Chapter 110: Desert Storm

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To the west of the Mulin Grasslands lay the farthest edge of the entire southern region. Based on past experience, traveling further west would lead to an entirely different area.

Unfortunately, now only Wu Hua was trudging alone through the desolate desert.

The group had disbanded for a simple reason. After leaving the Mulin Grasslands, the landscape initially resembled a pastoral idyll—mountains, rivers, birds, rain, and flowers, like a fairyland on earth. But as they pressed onward, these scenes gradually vanished, replaced by encroaching desertification. The desert steadily took over the view.

Though this desert resembled the one on the outskirts of Dream Star City, it was fundamentally different.

The sensor readings showed:

Temperature: 40°C
Thermal Energy: +77
Liquid Surface: 0.5%
Gas Sensitivity: 68%
Vacuum: 8%

This environment was even harsher than the Wind Forest Fire Mountain during the day. The heat was unbearable—honestly, with such temperatures, anyone would nearly have a high fever. The thermal energy was ridiculously high, heating the sand to a scorching degree. Not long after entering the desert, the first to collapse was Yu Jialing—heatstroke!

Qianqian had tended to her for most of the day with little improvement, so she had to carry her. Further ahead, both Tu Tiao and Ri Wan also couldn't hold on. Their HP steadily dropped. Qianqian’s healing efforts left her exhausted, and eventually, she too collapsed.

Among the group, only Wu Hua remained unaffected. His gear, the Sealsuit, provided an 82.1% resistance to fire, rendering him impervious to the extreme heat.

After discussion, the four—Yu Jialing and her companions—had no choice but to support each other and retreat. Following Wu Hua’s instructions, Tu Tiao was to take the crystalline stones they had collected back to the boutique factory for research by Bingkaffe and another. They would make full use of the materials—selling what was needed and keeping what was useful. This way, the expenses for the expedition would be covered, with a decent profit remaining. Wu Hua also arranged for the purple armor to be held at the boutique factory by the bachelor Lifelong, who responded via communicator, “Ready at your call.”

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After parting ways, Wu Hua journeyed alone.

Along the desert path, there were many minor creatures, similar to the level 30 monsters found in the Dream Star Desert: desert lizards, fiery scorpions, sand statues, and so on. These foes posed no challenge to Wu Hua now. With the Finland Star rifle, one shot was usually enough; the AUG required two shots.

Wu Hua’s insistence on heading west had its reasons. This area was untouched by anyone. Being the first meant he could familiarize himself with the terrain and gather all sorts of information—a priceless, invisible treasure.

He had learned from past experience. When Star War first launched, he had joined a team of over ten players venturing out to pioneer. They made the mistake of recklessly fighting through, thinking themselves skilled at level ten-plus. But unfamiliar with the territory, they were wiped out by unknown level 20 mini-bosses.

If not for a sensor device, Wu Hua himself would have met a grim fate then. Thus, this time, traveling solo, the sensor’s role was even more critical than the Finland Star rifle. It constantly updated him on environmental conditions.

Wu Hua proceeded cautiously, wary of encountering an elite boss. The mini-bosses in the Mulin Ancient Tomb had felled teammates Tu Tiao and the Killers who returned from Afghanistan; he himself had defeated a counterfeit queen bee-level boss. Logically, this region should harbor a true elite boss. If found, he intended to gather intel and retreat immediately.

However, the desert’s complexity and harshness exceeded his expectations. The minor monsters began to appear sporadically, then increasingly in numbers—emerging from sand, crawling over dunes. Soon, they swarmed like an army. Wu Hua adopted a long-range strategy, using piercing rounds, explosive incendiary shells, and armor-piercing cores with a heavy barrel, sparing no bullets. By 5 p.m., he had reached level 29 with 13% experience.

His HP remained largely intact, but stamina had drained severely. Unfortunately, in this barren wasteland, no Soul-stealing Mask was for sale. Luckily, he had procured some calming and awakening tea from Qimen Company. Without hot water or a cup, Wu Hua simply chewed the tea leaves raw and washed them down with mineral water—a decidedly unpleasant taste.

“Ah, for money and gear, one must endure,” Wu Hua sighed, climbing a dune to rest. He realized that Star War tested players on more than just stats. Many invisible factors influenced a player’s power: combat skills, quick thinking, adaptability, and comprehensive qualities. Ultimately, humans remain the masters of the game—something NPCs and monsters, no matter how advanced their AI, cannot match.

The sun had set, and the sky darkened ominously, the celestial dome seeming to lower.

A gray mist appeared in the heavens, spreading and diffusing.

Wu Hua rose and resolved to press onward.

Suddenly, a distant sight shocked him: far to the west, the horizon glowed dimly yellow, merging with the endless sands below. The boundary between earth and sky vanished.

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Within the murky yellow haze, a patch of yellow clouds formed overhead, growing larger and nearer, swelling, rolling, surging. Countless grains of sand were swept into the air, the desert floor roiled like turbulent waves.

Compared to the terrifying spectacle afar, Wu Hua remained unscathed. The fine sand beneath him was as gentle as water; the only difference was a faintly murky wind in the air. The ground trembled slightly, with no monsters in sight.

Wu Hua knew this was the herald of a sandstorm. Such storms were beyond a player’s imagination in terror. No matter one’s strength, level, or speed, escape was impossible.

He reacted instantly, donning his goggles, raising the Finland Star and AUG rifles, then charging headlong into the storm.

The sandstorm’s menace lay in its sand and wind. Those without strong constitution specialization would be blown away instantly. The sand blinded one’s eyes, eventually burying victims alive beneath the desert, their HP slowly draining until suffocation forced a teleport back to town.

The storm arrived in a flash, countless grains of sand slashing his face like knives. Wu Hua’s tactic of advancing rather than retreating was honed through countless trials in Dream Star City’s deserts. Retreat meant being blown away; only by enduring and pushing forward with constitution specialization could he survive.

The storm engulfed the world like a demon, darkness all around. Wu Hua’s vision was pitch-black; even with goggles, openness of eyes was a lie.

The roaring of the sandstorm began as a low, echoing rumble, like heavy breathing. The sound grew louder, resembling distant thunder, then the unified screams of ancient beasts, the thunderous charge of thousands of horses and soldiers, or the overwhelming descent of a hundred-foot waterfall—winds and waves churning, whipping up a sky full of storm.

Wu Hua knew now was the time to never concede; any lapse of will meant death and return to town.

Slowly, his legs sank into the sand, then his waist disappeared, then his chest.

With a final gust of wind, Wu Hua was completely swallowed by the desert...