Not Saving

A group of people were fleeing in the Desert.

"Quick, faster!"

"Keep up, don't fall behind!"

"They're chasing us!!" Someone shrieked in panic.

Ah!

Then came a scream.

Those at the back of the team couldn't help but look back and saw a companion already tackled to the ground by a Green-skinned Lizard. The lizard opened its large mouth and bit directly onto the companion's head.

And right after the Green-skinned Lizard that was feeding, another lizard immediately ran out.

The lizard burst forward with astonishing speed, about to pounce on the two people at the back of the team in the blink of an eye.

"No!" One of them shouted, his heart filled with terror, but a fierce look appeared on his face.

At the critical moment of life and death, he actually reached out and pulled down the companion beside him.

His companion was pulled to the ground, unable to get up for a moment. He opened his mouth to curse, but was pounced on by the lizard, only able to let out a tragic scream.

The screams made the hearts of the survivors tighten.

One young woman saw the scene behind her, gritted her teeth, and took out a potion from the leather pouch at her waist, scattering it towards the sky behind them.

The potion was like powder, but after being scattered into the air, it immediately turned into a thick green mist.

"Hold your breath!" The young woman shouted a loud reminder, she was Zi Di.

The surviving companions seemed familiar with this green mist and immediately held their breath, rushing out of the mist.

However, the Green-skinned Lizards that were chasing them, due to normal breathing, inhaled all of this mist into their nasal cavities and lungs.

So very quickly, these Green-skinned Lizards let out screams. Some struggled in the thick green mist, some ran around wildly, and the entire group of chasing lizards fell into chaos.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the surviving Exploration Team members successfully distanced themselves from these lizards.

"Quick, run!"

"We're going to make it."

"Lord Zi Di is truly amazing, thanks to your potion!"

"Is there more? Scatter more quickly."

Everyone shouted, the joy of rebirth from despair filling everyone's hearts.

"How could you do that?! I just saw it, you actually killed a companion." Bai Ya's questioning sounded particularly harsh amidst the cheers.

The person he accused first showed a look of shame, but quickly became angry and cursed, "Get lost, mind your own business!"

"You!" Bai Ya stammered, feeling astonished.

The accused person's expression was agitated, his usual good temper completely gone, as if he had become a different person.

"Alright, we are not out of danger yet. Everything that happens here will be decided by Lord Zhen Jin!" An old man spoke up at the right time, stabilizing the team.

He was none other than Cang Xu.

Meanwhile, to the northeast of this surviving team, there was a sand dune.

Two heads peeked out from the sand dune, their faces similar. They were the twin brothers, Lan Zao and Huang Zao.

"Brother, I found them!" Huang Zao was very excited, then his excitement subsided. "They are being chased by Green-skinned Lizards."

"They are indeed here." Lan Zao nodded. "Huh? Why don't I see Lord Zhen Jin?"

"Perhaps they got separated and haven't reunited yet. We also found the pink markings on these Green-skinned Lizards, which is how we tracked the beasts here," Huang Zao guessed.

It turned out that after the Exploration Team was teleported, they immediately encountered a storm.

Zi Di relied on potions to quickly melt a cave in the sandstorm, helping many of the Exploration Team members.

The cave was not sturdy and collapsed during the raging sandstorm, unexpectedly connecting with another cave.

To survive, everyone had no choice but to enter this cave.

They then discovered that this underground cave in the Desert was not naturally formed. The ones who dug the cave were a group of Green-skinned Lizards.

The Exploration Team members were not unfamiliar with these Green-skinned Lizards; they had encountered them after being teleported to the Desert earlier.

The place where Zi Di and the others arrived was the most important area in the lizard's underground nest – the Nursery.

The Nursery contained a large number of lizard eggs, and there were special mother lizards guarding them.

Upon encountering each other, the two sides immediately began to fight.

There were only two mother lizards, and they were quickly killed by the Exploration Team members under the effect of Zi Di's potions. However, this commotion attracted the attention of other Green-skinned Lizards, who immediately launched a furious revenge attack on the Exploration Team members.

Fortunately, the entrance to the Nursery was very narrow, so everyone held their ground here, relying on the terrain.

The Green-skinned Lizards were endless, and the Exploration Team began to suffer casualties.

Through dissection, Cang Xu learned that the frequency of Green-skinned Lizards going into heat was not high, and a mother lizard only laid one egg at a time. However, there were so many lizard eggs in the cave, so he naturally concluded that the lizard population outside was very large.

Undoubtedly, holding out here was a dead end.

After realizing this, everyone began to plan a breakout.

During this time, Zi Di scattered pink potions, sprinkling them on the lizards, hoping this would transmit a signal.

As for now, they had broken out and temporarily escaped the lizards' pursuit.

"Let's quickly go and meet up with them," Lan Zao said, about to move.

But the next moment, his arm was grabbed by his younger brother Huang Zao. "No, brother, look!"

Following the direction of Huang Zao's finger, Lan Zao saw a large number of Green-skinned Lizards blocking the path in front of Zi Di and Cang Xu.

However, Zi Di and Cang Xu did not know this, as their view was blocked by a sand dune.

