Otherworldly Desert Dust

"Medicine... can you give me some medicine..." Ling Shaomei whispered softly.

"Go pick some trident maple from the tropical vegetation in Area A yourself. Apply it externally to stop the bleeding, then boil these Chinese herbs into a soup and drink it. It will remove the insect eggs in your body." Wu Hen still had some Chinese herbs in his pocket and casually threw them to Ling Shaomei.

Old Man Ling's injuries were mostly external. Stopping the bleeding would suffice.

He wouldn't die.

The primary concern was whether they had insect eggs in their bodies. Expelling the eggs would significantly increase their chances of survival.

"Oh, oh... thank you, Wu Hen," Ling Shaomei said excitedly.

"Check how many of your relatives are still alive. If there are no more issues, clean up this Tropical Pavilion, then put fresh vegetables in the dual-control door every week. Regularly inspect the surrounding environment, and report any hazards or changes immediately." Wu Hen promptly instructed Ling Shaomei on the tasks ahead.

Ling Shaomei took notes meticulously. Although she had worked at Wu Hen's house for several years, she seemed to truly embrace her role as a housekeeper only now, imprinting every word Wu Hen said in her mind.

"Lastly, put away your Holy Mother's heart. Otherwise, in the Desert Dust, people like you wouldn't survive past the intro sequence." With that, Wu Hen turned and walked away.

Ling Shaomei stood there stunned, realizing just how irrational she had been, unwilling to submit to her role as a housekeeper. She had truly believed that the man in front of her was just a spoiled, idle young master.

What Ling Shaomei found the hardest to accept was that this once brazen and reckless young master had never really taken notice of her, whether in the past or present. Why, then, had she been so defiant?

...

After dealing with the hazards around the safe house, Wu Hen finally took a break.

There was still hot water in the safe house. Soaking in a warm pool, Wu Hen relaxed completely.

He squinted and instinctively lifted his right arm. His right arm had skin with dark gold patterns like python scales, slowly emerging like a miniature dragon clinging to his arm, breathing rhythmically.

Steam curled through the water, and the mist enveloped Wu Hen's cheeks. The steam inexplicably condensed into water droplets an inch from his face, outlining another face as if an invisible mask gently covered his cheek, exuding a sense of mystery and nobility.

"Now, even if a clean-cut beauty came by, she would have to scrub my back, right?" Wu Hen muttered to himself.

The otherworldly dust was grotesque and terrifying. One had to be strong enough.

Wu Hen felt that he was quite strong now.

But the thought of Zai Wu and the being that overshadowed Zai Wu's brilliance, creating an eclipse, swiftly extinguished his small sense of pride.

He still needed to strive. Humanity was like birds in the woods released into the true primal forest, and he had only glimpsed an insignificant corner of the Otherworldly Dust. So much power and uncertainty lay ahead...

He had to remember that humanity's current plight was due to the injury of the Nuwa Divine Realm.

And anything capable of toppling the Nuwa Divine Realm must be a horror beyond human comprehension. He had to consider that if the Nuwa Divine Realm truly collapsed, he and his family could still have a place of peace!

"Mingyi's team is indeed strong. Once we reach the Nuwa Divine Realm, I'll try to join them," Wu Hen decided the direction of his journey.

...

Returning home through the Yuan You Mine this time, there was no time restriction.

Wu Hen took preemptive measures, gathering as many materials from the surroundings as possible to ensure his family could stay in the safe house for a long time.

On the tenth day back home, extremely dire news arrived.

"Wu Hen, come quickly!" Wu Yingting called out to Wu Hen, who was practicing with his weapons.

Wu Hen immediately sat on the chair, and the family turned on the television, which had finally received a signal.

The news broadcasted an apocalyptic message. The city next to their Li City, Qiu City, had been annihilated!

Yes, completely annihilated!

An entire city's population, all dead!

"We have discovered that Qiu City has been fully taken over by parasitic species from the otherworldly dust. They've formed a parasitic army and are attempting to breach our Silver Dome project. We had no choice but to dispatch the human Guardians—Ice Phoenix, supported by ten Rapid Freeze Fighters, to freeze Qiu City!"

The live broadcast showed one of the Rapid Freeze Fighters.

From a bird's-eye view, Qiu City, though not as large as Li City, was still a crucial energy hub. Now, it looked like a massive, alien nest, completely unrecognizable.

Above, a very distinctive man stood, his body covered with glittering ice feathers. He wore a crown that looked like white phoenix feathers, exuding nobility, unlike any mortal, standing over the entire Qiu City!

A great deal of icy fluff descended from a massive wind eye above him, covering the entire city.

The vast Qiu City, regardless of how many parasitic half-humans lurked within, was frozen into a massive ice city. From a distance, it looked like a spectacular polar glacier!

"People, do not give up hope. Believe that we will protect the Nuwa Divine Realm!"

Facing the camera, the one known as the Ice Phoenix, a Guardian, clenched his fist, giving hope to the countless suffering nationwide.

