stjorthotic Chapter 3 Woven Bags, The Arrival of the Black Sandstorm!
Chapter 3 Woven Bags, The Arrival of the Black Sandstorm!
Western Xinjiang, on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, a material distribution point in RQ County.
The midday sun was like a scorching whip, relentlessly lashing the parched earth.
The air was distorted slightly by the high temperature, and even the wind that entered the lungs had a rough, gritty feel.
At 10:00 AM sharp, the official live stream of "Exploring the World" started on time.
Almost the instant the stream was successfully pushed, the number of online users in the upper right corner skyrocketed from zero to eight million, and was still jumping up at a rate of tens of thousands per second.
In the backstage monitoring room, the chief director, Liu Zhenhua, looked at the terrifying data and rubbed his hands together excitedly.
He knew that at least half of this massive influx of traffic was for people to hurl insults.
Sure enough, as soon as the live stream switched to a panoramic view of the distribution point, the screen was instantly filled with a dense barrage of comments.
[Here they come! Sunflower seeds, peanuts, and bottled water for sale in the front row. Get ready to see Lin Mu make a fool of himself!]
[SuSu, my wife, I love you! You look so cool in that windbreaker today!]
[Little Autumn, remember to wear sunscreen! This place looks so hot.]
Where's Lin Mu? Where's that hopeless illiterate student with tons of stationery? Did he desert at the last minute?
[Han Zeyu's fans came to check in, resolutely boycotting the disgraced artist for insulting the archaeological industry!]
As the camera slowly zooms in with the crane, several heavily modified off-road vehicles and six-wheeled desert trucks are lined up in the open space of the gathering point, their engines emitting a deep roar.
Guests and members of the archaeological team are doing a final inventory of supplies.
On the far left of the image is Su Nianwei, a top-tier actress. Today, she is wearing a dark gray custom-made outdoor jacket from a top outdoor brand, high-top desert tactical boots, her long hair neatly tied in a high ponytail, and sunglasses.
She exuded an aloofness and competence that kept strangers at bay. She was skillfully checking her water bladder and goggles, her movements so professional that there wasn't a single flaw.
Next to her is Ye Zhi Qiu, a second-tier variety show actress.
Although she was wearing full outdoor gear, she was clearly not used to the scorching heat. She was holding a small neck fan and blowing it hard on her face, and she smiled wryly at the camera: "Family, we haven't even entered the desert yet, and I already feel like I'm being roasted alive."
In the very center of the picture, Professor Zhou Zhengyang of the Dragon Kingdom Archaeological Research Institute, along with his prized student, Dr. Chen Wentao, a geology PhD, is directing several staff members to load large scientific research instruments onto a truck.
"Be gentle! That's a gravity gradiometer. If you break it, you couldn't afford to pay for it even if you sold yourself!"
Chen Wentao pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his tone stern, exuding the arrogance of an academic elite.
Just then, a dusty bread truck stopped outside the distribution point.
The car door opened, and a tall, slender figure stepped out.
He was wearing an extremely ordinary black hardshell windbreaker, zipped all the way up, with a black baseball cap on his head and a black mask pulled down to his chin, revealing a face with distinct features but a sickly pale complexion.
What was most eye-catching was what he was carrying.
There were no designer suitcases or professional tactical backpacks, but two huge, red, blue and white striped snakeskin woven bags.
The woven bag was stuffed full, and as he walked, a few dull metallic clanging sounds occasionally came from inside.
After a brief silence in the live stream, the chat exploded with an unprecedented surge of comments.
[Holy crap, hahaha! He really came with a woven bag!]
[Help! This scene is too shocking! A migrant worker has infiltrated a group of top elites!]
Lin Mu understands the importance of creating a good show; I give him full marks for this self-deprecating humor.
[Isn't he hot wearing such a thick black windbreaker? Black absorbs heat, dude! Where's your common sense?]
Lin Mu ignored the strange looks from those around him.
After merging with Zhang Qiling's template, his five senses became extremely sharp.
He could clearly hear the whispers of the staff dozens of meters away, and he could also feel the helpless and disgusted look in Professor Zhou's eyes.
But he doesn't care.
He carried two heavy woven bags and walked steadily toward the off-road vehicle.
