In the vast desert, the entire convoy was stretched out rather far. From a distance, they looked like a loosely scattered “ants moving house” formation with a clear destination.
All the vehicles had their windows tightly shut, fearing that the billowing sand would get inside and leave them with a mouthful of grit.
When the sudden sandstorm kicked up, the leading vehicle rolled down its window and urged the ones behind, “A sandstorm is coming! Drive faster, don’t get stuck here! Ptooey, ptooey!”
As they spoke, the yellow sand had already obscured the windows.
The view ahead became blurry and indistinct.
Few among them had ever experienced a sandstorm before. Instinctively, they heeded the lead car’s warning, and more than a dozen vehicles sped up, moving forward.
In the dim yellow storm, no one knew how far they had driven. Finally, the sandstorm abruptly stopped.
Inside an extended business vehicle, Zeng Zhuyue immediately turned to look at the blue-haired man soaking in a water bucket. “Are you okay?”
Lan Jing shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Zeng Zhuyue did not feel reassured.
She looked at Lan Jing’s arm with concern. Ever since they entered the desert, his skin had been growing increasingly dry. He had to remain immersed in a water bucket at all times, and every half a day, they had to find an ice-type ability user to replace the overheated water, just to barely maintain a comfortable environment.
“If it weren’t for that Grade 7 crystal…” Zeng Zhuyue sighed.
Lan Jing stretched out his arm and gently pulled Zeng Zhuyue into his embrace. “I’m really fine.”
Moist water droplets clung to her hair as he held her.
Zeng Zhuyue closed her eyes briefly. “I hope the Research Guild didn’t deceive us. Otherwise…”
Otherwise, she would make them give her an explanation.
The convoy continued moving forward steadily for some time.
In the lead car, an ability user was still sighing in relief. “Luckily, it was just strong winds. If it had been a real sandstorm, we’d all be done for.”
Someone disagreed. “Don’t we have earth-type ability users? Even if we ran into a sandstorm, we should still be able to get out, right?”
At the mention of earth-type ability users, everyone instinctively thought of the Tier 6 Huang Yongjun.
“Huh? Isn’t the Ability User Guild’s car missing one?”
Finally, someone noticed something was wrong!
Then, someone in the back shouted, “The last four cars are gone!”
Gone?
Jiang Hong, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. “Stop the car.”
The few vehicles from the Battle Pet Guild stopped first, and the cars behind had no choice but to halt as well.
Everyone watched as Jiang Hong got out of the car and stood off to the side.
Without the sandstorm’s obstruction and cover, everyone quickly realized—Huang Yongjun’s car, along with the last four independent teams, had vanished without a trace!
Now, that was strange.
If the last four vehicles had accidentally gotten lost in the sandstorm, then how had Huang Yongjun, who was positioned further ahead in the convoy, disappeared as well?
Jiang Hong’s expression turned extremely grim the moment he realized this.
One of those four missing vehicles was the one Su Su was in!
This was no accident!
He took a deep breath, walked to the Ability User Guild’s convoy, and knocked heavily on the car window.
“Lu Tao, come out.”
The window rolled down, and Lu Tao lazily rested his arm on the edge. “Boss Jiang, what can I do for you?”
“Huang Yongjun has disappeared. Isn’t your guild going to look for him?”
“What’s there to look for? Maybe they just had to take a dump and went behind a sand dune. Won’t they catch up in a bit?”
Jiang Hong’s eyes narrowed as Lu Tao brushed it off. “Lu Tao, do you think I’d believe that?”
Huang Yongjun and Su Su had vanished at the same time. It was obvious that the Ability User Guild hadn’t given up and had made another move against her.
Lu Tao and Jiang Hong stared at each other for a long time before Lu Tao suddenly grinned. “So what if you don’t believe it? What are you gonna do? Turn around and go back to look for them now?”
“You’ll probably just find a corpse.”
Crash!
A fist of iron shattered the car window, and shards of glass flew past Lu Tao’s cheek, leaving a bright, fresh gash. Blood welled up instantly.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Everyone inside the Ability User Guild’s vehicles erupted at once.
At the same time, Jiang Hong’s people, including his cheetah, closed in aggressively.
The two sides were locked in a tense standoff.
At the very heart of the brewing storm, Lu Tao wiped the blood from his face and twisted his lips into a malicious grin. “Jiang Hong, what is that woman to you? Your bedmate? Is that why you’re protecting her like this?”
“Could it be that she serves you extra well in b—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the entire car suddenly lifted off the ground. Just before it came crashing down, four doors were kicked open, and the ability users inside leaped out midair.
Boom!
The heavy vehicle slammed into the sand, half of it instantly totaled.
Lu Tao had barely landed when he flashed forward—
In just a few seconds, the two clashed dozens of times.
Seeing their leaders go at it, the rest of the teams were about to escalate the fight when a sudden sharp voice rang out from the front.
“Stop!”
Qi Huiling jumped out of the car and rushed over in a hurry.
“Stop this right now!”
No one listened to her. A Tier 5 intelligence-type ability user had no deterrent power in such a chaotic situation.
Qi Huiling took a deep breath. “Si Wei, help me stop them!”
The masked woman acted immediately. In the next second, orange-red flames flared up, forcibly separating Lu Tao and Jiang Hong.
Both men halted at the same time, looking in surprise at the masked woman standing beside Qi Huiling.
