Chapter 50: Section 51: No Rescue


    The group in the desert was on the run.


    “Quick, even faster!”


    “Keep up, don’t fall behind!”


    “They’re chasing us!!” someone screamed in terror.


    Ah!


    Then came a scream of agony.


    ...


    Those at the back of the team couldn’t resist looking back, only to see a companion already pinned down by a green-skinned lizard. The lizard opened its mouth wide and bit directly into the companion’s head.


    Behind this feeding green-skinned lizard, another one quickly emerged.


    Exploding into action, the lizard’s speed was startlingly fast, about to pounce on the two at the back of the group in the blink of an eye.


    “No!” one of them yelled out, filled with terror, but a fierce look flashed across his face.


    At this critical moment of life and death, he actually reached out and took down a teammate by his side.


    As his companion fell to the ground, struggling to get up, he opened his mouth to curse but could only let out a wretched scream as the lizard pounced and killed him.


    The cries of agony tightened the hearts of the survivors.


    One of the girls, upon seeing the scene behind her, clenched her teeth and pulled a potion from the pouch at her waist, scattering it into the sky behind her.


    The potion was like powder, but as it scattered in the air, it immediately turned into a thick green smoke.


    “Hold your breath!” the girl loudly warned, she was Zi Di.


    The surviving teammates, seemingly familiar with this kind of green smoke, promptly held their breaths and dove out of the smoke.


    However, the green-skinned lizards chasing them, breathing normally, inhaled the smoke into their nostrils and lungs.


    Soon, the lizards let out screams of agony, some struggling in the thick green smoke, others running around chaotically, and the entire pursuing group of lizards fell into a panic.


    Seizing this opportunity, the surviving members of the exploration team successfully put some distance between themselves and the lizards.


    “Run, run!”


    “We’re going to make it.”


    “Lord Zi Di is amazing, thanks to your potion!”


    “Do you have more? Scatter some more.”


    Everyone shouted, their hearts brimming with the joy of a newfound lease on life.


    “How could you do that?! I just saw it, you actually caused the death of a teammate.” Bai Ya’s questioning was particularly harsh amid the cheers.


    The person he accused initially showed a look of shame, but quickly became angry and retorted, “Get lost, mind your own business!”


    “You!” Bai Ya was tongue-tied, shocked.


    The accused’s demeanor was turbulent, his usually good temper gone, as if he had become a different person.


    “Alright, we’re not out of danger yet. Everything that has happened here will be judged by Lord Zhenjin!” An old man spoke up in good time, stabilizing the team.


    It was Cang Xu.


    Meanwhile, to the northeast of this surviving group, there was a sand dune.


    Two heads popped out from the dune, faces alike, it was the brothers Lan Zao and Huang Zao.


    “Brother, I’ve found them!” Huang Zao was very excited, then quickly restrained his excitement, “They’re being chased by green-skinned lizards.”


    “They’re really here.” Lan Zao nodded, “Eh? Why don’t I see Lord Zhenjin?”


    “It’s probably a separation; they haven’t regrouped yet. We also found these green-skinned lizards because of the pink marks on them and followed the trail of the beasts to get here,” Huang Zao speculated.


    Originally, after the exploration team was teleported, they immediately encountered a storm.


    Zi Di, relying on her potions, quickly melted a cave in the sandstorm, helping many members of the exploration team.


    The cave was not sturdy and collapsed during the raging sandstorm, accidentally connecting with another cave.


    For the sake of survival, the team could only come to this cave.


    They found that this desert cave was not formed naturally. The architects were a group of green-skinned lizards.


    The exploration team was familiar with these lizards, having encountered them after being teleported to the desert.


    The place where Zi Di and others arrived was the most important area in the lizard’s underground nest—the nursery.


    The nursery stored a large number of lizard eggs, guarded by dedicated mother lizards.


    After the two parties encountered each other, they immediately began to fight.


    There were only two mother lizards, which the exploration team quickly killed under the effect of Zi Di’s potions. But the commotion attracted the attention of the other green-skinned lizards, who immediately launched a frenzied revenge offensive against the exploration team.


    Fortunately, the entrance to the nursery was very narrow, so the people held their ground there.


    The lizards came in an unending stream, and the exploration team began to suffer casualties.


    Cang Xu learned through dissection that the green-skinned lizards did not mate frequently, and a mother lizard only laid one egg at a time. Yet, there were so many eggs in the cave, so it was natural to deduce that the scale of the lizard community outside was very large.


    There was no question that holding their ground here meant no way out.


    Realizing this, everyone began to plan their breakthrough. sea??h thё N?vel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    During this time, Zi Di scattered pink potions on the lizards, hoping to send out a signal.


    As for now, they had broken through and temporarily shaken off the pursuit of the lizards.


    “We should hurry and join up with them,” Lan Zao said, ready to move.


    But the next moment, his arm was grabbed by his younger brother Huang Zao: “No, brother, look!”


    Following the direction pointed by Huang Zao, Lan Zao saw a large number of green-skinned lizards blocking the way ahead of Zi Di and Cang Xu.


