The area around the lake had calmed down, and as far as the eye could see, there were endless sand dunes. However, the sand here was a rare white—so white it was almost like snow. If it weren’t for the scorching heat, Li Cu would likely think he was on a snow-capped mountain.

Wang Meng paddled the inflatable raft, and they pushed the sand to get ashore. Wu Xie reminded, “Pull the raft up. If the lake moves again, we’ll be in trouble.”

“Do you think this lake is like a train, where a few passengers get off at a stop and then it keeps going?” Li Cu said whimsically.

“Then it must be a circular route. I wonder how long it takes to go around,” Wu Xie said, bending down to scoop up a handful of sand. The scorching white sand made him frown slightly. “There’s quartz in it, just like the sand outside. But why is it so white?”

“Is there anything special about white sand?”

“Most of the sand is made of stones, and white indicates a high calcium content.” Wu Xie let the sand slip from his hands and said, “I don’t remember seeing this area in the aerial photos.”

“Maybe it’s a lighting issue, so it doesn’t look that obvious from above,” Li Cu suggested.

“The aerial camera isn’t a point-and-shoot,” Wu Xie replied, raising his hand in the air. “Besides, there’s not a hint of wind here.”

Li Cu followed suit and found that it was indeed the case—there was absolutely no airflow.

At that moment, Wang Meng, who was pulling the raft, suddenly shouted, “Boss! Come quick!”

Li Cu and Wu Xie rushed up a sand dune to see what Wang Meng was pointing at. The sand on the dune shifted as he dragged the raft, causing a section of it to collapse and reveal something buried inside.

Li Cu and Wu Xie ran over as the raft slid further down. Soon, a corner of a large truck wreck emerged from the dune. The collapsed section revealed the truck bed, which was filled with the same kind of hazardous containers they had discovered at the bottom of the lake earlier.

The three of them dug vigorously in the sand, and before long, a decaying Liberation truck was unearthed. The rust patterns formed in the desert were distinct from those in other places; they could clearly see that this truck had been corroded by something alkaline, with much of the metal covered in a layer of white rust that crumbled at the slightest touch.

“Look, this truck must have been stranded here for a long time,” Wang Meng panted. “And boss, when we went into the water, we all pushed this raft together. Why is it just me pulling it up now?”

“Observing the environment is more important than pulling the raft,” Wu Xie replied. “Things rust slowly in the desert. Given the level of corrosion, this truck has probably been here for at least twenty years.”

“Not necessarily,” Li Cu countered. “We learned in class that the temperature difference between day and night in the desert is significant, and there can be water vapor at dusk. All of this can accelerate the corrosion of objects. Besides, there’s a water source nearby. The container we saw in the lake, I estimate it fell in from here and was carried by the lake to the oasis where we rested earlier.”

“I didn’t expect you to be such a good student,” Wu Xie said, surprised.

Li Cu silently thought to himself that the reason he remembered so clearly was that the teacher who taught that knowledge had a large chest, making the class particularly enjoyable for him, and he listened attentively. Later, when an old man took over the class, he lost all interest in listening.

“That’s not right. This kind of vehicle can’t be driven here,” Wang Meng said as he cleared away a large pile of white sand, revealing tires that had rotted away to the point of resembling cotton fluff. “Boss, these are rubber tires; they’ve all melted in the sun.”

Wu Xie pointed at the rubber tire and explained to Li Cu, “This type of tire can only be used on smooth roads. If this place is all sand, it can’t move at all; it will just sink in.”

“So, there used to be a road here? Beneath the sand?” Li Cu shook his head, looking at the endless white sand, feeling that it was impossible to dig up a road that might not even exist. After all, the entire road is buried under sand; even if a small section is dug out, there are still continuous sand dunes ahead. It would be nearly impossible to dig it all out in a lifetime. Moreover, this is a desert, and you can’t dig a pit in sand.

“How could there be a road here?” Wu Xie murmured to himself while speaking to the two of them, “We’re in a bit of a predicament now, so why not dig a little more to see if we can uncover the vehicle further? Once we expose the cabin, we might find something useful.”

So the three of them continued to dig. However, after a few more strokes, a sunken, withered human face suddenly emerged from the sand. Then the sand suddenly collapsed, and all the sand around the face fell away, revealing a completely desiccated skeleton beneath the sand.

Li Cu, who had never seen such a scene, was drenched in cold sweat. Fortunately, it was daytime, so he didn’t scream, but he also didn’t dare to get any closer. He glanced at the other two; even Wang Meng didn’t look much better than him.