Chapter 117: Laura

This is a Germanic foreigner, but it's unclear whether she's German, American, or from some other European country.

As he spoke, Qin Yun checked her breath and shook his head: "Her lips are cracked from not drinking water for about a day—she won't die. Since I've seen her, I can't just leave her to die."

Qin Yun pulled out his water flask and dripped a few drops onto her lips until her mouth was moist, then stopped.

Then he pinched her philtrum hard, and soon she let out a soft moan, slowly opening her eyes.

…

My name is Laura Quandt; I just graduated from the University of Munich. Looking at the graduation trip plan on the table, I wasn't really eager to go.

"Laura, just fulfill our childhood dream, okay?"

"You're the richest—sponsor us a little, please?"

In the end, I couldn't resist their persistent begging and agreed to join their graduation trip, even covering the entire cost.

Of course, to me, that's less than a week's pocket money—I don't care.

There were four of us: me, Mia, Lukas, and Tom.

Our first stop was Istanbul, Turkey, then we went to South Africa, Brazil, New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai, and Japan. After leaving Japan, we set our final destination as Qinghai in China.

In Qinghai, I saw Qinghaihu, a lake like a sapphire; we cycled along its shore, camped, and slept under the stars; then we tried skiing on Gangshika Snow Peak.

On the way down, a local herder, speaking broken English, said: "You should visit the Qaidam Desert—its yardang landforms are the devil's dwelling."

Mia knows me well—haha—so we came to the Qaidam Desert.

We followed our guide into the desert and photographed those bizarrely shaped rock formations.

During those two days in the desert, I couldn't remember where we'd gone—only that the surroundings grew increasingly desolate until my phone lost all signal.

That night, I was sleeping in my tent.

Then sudden, searing pain struck my back. Half-conscious, I saw a familiar figure—and then lost awareness. When I woke again, I was lying on a sand dune, alone.

Mia, Lukas, and Tom were gone.

I staggered forward; the desert wind whipped sand against my face, stinging and freezing. I didn't know how long I'd walked—the sun sank, the temperature plummeted, my lips cracked, and after a full day without water, I was parched and exhausted, my throat stuffed with cotton.

Around me stretched endless yellow sands and gravel, eternally standing there, watching me, this intruder.

I was tired, but I refused to give up.

I thought I heard movement—I'd heard wolves lived in the desert; maybe one was coming to eat me.

But the moment I thrust my dagger forward, I saw it wasn't a wolf—it was a person—and then I passed out again.

Oh my God, did Chinese immortals come to save me? This man is so handsome—weathered and rough, yet utterly captivating.

…

Looking at the woman on the ground, staring at him dumbly and silent, Qin Yun was speechless.

He spoke to the drone: "Looks like this one froze her brain—unsaveable."

"Hahaha, she's got a crush, hasn't she? Totally smitten by Brother Qin."

"Big white horse, yoshi."

"Brother Qin is indeed handsome—just slightly less than me."

"Fuck you, shameless."

Qin Yun frowned and looked at her, speaking in German: "Hallo, wer bist du? Warum bist du in der Wüste?"

Upon hearing it, Laura's eyes lit up instantly.

"Du sprichst tatsächlich Deutsch?"

"What the hell is that gibberish Brother Qin just said?"

"666, last time at Mount Siguniang, Brother Qin spoke Spanish—now he's speaking German too? Awesome."

"Genius—Brother Qin's a total scholar."

"He speaks Spanish and German—so English's a given, plus his native tongue—that's four languages! Damn, is Brother Qin really that good?"

"Of course—excellent people excel in every way."

"Beantwortest du zuerst meine Frage?"

Laura quickly pushed herself up with her palms.

"My name is Laura Quandt—I'll use Chinese to save characters," she said quickly. "I came on a graduation trip with my friends, but something went wrong along the way."

Then she rattled off the whole story; by the end, Qin Yun's shock was plainly visible.

Viewers who didn't understand German flooded the chat with questions.

Qin Yun thought for a moment and said: "This woman's name is Laura. Her best friend stabbed her in the back and left her alone in the desert. By 'stabbed in the back,' I mean literally—look at her back, it's covered in blood."

Viewers erupted in shock: Holy shit—is this attempted murder?

Qin Yun pointed to her back: "Do you want me to check your wound?"

At the mention of the wound, Laura finally felt the pain. She quickly reached out: "Thank you, thank you so much—what's your name?"

"I'm Qin Yun. You're right to thank me."

Ignoring Laura's dazed expression, Qin Yun went behind her and told her to lift her clothes. She obeyed, pulling up layer after layer; the moment her skin was exposed, Qin Yun immediately turned the camera away.

"Fuck, you're hoarding the view."

"Damn, Brother Qin's not loyal—I thought you were my brother."

"The benefits are gone—Brother Qin, you're so cruel."

Qin Yun saw the wound and frowned slightly—the gash was a clear puncture wound, depth unknown, but clearly not fatal, or Laura wouldn't be alive.

