Chapter 111: Sandstorm

"Desert lizards are nocturnal, preferring to hide in warm rock crevices; they move quickly but lack the reflexes of venomous snakes—catching them requires some skill."

Qin Yun spoke, slowly approaching, crouching down and extending his right hand with gentle, deliberate movements. Just as his fingers neared the lizard, it suddenly darted away at high speed toward the lake.

Qin Yun's gaze sharpened; he sprang to his feet: "Little guy, just let me eat you already—why run?"

He closed the distance in one step, his right hand shooting out like lightning, precisely gripping the lizard's tail and lifting it up.

"Lizard: I'm so damn unlucky—ran into such a ruthless bastard."

"666, Brother Qin's speed is insane."

"Eating it turns you into a lizard person—ever seen Spider-Man?"

"This lizard looks kinda cute—Brother Qin really isn't human."

"Aren't lizards full of germs? How do you even eat them?"

Qin Yun carried the lizard back to the distillation device, glanced at the comments, and spoke to the drone: "You're right—this lizard can't be eaten raw. It's covered in bacteria and parasites; eating it raw will kill you. I need to clean it thoroughly, then roast it over fire."

He began processing it.

In no time, the once-intact lizard met its end in the sulfur lake—its internal organs and skin discarded to the side, washed clean with distilled water, then skewered on a dried camel thorn branch.

He lit a small new fire nearby with a bit of fuel and placed the lizard directly over the flames to roast.

"When roasting lizard, you must cook it thoroughly to kill all bacteria and parasites. But its meat is tender—you can't roast it too long, or it'll burn and ruin the texture and nutrition."

Qin Yun rotated the camel thorn skewer while staring intently at the lizard over the fire.

Soon, the aroma of roasted meat spread through the air—though not strong, it was enough to make Qin Yun's empty stomach drool.

Watching Qin Yun's expression, the livestream viewers felt similarly tempted.

"Damn, looking at Brother Qin like that, it seems delicious."

"I'm getting hungry too—I'll order something first."

"Almost done—Brother Qin, taste it already!"

After a while, the lizard turned golden and crispy, its scent rich and inviting. Qin Yun took it off the fire, blew on it, then carefully bit into it, his face lighting up with satisfaction.

"Tastes great—tender meat. No seasonings, but in the wild, eating something like this is already a blessing." As he ate, he skewered another piece of wolf meat and added, "Lizard meat is rich in protein—it quickly restores strength—but this little bit isn't nearly enough. I must replenish my energy to continue my journey."

After eating the lizard meat and a piece of wolf meat, Qin Yun's body had mostly recovered. Though still tired, he could move without hindrance.

He then roasted all the wolf meat stored in his tarp, wrapping each piece carefully.

After waiting over an hour, his canteen was full; he also collected about a liter of water in his tarp.

"Now, I'm full, hydrated, and have food and water—I can set off again, heading northeast toward Cold Lake Town."

He packed his gear, gripped his bow, and stepped out of the canyon, gazing toward the northeast.

"It's 3: 0 p. . now. Yesterday I learned sunset here is around 7 p. ., so I plan to walk another three hours before finding shelter. With wolf pelts in hand, I'll have a warm night."

He adjusted his backpack and began marching northeast, releasing both drones and keeping his head-mounted camera active—three lenses alternating continuously under AI editing.

"Three hours is enough to get me out of the core area of the Ebo Liang Yardang."

The Yardang terrain is complex, with intersecting gullies—hard to navigate. Once I leave this zone and enter the Gobi, progress will be much easier.

As he walked, he occasionally gathered dried camel thorns and red willow roots—fuel for tonight's fire.

At 5 p. ., the sun began slanting westward, and the temperature started dropping.

But since he was constantly moving, the cold wasn't yet noticeable.

He pried open a gap among gravel stones; a few purple sea buckthorn plants swayed slightly.

"Hey, another lizard—"

Before Qin Yun finished speaking, the sky suddenly darkened as a powerful gust slammed into him.

He looked up sharply—far on the horizon, vast clouds surged forward. Moments later, the once-clear view had turned hazy yellow.

His expression changed instantly. He snatched the front drone, retracted the secondary one, and kept only the main unit.

"Guys, trouble—sandstorm's coming."

Seeing Qin Yun's grim expression on camera, viewers froze in shock.

"Holy shit, what bad luck—nothing's gone right these past two days. Just got water and food, now a sandstorm."

"Brother Qin, take cover—find shelter fast!"

"Oh my god, a sandstorm—so terrifying."

"Brother Qin, don't get buried!"

"People might be fooled by the Yardang terrain—Brother Qin is in the Qaidam Desert. Sandstorms here are normal."

