Dream King

Chapter 43

Shirley Yang then asked Fatty Wang what special skills he had. Fatty Wang boasted about himself and even took out his family heirloom jade, claiming it was a spoil of war he obtained while suppressing bandits. Unexpectedly, Professor Chen's eyes lit up, and he picked up the jade to examine it.

Mo Mo knew that it was because the fat man's family heirloom jade was engraved with the Ghost Cave script of the extinct Western Region Ghost Cave tribe, and that was why Shirley Yang came here. She and her tycoon father were both very interested in archaeology. Her father, who was obsessed with the Jingjue culture of the Western Regions, went on an expedition to Xinjiang not long ago, but never returned.

After seeing Mo Mo, Hu Bayi, and Fatty Wang off, Professor Chen told Shirley Yang that the jade Wang Pangzi possessed was engraved with the Ghost Cave script of the extinct Western Region Ghost Cave tribe. Shirley Yang speculated that this jade was likely related to the Jingjue Ancient City they were searching for. On the table lay an old newspaper with a photograph of several warriors sitting together, and Shirley Yang had circled Hu Bayi among them.

Two days later, the archaeological team boarded a train to Xinjiang. On the train, Hu Bayi became extremely agitated upon learning that Professor Chen and his team were changing their route to go to the Kunlun Mountains first, and resolutely refused to go. It turned out that Hu Bayi had been there during his military service, and he bluntly stated that it was extremely dangerous. He said that his unit had encountered many strange events there that remain inexplicable to this day, and he didn't even dare to think about them. He then recounted that bizarre experience to Mo Mo and Wang Kaixuan.

Rewind a few years, and all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white, icy plateau. Back then, Hu Bayi, who was a squad leader, and his comrade Xiao Luan were driving a truck to transport supplies when a blue light suddenly hit the windshield. After getting out of the truck to check, they discovered that there was a ladybug with a blue glow in the icy landscape.

Xiao Luan was very curious when she saw it, so she caught the ladybug and put it in a bottle. After checking it, the two of them found that the car had broken down. In the end, Hu Bayi left Xiao Luan to guard the supplies while he went to the military post ahead to ask for help.

However, when Hu Bayi returned with the soldiers from the outpost, he witnessed a scene he would never forget. Xiao Luan was gone, and on the snow lay a human-shaped pile of ash, as if a living person had been burned alive there. Beside the ashes was a bottle that had fallen to the side, and the blue ladybug inside was nowhere to be seen...

When Hu Bayi recounted this bizarre experience to Mo Mo and the others, he clearly revealed deep regret: "If I hadn't left Xiao Luan alone, he wouldn't have died."

After recounting his experience, Hu Bayi felt a little sad. When he turned around, he saw Shirley Yang, who had her hair tied in a high ponytail, leaning against the side watching him. Shirley Yang then invited them into her and Professor Chen's car and handed Hu Bayi a document with a drawing of a blue ladybug. She told him that what they had encountered that night was the legendary fire ladybug, the very thing in the document.

Subsequently, at Professor Chen's request, Hu Bayi recounted his experiences in the Kunlun Mountains.

Finally, under Hu Bayi's persistent questioning, Professor Chen revealed the truth behind their trip to the snow mountain.

It turns out that Shirley Yang's father and the expedition team disappeared on the eastern foothills of the Kunlun Mountains a few years ago. Hu Bayi also realized that the avalanche they encountered was caused by an earthquake. That earthquake also created a crack on the eastern foothills of the Kunlun Mountains, and they were going there to find a notebook that recorded how to find the ancient city of Jingjue. It was Shirley Yang's father's keepsake.

Ultimately, Hu Bayi agreed to go to the Kunlun Mountains, not only because of Professor Chen's words, but also because he always felt his life was bought with the lives of his comrades, and he wanted to atone for his guilt and bravely face his fallen comrades again. Hu Bayi tried to persuade Wang Pangzi and Mo Mo to return. Wang Pangzi passionately recounted his friendship with Hu Bayi over the years and declared that he would live and die with him. As for Mo Mo, he only said one sentence that made Hu Bayi give up any further attempts to persuade him.

"Even if you die, I will still be alive and kicking, because you can't beat me."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 90 The Nine-Story Demon Tower Appears

After a long journey, Mo Mo and his group finally reached the snow-covered Kunlun Mountains. Following the map, they walked for more than three hours before having to stop and rest. After all, this was already considered high altitude, and most people couldn't endure such long-term activity.

