She walked like she owned the place

After the Traveler and Paimon left, Tony and Yinsen immediately set out to find a way out, heading in one direction as they had planned.

Walking through the desert was an inhuman ordeal. Beyond each dune lay another dune, and beyond the distance lay yet more distance, with no end in sight.

The soles of their feet felt as though they were burning. The sun evaporated the moisture from their bodies, and after walking for who knew how long, they were utterly exhausted.

They were so tired that each foot sank into the sand as though they could never pull it free again; so tired that their thin clothes felt like a thousand-pound burden; so tired that they fell to their knees on the dunes again and again; so tired that their knees ached and their legs had no strength left; so tired that they had to muster their willpower before every dune; so tired that despair set in, yet the finish line remained impossibly far away.

At first, Tony still had enough strength to help support Yinsen. By the end, even taking a single step was agonizingly difficult.

Thud!

At last, neither of them could hold on any longer, and they collapsed into the sand.

"Cough, cough... Sorry, Tony."

Yinsen laboriously rolled over onto his back and apologized to Tony.

He had been an academic professor and rarely exercised, so his constitution had never been good. He had also spent longer in the Cave than Tony had, suffering from prolonged malnutrition and a lack of sunlight. His body simply could not cope with such sudden, intense exertion.

"It's all right. It's okay, it's okay. Just hold on a little longer. We just have to keep going. Come on."

Forcing himself to endure the pain, Tony struggled to his feet and went to help Yinsen up.

He knew Yinsen was suffering, but they had to persevere under these circumstances. They had to get out of here, or they would be trapped in the desert forever.

Using every ounce of his strength, Tony finally pulled Yinsen to his feet.

But Yinsen could no longer stand steadily and fell into the sand again. Seeing how terrible his condition was, Tony could only lay him against a mound of sand.

"Get some rest. You're worn out. Looks like we won't make it out before dark. Recover some strength first. Once you've rested, we'll find somewhere higher up and get through tonight."

Yinsen slowly nodded at his words, then closed his eyes and rested against the mound.

In the original film, Yinsen had died, and Tony had broken through the encirclement alone in the Mechanical Armor. After landing in the desert, he had been found that same day by his friend in the military, Colonel James Rhodes.

But the arrival of the Traveler and Paimon had moved their escape up considerably. As a result, Colonel Rhodey, who should have come looking for them, was now searching another area by plane, leaving them with a serious problem.

It was almost dark.

Aridity, a lack of water, endless stretches without a soul in sight, the exhaustion and hunger of walking without end-all of these paled in comparison to the terror of the desert at night.

The desert at night was more frightening than it was during the day. There might not be the same scorching sunlight or the same sense of boundlessness, but many dangers lurked there at night, dangers far more likely to threaten their lives.

First, they might encounter nocturnal animals. Any animal that could survive in the desert was fierce, with powerful survival instincts and the ability to inflict serious harm. Against humans incapable of defending themselves, their aggression was outright lethal. Wolves, scorpions, and other creatures lived here, and encountering any of them would be terrifying.

Then there was the cold. The temperature difference between day and night was enormous, and this was the kind of cold that could kill. Without adequate gear to keep warm, someone could freeze to death in the desert at night.

There was little light in the nighttime desert, and what little there was remained faint. There was no shelter of any kind, and with only thin outer layers, the two men had no way to keep warm. Hunger also made it difficult for their bodies to generate heat. For Tony and Yinsen, lethal danger lurked everywhere in the night.

Tony lay down beside Yinsen, making the most of their time to rest. His parched lips were already peeling and cracked, and every breath carried the metallic taste of blood up from his airways.

As the sun gradually sank, the ground cooled as well. With no time to enjoy this rare relief, Tony and Yinsen forced themselves to move again.

They dared not stay where they had been resting. It was too low. They had to find the highest point nearby, because if they fell asleep during the night or lost consciousness from dehydration, the wind could gradually bury them in sand. Even a small amount covering their mouths and noses would be enough. If they could not wake up, they would silently leave this world behind.

At last, before night fully descended, Tony and Yinsen found a decent spot.

It was the highest of the surrounding dunes, and from its summit, they could see the smaller mounds below.

Supporting each other, they sat down and remained there until darkness surrounded them.

"Yinsen, don't lie on your back. Sand could get into your airways. Come sit against my side."

In darkness so deep he could not see his own hand, Tony reminded him, "We'll take turns keeping watch. One of us has to stay awake."

Yinsen leaned over, and Tony heard his teeth chattering. No, it was both their teeth.

The nighttime desert revealed its cold, merciless face. There was no warmth here, only the rustling of the bitter wind sweeping past.

"It's so cold, Tony."

Yinsen had a bad feeling. His trembling was not just caused by the drop in temperature at night. He was probably suffering from severe dehydration brought on by heatstroke.

"Let's sit back-to-back. That'll help."

Feeling his way through the darkness, Tony took Yinsen's weight against his back. If they were not found soon, Yinsen might not make it.

"Tony... look. The night sky... it's beautiful."

Yinsen tilted his head back. With no clouds to obscure it, the sky was filled with stars. His vision gradually blurred. "Do you think people become stars after they die?"

Tony kept his eyes closed, his expression unreadable. "Stop looking. Get some rest."

"..." Yinsen was already at the end of his rope, sustained by sheer willpower alone. He dared not rest, afraid that if he fell asleep, he would never wake again.

"I lied to you, Tony. When I told you I could reunite with my family after I escaped, that was a lie."

Yinsen feared that if he really died here, what he had said would weigh on Tony, so he took this chance to confess.

"My children and my wife were killed by Omar's men long ago. Back then... I wanted so badly to go with them. But I was a coward. I didn't have the courage..."

Thinking of his family, Yinsen wanted to cry, but even tears were a luxury now. His eyes were dry and painful, unable to squeeze out a single drop.

"Hey! Hey, buddy, I don't blame you. Once we're rescued, you can come work as my assistant at Stark Industries. We worked so well together before. We've still got plenty of years ahead of us." Tony comforted him, unwilling to let Yinsen lose his will to live. He spoke of the future he imagined, telling Yinsen how wonderful New York was, how wonderful Stark Industries was, and so on.

Yinsen was too weak even to open his eyes. "...Okay... okay..."

"...Tony... don't... don't waste your life..."

His voice grew softer and softer until only his faint breathing remained.

"I promise. I promise, Yinsen." Once he was sure the other man had merely fallen asleep, Tony felt temporarily relieved.

When vision was obstructed, every sound seemed amplified without limit. Tony could hear the wind brushing over the sand, Yinsen's breathing, and the friction of their clothes as they shivered.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

"!" Tony suddenly heard something stepping on the sand. It moved incredibly fast, and within a few breaths, the rustling had reached them.

"Yinsen! Yinsen! Wake up!"

This was not a good sign. If they encountered a predator like a desert wolf, their chances of surviving were slim.

Tony roused himself completely, concentrating all his attention on staying alert.

The sound stopped very close by. He scanned his surroundings in the moonlight but saw nothing.

Then, suddenly,

Something occurred to Tony, and he quickly turned toward Yinsen. In that instant, all the color drained from his face.

That dark shape was standing right in front of Yinsen!

Tony held his breath and shifted his body gently, waiting for the best moment to attack.

A gust of wind swept past, and a flapping sound came from the dark shape.

It sounded like paper rustling as the wind turned the pages of a book.

Tony froze for a moment.

Then a little girl's voice rang out, calm and slow, yet awkward and stiff:

"Hold hands... hold hands!"

"I'm, I'm going to blow away!"