No strange things are allowed to evolve!

Pause for a few seconds.

How do you feel?

Another moment of silence followed.

"Let's continue."

They were all too embarrassed to say that they felt a chill, as if a gentle breeze was blowing, so they tacitly refrained from mentioning it again, and simply closed their eyes to carefully feel it.

This was tough on Jiang Shu.

To his surprise, these two extraordinary individuals, after noticing the anomaly, not only did not become tense, but instead completely relaxed.

Just like cats and dogs don't know that automatic feeders also need to be controlled by humans, they only know that after they finish eating, new food will fall out of the bowl. They don't thank their owners, they only thank nature for its bounty.

So after sensing the so-called life force in the sand, they began to deliberately cater to it, as if they felt that doing so would allow them to gain the power of the desert more quickly.

There was no other way; Jiang Shu couldn't show herself now and tell them the truth.

All he could do was smoke more frequently.

Anyone who has worked on a construction site knows that although sand is not as fluid as water, it is not much better. If the foundation is not well laid and collapses, sand and gravel will rush into the pit, and the speed at which the sand and gravel are dug out will definitely not be able to keep up with the speed of the collapse.

Especially given that the pit is getting bigger and bigger.

What should I do?

Jiang Shu sighed.

It seems the only option is to find a way to block it.

The problem is, we're in a sandy state ourselves now, so how can we block it?

Um...

I'm sorry!

The next instant, Xue Wang and Wang Tiezhu opened their eyes at the same time.

They opened their mouths, but no sound came out.

Or rather, just as they were about to unconsciously make a sound, they seemed to sense what sound they were about to make and then reached out to cover their mouths.

Both of their eyebrows arched slightly, and their eyes changed from firm to somewhat unfocused.

Soon, Snow King couldn't help but curl up slightly, covering his mouth with one hand and his eyes with the other. His plump, round toes were tightly interlocked and hooked together, carving out a three-room-one-living-room shape at the bottom of the sandpit.

Wang Tiezhu bit her lip hard and buried her face in the sand, as if doing so would make her feel better.

Although they were both struggling with their instincts, they didn't know what the other person was doing. So, after getting used to the unfamiliar feeling, they immediately and reluctantly tried to ask about the other person's situation.

"Are you... alright...?"

"It's...it's alright..."

They were saying the same thing again.

"How are you feeling right now...?" Wang Tiezhu asked Xue Wang.

Xue Wang forced a smile and answered ambiguously, "I...I don't know...It was a little uncomfortable at first, but it got better after I got used to it..."

Wang Tiezhu then awkwardly replied, "Me too."

"Then can you feel the power of the desert?" Snow King asked.

Wang Tiezhu nodded. With a slight thought, the fingertips of her outstretched hand began to turn slightly into sand.

The Snow King did the same thing.

Then they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Although we are still far from there, this is a good start."

"Yes."

"Let's continue."

"it is good."

The two heads on the sand spoke so seriously, but their bodies beneath the sand were simultaneously assuming postures that made it easier for them to absorb the power of the desert.

Seeing their actions, Jiang Shu broke out in a cold sweat.

If he had previously harbored a mischievous urge, wondering when to tell the two that he had actually helped them.

But now, he is 100% certain that this will be a secret for life, and he can't tell anyone!

Fortunately, the crisis was over. The originally dry sand had solidified slightly, firmly sealing the passage and no longer threatening the two of them. Jiang Shu was relieved.

After handling things here, he finally had time to steal resources from other pools.

And so, ostensibly two people, but actually three, simultaneously began to slowly absorb the desert power of the entire Zodiac Train within the pool...

Chapter 152 The Spicy Teacher Dies?

Command center.

Several veteran guards were studying the map.

The falcon is positioned in the very center.

He was looking thoughtfully at the empty parts of the map.

The map is large, but it is not complete.

A significant portion of them only indicated the city's name and approximate location, but the exact location and how to get there remained unknown.

Since global desertification, all past maps have become meaningless because the terrain has been completely altered.

Many cities are now only known by their names, while the cities themselves, along with their histories, have been buried under the yellow sand.

The location the falcon was staring at was called White Cloud City.

Through his own two previous explorations, as well as the explorations of some predecessors who did not survive to this day, he has basically determined the approximate area of ​​Baiyun City.

Furthermore, there is substantial evidence to suggest that Baiyun City may not have completely fallen and has the potential to be transformed into a new oasis suitable for human habitation.

The problem is that it's not just humans who have their eyes on that place; there are also evil creatures born in the desert, known as the Sand Demons, who seem to want to take over the area as well.

The train was constantly disrupted by sand golems who kept trying to break into it, and that was the reason for this.

They were acting under the orders of the Sand Demon.

"We have to stop here; the terrain here is not suitable for the zodiacal train."

The falcon pointed to a hilly area surrounding White Cloud City and said.

This is the only way.

“Okay.” Someone next to him nodded: “We’ll switch to camels then. Once we’ve determined the location of White Cloud City, we’ll open a passage in these hills that connects the two sides, so we can go straight there.”

Someone estimated the time it would take to get there: "It will probably take about a week to get there. By then, most of the new recruits who are ready to awaken will have awakened, so we should have enough manpower. The area around White Cloud City isn't very large, so we should be able to find it in no time."

