A fierce wind howled, sand and stones flew, and the world was shrouded in a dim yellow light. The sudden sandstorm was like an invisible behemoth, opening its blood-red maw, ready to devour this tiny group completely.
"Warning!" Ning Yu roared, but his voice was torn apart by the gale.
The sandstorm carried sharp stones that stung the skin. The group could only huddle together, struggling against the wind and sand. Even seasoned warriors felt incredibly small and powerless in such harsh conditions.
"Ah!" A scream came from the back of the group. A team member was hit on the head by a flying rock, and blood instantly stained his cheeks.
"Li Hao!" Ning Yu's heart tightened, and he immediately rushed over against the wind and sand, pulling him behind him. At the same time, he released his superpower to form a barrier, protecting everyone inside.
After an unknown amount of time, the sandstorm gradually subsided, and the sky returned to its clear state. Looking at the devastation before them, everyone felt a lingering fear.
"Take a headcount and check the wounded!" Ning Yu immediately gave the order, without even taking a break.
"Reporting to the leader, apart from Li Hao suffering a minor head injury, the others are all fine."
After providing basic treatment to the wounded, the group continued onward. However, they hadn't gone far when they came upon a vast, seemingly endless swamp.
"Be careful, something's not right here!" Mu Xue frowned slightly, sensing a mysterious power spreading around her.
"Everyone, stay alert and try to move forward by stepping on the plant roots that are protruding from the water," Ning Yu reminded.
The team cautiously stepped into the swamp, each step incredibly difficult. Suddenly, a member at the back of the group slipped, lost his balance, cried out in alarm, and sank into the mud.
"Help! Chief, save me!"
"Grab my hand!" Ning Yu didn't hesitate at all, leaping forward and grabbing the teammate's arm. However, the swamp's suction was much stronger than he had imagined, and even with his strength, he found it somewhat difficult.
"Chief, let go! Otherwise we'll all be dragged down!"
"Shut up! I won't abandon any of my brothers!" Ning Yu gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his arms, desperately trying to pull the teammate up.
"Roar!" Just then, a deafening roar came from the depths of the swamp, followed by a huge black shadow slowly emerging from the muddy water...
"It's a giant lizard!" Mu Xue exclaimed, and at the same time, she conjured an ice blade in her hand and threw it at the huge black shadow without hesitation.
The icy blade sliced through the air, carrying a chilling aura, and struck the exposed half of the giant lizard's body with pinpoint accuracy. However, the expected splatter of blood did not occur; the icy blade merely left a shallow white mark on the thick scales.
The monitor lizard roared in pain and crawled out of the swamp. It was as tall as a two-story building, covered in hard black scales, with a pair of scarlet eyes full of ferocity. Its huge tail swept out, smashing the surrounding trees and sending branches and leaves flying.
"Everyone retreat and form a defensive formation!" Ning Yu made a decisive move, pulling the team member behind him while releasing a powerful electric current to create an electric net to block the giant lizard's attack.
However, this giant lizard was clearly no ordinary mutated beast. Its hide was thick and tough, and the electric current had negligible effect on it. With a sudden ramming motion, it created a gap in the electric fence, opened its gaping maw, and pounced on Ning Yu.
Ning Yu dodged the attack with a flash, and at the same time, a lightning longsword materialized in his hand, which he slashed at the giant lizard's head.
"boom!"
The lightning sword collided with the giant lizard's scales, unleashing a blinding burst of lightning that illuminated the surrounding swamp as if it were daytime. The giant lizard was forced back several steps by this powerful blow, but Ning Yu was also badly affected; his hand went numb from the impact, and a powerful recoil forced him to retreat repeatedly.
"roar!"
More roars came from the depths of the swamp, and huge mutated beasts crawled out of the mud and water, surrounding Ning Yu and the others.
"Damn it, how can there be so many!" One of the team members was pale, his hand holding the weapon trembling slightly.
"What are you afraid of? Fight them!" Mu Xuejiao shouted, her ice blade flashing as she slashed and killed a mutated wolf that tried to ambush her. However, in the fierce battle, her old abdominal wound flared up, her face turned pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.
"Mu Xue, how are you?" Ning Yu noticed her unusual condition and his heart tightened.
"I'm fine, I won't die!" Mu Xue endured the pain, but her ice blade didn't stop for a moment, continuing to reap the lives of those mutated beasts.
Her resilience and courage deeply moved everyone present and inspired their fighting spirit.
"Let's fight them!"
"Kill to survive!"
The battle cries shook the heavens as everyone fought valiantly, finally carving a bloody path and breaking free from the mutated beasts' encirclement.
However, before they could even catch their breath, Ning Yu's expression suddenly changed drastically: "Oh no, the map is gone!"
"What?"
Mu Xue, struggling to maintain her weakened state, looked around and her face turned grim.
"It seems we're lost..."
As dusk fell, the last rays of the setting sun draped the ravaged land in a blood-red cloak. Having barely escaped the pursuit of the mutated beast horde, Ning Yu and his companions found themselves in a new predicament.
"When did the map disappear?" Ning Yu's voice was low and weary.
"It was too chaotic when we broke through, I didn't pay attention," a team member said, bowing his head in self-reproach.
Ning Yu took a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety. The lost map meant they had lost their way, and on this post-nuclear war-torn Earth, getting lost was undoubtedly fatal.
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