Just then, a strange sound caught Mu Xi’s attention.
The hum of machinery operating came from above.
“Ye Lan, do you hear that?” Mu Xi looked up at the sky, the sunlight stinging her eyes.
A second later, a bullet grazed her shoulder and struck the sand behind her.
Mu Xi watched in horror as a small drone hovered in the air, its dark barrel aimed directly at her.
“Ye Lan!” Mu Xi screamed.
Her legs felt as heavy as lead, yet she forced herself to run toward the RV.
Ye Lan’s reaction was astonishingly fast.
She threw open the hood while drawing a Tactical Handgun from her waist, firing three shots at the drone in rapid succession.
The bullets whistled through the air.
The third shot hit one of the drone’s propellers, causing it to wobble in the air, but it did not fall.
“Get in the car!” Ye Lan grabbed Mu Xi and pushed her toward the door, turning her back to the drone to serve as a human shield for her.
Mu Xi stumbled as she pulled the door open, but when she looked back, she saw Ye Lan still standing there, confronting the drone.
“You get in, too!” Her voice trembled, a mix of fear and worry.
“I can’t. It’ll follow us.” Ye Lan’s voice was frighteningly calm, her gun steadily aimed at the threat in the sky.
“I have to deal with it first.”
The drone adjusted its position and aimed at them once more.
Mu Xi saw Ye Lan dodge to the side just as a bullet flew past her black hair.
Ye Lan did not shrink back.
Instead, she took a step forward, seemingly trying to lead the drone away from the RV.
Mu Xi’s chest felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it difficult to breathe.
She could not let Ye Lan face the danger alone, even though she did not know what she could do.
A mysterious surge of courage drove her to step back out of the car, bending over to feel around for something in the nearby sand.
The drone moved nimbly through the air, sometimes flying high and sometimes dipping low, attempting to find the best firing angle.
Ye Lan used the RV and the surrounding rocks as cover, leaning out occasionally to fire, but she was unable to land a fatal blow.
“Damn it, its armor is sturdier than I thought,” Ye Lan cursed, quickly swapping magazines.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead—not out of fear, but because time was of the essence.
The drone’s appearance meant that someone had already tracked them down.
Mu Xi finally found what she was looking for.
A rock the size of a fist.
She gripped it with trembling hands, waiting for the right moment.
The drone adjusted its angle again, searching for a chance to shoot Ye Lan.
“Ye Lan, get down!” Mu Xi suddenly shouted, throwing the rock at the drone in the sky with all her might.
Ye Lan instinctively ducked, looking up just in time to see Mu Xi’s move.
The rock flew in an arc, striking the drone’s fuselage perfectly.
Although it did not cause serious damage, the impact caused the drone’s flight path to falter for a fleeting moment.
Ye Lan seized this momentary opportunity, aimed at the drone’s central control unit, and pulled the trigger.
The gunshot echoed through The Desert as a small burst of sparks exploded from the drone’s body, and it spiraled down toward the ground.
“You did well.” Ye Lan stepped forward quickly, pinning the disabled drone down with her foot, a flash of admiration in her eyes.
She bent down to pick up the drone, carefully inspecting the markings and its construction.
This was no ordinary scout drone; it was a specialized hunter-killer model.
Mu Xi ran to Ye Lan’s side, her heart still thumping wildly in her chest.
“Did Luoyuan send this?”
“It wasn’t just her.” Ye Lan’s brows furrowed as she pointed to a tiny emblem on the drone.
“This is the mark of the Wu City Imperial Family. Your Second Uncle is also involved in the hunt.”
Mu Xi felt a wave of dizziness.
In her memory, the term ‘Second Uncle’ held almost no emotional connection, yet she felt a strange sense of anger and betrayal.
“Why… why would he do this?”
“Because you are very important to him, Little Xi.” Ye Lan’s voice softened, but it carried an undeniable bitterness.
“Important enough that he is willing to kill you at any cost.”
Mu Xi wanted to ask more, but the roar of engines suddenly echoed from the distance.
Ye Lan looked up alertly, narrowing her eyes as she peered toward the source of the sound.
“Is it your Escort Team?” Mu Xi asked with a glimmer of hope.
Ye Lan’s expression turned grim, “No, they arrived too fast.”
She took Mu Xi’s hand and spoke faster, “We have to hide. The RV isn’t safe.”
“But where can we hide?” Mu Xi looked at the vast, empty desert, fear seizing her heart once again.
Ye Lan pointed toward a protruding rock formation not far away.
“There is a natural Cave over there. I noticed it while I was checking the car.”
She tossed aside the drone’s wreckage and pulled Mu Xi toward the rocks.
“We can hide there temporarily until my people arrive.”
Mu Xi followed Ye Lan as they ran.
By Ye Lan’s side, it seemed as if any fear became manageable.
This dependence made her feel both safe and confused.
‘Why can a woman give me such a powerful sense of security?’
“Hurry, the sound is getting closer.” Ye Lan picked up the pace, but her hand stayed firmly gripped around Mu Xi’s to ensure they weren’t separated.
Mu Xi could feel Ye Lan’s urgency, but she also noticed that the woman was constantly slowing down to match her speed.
The pursuers were about to arrive, and their Destiny hung by a thread.
A sense of determination rose within Mu Xi.
She would no longer just passively accept protection.
This time, she would do everything in her power to face the coming danger together with Ye Lan.
“We can do this, right?” Mu Xi asked while running, her voice broken by her rapid breathing.
Ye Lan glanced back at her, a firm light shining in her phoenix eyes.
“As long as we are together, nothing is impossible.”
***
The air inside the Cave was damp and stifling.
Mu Xi pressed herself against the rock wall, feeling the rough stone scrape against her back.
Ye Lan crouched at the edge of the entrance, her Tactical Handgun already loaded, ready to respond to the threat outside at any moment.
“They’re here,” Ye Lan’s voice was as low as a whisper, yet it was clearly audible inside the Cave.
“At least three vehicles. The armor isn’t thick, but their firepower shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Mu Xi bit her lower lip, her heart pounding frantically in her chest.
Her silver hair was soaked with sweat, sticking to her cheeks like a pale scar.
“Is it Luoyuan? Is she here too?”
Three modified off-road vehicles stopped around the RV.
Their bodies were covered in welded metal plates and spikes, looking like some kind of desert predator.
The doors opened, and more than ten fully armed personnel jumped out.
They wore sand-colored tactical gear with dust masks covering their faces, and their weapons glinted coldly in the sunlight.
“Search the RV! The rest of you, check the area for tracks!” the Man in the lead signaled, his voice echoing through The Desert via a loudspeaker.
Mu Xi’s hand unconsciously gripped the hem of Ye Lan’s clothes.
“Will they find us?” her voice trembled like a leaf about to fall.
Ye Lan did not answer but instead placed her hand over Mu Xi’s and gave it a gentle squeeze.
This simple gesture sent a warm current through Mu Xi’s body, causing her fear to dissipate slightly.
“We’re surrounded,” Ye Lan’s voice suddenly grew tense, “They found our tracks.”
Mu Xi’s heart sank.
She thought of Luoyuan’s deep blue eyes, the blood she had been forced to drink, and the fragments of her controlled memories.
Fear and anger intertwined within her like two coiling vipers.
Just then, the roar of engines sounded from the distance.
Unlike the rough, modified vehicles belonging to Luoyuan’s subordinates, this sound was smoother and more powerful, like that of high-end military equipment.
A glint flashed through Ye Lan’s eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
“It’s my people.”