours now.

At this time, the sun hung high in the sky, scattering scorching sunlight. Fang Xiaocao tried sticking a hand out of the window, and the intense sunlight scorched her skin, feeling as if it were being roasted over a fire.

“Taotie, signal Liu Yishou and the others, we’re not going any further, we’ll camp here and rest,” she said.

“With this hot weather, if we keep going, the car will turn into an oven,” Fang Xiaocao said to Taotie, who was driving.

“Yes!”

Taotie responded and immediately picked up the vehicle-mounted walkie-talkie.

“Princess Your Highness commands to set up camp!”

“Received!”

A response promptly came through the walkie-talkie.

The front pickup truck slowly came to a stop.

Liu Yishou and Drilling Mouse got out of the truck.

They uncovered the tarp from the truck bed and began setting up the tent.

Taotie also got out of the vehicle to help set up the tent.

Fang Xiaocao and Little Luban, meanwhile, prepared food.

Though there wasn’t really any need to prepare food.

It was nothing more than some compressed biscuits and canned food.

Five people each had a packet of compressed biscuits, five hundred milliliters of water, and altogether they opened three cans, two containing meat and one containing fruit, to replenish the proteins and vitamins their bodies needed.

Although Fang Xiaocao and her comrades were relatively well-prepared with food, venturing deeper into the desert carried its unknown risks, making it impossible to guarantee their return within the planned time. From the moment they entered the desert, Drilling Mouse suggested that they minimize their use of supplies whenever possible, to prepare for any unforeseen needs.

They were still at the periphery of the desert, but as they moved deeper, Drilling Mouse planned to rely on his wilderness survival skills to hunt some of the desert animals for food, conserving even more of their storeable food supplies.

After a simple meal, leaving Drilling Mouse on guard duty, Fang Xiaocao and the other three split up and head into their tents.

There were two tents in total: Fang Xiaocao and Little Luban, the two women, stayed in one tent, while Taotie, Liu Yishou, and the other man stayed in the other.

Guard duty was rotated among the five of them.

Originally, Taotie did not want Fang Xiaocao to take part in guard duty, but Fang Xiaocao insisted on not receiving any special treatment.

After all, they were already deep in the desert, where many formalities could no longer be afforded. Only with fair distribution could they ensure the safety of the group to the greatest extent.

Unable to persuade Fang Xiaocao, Taotie had to agree to her request.

Drilling Mouse took the first shift, followed by Liu Yishou as the second, Taotie as the third, Little Luban as the fourth, and Fang Xiaocao as the last.

They started their rest at ten in the morning, with each person taking a two-hour shift, totaling ten hours for the five of them. By the evening, they would continue their journey, perfectly timed to avoid the harshest midday and afternoon sun while ensuring ample rest.

Lying in the stuffy tent, Fang Xiaocao tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and began to miss the wonderfully cool air conditioning back at the Jiang Family Manor.

Once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back. She was the leader and couldn’t entertain thoughts of retreat.

“Fang Xiaocao, if you can’t overcome this bit of hardship, how will you make yourself stronger?”

“Do you not want the Gold Bricks anymore?”

Fang Xiaocao questioned herself in her mind.

The thought of those gold bricks prompted her to close her eyes and force herself to sleep by counting sheep.

When Fang Xiaocao reached the ten thousandth sheep, sleep gradually overtook her, and she drifted into a deep slumber, unaware of her surroundings.

Time ticked by second by second.

The camp remained safe and undisturbed.

By the time Fang Xiaocao woke up again, six hours had passed, stirred by the sound of Taotie telling Little Luban it was time to switch shifts, which woke Fang Xiaocao up.

Fang Xiaocao lay in her sleeping bag, awake but with her eyes still closed.

As she listened to the rustling sound of Little Luban crawling out of his sleeping bag, she drifted back to sleep.

“Princess, wake up!”

In her drowsiness, she dimly felt someone pushing her, and Fang Xiaocao immediately became alert, opening her eyes wide to stare at the person pushing her.

“Phew…”

“Is it you, Little Luban?”

“Is it my turn for guard duty?”

After recognizing the person pushing her, Fang Xiaocao let out a sigh of relief, rubbed her eyes, and asked.

“Yes, it’s been two hours already,”

Little Luban answered with a smile.

“Alright!”

“You get some rest, I’ll go out!”

After Fang Xiaocao affirmed, she climbed out of her sleeping bag and crawled out of the tent.

At that moment, it was exactly six o’clock in the evening.

The temperature had dropped slightly; it wasn’t as muggy as the morning…