Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 117: Desert Oasis

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Desert Oasis

"At this point, Gu Fan was filled with doubts, "This should be a deserted region where humans rarely venture, why are we continuously encountering other teams?"

If the appearance of one team could be viewed as a coincidence, the emergence of a second team made Gu Fan second guess his assumptions.

Setting aside his concerns for a moment, Gu Fan and Lu Yi quickly returned to the campsite to explain why they had hurried off so suddenly, it was simply for a confirmation.

Ouyang Jin, like others, was puzzled. When did this dangerous abandoned area become so crowded? Has adventuring become so popular or are people just bored to death?

Even Professor Luo didn’t quite believe it and deemed it suspicious. Why hadn’t they bumped into any other teams in the previous few days while now they were coming across not one, but two?

While everyone was in doubt, Du Jun scoffed, "What’s so strange about it? Are we the only people allowed to adventure here, while the rest are not? It wouldn’t be surprising to encounter a third or fourth team."

"This... is indeed within the realm of possibilities... but..." Unable to verify the situation, Gu Fan resisted guessing wildly. Therefore, the group set off again, heading north in search of ruins and an oasis.

After only half a day, they had finally reached the desert. As far as the eye could see, golden sand stretched across the landscape, with sand dunes rising and falling everywhere. The scorching heat prompted people to take an extra gulp of water.

Despite Professor Luo and Ouyang Jin’s repeated warnings about not wasting water before finding the oasis, thirst was becoming more difficult to manage.

Everyone understood what was stated, but having walked for a while in the deadly heat, with sweat trickling down their backs and rampant thirst, the discomfort was unbearable. Many people had never experienced such hardship. Even the well-trained Su Hui seemed to be struggling.

Seeing everyone’s spirit depleted, struggling to progress under the intense sun, Ouyang Jin, the guide, felt an immense pressure. If they couldn’t find the oasis promptly, they must alter their route immediately to find the nearest water source known to him.

Under regular circumstances, they’d feel slightly exhausted only after half a day of walking, but now, after just an hour, many started feeling unwell. Qin Jia, in particular, showed signs akin to heatstroke, their face having taken on an unhealthy colour.

Seeing no other option, Professor Luo instructed everyone to drink a bit more water. Watching everyone guzzling down water from extreme thirst, concerns welled up in Professor Luo. Hardly any of these young college students had suffered hardship like this before.

Gu Fan took three large gulps of water, wiped his mouth, and tightened the lid. He knew that this was not sustainable as they were running short of water. This meant entering the desert was not a good idea under the current circumstances.

The oasis was everyone’s hope, and Ouyang Jin, the person who could lead them there, represented this hope. So, everyone pinned their hopes on him.

Feeling this pressure, Ouyang Jin then grimaced, "Please, all of you, don’t gaze at me like that, you’re putting me under a lot of pressure. I have never faced so much pressure, I fear the more I feel stressed, the greater the probability of messing up."

"Dude, you can’t afford to screw up," an agitated Gu Fan replied, "If you do, we’re all done for. And quit pulling the price hike trick, okay?"

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding," Ouyang Jin laughed it off, "I do not have any intention of hiking up the price. This price is extremely fair, transparent, and just." He responded quite slickly, raising doubts in everyone’s minds. However, his final payment wasn’t due until their return, so they weren’t afraid Ouyang Jin would take off.

As the sun climbed to its zenith, the omnipresent heat seemed to double, grilling everyone until all were drenched in sweat. It was incredibly hot. Everyone longed for city life, yearning for air conditioning and chilled watermelon.

"Hang on a little longer, folks. I think we’re almost there," Ouyang Jin said, flipping through his father’s notes, studying the estimated route. All the while, he made sure to observe his surroundings meticulously to ensure they didn’t deviate too far and perhaps miss the oasis.

Poachers were not to be feared, wolves might seem ferocious, but could be vanquished by collective courage. The mighty pack of carnivorous ants was extremely terrifying, their survival against which was akin to a narrow escape from death. All these challenges could be overcome through joint efforts, but making headway in the face of an exceptionally harsh desert environment was proving extremely challenging.

According to the records, they should first come across ruins, followed by the oasis and all these events seemed to have transpired within a day’s time. However, everyone had been walking for over half a day without catching sight of anything.

At this point, Ouyang Jin feared that perhaps their path had slightly deviated from what was meant to be, or worse still, the previously existent oasis might have vanished, which could be a huge problem.

