No strange things are allowed to evolve!

"Because residents see it every day, they can't notice the subtle differences?" Jiang Shu interjected.

"Maybe."

The Sand Demon nodded:

"In short, if we hadn't brought all the measuring tools and found the markers left by the previous expedition team, we would have almost been fooled by the local residents. The specific data measurement would be very troublesome and might delay some of their daily work, so they just wanted to get rid of us."

"There's nothing we can do about it," Jiang Shu shrugged.

"This alerted us at the time, but we didn't really take it too seriously, because it was reasonable no matter what. Maybe the wind was strong or there was a drought in those two years, which could be explained."

But what followed was shocking and counterintuitive.

The Sand Demon continued:

"The sea level has not only not risen, but has actually fallen."

Despite the melting of glaciers year by year, sea levels have dropped by nearly ten meters in the past three years.

Do you know what this means?

"I know." Jiang Shu nodded.

In the real world, the climate crisis caused global sea levels to rise by more than 10 centimeters from 1993 to 2024, which was already enough to sound an extremely loud alarm.

If the water level exceeds one meter, it means that many areas will be submerged, the proportion of land on Earth will be drastically reduced, and human survival will be seriously threatened.

Ten meters...

It's already an apocalyptic catastrophe.

Although the parameters of this world are very different from those of Earth, such a change occurring within three years, even if it involves only a lake, is inconceivable and almost impossible.

Not to mention the sea.

"It's fortunate that it didn't rise," Jiang Shu said.

"It's not that good."

The Sand Demon shook his head:

"If you knew that in just ten short years, the sea in the east and the glaciers in the north and south had completely disappeared, and that the desert in the west had not only covered the entire empire but also filled the deep ravines where the sea used to be, you wouldn't say that."

Is it really that exaggerated?

“It wasn’t so turbulent at first. Although the changes were still terrible, it was still bearable at that time.”

Sand Demon Path:

"After returning to Baiyun City from the east, I immediately began to organize the data and submit it. In fact, I reported what I saw and heard to the rear every day while on the road, but it wasn't until I returned that I had enough data to support the research."

I was extremely anxious at the time because I knew that this change was extremely abnormal, extremely bizarre, and extremely terrifying. I had a premonition that humanity was about to face a great catastrophe.

But I never expected it, I really never expected it...

He suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with helplessness and bitterness.

"What didn't you expect?" Jiang Shu asked.

"I didn't expect them to think I fabricated the data."

The Sand Demon seems to still be resentful:

"Those officials in the rear, after reading the information I brought back, unanimously believed that I had deliberately fabricated the data in order to gain merit."

I knew those numbers were exaggerated and unbelievable, so I didn't show too much anger at first.

I simply asked them to send more people to investigate. As long as several groups of people go to take measurements, they will find that my data is all true.

But they didn't.

The Sand Demon sighed:

"Because sending out a new scientific expedition team would be a considerable expense, they were unwilling to pay for it, so they simply contacted the border authorities to inquire with the local residents and officials."

What do people who can't even tell if the desert has moved a few dozen meters know?

What's worse, when those people learned that we were in trouble, instead of speaking up for us, they actually kicked us while we were down, just to get revenge for our delay in the on-site survey.

This completely confirms our accusations of being greedy for credit and reckless, not only falsifying data but also showing no consideration for the local people's plight.

Hearing this, Jiang Shu couldn't help but feel a pang of pity: "Sigh."

The desert sighed deeply: "Then soon, disaster struck, and the true nature of the Sand of All Things appeared in this world for the first time."

Chapter 171 There are still experts!

"At that time, our scientific expedition team had already been dismissed due to false accusations and should have been convicted, but one of my old leaders stepped in to protect me, which saved me from imprisonment."

We were young then, and of course we couldn't bear such humiliation. Why should we work so hard, enduring wind and rain for more than a year, and instead of being commended and rewarded, we were burdened with those stigmas?

So, just as things were coming to a close, we started planning to investigate again, determined to find out the reasons behind it and clear our names.

That operation was extremely difficult. There was no logistics or support, and we had to pay for the equipment and travel expenses ourselves. But we were determined to clear our names and prove our innocence.

To make ends meet, my companions and I sold our houses, barely managing to raise enough money to return to the desert safely.

The Sand Demon said:

"Then we discovered that there was more sand in the desert again."

The endless sand dunes we traversed a year ago have been replaced by many more, and the overall terrain of the desert has become higher. You can feel it just by feeling it, without even needing to measure it.

This is highly illogical. While sand movement might be caused by wind or tectonic activity, the total amount of sand should not fluctuate so drastically. If some areas become higher, others should naturally become thinner. It's not like the sand has suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

The sea level is dropping, but the desert is getting thicker year by year, even before desertification has started on a large scale. So, we have a very bold hypothesis - the sea has turned into a desert.

To verify our hypothesis, we spent another six months traveling to the border between the desert and the sea, hoping to see if there was some kind of transformation relationship between the sea and the desert. If there was such a transformation relationship, then the phenomenon that could be observed at the boundary should be the most obvious.

We camped there, taking measurements and recording data every day, and stayed for another three months..."

"And then?" Seeing that the Sand Demon couldn't get to the point, Jiang Shu grew impatient: "What about the Sand of All Things? Are you using clickbait?"

"Don't rush."

The Sand Demon was somewhat helpless:

"Don't I have to explain the whole story clearly? If I don't explain everything, you'll ask where the Sand of All Things came from, what happened to the Sand of All Things, and then you'll blame me for not explaining everything at once."

"Alright, alright, you can continue." Jiang Shu could only wave her hand, indicating that she would not interrupt anymore.

"Where was I? Oh, three months."