    But Zi Di and Cang Xu didn’t realize it; their view was obstructed by a sand dune.


    Those who stand by see more than those involved, and the true situation was discovered by Lan Zao and Huang Zao.


    “This is bad, they’re about to be surrounded by lizards. If this continues, they will surely meet their deaths. We need to warn them quickly!” Lan Zao’s face turned pale.


    “Wait a minute,” Huang Zao stopped him again.


    “What are you doing?” Lan Zao glared angrily, “Saving them is urgent!”


    Huang Zao said, “Don’t be foolish, brother. These people are doomed. Look again!”


    Lan Zao looked closely and his face turned ashen. He saw that not only were there a large group of lizards in front of the exploration team, but lizards were also closing in from both sides.


    “Even so…” Lan Zao’s body swayed, clenching his teeth, but Huang Zao interrupted him.


    “Lord Zhenjin is not here, and they are only relying on Miss Zi Di’s potions to struggle. It’s impossible for them to survive. Don’t be foolish, brother. Even with the two of us, we would only be going to our deaths,” Huang Zao said coldly.


    Then he continued to question, “Who are these people to you? Are they worth your life?”


    “But, we are slaves right now, and we had discussed before to follow Lord Zhenjin, hadn’t we?” Lan Zao hesitated.


    Huang Zao’s face darkened: “Slaves… I don’t want to be any slave. The past situations were out of desperation.”


    “Moreover, we have no idea where Lord Zhenjin is right now. Since he’s not here, he won’t ever know what happened here. We want to follow Lord Zhenjin for a better future, right? Dying like this is not what we planned.”


    “But…” Lan Zao’s expression wavered, “I at least need to warn them.”


    “Don’t do it,” Huang Zao shook his head, “It’s too late! They are already surrounded. The moment you speak up and they discover us, they will definitely ask for our help. What then, will we go or not?”


    “If we go, it’s suicide. If we don’t, they’ll surely hold a grudge against us. Maybe they’ll find a way to record this incident. In the future, if Lord Zhenjin finds their remains, he might learn about our secret of not helping them. That would be terrible for us.”


    Lan Zao did not reply, just watched the members of the exploration team in the distance, their faces filled with joy, completely unaware that they were trapped.


    Lan Zao’s brows furrowed deeper, and his hands subconsciously grabbed handfuls of sand, clenching his fists tightly.


    Seeing Lan Zao like this, Huang Zao felt a pang in his heart.


    He knew his brother very well.


    Thus, Huang Zao shouted, “Do you want me to die, brother!”


    “What?” Lan Zao was taken aback.


    “I know these people have helped you before, and even Lord Zhenjin and Miss Zi Di saved my life. You don’t want to be indebted to them, you want to repay their kindness. You must be thinking about whether to let me go and support them on your own!”


    Huang Zao’s words struck right at Lan Zao’s heart.


    That was indeed what Lan Zao was thinking.


    But then, Huang Zao said, “If you go, you will certainly die! Left alone in this desert, how can I manage to survive? And could I just watch you go to your death? You’re my own brother! If you go, I will surely follow you. If you die, I would throw my life away too.”


    “Brother…” Lan Zao gritted his teeth, glaring at Huang Zao.


    “Brother!” Huang Zao glared back, just as stubborn, “Did you forget our mother’s last words? You made a vow to look after me for life. You swore that if you were to die, it would be before me. Now, by supporting them, you would be leading me to death!”


    “Yes, I made a vow. Since we were kids, I’ve always taken care of you, haven’t I? But you’ve grown up; you are a seasoned sailor now, and you have Bronze Level strength…”


    “But what does that matter? In the Spider Forest, didn’t you still abandon me!” Huang Zao interrupted Lan Zao without mercy.


    “I thought you were dead!!” Lan Zao roared, his face flushing with anger.


    Huang Zao sneered: “If I had died, perhaps it would’ve been good for you, wouldn’t it? After all, it was you who killed our father. If I were dead, who would know your secret? You would be free of it!”


    “No! How can you think that?!” Lan Zao let out a pained howl, his expression twisted, veins on his forehead bulging.


    Huang Zao’s voice suddenly rose sharply, “Then let’s go! Let’s leave this place together, escape from this damned island. You need to prove yourself with actions.”


    Huang Zao’s words were like an ice-cold long spear that pierced straight into Lan Zao’s deepest heart.


    The burly man knelt on the ground, staring deathly at his younger brother for a long while, immobile as if he were a statue.


    The brothers locked eyes for several breaths, then their standoff was disturbed by the commotion caused by the green-skinned lizards.


    Huang Zao saw several green-skinned lizards rapidly approaching the sand dune they were on, and urged anxiously, “Run now, or we won’t be able to escape.”


    He immediately got to his feet, forcefully pulling Lan Zao.


    Initially unmovable, Huang Zao tried twice more and finally got Lan Zao to his feet. They ran down the sand dune, fleeing from the place.


    In the last moment of retreat, Lan Zao looked back and saw the members of the exploration team realizing their situation, stamping their feet in panic and confusion.


    He let out a deep sigh in his heart, bowed his head, and escaped shoulder to shoulder with Huang Zao.