Chapter 40: I’ve Seen Boys Like You…

The Patrol Troops had their own way of handling the bodies of the fallen.

They quickly took care of everything, including Krimus’s corpse.

Xie Jianxun finished repairing the last batch of weapons and handed them back to the Patrol Troops. As he walked over, the people from Golden City stood before a tall mound of sand, heads bowed in silence.

He found it a bit strange. After all, all the bodies had already been properly handled and placed in small boxes. So what was this sand pit for?

However, he didn’t say anything and quietly stood at the back, bowing his head along with them.

They observed about three minutes of silence.

Once the mourning ceremony ended, several strong Patrol Troops stepped up to the sand pile and pushed hard. The yellow sand scattered and spread outward.

Xie Jianxun asked the deputy beside him, “What is this for?”

The deputy looked at him, his tone gentle. “Golden sand is the embodiment of the souls of Golden City’s people. We pile it up to pay our respects and hope their souls will spread to every corner of the land.”

Around nine o’clock, the Patrol Troops finished gearing up. They were ready to leave the sand bandit camp and head to the next location.

Before departing, the captain called for everyone to replenish their water and eat a nutrition bar. “There might be more fighting ahead,” he emphasized.

Xie Jianxun quickly devoured his, and drowsiness began to set in.

This wasn’t his fault.

Having slept only three or four hours and endured such a long night, the energy of this not-yet-adult human was completely depleted. His eyelids kept drooping.

His body suddenly felt light—he had clearly been scooped into someone’s arms and settled in just right.

The Patrol Troops found the landships they had hidden before attacking the sand bandit camp. They were intact, exactly as they had left them.

The captain glanced at the sand bandit camp and said, “The sand bandits must have plenty more hideouts. We’ll find one and destroy it. Eventually, we’ll wipe them out.”

He rubbed the red button in his hand and pressed it decisively.

There was no dramatic explosion.

It was like a painting on the horizon being erased from top to bottom with an eraser.

From a distance, they watched the entire sand bandit camp collapse.

“Let’s go, to the oasis.”

The Patrol Army Captain turned back, and everyone boarded the landships, which rumbled off.

…

By the time the sun rose, around nine o’clock, the Oasis Sand Bandits had already eaten two breakfasts.

They feasted on the Joint Group’s supplies, tearing into roasted mutton, dumping handfuls of spices into pots, chugging bottles of drinking water—one after another, then pouring one over their faces.

Nir savored the coolness of the water. After washing his face, he tossed the bottle aside and vigorously wiped the droplets from his face.

“Refreshing!”

Seeing the people behind dawdling with reluctant expressions, he scowled fiercely and shouted, “Hurry up!”

The Joint Group logistics worker who was called jumped in fright, nearly dropping what he held.

As a skinny logistics member singled out by the Oasis Sand Bandits for odd jobs, he at least had a bit of freedom.

The stronger ones were still crammed into off-road vehicle trunks, bound with ropes, legs cramping without room to stretch.

The Oasis Sand Bandits had eaten two breakfasts and were stuffed to the point of nausea, but the Joint Group hadn’t gotten a scrap.

He had secretly stashed two pieces of bread and shared them when he returned to the vehicle—just a bite each, barely enough to pick at their teeth.

They traveled fast during the day.

The off-road vehicles rumbled along for half the day, and his stomach churned along with them, nearly making him vomit.

In the evening, he regained his freedom, though the price was cooking for everyone.

The logistics worker silently lit the large quick-heat stove and laboriously turned the disposable folding pot to finish the soup. Another logistics worker nearby completed the staple food for the whole team, while someone else was specifically called to pour wine for the sand bandit leader.

Once the food was served, the Oasis Sand Bandits took the best portions, leaving scraps for the Joint Group. Everyone barely filled their stomachs.

The Oasis Sand Bandits stood watch nearby, eyeing them hungrily.

The sturdy mercenary squad captain Bari sat crammed in the farthest corner of the off-road vehicle trunk. The wound on his forehead was slowly healing, leaving a gruesome scab.

His hands and feet were bound with ropes, leaving him immobile and reliant on others.

The staple food wasn’t enough, so the logistics worker fed him half a can of soup with just a pinch of salt. At the bottom, two malformed, yellowish beans remained.