As Ouyang Jin glanced back at the group who were mustering all their strength to move forward. Out of necessity, they had to take some water resulting in the depletion of their already scarce water resources. Now, there were only two barrels left. This was their last water reserve meant to ensure their retreat, hinting that they could not afford to go any further.

"Damn it, don’t play games with me." Ouyang Jin gritted his teeth. He himself was finding it hard to carry on. No matter how much he wiped his face, the sweat kept pouring down his cheeks. The scorching sun was grilling everything mercilessly.

As Ouyang Jin was hesitating, Gu Fan walked over, patted Ouyang Jin on the shoulder, and said, "Hold on for just one day. Keep moving. If there’s no discovery, don’t hesitate to turn back tomorrow and look for the water source you know of. It may be a bit far, but to find water is to find hope. It just takes a little more time. Don’t feel any mental pressure or burden. Just be steady and determined."

Hearing this, Ouyang Jin felt reassured, he nodded his head resolutely and continued the journey.

Gu Fan picked up his binoculars, scanned the surroundings, and said, "We’ve come across two teams before. If they, like us, came here to explore this frontier, and it was a mere coincidence that we’ve met them; I find it hard to believe. If we come across another team, then I truly believe it. There seem to be many who are as foolish as us, choosing to endure hardships here."

Lu Yi laughed, "Of course, our country has such a large population. No matter what you do, there are many others doing the same thing."

Professor Luo also said, "Over the centuries, many scholars have wanted to find the ancient city of Qian Ye. Perhaps, the teams Gu Fan saw are also here for the archaeological exploration?"

"There’s that possibility!" Gu Fan thought for a moment, then smiled mysteriously, no one knew what he was thinking.

The day gradually turned into dusk. The sun set beyond the distant horizon, emitting a gorgeous glow that dyed the sky red. The beautiful sunset was absolutely mesmerizing.

Unable to resist, Lin Xi said, "Although we’ve suffered all day in this desert, being able to witness such a beautiful sunset is a sort of compensation."

Everyone agreed, nodding their heads. Gu Fan inwardly sighed. At this time, a positive mentality was needed, but this optimism wouldn’t sustain everyone until the end. They still needed water. If they didn’t find any before sunset, they’d have to turn back tomorrow.

"Dear heaven, please spare us from spending more time and suffering any longer." In Gu Fan’s fervent prayers, Su Hui suddenly exclaimed, "Look over there! Does it seem like there are trees?"

"What? Let me see." Gu Fan and Ouyang Jin almost simultaneously grabbed their binoculars. They saw it! They really saw several trees! This meant only one thing: there was a water source nearby, a desert oasis was just ahead.

Everyone cheered, their spirits instantly lifted, their actions quickened, moving towards the oasis.

In no time, they reached the location. Although it was only a relatively small lake, it was more than enough. The surrounding vibrant greenery suggested that this oasis had existed for a long time. It was great news — they had found water.

They no longer needed to ration water. Drinking heartily with heads held high, there was an endless supply of water behind them now.

But Ouyang Jin quickly intervened, indicating that they hadn’t yet confirmed if the water from the oasis was safe to drink. They couldn’t simply guzzle down all their carried water.

Suddenly, everyone’s faces grew tense, hoping that the water of this oasis had no issues. Otherwise, given their recent quenching spree and insufficient replenishment, their remaining journey would become even more unbearable.

Ouyang Jin tested the water of the oasis, his brow furrowing a little, which made everyone nervous, fearing he would announce that the oasis water was problematic.

After a while, Ouyang Jin nodded. He gave a thumbs-up, "It’s okay, the water is drinkable. We’ve got water now."

At his words, everyone cheered again, celebrating overcoming yet another challenge. They decided to camp for the night here.

Gu Fan was delighted. With the water issue resolved, they could dig deeper into the desert. For the latter part of the journey, food and water were no longer problems. Plus, Ouyang Jin was a reliable guide; there shouldn’t be anything to fear.

However, the first half of the journey was not smooth. Gu Fan found it hard to let down his guard, sensing that unexpected incidents could occur anytime. He didn’t know when something else might pop up.

Just as Gu Fan was worrying, a team appeared on the distant horizon. As darkness descended, they moved quickly towards this direction.

"Oh my, what’s that about!" Lu Yi’s remark drew everyone’s attention to the situation. More trouble could be brewing.

Everyone became alert. This sudden appearance of a team might not bode well. It could be a bad omen, like the hunters they encountered on the first night of the journey. The key problem was that their might be many more of them this time.