Jiang Fuyue looked out the window, voice calm: “It’s nothing, just casually asking.”
Han Ke didn’t think much of it and drove the car into the villa.
….
Northwest of the Ganbieta Desert, F Continent
The blazing sun scorched the earth, golden sand shimmering in waves of heat.
Heavy combat boots stepped across the scalding gravel, giving off the smell of melting rubber.
A small team of twenty trudged forward with difficulty.
“Professor Xie,” a figure in camouflage strode up to the man and reported in a hoarse voice, “Nothing to the west.”
Then the second person returned, also in uniform: “Nothing to the north.”
Then the third: “Nothing to the south.”
And they had already come from the east—also nothing there.
In other words, all four directions—east, south, west, and north—had no water.
The group grew restless.
Half of them were researchers, the other half medical personnel.
The three in camouflage were peacekeeping soldiers temporarily assigned to escort them to the Suweitan military base.
Originally, it was only a two-hour drive from the airport to Suweitan. But they were unlucky—they encountered local armed forces mid-journey, who stole their vehicle, water, and rations.
To avoid further danger or casualties, Xie Dingyuan had made a swift decision: Lead the team on foot across the northwest of the Ganbieta Desert.
Now, they had been marching for twelve hours straight—completely out of water and food, utterly exhausted.
No one spoke.
Not because they had nothing to say, but because saving energy meant saving life. No one knew how much longer they could last.
The three soldiers lowered their heads, sweat dripping from their faces and mixing with the dust, leaving streaks of grime.
Xie Dingyuan said, “Everyone, rest here for twenty minutes.”
Then he took off his canteen and handed it to one of the soldiers.
“You three, share this.”
“Professor?!” The soldier stared wide-eyed in alarm, stepping back instead of reaching for it. “This absolutely won’t do!”
The virus had already spread across northern F Continent. Thousands of civilians were dying daily. This research and medical team was the continent’s best hope.
That last bit of water—no matter who it went to—was more valuable than giving it to them.
But Xie Dingyuan said simply: “Take it. Drink, and keep searching for water.”
The three still hesitated.
His eyes turned sharp: “Twenty minutes is our survival limit. Every second you waste decreases the chance of finding water.”
Only then did the three soldiers split the last of the water.
The rest of the team, watching, instinctively licked their cracked lips, but no one objected.
Soon after, Xie Dingyuan and the three soldiers set out to search.
“Professor Xie is going too?!” A soldier exclaimed “Is that appropriate?”
Another glanced in the direction he’d gone. “This isn’t Professor Xie’s first time in F Continent. Five years ago, when I was still a recruit, he led a team on foot through the Rezhabi Desert and got everyone out alive. He’ll be fine.”
“But—”
“No buts. Move out now!” And the soldier turned to head off in another direction.
The first soldier hesitated a moment, then also set out to search.
What he’d wanted to say was— Professor Xie hasn’t had a drop of water for over ten hours. He might be worse off than us.
Nineteen minutes later, two soldiers returned, looking dejected. Their canteens were still empty.
People in the team had begun collapsing.
After emergency aid, the situation stabilized, but the medic who administered help also fainted from exhaustion.
“This won’t do. If this goes on, we’re all going to die.”
“Where’s Professor Xie? It’s been twenty minutes!”
The two soldiers were visibly anxious.
Another three minutes passed. Still no sign of Xie Dingyuan.
“You stay here. I’ll go look—”
Before he could finish, a silhouette emerged from the sandstorm and blazing sun.
Though drenched in sweat, dust clinging to his once-handsome features, his back remained straight and unyielding—
As if determination had fused into his bones, holding up his proud and resilient frame.
“It’s Professor Xie!” The two soldiers rushed to him with joy.
Xie Dingyuan pulled out three water bottles from his gear: “Take these. Distribute them to everyone.”
He found water!
One soldier uncapped a bottle, wanting to let him drink first.
Xie waved him off, repeating, “Give it to the others.”
“But you—”
“I can hold on.”