While everyone else was resting, Hu Bayi wandered around. As the team leader, he needed to be aware of the surroundings to ensure his teammates' safety. He then found his comrade's belongings in a corner of the snow. Overwhelmed with grief at the sight of the items, he was filled with sorrow. Meanwhile, Mo Mo noticed Shirley Yang standing not far away, quietly watching Hu Bayi.

Mo Mo glanced at Hu Bayi, who was immersed in grief, and then at Shirley Yang not far away. He stroked his chin and thought to himself, "Could Shirley Yang have already fallen for Hu Bayi? It seems they've only just met!"

After resting for about half an hour, the group continued on their way, as they still had a long way to go. When they finally climbed to the top of a mountain, they looked in the direction Hu Bayi was pointing and saw a long, deep crevice in the eastern foothills of the Kunlun Glacier, which stretched for miles.

As the saying goes, "looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death," and this was certainly true. Looking at the deep crevice right in front of them, it took Mo Mo and his team nearly two hours to set up the temporary camp and communication equipment. After securing the ropes, they lowered them down and then slowly climbed down using the ropes.

As they descended, Hu Bayi noticed that Shirley Yang, who was lightly equipped and moved with great agility, was even more capable than the average explorer. He was amazed by her professionalism. Shirley Yang, on the other hand, was even more surprised by Mo Mo's skills. However, after the initial surprise came a hint of delight, since the more skilled members the expedition team had, the greater her chances of success.

After descending the mountain, the group discovered a stiffened corpse. Shirley Yang went directly to the body, took the gun from its hand, and after careful examination, recognized it as the weapon used by her father's expedition team. Meanwhile, Ye Yixin and Xiao Liu, the archaeologists remaining on the mountaintop, received a message from the camp stating that a blizzard would arrive in three hours.

However, the group of people in front of them were not the type to back down from trouble, and the storm was still three hours away. So they decided to keep going, since they had already spotted members of Shirley Yang's father's expedition team, which meant they were not far from their goal.

In the dark and damp cave, Mo Mo and Hu Bayi's group walked deeper into the cave. As they walked, they discovered a slowly flowing underground river. Suddenly, they realized that Shirley Yang was missing. Just as everyone was worried, Shirley Yang caught up with them with her camera, saying that she had gone to take landscape photos. Fatty Wang felt that she was hiding something from everyone, but Mo Mo smiled without saying anything, because she knew that Shirley Yang had gone to another place alone to look for clues.

Hu Bayi and Wang Pangzi then went to test the water's depth, while Professor Chen was pleasantly surprised to find the same Ghost Cave script on the cave wall by the river, identical to the characters carved on the jade pendant Wang Pangzi possessed. He excitedly concluded that this place must be related to the ancient city of Jingjue, and left a group of students to record the inscriptions on the wall, asking Hu Bayi to lead everyone across the river. Just then, on the ground, Ye Yixin and Xiao Liu received another message from the expedition team, instructing everyone to evacuate in one hour.

Hu Bayi glanced at Mo Mo, and only agreed to continue after Mo Mo nodded. However, they had to follow their instructions and not move around or run around randomly. Then, he helped everyone cross the river one by one. But after entering the water, everyone was horrified to find that there were white bones on the bottom of the turbulent river, and they could hear the sounds of some kind of creature swimming around.

Then Hu Bayi looked at Shirley Yang at the back of the line and finally couldn't help but advise her not to ignore the danger just for her own purposes, and to consider everyone's feelings. In fact, Hu Bayi already knew that Shirley Yang didn't remember, after all, even Fatty had noticed the problem, so it was impossible for Hu Bayi not to have noticed.

Despite their anxiety, everyone safely crossed the river and continued onward. Hu Bayi, looking at the dark cave ahead, suggested that he and the tall archaeologist go ahead to check it out first, while Mo Mo stayed behind to look after everyone's safety. After all, besides him, Mo Mo was the only one who knew about these strange arts and esoteric arts, and Mo Mo's skills were arguably the best in the expedition team.

Hu Bayi and the tall man scouted ahead, while Mo Mo led the remaining members of the expedition team. They traveled for about half an hour, and a dilapidated tower emitting a faint blue light suddenly appeared before them. What made their hair stand on end was that the blue light on the tower was actually emitted by fireflies sleeping on the white skeletons.

