Chapter 1235
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Zian had not expressed his position for now. He had been thinking about a solution that gave the best of both worlds. If he could find a way that guaranteed everyone’s safety and also maintained everyone’s strength, that would be the best way out.
But he couldn’t think of a better solution.
The way to safely climb the sand ridge had been proposed by Professor Wei Kang last night. When Peter Lee’s team set up the satellite internet access, while others were chatting or writing emails, Zhang Zian searched the internet for the method proposed by Wei Kang. After all, since it was about safety, he could not possibly blindly follow.
As a result, he found that the method Wei Kang had proposed was not an original idea, but a tried routine used by oil exploration workers in the desert.
This was troublesome. Very troublesome.
The methods used by oil exploration workers must have been the result of experience and wisdom accumulated over the years.
The wisdom of countless workers was infinite. On his own, and with this being the first time he entered the Great Desert, how could he possibly come up with a better solution?
Oil exploration workers could adopt this method because of their superior physical strength, will, and hard work. The expedition team was incomparable with them. Peter Lee’s team wasn’t even much better either. Therefore, this method would not necessarily work with this expedition team, or at least the 100% copied method wouldn’t.
Zhang Zian’s eyes turned to the suitcase with his drone. Perhaps the drone could be used to improve a certain number of their attempts?
If he used the drone to survey the land to find a gentle slope first, could he then relieve everyone of the effort of climbing all the sand dunes? He thought about it and felt that this approach seemed to be feasible.
The drone couldn’t completely replace the human eye, because the human eye created a three-dimensional visual. With the human eye, the smoothness of the sand dune was visible with just one glance. The drone, on the other hand, needed to find a suitable shooting angle and height while flying along the sand ridge.
Also, using the drone’s visuals to judge the steepness of the slope was not necessarily accurate. However, in any case, it could save everyone from running around. A classic move of using the brain and not the brawn.
“Wait. Stop fighting. I have a proposal.”
Having thought through the details, he shared his idea via the walkie-talkie public channel.
Amongst the entire team, except Nabari and Salem, were highly educated people, and they understood what he meant almost immediately.
“You brought a drone?” Peter Lee was surprised.
“Yes!” Wei Kang’s tone was full of excitement. “This method is very good! I think it’s all right. Although the drone may not find the most gradual route, as long as the path is relatively flat, we will be fine.”
Peter Lee sighed. “We also brought drones, but they were detained by customs. They said they were dangerous goods and could not be brought into the country.”
The grim anti-terrorism situation in Egypt had made the customs control of drones very strict. A toy drone would not be much of a problem. However, if it was a high-performance drone, the authorities were worried that it would be used to carry out terrorist operations.
The expedition team could smoothly bring the drones in because they had official documents stamped by the University of Binhai and an official invitation from Cairo University. Peter Lee and his team had not gone through these procedures, and it wasn’t surprising that their drones had been detained.
Everyone thought that this method was feasible. The atmosphere of the common channel instantly got better. Several people also jokingly asked Zhang Zian why he had not thought of this before they climbed a sand dune.
Whether the drone could survive long hours under a high temperature and direct sunlight was another matter. Zhang Zian did not have an answer and was worried that the drone might be damaged.
Wei Kang was also unsure, but now was not the time to consider this. To choose between the team facing a split and morale setback versus the possibility of drone damage, he could only choose the latter.
Zhang Zian got off the bus and opened his suitcase on the hot hood. He started assembling the drone in the sun.
Everyone prayed that this method would succeed. Otherwise, it would be a huge hit to their morale. The newfound hope would then once again bring disappointment.
The battery was full, and the parts of the drone were well-maintained. The drone’s self-test was also normal.
On the wing of the drone, the name “Nekhbet” had been written with a marker. This was the name that Fina had given it. Nekhbet was the goddess of the sky in ancient Egyptian mythology, much like a female falcon. They all hoped it could really rule the sky like its name.
Zhang Zian returned to the car with his remote control and issued a command for the drone to take off. Nekhbet’s four propellers started spinning at high speed, and it rose to the sky briskly, reflecting silver light when the sunlight hit it.
Everyone in the team looked up and stared at its flight path.
“Xiao Zhang, steady! Don’t fly too low!” Wei Kang reminded Zhang Zian over the walkie-talkie. He was starting to sweat.
“I know. Don’t worry.”
Zhang Zian calmly maneuvered the drone to fly directly above the sand dune, and the real-time picture taken by the drone was displayed on the remote-control screen.
“There is a big drop here. Fortunately, we didn’t risk driving directly up here…”
He scanned the land behind the sand dunes and heaved out a breath of cold air. The sand dunes facing them were windward. However, the leeward side of the dunes tended to be steeper than the windward side. Although the height was not that significant and the expedition team members had the idea of rushing straight up, it would have been significantly dangerous.
Although there was no way to measure it accurately, the angle of the leeward side of the sand dune was almost 30 degrees.
Thirty degrees may not seem like a lot, but it was already quite steep. The maximum angle at which sand could remain stationary on sand dunes was about 35 degrees. A 30-degree sand dune could be compared with a 30-degree paved road. The tire couldn’t bite into the sand on the sand ridge. If a vehicle moved slightly faster than the sand dune could withstand, it would fly off headfirst and land in the sand.
Zhang Zian operated the drone so that it would maintain a fixed height and fly along the sand ridge. This allowed the camera to look down at it at a 45-degree angle to find a suitable overtaking location.
After flying for a few minutes, the drone identified several alternative locations that they could consider.
Although the desert environment was open and undisturbed, and the remote control could control the drone over a long distance, Zhang Zian dared not allow the drone to fly too far. When the drone was almost done, he brought it back towards him. On its way back, the drone observed the alternate locations once again and then chose the most gentle slope based on visual inspection. At that point, he let the drone hover over it to act as a mark.
Zhang Zian sent a signal through the intercom, and everyone started their cars and drove to the location where the drone was.
When everyone was in place, he quickly let Nekhbet land and took it back into the car. At this time, its shell was so hot that it could blister his hand. In addition, the battery was so hot that he worried it would suddenly explode.
He described the situation on the other side of the dune so that everyone could anticipate what was to come. Then, to take ownership of his decision, he drove across the sand dune first.
The other cars swiftly and successfully climbed over the sand dunes after him.
With the help of the drone, the most troublesome problem had finally been solved.