Omphalos. Xotellus Quborg Saga: Book 1-5, #3

Mentally exhausted and facing relentless peril during their investigation in the Congo, Szymon's team is at its breaking point. Clues have vanished, the trail is cold, and they are poised to abort the mission and retreat to Europe, defeated in their hunt for the mysterious Red Gem's (RG) origin. For months, the world's leading scientists have held onto one critical assumption: the Red Gem's terrifying phenomena can only be neutralized by returning it to its original source, thus sparing Earth from catastrophe.
A controversial suggestion arrives from renowned American nature journalist, Mr. John Davis: try placing the RG in the heart of a vast sand desert. As the mission leader, Szymon sees this as a final, desperate roll of the dice before surrendering to fate. Szymon knows he and his colleague, Mr. Davenson, have already taken a monumental risk by bringing their children-Sarah and Vandan-along on this dangerous investigation.
Yet, their presence is strangely unavoidable; without them, the mystery seems impenetrable. Szymon's resolve is firm: if this mysterious phenomenon is allowed to consume the Earth, it will spare neither adult nor young. Will the desert placement be the key to salvation, or the final, devastating mistake? The clock is ticking, and the team is about to make its most harrowing choice yet.