Fortunately, the expedition team members were all well-behaved and did not make any noise. Hu Bayi then told everyone to turn off the searchlights and to be careful during their movements, trying not to make any noise so as not to disturb the fireflies.

Professor Chen then recognized it as the legendary Nine-Story Demon Tower, a burial style used in the tombs of ancient demon kings, now considered priceless. Hu Bayi pointed to the fireflies on the tower, saying it was their lair, and advised everyone to evacuate the dangerous place. However, Professor Chen and his team refused to give up this precious archaeological opportunity and insisted on leaving.

Just as Hu Bayi and Professor Chen were arguing, Shirley Yang ignored everyone and walked silently toward the Nine-Story Demon Tower. Hu Bayi, feeling helpless and worried about her, followed closely behind. Mo Mo also quietly followed behind them toward the Nine-Story Demon Tower. However, Mo Mo was not interested in the Nine-Story Demon Tower, but rather in the fireflies. After all, these fireflies were extremely lethal; once someone got stuck with them, death was almost certain.

Mo Mo walked to the Demon Tower and casually collected over a hundred sleeping fireflies. He then began wandering around the tower with interest. Just then, Professor Chen and his group, who were examining the funerary objects in the ditch nearby, made a sound. Suddenly, the entire Demon Tower was illuminated by an eerie blue light, and swarms of fireflies slowly awoke, startling everyone into holding their breath. Fortunately, after they held their breath, the awakening fireflies slowly fell asleep again.

When Mo Mo leisurely emerged from the Demon Tower, he discovered that Shirley Yang, who had been lingering inside, had pulled out a gun and pointed it at Fatty Wang, demanding he hand over his backpack. Mo Mo inquired and learned that the money-loving Fatty Wang had accidentally discovered an archaeologist's backpack while searching for burial artifacts.

After finding out the details, Mo Mo didn't wait for Hu Bayi to stop them. He went over and took the fat man's backpack, opened it, took out a notebook, flipped through it, and handed it to Shirley Yang. Shirley Yang opened it and confirmed that it was her father's notebook.

Just then, a member of the archaeological team forgot to turn off the flash while taking a picture. As a result, the fireflies that had been sleeping were all awakened and rushed towards the group. In a panic, the group dropped their luggage and ran away. In desperation, Hu Bayi led the group into the underground river, and the fireflies followed closely behind, rushing into the water, only to drown one by one.

Just when everyone thought they had escaped a disaster, danger followed one after another. Not long after Mo Mo and Hu Bayi got ashore, a giant monster with a bright red body and a mouth full of sharp teeth gradually emerged from the water—the prehistoric overlord salamander, which should have been extinct long ago.

As soon as this prehistoric giant salamander appeared, it was about to attack Hu Bayi, who was lagging behind at the back of the group. However, Mo Mo had already spotted it and was not about to let it have its way.

Just as the prehistoric giant salamander swung its massive tail, Mo Mo raised his rifle and blew the salamander's eyes out. The prehistoric giant salamander, now blinded, went berserk. However, because it couldn't accurately locate Mo Mo and the others, they seized the opportunity and ran away.

Although there were only two gunshots, they were unusually loud in the cave, and the remaining fireflies were successfully awakened. Hu Bayi told everyone to evacuate first, while he and Fatty Wang stayed behind to deal with the firefly swarm. Mo Mo silently put down the backpack on his back and took out a few fresh peach leaves.

Under the astonished gazes of Hu Bayi and Wang Kaixuan, Mo Mo tossed the peach leaves away, letting them embed themselves in the crevices of the cave. Then, he pulled up his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out.

Seeing Hu Bayi and Wang Kaixuan's confusion, Mo Mo explained, "These are peach leaves that I have specially treated. They can form a simple maze. Although they cannot trap or block some large animals, they can trap these fireflies for a while."

Fatty Wang Kaixuan burst into laughter upon hearing this, and proceeded to berate the fireflies that seemed to be wandering around like headless flies. Hu Bayi, however, gleaned an important piece of information: Mo Mo had mentioned confining them for a while, implying a time limit. He then asked, "Approximately how long can these things be confined?"

Thirty seconds

Hu Bayi sensed something was off about the voice; it wasn't coming from beside them, but from some distance. Turning around, he saw Mo Mo was already over ten meters away. He then noticed the meaning behind Mo Mo's words. The fat man let out a strange cry and took off running.

