The King of Black Fog

"I'm craving a bite of pickled vegetables, a sip of porridge, and a bite of a pan-fried bun," Li Qianxia muttered to herself.

Li Changzhou breathed slightly heavily; he could hear Zheng Qing's stomach grumbling on his back.

It was faint, but the two were too close to one another.

"It's said that desert residents let camels huddle together, using 'coolness conservation' to combat the heat," Zheng Qing shared some random knowledge, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Although she was a soldier, she was also a female in her early twenties.

In fact, Li Changzhou didn't feel awkward at all; it's normal to be hungry after not eating for so long.

If it had been Yang Qinglan's stomach that had been growling, he certainly would have chuckled but said nothing, letting her feel embarrassed.

He wondered if there would ever be a chance to carry Yang Qinglan.

"How's your stamina?" Yang Qinglan looked over.

"Always ready!"

"It seems like rest isn't needed yet. What about Qian Xia?"

"I'm fine, just hungry, tired, and in need of sleep."

Finally, Yang Qinglan's gaze moved towards a little radish that could jump four meters and then rested, waiting for them at the original spot.

"Little Radish, how far away is the danger?" she asked.

"Hmm—" Little Radish thought for a moment, "about another ten minutes of jumping."

Since they had left the canyon, half an hour had passed, and the temperature gradually rose; the restive Demon Heat began to flex its might, the air above the sands starting to shimmer.

Now, no matter what one looked at, it was as if there was a layer of semi-transparent glass in between.

After ten minutes.

"It's right over there!"

Without needing Little Radish to say it, everyone already heard the irritable barking of a dog from beyond the dune.

"Storm! It's a storm!" Zheng Qing yelled, stretching her neck to look over Li Changzhou's shoulder.

If her legs could still walk, she would have used the agility of a jumping spider to leap right out.

Li Changzhou and the others didn't care about the storm, but they did quicken their pace slightly, arriving at a small dune that looked as if it had been smoothed over with a spatula.

Below the dune, a brown police hound was howling up at the sky, and beside it, a female soldier with a pale complexion staggered as she walked.

"Cattail is there too!" Zheng Qing became excited, "We have to rescue her, quick!"

"Hold on a moment," Yang Qinglan said calmly, "With the dog barking so fiercely, there must be enemies nearby."

Zheng Qing wanted to argue that Storm might just be worried about Cattail, but she restrained herself, her good sense of discipline forcing her to cool down.

"Here." Li Changzhou had already taken a sniper rifle from the backpack.

Zheng Qing glanced at Cattail, steadied her heart, and shifted her body to adjust her shooting posture.

"Little Radish, do you know where the enemy is?" Li Qianxia asked.

"I don't know," Little Radish shook her head, "this place is very dangerous."

Li Changzhou subconsciously said, "Could they be in the sand?"

"Is it that snake?" Li Qianxia followed up.

"No," Yang Qinglan stated with certainty.

The siblings looked at her at the same time and asked in unison, "How do you know?"

Yang Qinglan pointed at the sky: "Here it comes."

Li Changzhou turned his head to look, and in the distant sky, a small black dot was descending.

Because of the distance, it didn't seem very fast, but common sense told him that at such a distance to still see that movement speed, the other party must be extremely fast.

It was a Golden Eagle, diving down at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour.

Its sharp eyes were like two daggers, and its fearsome talons were even more terrifying.

"Can you pull her?" Li Changzhou quickly said.

"Yes!" Yang Qinglan replied.

She knew whom he was talking about.

Her gaze never wavered, her dreamlike eyes fixed on Cattail.

The barking grew louder; Cattail also noticed the Golden Eagle overhead, but she no longer had the strength to run. Attempting to pick up her pace, she instead fell to the ground.

Even from that distance, Li Changzhou could faintly hear the intense sound of wind from the eagle's descent.

The raptor spread its talons in a kicking motion, swooping down towards Cattail.

Yang Qinglan didn't make a move.

As Li Qianxia was about to ask why, the scene before her already provided the answer.

Cattail rolled on the ground, dodging the talons, and at the same time, she extended her arms, grabbing the eagle's legs with swift movement – her weakness had been feigned!

The frantic barking of the dogs had vanished, and the storm surged forth, biting down on the neck of the eagle.

