If it were any other time, Li Zhu would have definitely slapped him directly, but at that moment, he was also stunned and handed the napkin to Wu Xie. Seeing an unusual smile on Wu Xie’s face, Li Zhu instinctively lowered his head, not daring to look up, and he heard the sound of sand shifting. After a while, Wu Xie’s feet appeared in front of him.

The napkin was taken, and for a moment, Li Zhu was shocked and terrified, thinking, “Wow, he really doesn’t care about anything.”

Then he saw Wu Xie crouching down, their pale faces meeting each other’s gaze, separated by just a hand’s distance.

Li Zhu didn’t dare to raise his eyes; he could only catch a glimpse of Wu Xie starting to wipe his face with the napkin. Soon, he realized something was wrong—the pale complexion was actually being wiped away.

He turned his head and saw that Wu Xie had removed all the white stuff from his face, revealing normal skin. He had tanned quite a bit, with stubble on his chin, and he looked almost emaciated, but his eyes were filled with a chilling determination.

Once this kind of person decides to do something, it’s best not to stop him. Because he might only make that one decision in his lifetime, and if you try to stop him, he will use every means at his disposal and take a lifetime to destroy you.

“You’ve worked hard; you’ve exceeded my expectations,” Wu Xie said. After standing up, he signaled to the other two people in the distance by shielding his eyes from the wind and light.

The distant lights disappeared, and Wu Xie looked at the stunned group, sighed, and stood up, saying, “Everyone, please be at ease.”

Li Zhu and the others finally came to their senses and got up. Li Zhu immediately exclaimed, “Damn, I knew you couldn’t have been trapped; you were just acting! Why didn’t those vines attack you?”

Wu Xie gestured for Li Zhu to look at the white substance on his arms, neck, and face. It was a kind of powder. “This is a type of stone powder that can treat diarrhea. After special treatment, this stone can hinder these plants. Ancient craftsmen used this stone to build the core tombs to prevent destruction by these plants.”

Li Zhu picked up the napkin Wu Xie had just wiped with, sniffed it, sneezed, and suddenly realized something: “When you were attacked, I was fine because you wiped this on me?”

Wu Xie nodded, patted Li Zhu on the shoulder, and pointed to the spot he had patted, where a white handprint appeared.

“You probably don’t even remember how many times Wang Meng and I patted you when you were wearing that outfit. Also, these cars here used to transport this kind of stone. They only thought of this method in the end.” Wu Xie walked over to their campfire and sat down, while Yang Hao sensibly came over to offer him a cigarette.

Wu Xie accepted it without hesitation, picked up a piece of charcoal to light it, and said, “There are quite a few people here. You have better connections than I do. Back in the day when I was struggling, I often traveled alone for miles.”

Li Zhu then asked, “Boss, what exactly are you up to? I’m innocent; how can you be so ruthless to me?”

“Life is such a thing; if you ask why, don’t you think it’s a bit too pretentious?” Wu Xie took a puff of his cigarette, rolled up his sleeve, and Li Zhu saw that Wu Xie’s arms were covered with lines of blood, clearly self-inflicted.

“Your brain really has a problem,” Li Cu thought, while Wu Xie said, “That’s a total of seventeen times. Every time I fail, I cut myself here.”

“What seventeen times?”

“A reliable stranger,” Wu Xie replied. “You are the eighteenth; you finally succeeded. The number is quite auspicious.”

Li Cu didn’t understand, but upon seeing Wu Xie, he lost interest in other matters. He handed the napkin, which Wu Xie had wiped with white powder, to Su Wan and said, “You designed this, right? All those things of mine were sent to me because you made people think I knew some secrets. You deliberately pulled me into this, making them focus their attention on me.”

“No, no, no, I am a person with a conscience. At that time, you were already a target. If I hadn’t done this, you would have been skinned alive,” Wu Xie said. “But you don’t need to thank me. First, your fate is unfortunate, but meeting me is a turning point; thank heaven for that. Second, I am using you; I benefit greatly as well, so we are even.”

“But you have to help me out,” Li Cu said. “Damn, this only temporarily saved my skin. If they come at me hard, I’ll end up on the torture rack. I know nothing, and there will be no way to save me.”

Wu Xie took a puff of his cigarette and asked Su Wan, “Kid, I’ve checked your background. I heard your dad has a liquor business. Did you bring any good wine?”

Li Cu and Yang Hao looked at Su Wan, who shook his head. “We came to explore the desert; how could we bring useless stuff?”

“But I smell something,” Wu Xie said, looking at his backpack. “If you hide it, I won’t take you out.” Su Wan’s expression changed.

Li Cu and Yang Hao glared at Su Wan, who had no choice but to take out a bottle of blue semi-solid substance from the side pocket of his backpack. It was probably raw liquor. He scooped out a piece the size of a fingernail and dropped it into a water bag for Wu Xie. Wu Xie shook it, took a sip, and revealed an intoxicated expression. “A friend of mine taught me that when doing big things, you must drink a bit; only then will your words have persuasion. I think it’s nonsense, but liquor is indeed a good thing. You, kid, are too stingy, but I won’t fuss over it.”

After drinking a few sips, Wu Xie turned back to Li Cu and said, “I understand how you feel. Of course, I will help you solve this, but first, you need to answer me a question.”

“If you were a golden bird, and anyone who eats you can achieve immortality, with a thousand people wanting to eat you, scattered all over the world with great powers, and you don’t want to die, what would you do to solve this problem?”

The three of them looked at each other, and Su Wan asked, “Is this a riddle?”

Wu Xie replied, “It’s a real problem.”

Yang Hao then said, “Can I not be a golden bird, or say, I could hide in the deep mountains?”

“Your fate has already made you a golden bird; you cannot change that. Of course, you can hide, but you can’t hide for a lifetime.” Wu Xie threw the cigarette butt into the bonfire and looked up at the sky. “Hurry up and answer; our time is limited.”

Su Wan and Yang Hao looked at Li Cu, indicating that they had stopped thinking. Li Cu looked at Wu Xie, took a deep breath, knowing the answer, but he was unwilling to speak.

Looking at a few people’s expressions, he slowly opened his mouth and said, “Kill all 1,000 of them.”
Wu Xie smiled, “You have a very high talent.”
He stood up and said, “The only way to resolve this matter is to continue and eliminate everyone who threatens your safety.”
“How do we continue?”
Wu Xie looked at the sky again, stood up, and said, “No matter what method you use, just survive the next three days. Also, the blueprints that girl carries are your most important resource for survival, so take care of them.”