After being separated for a whole day, Liu Qiao and Lao Mo finally appeared before Xiao Lou. Overjoyed, Xiao Lou noticed the bloodstains on their bodies and rushed forward to ask, "Were you swept away by the sandstorm? Are you injured?"
Liu Qiao said, " Professor Xiao, don't worry, we're fine, just some minor injuries."
Lu Jiuchuan pointed to the building in front of him and said, "When I found them, they were hiding inside this house."
Following the direction Ninth Brother pointed, Xiao Lou indeed saw a strange building—it was more like a cube than a house, completely surrounded by marble on all sides.
The familiar marble is clearly Old Mo's card.
Old Mo walked up to Xiao Lou and explained, "I was swept away by the sandstorm, and Xiao Liu tried to save me by using his Lightness Skill Card to fly up and grab my arm to pull me back. Unfortunately, the sandstorm was too strong, and we were both swept into the air and knocked unconscious..."
Liu Qiao added, "We don't know how long we were unconscious. When we woke up, we couldn't see anyone. We were too scared to wander around, so we just stayed where we were, planning to look for you after dark, following the direction of North Star. But as soon as it got dark, we encountered a pack of wolves!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lou's heart skipped a beat: "And then, you built this house with marble?"
Old Mo smiled wryly, "There were at least a thousand wolves. The two of us couldn't handle them at all. Xiao Liu used Elsa's ice and snow ultimate to freeze the wolves, and we used our Lightness Skill Cards to escape. But the wolf pack was too fast and quickly caught up with us again. With no other choice, Xiao Liu suggested that I build a house out of marble. The wolves couldn't get through the marble, and that's how we survived without any real danger."
During their escape, the two bumped and bruised themselves, sustaining numerous injuries, but fortunately, they were all superficial.
Old Mo had been bitten on the leg by a wolf, and the blood seeping out stained half of his trouser leg red. He was walking with a limp. Shao Qingge took the initiative to go over and help him treat his wound, while asking in a low voice, "Where is the pack of wolves that attacked you?"
Liu Qiao said, "We were hiding in a sealed marble house. At first, the wolf pack surrounded us outside. Then, suddenly, two very clear howls came from outside, and then the wolf pups inexplicably scattered."
Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge exchanged a glance. The latter quickly treated Lao Mo's wounds, stood up, and said, "It must be that the wolf king discovered us and summoned the wolf cubs. The wolf cubs abandoned their attack on Lao Mo and Shao Qingge and instead targeted us."
Old Mo looked at Xiao Lou in surprise: " Professor Xiao, did you also encounter a pack of wolves?"
Chu Huaying said, "Since both Xiao Liu and I could hear the wolf king's howl, it means that the wolf king's howl was not far from here. We just escaped the wolf pack's attack, and they might catch up with us again soon!"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Everyone, retreat quickly. Please have Ninth Brother scout ahead from the air."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiuchuan immediately rode the Vermilion Bird to lead the way. The high altitude provided a relatively wide field of vision, allowing him to spot any wolf packs he might encounter immediately. Meanwhile, Xiao Lou and his group quickly caught up with Lu Jiuchuan using various Lightness Skills.
Liu Qiaofei was standing next to Xiao Lou. All the teammates were there, but Yu Hanjiang was nowhere to be seen. She asked softly, " Professor Xiao, where is Captain Yu?"
Xiao Lou pointed to his pocket: "I shrunk him."
Liu Qiao didn't know what had happened, but Xiao Lou had shrunk Yu Hanjiang to the size of a thumb and put him in her pocket, so Captain Yu must have been injured or something else had happened. She didn't ask any more questions and focused on flying forward with Lao Mo.
Lu Jiuchuan flew halfway before spotting a dark pack of wolves behind him.
The desert wolves' brownish-yellow pupils were exceptionally conspicuous in the darkness, like a large group of moving nightlights. The dense array of pupils made Lu Jiuchuan's scalp tingle. He hurriedly shouted down, "Everyone, speed up! The wolves are catching up again! I'll set them on fire!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lou hurriedly urged Ye Qi, "Xiao Ye, hurry!"
Ye Qi used the teleportation card to take Xiao Lou with him, while the others also used their own abilities to escape quickly. Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci stayed at the rear of the group. When he saw that his teammates had run more than 100 meters away, he suddenly turned around and rode the Vermilion Bird towards the wolf pack.
Countless wolf pups, their cold eyes gathering like a tide, rapidly spread across the desert. Trying to outrun these starving packs was simply asking for trouble; even with their Lightness Skill Cards, they couldn't keep up with the wolves for long.
Lu Jiuchuan stared coldly at the wolf pack below and whispered, "Zhuque, set it on fire."
Upon hearing the command, the divine beast suddenly spread its wings, and flames descended from the sky. The rolling yellow sand seemed to be dyed red by the flames. In an instant, the flames formed a wall of fire several meters high in front of the wolf pack, which swept towards the wolf pack with the wind!
Suzaku's limited skill is a fire attack that is extremely fierce and capable of devouring everything.
The wolves, engulfed by the flames, let out deafening howls—
Awoo!
The howls of a large number of desert wolves converged, creating a deafening roar.
In the vast, empty desert, only the howls of wolves remained. Xiao Lou's heart clenched as he listened to these sounds. He took a deep breath, pressed his earpiece, and asked, "Ninth Brother, after Suzaku's limited skill is used, can this card be used again?"
Lu Jiuchuan paused for a moment, then replied, "It placed Tang Ci and me on the ground, then vanished in a flash of light."
