The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

The lights went out, leaving only a few thin beams of light flickering silently in the darkness on the control panel inside the cable car.

Su Mu kept his eyes closed. What happened on that bed last night was still vivid in his memory—the touch, the warmth, the scent. He was sure Lin Yuwei hadn't forgotten either. He waited for her to say something, even if it was just something like, "Don't come any closer tonight."

But she didn't say anything.

He only heard her soft breathing, which quickly became steady and long.

Su Mu sighed inwardly. Then he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Late at night.

Outside the cable car, the desert wind was much calmer than it had been the previous nights.

The ghosts that occasionally launch attacks from underground are less active tonight than usual.

Perhaps the defensive aura of the Level 6 cable car was stronger, or perhaps those things were attracted away by commotion elsewhere tonight. In any case, the cable car hung quietly in the night, swaying slightly in the wind occasionally.

Inside the cable car, several plants stood quietly in their respective spots.

The branches of the Moyun Vine have mostly recovered. The dark red vines are coiled on the shelf next to the planting platform, and the golden veins at the ends light up and dim with the rhythm of the night, like a low-brightness breathing lamp.

The Blood Ginseng lay prone in the soil, its leaves slightly folded, the entire plant entering a state akin to dormancy. The cluster of blue flames in the center of the Molten Heart Grass was still flickering, but the frequency was much slower than during the day, as if it too was resting.

The silver leopard cub lay curled up in the innermost corner of the cable car, its body forming a small, silvery-white ball of fur, its tail curled up to cover its nose.

Its ears twitched occasionally, as if chasing something in its dream, but it quickly quieted down. Its breathing was even; it was fast asleep.

On that huge waterbed, the two people each occupied one side.

The distance between them began to slowly disappear after midnight. First, Lin Yuwei turned over in her sleep, moving a little closer to Su Mu. Then, in a moment of unconsciousness, Su Mu also moved closer to the center.

The two bodies gradually drew closer in the night, shrinking from half an arm's length to a few inches, and then from a few inches to almost touching.

At some point, Lin Yuwei's hand rested on Su Mu's arm, and Su Mu's breath brushed against the top of her head. But neither of them woke up.

The cable car swayed slightly in the wind.

A slender branch of the vine drooped from the trellis, its golden veins flashing briefly in the darkness before fading away. The blood ginseng rolled over in the soil, its leaves changing direction, and continued to sleep.

The blue flames of the Molten Heart Grass flickered, then stabilized.

The silver leopard cub let out a very soft whimper in its sleep, its tail tip twitched, and then it shrank even tighter.

It was still dark.

The desert night wind blew slowly from the north, carrying a dry, dusty scent. On the distant horizon, the faint, almost invisible layer of dark clouds had moved a little further south than yesterday.

Nobody noticed.

When Su Mu woke up, his arms were warm.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a patch of loose black hair, followed by the back of Lin Yuwei's head.

Her head was almost touching his chin, and she had somehow moved to the middle of the waterbed, her shoulder against his chest, one hand on his arm, her breathing even and long.

He didn't move.

He didn't even hold his breath.

The warmth slowly seeped in from the point of contact, like a cup of lukewarm water that was just the right temperature to drink, neither rushed nor irritating.

Lin Yuwei's eyelashes twitched.

She didn't open her eyes, but her body tensed slightly for a moment, as if she was already conscious but her body was still hesitating about whether to "wake up".

Then she slowly moved to the side, very quietly, as if afraid of being discovered. But the nature of the waterbed meant that any movement would be amplified, and that extremely slight ripple said it all.

"Awake?" Su Mu asked.

"...Mmm." Her voice was muffled under the covers.

Neither of them mentioned why they were standing so close again.

Su Mu sat up and unscrewed the mineral water bottle to wash his hands.

Lin Yuwei sat up on the other side of the waterbed, her back to him as she tidied her hair. The tips of her ears were red, but her movements were much more natural than yesterday.

The two took turns using the bucket of water to wash up briefly, occasionally brushing shoulders as they moved, neither of them making a conscious effort to avoid the other.

Lin Yuwei straightened his collar, but her fingers were a beat slow as she withdrew them. Su Mu glanced down at her, and she immediately turned her gaze to the control panel.

"It depends on the intelligence," she said, her tone returning to its usual crispness.

Su Mu opened the daily intelligence report. Lin Yuwei also opened it.

The two of them watched quietly for a while.

Su Mu's side only has one message: [A silver treasure chest has been found on the shady side of a sand dune approximately 14 kilometers ahead. A swarm of Lv8 scorpions is active in the vicinity. Coordinates have been marked.]

Lin Yuwei has two.

First: [A bronze treasure chest has been discovered approximately 11 kilometers ahead, beneath an abandoned windmill. The structure is unstable and may collapse.]

Second: [Approximately thirteen kilometers ahead, on the edge of an oasis, there is a ripe desert fruit. A group of Lv12 poisonous lizards are active in the vicinity.]

"Three pieces of intelligence, two treasure chests, and one fruit, all in the same direction." Lin Yuwei mentally reviewed the coordinates. "They're all close by. On the way."

Su Mu nodded.

However, there are more important things to consider right now.

Su Mu took out the dark blue banner from his backpack.

A banner that summons wind and rain.

[Wind and Rain Banner (Blue)] Usable 3/3 times. Energy replenishment method: Consume 50 Mysterious Stones to restore 1 time.

He glanced outside the cable car.

It was already daylight, and the desert shimmered with a golden light in the morning glow. The air was so dry that you could almost hear the moisture evaporating. In this kind of weather, no one would think of the word "rain."

"Try this first," Su Mu said.

He inserted the banner into the external mounting slot on the top of the cable car, stood in front of the control panel, and started using it directly.

The banner trembled slightly, and the cloud patterns on the deep blue silk fabric seemed to come alive and began to flow slowly.

A visible light blue ripple spreads out from the top of the banner, covering an area of ​​about 500 meters around the cable car.

Changes began to occur in the sky above the desert.