Bari clamped his mouth shut, refusing the beans, his eyes locked on the nearest Oasis Sand Bandit.

His deputy nudged his superior with a knee, fearing he would provoke the bandits.

“Boss!”

He didn’t dare speak loudly, only whispering.

“…I’ll kill these lamb bastards someday, those dog-raised scum. Chop off their hands and feet, gouge out their eyes…” he said coldly, averting his gaze only when an Oasis Sand Bandit turned.

An Oasis Sand Bandit approached, suspicious. “Was someone cursing me?”

Everyone in the vehicle stared at him—men and women, skinny twenty-year-olds and burly thirty-year-olds. No one spoke, just unblinking eyes fixed on him.

He sneered and fired a shot into the sky.

“What, not afraid of death? Ignoring me now?”

The bandit leader had ordered shocks at most, no guns to kill them. But push a bandit too far, and who knew what might happen.

The Joint Group member on the outermost edge stammered nervously, “N-No, we didn’t hear anything.”

The Oasis Sand Bandit eyed him for a moment, as if weighing his words.

“Fine.” He shrugged casually, resting a hand on the trunk door. “I was gonna let you air out a bit longer, but since you don’t appreciate it… back in the box you go!”

Bang bang—two slams, and the rear door shut, cutting off the fresh air. Soon, it grew stiflingly hot.

“Hey, next time I’ll say it out loud.”

Bari muttered stuffily. “Even if I die, I’ll take one down with me.”

Someone softly scolded him. “Captain Bari, you can’t think like that.”

It was the quiet girl who usually shrank into the corner—from another merchant team, he recalled.

She said dejectedly, “Captain Antonio said survival is hope. And before we set out, the Joint Group swore an oath—we’re all brothers and sisters, united as one.”

The others said nothing, just nodded lightly.

After a silence, Bari said nonchalantly, “What about that can? Two beans left.”

His deputy pointed to his own mouth. “Right here.”

“…Screw you.”

Bari kicked him. “Slacking on work but fastest to eat.”

The Oasis Sand Bandits had seized their route map. Just follow it straight, and they’d reach Golden Fruit Forest.

As the distance to Golden Fruit Forest shrank, the atmosphere grew tense and irritable.

On the first day, everyone hoped the Patrol Troops would notice something off and catch up.

Later, they realized the Patrol Troops didn’t have a Golden Fruit Forest map.

On the second day, they hoped the sand bandits would fall into Flowing Sand River.

But the bandits proved cunning, with expert knowledge of desert terrain, skirting the river’s edges multiple times.

By the third day, no other ideas.

…Maybe a meteor would fall from the sky and crush them!

On the third evening, the bandits announced they were stopping to camp and rest.

Antonio, the Adventure Group captain, surveyed the surroundings.

It was the usual scene: endless desert, scattered rock walls, withered grass clumps, and frail, completely dead trees lying nearby.

He wasn’t bound with ropes, just had a symbolic shock ring around his neck.

But he couldn’t run—the bandits knew that. His team was here; where could he go?

The air’s humidity felt off. Antonio snapped to attention and rubbed his fingers together.

Years on the road had honed his instincts; he immediately sensed the change. The air should have been bone-dry, without a trace of moisture, but now he felt a chill.

It was the coolness of evaporating water vapor, not just dropping temperature.

He thought for a moment and headed to the off-road vehicle trunks.

There, the Oasis Sand Bandits were busy setting up grills for their evening bonfire barbecue frenzy. He didn’t want them succeeding, but neither did he want his team dying here.

Antonio specifically sought out bandit leader Jack, who sat with knees splayed on a stool, drinking beer while fiddling with an expensive light brain wristwatch.

“The air humidity is off. You should pay more attention,” he advised. “I suspect something unexpected might happen. Better avoid it quickly.”

Jack said nothing, but Nir bellowed nearby, “What the hell are you, questioning the boss? Humidity? What humidity in the desert? Hilarious!”

Antonio replied calmly, “I’m just offering my suggestion.”

Nir opened his mouth again, but Jack waved him silent.

The bandit leader took another swig, eyeing him.

“I feel it too.”

His attitude was surprisingly mild, like another Joint Group captain discussing the route with Antonio.

