sovbooks Chapter 80 Flowing Sound Sand Sea
Chapter 80 Flowing Sound Sand Sea
Chapter 80 Flowing Sound Sand Sea
"I never expected to find a makeshift helipad in the heart of the desert."
Using an anti-gravity device, Cheng Xu and Fields slowly descended from the starship to the ground.
As soon as they landed, a burly man in a black anti-radiation and heat-insulating uniform appeared in front of them and guided them to the exit.
"This helipad was built with funding from the Star Ring Group, and I heard that our Explorers' Association also has a stake in it."
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Fields introduced Cheng Xu to the situation.
The sky over Sandstar Taranis is hazy, with large amounts of dust particles floating in the atmosphere.
Even with this layer of dust obscuring the view, the star still casts its scorching rays upon the earth, raising the surface temperature of the entire planet to over fifty degrees Celsius.
At this moment, Fields and Cheng Xu were wearing special uniforms; otherwise, the human body exposed to such an environment would probably quickly lead to systemic dysfunction.
"Brother Cheng, you may not feel it now, but as I said before, Taranis has relatively rich tourism resources, which is why Star Ring Group was willing to invest."
Fields' head and face were covered with special fabric, and he wore protective goggles over his eyes.
"There should also be Star Ring Group-owned helipads near other tourist attractions. In addition to the management service fees for starship docking, there are other supporting facilities."
Fields didn't say it explicitly, but Cheng Xu could tell from his grimacing expression that the so-called management service fee and supporting facility usage fee were probably not cheap.
"Ordinary tourists don't usually come here, but there are countless civilizations in the universe, and plenty of people who like to challenge the limits."
Fields curled his lip.
"Ever since more than 50 years ago, when an extreme athlete crossed the desert without any protection on this planet, this place has become a popular tourist attraction, and every year some ignorant people die here."
Cheng Xu suddenly realized.
In his previous life, he had heard of many similar cases.
After seeing some hiking, rock climbing, and diving guides online, I thought I could do it too. As a result, I died in a daze due to insufficient preparation and lack of experience.
"Speaking of which, shouldn't your Explorers' Guild be a similar organization?"
Cheng Xu looked at Fields.
"We are not like those people."
The latter became somewhat agitated for a moment.
"The Explorers Association has a very high entry threshold for members, and only accepts professionals. Moreover, our expeditions are generally aimed at a specific purpose, unlike ordinary people who just wander around aimlessly to show off on social media."
"So that's how it is—" Cheng Xu nodded.
At that moment, a loud voice interrupted their conversation.
"Welcome to Shassing Taranis, two visitors! Your identity verification has been successful. Please follow this road to the exit of the terminal."
Perhaps because of Cheng Xu's status as an employee of the Administration Bureau, the burly man in black displayed an unusual enthusiasm.
"If you need assistance, please call our service hotline. Our services include emergency rescue, food and accommodation, medical assistance, and more. Xinghuan Group is dedicated to serving you!"
Cheng Xu and Fields didn't say anything, but simply nodded politely and walked out of the terminal exit one after the other.
After several days of sailing, the starship needs time to stop here to replenish supplies and energy, and they also have some time to wander around and enjoy the scenery of this planet.
The two rented a small, light-filtering, heat-insulating, and radiation-protecting aircraft near the airport and flew towards the vast desert in the distance.
"Let me check the map—Brother Cheng, this should be within the area of the Flowing Sound Sand Sea."
From the air, the rose-colored sand dunes stretching for thousands of miles gradually change color with the intensity of the sunlight; the areas directly exposed to the sun are as vibrant as molten gold, while the shaded areas are tinged with a purplish hue.
The dry, hot wind carrying sand blew across the desert, creating a buzzing sound like an organ playing in the sand sea.
Before arriving at Sand Star Taranis, Cheng Xu had read about this peculiar sand sea in the documents.
According to research, there is a special vein of piezoelectric crystals in the underground area of Liuyin Sand Sea. This causes the sand sea to contain such crystalline particles, which is why it produces a clear, sonata-like sound.
Flying aimlessly through the golden desert, the sand dunes below form wave-like shapes.
Such a desolate yet magnificent scene could become tiresome after a while. Cheng Xu withdrew his gaze, lay flat in the semi-transparent aircraft, basking in the sunlight, feeling warm all over, his mind peaceful and serene.
The big cat also crawled out of the cat carrier, lay on his belly, curled up into a ball of fur, equally lazy and content.
"Brother Cheng, look! That's a tracer dandelion!"
Just as Cheng Xu was almost asleep, Fields' voice rang out from beside him.
"Meow One"
Disturbed during its rest, the lynx let out an annoyed cry and tugged at Fields' clothes with its paws, but without putting any force into them.
"Be good, don't scratch me."
Cheng Xu sat up, holding the big cat, and looked in the direction Fields was pointing.
Clumps of transparent stems emerged from the desert, forming the shape of blooming flowers. Each transparent stem was adorned with a crystal sphere.
A gentle breeze blows, and you can see some of the crystal spheres break apart, from which shuttle-shaped seeds that shimmer with a faint light fly out and drift away on the wind.
"What may appear to be a beautiful plant is actually extremely dangerous for ordinary people."
The electric dandelion can be called a killer in the desert, as its entire structure, from the crystal spheres at the top and the seeds to its underground roots, carries a strong electric current.
If anyone accidentally enters a patch of electric dandelions, it can easily trigger their stress response, causing them to release an electric current from the ground to strike the attacker.
Of course, from an aerial view, the dandelions dotting the desert are quite beautiful.
The aircraft continued flying forward, and Fields glanced at the route map: "Brother Cheng, we should be able to reach the native-controlled area of Taranis before sunset."
The temperature difference between day and night in the desert is extreme. Although the two had prepared appropriate protective clothing, they still respected the general laws of nature.
Just as Cheng Xu was about to lie down and take another nap, he caught a glimpse of a shadow in the golden desert out of the corner of his eye.
"Fields, wait!"
Cheng Xu suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on the spot where the shadow had been.
"Look at that spot, isn't there someone in the desert?"
Fields was taken aback by what he heard, and his expression turned serious.
He placed his right hand flat on his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun and gazed into the distance.
"It really does seem to be one person—is he running?"
Their expressions changed simultaneously: "Something's not right!"
As the running figure emerged from the shadows of the sand dune, Cheng Xu and Fields finally got a clear look at each other.
Right behind that man, a huge scorpion was chasing him.
"Fields, help!"