Chapter 359 - 173: Sandstorm

Chapter 359: Chapter 173: Sandstorm

Xu Mo looked up at the sky. It was a pale, yellowish-brown, no different from the past few days. Everything seemed calm. It didn’t look at all like a sandstorm was coming.

But Old Zheng’s expression was serious. He didn’t look like he was joking.

"I know you probably don’t believe me," Old Zheng said. "But trust me, this feeling is never wrong. I didn’t believe it either, at first. Then I learned my lesson the hard way a few times, and now I do."

Xu Mo looked at him and nodded.

"What should I do if I run into a sandstorm?"

Old Zheng’s expression grew even more solemn. "First, if you see one from a distance, you have to avoid it. Sandstorms don’t move fast, so you’ll have enough time to go around. But if you can’t avoid it..."

Old Zheng paused, choosing his words carefully.

"If you can’t avoid it, whatever you do, don’t get out of the car."

"Don’t get out of the car?" Xu Mo asked.

"That’s right," Old Zheng said. "When a sandstorm hits, you can’t see a thing. The moment you get out of the car, you’ll get lost. You won’t be able to find your way at all. Plus, the wind and sand will bury you. You’ll just be walking and walking, and you might never walk out again."

"So it’s safe in the car?"

"It’s safer than being outside, at least," Old Zheng said, sharing his experience. "Park your car in a sheltered spot, preferably on the leeward side of a sand dune. Then, shut all the doors and windows tight and stuff the cracks with something to keep the sand out. After that, just wait in the car until the sandstorm passes."

"How long would I have to wait?" Xu Mo pressed.

"It depends..." Old Zheng went on, recounting his experiences at length, while Xu Mo silently committed it all to memory.

"Also," Old Zheng added, "when a sandstorm comes, the sandworms will hide and won’t be active. But after it passes, they get extremely active because the sand has been churned up, and they have to find new places to hide. So be extra careful when you’re driving after a sandstorm. Don’t fall into a sandworm nest."

"Thank you." Xu Mo nodded gravely.

Old Zheng waved his hand dismissively.

"Don’t mention it. You told us so much about Jiangzhou. This is nothing."

Xu Mo didn’t say anything more. He gave a simple farewell and turned to walk toward his SUV.

He got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Old Zheng stood a short distance away, waving at him.

Xu Mo waved back, then stepped on the gas. The SUV slowly drove out of the sand pit and headed toward the vast, rolling dunes.

In the rearview mirror, the sand pit grew more distant. The simple shacks eventually disappeared into the yellow sand.

Xu Mo looked away from the mirror and kept driving.

The SUV left two deep ruts as it drove through the desert. The tracks stretched across the sand like a pair of parallel lines, but they were quickly filled in by the windblown sand, vanishing without a trace.

Xu Mo watched the sky as he drove.

Old Zheng’s words echoed in his mind: "There might be a sandstorm in the next day or two."

’Could he be mistaken?’ The thought flashed through Xu Mo’s mind.

But he quickly suppressed the thought. Old Zheng had lived in this desert for over a year; he definitely knew the weather here better than Xu Mo did. If he said there would be a sandstorm, he must have his reasons. When it came to this kind of experience, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Xu Mo kept driving, but with a heightened sense of caution.

At noon, the sun climbed to its peak. The desert was as hot as an oven, and the thermometer inside the car went off the charts again.

In the afternoon, Xu Mo started to feel a change. The wind began to pick up.

Fine grains of sand were swept up by the wind, striking the car’s body with a dense pattering sound, almost like rain.

The color of the sky began to change, too. The pale, yellowish-brown hue started to deepen. The sun grew hazy, reduced to a dim, yellow halo.

Xu Mo’s brow furrowed. Something was wrong.

Xu Mo pushed the door open and got out to observe the distance. The wind carried fine sand that prickled his face.

He saw a dark yellow mass spreading across the horizon. It didn’t look like a cloud, but rather a colossal wall, slowly rising from the horizon.

A sandstorm!

Xu Mo’s pupils constricted slightly. Old Zheng had been right. The sandstorm was really coming.

He glanced at the approaching yellow wall and estimated its distance and speed. At this rate, the sandstorm would reach his position by evening.

’There’s still time.’

Xu Mo got back in the car, started the engine, and continued driving. He had to find a suitable place to stop.

The SUV sped through the desert as Xu Mo’s eyes constantly scanned the surrounding dunes. He needed to find the leeward side of a dune—one that wasn’t too short to block the wind, and not so steep that it might collapse.

After driving for about twenty minutes, Xu Mo found a suitable spot. It was a relatively tall dune with a gentle slope, and below its leeward side was a patch of relatively flat sand. The curve of the dune was perfect; it would block most of the wind, and since there were no taller dunes nearby, there was no danger of sand sliding down from above.

Xu Mo drove the car onto the patch of sand, then got out to check the vehicle. After confirming everything was in order, he got back inside.

Back in the car, Xu Mo took a few canvas tarps from the trunk and used them to block the gaps in the windows, which would prevent fine sand from seeping in.

With that done, Xu Mo sat in the driver’s seat, watching the world outside through the windshield.

The sky grew darker and the yellow wall drew closer. The car began to shake slightly. The sound of sand hitting the car’s body grew more intense, shifting from a soft rustle to a sharp patter, and then to a dense, percussive knocking.