“It’s just localized precipitation. This area’s been rain-free for ages—no big deal. Besides, the clouds aren’t thick enough.”

He made no other move, clearly not seeing it as serious.

Antonio sighed inwardly. He went to each trunk, warning the Joint Group captains and members about the coming environmental shift.

Half an hour later, he heard puzzled voices from the Oasis Sand Bandits.

Through the windows, visibility dropped; everything blurred.

—The desert was fogging up.

…

The Patrol Troops spotted the oasis’s outline again.

The lead scout ship slowed slightly, gripping the comm buckle.

He shouted, “Report to the captain! Approaching the oasis ahead—approaching the oasis!”

The landship convoy accelerated, charging straight toward the oasis.

Amid the engine roar, Xie Jianxun jolted awake.

He turned sleepily, curling his legs. A hand rested on his waist, gently lifting him so he could pillow more comfortably on its leg.

The young human whined twice, not wanting to form words.

One gazed at him with a smile, stroking Xie Jianxun’s slender back.

The human was very thin; even through the soft fabric, One could feel the vertebrae along his spine—One suddenly realized he was still young.

Not grown up yet.

One said softly, “I’ve seen boys your age who became soldiers, far sturdier than you. You really need to bulk up on nutrition.” But a young master from such a privileged, pampered background—malnourished?

Xie Jianxun yawned, now awake.

He rolled over, squinting up at One. “You’re saying exactly what my butler does… Small appetite, lazy about exercise—not good enough?”

He acted shamelessly entitled, and One chuckled twice, affectionately brushing the hair from his eyes. “As long as you’re happy with it.”

“Your answer’s identical too.”

Xie Jianxun narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction, about to sit up.

Suddenly, the landship braked hard. Caught off guard, he lurched forward, head aimed at the window glass… Huh, why didn’t it hurt this time?

Xie Jianxun slowly opened his eyes to see the mechanical puppet cushioning his forehead with its palm.

It asked concernedly, “Are you injured anywhere?”

No!

Perfect!

Xie Jianxun was deeply touched—totally unlike a certain dog of a man!

Up front, the Patrol Army Captain asked the comm buckle sternly, “Lead scout ship! Lead scout ship? What happened!”

From the comm buckle: “Captain, the scout ship was hit by a powerful electric shock—it’s malfunctioning!”

The Patrol Army Captain paused.

His deputy hit the brakes beside him, reminding, “Captain, they likely deployed the defense net in this time.”

The defense net was a desert oasis defense measure: anchors driven into the ground via locators, stringing up an invisible electric grid in the air.

It conveniently intercepted charging sand bandit vehicles, even electrocuting intruders unconscious!

Frowning, the Patrol Army Captain immediately ordered, “Everyone, jump ship now!”

The entire landship convoy screeched to a halt; all unbuckled.

Xie Jianxun twisted the door handle to leap out, but suddenly pits erupted in the sand beside them, slamming them back into the vehicle and tumbling into the trunk.

The Patrol Army Captain keenly looked up, scanning a certain direction.

He was first out, rolling on the sand, betting standard bullets couldn’t pierce his armor.

He drew his weapon, aimed toward that direction, and fired steady bursts.

He shouted, “Sand Bandits inside! Do not resist—the entire Oasis has been surrounded by the Patrol Troops!”

But soon, he halted his movements, lowering his gun barrel slightly.

There was no intense volley of fire, no rain of bullets pouring down.

Footsteps echoed.

Two girls raised their hands and slowly emerged from around the corner of a building. The one in front was taller, the one behind shorter. The taller girl thumped her chest, looking at them as if they were saviors, and let out a shout like a broken bellows.

“It’s the Patrol Troops…”

“Request—request rescue for the Joint Group!!!”

Her voice wasn’t pleasant—in fact, it was downright hoarse. But she poured every ounce of her strength into that roar. Save them!

Xie Jianxun crawled up from the Landship’s trunk, the voice striking him as familiar.

He poked his head out of the Landship in surprise and saw a familiar face—

The mercenary girl Gris, alive and standing right in front of them!

She hadn’t died. Even though her face was weary and her body a mess—even missing a leg and forced to lean on a crooked wooden stick for support, with her leg wrapped in bandages—she stood there unsteadily.

But she was alive. Someone had given her meticulous bandaging.