Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The elfins did not really agree with Zhang Zian. The bird was too far away, and the probability of catching up with it was not great. Instead of wasting energy on futile attempts to catch it, it might have been better to wait for the next bird to appear.
Nevertheless, he still decided to chase after the bird. He was not sure if another one was ever going to appear.
Old Time Tea prudently put forward another possibility. “Zhang Zian, how do you know that the bird is returning to its nest? If it is out of the nest to search for food, shouldn’t it head for the south instead?”
The other elfins had a revelation. They wanted to track the bird to find an oasis, but if the bird was flying away to look for food, it would bring them further from the oasis.
Zhang Zian did not stop working his brain despite his fever. He had reasons for his actions.
He gestured for them to look outside.
It was already afternoon, the sun was obviously westward, and the light was much weaker than it had been at noon. According to his experience, there were only two to three hours left before the sun set.
He explained, using Richard as an example. “Most birds have night blindness. This means that it will return to the nest within three hours. Otherwise, it will be dangerous to land at night when it can’t see things.”
He had considerable confidence that the bird was returning home.
The elfins realized that what he was saying made sense. As they had good night vision, they tended to ignore the night blindness of birds.
With the exception of migratory birds, most birds would return home during the night. Besides, it was currently summer, and migratory birds did not undertake the journey during this season.
As long as they did not lose this bird over the next two to three hours, they were likely to find its habitat, and they hoped that there was an oasis where it resided. Even if there was no oasis, there would likely be some cacti. Cutting them for some cooling cactus juice would also suffice.
The elfins and Zhang Zian were all staring at the bird. The drone tracked its flight path in the air, followed it off the original route, and headed east.
As time passed, the sun gradually sank. However, the bird was always flying with no sign of trying to land. This made Zhang Zian question his own judgement.
That was not right. Could it be…that the bird was also a drone? Or was it a mirage?
There were a few times that they had to go around sand dunes and lost the bird. Had it not been for the wide vision of the drone, they might have truly lost where the bird was heading.
As the sunlight dimmed, it became increasingly difficult for the naked eye to follow the black spot.
Just as the sun was close to setting, as Zhang Zian had begun to doubt life itself, the black spot suddenly began to fall—the angle of the drop was smooth. As the light was waning, he did not realize it immediately.
“Look over there! Reflection!”
Vladimir jumped on top of the car. He was able to see farther, and his eyes caught a shining reflection on the horizon.
Reflections found deep in the desert were generally from rocks or even…a lake.
Zhang Zian and the elfins were excited. If there was a lake, despite it only being a small spring, it could completely solve their water problem.
This area was indicated as blank on the map and did not show the existence of an oasis. Nabari had not mentioned it either. It could be an oasis of springs that had been emerging from the ground.
The drone’s battery was running low, but on its last glimpse before landing, it captured an area full of large black shadows. These were suspected to be tall trees. It also captured a shimmering flash in the sunset.
Zhang Zian stopped, took the drone back into the car, and discussed with the elfins. “Since we have found an oasis, why don’t we camp here and go towards it in the morning when there is sunlight?”
He now felt somewhat secure and less anxious. He was now more worried. Might there be any dangers around the oasis? If the desert oasis did not become a gathering place for humans, it would become a gathering place for animals. Some of them—like the ferocious birds, snakes, and other dangerous animals—might just roam the area.
The water in the car could still last them another two to three days. There was no need to head to the oasis tonight.
The elfins were daring and did not mind heading in at nightfall. Nevertheless, they followed his plan to rest for the night first.
The so-called camp, with their tents and inflatable mats gone, was not much of anything. Zhang Zian took the chance to change his position, stretch his stiff body, and watch some pre-downloaded movies on his phone before getting back in the driver’s seat and sleeping.
At least he could now drink to his heart’s content. However, he had to keep every single water container.
Sleep early and wake up early the next day, he thought.
The sun was now shining. The elfins and Zhang Zian woke up.
The drone’s power had been used up. He decided to stand on the roof of the car and raise his telescope to look at the sun.
Last night, he’d had a nightmare and woken up in the middle of the night. He’d dreamt that the oasis was actually a mirage, and there was not even a drop of water. The desperation he felt in that dream made him wake up in a cold sweat.
He was worried that the nightmare would come true. Fortunately, what he saw with his eyes showed that it was just a dream.
Although it was not a wide area, he could just make out the oasis using his telescope. Tall palm trees, low bushes, occasional birds, and a deep blue lake. These were the things people hoped to see most in the desert.
This was by no means a dream. No mirage could last all night.
“Hey! I don’t know if there is any fresh fruit in this oasis, but I have not eaten fresh vegetables and fruits for several days. Even my gums are swollen!” Richard shouted.
“You have to have teeth to have gums. In any case, you better be careful not to be eaten by the predators around here.” Zhang Zian was in a good mood today, and he was willing to banter with him.
Thinking about vultures and falcons scared Richard. He hurriedly snuck back into the car and said, “Oh! I certainly cannot pick my fruits myself. If I could, what would be the use in having you?”
After breakfast and some simple tidying, he drove to the oasis. Considering that there could be mosquitoes in the oasis, he also applied mosquito repellent, although he did not think it would be as effective as the cooling oil.
They didn’t travel long before they came to the edge of the oasis. The air here was more humid than anywhere else.
Without waiting for the car to stop completely, he and the elfins couldn’t wait to jump out of the car and rush to the lake. He splashed his face with water, wet his hair, and coated his body with the liquid.
He had not had this much fun in a long time.
He knows his actions are somewhat boorish, but he couldn’t care less. Only those who had experienced thirst in the desert could understand how he felt.
There should not be any crocodiles here in this small lake, right?
He suddenly felt itchy and really wanted to take a bath.
