Across a stretch of ten or so meters, a gleaming puddle of water appeared before the group’s incredulous eyes.

“Water—real water!”

“Get out of my way, all of you! This is mine!”

“Give me that water!”

Su Bai could hardly believe it. A pool of water, here, beneath the desert? It was nothing short of a miracle. With a steady source of water, maybe—just maybe—they could survive and clear the game.

But no sooner had the group reached the pit than chaos broke loose. Fists flew in desperate struggle as each tried to claim the precious liquid.

The man leading the group drew a handgun and fired a single warning shot skyward. Silence fell abruptly as the brawlers fell back, broodily nursing their fists.

“What are you fighting for? The water’s not going anywhere.”

Everyone’s gaze remained glued to the puddle, as if by staring hard enough they could keep the elusive liquid from disappearing.

All at once, the whole group lunged for the pool. Su Bai, slight and smaller than the rest, was jostled aside and tumbled to the ground.

“What is this?” someone exclaimed.

“That’s not water! What the hell is this? It’s foul, it's just a puddle of stinking sludge,” grumbled another.

“All that effort for nothing.”

“Disgusting, I can’t even look at it.”

“Still, is it drinkable? I don’t think I can walk any farther,” another voice ventured. Despair rang in the air.

“Damn this game! Mocking us like this!”

Su Bai was still struggling to get up when a barrage of cursing erupted nearby. Players cradled puddles of goo in their hands—thick, murky, stringy filth that clung to their skin.

None of them noticed anything amiss. They simply assumed it was the stench of rotten water.

But suddenly, the sand began to vibrate. Ripples spread across the puddle’s surface. Su Bai shrank back, an uneasy sense prickling her skin. Something was wrong about this water. She could feel it.

A second later, a monster erupted from the pit—a gaping maw crammed with fangs. The nearest player didn’t even have time to scream before he was swallowed whole.

So this was never a pool at all—it was the open mouth of a beast!

“Run!” someone screamed.

“There’s a monster!”

The survivors—all women, farthest from the pool—stumbled back in horror, adrenaline propelling their battered bodies to flee. Su Bai tried to follow, but she had twisted her ankle during the scuffle. Every step sent agony jolting through her leg; running was nearly impossible.

Behind her, the monster surged out of the sandpit. It was massive, its head enormous, limbs thin yet adeptly propelling its body. Its entire hide was covered in yellowish-brown markings—it could vanish into the sand with ease. If not for the attack, no one would have noticed it lurking below the surface.

I can’t die here. Not now. My parents are still waiting for me at home. I’ve only just entered this game... Su Bai grit her teeth and hobbled desperately toward the nearest sand dune.

……

Ye Shu’s expression didn’t flicker at the sight of the creature lurking beneath the puddle. She had expected this—a monster appearing beneath a suspicious pool in the desert? Any shrewd player would know it was a trap. But that desperate group, starving, parched, and unhinged by thirst, had lost all reason. Being lured in was inevitable. It was the perfect time for her to reap some points.

She tossed aside a fruit peel and gripped her peachwood sword tightly, moving swiftly toward the monster.

A wet, crunching sound rang out as her blade struck. She lopped off one of the monster’s writhing tendrils.

The yellow beast wasn’t venomous. Ye Shu climbed its mound-like back in a single bound and drove her blade clean through its heart.

With a series of strangled roars, the monster collapsed, unmoving.

[Congratulations, player, for slaying one Lesser Sand Toad. You have received 10 points.]

Ye Shu’s gaze settled on the dumbstruck female player not far away. Was it possible this woman really knew her, enough to forget even the urgent need to run?

“Ye Shu?”

The sound of her name—familiar and long-forgotten—broke Su Bai’s composure. Tears welled uncontrollably in her eyes, scouring the dust from her cheeks.

She knows my name. She must know me. Ye Shu dredged through her buried memories, searching until she finally found them.

“Long time no see, Su Bai.”

Su Bai had been one of the few real friends her original self had. Pushed aside by the Ye family, by classmates at school, it had been this small, stubborn girl who shielded her time and again. No wonder she had sensed that faint, familiar aura—of course she knew her.

“It really is—you, Ye Shu?!” Su Bai’s disbelief was written plain for all to see. It wasn’t until Ye Shu peeled away the garish red scarf and sunglasses, revealing her familiar, mischievous face, that it truly sank in.

“You damn brat, why’d you only show up now? I’ve been searching everywhere for you. The Ye family said you hadn’t returned, and I waited days at the Qin place without seeing a trace of you. When did you get so strong? You killed that monster in a single blow! What level are you in the game now? Qin Zaozao and Ye Wanwan have fallen out completely, you didn’t know? Turns out, their so-called sisterhood was fake. Rumor is, the younger one killed the older for a canister of oxygen, but now the system’s developed seeds that can make air. You out of food? I’ve got some! Smuggled jerky, though the others kept an eagle eye on me. Don't mind if it’s a bit crusty, do you?”

Without further ado, Su Bai wrapped Ye Shu in a tight hug, babbling in one breath and offering what little she had. After a wavering second, she plucked her last shriveled piece of jerky from her shoe and pressed it into Ye Shu’s hands.

It was all she had left. Even so, she was glad for her friend’s transformation. Timid and withdrawn as Ye Shu had once been, Su Bai was immensely proud. Now, at least, no one could hurt her so easily again.

Ye Shu stiffened at the unfamiliar sensation of warmth—this was the first time anyone had cared for her with no strings attached. She felt awkward, unsure how to respond. She gently pushed the jerky away.

“I know. The arrival of the horrors was my first game.”

“Awesome, Sis! You’ve got to have my back from now on!”

“Of course!”

Su Bai’s vow of gratitude was so straightforward it was almost comical, yet no hint of annoyance crept in. As night fell, the desert’s temperature dropped rapidly. Su Bai clung to her arms for warmth, shivering as she followed Ye Shu. Together, they dug a small pit.

Ye Shu produced two bottles of water and two hunks of cactus root—tonight’s meager supper. Tears shimmered in Su Bai’s eyes as she gnawed greedily at her cactus slice. “So good! Haven’t had anything like this in ages. Real life feels like another lifetime. Shu, you even awakened spatial powers? I’m jealous! My fire power’s only good for lighting a cigarette at best.”

Without firewood, she couldn’t even use her powers to make a fire for warmth.

“Xiao Bai, we’ll take turns keeping watch. You take first shift; I’ll take the second.” Ye Shu was still unaccustomed to sharing space with another, even with her memories restored.

“Whatever you say.”

Su Bai continued munching, ducking her face as a brief shimmer of tears flashed in her gaze, quickly blinking them away. As the night deepened and the temperature plummeted, the girls huddled closer for warmth.

In the dead of night, Ye Shu was startled by a rustling sound and tensed, certain it was another of the deadly sand-worms from earlier. She drew her sword, preparing to spring from their pit—but realized the noise was coming from below her feet.

“Shu, run!” Su Bai shouted.

A swarm of black ants burst from the sand beneath her. In a snap decision, Su Bai grabbed Ye Shu and hurled her out of harm’s way. Ye Shu tumbled headfirst into the sand, mouth full of grit. Back in the pit, Su Bai unleashed her remaining fire power, scorching swathes of ants, but more and more surged from the depths beneath.