The Sand Demon cleared his throat before continuing:

"These three months have been uneventful, and we have gained nothing."

There were no strong winds or big waves. Because of its proximity to the sea, the air was very humid, and sand and dust rarely swirled up. Everything seemed normal.

But three months later, the water level dropped again, and the area where we were stationed had risen a bit more.

At this point, the Sand Demon paused, seemingly waiting for Jiang Shu's reaction.

"and then?"

"Don't you find it strange?" the Sand Demon asked. "No wind brings new sand, and the tents haven't even accumulated much dust, yet the terrain has still risen. This proves that the desert is rising, not because new sand is piling up, but because..."

"But it came up from below?" Jiang Shu raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right.” The Sand Demon nodded. “So we changed our strategy and instead of staying at the border where we had gained nothing, we went back to the desert to find the highest point.”

Jiang Shu could understand this line of thinking: "If sand comes from underground, it will first push upwards, creating a high ground, and then the sand on the high ground will slide to both sides until it covers the entire desert, right?"

"Yes, that's what we think."

The Sand Demon replied:

"So we spent another six months traveling around everywhere, measuring wherever we went."

Because of the measurement data left from the previous two trips, we can make comparisons to see where the terrain has changed the fastest. The place with the highest increase in elevation over the past two years is the place we are looking for.

We found it very quickly.

That place wasn't far from the sea, so our previous guess resurfaced in our minds.

Is it possible that there's underground water connected to the sea, and the seawater was transformed into sand there?

"What are you waiting for? Just dig!" Jiang Shu said impatiently.

"We definitely have to dig."

The Sand Demon nodded:

"However, sand is too fluid and not as stable as soil, so it is very difficult to dig. You have to dig and fix it at the same time, which takes a long time."

Fortunately, at that time we had plenty of time, and we were all holding our breath, so even this kind of tedious work didn't bother us. We were full of thoughts of clearing our names, so we were very motivated.

Finally, one day, when we were nearly a hundred meters from the sandy surface, one of our team members dug down with a shovel and actually unearthed a hole.

"A hollow hole?" Jiang Shu found it strange and interrupted, "Really? You didn't dig into the ground first, but directly dug out a hollow hole? Why doesn't this hollow hole collapse? Where does the sand get its support?"

"..." The Sand Demon was somewhat speechless: "Sand could appear out of thin air, you didn't question it then, but now you're concerned about the laws of physics?"

“That makes sense.” Jiang Shu thought about it and agreed.

With a sigh, the Sand Demon explained, "Take the White Cloud City, which was buried deep underground before, for example. It's roughly the same kind of space."

"Now I understand." Jiang Shu suddenly realized, "Go on."

"Ah."

The Sand Demon continued:

"However, although that's what we said, we were actually quite surprised at first, since without solid support, this hole shouldn't exist."

At that time, we were more curious than wanting to clear our names.

So after observing the inside of the cave from above through the excavated hole and confirming that there was no danger and that it wasn't too deep, we entered the space one by one.

Just as we expected, there was a large amount of seawater below. We don't know where it came from, but it all flowed into the cave and towards the very center of the cave.

The cavity was very spacious, and the place we dug out was not in the exact center of the cavity, but in a rather off-center corner.

From afar, we could see a cocoon, or rather, an egg, in the very center of the cave. Countless white threads extended outwards from its surface, burrowing into the surrounding sand walls, making the entire cave resemble a spider's nest.

"Is this all there is?" Jiang Shu pointed to the white silk threads that could be seen everywhere in White Cloud City below the Sand Demon.

"Yes."

The Sand Demon nodded and continued:

"We were very excited at the time because we felt we were very close to the truth, but at the same time, we were also very scared because everything we saw was unheard of, and with our knowledge and understanding, we simply could not explain what it was."

So at that time we were very hesitant about whether to turn back the way we came and report the situation here to our superiors, or to continue forward and get closer to investigate.

At that time, my companions and I felt that this discovery, along with the data we had recorded over this period and the evidence of comparing photos taken at different times, was enough for us to prove that we had not lied. It would be better to leave the rest to more professional people.

However, a few others felt that since they were already there, it would be a real shame not to go and see for themselves.

Moreover, we are the ones who discovered it. Whatever it is, we are the discoverers, and the credit should all belong to us. It is a strange thing that can turn seawater into sand. There is no reason for us to have already reached the doorstep, but to share or even give away this opportunity to leave a mark in history.

If we've endured so much hardship only to end up benefiting others, that would be even more regrettable than being falsely accused.

With roughly the same number of people on both sides, the final decision naturally fell to me.

Then I made the decision that I later deeply regretted.

"You went?"

"Well, it would be a lie for a scientific researcher not to be excited about such a groundbreaking discovery. No one could remain calm in the face of such an opportunity."

So even though I knew there were risks, I still led everyone closer.

The Sand Demon shook his head with a wry smile:

"At first we were very careful and dared not touch anything, but when we found that neither the giant egg nor the white silk seemed to pose any threat, we relaxed our vigilance."

In order to find out what it was, we started taking samples.

We didn't dare touch the egg; we started from the white silk fibers. But even so, even though we took precautions, wore gloves, used tools, and avoided direct contact, the accident still happened.

No one expected that those things would be alive.

Upon sensing someone approaching, the white filaments, like snakes disguised as withered branches, suddenly coiled around and wrapped around one of our companions.

The part of him that touched the white silk floss instantly began to turn into sand, and in the blink of an eye, half of his body turned into sand.

He screamed and yelled like a madman, begging for our help, but the moment another person touched him, their fingers also began to turn to sand. They were horrified and let go. We all started to back away in panic, and then watched helplessly as he struggled frantically as if he were being burned alive, until finally... he was completely wrapped in silk.