“We continued to move downward. No matter how we turned, we couldn’t find the end of the cables buried beneath the sand, as they were buried too deep. This meant that the people we had contacted earlier seemed to be communicating with us from underground.

Since we were just a transport convoy, part of the entire factory, we didn’t know who to report this matter to, so we sent telegrams to many departments. However, many departments gave us strange explanations, most of which were unaware of the situation. Even the local military district didn’t understand what mission they had been carrying out all along.

Nevertheless, the military district commander decided to send some of them back to transport supplies to replenish resources, to avoid them being trapped inside.

This was their last supply delivery. After the transport convoy returned, they received orders to stand by at their location. By the third day, all contact with the outside world was cut off. They found that they could no longer communicate via telegram, and the telephone lines beneath the sand had also lost signal. At first, they didn’t mind, as they had plenty of gasoline and were very familiar with the routes.

However, they gradually noticed that the surrounding sand dunes began to undergo strange changes. The direct consequence of these changes was that many of them suddenly disappeared.

As soldiers, this situation meant a threat to them, indicating that enemies might be active nearby. The area had never been peaceful, so they intensified their patrols and sent people to search for any clues.

Soon, several reconnaissance teams sent out discovered very strange phenomena. They found that the sand dunes had changed from what they used to be; the sand they initially saw had vanished, and white patches began to appear on the dunes. These white patches slowly expanded, as if the yellow nutrients in the sand were being absorbed by something beneath it.

The white patches grew larger, and gradually the entire desert turned white. The white desert reflected the scorching sunlight even more, making their living conditions even harsher.

Meanwhile, personnel continued to disappear. Many reconnaissance teams that went out never returned. They could not communicate with their superiors, and the teams sent out to contact the outside world for reinforcements also did not come back, making the situation increasingly dire.

Several squad leaders and platoon leaders began to discuss among themselves. They noticed that everyone who had gone missing had done so during the periods before sunrise and after dusk, almost like a curse; many people disappeared from their tents.

No one had any idea what was happening, and everyone was extremely tense, feeling that they could be next.

Finally, one of the platoon leaders issued an order: everyone must tie themselves together with ropes while sleeping. That night, three more people went missing, but this measure made it clear how the disappearances were occurring.

While sleeping, several soldiers suddenly felt the rope being pulled forcefully. They woke up to find that one of the people beside them seemed to be dragged into the sand by something. Because they were tied with the rope, they were not completely pulled down, but the force was immense, and the person tied to the rope was also being dragged beneath the sand.”

I hope this translation meets your expectations! If you need any adjustments or further assistance, feel free to ask.

The few people immediately shouted, waking everyone up. Together, they pulled hard to get those individuals out of the sand. It was only then that they realized something seemed to be hidden in the dunes, dragging them into the sand while they were sleeping. The remaining people grew increasingly anxious; they discovered they could not sleep inside the tents, so they gathered their vehicles and slept inside them.

That night, countless sounds of things crashing against the underside of the vehicles came from beneath. They fired their guns at the sand, forcing those things to retreat. The squad leader felt that the situation was too strange; he believed that under these circumstances, they should not stay in this place any longer, so he ordered everyone to begin retreating.

Just as they were preparing, an unexpected change occurred. The man said to Li Cu: “When our convoy started refueling and lined up to leave, this desert came alive; it didn’t want us to leave at all.”

“Alive?” Li Cu was stunned; although the man’s account was chaotic, he understood it clearly.

The man nodded, “The desert is alive; all signs indicate that this desert is indeed alive.” As he spoke, he pointed to Li Cu’s back: “Can you let me see your back? I want to check the markings; I need to see if they are the same as what I saw back then.”

“The same?” Li Cu looked at the man and felt that there was a force in his gaze that made him believe that complying with his request would lead to some outcome.

He began to take off his military coat, but halfway through, he suddenly stopped and asked the man, “Wait, sir, what you’re saying is too smooth. How does it seem like it’s the same as what I would reveal on my back?”