"Old Mo, Brother Mo, you've really put me in a terrible situation! Why didn't you say so sooner!" Fatty complained as he ran to Mo Mo's side.

“You didn’t ask!” Mo Mo said matter-of-factly.

Fortunately, there were still ten or twenty seconds left. When Mo Mo and the other two arrived at the cliff, Shirley Yang discovered that her father's notebook had fallen and was about to come down to look for it. However, Mo Mo stopped her and then waved the notebook in his hand, which he had found on the way out.

When everyone had climbed up the wall, the firefly finally arrived. Perhaps because it lived in darkness all year round, the firefly only lingered at the entrance of the cave for a moment before returning. The survivors finally reached the top of the mountain, but then a blizzard struck, and the snow-capped mountain on the other side of the crevice collapsed with a deafening roar. The group quickly ran to the mountainside and watched helplessly as the collapsing snow-capped mountain buried everything at the bottom of the mysterious Kunlun Mountains.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 91 Heading to the Desert Lost City

Everyone felt a little sorry to see the collapsed snow mountain bury everything at the bottom of the mysterious Kunlun Mountains. However, the power of nature was beyond their control. Perhaps they could come back to explore it again when they were more developed in the future.

After a moment of reflection, the group prepared to leave Kunlun. A blizzard was approaching, and they had already obtained what they wanted. On their way out of Kunlun, Shirley Yang consulted with Hu Bayi and Mo Mo about their next route. Hu Bayi suggested that finding someone familiar with the desert to guide them was crucial. Mo Mo explicitly told Shirley Yang that besides a guide, water was paramount. Therefore, they should travel light, carrying plenty of water, and avoid concentrating all their water in one container. This way, if one water bottle malfunctioned, it wouldn't have a significant impact.

Following Shirley Yang and Professor Chen's itinerary, the group traveled a bumpy road to a small town outside the desert. After some inquiries, they learned that the most experienced guide in the area was an old man named Anliman, known as the "living map of the desert." Anliman was also skilled at raising camels, so the transportation problem was solved. However, the only issue was that Anliman was said to be a bad person. Not long ago, he abandoned a group of foreigners who had hired him to enter the desert and ran back alone.

Mo Mo and Hu Bayi met An Liman at the police station. Mo Mo guessed that An Liman must have been arrested after abandoning the group of foreigners who hired him to enter the desert. At this moment, Hu Bayi noticed that the necklace An Liman was wearing was the same one he had seen at Da Jinya's place before.

When the cunning and experienced Anliman learned that Mo Mo and his group were a national archaeological team from Beijing, he immediately offered to take them into the desert. He even patted his chest and guaranteed that he would bring them in safely and then bring them out safely. After some consideration, Hu Bayi and his group decided to hire Anliman as their guide, and Anliman got out of the police station as he wished.

However, after they came out, An Liman's words were ambiguous, sometimes implying money and sometimes asking for his life. Hu Bayi had Wang Pangzi threaten An Liman, saying he would send him back to the police station, which made him slightly more obedient. Then, Mo Mo told An Liman that he had accidentally broken a piece of wood as thick as an arm in front of him, which made An Liman even more alarmed. At this moment, Hu Bayi stepped forward and whispered something in An Liman's ear. An Liman suddenly looked at Hu Bayi in shock, and then agreed to take them into the desert during the dangerous windy season, because only during the windy season could the ruins of the Jingjue Ancient City be found.

On the way back from Anliman's place, Fatty Wang, still worried, went to keep an eye on Anliman again. Meanwhile, Shirley Yang took the opportunity to ask Hu Bayi what he had just said to Anliman. Hu Bayi didn't tell Shirley Yang the truth, but clearly stated that they would do good things for her if they took her money, but she also had to abide by Chinese collectivism and not act like American individualism or go it alone. Shirley Yang also said that she knew that life always comes first and that she would definitely abide by Chinese collectivism.

Meanwhile, Mo Mo was happily chatting with Ye Yixin. After all, there were only two women in the archaeological team, and one of them was clearly already planning to hook up with Hu Bayi. Moreover, after spending some time together, Hu Bayi and the others had clearly come to regard Mo Mo as a brother. Naturally, Mo Mo wouldn't steal someone else's love. As for Hao Aiguo's jealous and resentful gaze, Mo Mo simply ignored it.

