Ye Jian’s body slithered around like a snake. A man-shaped hole appeared where she was lying in no time. She then pushed her arms under the sand’s surface. Along with the layers of sand enveloping her, Ye Jian’s whole body was now hidden beneath the golden sand, and her gun, which was protected by a sand protection cover, also disappeared within the golden sand.
Foreign objects could not enter a gun, no matter how minuscule they were. Even a grain of sand that was the size of a grain of salt was not allowed. Taking care of the sniper rifle in your own hands is similar to taking care of your own life.
Very quickly, the band of twelve travelers walked by Ye Jian right under her watch. Even her dust-proof goggles were covered by the sand that the travelers kicked up when they walked near her.
Even more, she could also smell the odor that the camels were emitting … It was quite unpleasant, and they carried the smell of urine.
“After two more dunes, we’ll reach the Hotan river! Honey, hurry up!”
“God, I can see the poplar trees, look, look! Poplar trees, poplar trees with leaves like gold!”
They were a group of foreigner travelers. They were permitted to travel through China with authorization. Therefore, their identities were those of tourists.
Ye Jian held her breath and did not move an inch until she was unable to hear their footsteps. Only then did she slowly reveal herself from under the dune.
They were also the only group of travelers whom Ye Jian had seen in the past few weeks. It was as if they had suddenly shattered the silence of this desert, shattered the cold loneliness of being isolated from the world, and instantly brought her back into society.
If it weren’t because the situation was special, she thought, she would have immediately rushed forward and given them passionate hugs, while welcoming their visit.
Happiness passed by fleetingly. In no time, lurking, moving, lurking, moving, Uncle Chen and Ye Jian continuously exchanged places with each other. Ye Jian, who had already grasped how to remain calm and collected in this loneliness, was moving parallel to the surface of the sand so that she would not expose herself to the sniper’s field of vision.
To learn how to search in the loneliness, to learn how to keep calm amid the hustle and bustle, you had to conquer your emotions, adapt yourself to the whole environment completely. This was the true essence of what Ye Jian learned in this barren desert.
The travelers’ footprints were disappearing at a visible speed after the wind blew, and Ye Jian, who was there just a moment ago, also disappeared while hidden in the golden sand being blown away by the breeze.
“Oh? The little lass escaped?” In no time, Principal Chen’s figure appeared. He laughed while standing at the place where Ye Jian was hiding at, “She escaped…”
Then, something hard pressed against his back. Ye Jian replied with a beaming face, “I didn’t run away, I only changed my position. Uncle Chen, you lost this round.”
This sniping exercise ended after a duration of 46 hours. Currently, both Principal Chen and her were covered head to toe by golden sand. If one brushed their hands against their face, they would scrape off a considerable layer of sand.
Moreover, their lips had not touched any water for the past 46 hours. They had only made it this far by drinking cactus juice. Not only were their lips split apart and bleeding, but the area around their lips was also filled with white scabs.
Those were the stains left by cacti juice.
“Not bad, 46 hours, you’re 5 hours faster than before. You’ve improved, little lass!” Old Uncle Gen passed the military canteen in his hand to Ye Jian, while he took the sniper rifle in her hands, “I’ll do the maintenance for your firearms, both of you rest.”
An elder in his seventies accompanied Ye Jian without hesitation, treading on the toiling journey for training with Principal Chen.
By their feet was river Hotan. Ye Jian lowered her head and cupped some water in her hands, washing off the layer of golden crust on her skin, revealing a small face that was red from the sun. She spoke to Principal Chen, “Uncle Chen, during tomorrow’s endurance test, you can rest. I’ll be fine alone.”
No matter where they were, Ye Jian’s endurance test was continually being carried out. Reverse army crawl, obstacle navigation, marching in full armor, running 2000 meters with a specific rhythm, and so on … These were the tasks that Ye Jian needed to complete.
