Chapter 129: Chapter 121: Unusual Movement Beneath the Sand
Lisaâs team only had the small amount of food Tang Mo had given them. Along the way, the group didnât dare to eat or drink, simply pressing their chapped lips together and focusing on forging ahead.
Lisa and her three companions could manage, but the guide, who had grown accustomed to a comfortable life during the apocalypse, couldnât endure such hardship.
Knowing Tang Mo was well-supplied, he hovered around her like a lackey while guiding the way.
After all, he had spent half his life dealing with people. He knew how to read Tang Moâs expressions, telling him when to explain certain things. Although he was a bit talkative, he wasnât annoying.
Tang Mo was quite generous, sharing some food and water from her bag with the guide.
In a way, the guide was a pitiable man. He had done nothing wrong, yet he was struck by this unforeseen disaster and dragged into this vast desert.
She didnât dislike people like him. Everyone has their own way of getting by, and being able to make a living with his particular set of skills was a talent in itself.
Tang Mo understood how things worked. Since she had gotten a lot of useful information from the guide, it was only natural to give him a proper reward.
The desert climate was incredibly harsh. Although they no longer had to worry about directions thanks to the guide, the strong, sand-filled wind whipped against everyone, stinging their skin.
Tang Mo had thrown on an ankle-length leather coat over her sportswear, blocking the wind and grit.
She pulled her baseball cap down low and wore a thick mask, which made her feel much more comfortable.
But the others werenât so lucky. They could only endure the grit scraping against their exposed skin, leaving behind a series of scratches.
Fortunately, they were all superpower users, so these minor injuries were nothing to them. But in this environment, the feelings of hunger and thirst were quickly magnified many times over.
Two days later, Lisa came to negotiate with Tang Mo, wanting to buy some food and water from her.
For the past two days, Tang Mo had not only eaten and drunk her fill but had also been generous with the guide. Lisa knew full well how much had been in that bag to begin with.
Tang Mo had no intention of hiding the fact that she was a Space Ability User.
After all, they still didnât know how long they would be in the desert, and it wasnât realistic for her to rely solely on the little she had left in her pack to make it to the end.
In the end, the two reached an agreement: one Intermediate Crystal Core per bottle of water, loaf of bread, pack of instant noodles, or compressed biscuit.
Lisaâs attribute value was high, and the others were all superpower users as well. The team was powerful and had a substantial stockpile of resources.
Each time they came to Tang Mo, they would spend five or six Crystal Cores without batting an eye, allowing Tang Mo to make a handsome profit.
And so, the group of six journeyed onward in perfect harmony.
When the guide learned that Lisa and her team wanted to go to Sand Town, his expression turned grim.
He knew of Sand Town, that mysterious tribe. There wasnât a single guide in the area who hadnât heard of the place.
Many had even seen people from Sand TownâLisaâs guide includedâbut it had not been a pleasant memory.
The people of Sand Town acted strangely, completely different from ordinary people in both their behavior and way of thinking.
There were even legends that the people of Sand Town had cannibalistic customs, which was why some also called it Cannibal Town.
The desert at night was terrifying. Surrounded by desolation, you never knew when some horrifying creature might leap out and sink its teeth into your throat.
However, for this six-person team that wasnât in a hurry to leave the desert, nighttime was a rare opportunity to rest.
"There arenât any mutant beasts in this desert, are there?"
A woman on Lisaâs team asked. In all their days here, they hadnât encountered a single mutant beast.
For Lisaâs team, they would have preferred to encounter more mutant beasts to farm some Crystal Cores.
After all, their teamâs supply of Crystal Cores was about to be completely spent on Tang Moâs goods.
"We should pray we donât encounter any mutant beasts in the desert. It wouldnât be a simple hunt; it would be a horror beyond your imagination."
The guide spoke with grave seriousness as he sat on his sleeping bag.
"Have you seen mutant beasts in the desert?" the woman pressed.
"Of course not! No one whoâs seen a mutant beast in the desert has ever made it out alive!"
The guide didnât dare to think about it anymore and quickly burrowed into his sleeping bag, ready to sleep.
Lisa and her teammates went to sleep soon after, leaving only Tang Mo sitting on her sleeping bag, looking up at the starry sky.
Ever since the apocalypse began, the night sky had become especially beautiful, filled with twinkling lights, stunningly clear and bright.
And the desert sky was even more beautiful, absolutely dazzling. It was a pity that in the apocalyptic desert, very few people were in the mood to look up at the stars.
Everyone was already exhausted just from trying to survive.
After dinner that evening, Tang Mo had made video calls to Qin Ling and her mother. She generally kept to a schedule of one call a week to catch up on recent events and express her care and how much she missed them.
In the video, Yangyang was drinking his milk. When Tang Mo teased him, he would smile at his older sister, which delighted her to no end.
As usual, Qin Ling was being clingy during the video call, saying he wanted to come and visit Tang Mo, only to be ruthlessly rejected once again.
The situation at S Base was relatively stable now. Song Qing and Wen Ze were engaged, and according to Qin Ling, the two of them were getting along quite well.
And thanks to his connection with Tang Mo, Qin Lingâs attitude toward Wen Jianshu and the Li Family had naturally softened considerably.
Tang Mo smiled as she listened to Qin Ling share all sorts of gossip from S Base, finding it incredibly interesting.
If anyone else saw this gossipy side of Qin Ling, their jaws would probably drop in shock.
Because the situation had stabilized, Qin Ling would also frequently take his team out on missions.
After all, only by personally participating in real combat could he continue to improve.
Qin Ling didnât hide anything about the Mist Team; instead, he excitedly shared his recent accomplishments with Tang Mo, fishing for praise and compliments.
The news about the Qinling Team deeply moved Tang Mo. On one hand, she was impressed that Qin Ling wasnât letting his position of power limit him and was still constantly expanding his own abilities, which she found even more charming and cool.
On the other hand, it also sparked the idea of forming her own team.
âOnce the later stages of the apocalypse arrive, how much of a gap in power can really be pulled between individuals?â
âIn the end, one personâs strength canât possibly contend with a groupâs. No matter how strong you are as a solo fighter, you still canât beat a team.â
âIf I happen to run into the right people in the future, maybe traveling together wouldnât be a bad choice.â
Just as Tang Mo was lost in thought while gazing at the stars, her spiritual power suddenly tensed. She could clearly feel something moving beneath the sand in massive, organized groups.
And that strange movement was getting closer and closer...