On the desolate Gobi Desert, the wind and sand raged, whipping up clouds of dust. The last rays of the setting sun cast long shadows on the group, adding to the somber atmosphere. In the distance, the low, guttural roars grew closer, like drums pounding on everyone's hearts, making it almost impossible to breathe.
"They're here!" a team member exclaimed, his voice trembling noticeably. Fear quickly spread through the team, and despair was written on everyone's face.
However, Mu Xue seemed oblivious to her teammates' exclamations, her gaze fixed on a plant in a corner not far away. It was a peculiar plant, emitting a faint fluorescence in the dim light, surrounded by a thin halo, making it particularly conspicuous in this desolate Gobi Desert.
"What's that?" A team member noticed Mu Xue's unusual behavior and followed her gaze, also discovering the peculiar plant.
"Hope," Mu Xue uttered softly, her voice trembling slightly. Since Ning Yu fell into a coma, she hadn't felt hope for a long time.
Since Ning Yu was severely injured in the last battle against the "Purifiers" organization and has remained unconscious, the team has lost its leader and is now struggling to survive in this desolate Gobi Desert. The team members have run out of medicine and food, and everyone's spirits are stretched to the limit, on the verge of collapse at any moment.
Mu Xue quickly walked to the plant and began to examine it closely. The plant was about half a person's height, and its entire body was a strange silvery-white color. Its leaves were long and sharp, like knife blades. At the base of the plant, some crystal-clear granules could be vaguely seen, emitting a faint light.
“This is…” Mu Xue’s breathing became rapid as a description of a plant she had seen in the base’s database came to mind.
"Starshine Grass! It's Starshine Grass!" Mu Xue exclaimed, her voice filled with surprise and disbelief. Starshine Grass is an extremely rare mutated plant, said to possess powerful energy that can be used to concoct various magical potions and even repair damaged genes!
If we can get the Starshine Grass, perhaps we can save Ning Yu!
Suppressing her excitement, Mu Xue carefully examined the Starshine Grass once more. She noticed a ring of thorny brambles growing around it, the brambles gleaming with a cold light, clearly very sharp. Beside the Starshine Grass, several thumb-sized creatures swam about; these creatures were entirely black, with sharp mouthparts, and looked anything but dangerous.
"It seems that obtaining this Starshine Grass won't be easy," Mu Xue muttered to herself.
Just then, the roars in the distance grew closer and closer, and the mutated hyenas were almost upon them.
"Captain, what should we do?" a team member asked anxiously.
"I'll go get the Starshine Grass. You guys try your best to hold off those mutated hyenas!" Mu Xue said decisively.
"No! It's too dangerous!" one of the team members immediately objected. "We simply can't handle those thorns and those strange insects!"
"There's no time!" Mu Xue interrupted him. "This is our only hope! If we can't revive the captain, none of us will survive!"
"But……"
"No buts!" Mu Xue said firmly. "Execute the order!"
One of the team members gritted his teeth and stepped forward: "Captain, I'll go!"
He gripped his weapon tightly, took a deep breath, and crouched low as he slowly walked towards the starlight grass. Just as he approached the thorns, he suddenly threw his weapon away...
A sharp weapon flashed, flying straight towards the thorns. However, the expected scene of the thorns being cut down did not occur. The weapon seemed to have hit an invisible barrier, bouncing back and falling limply to the ground. At the same time, the small creatures that had been swimming around the Starshine Grass seemed to be disturbed, suddenly turning towards the team members and swooping forward like arrows released from a bow.
"Ah!" The team member screamed in pain, and before he could react, he was pounced on by the small creatures and knocked to the ground. Sharp mouthparts pierced his protective suit, leaving deep wounds that exposed bone on his body.
"Quick, save them!" Seeing this, the other team members disregarded their fear and rushed forward, waving their weapons to try and drive away the small creatures. However, these creatures were numerous and incredibly powerful, and the team members were unable to get close for the time being.
"Come back!" Mu Xue immediately shouted to her team members upon seeing the situation. Continuing like this would only result in more needless sacrifices.
The team members retreated unwillingly, watching the injured team member struggle painfully on the ground, their hearts filled with grief, anger, and despair.
Mu Xue's gaze was fixed on the thorns and small creatures, her brow furrowed. She knew that to obtain the Starshine Grass, she had to break through these two layers of defense. However, the thorns seemed to be protected by some kind of power, rendering ordinary attacks ineffective. And the small creatures were incredibly fast and possessed astonishing attack power; even she wasn't entirely confident she could escape unscathed.
"Captain, what do we do?" a team member asked anxiously. "We can't just stand by and watch hope be right in front of us, and then be powerless to help, can we?"
Mu Xue remained silent, staring intently at the thorns, her mind racing as she considered a solution. Suddenly, her gaze fell upon the translucent granules at the base of the Starshine Grass.
"Could those particles be the key?" Mu Xue murmured to herself. She had seen in the base's database that the energy of the Starshine Grass was mainly concentrated in the particles at the base, and those thorns and small creatures were likely there to protect these particles.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com