Come on! Let's go home

They were still in the desert.

The desert looked no different today than it had yesterday, but for the Desert Squad, everything had changed.

Yinsen and Tony each held one of the little girl's hands as they walked through the desert.

Qiqi's hands had been as cold as ice at night, but during the day, they helped keep the two men cool.

Water remained a major problem, though. Even if Qiqi's miraculous sword technique had pulled Yinsen back from death's door yesterday, they would still die without anything to drink.

Something else had been bothering Tony: Qiqi's identity as a zombie.

Neither he nor Yinsen was a fool. They had been holding Qiqi's hands and walking through this scorching heat for so long, yet her hands remained icy cold. Neither the sun nor their body heat had warmed her little hands in the slightest.

Taking advantage of their joined hands, Tony discreetly rested his fingers against her wrist. He couldn't feel a pulse.

He wasn't sure whether Qiqi was actually alive. If she really was a walking zombie, he ought to let go of her hand right now.

But Tony couldn't do it.

Maybe whatever had turned Qiqi into this hadn't been her fault. She was still so young, and she hadn't yet experienced all the wonders the world had to offer.

Tony considered all sorts of possibilities, from mutants to human experimentation.

In the end, he decided to take Qiqi with them. He couldn't bring himself to leave the little girl alone.

Yinsen felt the same way. Who cared whether she was a zombie? Qiqi had saved his life!

Lin Ze knew nothing about their complicated thoughts-or rather, he had no energy to spare for them, because right now, his whole Qiqi body was wilting.

"Ah... so hot. Mr. Soggy... Qiqi wants to go somewhere cooler."

Ordinary zombies feared high temperatures. Although Qiqi wasn't an ordinary zombie, she was still very sensitive to heat and instinctively wanted to get away from it.

"It's Stark, Qiqi."

Tony patiently corrected her name for him, though he felt rather helpless.

"Hang in there a little longer. We'll be somewhere cooler soon. Are you feeling uncomfortable, Qiqi?"

"Yes. High temperatures make my body feel awful. But... Qiqi can keep going."

Qiqi obediently stopped complaining about the heat. She seemed to understand that the two people beside her were having an even harder time in the desert than she was.

They walked a little farther.

Lin Ze noticed their dry, cracked lips and thought for a moment. He remembered that when he had pulled Qiqi, some bonus items had been placed in his inventory. At that thought, he let go of their hands.

Qiqi's sudden movement startled both men.

"What's wrong, Qiqi? Are you feeling unwell?"

Yinsen asked worriedly.

Qiqi shook her head and took out two rectangular objects in black packaging, pressing one into each man's hand.

"Qiqi?"

Before Tony could get a good look at what the girl had produced, she had already shoved something into his hand. Startled, he looked down at it. A few Chinese characters were written on the rectangular packaging, with a picture of a horned girl printed prominently in the center.

The horned girl had short blue hair, pale purple eyes, and a large bell around her neck. Her arms were held behind her, supporting another little carton with packaging identical to the one in his hand.

"This... is cool and tastes really good."

Qiqi explained to them.

Water was essential in the desert. Lin Ze had originally planned to take out the leftover sunsettias in his inventory to quench their thirst, but then he remembered the bonus items he had received when he pulled Qiqi and brought those out instead.

They were just what the men desperately needed.

Both men froze at Qiqi's words.

"Cool and tastes really good? What is this?"

Yinsen didn't know what he was holding, but it looked a lot like a drink.

Qiqi rested a finger against her chin and thought for quite a while. Then her eyes lit up. She pulled out a notebook, flipped through it, and found the answer.

"Um... Qiqi found it. This is Coconut Milk... not milk from a cocogoat."

"But it tastes good. Better than regular milk."

Qiqi's explanation left Tony and Yinsen rather bewildered.

Was this milk? Or coconut juice?

Neither Tony nor Yinsen really understood, but from what Qiqi had said, it should be some kind of drink.

They were delighted. Tony eagerly bit open the packaging, and the smooth taste of milk and fragrant coconut instantly filled his mouth.

"This is delicious!" Tony exclaimed.

He took several big gulps, then handed the remaining half to Yinsen.

The drink moistened his parched mouth, and replenishing his fluids brought some strength back to his body.

Yinsen couldn't help gulping down several large mouthfuls before forcing himself to stop. He offered the other, unopened carton of Coconut Milk to the girl.

"I've had my share. You drink this, Qiqi."

There was no telling how much farther they would have to walk, so they needed to conserve their precious fluids. There was still some Coconut Milk left in the opened carton, enough to keep them going for a while.

"Go ahead, Qiqi," Tony urged as well.

In their eyes, Qiqi was just an ordinary little girl with a few special abilities. Now that their own thirst had eased, Tony and Yinsen naturally thought of her needs too.

"No need... Qiqi has lots more."

Only after Qiqi pulled out another carton of Coconut Milk did the two men relax. They took turns finishing the rest of the opened carton, keeping the unopened one as a reserve supply.

They walked for a while longer before the wind suddenly picked up in the desert.

Blowing sand made it impossible to keep their eyes open. Tony and Yinsen sheltered Qiqi between their bodies as the wind seemed to grow stronger and stronger. Sand stung their cheeks, Qiqi's clothes fluttered, and the yellow talisman on her forehead snapped in the wind.

Tony took off his jacket and draped it over his head. Yinsen followed suit, and the storm whipped their jackets into tangled bundles.

"Damn it!"

As Tony cursed, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound.

It was a familiar sound, coming from somewhere in the distance.

Tony and Yinsen exchanged a glance. They hadn't misheard. That was definitely a helicopter engine.

There was no question about it. It had to be a rescue helicopter.

They hurriedly pulled their jackets off their heads and looked into the distance. Sure enough, a helicopter was flying overhead.

"Hey!!!"

"Over here!!!" Both men shouted at the top of their lungs, trying to attract the attention of the people inside.

Someone in the helicopter spotted them and waved, while the pilot slowly brought it down.

"Hahaha!"

"Thank goodness."

Several people in camouflage uniforms carrying machine guns jumped out of the helicopter and ran toward them.

Tony found the man in the middle especially familiar. It was his good friend, Colonel James Rhodes.

Rhodey looked considerably more haggard. Stark's disappearance must have put him under immense pressure.

He ran up to Tony and confirmed that his friend was in no serious trouble and still lucid. Only then did the fear and anxiety of the past several days finally fade.

"Promise me you'll ride with me next time, okay?"

Rhodey had watched Tony's vehicle explode right in front of him. He would never forget that feeling of despair.

He hugged Tony, taking a long time to settle his emotions before letting go. Then he looked up and noticed the others.

Seeing a child among them left Rhodey particularly surprised.

"This is..."

Now that he was out of danger, Tony had reverted to his usual carefree playboy self. Faced with his old friend, he couldn't resist a joke.

"That's right. Pretty, isn't she? She's mine."

"Qiqi, say hello to Uncle Rhodey."

Qiqi blinked. She couldn't quite keep up with Tony's train of thought, but she obediently spoke.

"Hello, Uncle Rhodey. I'm Qiqi... a zom-mmph."

Before Qiqi could finish, Tony lunged over, and he and Yinsen clapped their hands over her mouth.

"Mm... mmph."

Qiqi opened her mouth but couldn't get a word out.

Tony's sudden move startled Rhodey. "What are you doing?"

Meeting Colonel Rhodes's puzzled gaze, Tony gave an awkward smile.

Oh, Qiqi, this kid...