Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

Zhao Rong described to his assistant the various treasures from the super scorpion he had killed. ”First,” he explained, ”this super scorpion’s venom can be used to concoct elixirs that revive the dead, but it can also serve as a potent poison for attacking enemies. Second, the stinger on its tail can be crafted into a lethal weapon known as a ’Blood-Dropper.’ Third, its carapace can be made into a bulletproof vest capable of stopping not just bullets, but armor-piercing rounds as well. Fourth, the meat can be used in traditional medicine to treat children’s colds and coughs. It’s highly effective.”

Listening to Zhao Rong, the assistant was utterly astonished. He exclaimed in disbelief, ”Good grief, I always thought scorpions were just ordinary bugs... I had no idea this thing was a treasure trove. It’s truly priceless!”

After Zhao Rong finished disassembling the super scorpion and storing all its useful parts in his Magic Ring, the two of them made their way to the edge of the lake. Upon arriving at the lake in the heart of the oasis within the deadly storm, the assistant gazed at the rippling water and turned to Zhao Rong.

”Brother Zhao, why did you bring me here?” he asked. ”Our mission right now is to find a way out of this deadly storm, leave the oasis, and get back to the canyon. We need to follow that middle-aged man to find the masterminds, Hong Ju and her son, Zhou Xiaoer.”

Before the assistant could finish, Zhao Rong pointed to the center of the lake. ”Assistant, listen,” he said. ”If we want to get out of this deadly storm, there’s only one way: through this lake.”

Hearing that the only way out was to enter the lake, the assistant immediately shook his head in disagreement. ”Brother Zhao, I think you’re wrong,” he countered. ”To escape a sandstorm, you have to get to the edge of the desert. If we go into the lake like you say, we’ll definitely drown!”

Zhao Rong explained, ”Assistant, what you don’t know is that at the very bottom, in the center of this lake, there’s a wooden plug stopping up a black hole. We just have to get to the bottom, find that plug, and pull it out. We’ll be sucked into the black hole, and that will be our escape from this place.”

Hearing that the bottom of the lake was supposedly stopped up by a wooden plug, the assistant found the idea absurd. ”Brother Zhao, you must have a wild imagination,” he said, half-amused and half-exasperated. ”How could the bottom of a lake be plugged by a piece of wood? And a black hole? If what you’re saying is true, the lake would have drained long ago. But look at it—the water is perfectly calm and full. It hasn’t lost a single drop! Your theory doesn’t hold water. Your reasoning is just flawed.”

However, before the assistant could finish, Zhao Rong produced irrefutable evidence. He took a Replay Display Screen from his Magic Ring and activated it, playing a video for his assistant. ”Look closely,” Zhao Rong said. ”This Replay Display Screen can show anything that has ever happened in this oasis. Pay attention to what happens.”

The assistant watched as countless people who had entered the oasis were devoured by super lizards and super scorpions, or lured to their deaths by strange fish in the lake. Frowning, he glared at Zhao Rong. ”Brother Zhao, I’ve been watching this, but I haven’t seen anyone enter the lake, find a wooden plug, and escape this deadly storm. All I’ve seen are people getting eaten by lizards, scorpions, and those weird fish!”

Hearing this, Zhao Rong realized his mistake—he hadn’t fast-forwarded and was making the assistant watch footage from long ago. He took the Replay Display Screen back and began scrubbing through the video while explaining, ”Assistant, you have to understand, of all the humans who get trapped in this deadly storm and enter the oasis, 99.99 percent of them die. Only a minuscule fraction, maybe one in ten thousand, makes it out alive. So, I’m going to show you how that single survivor managed to escape.”

The assistant shivered. ”Brother Zhao... are you saying that basically no one who gets caught in this deadly storm and finds this oasis ever gets out alive?”

Zhao Rong nodded. ”You’re finally getting it. Now, I’m fast-forwarding to show you how the only person who ever escaped did it.”

With that, Zhao Rong advanced to the correct scene. The assistant watched as two men in diving suits jumped into the lake. After a fierce battle, they killed one of the strange fish and found the wooden plug at the bottom. They managed to pull it out, but just as the black hole began to pull them in, another monstrous fish lunged forward. It snatched away the stockier, bearded man, leaving only the handsome, slimmer man to be drawn into the black hole and escape the deadly storm.

Seeing that someone had indeed escaped by reaching the bottom of the lake, the assistant finally believed Zhao Rong. ”Brother Zhao, you were right,” he said. ”I believe you now.”

But just as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened in shock. He realized that the two men on the Replay Display Screen—the ones who found the exit, where only one escaped—were none other than himself and Zhao Rong. The man who was snatched by the fish... that was him. And the one who escaped... that was Zhao Rong.

Stunned, the assistant stared at Zhao Rong. ”Brother Zhao, is this some kind of sick joke? Why are we the ones on the screen? And why am I the one who dies, while you’re the only one who gets out?”