As Shao Qingge spoke, he was more than a kilometer away from his teammates. He saw the " mirage " scene he had seen in the desert before, but this time it was night. A full moon was clearly reflected in the clear lake water. The lake was still and windless, and the surrounding desert vegetation also cast its reflection in the lake.
Not far from the lake came a burst of laughter. Shao Qingge looked closely and saw a bonfire burning in the distance. A group of young women were dancing around the flames. They were dressed in strange ethnic costumes, and the veils on their heads covered half of their faces. The girls' slender waists were like water snakes, and they could spin and bend freely. Their dance was very enchanting.
Outside, many young men were playing instruments and drums to accompany the beautiful women, children were playing around in a group, and the elderly had set up numerous tables piled high with food.
The bonfire party at the oasis was incredibly lively. After a whole day of harrowing escape while hungry, Shao Qingge was so surprised to see such a lively and peaceful scene that he initially thought he was hallucinating.
To confirm, he quickly plunged into the desert and approached the lake.
Unlike the mirage during the day, this time he quickly arrived at the lake. A breeze blew by, and the lake surface shimmered. The breeze also carried the aroma of barbecue from not far away—this was a true oasis!
Shao Qingge immediately shared the good news with his teammates.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lou hurriedly asked Ye Qi to use the teleportation card to lead him towards CEO Shao.
Within 10 seconds, the group reached Shao Qingge's side. They hid behind a giant cactus, disappearing into the darkness, unnoticed by the others at the bonfire party.
Xiao Lou frowned slightly as he looked at the lively scene not far away, and asked in a low voice, "A bonfire party with so many people, is it a festival?"
Shao Qingge said, "It seems to be a wedding. I just saw a young couple dressed in bright red being invited to the middle of the dance floor for a strange ceremony, and there were people dressed like wizards reciting some blessings."
Ye Qi looked at the dancers and said worriedly, "Most of these people are probably NPCs living in the desert oasis, right? But there are definitely Hunters mixed in among them, lying in wait to wipe us out."
Xiao Lou turned his head and glanced at the clear spring water—he had been in the challenge all day and had only drunk a sip of water. In addition, he had just run for two hours in the desert to catch up, and at this moment, he was parched and his lips were even cracked. This spring was simply a fatal temptation for him.
His body desperately craved water, but his reason prevented him from doing so.
Xiao Lou swallowed hard, looked away from the spring, and said calmly, "Don't eat their food or drink the water here. Our goal is to find the medicine. We must act quickly while most people in town are attending the wedding banquet."
" Oasis Town is quite large. It would be too conspicuous for the five of us to travel together. Why don't we split up? I can go and scout ahead on my own. I'll let you know with my headset if I get any news," Shao Qingge said.
"I can go alone. CEO Shao and I will go one to the left and one to the right." Chu Huaying looked at Xiao Lou and said, "However, neither of us knows anything about medicine. You have to tell us what medicine we need."
Xiao Lou thought for a moment and said, "The architectural style of this town looks like a modern setting. Look for pharmacies or hospitals along the way. The first choice for treating plague is Streptomycin. Bring it back to me when you find it."
Shao Qingge and Chu Huaying nodded simultaneously: "Understood."
Xiao Lou said, "I'm going with Xiao Ye and Xiao Liu, continuing north. Everyone hurry up and keep in touch via voice."
The group exchanged glances and quickly parted ways at the three-way intersection ahead. Xiao Lou and his two companions went forward, while Chu Huaying and Shao Qingge flanked them on either side. The five of them soon disappeared into the night.
Chu Huaying and Shao Qingge, who has transformed into the Insect King, are both top-tier individual combatants. Xiao Lou is not worried about their safety. Unless they are besieged by a large number of Hunters, the two of them can protect themselves and escape quickly even if they encounter a few Hunters.
Ye Qi and Liu Qiao aren't particularly strong fighters, but fortunately, they have a lot of control cards, plus Xiao Lou's summoning cards, which allows the three of them to survive in critical moments. Unfortunately, Ye Qi's teleportation card is now useless, and CEO Shao's copied teleportation card only has 10 minutes left. They must make the most of every second.
Fortunately, the desert is vast and sparsely populated. The roads in Oasis Town are not winding paths, but straight and wide roads, which makes it easy to use a teleportation card to bring teammates along.
Because the wedding banquet was held by the lake, most of the houses in the town were empty.
No one lived there, which meant no lights. Xiao Lou didn't dare take out the Luminous Pearl for illumination, as that would attract the hunters from the town. He could only rely on the dim moonlight to find his way and the north star in the sky to determine his direction.
The three wandered around the maze-like town without finding any pharmacies or hospitals.
As time ticked by, Xiao Lou grew increasingly nervous. He found a secluded corner, pressed his earpiece, and whispered, " CEO Shao, Hua Ying, have you found anything?"
Shao Qingge replied: "I didn't see a pharmacy here, but after walking a few kilometers, I saw a large grape orchard. These grapes should be safe, and I can pick some for everyone to eat."
Chu Huaying said, "This place seems to be their camel-breeding area; there's not a single person in sight. And if I go any further, I still can't see anything."
The desert at the end of the road.