Second, the wound had already begun closing internally; though faint traces of blood remained, they weren't obvious.

But the critical issue: the wound showed signs of pus—clearly infected. That's not a good sign. If it fully inflames and she doesn't get prompt treatment, it could kill her.

He re-covered her, his face expressionless.

"Brothers, this German woman's in danger—her wound is infected, starting to inflame; she could spike a fever or spread the infection at any moment."

After speaking to the drone, Qin Yun turned to Laura.

"Your condition is dangerous—your wound will likely inflame. You need medical treatment as soon as possible."

Laura nodded, pointing to the drone: "Qin, are you with National Geographic?"

"I'm a streamer—currently doing a wilderness survival broadcast."

"Wilderness survival?" Laura blinked. "You're not joking?"

She shook her head: "Uh, could you give me some water? I'm terribly thirsty."

Qin Yun handed her the flask: "Sip slowly—five sips, then stop."

Laura's eyes turned green at the sight of the flask.

Still, she restrained herself, following Qin Yun's instructions—sipped five times, then returned the flask.

"I'm heading to Lenghu Town—another day or two of walking. Are you coming with me, or staying here waiting for rescue?"

Qin Yun lowered the drone, showing its screen to her: "If you stay here, I'll have my fans call the police for you."

"No, don't leave me!" Laura shook her head in panic, grabbing Qin Yun's arm. "I'll go with you."

Qin Yun wasn't surprised: "Fine. One more won't hurt. Stick with me. This bharal's just like you."

"Pfft… Brother Qin just lumped the girl with the bharal."

"666—in the desert, a girl's worth less than a bharal—at least the bharal's edible."

"Girls are edible too—if Brother Qin wants."

"Oh? Who's eating who? Can Brother Qin even do it?"

Seeing these comments, Qin Yun's face darkened—these people had zero morals.

Laura looked at the bharal; the bharal looked back at her.

Laura said seriously: "Qin, thank you for saving me. When I get back, I'll repay you properly."

"Alright, I'll wait for your repayment."

Qin Yun didn't take it seriously—a woman betrayed by her childhood friend was absurdly naive. He saved her out of principle—not letting anyone die, and because she was a foreigner.

He glanced around, pointing to a distant wall of gravel: "Let's go there—I'm going to eat lunch."

At the mention of food, Laura's stomach growled loudly—she hadn't eaten in over twenty-four hours.

Seeing Qin Yun look at her, she felt embarrassed: "I'm starving, Qin—do you have anything to eat?"

"We'll talk when we get there."

They reached the gravel wall. Qin Yun found a smooth stone slab to use as a cooking surface, then gathered camel thorn and other fuel.

When he used the bow-drill method to start a fire, Laura looked stunned.

"Haha, this blonde has never seen anything like this."

"Let her see the power of Chinese men."

"Brother Qin is conquering a big white horse."

"Qin, you're amazing!" Laura exclaimed. "You know how to make fire by drilling wood? Are all Chinese people this capable?"

Qin Yun carefully coaxed the flame, not looking up: "The Chinese are the hardest-working people on Earth—didn't you know? The world escaped raw flesh and blood only because of our people."

Laura was skeptical.

But when Qin Yun pulled out wolf meat and cracked eggs onto the stone slab, she believed him, drooling.

Not just hardworking—right now, if Qin Yun said the Chinese invented Germans, she'd believe it.

There were five eggs total. Qin Yun ate three, gave her two. Even though the wolf meat was dry, tough, and gamey, to someone starving, it was a feast.

Watching Laura devour a large chunk of meat, Qin Yun mentally calculated whether their food would last.

The estimate: not enough food—and barely enough water—for two people.

Indeed, adding a burden isn't as simple as one plus one.

While eating, Qin Yun thought of something and looked at the drone: "Is there anyone in Qinghai? Please call the police for me—maybe, by luck, Laura's companions are still within the country."

"Master Qin has spoken—anyone in Qinghai, step forward."

"Master Qin, I've called the police. Wait for my update."

Qin Yun expressed his thanks and told Laura about the matter.

Laura immediately rattled off a stream of words into the drone; Qin Yun didn't bother translating. When she finished, he simply said: "She says thank you."

"Damn, is German really that complicated? The girl spoke for over ten seconds, and you turn it into two words?"

"Haha, Master Qin's getting sly."

"…"

Qin Yun ignored them, glanced at Laura for a moment, then spoke to the drone: "Given the wound on Laura's back, her body should have reacted long ago—but without food, the inflammation was suppressed. Now that she's eaten and drunk, I suspect she'll likely start feeling dizzy soon."

"Dealing with the inflammation from her wound in this environment isn't unsolvable."

"The desert has many plants with heat-clearing, detoxifying, and anti-inflammatory properties. I happen to know a few—like the Qaidam juniper, white thorn fruit, and desert ga."

"Damn, Master Qin's impromptu lesson caught us off guard."

"666, Master Qin is truly profound in botany and zoology—he can name anything on the spot."

"He's nicknamed 'The Speaker of Things.'"