A Failure's hopeful Journey

Chapter 84: Fire Dune.

You Xi Wang jumped down the airship and his friends followed his lead. They all had parachutes and glide wings equipped in the all adaptable battle suit. They all had a sling over their backs for the pups. You Xi Wang glanced at the landscape below and saw that most of the area was covered in rock cliffs. He spotted a relatively plain area and moved his body so that he could land in that area. His team followed him with no hesitation. 

SWISH!

The glide wings inside their battle suits flung open. The glide wings were similar to the wingsuit used on the earth, a thin layer of rubber between their arm and torso, providing the user with enough thrust to change direction and fine land. You Xi Wang and his friends were traveling by air at a great speed. Just when they were a couple of hundred meters away from the ground they opened their parachutes.

The group gradually descended on the ground after the parachutes broke their speed. They landed with a run, turned around, and tugged the parachute towards themselves. The Parachutes then wrapped up automatically and got stored inside the back of the group. The mythical nanotechnology from the earth was so advanced on Metropia that it could easily create parachutes instantly. 

The group's movement was performed in a blink. You Xi Wang glanced around quickly and gestured his team to follow him. They ran for a couple of miles and then he turned to Neo.

"Neo, dig it up. The day is as hot as 80 degrees celsius. We travel and hunt at night." he instructed. Neo cast a spell and a big hole appeared on the ground. You Xi Wang then asked Allan to cast a spell and bake the pit walls. This created firm walls for their hideout. You Xi Wang and the others jumped inside and Neo created a ceiling and Allan baked it. The glass cell was now prepared as the sand melted and took the form of glass.

You Xi Wang took out his spear and drilled some holes in the side and asked neo to create some holes leading to the surface. This idea allowed air circulation. You Xi Wang stroked Maya and the furry beauty created some icicles hanging from the ceiling. These icicles were not for decoration but were alarms. If there was movement on the surface then they would be alarmed as the icicles would vibrate. 

You Xi Wang asked Fenny to use a light blob to light up the dark inside. The underground was cooler compared to the hellish desert. The group sat down in a circle with Yuki hogging You Xi Wang's shoulder. It was now time to commence a battle meeting. 

Fenny spoke first, "Hunting in the day is dangerous and most of the people will be thinking the same thing like us, hunting in the night."

Allan used his Holo-phone to access the holographic map of the region. He spoke, "We are in the western region of the desert. The east, the north, and the south are covered in cliffs. This side of the desert is relatively plain and not considered as good as a cover for teams so we will have fewer chances of hunting here."

You Xi Wang replied, "Do not be so anxious. I choose this region because even in the daytime the people in the cliffs will duke it out within themselves. No one will be giving up on a frontal assault. It saves energy in the short term. We stay here and we hunt animals in the dunes. Also, This desert also has another name."

Neo jumped up, "Shit, this place is also called frozen flame pit."

Yuki asked, "What does that mean?"

You Xi Wang patted her hand and said, "The sand in this desert is special. It is called, Radiant-grain. The grain of sand in this desert is known as one of the best radiators in the whole world. The temperature here could be as high as 100 degrees Celsius on a summer day and as cold as -110 degrees celsius at night in winter. This drastic temperature change is a reason why people avoid this place like a plague."

Yuki praised, "You know so much. I am so proud of you, Xi Wang."

Fenny sneered, "Hoe-ki, you please don't make me barf in this congested settlement. Seriously can you act your usual self? This desert is not a lover's point. I read on the net that there are poisonous creatures as thin as a needle. They are deemed extremely hazardous. So please don't take my baby Wang in the sandbox to clean up your pipes. Or you both might end up dead by stings on them genitals."

You Xi Wang and Yuki both were so embarrassed by this rowdy comment that they separated from each other. Allan and Neo tried their best to stop their giggles because they would be put on the pedestal the next moment. Momma Fenny never spares anyone. 

The group waited inside the cell for six hours. It was now evening and You Xi Wang decided to go and hunt some meat. After cutting up a hole in the glass ceiling and carefully setting it down the group left to hunt. They traveled together to avoid sudden confrontations. 

Fenny spotted a Feiry Lizard in a distance and was about to take a shot when an arrow flew past her with a swoosh sound. The arrow found its target and landed on the lizard piercing its head giving it an instant death. Fenny was about to lash out on You Xi Wang but the latter quickly said, "Momma, I know that you have silenced your weapon, but the muzzle flash is too eye-catching in this desert and that too of a laser weapon."

Fenny reined in her anger and to hide her blunder she spoke, "Good boy, baby Wang. You have learned well from big momma. Now let's go and get that leather. I will make some boots and belts for myself and ladies at home."

She looked at the other three and said, "Don't worry your moms will receive gifts from this sister of theirs." her tone was that of an elder of the family.

The other three bowed a bit and spoke in sync, "We thank big momma for the big heart."

Fenny patted their heads and walked towards the dead lizard. The four left behind only shook their heads. You Xi Wang and others followed. He collected his arrow and put it back in his quiver. They continued to hunt some more beasts and creatures of the desert. You Xi Wang also collected the flame thread viper found in the desert only. He wanted to use the poison extracted from it against his enemies in the future. 

The moon gradually rose up. The temperature started to drop with every minute. They rushed back to their hideout. They cooked their gathered meat after cleaning them up using spiritual energy. As they were eating Fenny said, "Xi Wang we will be needing water."

You Xi Wang thought for a bit and created a cone using the leather and skin they got from their hunt. Then he placed them all outside in the night in an inverted manner. This would collect the vapors condensed to water through the night. 

They ate and spend the night in silence and meditating. They went out before dawn and this time they managed to track two teams from Neon City school. They raided them in succession. Maya and the paw squad played a significant role in these raids. They used their spiritual beast skills to confuse and sneak on the opponents scoring an easy win for their own teams. 

You Xi Wang and others managed to gain more than what they expected. These two groups seemed to have clashed with other squads earlier and thus were slow and tired in retaliation. They also have grabbed some supplies and tokens of the other squads. This made them have twice the results in half the work.

Although it could be considered a good start for their team but You Xi Wang had another target in mind than just passing the assessment. This target was enslaving Ronald Colt and planting him inside The Mirai Group for his future assault. He knew it was hard to achieve it but he did not want to give p even before trying. He spoke to his team to focus on gathering info in exchange for tokens and supplies. This method would work as not all the teams are competing to survive and score in the assessment.

The sun has risen again and it was now day two of the survival assessment. You Xi Wang and his team followed their initial plan of resting in the peak hours of the day and the night while they hunted and raided in the evening and the twilight hours. This plan was effective and sure to bear fruits. 

His teammates did ask You Xi Wang, why are they not hunting to stockpile. You XI Wang replied to them with a quote. 

"Nature is to be respected and only take what you need from nature." this was something his mother has taught him in his previous life. If you overexploit nature, someday it will come back to clear the debt. His words left his teammates in a state of contemplation.