With each step, only a very shallow imprint was left on the sand beneath their feet, as if the two bags filled with high-carbon steel shovels and static ropes had no weight at all.
"Hello... Lin Mu."
Ye Zhi Qiu was a very outgoing person. Although he also thought Lin Mu's outfit was too strange, he still took the initiative to greet him.
Lin Mu stopped, turned his head slightly, glanced at her with his deep eyes, and nodded very lightly in response.
Ye Zhi Qiu was stunned for a moment.
For some reason, the moment she met Lin Mu's eyes, she felt as if the temperature around her had dropped several degrees.
It was a cold indifference devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
This is completely different from the rumored hot-tempered, over-the-top young actor.
Su Nianwei also noticed Lin Mu.
Her gaze lingered on Lin Mu's hands, which were carrying a woven bag, for two seconds—those hands were very white, with unusually long fingers, distinct knuckles, and faint blue veins protruding on the back of his hands, exuding a strong sense of power.
"Playing tricks."
Chen Wentao snorted coldly from a short distance away. The sound wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for the people around to hear.
As Professor Zhou's most valued doctoral student, Chen Wentao looked down on Lin Mu, a popular celebrity who relied on his looks, especially since he had made a terrible movie that insulted archaeology.
In his view, Lin Mu was a rotten apple that the production team forced in for the sake of viewership.
Lin Mu ignored Chen Wentao's sarcasm and walked straight to a supply vehicle, preparing to put the woven bags on it.
Beside him, Chen Wentao was carefully loading a silver-gray high-precision geological detector into a shockproof box.
Lin Mu's gaze casually swept over the instrument, then he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His research knowledge from his previous life, combined with the practical instincts granted by the system, allowed him to instantly recall the structure and weaknesses of the instrument the moment he saw it.
He turned to look at Chen Wentao, his cool voice ringing out in the noisy camp: "The sand cover clips on the ventilation shafts are loose."
Chen Wentao froze, frowned, and turned around: "What did you say?"
"The wind here carries extremely fine quartz sand."
Lin Mu pointed to a tiny gap on the side of the detector, his tone as calm as if stating a theorem: "Once the air is blown in, the static electricity will damage the motherboard and lock the latches in place."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding air seemed to quiet down a bit.
Professor Zhou stopped what he was doing, and Su Nianwei and Ye Zhiqi also looked over.
The live stream chat exploded instantly:
[Here it comes! The desperate illiterate man has started instructing doctoral students on how to use the equipment!]
[This is hilarious! He can't even hold a Luoyang shovel properly, yet he dares to boss around a geological survey instrument?]
[Dr. Chen, confront him! Let him know what academic barriers are!]
Chen Wentao was stunned for a moment, then, as if he had heard the biggest joke, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
He straightened up, adjusted his glasses, and said in a condescending academic tone, "Professor Lin, this is a Leica X9 high-precision geological detector imported from Hans, with a dustproof and waterproof rating of IP68. The loosening of the latch you mentioned is a patented structure specifically designed for micro-slit heat dissipation under extreme high temperatures."
Chen Wentao paused, his eyes sharpening. "I appreciate your kindness. But scientific instruments aren't like those plastic props you use in movies. Let's leave the professional stuff to the professionals."
These words were well-reasoned and supported by evidence, demonstrating both a high level of professionalism and a ruthless attack on Lin Mu's sore spot of making bad movies.
Professor Zhou nodded slightly, clearly satisfied with his student's response.
The comments section was filled with cheers:
[Awesome! Dr. Chen's dimensional reduction attack was so cool!]
[IP68 dustproof and waterproof! Micro-slit heat dissipation! Do you understand now, you hopeless illiterate?]
[Lin Mu must be feeling really awkward right now. He messed up his attempt to show off, hahaha!]
However, when the camera cut to Lin Mu's face, everyone was disappointed.
Lin Mu's eyes did not flinch, nor did he show any anger at being publicly refuted.
He just stared at Chen Wentao quietly, his gaze like that of someone watching a blind man stubbornly walking towards a cliff.
"what ever."
Lin Mu withdrew his gaze, uttered two words calmly, then picked up the two heavy woven bags with one hand, tossed them into the trunk with ease, and turned to walk towards his seat.