A Tier 6 ability user in the Research Guild? Was this the hidden trump card they had been keeping under wraps?
Seeing them stop, Qi Huiling spoke calmly. “If you still want to keep up, then stand down.”
Jiang Hong said, “What about the missing vehicles?”
“Gone…” Qi Huiling smiled slightly, a dimple appearing at the corner of her lips, making her look pure and innocent. However, her words were utterly ruthless. “Then they can only blame their bad luck.”
Jiang Hong’s gaze swept over her face. In his heart, he was now certain—Su Su and Huang Yongjun’s disappearance had something to do with her.
Before he could speak again, Qi Huiling shifted to a troubled expression. “What else can we do?”
“No one knows exactly where they got lost. Are we supposed to turn back to look for them? Besides, Boss Jiang, our time is precious. Every hour we waste here means more scientists dying back at the base.”
“The guild is paying you to rescue people and recover research data. Those who lacked the strength still insisted on coming along, and now that something happened to them, we have to save them? What kind of logic is that?”
“Moreover, the Ability User Guild’s Huang Yongjun went missing, but none of his people seem worried. They must have full confidence in their own members’ strength. Boss Jiang, those missing vehicles weren’t even from your guild. Life and death are up to fate—why bother?”
Her words were well-reasoned and persuasive.
In the apocalypse, people had grown cold-hearted. Apart from Jiang Hong, no one else cared whether the missing teams lived or died.
Qi Huiling’s argument won over many people.
Lu Tao sneered. “Boss Jiang, since your bedmate went missing, I’ll let this slide this time.”
He called over a metal-type ability user from his team to repair the half-wrecked vehicle.
Seeing that the conflict had subsided, Qi Huiling also smiled. “Boss Jiang, let’s get back in the cars and keep moving, shall we?”
Jiang Hong shot her a cold look. “No need. I’ll go back and find them myself.”
Qi Huiling’s smile momentarily stiffened.
Jiang Hong had no intention of entangling with these people any further.
If he went back now, he might still be able to help in time.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Jiang Hong. At this moment, even those who hadn’t suspected anything before started to wonder—was there really something between Boss Jiang and that female ability user named Su Su?
Otherwise, why would he go through so much trouble? Even fighting Lu Tao over it?
Jiang Hong had already placed one foot into his vehicle when suddenly, the distant roar of engines broke the silence.
Not just one, but three!
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound, only to see a car suddenly cresting a low dirt slope.
That conspicuous modified vehicle—it was clearly from the Ability User Guild!
Could it be that Huang Yongjun was back?
Then what about the two vehicles following behind it?
Jiang Hong withdrew his foot, his gaze turning solemn as he focused on the three approaching cars.
The modified vehicle at the front was descending the slope too fast, its wheels kicking up twin arcs of “sand waterfalls” on either side. The roaring engine grew louder until it finally came to a screeching halt at the front of the convoy.
Standing beside the wrecked car, Lu Tao frowned.
He had more or less guessed that Huang Yongjun had gone after the new female ability user and her battle pet. But… why had that seven-seater off-road vehicle still returned?
Lu Tao took a few steps forward, while Jiang Hong took a few steps back.
The former was heading toward the modified vehicle that had returned, while the latter was moving toward the seven-seater.
Just as they passed each other, the door of the modified vehicle was suddenly blasted off.
Clang!
The door shot out with pinpoint accuracy, smashing into the half-repaired wrecked vehicle and sending it tumbling several meters before it rolled off the sand slope.
Bang. Clang. Thud!
Lu Tao and Jiang Hong both stopped in their tracks, even Qi Huiling’s brow twitched slightly.
What was going on?
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a scorched corpse was thrown out of the modified car, landing near the Ability User Guild’s vehicles.
The body had been tossed so violently that the moment it hit the ground, the head detached from the torso.
Thud, thud, thud…
The charred head rolled right to Lu Tao’s feet.
Instinctively, he looked down, stared for a few seconds, and then his expression changed drastically. “H-Huang Yongjun?!”
This was Huang Yongjun?
The few people standing nearby immediately focused on the head. After a few more glances, they, too, recognized it—this was indeed Huang Yongjun!
He was dead. Burned alive!
Lu Tao was furious. “Who did this?!”
Everyone followed his gaze toward the modified vehicle.
The battered car door creaked, and a massive python slithered down first. As its body touched the scorching sand, it froze for a few seconds before pretending as if nothing had happened and wriggled forward half a meter.
Next, an absurdly beautiful female ability user leaped lightly from the car.
A hideous venomous insect fluttered behind her, its wings buzzing wildly.
At that moment, a gentle breeze swept through, lifting the gauzy veil wrapped around her head. A cascade of silky black hair tumbled down, revealing delicate features and fair, rosy skin.
It was as if the harsh desert environment had never tormented her. She remained the most dazzling presence in the crowd.
The stunning female ability user picked up the stubborn black snake. As she straightened up, she offered the dumbstruck crowd a polite smile.
Especially toward Lu Tao.
Her smile became even friendlier, her gaze deliberately flicking toward the charred head that had been kicked aside.
“This was one of your guild’s people, wasn’t he?”
“He seemed to have been roasted to death by the sun, so I kindly brought his remains back for you.”
“No need to thank me. But if you really feel bad about it, you can always kneel and kowtow a few times.”