In the afternoon, Han Zhan and his team drove towards the neighboring Canghai City.
The car was procured by Yi Fan, a second-hand black pickup truck, brimming with power like a beast.
Once the car issue was settled, he lay in the open cargo bed at the back with the agreed-upon case of wine.
Bai Shuang was specifically responsible for driving.
Han Zhan and Xia Youwei were in charge of keeping watch.
This division of labor was discussed in advance.
As they drove out of the Deep Blue City suburbs, the post-apocalyptic scene of the insect apocalypse unfolded before Han Zhan's eyes for the first time.
The endless expanse of yellow earth, representing desolate and barren sand dunes, occasionally had a patch of half-dead green plant growing by the roadside.
On the wide and dilapidated highway, aside from them, there wasn't another car in sight.
That's not all.
Han Zhan strained his eyes into the distance, where he could see a few scattered Insect Race members distributed across the distant dunes and plains.
This was not quite what he had imagined.
"Are we just going to leave those Insect Race members breeding and living in the suburbs, without dealing with them?" Han Zhan asked.
Bai Shuang glanced in the direction he pointed and let out a sigh.
"Those, you mean, are Tier One Insect Race members, with low threat levels, and Great Xia doesn't have the extra resources to completely wipe them out."
"Moreover, the nation isn't a charity."
"Survival of the fittest."
Bai Shuang's words gave Han Zhan a bit more understanding of this world.
He nodded and fell silent.
The black pickup truck sped along the deserted desert highway, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As they were driving, Yi Fan suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no," and leaped up from the cargo bed.
He looked up at the sky not far away.
In the originally clear sky, a pitch-black tornado had suddenly appeared.
The tornado blanketed the sky, obscuring more than half of it, appearing extremely spectacular.
"What is that?" Xia Youwei asked instinctively.
"Tier One Insect Race, Dead Ash Fly," Han Zhan replied.
"A type of Insect Race that operates in swarms; the larger the swarm, the more destructive and lethal it is."
"It can create black hurricanes through rapid flight and also has long-range attack capabilities, but its close combat ability and defense are very weak."
Han Zhan had read about it in the notes given to him by Lin Jingxuan.
This scale of Dead Ash Fly was rarely seen; one could say they were 'lucky'.
"Charge at them! Hahaha! Charge!" Yi Fan took a swig from the wine bottle, grabbed the edge of the cargo bed with one hand.
He laughed like a crazed pirate captain, shouting loudly.
In the vicinity of the black tornado, a new convoy seemed to appear.
"It's the trading team from Deep Blue City," Bai Shuang tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
"Is this also part of the survival of the fittest plan?"
The corner of Bai Shuang's mouth twitched: "It's purely their ill luck. Captain, do we save them or not?"
"Save them, why not? Turn the helm left, full speed ahead!"
Before Han Zhan could speak, Yi Fan already shouted loudly from the back.
He raised the wine bottle high, swung it a few times with his wrist, then fiercely threw it towards the black tornado.
Yi Fan spread his arms, making an embracing gesture.
"Boom!"
His exaggerated expression still lingered on his face when Bai Shuang sharply turned the steering wheel, avoiding the sand dune obstacle ahead.
In the violent shaking, Yi Fan's head slammed against the cargo bed wall, resonating with the dramatic shout he had just made.
Speeding along, the black pickup naturally veered towards the direction of the tornado.
"The speed is too fast to choose a direction to evade!" Bai Shuang quickly explained.
Han Zhan no longer hesitated, exchanged a glance with Xia Youwei, and the latter immediately transformed into the Fu Xi Zither form. He opened the car door, flipped out, and leaped onto the cargo bed.
...
Outside Deep Blue City, the Siting Trading Team.
Three fully-armed, advanced off-road vehicles were speeding rapidly along the wasteland highway.
Behind them was the overwhelming hurricane.
If looked at closely, one could see in the black hurricane countless thumb-sized black flies flapping their wings rapidly, frantically flying around the central area.
"Miss, the distance is constantly shrinking! In five minutes, we'll be caught!"
"Miss, the speed can't be increased any further!"
"Reinforcements have yet to arrive, according to the last safety protocol, everyone, begin executing the 'sacrifice' plan!"
In the communication channel, this voice rang simultaneously from the three off-road vehicles.
In unison, the originally side-by-side off-road vehicles suddenly decelerated, turning their heads to face the black hurricane behind them!
"Come back!" From the co-pilot seat of the main vehicle, Shang Siteng shouted into the intercom, "All of you come back, it's not the final moment yet, don't give up!"
"Hiss... hiss... Miss, our task is to protect you, hiss... hiss..."
"Shang Family guards, on my command, 3, 2, 1, open fire!"
Boom boom boom boom!
The stopped two off-road vehicles swiftly extended their wings, and the heavy firepower weapons mounted on them began spewing fiery tongues towards the black hurricane.
However, it was still just a drop in the bucket.
The bullets mowing down flies, even if they could kill the Dead Ash Flies, were just a drop in the bucket considering their immense numbers.
Shang Siteng watched in despair as the two off-road vehicles were about to be engulfed by the black hurricane.
At that moment, a melodious and fluctuating zither sound suddenly came from afar.
Strum!
The zither sound traveled from afar, real yet absurd; who would play the zither in the wilderness?
Soon, Shang Siteng saw the answer—a gigantic Qi Blade spanning several meters, slicing horizontally through the air.
The next second, the Zither Sound Air Blade pierced the black hurricane, causing its once-unbreakable momentum to momentarily pause.
Countless Dead Ash Fly corpses fell from the sky like a black rain.
The Zither Sound Air Blade dissipated with the final gasps of sound, and the ensuing gust of air blew against Shang Siteng's face, sending her hair flying.
A term flashed through her mind.
Melody Fanning Siteng.
Just when she thought it was over, suddenly another Torn Silk Zither Sound rang in her ears.
Strum!
The zither sound grew faster and more intense, like accelerating drumbeats, vibrating not only in Shang Siteng's heart but also slaying countless Dead Ash Flies, leaving a thin layer of black ash on the ground—those were all Dead Ash Fly corpses.
She finally saw the owner of the zither melody.
A young man with a handsome appearance, similar in age to herself, half-leaning on the black pickup's metal cargo bed, head lowered.
Wasteland, Qin Master.
What a wildly eccentric combination.
Yet here it was, vividly in front of Shang Siteng's eyes.
By this time, the frenziedly slaughtered Dead Ash Flies finally reacted, abandoning the near-devoured convoy off-road vehicles and redirecting their focus toward the distant black pickup.
The Dead Ash Flies' long-range attacks were instantly unleashed.
"Watch out!" Shang Siteng instinctively exclaimed, her heart tensing at that moment.