65 Lost
◎The ground is so dangerous, I need to go back to the military area...!◎
It was shorter than expected, but that was okay. The team leader never expected to finish the trip anyway, so he started arranging the draw in an orderly manner.
Sentinel Yan, always aware of his good luck, took the lead amidst the hesitation and trepidation. Confidently, he reached into the box and drew the second-to-last one.
All right. Yan Xunzhi was good at comforting herself. Perhaps Heaven thought she wasn't afraid of getting lost on Earth, so it didn't favor her up here. She understood.
Lunting was lucky and ranked third.
The mixed team guide started out in eighth place. Although it wasn't a very good number, it was a little comforting compared to Yan Xunzhi. He walked over to her silently and patted her.
“…”
Yan Xunzhi opened his mouth, but couldn't say it out loud, so he swallowed it back.
The spiritual guide remained where she was. This was the maximum distance she could reach to communicate with the Federation. With her as the anchor, the other outposts were arranged at intervals of 200 meters. If one person moved, all moved, fanning outward.
The idealistic danger of this method is that the further you go in the sequence, the larger the area that needs to be explored, and the longer it takes to receive an early warning and evacuate. The reality is that the linear team with a one-way connection has weak connection. If they encounter foreign objects in the middle, the connection will be interrupted, and it is easy for everyone to get lost.
The survival rate of the last exploration team is less than 10%.
Yan Xunzhi only guessed that the radiation on the ground should not be a threat to her, but she had never really gotten lost on the ground before, so she was unsure and was extremely cautious along the way, making full use of her mental connection.
Of course, bad luck wouldn't stop knocking on her door just because she was cautious.
The 10% chance of being safe and sound, judging from the lot drawn by Little Sentinel Yan, is still a bit tortuous.
They set out in a group, reaching the sixth position. The surroundings were tense. Yan Xunzhi detected a mental fluctuation and stopped, "There's something."
After the mental fluctuations came from the sand dunes, they held their weapons in both hands and cautiously walked around the sand dunes, ready to deal with any sudden foreign objects at any time.
Unknown dangers are undoubtedly more frightening. During the sandstorm period, at least the movements of foreign objects could be detected, but now the situation is reversed. The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. The foreign objects are crawling in the sand, silently waiting for the prey to take the bait.
You don't know when you've entered their hunting range, just like a trap doesn't notify anyone before it pops up.
Unable to hear any sound, Yan Xunzhi suspected that it was another wooden foreign object. He could hardly feel any spiritual fluctuations and was completely unsure.
The sound of quicksand.
Yan Xunzhi yelled in the channel, "Retreat!"
At the same moment, the sentries leaped back. Countless vines suddenly erupted from beneath the quicksand, lashing out at them. The guides' senses weren't as sharp as theirs, and in the blink of an eye, two of them were entangled by the vines.
The laser knife had been charged and ready, and the two men swung it down without hesitation. The vines that clung to the exoskeleton broke, revealing a green-skinned snake head.
The laser guide quickly retreated to the sentry and pulled the vine for a long time, but only got a hand full of sticky juice. The vine seemed to be stuck to the exoskeleton.
Through the exoskeleton, she felt there was no parasite, so she carefully used her musket to char it and pry it off. "What is this foreign object? A vine snake?"
Yan Xunzhi frowned and drew his gun to repel the vines that rushed up. "It seems there are more than one. There is a tumor under the sand, like a tree root."
"Can you dig it out?"
Yan Xunzhi didn't say anything.
After the laser guide finished asking questions, he felt a little stupid, pursed his lips and closed them.
The knife wound shrank and retracted rapidly, and before it returned to the sand, the prelude to the regeneration of the broken limb appeared.
Yan Xunzhi found that this foreign object did not seem to have such strong defense. He considered it and drew some mental power from the mixed guide, blasting a row of mental bullets, which really made it retreat briefly.
She drew her rifle again and took a deep breath, "Retreat first."
She had limited access to certain things, and didn't know what the foreign objects outside had evolved into, but if there really were tree roots under the sand, at least they wouldn't move easily.
When everyone received the news, they immediately ran away.
The root-like growth beneath the sand stirred, waving its vines to catch up. They ran through the quicksand, one foot deep, one foot shallow, but the growth took to it like a fish in water, closing in on them in the blink of an eye.