While Qin Yun spoke, he realized the wind wasn't coming in bursts—it was continuous. The howl had turned into a piercing wail, like countless tormented souls screaming, sending chills down his spine.

Qin Yun strapped the drone to his body, aimed its lens forward, and moved swiftly.

"Guys, the Yardang terrain is rugged, with mounds everywhere. When a sandstorm hits, wind and sand pile up against these mounds, becoming even more violent. One misstep and you'll be buried under sand—no trace left. I must find shelter fast."

"Whoo—!"

Far on the horizon, a black sand wall, dozens of meters high and stretching beyond sight, rolled toward him like a monstrous beast, swallowing the sky and earth in dust. In an instant, the world plunged into darkness.

Qin Yun quickly wrapped his tarp around his head and kept running, using the mounds for cover, sprinting toward lower ground with rock overhangs.

The sandstorm arrived faster than expected—in seconds, his vision was completely obscured.

"Damn, this is terrifying—I feel like I'm lagging."

"Not just you—I'm lagging too. Satellite signal must be down."

Qin Yun no longer cared about the livestream. His steps didn't slow—he lowered his center of gravity, dodged the sand, and searched for gaps between mounds and hollows in rocks.

The world was pitch-black. The sun had been swallowed by dust. His ears rang with the howling wind and the crackling of sand hitting rocks. The ground trembled faintly; distant collapses of Yardang mounds boomed like thunder.

His windbreaker flapped violently in the gale. The sand thickened, turning the air into a yellow curtain that blocked all sight. Each breath was dry, gritty, burning his throat.

But he didn't slow down. Seizing a brief lull in the wind, he leapt over a low mound—and his eyes lit up. Between two mounds ahead, a natural depression lay shielded by a massive rock: narrow entrance, steep, smooth walls—perfect shelter.

His heart surged. He pushed forward with all his strength. Another gale hit, hurling shards of stone at him.

His hands and legs were scraped by flying rocks—sharp pain flared. He didn't need to look—he knew he was bleeding.

The drone's feed showed only swirling sand—severely lagging, the video fragmented and broken.

Ignoring the pain, he sprinted to the depression's entrance, shoved aside the scattered stones, and leapt inside, diving deep.

As soon as he entered, he curled into the deepest corner, pulled the tarp over himself, and pressed against the wall. Only then could he breathe again.

He glanced at the drone's screen—the image still stuttered.

"Guys, bad luck—caught a sandstorm. I'm stuck here waiting it out. Hope it doesn't last long—if it buries me, I'm done."

He listened to the terrifying sounds outside, curled tightly—this state was nothing like when he single-handedly killed the desert wolf.

At this moment, he felt utterly small.

"Brother Qin, hold on."

"Brother Qin's got the worst luck ever."

"Bad luck, but sandstorms usually pass quickly—they won't last forever."

As seconds ticked by, the wind and sand outside continued, but the sound suggested it was weakening.

After an indeterminate time, the gales faded. The clatter of flying stones ceased.

Qin Yun opened his eyes, removed the tarp, and shook off the layers of dust. He crawled toward the entrance—now completely blocked by sand, but not deeply piled. He cleared it easily and emerged.

Outside, the sky was clear again. The sun shone once more.

But everywhere he looked, rocks lay shattered, the ground buried under endless yellow sand.

Qin Yun released the drone, aimed its lens at himself, and smiled: "I hit a sandstorm, but luck was on my side—I made it through. Now I'll keep heading northeast. Sunset's less than two hours away."

He brushed the dust off his body and continued forward.

After the sandstorm's Xili, the footage now looked even more desolate to viewers.

"666—surviving is victory."

"Damn, sandstorms are terrifying. If this happened outside, you'd either get buried or crushed by rocks."

"Crushed by rocks? Unlikely—but you'd choke to death."

"Brother Qin's lucky he's still in Ebo Liang—if he'd entered the Gobi, it'd be far more dangerous."

At 6: 0 p. ., Qin Yun's view opened into a vast Gobi plain. The tangled Yardang formations vanished—before him stretched endless Gobi.

"Friends, I've now left the core of the Ebo Liang Yardang. Ahead is the Gobi plain. Sunset is less than half an hour away." He smiled brightly at the drone. "From this morning until now, I've searched for water, distilled it, fought a wolf pack, and survived a sandstorm. Now I'll camp on the Gobi. Tomorrow, I'll continue toward Cold Lake Town, showing you how to survive in the Qaidam Desert."

"Any one of the things Brother Qin's been through would've killed me."

"Brother Qin's a real man—I'm not even into guys, but I'm starting to like him."

"Brother Qin looks so rugged now—so charismatic."

"Tonight, Brother Qin will finally get a good night's sleep."

"Don't jinx it, guy in the comments."