If it were Wu Xie at this moment, he might continue to be entangled here due to inertia. Li Cuo’s personality and way of thinking are clearly very straightforward. Thinking of this, he immediately ran back and shouted, “Wait, leave a bowl for me!”

Heiyanjing continued to shout, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come within a hundred meters of me?”

Li Cuo cursed, “I’ve been done in by you; I can’t walk away with nothing.” Climbing back onto the top of the truck, he suddenly thought of something else and quickly climbed down again.

Heiyanjing took out a plate of stir-fried pork with green peppers from his bag and had already started eating. Seeing him climb down again, he was surprised and said, “Why are you so indecisive? Climbing up and down, aren’t you tired of all this?”

“You said you brought me out because two people have a better chance of survival. But when we get out of the desert, you will definitely kill me to silence me.”

“That’s right.” Heiyanjing took a bite, “What’s the problem?”

“Then I’d rather wait to die here than be killed by you when I see a glimmer of hope for survival.”

Heiyanjing put down the lunch box, smiled slightly, and said, “Don’t worry, theoretically it’s like that, but the reality is different.”

“How is it different?”

“I can’t get out of the desert.” Heiyanjing said, “I estimated that this time, the rations are only enough for you to get out; I can only make it halfway.”

“What? Then you have to kill me. That way, you can get out alone.” Li Cuo said.

Heiyanjing looked down at him. Through the sunglasses, Li Cuo couldn’t see his eyes. After a pause, he smiled and said, “True, how did I not think of that?” He then began to search his body.

Li Cuo cursed himself, thinking he was really an idiot for speaking carelessly. Just as he was about to run again, he saw that Heiyanjing didn’t pull out a knife but instead took out a cigarette and lit it. He said to him, “You don’t understand; for me, the value of you surviving is much greater.”

“Why?” Li Cuo took a few steps back.

Heiyanjing said, “Because even if I survive, I won’t last long, but you have a long future ahead.”

“I see you’re not that old either.” After saying this, Li Cuo regretted it and wanted to slap himself. Damn it, was he trying to convince him to kill himself? What kind of brain did he have?

Heiyanjing laughed heartily and said, “It’s not that I have no chance of survival at all. You can eat in peace; I’ll tell you the reason.”

Li Cuo climbed up. This time he was smart and kept a distance of at least an arm’s length from him. After sitting down, he noticed that Heiyanjing had something wrapped around his hand. Looking closely, he realized it was something cut from the giant claw. Now that he was so close, it looked more like something resembling tree bark.

“What is this? The skin of that monster?”

Heiyanjing took a puff of his cigarette and handed over the skin, saying, “That’s not a hand, nor is it a snake. That thing is a kind of plant called the Nine-Headed Snake Cypress. I’m sure there’s a huge cavity beneath this desert. Wu Xie and his buddy definitely didn’t die.”

“Why?” Li Cuo asked.

The black bear said, “It’s because of their living habits. They are used to trapping their prey rather than having the ability to kill it directly.” After finishing his meal in a few bites, he tossed his backpack to Li Zu and continued, “Inside, there’s a GPS, food, and water. If you head east for thirty kilometers, you’ll find an abandoned road. Follow that road north, and there will be a section that overlaps with the current road. Although there may not be any passing vehicles here, if you stick to the road, you might just come across one—it’s all up to your luck.”

“What about you? Aren’t you coming with me?” Li Zu asked.

“I told you, I can only make it halfway. So what’s the point of me going at all? I’ve left my share behind; you should go on your own.” The black bear glanced once more at the sea of sand. “You might not live longer than I do. After all, this is a desert, so you better be careful.”

Li Zu looked at the gear and said, “But there are those things all around; how can I walk through that? Are you messing with me?”

The black bear tucked his black knife into his lower back, grabbed his small bag, and jumped off the truck, saying, “I’m a fair person. I’m going to climb up that sand dune and start tap dancing. You should take this opportunity to leave quickly.”

“That would be too embarrassing,” Li Zu said, suddenly feeling that things were changing too quickly. Was this person really sacrificing himself to save him? “Don’t get too moved. I told you, I have to protect that person surnamed Wu. They must be trapped underground now; although they won’t die immediately, it’s hard to say what will happen over time. I’ll go down and buy some time.”

“In my bag, there’s a phone with only one number in it. Once you reach a place with signal, call that number and tell the person on the phone what’s happening. Someone will come into the desert to rescue us, and this will have nothing to do with you.”

“Oh.” Li Zu rummaged through the backpack and indeed found a phone inside. The black bear took off his sunglasses, put on a pair of black goggles, and then covered his mouth and nose with a piece of black cloth he had found somewhere, tying it tightly. Li Zu suddenly thought of something and asked, “Wait, if I die, then you won’t be saved either.”

The black bear glanced at him and nodded, “Yeah, smart thinking! You’re absolutely right. So, you mustn’t die.” With that, the black bear headed toward the sand dune named “Lirenbei.”

Li Zu watched him walk further away and, unsure if it was an illusion, vaguely saw the sand in that direction beginning to ripple. He knew he didn’t have much time, so he immediately jumped off the truck and ran in the opposite direction. He ran and stopped, glancing back. By the second and third times he looked back, he could no longer see the black bear, not knowing if he was blocked by the sand dune or had been dragged under the sand by those creatures.

He couldn’t afford to think about that anymore; he continued to run forward. At this point, the sun had fully risen, and he gripped the GPS and compass tightly. “Don’t die!” he told himself, then dashed forward into the endless sea of sand without hesitation.