Yan Xunzhi drew out the mixed guide mental power again, turned around and fired three shots in a row, intending to trip it.
A snake head suddenly appeared from the vine, swallowing the bullet in one gulp. The spiritual bullet exploded, and the snake head instantly split apart, scattering the juice of the vine and shattering it into pieces.
The injured vine was pulled back, but the others seemed unaware and swarmed forward again, randomly knocking away a sentry blocking the way.
"Yan Xunzhi!" the mixed team guide called her, "The sand is swirling!"
It's going to be windy!
Running back was impossible. The alien creature was entangled with them with a determination not to give up. Those vines were just its weapons. It seemed that they really had to do as the laser guide said and dig out the tumor...
Who will dig?
Yan Xunzhi gritted his teeth.
There was no choice. The quicksand would sink quickly, and any slight deviation in the blasting point would result in all previous efforts being wasted. Cooperation was too difficult, and the guide wasn't sure if he could dig deep enough with the remaining mental strength he had.
She fished out a rope and hooked it around herself, then hung the other end on the somewhat baffling mixed group guide. Without explanation, she simply said, "Hold on to me."
Then she pulled the safety and squeezed the trigger, launching a barrage of psychic bullets! The pit was buried by the quicksand and exploded again. Everyone watched in amazement as she used her psychic weapon like a submachine gun in Infinite Mode.
Sentinel Yan's hands were sore from fighting, and he closed his eyes with a chill in his heart.
With so many people present, she could already see herself being questioned back underground—if she could ever go back.
The mental bullets were stuck. The lump beneath the sand had clearly become woody, making it impossible for the mental bullets to penetrate.
She didn't hesitate. As she jumped, she thought, even if it meant dying headfirst, she wouldn't have to worry about it. The Federation couldn't ask, and she didn't have to bother making up excuses.
dark.
The quicksand quickly pressed down on her body, and even with the support of the exoskeleton, Yan Xunzhi still found it a little difficult to breathe.
The tumor was huge, and the vines wrapped around it to block her and push her deeper.
Yan Xunzhi grabbed the vines and climbed up, her mental guns firing continuously. She rarely felt exhausted again and regretted not buying the potion from Dong Peng.
At least the person is gone, but the money is not left!
When her mental strength was almost gone, she finally touched the tree knot.
It's sticky.
The laser blade charged and fell, sending the mucus from the tree knot splattering. Yan Xunzhi wondered if there were any patterns in terrestrial evolution. How could the lizard be so dry and bloodless, while a tree knot was filled with sticky juice?
When I was dragged out by the mixed team guide, the wind and sand around me were already confusing.
Two sentries fell on the ground, and one was offline. All traces on the ground were buried by wind and sand. It was obvious that the battle on the sand had never stopped.
The mental link had completely failed. They were being chased by a foreign object, and it was hard to tell whether it was due to mental interference, or if they had left the connection range, or even if the people behind them had been warned to retreat by Fengsha, even if they hadn't moved, they had already left the connection range.
The team leader was fourth in line, and there was no team leader in this group. Even though Yan Xunzhi's abilities were still debatable, in this environment, everyone tacitly followed her lead.
The shuffle guide gave her a one-way communication: My machine is stuck.
She put it mildly: if the machinery stalls, the next step is failure. Once sand gets into the exoskeleton, it's a problem, and sand will continue to get in there.
The most crucial thing is that there is more than one person fighting against the deformation of the exoskeleton, and the fault is definitely not limited to the mixed queue guide, but no one wants to be cannon fodder.
Even though we are all going to die, living one more minute is like living one more minute of hope.
Yan Xunzhi swallowed and stood up.
On this yellow sandy ground with no coordinates, even a god wouldn't be able to find his way. Yan Xunzhi said, "...just follow the wind."
Anyway, she couldn't walk straight in the military area, so at least walking with the wind was faster.
If the wind blows through the ground tower, perhaps they can return home with the wind and sand.
She made a decision that seemed like a joke, but in reality, it was the only way. No one objected. Objections without a solution would hasten death. Now they could go anywhere, they just wanted to follow the collective and not be abandoned. And within the collective, there was someone who could make decisions and then take responsibility for them.
