Chapter 011: Xu Lang Awakens

Han Xue cried for a long time.

She cried with all her might, cursed with all her might, and shouted with all her might...

Then, she suddenly realized—wasn’t she sitting in a seat?

She reached out to touch in front of her—yes, it was the windshield.

No mistake! She was still in the car, she wasn’t dead yet!

Wow! How wonderful! For the first time, it felt amazing to be alive...

But what about the others?

Suppressing her uneasiness, Han Xue groped for the car’s interior light switch and clicked it on.

The light illuminated the cabin, restoring her vision.

Zhou Yirong was curled up in a very strange posture on the center console, both his arms bent at odd angles...

How strange!

Had she been knocked silly? How could a person’s arms bend like that?

Han Xue felt a wave of frustration, but then noticed—the jeep seemed to be tilted... and why was the windshield buried in sand?

Good heavens!

She remembered now—they had been chased by a mad horde of beastmen, then the car had overturned!

She’d actually thought she was dreaming—how foolish!

“Could it be I was knocked dumb?” Han Xue muttered to herself, then quickly sprang into action. First, she rolled down the window and climbed out of the vehicle.

Desert!

Yes, her memory was correct—they had fled into the desert before crashing.

Standing on the sand, she looked around. The beastmen were nowhere to be seen; at least for now, they were safe.

Once she confirmed their safety, Han Xue hurried back to the car and checked Zhou Yirong’s breathing.

Thankfully, he wasn’t dead—just injured.

He was the backbone of their desert expedition. If he were out of commission, they might as well call it quits.

She felt his arms—only simple fractures; a cast would do.

Han Xue found the plaster powder and spare water, then rummaged through the trunk for gauze and splints.

While searching, she saw that Wang Dawei and Xu Lang were still unconscious, but their vital signs were normal.

That was a huge relief—she’d given Wang Dawei ten sedatives before passing out herself, but miraculously, he’d survived.

Han Xue straightened Zhou Yirong’s arms, set the broken bones, fitted the splints, wrapped them with gauze, and finally began to apply the plaster.

As she was working, Zhou Yirong suddenly howled, “Xiaoxue! I didn’t mean to kill you, don’t hit me...”

He opened his eyes with a start, only to see Han Xue glaring at him, which gave him another fright.

A vengeful ghost!

Han Xue spat, “Ghost, my foot! Sit still. We don’t have much plaster in the car, don’t waste it!”

...

An hour later, Zhou Yirong emerged from the car, both arms in casts.

Breathing in the dry, chilly desert air, he felt a rush of excitement.

He let out a long sigh and smiled. “We survived—I can hardly believe it, Xiaoxue. You might not know, but there were at least a hundred beastmen surrounding us...”

A hundred beastmen?

Han Xue raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

That didn’t sound plausible at all. If that were true, they would have been dead a hundred times over.

Wait!

Han Xue suddenly remembered something and shrieked, “Oh no! I forgot someone when I was searching the car—that little guy named Rong Hao is missing!”

Zhou Yirong urged her to check again—his arms were useless, after all.

Han Xue didn’t waste words. She rushed to the rear compartment and opened the door, only to be shocked by the sight.

There...

A hole had appeared in the roof of the trunk, sixty centimeters in diameter, the metal bent outward. Clearly, something had forced its way out from inside, yet the trunk lock was intact—and Rong Hao was gone!

Where was Rong Hao?

“Did you see Rong Hao?” Han Xue asked.

Zhou Yirong shook his head blankly. In all that chaos, who would notice a child?

But...

Zhou Yirong climbed into the trunk, looked up at the hole above, then looked back at Han Xue...

“Could it be—?”

“No, no, no! Impossible. After his attack, he couldn’t even kill his brother—just injured him badly. How could he possibly scare off that many beastmen?”

Han Xue stood behind him, listening to his muttered reasoning...

She felt Zhou Yirong was right; she’d seen enough beastmen herself to know they were utterly devoid of compassion—otherwise, why would they attack humans?

Yet, both of them found the situation utterly bizarre.

If, if no one had saved them, how did they survive?

They had witnessed the beastmen’s brutality. Once they caught up, how could they possibly retreat for no reason?

...

The night passed in peace.

At dawn, as the first light of day touched the earth, life seemed to return to the world.

Han Xue awoke.

But as she opened her eyes, she saw a figure as tall as herself.

Who was that?

The figure was slim.

She glanced at Zhou Yirong—he was still asleep. She checked the trunk—Wang Dawei was still there...

Xu Lang?!

He was awake?

It must be him—no mistake.

For some reason, Han Xue suddenly felt elated!

Damn, she’d waited so long—finally, someone her own age! No matter how ugly he was, she’d have to give it a try!

Maybe it would feel special!

“Xu Lang!”

Han Xue shouted out the window at the figure.

Xu Lang turned to look at her with a cold, indifferent glance, then looked away without a trace of emotion.

“Oh! Playing the cool type, huh... Don’t think I don’t know you’ll fall for someone as cute as... a little beauty?”

That’s right! I’m the little beauty!

No! I should say I’m a little fairy!

Exceptional charm, unmatched grace, so beautiful I could make fish sink and birds fall, smart as a whip, truly the darling of all...

Humph! My luck will never run out!

Han Xue nimbly jumped out of the jeep and cheerfully ran toward Xu Lang.

Springtime is here at last!

But...

Why did Xu Lang suddenly drop to his knees?

Wait—

There was a child lying on the ground in front of him!

...

Xu Lang’s eyes were already brimming with tears—who could have hurt Rong Hao so badly?!

That little tagalong...

He struggled not to cry, but didn’t dare touch Rong Hao.

Little Rong Hao was covered in blood, his body filthy with it! Who in heaven’s name could be so cruel to a child?

Han Xue hopped over, and when she saw the scene, she screamed, “What happened to the little one? Why is he lying here? Who hurt him like this?”

She fired off three questions, but Xu Lang didn’t answer.

Ignoring him, she squatted down and placed her hand on Rong Hao’s forehead.

“Don’t touch him!”

Xu Lang’s voice was harsh and emotionless.

Han Xue jumped, startled, and snapped, “Hey! Why are you being so fierce? I’m trying to help, not harm him!”

“What would a little girl like you know? Get lost!”

Han Xue was furious, her teeth grinding in agitation.

“Jerk!”

She cursed at him, but still felt unsatisfied, so she pointed at Xu Lang and let loose: “You big jerk! You colossal idiot! How dare you look down on me! Don’t you realize, if not for me, you’d be meeting King Yama by now!”

Xu Lang’s expression remained icy, though he looked slightly taken aback.

“You saved me?”

“Hmph!” Han Xue raised her chin, radiating arrogance. “I disinfected every one of your wounds myself, and... I handed over every single tool with my own hands...”

“So you’re saying... you just played assistant?”

Han Xue was dumbfounded.

How... how did she suddenly go from savior to mere assistant?

Why was that? And why, even in her own heart, did she feel there was nothing wrong with that statement?

She couldn’t even argue back!

Xu Lang lowered his head in disappointment, staring quietly at Rong Hao, no longer interested in talking to this mad girl.

In fact, after waking up, he’d already checked—the person sleeping beside him was also a patient, and the two men in the driver and passenger seats wore military uniforms.

He guessed that the only doctor among them must have been the driver... but the driver’s hands were both in casts.