The endless sea of sand stretched on, the air utterly still. Under the blazing sun, everything lay deathly quiet, wrapped in layers of scorching heat. From afar, even the dunes' outlines shimmered and warped, as if about to evaporate along with all willpower.
In this sprawling desert, the insect cart creaked along slowly. The desert lizard hide covering it couldn't withstand the heat, curling and cracking with crisp pops, peeling off in pieces.
Inside, the temperature was unbearable, soon turning the cart into an oven. Even the seats were too hot to sit on, requiring thick layers of insect silk cloth as padding. Everyone inside drooped listlessly, energy sapped by the heat, as if even their body moisture might evaporate. Lips cracked and peeling, they all looked dazed.
Rant was driving, having just relieved Moya to rest in the back. Sitting in the sunniest spot, his throat soon felt parched. Rubbing his face crusted with salt crystals, Rant habitually pulled out a wine bottle from his pocket. The sloshing liquid sounded enticing, but once out, he didn't drink—what he needed now wasn't wine, but water.
"Rick... I'm thirsty..." In the backseat, Lav rested her head on Rick's lap, curled up. Her complexion looked poor—severe dehydration tested her weak body, making Rick fear she might not survive the desert.
"Sigh... Should've left you in Benning Town." Rick gently stroked Lav's dull, tangled hair, lowering himself to pull a tube from his leather jacket and stuff it in her mouth. Sucking on the tube like a starved kitten, Lav drank eagerly, as if it were sweet milk instead of plain water.
But after two sips, Rick pulled out the tube, patting her shoulder. "Be good, hold on. You can have more later, once we find water."
"Hmph, rich girls shouldn't be here—she's nothing but dead weight!" Anna huffed from the rear seat, glaring.
Rick shot Anna a fierce look. "Shut up."
"Who are you to boss me around!" Anna retorted, turning away, though she stole envious glances at the ailing Lav. Born differently, Anna disliked the delicate noble girl from day one, jealous of Rick's constant care. No one had ever doted on her, so why did Lav deserve such attention?
Women are jealous by nature. The more Anna thought, the more indignant she grew. Sitting up, she tapped Rick's shoulder. "Give me water, I'm thirsty too!"
"Don't you have your own water pouch?" Rick nodded to the pouch at her waist.
"I want yours." Anna was picking a fight, but Rick surprisingly didn't argue. He pulled a tube from his water pouch–equipped jacket and handed it back.
Staring at the tube, Anna hesitated. She took it, but instead of drinking, she just stared at Rick's the back of the head. She was thirsty, but as a desert native, she fared better than most. Her pouch was only half empty, yet she knew Rick had given almost all his water to Lav, drinking barely a sip—half as much as her. This amazed Anna.
She couldn't understand why Rick, a leaderly figure with influence in the team, gave up privileges to care for the weak. "Idiot..." Anna felt a strange tug. She took a sip, but only let the water touch her tongue before letting it flow back.
"Done?" Rick turned wearily, half-asleep.
"Mn." Anna nodded, losing her urge to quarrel.
"Rest if you're not thirsty. Afternoon sun is hotter." Rick leaned against the window, dozing off.
In the afternoon, the sun blazed hotter. After driving all morning, Rant showed signs of heatstroke. He loosened his collar, gazing at the blinding sun—too exhausted even to curse. Resting his head on the wheel, he couldn't resist taking a sip from his flask. But the wine, usually delicious, now burned like glass shards, searing his throat so painfully he pinched his thigh.
The pain cleared his head. When the ache subsided, he looked up and saw a vast patch of green. "A mirage?" Rant rubbed his eyes, staring again. No—definitely green, a cluster of huge cacti.
"Ri..." Rant turned excitedly, shaking Rick, but only a croak escaped—his vocal cords burned by the liquor, rendering him temporarily mute.
"What's wrong?!" Rick jolted awake, fearing trouble.
Rant couldn't speak, but his excitement was undeniable as he pointed eagerly at the massive cacti ahead.
"Eh?" Rick followed Rant's finger, his dazed expression shifting to joy. "Hahaha... Cacti! Quick, everyone wake up—shade ahead!" He danced about, shouting excitedly.
No wonder he was thrilled—greenery was a rarity in the desert. Cacti's waxy skin stored water; chewing on its tender flesh would be more refreshing than any delicacy for thirsty travelers.
Like seeing a savior, the drowsy group perked up, scrambling toward the cacti. Abandoning the oven-like cart on the dune crest, they tumbled down, lunging for the massive plants.
Worried for Lav, Rick carried her first, slicing a juicy chunk of cactus flesh (free of spines) and feeding it to her. The others followed suit, daggers in hand.
Anna lagged behind. Normally fit and desert-adapted, she slowed instinctively—something was off. The sand here was too soft, sinking to the thigh. Scanning the ground, she saw a patch of sand shift, a red glint vanishing.
