Fatty, seeing that Rui was about to give out, used a small knife to cut a few slits in the oilcloth, letting Rui breathe against them. Before long, Rui recovered.

The instructor wanted to stop him, but given the confined space and the suffocating stench, he couldn't even open his mouth.

Seeing that Fatty's method worked, the others followed suit, cutting slits in the oilcloth in front of them and taking deep breaths of the outside air.

If they hadn't known beforehand that this was an arrangement by the organization—using a truck meant for transporting livestock to transport people—it would have been no exaggeration to say that it was the organization's enemies trying to kill them.

More than ten hours later, when they arrived at their destination village, it was completely dark.

Upon arriving, they received bad news: the archeological team they were supposed to protect had already set off at daybreak. Only one person, a member of Z Organization, remained to await the security team.

Rui overheard the instructor's conversation with the person left behind by the expedition and learned the true purpose of the security team.

Through American academic channels, Z Organization contacted Tianjing University in China, claiming to jointly explore and conduct archeological work in the Lop Nur region. Tianjing University had the best archeology department in the country, and the dean of the archeology department was also the chairman of the Chinese Archeological Association, wielding considerable influence in the field. Z Organization, on the other hand, was very wealthy. Under the guise of academic pursuit, they partnered with Chinese officials and institutions, claiming to explore cultural relics while secretly searching for meteorites.

After much negotiation, the chairman of the Archeological Association personally coordinated the Sino-American cooperation, with the U.S. providing funds and equipment, and China providing personnel. The archeological team consisted of ten people, eight Chinese and two American, a combination that was initially very favorable to the Chinese side.

The itinerary was set. However, when the team arrived at a village near the Tarim Basin to set up camp, the two Americans requested additional security, citing the need for it to Professor Chen, the team leader.

After considering the matter, Professor Chen told the two Americans that he could apply to the government to have the military protect the expedition.

The Americans said they had their own security personnel in their country who could be temporarily dispatched, and that they were strongly opposed to involving the Chinese military. After all, the meteorite was still a secret to the outside world, and it was especially important to guard against its dangers. If the Chinese military became involved, the matter would inevitably become public knowledge. Security was urgently needed, and so was secrecy. All things considered, it would be best for the Americans to provide their own personnel.

Professor Chen didn't think much of it. The exploration of Lop Nur was imminent, and the chairman of the Archeological Association had put his heart and soul into the expedition. It was the first time they had such well-funded and well-equipped archeological activity. Many archeologists never had the opportunity to participate in an expedition to the Lop Nur region of the Taklamakan Desert in their entire lives. For Professor Chen, this was the final step. Therefore, he did not report to his superiors and agreed to the Americans' request.

At this point, the ratio of Chinese to American personnel became eight to twelve, with the American side clearly having more resources. Moreover, Professor Chen didn't realize that the Americans were secretly bringing in forces from abroad illegally.

The person who stayed behind in the village to wait for the security team was one of the two Americans. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and said to the instructor, "The Uyghur elders in the village predict that a black sandstorm is coming soon. Once it arrives, we won't be able to enter the desert for at least half a month. Professor Chen didn't want to delay the trip, so he bought ten camels from the villagers and hired a guide to set off ahead of time. He estimates that if they act in advance, they can reach Lop Nur before the storm hits. So, he set off early this morning."

The instructor sighed and said to the man with the gold-rimmed glasses, "We just crossed the mountains. We need to rest for a night. The earliest we can leave is tomorrow morning."

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Let's just make it tomorrow morning then. That's the only option."

Rui and Fatty speculated that Z Organization might have learned through Han Yu that there were signs of meteorites in Lop Nur, on the eastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, China's largest desert, which was why Z Organization went to so much trouble to cooperate with Chinese academia.

The spare houses in the village were only big enough for two people per room, so Rui and Fatty stayed in the same room. The two beds in the room were separated by a wooden plank, dividing it into two spaces.

Rui felt sore all over. This journey had taken a toll on her body. She thought about whether she and Fatty should take advantage of the other team members' rest to escape overnight. This might be their last chance. Once they entered the desert, it would be almost impossible to leave.

Rui told Fatty her idea.

Fatty was also hesitant about the problem. They were currently in an extremely remote location. As a foreigner without a legal visa, Rui wouldn't be able to get far through legal channels. To reach the Central Plains, they would have to cross the Taklamakan Desert.

It would be better to follow them first and then take the ancient Silk Road route once they reached Lop Nur. That might be a viable option.

Rui suddenly thought of a question. She asked Fatty, "Fatty, do you know about black sandstorms?"

Fatty replied, "Of course I do. I was stationed in a desert region on the frontier for two months before, and I've seen the power of a black sandstorm. A black sandstorm is a strong dust storm, commonly known as black wind. The sand raised by the wind forms a wall of sand. You can't see anything where it passes. People easily lose their way in this environment and then go missing."

"You said that it's so dangerous, so why did Professor Chen insist on leaving early? Wouldn't it be better to wait for the black storm to pass? You Chinese have a saying, 'Don't fight a battle you're not prepared for.' Isn't Professor Chen afraid of failure by setting off in such a hurry?"

Fatty thought about Rui's words, staring blankly at the dirt wall.

"Damn..." Fatty suddenly jumped out of bed and said, "Professor Chen is still a wily old fox!"

"What?" Rui asked.

"I know why Professor Chen is in such a hurry to leave." Fatty said excitedly to Rui, "Professor Chen is afraid he can't control the situation. Think about it. The U.S. provided the funds and equipment. When you work with the U.S., you have to humor those bigwigs. If the bigwigs want to increase their personnel, then Professor Chen can't refuse. So he has to agree. But if you suddenly double the number of people, and they're armed, what will happen if they find precious cultural relics and the Americans try to take them? So Professor Chen chose to take the lead and seize the initiative."

Rui nodded, thinking that Fatty's words made sense. "Eight Chinese people plus one American, the initiative is with Professor Chen."

Fatty continued, "Don't underestimate this one- or two-day window. In historical wars, whoever seized the initiative controlled the direction of the war, like..."

Fatty, who had been a soldier, seemed to be particularly good at war history and strategy. As Fatty talked on and on, Rui slowly fell asleep.