Chapter 310 Searching for People

Sun Zheng had been listening in silence, but now he clasped his hands in a deep voice and said, "This humble servant obeys your command and will ensure the safety of the lady."

Jiang Huan nodded emphatically, her gaze fixed on the western desert, her eyes resolute as iron.

Wang Degui acted quickly, and in less than half an hour, a highly skilled squad had been assembled.

There were only a few people, including the guide and Sun Zheng's core guards, totaling just over ten, but each of them had sharp eyes and a calm demeanor, making them top-notch fighters.

The guide was a dark-skinned, weathered veteran who knew this death zone, known as the Black Sandstorm Zone, like the back of his hand.

Jiang Huan changed into a gray, close-fitting outfit similar to the guards', wrapped her hair in a cloth, and deliberately smeared some sand on her face to minimize the possibility of attracting attention.

Wang Degui looked at Jiang Huan, who was all ready to go, his lips trembling, still wanting to offer one last piece of advice.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider..."

"Let's go," Jiang Huan interrupted him directly.

Wang Degui sighed and could only watch helplessly as the team disappeared behind the undulating, dusky sand dunes.

Upon entering the Black Sandstorm area, Jiang Huan discovered that the environment here was far harsher than she had imagined.

Putting aside the sand and gravel blown up by the strong wind, it came crashing down on her face without warning, making her want to cry from the pain.

Moreover, walking through the sand and dust, while not quite pitch black, is practically like being blind. One wrong step and there's a quicksand pit waiting for you ahead.

I never imagined that someone who used to always complain about being broke would actually be eating as much as they wanted.

Fortunately, our guide, Lao He, was experienced and always managed to avoid the most dangerous quicksand areas, but the harassment from the Northern Barbarian cavalry was impossible to prevent.

They encountered several small-scale attacks, with arrows suddenly flying from behind any sand dune, making each close-quarters encounter extremely dangerous.

Only thanks to the desperate protection of Sun Zheng and his guards was they able to escape danger.

But there was no trace of Huo Lin.

Time passed slowly, the water and rations they had brought were being used up, and their hope was growing ever fainter.

The guards all looked tired and anxious, and even the guide, Lao He, frowned more and more.

"Madam, this area is too vast. The sand dunes are shifting every day. If His Majesty is truly trapped somewhere, I'm afraid..."

Sun Zheng's voice was hoarse, and he couldn't bear to say the rest of his words.

Jiang Huan's heart sank to the bottom little by little.

My lips were cracked from thirst, and the back of my hands had tiny cuts from the wind and sand.

The cold of the night made her shiver, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.

Huo Lin, where are you...?

If I can't find her soon, I'll really turn into a dried-up stone in this sand dune, waiting for my husband...

The next day at dusk, the setting sun dyed the desert a poignant blood red.

The group, exhausted, took a break behind a huge wind-eroded rock, the atmosphere oppressive and suffocating.

Jiang Huan leaned against the rock, gazing at the endless sand dunes. Despair, like a cold tide, almost overwhelmed her.

She has been searching for so long and gone so far, but why can't she find it!

As time went by and her chances of survival dwindled, she didn't know how much longer she could hold on.

"Silly Huo Lin...you bad guy...you clearly promised to show me the vast landscape..."

"When we get to the underworld, I'll give you a couple of punches. You're such a grown man, why are you playing hide-and-seek with me..."

She murmured almost unconsciously, tugging at the dry corners of her mouth, her eyes filled with bitterness.

But just then, an extremely faint voice intermittently entered her mind.

【water……】

Jiang Huan jolted awake and sat up straight instantly.

Is it a hallucination of someone about to die... or...?

[...cold...damn trap...legs...]

Jiang Huan suddenly clutched her chest, her eyes instantly reddening.

It's him, it really is him! Huo Lin is still alive!

Judging from his voice, he must be extremely weak.

I am very thirsty and very cold.

She was almost frantic, holding her breath and trying to catch the fragmented thoughts.

[…That idiot Wang Degui…what kind of water bag did he prepare? It leaks faster than he drinks it…]

If Jiang Huan were here... there would definitely be food... she's an expert at hiding snacks...

Jiang Huan's heart felt as if it had been struck by those words, and a surge of tenderness, almost bursting out of her chest, welled up and made her eyes burn.

This idiot...this number one idiot in the world!

What time is it? And he's still thinking about snacks!

[...There seems to be some movement on the east side... Is it still those persistent Di dogs?... We must hold on...]

East side?

Jiang Huan raised her head and looked towards the continuous sand dunes to the east.

"Captain Sun!" Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, but she tried her best to remain calm. "There seems to be a faint noise from the east, it doesn't sound like the wind."

Sun Zheng and his guards were taken aback upon hearing this, and looked eastward in confusion.

It looked no different from other sand dunes, silent and still.

“Madam, you…” Sun Zheng hesitated, thinking that his wife might be hallucinating due to excessive anxiety.

"Trust me!" Jiang Huan's tone was unusually firm. "Head east, but be careful. Watch out for any activity underground and behind the sand dunes. There might be more than just the people we're looking for there; there might be trouble there as well."

She knew she couldn't explain the existence of her inner voice, and she knew she was probably acting like a madwoman.

But it doesn't matter, anyway, madmen and fools are a perfect match!

Looking at Jiang Huan's unusually determined and anxious eyes, Sun Zheng had doubts, but along the way, this lady had repeatedly shown extraordinary calmness and quick wit, which made him dare not underestimate her.

After a moment's hesitation, he decisively ordered: "All personnel, prepare for alert! Proceed eastward on a search mission. Be alert for any unusual activity on the back of the dunes and on the ground. Be wary of ambushes!"

The team sprang into action again, this time with a clear direction, which significantly increased their speed.

Jiang Huan concentrated all her energy, trying to capture the fragmented thoughts in order to extract more information.

[...Stone...cold...damn...]

Perhaps he's in a shady, rocky place? That's why he feels cold?

"Head towards the northeast," Jiang Huan suddenly said, "Look for shady spots on the rocks."

The guide, Lao He, looked at her in surprise. To the northeast was an ancient wind-eroded rock forest with complex terrain, which they had not originally planned to go there.

But Sun Zheng did not hesitate and immediately changed direction.

As you approach the rocky forest, subtle changes begin to appear on the sandy ground.

Some messy footprints were deliberately covered up but still discernible, and in one place, a half-buried Northern Di arrow was found.

Sun Zheng and his guards' expressions immediately turned serious, and their eyes were filled with admiration as they looked at Jiang Huan.

Jiang Huan felt no joy, only deeper anxiety.

Because that inner voice became clearer and clearer, but also weaker and weaker.

The voice is getting closer, is it friend or foe...?

[Jiang Huan...]

The last almost unconscious murmur brought tears to Jiang Huan's eyes again.

"Hurry! It's just ahead! Watch out for ambushes!" she urged in a low voice, her heart clenching.

The team stealthily infiltrated deep into the rocky forest.

After passing a huge mushroom-shaped rock resembling an umbrella, the narrow and rugged passage ahead suddenly opens up, revealing a natural depression surrounded by wind-eroded rock walls.

A narrow path, half-buried by a large amount of quicksand, leads diagonally to higher ground.

At this moment, the clearly audible roars of battle were faintly heard from the depths of the depression, carried by the wind.

“The sound is inside.” A guard said in a low voice, his eyes sharp.

"Look up!" Sun Zheng's voice was taut and strained.

Everyone who looked over gasped in shock.

Several Northern Di soldiers, clad in khaki camouflage, were hidden in the shadows of the rocks a dozen meters above.