Although the whole army would probably be wiped out and no one would be held accountable, the moment she made the decision, seven lives were placed on her shoulders.
Sentinel Yan tried hard to learn Kong Wei's casual disregard for life.
Ah...it turns out that Officer Kong has such a strong mentality even on the ground, so worth learning from!
Another guide died when he encountered a foreign object in the wind and sand and was killed. Yan Xunzhi's leg was injured and his helmet was damaged.
Unable to continue using it, Yan Xunzhi wanted to put on a protective shield and goggles, but the moment he took them off, he was dazzled by the glaring sun and could hardly open his eyes.
Goggles were primarily for protection from sand, and their sun protection was significantly inferior to that of a helmet. She quickly put them on, but still found it difficult to open her eyes; her vision was completely white.
The shuffle guide noticed something was wrong. "What's wrong? Are your eyes hurt?"
"The sunlight is too bright." Yan Xunzhi said in a low voice without hiding it, "I can't see clearly."
The mixed team guide frowned. Normally, this situation only happened to the sentries who were first time on the ground. "Have you been like this before?"
Yan Xunzhi shook his head, "I've picked it several times before, but this is the first time."
Then she paused.
After returning from the South District, she no longer went on missions with Kong Weiyi, and her abilities had greatly improved. She had basically not encountered any danger, and her helmet had never been damaged. She had never taken it off again.
The South District is always dark, is it because she has become accustomed to the light in the South District?
still……
"Block the wind." The mixed team guide interrupted her deep thoughts and took off her helmet. "You wear mine."
"So what are you going to do?"
The mixed team guide smiled. "I'm not afraid of light." Then he reached out to her and said, "Give me your goggles. If the Federation finds out I'm using two at once, I'll have to write a report when I get back."
Alas, the troublesome and troublesome Federation.
Yan Xunzhi suddenly realized that she had been tamed. If she really died on the ground, the last thing she would do before she died would definitely be to sit down and write a report, imagining that someone would dig her out in the future.
Just pack up and continue walking with the wind.
I don't know how long I walked before I felt another mental fluctuation ahead. Faint, steady, and motionless, it was probably something woody.
Yan Xunzhi's legs felt weak. Not to mention the group of sentries behind her, even she, a mutant, couldn't fight.
Mom, it’s so dangerous outside, I want to go back to the military area!
If she doesn’t want to get promoted, then she won’t get promoted… She will never come to explore again!
…
…but her mission now is to explore.
Yan Xunzhi prepared himself mentally countless times.
Die, die, die. You are completely lost anyway. You will die anyway. It’s just a matter of dying beautifully, miserably, or usefully.
She made up her mind and reached out towards the spiritual fluctuations.
The view gradually emerged. The thick branches had shrunk and dried up rapidly due to desertification. They climbed and intertwined with each other, blocking the sky and the sun, and blocking the invasion of wind and sand.
Yan Xunzhi carefully walked around the dead branches and found that there were obvious signs of cleaning in the middle, as if people often came and went. The branches were climbing around like a winding road.
Not a foreign object?
The closer he got, the stronger his spiritual power became. Yan Xunzhi hesitated for some reason. "The sandstorm here is very small, so I won't get lost. You wait here for me. If I don't come out within a moment... just treat me as dead. You keep going."
Silence. The remaining sentries were numb and could hardly respond.
Yan Xunzhi just finished speaking, turned around and left, and as expected, no one followed him.
At the end of the intertwined branches is the door.
The moment Yan Xunzhi stretched out his hand and pushed the door open, he held his breath.
【Author’s words】
The latest chapters are mainly about the growth line + the world view. Comrade Kong is offline temporarily, and the window shakes occasionally. Don’t worry, let the pickled fish struggle to turn over a few sides first!
The contract application didn't pass, haha. But when I started writing this book, I didn't expect it to be signed. It really doesn't have any innovative ideas or plot. I just occasionally thought of revising the template and reviewing it, just in case it passes! Of course, there's no chance of it passing... After I finish writing this book, I plan to work on signing it first. If I don't sign it, there will be no exposure, and no one will read it [burst into tears]. Even if I signed it, no one will read it. At least I know that my writing is bad, so I admit it...
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