The Vermilion Bird had been by his side since he entered Card World, helping him overcome countless crises. Now, watching the fiery red divine beast disappear before his eyes, Lu Jiuchuan felt reluctant, but he could only obey.
Follow the rules of the game.
He opened his hand, letting the wind scatter the shattered card, then whispered, "I can't keep searching for oases. Relying on Xiao Tang's drone to scout the entire desert is simply unrealistic. How's the situation in Hanjiang?"
"He's been running a high fever and won't wake up. If we can't find the medicine soon, I'm afraid…" Xiao Lou tried to keep his voice calm, but the last syllable of his voice trembled slightly. He said decisively, "We'll split up and search. That will be more efficient."
Lu Jiuchuan was also anxious, but if they hadn't used Suzaku's ultimate move, they wouldn't have been able to stop the pack of ravenous wolves and would have become their prey sooner or later. Xiao Lou suggested splitting up to search, and Lu Jiuchuan agreed, asking, "How should we divide into teams?"
Xiao Lou calmly said, " Ye Qi and I will take Hua Ying, Liu Qiao, and CEO Shao to explore to the east and north. Ninth Brother, you and the others will take Lao Mo as your guide and head south and west. No matter how vast the desert is, it always has a boundary. We must find an oasis before dawn."
Lu Jiuchuan didn't hesitate any longer: "Okay."
He paused, then added, "Take care of yourself. Hanjiang would never want to see you get into trouble because of him."
"I know," Xiao Lou replied. He looked to his side and said quickly, "Xiao Ye, Hua Ying, Liu Qiao, CEO Shao, you come with me. The rest of you, wait for Brother Jiu to arrive and then head in the opposite direction. Our goal is to find the oasis before dawn and find a cure for the plague. Otherwise, we will lose our teammates Yu Hanjiang and Long Sen. "
Liu Qiao finally understood what had happened to Yu Hanjiang and Long Sen. She didn't ask any more questions and obediently walked to Xiao Lou's side.
Xiao Lou looked up at the sky and said calmly, "Let's go."
Liu Qiao rarely saw Professor Xiao with such a serious expression. Usually, he always had a gentle smile that made his teammates feel safe and friendly. Now, his whole face was somber, which showed how serious the situation was.
Since Liu Qiao's Lightness Skill Card requires finding a landing point, and it's difficult to find a landing point for continuous flight in the desert, Ye Qi simply brought Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao along. Shao Qingge and Chu Huaying are already very fast on their own, and the four of them, guided by Xiao Lou, quickly made their way in the direction indicated by the North Star.
The temperature was very low at night, and the harsh weather made their hands and feet almost numb with cold. In addition, the wind blew up from time to time, blowing sand and slapping it against their bodies and faces. The sandstorm made it hard for Xiao Lou to open his eyes, and his face felt like it was being cut by knives. But he still dared not stop for a moment and rushed forward like a madman.
He knew that every minute of delay would increase the danger for Yu Hanjiang.
The man who had always been by his side protecting him was now lying in his pocket with a high fever. How could he dare to let his guard down?
Xiao Lou's spirits were like taut strings; his teammates, seeing his expression, dared not speak or disturb him.
The group of five traveled swiftly through the desert. After an unknown amount of time, Ye Qi whispered a reminder: " Professor Xiao, my teleportation card can't teleport indefinitely. It can only last for a maximum of one hour. CEO Shao has another one, so we can use it for a total of two hours."
Previously, each escape only took ten minutes or so, at most half an hour, and most of the time it was in the city, where you had to stop and rest when you turned a corner. Ye Qi had never used the teleportation card for such a long time and at such a high intensity.
The endless desert seemed to keep Ye Qi from moving around in place, no matter how long he teleported. The surrounding scenery remained unchanged, and Ye Qi would get tired after walking for a long time.
The teleportation card travels at 50 meters per second, and can teleport 180,000 meters, or 180 kilometers, in one hour. Xiao Lou had been calculating the time since Ye Qi started teleporting. Hearing Ye Qi's words, he nodded and whispered, "We've already traveled 90 kilometers north. In another half hour, we'll switch to CEO Shao's card and continue."
Shao Qingge took out the card and handed it to Xiao Lou in advance.
The group continued forward, time ticking away, but the surrounding area remained an endless desert, a scene so unchanging it was almost despairing.
The night was bitterly cold, and Xiao Lou's hair and clothes were full of sand, but he didn't care about that. He had only one thought in his mind—he had to find the oasis and save Yu Hanjiang!
This unwavering belief has always sustained him.
Although his whole body was numb from the cold, and thirst, hunger, and exhaustion kept overwhelming his mind, he held his breath and teleported continuously for more than 300 kilometers in the vast desert without interruption for even a second!
The teleportation card's energy was almost depleted. Xiao Lou appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was growing increasingly frightened.
What if we still can't find an oasis?
He asked Lu Jiuchuan via Telepathic Connection: "Brother Jiu, how's it going on your end? Have you found the oasis yet?"
Lu Jiuchuan's voice carried a hint of helplessness: "Nothing was found."
Both of them fell silent at the same time, knowing what it meant.
Just then, Shao Qingge suddenly said, "There's something ahead. Wait a moment, I'll go take a look!"
In the darkness, the Zerg's eyesight is far superior to that of humans. What Xiao Lou cannot see, Shao Qingge can see clearly. This is why Xiao Lou takes CEO Shao with him on his mission.
He saw faint shadows of plants in the distance and worried it was a hallucination, so Shao Qingge told his teammates to wait where they were while he ran over quickly. Then, Shao Qingge's voice came through the voice headset: "I found the oasis!"