Jing Minghe interrupted Chi Hao’s attempt to stop him and walked out directly after speaking.
Seeing this, Ding Chang also stood up and walked towards the main entrance. However, he did not go out. Instead, he stood not far from the door, squinting at the outside. He didn’t know what he saw, but his feet retreated half a step, and his brows furrowed noticeably.
Yumi noticed Chi Hao’s worry and said, “Mr. Chi, you should go with Minghe. There shouldn’t be any danger here. I will take care of Brother Tong and Wu Wen.”
Chi Hao hesitated for a moment, then nodded lightly, “I’ll be back soon.”
“Mm.”
Yumi finally finished tending to Tong Zheng’s wound and carefully bandaged him. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Brother Tong, you should rest for a while. If we can get out of this instance, I will definitely find a way to cure you.”
Tong Zheng forced a smile, “I believe you.”
Leaving Tong Zheng and Ke Wuwen together, Yumi picked up her medical kit and went to find Ban Sheng.
Meanwhile, Jing Minghe walked out of the door. A strong light blinded him. Once his eyes adjusted, Jing Minghe saw a vast desert stretching as far as the eye could see.
Looking up, he saw the source of the strong light: the sun, which was almost within reach, so close it felt like it could fall at any moment.
The rapidly rising temperature made him feel like he was about to explode.
Jing Minghe couldn’t help but frown. Was this hope or despair? As expected, it could only be the latter.
“Minghe.”
Chi Hao also walked over and gently patted Jing Minghe’s shoulder, saying, “Look over there.”
Jing Minghe turned and followed Chi Hao’s gaze. At first glance, there was nothing, but upon closer inspection, he noticed something different – a faint bluish-green hue, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
“Brother Hao, what do you think that is?”
Chi Hao lowered his eyes and looked at Jing Minghe, replying in a relaxed tone, “Perhaps, it’s hope.”
Jing Minghe paused for a moment, then smiled and agreed, “That’s right. Even if it isn’t, we must make it hope.”
He paused again, then continued, “Let’s go in first. Even if we need to go there, it’s not now. It’s too hot outside. If we go under this temperature, we’ll likely turn into dried husks.”
“Mm.”
Having made their decision, the two turned and returned to the factory building.
Seeing Jing Minghe and Chi Hao return, Ding Chang immediately asked, “What’s the situation outside?”
Jing Minghe glanced at Ding Chang, then walked with Chi Hao to where Tong Zheng and the others were, and told them about the situation outside.
Yumi said in surprise, “A desert? And what you saw, was it an oasis? Or… a mirage?”
“I don’t know if there will be night,” Jing Minghe replied, not directly answering Yumi’s question. “It’s too hot outside now. After the sun goes down, we’ll go and look. However, we can’t judge the distance. So, I think Brother Hao and I will go first, and then we’ll figure out how to notify you if it’s safe to come.”
“How can that be? What if there’s danger…”
Yumi trailed off, not knowing how to finish her sentence. She realized that even if there was danger, if only Jing Minghe and Chi Hao went, they might have a better chance of escaping. If they all went together, they might become a burden.
“Don’t worry,” Jing Minghe turned and sat down on the spot. “We’ll be fine. Everyone will be fine. Trust me.”
He hadn’t closed his eyes for a long time, and because he had been too excited when he “saw” Lu Fanfei earlier, Jing Minghe felt tired. Sensing Chi Hao sitting down beside him, he leaned against him with relief.
Chi Hao, understanding his partner’s need, pulled Jing Minghe into his arms, “Sleep. I’ll wake you up later.”
“Okay.”
The factory door had been blown to bits, and the heat from outside continuously poured in, causing the temperature inside the factory to rise as well.
As the temperature climbed higher, Ke Wuwen looked at Tong Zheng’s face with concern. Such high temperatures were extremely detrimental to his wound. He anxiously looked around, then stood up and went to pick up two thin sticks. He tore a piece from his shirt and fashioned a simple fan. He then carefully fanned Tong Zheng to cool him down.
Tong Zheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, felt a breeze and opened his eyes. He saw Ke Wuwen diligently fanning him. He reached out and patted Ke Wuwen’s arm, “I’m not hot. Save your strength.”
Ke Wuwen stubbornly replied, “You should rest quickly. I have plenty of strength. Don’t talk, it’ll hurt your face.”
Tong Zheng was helpless. He knew that under the circumstances, he couldn’t stop Ke Wuwen and could only let him be.
Not knowing when the scorching sun outside would disappear, Ding Chang and Ban Sheng also closed their eyes to rest. With no food here, they could only conserve their energy.
Yumi felt uneasy and vigilantly observed her surroundings. She noticed that Chi Hao was not resting; he was looking at Jing Minghe with a thoughtful expression.
Chi Hao’s thoughtful look made Yumi feel a bit strange. Upon closer inspection, she realized Chi Hao wasn’t looking at Jing Minghe’s face, but at his chest.
Following Chi Hao’s gaze, Yumi finally saw clearly that a pendant had appeared on Jing Minghe’s chest at some point. The pendant was emitting a faint blue light, flickering.
Yumi was curious and opened her mouth, but dared not make a sound, for fear of disturbing Chi Hao. She couldn’t help but fix her gaze on the pendant. After watching for a while, the blue light from the pendant suddenly disappeared.
Immediately after the blue light on Jing Minghe’s pendant vanished, the entire factory building began to tremble slightly. Everyone who had been resting with their eyes closed noticed this and opened their eyes, standing up.
“What’s happening?” Ding Chang asked.
Ke Wuwen immediately put down the makeshift fan he was holding and helped Tong Zheng up, replying casually, “I don’t know. Nothing’s here. The place just started moving on its own.”
Jing Minghe and Chi Hao surveyed the surroundings. No monsters crawled out of the empty factory.
Turning to look at the entrance, the strong light outside had not diminished at all.
“It seems we all have to leave here,” Jing Minghe said as he walked over to Tong Zheng and asked, “Brother Tong, how are you? Can you hold on?”
Tong Zheng nodded, “No problem. Let’s go.”
The tremors grew stronger, and the factory walls began to crack. Although no monsters emerged, if they stayed there any longer, they would surely be buried by the collapsing building.
Jing Minghe’s original plan was no longer feasible, so he had to lead everyone to the place they had seen, the apparent desert oasis.
Everyone quickly left the factory. Jing Minghe noticed that the sun’s position had not changed at all, and he couldn’t help but frown.
“Minghe, which direction?”
Yumi asked, as she couldn’t see the slightly hazy oasis that Jing Minghe had mentioned.
“This way.”
Jing Minghe said, turning to his right.
Except for Chi Hao, everyone else, like Yumi, saw nothing. But they had no other choice now and could only follow Jing Minghe.