One had to admit, the divine might exhibited by this person upended many people's understanding. Only then did they realize that entering the otherworldly dust and surviving could lead to such a transformation!

That was a whole city. Despite the assistance of ten Rapid Freeze Fighters, his displayed power was as brilliant and dazzling as a deity in the eyes of many!

"Face the otherworldly dust with courage, and you too can be extraordinary like me!"

"At that time, join us Guardians in defending our human homeland!"

In the past, slogans like this would have made everyone turn off the TV, a typical marketing brainwash.

But if the person was someone like Ling Kong, who single-handedly annihilated a parasitic city, every word he said was revered like holy scripture by the masses.

Amid the home's most chaotic, fearful, and disorderly state, people were bewildered and helpless. However, as more SuperAbnormals like him appeared, the desire to transform and evolve in dire straits was immense!

Rather than waiting for the world to collapse into the otherworldly dust, it was better to venture in early. Maybe one could find opportunities to transform into someone as powerful as the Ice Phoenix!

"What an inspiring jolt. A city's annihilation panic bomb turned into a rallying cry against the otherworldly dust, creating a human hero like Ice Phoenix... No mention of how Qiu City fell, how many died inside, why the Guardians didn't find out sooner, huh!" Wu Yingting angrily commented after watching the broadcast.

Wu Hen sat there, his right arm starting to go numb.

Little Yi was already angry.

Look at that!!

They just do it like this!!

They know the most time-saving and labor-efficient way, yet that is an entire city nest of Insect Eyes Half-men, imagine how much Yuan You could be refined or how much power could be extracted???

Wu Hen was also helpless.

He could only reassure Little Yi that next time they ventured into the otherworldly dust, he would resort to various risky tactics to provoke those Desert Dust giants like Zai Wu. As long as he could force them out, Little Yi could feast to his heart's content!

Hearing Wu Hen's promise, Little Yi calmed down a bit.

Fine, let's see your performance. Don't cry for adoptive father's help when you can't even deal with the little ghosts and ghost messengers before King Yama shows up; that would be a complete defeat!

"Oh, don't underestimate me. I give you my word, I won't use the Holy Father's Power until King Yama appears!" Wu Hen swore.

Little Yi didn't care whether Wu Hen swore or not.

After all, using force wasn't up to Wu Hen.

Hosts who couldn't deal with little ghosts weren't worth having.

Truly seasoned masters didn't care for those measly things fed by humans.

"Bro, isn't that person Gao Huan?" Yu Yu, for once, didn't use sign language and instead wrote a line on paper.

"You don't say, but you really don't say…" Wu Hen stared at the screen, finally seeing something familiar in that seemingly carefree person.

"Is that the Gao family's boy?" Wu Yingting's tone changed slightly.

"Husband, didn't we often visit their Gao Family before? Wu Hen and Yu Yu used to play with their siblings during summer and winter breaks." Yu Yi said.

"Sigh, when I had funds, they barely tolerated us. Actually, I learned about the otherworldly dust from them, but I never imagined their purpose was to scam my money." Wu Yingting sighed deeply.

"Why did they need so much money?" Yu Yi asked.

"To develop fighting clothes. Our human technology is also significantly useful in the otherworldly dust. Perhaps the Nuwa God End protected us like a utopia to give humanity time to develop, hoping our technology could eventually face the real world at a higher level..." Wu Yingting explained.

"Oh, I've seen fighting clothes before." Wu Hen recalled a vibrant red figure, graceful yet valiant.

"You know, our currency is gradually leaning towards digital. Before that, controlling money meant controlling manpower and energy."

"And in fact, our currency has long been tied to the Yuan You Mine."

"Yuan You can be exchanged for Silver Dome protection."

"Yuan You can buy weapons used in the otherworldly dust."

"Yuan You is also a necessity for humans to stay conscious and return home..."

"Moreover, Yuan You, when brought back and decoded, its energy equals that of a thermal power plant or a photovoltaic power base."

"This explains why, despite the chaos, our electricity and communications still function."

"Yes, the home is precarious but it will also transform as humans extract more of this mystical resource from the otherworldly dust!"

Yu Yi and Yu Yu listened intently.

Occasionally, mother and daughter nodded synchronously.

Meanwhile, Wu Hen glanced at his arm before looking at the dazzling fighting clothes on TV and concluded:

"Basically, the poor rely on mutation, the rich rely on technology!"

Indeed, he was purely a member of the Mutant Party!

"Speaking of which, Little Yi, do you eat fighting clothes?" Wu Hen suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"Hiss~" Little Yi's tone indicated that those were delicious!

Wu Hen felt elated!

He could have it all!

No wonder when watching TV earlier, Little Yi's gaze at the Guardian Ice Phoenix was like a house cat watching a white sparrow, practically drooling!

Little Yi seemed thrilled as more human powerhouses emerged!

"Little Yi, be honest. Are you playing a long game coexisting with me?" Wu Hen asked, filled with suspicion.

Little Yi disdainfully indicated that human trifles weren't worth it.

It was just a fluke!