It seems that Hua Ying and CEO Shao are heading in the wrong direction.
If there really is a pharmacy in Oasis Town, it must be in the direction Xiao Lou and his companions are heading.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath to calm himself down and continued to lead his two teammates forward.
The further he went, the more forks in the road he encountered. If he hadn't remained calm and been able to quickly locate himself using the North Star, he would have long since lost his way in this small town at night.
A few minutes later, another three-way intersection appeared ahead.
Xiao Lou carved a symbol on a stone at the fork in the road, indicating that he should first go left, and if he encountered a dead end, he should turn back and go in another direction.
After walking for a while, suddenly, a soft light appeared in his field of vision, next to a red cross-shaped symbol.
That light was like a ship adrift in a dark sea finally seeing a lighthouse!
—The red cross is a distinctive symbol of medical institutions.
Xiao Lou was overjoyed and hurriedly walked towards the simple two-story building.
Upon closer inspection, I saw a sign standing at the entrance with the word " Hospital " written on it.
There weren't many people at the hospital late at night. The old doctor on duty at the entrance was dozing off. Xiao Lou crouched down to avoid his gaze and sneaked into the building with Ye Qi and Liu Qiao.
The lights in the building flickered, the bulbs seemed to be broken, making a hissing sound as they flickered. Xiao Lou walked for a few seconds and then realized something was wrong—there was a mirror on every door, and the moment the lights came on, he suddenly saw his grandmother reflected in the mirror at the end of the corridor.
The white-haired old woman smiled, her eyes narrowing into slits, her smile warm and loving. But now, in the mirror of the hospital corridor in the desolate Oasis Town, Xiao Lou suddenly saw his grandmother. He felt no love from his elder, only a chill running from his feet to the top of his head, as if his blood was about to freeze.
What's going on? Isn't this a hospital?
At the same time, Ye Qi stared blankly at the mirror, muttering, "I saw my mother. Is this an illusion?"
Liu Qiao stared intently at the door in front of her and whispered, "Sister?"
Xiao Lou immediately stopped in his tracks: "Something's wrong, everyone get out of here!"
He hurriedly retreated with Ye Qi and Liu Qiao, but suddenly, two pale, corpse-like hands reached out from the mirrors of the two doors next to them. The two hands exerted force at the same time and violently pulled Liu Qiao and Ye Qi into the mirrors!
Seeing Ye Qi and Liu Qiao disappear from her side, Xiao Lou's heart tightened slightly.
It's Hunter.
Perhaps they've stumbled into the [ Absolute Domain ] set up by Hunter again, or perhaps this is a hospital maze that Hunter deliberately "built" just to wait for them to come to him.
Xiao Lou clenched her fists tightly, trying to calm herself down quickly.
He cautiously backed away while pressing his earpiece and whispered, " Ye Qi, Liu Qiao, can you hear me?"
Ye Qi quickly replied: " Professor Xiao, this is a mirror maze, there are mirrors all around, I can't tell which way is which..."
Liu Qiao didn't reply immediately; perhaps she was lost in the maze.
Xiao Lou asked worriedly, " Liu Qiao?"
A few seconds later, Liu Qiao's voice rang in my ears: "I'm here. Professor Xiao, all the doors here are also covered in mirrors. Pushing any door will lead to the next secret room filled with mirrors. How do I get out?"
It seems this is a maze of mirrors.
Xiao Lou had a splitting headache. Neither Xiao Liu nor Ye Qi were good at mazes, and Lao Mo wasn't around. He was the only one who could help now. He took a deep breath and whispered, "Don't panic. Calm down and tell me how many walls are in the secret room?"
Liu Qiao said, "All four sides."
Ye Qi also said, "Four walls."
Xiao Lou analyzed the situation carefully in his mind for a moment, then said, "It's probably a maze made up of countless square chambers. I'm currently on the central axis corridor. Liu Qiao was to my left just now. If I walk clockwise around the maze, and Ye Qi walks counter-clockwise, I should be able to return to my original position. If you still can't see me, then my deduction is wrong..."
Following Xiao Lou's instructions, Ye Qi and Liu Qiao each pushed open a mirrored door.
Soon, Liu Qiao's figure appeared in Xiao Lou's field of vision.
Although the girl's face was pale, her gaze remained calm. She walked up to Xiao Lou, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and said, " Professor Xiao is indeed amazing. He figured out the pattern of the maze so quickly."
Just as Xiao Lou was about to speak, suddenly, a cold glint flashed in Liu Qiao's hand—
A sharp dagger flashed like lightning and plunged into Xiao Lou's chest.
This stab was swift, ruthless, and precise, cleanly piercing Xiao Lou's heart.
As blood gushed from his chest, Xiao Lou met a pair of icy eyes. Although those eyes belonged to Liu Qiao, they seemed strangely unfamiliar.
Before Xiao Lou could react, she completely lost consciousness.
At the same time, two unbelievable messages popped up in the pop-up windows of all team members—
Team leader Xiao Lou has died, and the team's contract book owner has changed to Yu Hanjiang.
Team leader Yu Hanjiang has died, and the team's contract book owner has been changed to Shao Qingge.