The rescued man's eyes flashed with a hint of alertness when he heard they were from the security team. "Oh… I see. Thank you… thank you… for saving me…"

"What's your name?" Rui asked.

The man replied, "My name is Duan Pengfei… I'm… Professor Chen's… assistant…"

Duan Pengfei swallowed, paused for a moment, and asked, "Is there… is there anything to eat? I… haven't… eaten in a long time…"

Rui quickly took out two naan breads from the cloth bag on the camel and handed them to Duan Pengfei. He didn't care if his hands were clean or not. He took the bread and devoured it ravenously. It felt like he was using all his strength to tear and chew the rock-hard naan, but he still swallowed it down without fully chewing it. He almost choked and quickly took two gulps of water.

Seeing that Duan Pengfei's face was gradually regaining some color, Rui continued to ask, "What happened to your archaeological team?"

Duan Pengfei wiped his mouth and said, "According to the original plan, we were going to bypass the no-man's land of the Taklamakan Desert and enter Lop Nur. Our destination was a place in Lop Nur that no one had ever set foot in before, so it was somewhat dangerous. With the support of funds and equipment this time, we were determined to give it a try. But who knew that we would fail before we even started…

"Alas…

"According to the itinerary, we should have entered Lop Nur yesterday, but we encountered a black sandstorm on the way. Our guide told the camel team not to disperse and to try to stay together as much as possible. When the sandstorm hit, we all panicked and couldn't see anything. The camels wouldn't listen to commands and ran around everywhere—just like your team, we were scattered."

Duan Pengfei sighed and said with a forlorn expression, "Alas, I don't know how Professor Chen and the others are doing."

"Do you know where you got separated from the team?" Fatty asked.

Duan Pengfei said, "The wind and sand were too strong at the time, and I couldn't see anything. I don't know."

"Then you should at least have an impression of where you were going," Fatty asked again.

Duan Pengfei thought for a moment and said, "I vaguely remember the direction. Our guide would pray to the sun every morning and evening. I remember that very clearly."

Duan Pengfei looked around and used the hands of his watch to point at the position of the sun, then pointed to a road and said, "It should be in this direction."

Fatty slapped his thigh.

"Alright, time is of the essence. Let's get going quickly. Three camels for three people, one for each of us."

"Wait—" Duan Pengfei suddenly grabbed Fatty, looking pleading. "Brother Pete, Miss Anna, two heroes, there may be other students and colleagues of mine scattered nearby. Please, can you help me find them?"

Fatty patted Duan Pengfei on the shoulder and sighed, "Brother Duan, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you. Anna and I searched around here and only found you, and even that was by accident. You were almost completely buried in the sand. If it had been half an hour later, you might not have been breathing anymore. You're lucky to have survived.

"In other words, even if your students and colleagues scattered here, after such a big sandstorm, you can't see anyone on the sand. It's safe to say that they've been buried under the sand.

"Look at the sun, and look at the sand that's hot enough to burn your feet. If you lie on the sand, you'll be dried up in half a day.

"So give up. If we don't leave quickly, the environment in the desert is extremely strange, and we're not familiar with this desert. If we get lost again, we'll all be finished!"

Hearing Fatty's words, Duan Pengfei was speechless. He was grateful for Fatty's life-saving grace, but also felt frustrated and lost because he was unable to help his companions.

Rui comforted him, "Let's head that way first. Maybe they're still together and only you got separated. If we find your companions on the way, it won't be too late to rescue them."

Duan Pengfei was persuaded by Fatty and Rui. The three of them climbed onto the camels, and Duan Pengfei led the way towards Lop Nur.

Since the camel team entered the desert, Fatty had hardly said a word, fearing exposure due to his special identity. Now that he was separated from the others and had met Duan Pengfei, who was also Chinese, he started talking non-stop.

Seeing that Fatty was harmless and looked rather ingratiating, Duan Pengfei didn't feel so resistant and chatted with Fatty about the history of Lop Nur.

According to Duan Pengfei, ancient Lop Nur was born at the end of the Tertiary period, about 18 million years ago. It was about 20,000 square kilometers in size, and the lake basin sloped and rose from south to north, being divided into several depressions. During the Han Dynasty, under the influence of the Tarim River, many countries flourished here, the most well-known being the ancient Loulan Kingdom. The Tarim River, the Peacock River, the Cherchen River, and the Shule River all flowed into Lop Nur, forming a lake with more than a thousand miles of water. Later, the Tarim River changed its course, the Loulan Kingdom was cut off from water, and the once glorious Loulan civilization came to an end. The ancient Silk Road was thus covered in yellow sand, no one set foot on it, and it was eventually abandoned.

After the founding of the country, the upsurge of the Western Development Program led to a surge in the population on both sides of the Tarim River. People kept taking water from the Tarim River, which caused the Tarim River to dry up, with hundreds of kilometers of dry riverbeds. Lop Nur eventually dried up. After Lop Nur dried up, the surrounding ecological environment underwent drastic changes. All the herbaceous plants withered, and the Populus euphratica trees, which were sand-preventing guards, died in large numbers. The desert advanced towards Lop Nur at a rate of three to five meters per year and soon merged with the vast Taklamakan Desert. Lop Nur became a barren place, known as the "Sea of Death."

Today's Lop Nur, known as the death zone, was once the most humid place in the vast desert.

At this point, Duan Pengfei was filled with emotion. "The mystery of Lop Nur has attracted many scientists and explorers from home and abroad to investigate. Mr. Peng Jiamu was one of them. Unfortunately, Mr. Peng Jiamu encountered a black sandstorm while searching for water in the desert alone and unfortunately disappeared."

Fatty asked, "Since Lop Nur is so dangerous, why do you still go deep into the desert for scientific expeditions? Aren't you afraid of dying in the desert?"

A trace of embarrassment appeared on Duan Pengfei's face. "It would be a lie to say that we're not afraid of death, but with this rare opportunity, many people have a fluke mentality, focusing on scientific research and ignoring the danger."

Rui asked, "Do you regret it now?"

Duan Pengfei said decisively, "Seeking knowledge and truth, I will not regret it. I am honored to have been selected to participate in this expedition."

Scientific progress depends on this spirit of selfless sacrifice.