From the perspective of the bystanders, the true battle situation was discovered by Lan Zao and Huang Zao.

"This is bad, they are about to be surrounded by lizards. If this continues, they will surely be doomed. We need to quickly warn them!" Lan Zao's face changed drastically.

"Wait," Huang Zao stopped him again.

"What are you doing?" Lan Zao glared angrily. "Saving people is the priority!"

Huang Zao, however, said, "Don't be foolish, brother. These people are dead for sure. Look again!"

Lan Zao focused his gaze and his face turned pale. He saw that not only were there large groups of lizards in front of the Exploration Team, but there were also lizard groups flanking them on both sides, forming a pincer attack.

"Even so..." Lan Zao's body swayed slightly, and he gritted his teeth, but Huang Zao interrupted him.

"Lord Zhen Jin isn't here. They are only struggling with Miss Zi Di's potions. There's absolutely no hope of survival. Don't be foolish, brother. Even if we join them, it would just be sending ourselves to our deaths." Huang Zao's expression was cold.

He then asked a series of rhetorical questions: "Who are they to you? Are they worth you sacrificing your life for?"

"But, we are currently slaves, and we discussed before that we would follow Lord Zhen Jin together, didn't we?" Lan Zao hesitated.

Huang Zao's face darkened. "Slave... I don't want to be a slave. The previous situation was out of necessity."

"Besides, we don't even know where Lord Zhen Jin is now. Since he's not here, he won't know what happened here in the future. Aren't we following Lord Zhen Jin for a good future? Sending ourselves to our deaths like this is not our plan."

"But..." Lan Zao's expression wavered. "I should at least open my mouth and warn them."

"Don't do that," Huang Zao shook his head. "It's already too late! They are already surrounded. If you speak up and they discover us, they will definitely ask us for support. At that time, will we go or not?"

"Going means certain death. If we don't go, they will definitely hold a grudge against us. Maybe they'll use some means to record this matter. When Lord Zhen Jin discovers their relics/belongings in the future, he might learn the secret of us not saving them. That would be too bad for us."

Lan Zao didn't reply, just watched the Exploration Team members in the distance. Their faces were still full of joy, completely unaware that they were already trapped in a desperate situation.

Lan Zao's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. His hands subconsciously grabbed two handfuls of sand, and his fists clenched tightly.

Seeing Lan Zao like this, Huang Zao's heart skipped a beat.

He understood his brother very well.

So, Huang Zao whispered, "Do you want me to die, brother?"

"What?" Lan Zao was stunned for a moment.

"I know these people have helped you before, and even Lord Zhen Jin and Miss Zi Di saved my life. You don't want to owe them, you want to repay their kindness. You must be thinking, should you let me go and you go support them alone!"

Huang Zao's words hit Lan Zao's heart directly.

Lan Zao was indeed thinking that way.

But then, Huang Zao continued, "If you go, you will surely die! If I'm left alone, how can I survive by myself in this Desert? Besides, can I just watch you go to your death? You are my own brother! If you go, I will definitely follow behind you. If you die, my life will be lost too."

"Brother..." Lan Zao gritted his teeth, glaring at Huang Zao.

"Brother!" Huang Zao glared back just as fiercely, not showing any weakness. "Have you forgotten Mother's last words? You swore that you would take care of me for your entire life. You swore that even if you died, you would die before me. Now, if you go support them, you are harming me and sending me to my death!"

"Yes, I swore. From childhood to now, I have always taken care of you, haven't I? But you are grown up now, you are an experienced Sailor, and you even have Bronze-level strength..."

"But what does that matter? In the Spider Forest, weren't I still abandoned by you!" Huang Zao interrupted Lan Zao mercilessly.

"I thought you were dead at the time!!" Lan Zao roared in a low voice, his face turning red, seemingly from anger.

Huang Zao sneered, "Perhaps my death would be a good thing for you, wouldn't it? After all, it was you who killed Father back then. If I die, who will know your secret? You'll be free!"

"No! How can you think that way?!" Lan Zao let out a painful low howl. His expression was distorted, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Huang Zao's voice suddenly rose, "Then let's go! Let's leave this place together, escape this damned Sea Island together. You have to prove yourself with action."

Huang Zao's words were like a spear made of ice, piercing directly into the deepest part of Lan Zao's heart.

The burly man half-knelt on the ground, staring intently at his younger brother, remaining motionless for a long while, like a statue.

The two brothers stared at each other like this for several breaths before being disturbed by the commotion caused by the green-skinned lizards.

Huang Zao saw several green-skinned lizards rapidly approaching the sand dune where they were, and urged anxiously, "Hurry, let's go! If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave at all."

He immediately got up and pulled Lan Zao forcefully.

At first, he couldn't pull him, but Huang Zao tried twice more and finally pulled Lan Zao to his feet. They ran down the sand dune, fleeing the area.

In the last moment of their retreat, Lan Zao looked back and saw that the exploration team had discovered their predicament. They were rooted to the spot, clearly in a panic.

He let out a deep sigh in his heart, lowered his head, and fled side by side with Huang Zao.