Chapter 375 The raging sandstorm was as fierce as bullets!

The jeep's metal roof rattled and slammed against the wind, the vehicle shook violently, and the four wheels seemed about to fly off the ground.

One second the Gobi Desert was bathed in bright sunshine, and the next it was swallowed up by a sky full of black and yellow.

This is a "black storm".

"Stop the vehicle! All convoy halt!"

Gu Beichen grabbed the walkie-talkie and roared, but no response came through.

Geomagnetic storm interference.

Communication was lost.

Driver Xiao Wang slammed on the brakes, but the steering wheel still spun uncontrollably in his hands.

The wheels spun freely in the quicksand, making a teeth-grinding screeching sound.

"Commander, we can't see the road! Visibility is less than half a meter!" Xiao Wang shouted, his teeth chattering.

Outside the window, it was impossible to distinguish between the sky and the ground.

The gale whipped up sand and gravel, denser than bullets, leaving countless white dots on the car windows.

The temperature dropped by more than ten degrees in a few minutes, and a layer of white frost formed on the edges of the car windows.

Su Yue sat in the passenger seat, quickly fastened her seatbelt, and held the first aid kit in her arms to keep it in place.

“We can’t stop here.” Su Yue glanced at the accumulating quicksand outside the car window. “This is a windy spot. In half an hour, the car will be buried or blown over.”

Gu Beichen slapped the map onto his lap.

"There is an abandoned beacon tower ruin nearby, about 500 meters away at the two o'clock position."

500 meters.

What would normally be a few minutes' journey becomes a perilous ordeal in this kind of black storm that can tear a person apart.

Gu Beichen opened the car door.

A sudden gust of wind rushed in, almost blowing the car door off its hinges.

"Everyone get off the vehicle! Grab your water and dry rations, tie yourselves together with ropes, and follow me!"

Inside the truck behind, the medical team's nurses huddled together in fear, none of them daring to move.

"Don't they want to live anymore?!"

Gu Beichen rushed to the back of the truck and ripped open the tarpaulin. Sand and dust filled his mouth, but he didn't care. He pulled down the male doctor closest to the edge with one hand.

"Get off! Stick together! If you don't want to turn into dried-up corpses, get moving!"

The young nurse named Xiao Liu burst into tears, clinging tightly to the handrail, refusing to let go: "I don't want to get off! People will die outside! I want to go home... I miss my mom..."

The cries sounded particularly piercing against the howling wind, carrying a contagious power of despair.

The others were already hesitant, and hearing her cry made their legs go weak.

Snap!

Su Yue walked over and slapped Xiao Liu across the face.

It wasn't very forceful, but it was enough to sober someone up.

"Stop crying! Save your energy for the journey!" Su Yue took off her goggles and put them on Xiao Liu's face. "The Red Army didn't cry when they crossed the grasslands and ate tree bark. You're sitting in a car wearing a cotton-padded coat and you're still crying? You're here to rescue people, not to be a burden!"

She turned around, her back to the wind, and shouted, "Commander Gu is a special forces soldier! Follow him and you'll live! Anyone who wants to stay here and wait to die, I won't stop them!"

After saying that, Su Yue took out a thick hemp rope, tied a knot around her waist, and then handed the end of the rope to Gu Beichen.

This series of movements was fluid and seamless, without the slightest hesitation.

Looking at Su Yue's slender yet upright figure, the medical team members felt their fear inexplicably dissipate by half. Even Dr. Su wasn't afraid, so what did they have to be afraid of!

Everyone jumped off the bus and hurriedly put the rope around their waists.

Gu Beichen tied one end of the rope to his belt and glanced back at Su Yue.

"Stay close to me."

Su Yue nodded and pulled her scarf up to cover her mouth and nose.

A group of about twenty people, like a string of grasshoppers, struggled to move in the chaotic darkness.

Every step you take requires your full strength.

The sand beneath my feet was soft; each step went up to my ankles, and it was difficult to pull my foot out. The wind blew from all directions, carrying pebbles that stung my skin.

Gu Beichen walked at the very front, braving the strongest winds.

He leaned forward, his entire body almost at a 45-degree angle to the ground, forcefully clearing a path for the people behind him.

Suddenly, a gust of evil wind swept over.

One of the doctors in the middle of the line slipped and was swept away by the wind. The others on the rope were also pulled and thrown about.

"Get down!" Gu Beichen roared.

He slammed his military knife into the ground, knelt on one knee, and steadied himself. The muscles in his arms bulged, and the veins stood out like earthworms as he withstood the force that threatened to sweep the entire team away.

Su Yue's ribs ached from the rope's tightness, but she didn't utter a sound. She got up, grabbed Xiao Liu who had fallen beside her, and pushed her forward.

It took us a full forty minutes to walk a 500-meter stretch.

Just when everyone was about to be exhausted, Gu Beichen stopped.

A dilapidated earthen wall could be vaguely seen ahead.

That was a beacon tower from the Han Dynasty. Although only half of it remains, it still stands firm against the wind and sand.

"We've arrived! Let's go into the cave!"

Gu Beichen pointed to a depression at the bottom of the earthen wall.

It was a natural wind-eroded cave, not large, but large enough to accommodate these twenty-odd people.

Everyone scrambled inside, and instantly the world felt much quieter. Although the wind was still howling outside, at least they didn't have to worry about being blown away.

Everyone collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Some laughed with relief, while others wept silently.

After Gu Beichen counted the number of people and confirmed that everything was correct, he walked to the entrance of the cave and sat down.

He leaned against the cave wall, using his broad back to block most of the air intake.

Su Yue took the water bottle and walked over, sitting down next to him.

Gu Beichen's training uniform had turned a muddy yellow, and his eyebrows and eyelashes were covered in sand. He took the water bottle, tilted his head back, and took a gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"This awful weather." He wiped his face. "Looks like I'll have to spend the night here."

Su Yue took out a compressed biscuit, broke it in half, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"What's there to be afraid of? This beacon tower has stood the test of time for thousands of years, how could it not protect us for one night?"

She rested her head on Gu Beichen's shoulder, finding a comfortable position.

Gu Beichen chewed on the dry, hard biscuit, reached out and opened his coat, wrapping Su Yue in his arms.

Are you cold?

"With you here, it's not cold."

Su Yue held his rough, large hand and placed it on her stomach to warm it.

The temperature inside the cave is still dropping, probably below zero.

The team members huddled together in twos and threes for warmth, sharing the remaining dry rations.

"Commander, when will this wind stop?" Xiao Liu asked, sniffling.

Gu Beichen glanced at his watch: "A black storm of this intensity comes and goes quickly. At most, it'll be tomorrow morning."

"What if it doesn't stop tomorrow?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Then let's wait." Gu Beichen said calmly, "As long as people are alive, there is a way."

It's late at night.

The wind outside turned into a mournful howl, like the wailing of countless wronged souls.

Su Yue dozed off for a while, then woke up from the cold.

Gu Beichen didn't sleep. He remained in that position blocking the air vent, his body like a red-hot iron, constantly radiating heat.

Su Yue could feel the stiffness in his body.

Maintaining one posture for a long time, while also having to withstand the wind, would be unbearable even for someone as strong as iron.