"Something's in the sand!" Anna shouted in panic. But everyone, suffering heatstroke, reacted slowly. Before they could understand, the sand exploded in a spray, two massive pincers bursting out, shadowing Rick and Lav. A scarlet, barbed stinger shot at Rick's chest.
The stinger was fast, but healthy Rick could have dodged. Now dehydrated, his body betrayed him. He could only watch as the stinger approached.
"Move!" A figure shoved Rick aside, clutching Lav. The stinger grazed Rick's shoulder, embedding in a snow-white arm.
"Anna..." Rick's pupils constricted. He saw Anna push him, saw the stinger inject venom, blackening her arm instantly.
"Dammit!" Shust and Rant activated battle mode. Agile Shust flipped onto the scorpion's back, shooting silk to bind its pincers. Rant charged with shield and trident.
The scorpion launched its stinger at Rant, who blocked it with his shield. The impact buried Rant halfway in the sand. "Fuck, kill it! I can't hold on!" Shust strained, muscles popping as he wrestled the scorpion.
Knowing strength wasn't his forte, Shust flipped back, lengthening his silk to entangle the stinger and pincers. In that brief opening, Rant thrust his trident into the scorpion's mouth, tearing its insides. The mortally wounded scorpion collapsed, oozing foul juices.
Rant and Shust rushed to Anna's side as Rick and Moya treated her. The adult red scorpion's venom was lethal—nearly 200ml had entered Anna's arm, blackening her skin rapidly.
"Amputate her arm to save her." Shust drew a dagger, but Lav pushed forward, checking Anna's dilating pupils. "She can be saved! Moya, get my toolbox. Rick, cut open the scorpion—look for eggs."
"Lav, you..."
"Hurry, I'll explain later!" Lav snatched the dagger from Shust, asking anxiously, "Is the dagger poisoned?"
"Yes."
As soon as Shust spoke, Lav gritted her teeth and stabbed the dagger into Anna's shoulder. Rant erupted in anger, seizing Lav. "You're too cruel—trying to kill her!"
"I'm using poison to fight poison, maybe slow the toxin spread."
Lav wrenched free just as Moya stumbled over with the toolbox. She grabbed it, flipping open the third layer to reveal two test tubes of pale liquid. After drawing and shaking the liquid with a syringe, she injected it into Anna's neck vein.
"What's that?" Rant asked urgently.
"Gene antibodies purified from gray and red stink bugs—most venom-resistant insects. Injecting them buys her time."
"Only time?" Rant's face fell.
"Yes, just to stabilize her while we find a solution..." Lav's complexion paled after the work, but her focused expression showed she was deep in thought. Rant dared not disturb her, waiting anxiously.
"Has Anna ever implanted an insect egg?" Lav suddenly asked.
"No. Lizard hunters use traps, not eggs. Most have no eggs, or just auxiliary ones." Rant replied.
"No implants—there's hope!" Lav's eyes lit up, turning to Rick.
Rick had sliced open the scorpion's belly—it was female, but no eggs. "Nothing—looks like she already laid them."
"Laid them? This must be her nest. Dig up the sand, but watch for hatched scorpions—they're venomous too." Lav shouted.
Everyone sprang into action, even Shust. As Lav guessed, the cacti hid a red scorpion's nest. Normally, they'd have noticed the intact cacti were odd, but thirst blinded them.
At the largest cactus root, Rick found the nest: seven or eight white hatchlings and three intact eggs. After stomping the hatchlings, he shielded the eggs from sunlight and ran to Lav. "Got three—now what?"
"Find something to block the sun—can't let the eggs dry out." Lav's authoritative tone made everyone eager to help. Soon, they built a makeshift tent, and Lav assembled her equipment: a simple microscope, petri dishes, and a strange device with hair-thin needles.
Compared to her Terry County lab, the equipment was crude, but she had to risk it. "Anna's never implanted an egg, so her body will reject the genes. Forced fusion needs help—usually activation fluid, but her scorpion venom shares genes with the embryo. The embryo might absorb the venom to fuse with her genes..."
While working, Lav explained. Only Rick, who'd experienced forced fusion, understood. "So the embryo absorbs the venom, and Anna gets immune?"
"Not entirely, but fused with her genes, the modified embryo will give her natural anti-venom, letting her slowly flush the toxin—she'll survive."
Lav finished assembling the device and focused on work. The others formed a circle around the tent to guard against attacks. Egg modification took three hours—two eggs broke from equipment errors, only one survived.
Next came implantation—a huge test for exhausted Lav. Taking a deep breath, she loaded the modified egg into a syringe and aimed at Anna's wrist artery.
Snap. The egg shot into her vein, flowing toward her heart.