After everything was ready, everyone started packing their luggage. While they were packing, Professor Chen's student, Hao Aiguo, suddenly ran over to object to Anliman being their guide. He said that he had learned from the town that Anliman was a bad person and that they couldn't entrust their lives to such a person. He also implied that Mo Mo and his group were of dubious origin and couldn't be completely trusted. However, after Professor Chen's persuasion, Hao Aiguo gradually stopped making a fuss.

Meanwhile, Mo Mo and the other two watched Hao Aiguo's antics as if they were watching a monkey show.

"Hey, Mr. Mo, is he jealous because you're seeing him with that girl? That bastard doesn't even know what he looks like. Didn't he see I haven't even tried to woo Xiao Ye? Although I've also taken a liking to Xiao Ye, since Mr. Mo has taken a liking to me, I naturally won't interfere anymore. When our Mr. Mo gets involved, even that American girl won't escape." Wang Kaixuan, the fat man, said to Mo Mo.

"Hey, hey, hey! How can you talk like that, Fatty? They're our bread and butter, how can you be so disrespectful to them? Besides, even though Master Mo is good, maybe they don't like someone like him!" Hu Bayi said, somewhat indignant.

“Yes, yes, she’s from abroad, she has very high standards, how could she possibly be interested in me? Only someone like Commander Hu is worthy of her.” Mo Mo chimed in, raising his voice slightly, and then raised an eyebrow at the fat man.

Upon seeing this, the fat man instantly understood. Then, seeing Shirley Yang behind Hu Bayi, he praised the two of them with great enthusiasm, as if it were a sin for the two not to be together. Hu Bayi, however, was completely unaware and thought the fat man was just praising him.

Just as Hu Bayi was all smiles, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him, "Oh? So it seems that if I don't marry you, I'll be committing a heinous crime?"

Upon hearing the voice, Hu Bayi, who had been smiling, suddenly froze and slowly turned around.

"Shirley, what are you doing here? Don't listen to their nonsense. I, Old Hu, am just a rough man. How could I be worthy of a beauty like you? They were just talking nonsense. Right, Fatty, Master Mo?" Hu Bayi winked at Mo Mo and the others as he spoke.

Upon seeing this, Mo Mo suddenly realized and said, "I almost forgot, the sandstorms in the desert are extremely strong. I prepared more than a dozen pairs of goggles and dust masks. I'll go get them and distribute them to everyone." After saying that, he turned and left.

Seeing this, the fat man quickly said, "There's so much stuff, it's hard for Master Mo to carry it all by himself. I'll go help too." Then he followed behind Mo Mo and left.

“You two treacherous bastards, you’re betraying the organization and the Party,” Hu Bayi said upon seeing the novel.

Then the members of the archaeological team noticed that Hu Bayi followed Shirley Yang to the side with an embarrassed look on his face. After Mo Mo and Fatty Wang distributed the items to everyone, Shirley Yang returned with a dejected Hu Bayi, looking quite satisfied.

Although everyone was curious, they didn't ask. After all, one was their sugar daddy and the other was their team leader. If they angered them, they would definitely suffer the consequences.

After packing everything up, the group embarked on their journey into the desert. Riding camels across the vast desert, the archaeological team was captivated by the undulating sand dunes and burst into song. Although Mo Mo knew this would waste more energy and water, seeing the smiles on their faces, he didn't remind them. After all, their happiness was only for this part of the journey; once they ventured deeper into the desert, their good mood would vanish.

After walking for three or four hours, everyone sat down to rest and replenish their energy and water. Shirley Yang was filming the stunning scenery of the desert with a camera. Hu Bayi saw this and told her meaningfully that the more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it often is.

Anliman then tried to persuade Hu Bayi to take everyone back, saying that no one had ever found the ancient city of Jingjue or its treasures, and reminded Hu Bayi that nothing in the Black Desert could be brought out. However, his persuasion was destined to be in vain, and the group eventually set off again.

After a day's trek, dusk gradually fell, and fiery red clouds reflected on the horizon. Just as everyone was marveling at the beautiful scenery, Anliman knelt down and worshipped the sky.

However, at that moment, a sandstorm arose, and everyone hurriedly mounted their camels and followed Anliman in a desperate escape. Although Momo could ignore the storm, it would still take some effort to resist it. Most importantly, Momo did not want to expose his strength, so he also mounted a camel and fled.

Although they were riding camels, it was still quite tiring to catch them at high speed, and they also had to fight off the sandstorm. Gradually, everyone became exhausted and eventually stopped to rest. Just as they were resting, a sandstorm swept in from afar, and everyone quickly followed Anliman to get back on their camels and escape.

