Xu An examined the laser gun in her hand. This device worked just like a pistol. Its handle had a slot where a laser energy block needed to be inserted to fire the laser.
One energy block could sustain twenty consecutive shots. When she purchased it, the seller had included ten energy blocks. If she ran out, she would have to buy more, with each block costing 99 transaction coins.
Upon learning the price, Xu An felt it was a bit wasteful to kill the woman with the laser gun.
She glanced at the oil tanker not far away and, without hesitation, walked over and stored the vehicle in her spatial dimension. She planned to trade all the oil with the rats later. After all, the oil field was vast, and her taking a bit was not excessive.
Next, she placed the woman's corpse in a body bag and stored it in her spatial dimension. The wound on her forehead was too conspicuous. While killing one person might be fine, losing an oil tanker was another matter. It was not impossible for the Lighthouse to investigate. They could easily trace it back to her. She didn't want to cause herself any trouble.
After tidying up the scene, Xu An retrieved the off-road vehicle she had purchased earlier from her spatial dimension and drove in the opposite direction.
The Chaili’ku Desert was located in the westernmost part of China. Besides its rich oil and gas resources, it was also known for its scorching temperatures and long sunlight hours, which produced incredibly sweet melons and fruits. The area was remote and sparsely populated. The Great Flood had not affected it. Due to desertification control efforts, many saxaul trees had been planted along the roadsides, adding a touch of vitality to the boundless desert.
Two hours later.
Xu An drove at full speed into the desert ahead. She had never been here in her previous life and didn't know if there were any survivors. She had intended to take a detour and head directly to the "Gate of Hell," but as she passed through a desert area, her spatial tree began to tremble violently again.
Following the spatial tree's guidance, Xu An drove forward. Through the dust, she glimpsed a desert city. She initially mistook the scene for a mirage. However, at that moment, a row of houses vaguely appeared ahead. The dust obscured her vision, making it difficult to see clearly, but she had a strong premonition that the scene before her was real.
As she drove closer, she could see that the row of houses resembled those built with yellow earth bricks in the 1960s and 70s, standing alone and helpless in the desolate landscape.
Xu An put on her goggles and face mask, pushed open the car door, and stepped out. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she heard the sound of footsteps crunching on sand. Before she could react, people appeared from both sides, flanking her. They held two...
Fearing further complications, and with the spatial tree's guidance growing stronger, Xu An's intuition told her there would be a reward here. She immediately said, "I have my own food. I can eat my own food."
The man didn't say much upon hearing this. They seemed to be led by a man named Haowu'er. As long as he didn't object, the men following him rarely spoke.
"Then take good care of your backpack... and your food... things are not entirely peaceful where we are," Haowu'er said, hesitating for a moment before finally warning the woman in front of him.
Xu An didn't press for details about where they were taking her. She obediently followed the three men towards the center of the city. She had stored her car in her spatial dimension when she got out. Xu An was grateful for the simple folk here; they didn't question her words too much. Otherwise, if they had been more stubborn and insisted on asking how a lone woman managed to travel into the desert, she would have been speechless.
Soon, Xu An followed everyone to a large arched gate. The gate was made of wood, its original appearance weathered by the sandstorms, reinforced layer by layer with iron nails. Haowu'er knocked on the gate in a rhythmic pattern – three long knocks followed by one short one. After a moment, the gate opened from within.
"Any gains today?" a tall, robust man with deep-set eyes emerged, asking the group.
"Only desert rats and sand snakes," Haowu'er replied, unbuckling the snakeskin bag he was carrying and handing it to the man. As Haowu'er made his move, the man noticed the woman behind him and asked curiously, "Who is this woman?"
"She's a refugee from outside, said she got lost in the desert. So I brought her back."
"How did she, a woman, manage to escape into the desert? Also, Haowu'er, you know we're running low on food!" The man clearly disagreed with Haowu'er's actions. He glanced at Haowu'er, then at Xu An. He was not as easily fooled as Haowu'er.