There was no argument, no outburst of anger, only a kind of indifferent indifference that left people bewildered.
Chen Wentao felt like he had punched cotton, feeling suffocated and uncomfortable.
He snorted coldly, put the detector back into the box, and ignored the attention-seeking clown.
……
Half an hour later, the convoy officially set off.
Less than an hour after driving along the highway, the asphalt road came to an end, replaced by a vast, undulating sea of yellow sand.
The real test has begun.
Because the area ahead was a dense Yardang landform, the off-road vehicles could not go any further, so the team had to get out of the vehicles and rely on camels and hiking to reach the first ancient riverbed site ten kilometers away to set up camp.
At 2 p.m., the desert surface temperature exceeded a terrifying 55 degrees Celsius.
The air felt like thick glue, and every breath felt like swallowing burning coals. The sand beneath our feet was as soft as water; when we stepped on it, most of our calves would sink in, making it extremely exhausting.
The group had already spread out within just half an hour of the hike starting.
The local guide, Uncle Anliman, led the way with a camel.
Chen Wentao and several young archaeologists, carrying their instruments, were sweating profusely but managed to keep up.
Su Nianwei displayed exceptional physical fitness. She silently adjusted her breathing, and although her steps were heavy, they were very steady.
Ye Zhi Qiu was completely exhausted. She looked like she had been pulled out of the water, with sunscreen mixed with sweat dripping down her face. She could only move with difficulty with the help of the staff.
"It's so hot... This is no place for a human to stay..."
Ye Zhi Qiu complained to the camera, panting.
At this moment, the viewers in the live stream also felt the intense, desperate heat that could be felt even through the screen.
This temperature is really dangerous, I feel so sorry for Zhi Qiu.
[SuSu is amazing! No wonder she's a hardcore gym-goer.]
[Wait... Look at Lin Mu!]
Someone shouted in the live chat, and the director immediately switched the camera to Lin Mu, who was walking at the back of the group.
In the video, Lin Mu is still wearing that black hard-shell windbreaker, with the zipper still fully zipped up, and he is carrying an extremely heavy woven bag on his back.
But what's truly terrifying is—
Despite the extreme heat and heavy load, Lin Mu's forehead was completely dry.
As the camera zooms in, you can even clearly see that his pale skin has no blush at all.
His steps were extremely even; every lift and fall of his leg was like a machine controlled by precise gears.
What's even more terrifying is his breathing.
While everyone else was gasping for breath, Lin Mu's breathing rhythm was a steady three seconds of inhalation followed by three seconds of exhalation.
Long, deep, and without a trace of disorder.
The live stream chat paused briefly, then burst into a screen full of question marks.
【？？？？？】
[Is he even human? Hiking in the desert at 55 degrees Celsius wearing a black waterproof jacket with a heavy load, without even sweating?]
Holy crap, listen closely to his breathing, his lung capacity is monstrous!
Did he have a miniature air conditioner hidden in his clothes? That's outrageous!
Su Nianwei, who was walking ahead, seemed to have noticed something as well, and she turned around to look at Lin Mu.
When she saw Lin Mu's face, which was completely dry and as indifferent as ever, the usually aloof actress's pupils suddenly contracted.
Having filmed action scenes for many years and received professional physical training, she knows all too well what it means for a person not to sweat or breathe in extreme environments.
This is a physical ability that ordinary people cannot possess.
Lin Mu noticed Su Nianwei's gaze, but he ignored it.
He felt the wondrous changes brought about by the Zhang Qiling template and the Qilin blood within his body. The intense heat, which was unbearable for ordinary people, felt like a gentle breeze to him.
His body is like a perfect internal circulation system, automatically adjusting his body temperature to the most comfortable state.
Just then.
Uncle Anliman, the guide who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped.
He abruptly ripped off his headscarf, his cloudy eyes fixed on the horizon, his sunburnt cheeks turning deathly pale in an instant.
"Stop! Everyone stop!"
Uncle Anliman's voice became sharp and distorted with extreme fear as he pointed to the rapidly expanding black line on the distant horizon.
"Hu Da's rage... The wind has changed! A black sandstorm... A black sandstorm is coming!"