Feathers in disarray, the Golden Eagle let out a piercing screech, its three-meter wingspan flapping vigorously, carrying such weight, it was still slowly rising into the air.

"Ah—" At a great distance, one could still hear the warrior's cry of Mao Wei, not the voice of a woman, but the roar of a warrior.

She was desperately pulling the Golden Eagle down.

The police dog was also vigorously shaking its head, trying to sink its teeth deeper.

The Golden Eagle cried out again, its wings beating, stirring up a sky full of golden sand.

It was but a blink of an eye, the tension of life, the cruelty of survival, displayed in full before Li Changzhou through a human, a dog, an eagle, and the golden desert.

All living beings vie for freedom amid frosty skies!

For a moment, he was stirred by such a battle, feeling that regardless of who won, there was nothing to be said!

Yang Qinglan's eyes turned blue, watching the Golden Eagle, Mao Wei, and the police dog slowly ascending before suddenly stumbling and turning into a heap on the ground.

Zheng Qing's lips were tightly pursed, her eyes searching for a sniping angle as if threading a needle, consolidating to a single point.

Li Changzhou likewise had no opportunity to act.

Li Qianxia dared not rush forward, fearing she would become an obstruction to the two guns.

With one flap of its wings, the Golden Eagle was about to take off under Yang Qinglan's gaze.

"Bang!"

The deafening sound of the sniper rifle made the sand dunes beneath tremble twice.

The Golden Eagle, as if hit by a pendulum, flew out like a cannonball, viciously crashing into the sand, creating a deep gully.

Storm had no fear of the thunderous sound of gunfire, bounding across the ground and pouncing on the Golden Eagle.

Mao Wei knelt on the sand, looking back in this direction, Zheng Qing also emerged from behind the sniper rifle, both showing expressions of joy at the same moment.

However, a Giant Python that had lost its left eye raised its head from the ground.

Gravel slid off its flattened head, forming a curtain of sand.

Mao Wei was shrouded in shadow and felt sand falling into her neck, she instinctively rolled to the left, but as soon as she moved her foot, her vision went completely dark.

"Mao Wei!" Zheng Qing roared hoarsely, her eyes nearly bursting with blood.

After swallowing Mao Wei in one bite, the Giant Python quickly burrowed back into the sand, disappearing without a trace.

It was only then that Yang Qinglan shifted her gaze away from the Golden Eagle.

Li Qianxia's Wolf Howl echoed emptily across the desert.

The Golden Eagle, shot and pinned down by the police dog, no longer controlled by Yang Qinglan's "Attract And Repel," suddenly shook its wings and flew up.

The intimidation of Wolf Howl had no effect on it either.

Storm stubbornly clung to the bird's neck, following it high into the sky, its legs chaotically thrashing.

"Storm! Come back!" Zheng Qing cried sobbingly.

Only then did the police dog release its bite, tumbling down onto the sand and standing up again.

Unburdened, the Golden Eagle accelerated sharply, merely faltering for a moment under Yang Qinglan's watchful eye before quickly righting its flying position.

Li Changzhou's AK, firing bullets, was unable to have any effect after hitting the target.

There was a layer of black Iron Armor beneath its skin; no wonder it hadn't died despite being bitten by Storm for so long.

Soon, the Golden Eagle had left the AK's range.

By the time Zheng Qing recovered from the shock of her teammate being eaten and picked up the sniper rifle again, the Golden Eagle had already turned into a small black dot, disappearing in the heat-distorted sky.

The police dog sniffed with its nose, searching the sand for the 'Qi' of Mao Wei.

Everyone gathered around it, Li Changzhou with Zheng Qing on his back.

"Storm, can you smell that snake's Qi?" Zheng Qing asked sternly.

"Woof!"

"Good! Let's go avenge Mao Wei!"

Zheng Qing turned her head to look at Yang Qinglan, Li Changzhou, and Li Qianxia.

Yang Qinglan was about to say something when a gust of wind swept across the sand, leaving behind a string of words.

[Game Over]

[Current arena survivors: 15]

[Contestants, please proceed to the station for settlement.]

"Ah, it's over, I have to go." Little Radish felt no emotion or lingering affection, cheerfully hopping towards the distance.

The remaining people didn't speak, the police dog named 'Storm' seemed to understand something, making a whining sound.

Li Changzhou took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions at the bottom of his heart, and said, "Let's take Officer Zheng back first."