Volume One: Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts, Chapter 35: Guilt

Yellow sand, whipped up by a violent gale, surged into the sky, connecting earth to heavens. From afar, it looked like a wall pushing forward. Though the sand was yellow, it appeared pitch-black before them, a suffocating darkness of despair closing in. At the foot of the mountain, a pack of wolves fled with tails tucked between their legs, not making a sound.

The stinging impact of the sand against their bodies made the three of them—Li Juxu and his companions—exchange glances, each reflecting the unease in the others' eyes.

"It's too late to run. Xiaomei, get the rope!" Lin Lu commanded. Descending the rocky hill would be quick, but escaping the storm was impossible; at its current speed, they would be overtaken within a hundred meters.

Xiaomei understood immediately and swiftly uncoiled the rope they had prepared for their escape. Lin Lu selected the best spot—a small depression—and after tying one end of the rope to a rock, she bound the three of them tightly together.

The depression was cramped, barely enough for one person, let alone two, and impossible for three. Without a word, Lin Lu shoved Xiaomei and Li Juxu inside, positioning herself on the outermost edge.

"I should be on the outside!" Li Juxu protested. As a man, he could not bear to have a woman shield him.

"Stop talking! You couldn't even kill a chicken," Lin Lu retorted, pulling down her face mask. In those few moments, the sky had turned pitch black. The sand lashed out like a deluge, and the gale threatened to carry them away. Li Juxu stopped arguing; he gripped the rock face with one hand and wrapped his other arm tightly around Lin Lu’s waist. Having never touched a woman other than Zhao Huier, he had no room for other thoughts, pressing himself as deep into the hollow as possible to minimize wind resistance.

The whimpering in his ears transformed into a thundering roar—whether from the friction of wind against air, sand against air, or both, he could not tell. The world plunged into absolute darkness, consumed by the storm. Though all three wore dust masks, they could still feel grit forcing its way into their noses, making breathing difficult, yet they could only endure.

The wind intensified until all other sounds were drowned out. The sand battered their heavy clothing like the lashes of a whip. Li Juxu had only one arm exposed, but Lin Lu’s entire back was turned toward the storm. Filled with a mix of shame and heartache, Li Juxu prayed for the storm to end, yet he had vastly underestimated the cruelty of the desert.

The sandstorm raged for half an hour, showing no sign of abating—if anything, it grew more ferocious. Li Juxu felt as though the entire world were shaking, as if the very mountains were being uprooted. The three of them felt like mere ants, utterly powerless over their own fates.

When a searing pain hit his exposed arm, he was shocked to realize that the constant friction of sand against fabric had shredded his clothes, leaving his skin raw. He immediately thought of Lin Lu. Reaching out, his hand met her smooth, cold back; the fabric of her clothing had been torn away.

He tried to pull her fully into his embrace, but the space was too confined; no matter how hard he pushed, it was futile. Before he could think of a solution, a faint, strange sound reached him. He was still wondering what it was when a tremendous force suddenly yanked Lin Lu away.

"No—" Li Juxu realized with horror that the rope had snapped. Lin Lu had been swept away by the gale. He lunged, his hand catching her reaching fingers as their hands locked together.

"Hold on!" he roared, but his voice was swallowed by the storm. Lin Lu’s body hung suspended like a kite, held only by Li Juxu’s single grip. Within a second, he felt his own body being dragged outward. His other hand clawed at the rock, but the anchor point was poor, and the outward force was overwhelming. Just as he was about to be swept into the air, his arm tightened—Xiaomei had grabbed him.

"The gun!" Li Juxu shouted, but the sound was lost. At that moment, his face mask was ripped away by the wind, and he gestured toward his sniper rifle with his eyes. Xiaomei, quick-witted, understood immediately. She unslung the rifle and jammed it into the crevice of the rocks. In those two seconds, she herself was nearly swept away.

Li Juxu was already struggling to hold onto Lin Lu; for Xiaomei to pull both of them was nearly impossible. He knew Xiaomei was stronger than him, but not enough to hold two people against such force. The rock’s anchor point was precarious—of their total strength, perhaps only half was actually effective. Using the rifle helped, but the situation was far worse than he had imagined.

Sharp pain shot through his arm; the immense tension felt as if it would tear his limb from his body. He could clearly see blood seeping through his skin, only to be instantly scoured away by the sand.

The rifle Xiaomei was using to brace them began to bend and warp. Her face turned bright red, and her fingers, locked against the rock, began to bleed. Suddenly, a flash of lightning tore through the void, illuminating the world for a split second. Lin Lu and Xiaomei, who had been blind in the dark, regained their sight for less than a second before darkness swallowed the earth once more.

"Don't!" Li Juxu screamed, but the moment Lin Lu loosened her grip, she was swept into the yellow abyss, vanishing without a trace in less than two seconds.

It was only by locking fingers that he had managed to hold onto her; once she let go, he could not stop her alone. Almost as she vanished, the sniper rifle buckled beyond its limit and fell, swept away before it even hit the ground. Xiaomei’s body shuddered violently. Li Juxu, unable to mourn Lin Lu, clung desperately to the rock, refusing to let go even as his fingers were worn to the bone. With their combined strength, they barely managed to avoid being swept away.

Time dragged on with agonizing slowness, each second feeling like a year. Every inch of Li Juxu’s body throbbed with pain. He dared not relax, knowing that a single moment of carelessness could mean death. He didn't know if there was any chance of survival if one were blown away, but given the scale of the sandstorm, it was… infinitesimal.

Xiaomei kept one hand locked on the rock and the other gripped tightly onto him. Though she said nothing, Li Juxu had a premonition that if she were ever swept away, she would choose to let go of him. It was a strange feeling; he didn't understand why Shark, Lin Lu, or Xiaomei would all rather sacrifice themselves to save him.

Was this some kind of spirit? Was it because of this spirit within Shark’s team that someone like Black-Headed Bee would set aside his pride to seek his help? If he were in Black-Headed Bee’s position, he would help such a team without a second thought.

Another half hour passed. The wind began to weaken, but Li Juxu’s physical strength had reached its limit. His fingers, still clawing at the rock, were down to the bone. Suddenly, everything went black, and he lost consciousness. He fell into a nightmare where Lin Lu viciously demanded why he hadn't held on, why he had let her die in the storm. In his dream, she remained as radiant as ever, yet he could not bring himself to look at her.

Li Juxu bolted awake, only to find he was already inside a vehicle.