As they ran, Hu Bayi realized that Professor Chen had fallen behind. Hu Bayi then told Fatty Wang to catch up with An Liman and make him stop, while he braved the sandstorm to find Professor Chen, leaving Mo Mo to look after the rest of the group and prevent anyone else from falling behind. Actually, Mo Mo knew this when Professor Chen fell off the camel, but he worried that if Professor Chen got on, he would change the group's route and make it difficult to find the Jingjue Ancient City, so he didn't intervene.

When Hu Bayi found Professor Chen, he discovered that Professor Chen was struggling in the sandstorm. If Hu Bayi hadn't turned back, Professor Chen would definitely not have survived. Hu Bayi then helped Professor Chen up from the sandstorm, and they were later found by Fatty Wang, who was worried about them. Finally, they successfully reunited with the team.

After reuniting, the team continued their desperate escape. Finally, driven to desperation by the sandstorm, the archaeological team stopped and rested. Anliman, frustrated, pounded the ground and shouted that they couldn't escape and might as well wait to die. Momo, meanwhile, squinted at the ancient desert city that appeared and disappeared in the sandstorm. Momo finally confirmed that a mysterious force was indeed guiding Shirley Yang, leading the group towards the ancient city of Jingjue. Several times along the way, Shirley Yang had unintentionally led the group towards the discovery of Jingjue, instead of completely following Anliman. Now, Momo knew they were not far from the ancient city.

Just when everyone was in despair, Shirley Yang suddenly called out in shock, "Hu Bayi!" Following the direction she pointed, not far away amidst the swirling sandstorm, the ruins of an ancient city seemed to stand faintly in this mysterious desert.

The sandstorm swept in again, and Hu Bayi took the lead, running towards the ancient city wall, hoping that the old and dilapidated city wall remaining in the desert could withstand the sandstorm. Mo Mo supported Ye Yixin, who was already struggling to run, and followed.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 92 Desert Army Ants Underground

To escape the sandstorm, Hu Bayi led everyone to a dilapidated house in the ruins of an ancient desert city. After blocking all the doors and windows, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Because Mo Mo had given them goggles beforehand, the scene in the original series where Shirley Yang got sand in her eyes and Hu Bayi wet his hands and blew the sand out of her eyes didn't happen. However, given the scene Mo Mo and Wang Kaixuan had in the town earlier, their relationship was even better than in the original series.

After arranging everyone, Hu Bayi turned around and went out to find firewood, while Mo Mo went to find some discarded wood and stone pillars. When Hu Bayi returned, he built a frame over the fire to boil water, then took out a few instant noodles and put them into a small iron pot the size of a watermelon to cook. What's even more outrageous is that Mo Mo also took out a ham and cut more than a dozen slices into it.

The group glanced at their own rations and water pouches, then at Mo Mo's pot of fragrant instant noodles. They vented their frustration on their food. A few minutes later, Mo Mo's noodles were ready. He first served a bowl to Ye Yixin, then nudged Hu Bayi, and then subtly glanced at Shirley Yang. Hu Bayi promptly served a bowl to Shirley Yang, and Fatty was also given a bowl by Mo Mo to Professor Chen. The three of them then rolled up their sleeves and started cooking over the small iron pot, the clattering sounds echoing throughout the small room.

As for the rest of the archaeological team, well, they weren't exactly beauties or elderly and infirm, so Mo Mo naturally wouldn't treat them any special way. However, this action by Mo Mo and his team thoroughly angered someone in the archaeological team.

Hao Aiguo suddenly lost his temper, loudly rebuking Mo Mo for lacking team spirit. He said that Mo Mo was cooking for himself and eating hot food while the rest of the team had to eat cold and hard rations. This was clearly forming cliques and undermining team unity.

Seeing this, Mo Mo glanced at him and continued eating his noodles. After all, Hu Bayi and Fatty were not to be trifled with. If he was slow, there wouldn't even be any soup left in the pot. He had only eaten one bowl, while there were still two or three bowls left in the pot.

The three of them eating with their heads down only fueled Hao Aiguo's anger. He threw down the water bag in his hand with a snap and strode towards Mo Mo and the others. When he arrived at their side, he raised his hand to take the noodles and the pot away, but unfortunately, he was too hasty and got scalded hard by the scalding hot iron pot.