It wasn’t until the fourth trip to fetch water that Xie Dingyuan finally drank.
Suddenly, his expression turned cold: “Where’s the third person?”
The two soldiers froze—only now realizing their teammate hadn’t returned.
Xie Dingyuan glanced at his watch. “It’s been forty minutes. Bring enough water. Come with me!”
As night fell, he returned, supporting the semi-conscious soldier: “Quick! He’s been bitten by a snake—”
Two medics rushed out and began emergency treatment.
—
Night. The desert turned frigid.
Everyone pulled out emergency warmwear and huddled through the night.
The next morning, the bitten soldier regained consciousness, physically stabilized.
The group resumed marching.
By sunset, they finally saw smoke rising in the distance.
The Suweitan military base—finally, they were out of the desert.
Xie Dingyuan stepped forward, presented documents, and the stationed officers warmly welcomed them, quickly settling everyone in.
That night, after washing and changing into clean clothes, Xie Dingyuan sat alone in a makeshift tent, reviewing clinical reports on the infected provided by the base.
Moonlight spilled over his shoulders, casting a pale glow.
As he turned each page, his brows furrowed more and more.
This virus was even more problematic than he’d expected.
When the clock pointed to midnight, he flipped the last page, set it aside, and walked out of the tent.
Two stationed soldiers approached, asking in the local language if he needed anything.
Xie Dingyuan replied in the same language: “I want to see Kaza.”
The two exchanged a look. One stayed behind while the other went to report.
Xie Dingyuan turned and returned to the tent.
About fifteen minutes later, footsteps approached.
The curtain lifted—a tall, rugged man ducked inside.
Seeing Xie Dingyuan, he laughed heartily and spread his arms for a hug: “Long time no see, buddy!”
But Xie Dingyuan smoothly sidestepped and dodged the embrace still carrying a faint scent of blood.
“Sit.” He motioned with his chin.
Kaza wasn’t offended and casually sat across from him—clearly used to Xie Dingyuan’s cold manner and obsession with cleanliness.
“Sorry for the wait. We just wiped out a local armed group—not surprisingly, the same ones you ran into. I checked—your medical gear and research equipment are all intact. I’ll have it delivered tomorrow so you can do another inspection.”
But that wasn’t what Xie Dingyuan cared about. He cut to the chase: “How soon can the lab be completed? Judging by current data, the virus may have mutated. The longer we wait, the worse it gets.”
Kaza replied, “As soon as we got word from command that Huaxia was sending a team, we started building a lab up to spec. At the current pace, we’ll need three more days.”
“Three days…” Xie Dingyuan paused. “Good. I’ll head to the central infection zone tomorrow.”
Kaza’s eyes widened: “Are you crazy?! That area’s full of infected—most medics have already been withdrawn! Why would you go there?!”
Xie Dingyuan’s expression didn’t waver: “I need firsthand, accurate data.”
A few slim reports couldn’t provide what he needed. He had to go in person.
Kaza: “Then I’ll assign a squad to escort you.”
Xie Dingyuan: “Make sure they all wear masks.”
Kaza winced. “Fine. I’ll make sure they’re wrapped up tight when they come see you tomorrow.”
“No need to go that far. Just cover the mouth and nose.”
“……”
“And if possible, have all base personnel wear masks. Suspend large training exercises and cancel gatherings.”
Kaza’s expression turned grave. He realized something wasn’t right.
He tested the waters: “Is it… that serious?”
Xie Dingyuan: “Worse than expected.”
Kaza stood abruptly. “Got it. I’ll issue orders immediately. All soldiers are to comply strictly!”
He flung the curtain aside and strode out like a gust of wind.
—
Back inside the tent, Xie Dingyuan lay on the cot and pulled out his phone.
When he unlocked the screen, the signal bar in the top-left corner showed a red “X.”
No signal.
He couldn’t make calls. No one could reach him either.
He tapped open his photo album. The total number of photos inside was pitifully small.
But the most recent one— softened his brows and lifted the corners of his lips.