Falcon thought for a moment: "No, we can't send them all out. Although we can't confirm it, there's a high probability that there's a Sand Demon entrenched in White Cloud City, so there must be a lot of Sand Puppets there."

Without the protection of the train, those newcomers wouldn't be able to handle even a sand golem, let alone a sand demon.

If you can't even protect yourself, bringing them along will only be a hindrance.

So we'll have to do a thorough screening first; only those who meet the criteria will be brought along, and those who don't will stay on the train to provide backup, just in case..."

He paused.

"Someone needs to drive the Zodiac train back intact."

Upon hearing this, the other attendees immediately looked worried.

During their previous discussions, they had been consciously avoiding this topic. If there really was a Sand Demon in White Cloud City, this operation would likely end in failure, and they might even have to pay a price.

In the end, the falcon still managed to expose it.

Although they know that running away won't solve the problem, what else can they do?

Some problems can't be solved by running away; you'll only realize this when you face them, so it's better to run away.

Immediately, someone said with concern, "If there really is a Sand Demon, then all the previous exploration efforts have been in vain?"

The falcon shook its head: "Even if it exists, we'd have to try it."

Do you have a chance of winning?

"I don't know." Falcon sighed. "We'll only know after we try. The main thing is that we've already come this far. If we give up just because of the Sand Demon, it would be a bit of a shame no matter what."

"Who isn't?" they all agreed wholeheartedly.

"Anyway, let's leave it at that for now. Everyone should get some rest these next few days. It's going to be a tough battle," Falcon concluded.

The others understood immediately, and their eyes revealed a hint of determination.

One of them smiled casually and said, "This is our last dance, so we have to prepare well."

Someone immediately scratched their head awkwardly: "Oh no, am I going to die too?"

"This is the third time," the man replied helplessly. "It's always been an insurmountable obstacle for all the guards, and this time we've encountered the Sand Demon again. My advice is to have no worries, just go all out with the determination to die."

"I felt absolutely no comfort..."

Falcon waved his hand, stopping the two from their somewhat disruptive conversation.

"Don't be too pessimistic," he comforted her. "Maybe we'll get through this?"

"Yes," the man nodded with a smile, "perhaps being prepared to die will actually give you a glimmer of hope?"

Upon hearing this, even the falcon couldn't help but retort, "Does it really have to be with a death wish?"

A moment later, only Falcon and his deputy remained in the meeting room.

After everyone else had left, the deputy cautiously asked, "How many more times are left?"

Although the two have only carried out two exploration missions together and have known each other for less than two years, countless life-and-death trials have already cultivated a considerable tacit understanding between them.

Without needing to be explicitly stated, the falcon knew that the other party was asking how many more times it could use its complete sandification ability.

"About three times," the Falcon replied casually. "So you might have to put in some effort then. I have to wait until the crucial moment before I can make my move, otherwise I'm afraid I won't live to see the Sand Demon."

"You... sigh..." The deputy sighed and said regretfully, "So, there were supposed to be four more chances. Those two lads really messed things up."

"There's nothing more to say now that things have come to this."

The falcon didn't seem to care much; he was just a little disappointed.

"Actually, if those two guys could behave themselves and not cause any trouble, or if they could refrain from fighting back when I tried to teach them a simple lesson and not break the rules, I really think they have some ability and might become pillars of support after we leave."

“But,” the deputy stroked his chin, “if they hadn’t attacked you, you wouldn’t have discovered their abilities, would you?”

After thinking it over carefully, the falcon nodded: "That's true."

"But speaking of which, who exactly are these two guys who forced you to become completely sand to deal with them?"

"I don't know, it's a style I've never seen before."

The falcon was also somewhat puzzled, but he didn't think much of it:

"But that's normal. They can often find some extraordinary people. It has to be admitted that although those strange abilities can't completely kill beings with desert power, they can sometimes have some unexpected effects."

“So…” The deputy thought for a moment and said, “The situation is special now. Should we give them a chance? If we want to select some newcomers who won’t hold us back, those two people are still worth considering even if they haven’t awakened the power of the desert. If we let them awaken it successfully, they might be more useful than some of the veterans.”

“But…” Falcon hesitated, “They were too uncontrollable, especially the talkative one. He had a lot of bad intentions. I think he clearly wanted to stir up trouble and then get himself out of trouble. I can’t stand people like that, so I threw him into jail too.”

“Hmm… but I still think it’s worth a try. Every bit of strength is indispensable right now. Why don’t I get to know them better first?” the second-in-command asked the falcon for his opinion.

The falcon remained noncommittal, simply shrugging and saying, "It might be too late now."

“You mean…” the second-in-command seemed to remember something: “Doctor?”

“Yes, he should have been taken away by the Doctor by now,” Falcon said. “You know the Doctor’s methods. Even if he’s not dead, he should be crippled by now. In a little while, he should be turned into a battery.”

"Hmm... I'd better go take a look." The deputy was still unwilling to give up: "If the Doctor hasn't had time to prepare them yet, maybe they can still be saved. And you reminded me that the Doctor has plenty of ways to make them obedient, so that uncontrollable problems can be solved."

As he spoke, he began to walk toward the laboratory.

After a moment's hesitation, the falcon finally agreed to its deputy's idea.

"I'll go too. Hopefully, the doctor hasn't had a chance to make a move yet."

......

Beneath the Awakening Carriage, in the mezzanine.