On the horizon, a yellow wave of sand was sweeping forward at an alarming speed.
Zhang Heng roughly estimated that the sand wave was about seven to eight kilometers wide and at least two to three kilometers high. There was no way they could avoid it on foot. In the face of such a violent natural disaster, even NASA's most maneuverable helicopter couldn't take the risk of taking off. With the jeep's speed, it was highly unlikely that they would be able to pick up the three before the sandstorm arrived. That was why the captain asked them to stay put.
Unfortunately, his wish was destined to be in vain.
All three of them knew very well that this sandstorm was the horn for the final battle.
The sand and dust in the sky would reduce everyone's vision to a minimum. Under such low visibility, NASA's observers would completely lose control of them. No matter what they did, only they would know.
This also meant that they no longer needed to hide their strength.
Zhang Heng looked at the fat man in the distance, and the latter happened to look back at him. Their eyes met, and at this moment, Jia Lai could no longer hide the strong murderous intent in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I will win this round and survive. If there is only one winner in this game, it can only be me."
Jia Lai said coldly.
When his voice trailed off, the yellow dragon was less than a few hundred meters away from the three of them.
Zhang Heng took off the innermost vest of his uniform as fast as he could, tied it to his face, and covered his mouth and nose. The biggest danger of sandstorms was suffocation and blindness. Without any protective measures, the large amount of yellow sand carried by the strong wind would quickly block one's airway in a short period of time, causing breathing difficulties.
As for blindness, he didn't have to worry too much about it with the goggles. After Zhang Heng was done with all this, he took out the steak knife he hid on his body when he had dinner at Area 51 the night before. The sandstorm had finally arrived.
Jia Lai's guess was right. From the beginning, Zhang Heng didn't plan to advance to the next round with his advantage in results.
Since there was still a week-long quarantine period, Zhang Heng didn't want to test whether NASA had done a good job in protecting the mission team.
What's more, there was a high chance that Jia Lai and Bruno would join the support team and work at the space center. There might be a chance for them to make a move. Jia Lai wasn't the only one who wanted to use the final survival training to get the last spot. Zhang Heng also planned to use this opportunity to eliminate all threats before the quarantine period ended.
However, Zhang Heng had to admit that the arrival of this sandstorm was indeed beyond his expectations. Compared to the waterspout he created on the sea, however, Zhang Heng was more inclined to believe that Jia Lai wasn't the creator of this sandstorm. Otherwise, Jia Lai wouldn't have waited until the end of the training to make a move. Strictly speaking, this wasn't the best environment for a sandstorm to be effective.
Although the terrain they were on was relatively flat, there were still some large rock walls nearby that could be used as cover to reduce the wind speed. It was a far cry from the empty plain they passed through an hour ago. Zhang Heng speculated that Jia Lai must have an item that could accurately predict the weather. He had foreseen the arrival of this sandstorm in advance, which was why he gave up last night's opportunity and set the time for the decisive battle to take place now.
Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that his sandstorm item would take a long time to prepare. That was why he delayed it until the end of the training. In any case, since the sandstorm had arrived, it was time for Zhang Heng to make his move.
Zhang Heng moved with his back to the sandstorm, and at the same time, he tried to lower his body.
Bell once told him that the higher up the sandstorm, the finer the sand, and the greater the probability of suffocation. On the contrary, the sand particles near the ground would be relatively large. With clothes as a filter, it would be difficult to inhale the sand into the nostrils or mouth. At the same time, he had to be careful of some hard debris mixed with the sand.
After encountering a sandstorm, the best thing to do was to find a reliable shelter and hide behind it until the storm passed. Visibility was very low in the sandstorm, and one could only see about a meter in front of them. It was easy to lose direction, but this wasn't a problem for Zhang Heng.
Long before the sandstorm arrived, Zhang Heng had already memorized the nearby terrain, Jia Lai, and Bruno's location. At first, when the wind wasn't that strong, he had already reached the place where Jia Lai stood. However, as he expected, Jia Lai was long gone.
Zhang Heng sorted out the location in his mind. Less than thirty steps away from him, there was a stone as tall as a man. It was the perfect place to avoid the sandstorm, and Jia Lai was likely to move there first. Of course, it also meant that there was a high chance that there was a trap there.
On the other hand, about fifty steps to his right, there was half a car hood wreckage. If he used it well, it could help him block most of the sandstorm. When necessary, it could also be used to block attacks.
Zhang Heng hesitated for a while, but decided to go to the place where he buried the hood wreckage first. He was worried that if he wasted too much time, the thing would be completely submerged under the sand.
Relying on his memory, Zhang Heng began to move to his right, silently counting the steps he took. However, after fifty-five steps, he still couldn't find the hood wreckage. There were two possibilities for this situation. One was that the hood had been taken away by someone else, and the other was that he was moving in the wrong direction.
The latter was more troublesome because Zhang Heng didn't know where he was and how far he had deviated. If he couldn't determine his current location, the map in his mind would be useless. If that was the case, he would have to give up looking for Jia Lai and find a place to hide.
Getting lost in a sandstorm was no laughing matter. Even with a vest covering his face, being exposed to the sand for a long time would still cause him to suffocate. Fortunately, Zhang Heng tried to turn back a few steps in the southwest direction, and he finally saw the hood that was exposed above the sand.
At the same time, a dark shadow appeared behind him.
The yellow sand and the howling wind not only reduced visibility, but it also made his hearing useless. To prevent sand from entering his ears, Zhang Heng had to cover his ears, further reducing his hearing. In fact, in such a harsh environment, it was almost impossible to hear the footsteps behind him.
Zhang Heng half-knelt on the sand, ready to dig out the hood wreckage. On the other side, the dark shadow raised a big stone in his hand, ready to smash Zhang Heng's head.
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