Chapter 596 - My Friend (1/2)

Chapter 596 My Friend

It was the hottest time of the day. Temperatures on the Gobi had already exceeded forty degrees. Zhang Heng put his backpack on his head to block the sunlight, but this action proved pointless. After trudging along the railway tracks for a while, the skin exposed to the sun became tan, and his vision started to become blurry.

Finding a rock wall that offered some shade, he sat down to rest for a while, waiting for the scorching sun to go down a little before taking off again. He had a whiptail lizard for company, hiding in the same spot as him to escape the tremendous heat.

In the Apollo program training camp, Zhang Heng underwent an exercise to test how well he could survive a desert. The only difference was that he was given a supply package. NASA had done an excellent job providing proper training to their future astronauts, having accounted for every emergency that could happen and provided contingencies for them. The trainees were even given anti-inflammatory drugs. This time, it was different. Zhang Heng was being thrown into the Gobi by the game system. From his clothes to personal effects, he was sorely unprepared to survive the rigors of the desert.

Since he had found the railroad, Zhang Heng originally planned to walk along with it for a while until the train came, intending to hop onto it and get off at the next settlement. Unfortunately, it seemed like he was not in luck today. Two hours had pa.s.sed, and he still had not seen a train pa.s.s. So, he could only carry on the journey with his legs.

After walking for almost four hours, water in his body was evaporating quickly. Not only did the corners of his mouth become dry and cracked, but the exposed calves and arms were also a little red and swollen, an indication that he was experiencing sunburn. Fortunately, he spotted a small town from far.

He was relieved. Like most of the small towns in the west in this era, the unknown town he spotted was built along the railroad. The railroad tracks went through the town center, with residential houses on one side and taverns, brothels, and casinos on the other side. Drunkards tend to make a lot of trouble. So, it was necessary to keep them on the other side.

When Zhang Heng got closer, he realized that something was not right with this town. It looked entirely deserted; and through the open doors of a few houses, there wasn’t a single living soul to be seen in them. Not to mention how they were devoid of furniture as well. Zhang Heng randomly walked into one and found the ground filled with dust. It seemed the owner had not stayed here for a long time. The other residential buildings of the town were no better than this one. The only one that showed the slightest difference was the bar in the town. Eight horses were hitched outside the bar. Considering that this was probably the only place with humans in the entire town, Zhang Heng did not hesitate to open the door and enter the bar.

Unlike the empty town outside, the atmosphere in the bar was vivacious. Four men gathered around a table playing poker while cursing at each other loudly. There was also a guy who was already drunk lying on a table by the window; he had a booming snore. Meanwhile, the lame barkeeper was counting the bottles of liquor on the alcohol rack. On the other table, two young men were sitting there quietly. One was cleaning his rifle, and the other played with a dagger.

The moment Zhang Heng strolled in, the racket of a bar fell into a hushed silence. Of course, such behavior was completely understandable. His 21st-century attire looked a little too trendy, not to mention the eye-catching skin color he had.

Since he was not here on a date, he didn’t really care what people thought of him. Glancing around, he walked to the bar and put down his backpack.

“Excuse me, give me a gla.s.s of water… beer is fine too.”

The lame boss did not turn around when he heard Zhang Heng’s request, seeming as if he heard nothing, and continued to sort out the alcohol rack. Zhang Heng frowned. The United States had a very complicated immigration composition. The English and Scottish weren’t the only ones that emigrated here, and though relatively rare, the possibility that the boss spoke no English couldn’t be ruled out completely. So Zhang Heng asked him again in French and Spanish.

Yet, there was no response from the boss.